Jill and the Books Talk

Candid photo taken in Seville, Spain - September 2016 Have you ever felt trapped in an unfavorable situation which you know in your heart that you could have prevented if only you took heed and followed your intuition? Do you endlessly justify choices and decisions that go against your feelings or contradict with what you believe to be true? It could be uncomfortable to decline a request and so much more difficult if the one asking for your attention, time, effort or money is someone that you value. Let me share to you my story. I was once a people pleaser. I wanted to make everyone around me happy. I tried to accommodate everyone who needed me or anything from me. In short, I wore myself out believing that I am the answer to the problems of anyone who comes to me. I was so wrong!  Looking back, it was probably arrogance on my part because it made me feel good to be liked, needed and sought after. It gave me a sense of power. Was I happy? Not all the time. T...

A biography of the legendary Argentine first lady Eva "Evita" Peron. The book started with a mysterious and melancholic undertone. I quickly got absorbed with how Evita rose from a nobody to a very influential woman. The author wrote about both the remarkable and undesirable qualities of Evita. This book left me wondering about what was truly in her heart when she became a champion of the masses. Was she a sincere public servant or just a power hungry social climber? Towards the end of the book, I got bored with all the details about how Evita got even with those who crossed and belittled her in the past as well as those who opposed her husband Juan Peron. There was an entire chapter that sounded like a boring history book. Evita's death and the handling of her corpse was described in a morbid but intriguing way. The photos included made up for the minor flaws of this book.