Hey guys, welcome to the September edition of the Monthly Wrap Ups, a series where I wrap up my month in books and movies, within the first week of the next month; which this clearly is not, in-fact this is the latest my wrap up has ever been, barely making it in the month.
But there is a reason for that. Like I mentioned in my earlier chatty catch-post, we moved into our house during the first week of this month, and boy is it as exhausting as it is exciting! I am just about gathering my wits, and still see a long road ahead to reach normalcy and routine. Anyway, I digress.
Coming to the month of September, I had a clear plan for the past month, and that was reading romances. I anticipated high levels of stress with the (then) upcoming house move, and romances work well as stress busters for me. The one thing that I did not want this month was a book that added to my anxiety levels.
BOOKS
Considering my goals for the month, I kind of succeeded, yet also failed on a level (but it was a great failure – I’ll explain).
Of Romances & Being Mortal
In September, I read three romances – Varsha Dixit’s Right/Wrong Companion Trio, so that went as per plan; then I also read one book about death and dying (no kidding!) – Being Mortal by Atul Gawande – this clearly did terrible things to my anxiety levels, in a month where I really needed zero stress from books.
Nonetheless, like I said, it was a great failure, because I loved this book; but more on all of these books later, because I plan to do full reviews on them (*added links to reviews above).
The Total Money Makeover
The one book I would want to talk about today is The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. This one was on my radar for quite a while, and I finally got to it in September.
For the uninitiated, Dave Ramsey is many things – an author, radio show host, motivational speaker, but primarily, he is among the more popular personalities in America who have attempted to revolutionize financial education in the country.
In simple terms – he helps people manage their money (not by managing it for them, but teaching them how to), get out of debt, and stay out of it too.
In this book, he not only questions the spending and saving patterns ingrained in us by the society, but also lays out a clear road-map for financial security and freedom.
He is the one person I have found who openly ridicules credit card dependency , and emphasizes the importance of a zero based budget. And yes I know that both of those things are great in theory, and very difficult in practice. Yet both of those things are doable – we can certainly live without credit cards, and as painful as it might be at first – we can definitely create a zero based budget.
It might seem like a very radical approach to some, but to me, it makes sense. It takes you to ground zero, and helps you build a financial plan, and a secure financial future for yourself and your family.
Which is why, I would recommend everyone to check out this book. If it does connect with you, it might make a world of difference to your finances. If it isn’t for you, then you have at-least gained an interesting insight into a different way of doing things. Either way, it’s a win-win.
GET THIS BOOK HERE:
Amazon One Link | Amazon India
MOVIES
Intolerable Cruelty
This movie. Totally not my regular fare, yet I found it really enjoyable. Of-course this was heavily influenced by the presence of George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones. But even outside of these two, the plot was quite interesting. It’s essentially a battle of wits between a beautiful gold digger and a Beverly Hills divorce lawyer, who is increasingly attracted to her.
What was even more interesting than the plot, was that I enjoyed it – a lot, in-spite of the fact that it wandered in a very morally grey area, and that is not something that I usually like in romances. But I guess, there are always exceptions, and this just happens to be one of them.
Needless to say, I highly recommend this one – for the engaging plot, the alluring Catherine Zeta-Jones, and a heavy dose of the Clooney Charm.
Check this out on Amazon HERE.
Have you read any of these books or watched this movie? Any others that you recently read/watched that you really enjoyed? Do share!
SHUBHANGI SRIKANTH
I read quite a few Indian authors this month and realized there are so many good ones around. I watched a few movies too, MS Dhoni, and a couple of Kannada ones.
SHUBHANGI SRIKANTH recently posted…Wriggle out of that worry-hole.
Shanaya Tales
I only recently watched MS Dhoni. I liked it, but I feel like it could have been better. There were some aspects that they just glossed over – like his Captain Cool persona, and for that matter, the rise to captaincy itself. I wouldn’t have thought they would miss something like that.
Shanaya Tales recently posted…October Wrap Up – Books and Movies
Roshan Radhakrishnan
Well, now you really got me intrigued about the finance book.. heaven knows I can use some help 🙂
Intolerable Cruelty is fun 🙂 Not great but definitely watchable.
Roshan Radhakrishnan recently posted…A Single Candle in the Darkness #DearZindagi
Shanaya Tales
Fun. Yeah that is exactly what I thought it was. And I am surprised at myself, because that is not my conventional definition of fun. Anyway, I guess the Clooney Charm had a lot to do with it, in my case. 😀
Shanaya Tales recently posted…October Wrap Up – Books and Movies
Lisa Thomson
I haven’t read any of the books you mentioned. The money book looks like a great resource! thanks fro sharing those, Shantala. I saw the movie a few years back and really enjoyed it. It was a clever plot and refreshing change from the typical Hollywood romance.
Lisa Thomson recently posted…Goddess To The Rescue
Shanaya Tales
Oh you should definitely check out Total Money Makeover, it is quite revolutionary. Not easy, but I feel like if we make an effort, it will pay off.
rajlakshmi
Thank god there’s someone who ridicules credit card dependency. Next time I have to.explain why I don’t own one , I will quote him. The titles of the ramance books are amusing… so many with right and wrong titles… you had a great month reading wise. Keep going 🙂
Shanaya Tales
Thank you, Raj. And yeah, we are trying to get off credit cards too. Even though we are very current on all our payments, it is a lifestyle we don’t want to depend on.
CookieCrumbsInc.
Let me know if the plan works out for you!
Always on the look out for better financial management strategy 😛
Shanaya Tales
I hope this works. It’s kinda difficult (though then I expected that), but I am making a determined effort, so hopefully it all works out. Will definitely keep you updated. Fingers crossed.
Shanaya Tales recently posted…October Wrap Up – Books and Movies
Parul Thakur
I would love to read about Dave’s school of thoughts. Managing finances better is important.
On books, I am going better than before and I owe the change to Kindle. It’s making things easier. I finished 3 books in October and Rana Ayub’s Gujarat Files was the highlight. The book is a written documentary of sorts on the Gujarat riots and though the editing and language is a little lost, the facts (if at all they are) were chilling.
Movies – Pink was awesome 🙂
Looking forward to your October’s chatty chats 🙂
Parul Thakur recently posted…School Corridor
Shanaya Tales
Oh wow! How did you find the one detailing Gujarat Riots? Relatively unbiased? I have been looking forward to reading something more objective on that topic.
Shanaya Tales recently posted…October Wrap Up – Books and Movies
Pratikshya
Quite an exciting combination of books and movies there… I read the fifth mountain by Paulo Coelho… N watched MS Dhoni, Akira, and a Korean series that’s ongoing Scarlett Heart..
Doing the UBC.. reading a few more novels . 🙂
Pratikshya recently posted…Tea Tales
Shanaya Tales
Wow! That is awesome. You are having quite the busy month. Hope you are enjoying it. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…October Wrap Up – Books and Movies
Lata Sunil
That financial book sounds interesting. Maybe, I will look it up. For a financial concepts challenged me, it will help. I want to read the review for ‘Being Mortal’. Hope you will write it.
Lata Sunil recently posted…She walks, she leads by Gunjan Jain
Shanaya Tales
Being Mortal yeah, I will get to it soon, I promise.
As far as The Total Money Makeover goes, try it, I am sure you won’t regret it.
I would love to hear what you thought about it.
Shanaya Tales recently posted…October Wrap Up – Books and Movies
Damyanti
Thanks for this wonderful round-up!
Shanaya Tales
Thank you for reading. 🙂
Shanaya Tales recently posted…October Wrap Up – Books and Movies