Nonfiction

Just Around The Bend: Más o Menos by Renée Paule

Just around the bend

Published: October 1st 2014 by RPG Publishing

Read Date: October 9th 2017

Pages: 168

Stars: 5/5

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Goodreads blurb_edited

Apparently, just around the bend is where we’ll find everything we’ve been looking forward to including; world peace, winning the lottery and a blissful retirement. That’s great, but if they’re what you’re looking for you won’t find them in this book. What you’ll find is a series of essays that examine some diverse topics about human nature, looked at from an unusual perspective and written in a way you may not have read before – plain English. I know the daily grind keeps many of us way too busy to stop and consider – or care – about the mysteries of life let alone homilies like ‘Know Thyself’; we have enough problems with ‘Where are my keys?’ But if you’re up to examining your ‘mind’ whilst I examine mine, then turn the book over and let’s get started.

Just Around The Bend: Más o Menos is my second book. Unusually, for its genres (self-help, philosophy etc.), it’s illustrated with a little character I designed and call Dilly (which means something or someone remarkable). Dilly is a thought form that thinks and he depicts some of our most endearing (and not so endearing) human traits. Ebooks are not illustrated.


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The book has beautiful starting lines with a philosophical poem. First two chapters of the book preface and introduction gave the good idea on what there will be in the book and author’s intention on writing this book and also how it is different than other self-help book.

While the previous book by author On the other Hand, that I read this year, told about questioning conditional belief and seeking questions rather than answers, a first step of the journey of self-discovery, Just Around the Bend, is second step in that journey. Again author doesn’t claim to answers questions, but tells about knowing and observing ourselves better and changing ourselves. What we are doing wrong and how we can make it right and ultimately seek ourselves.

What I liked_edited

Loved all the questions in the book and the philosophical poems in last two chapters. Did I tell you I loved voice of author in this book? I liked On The Other Hand and style of author in that book but in this one I just loved author’s voice even more.

Society doesn’t encourage individuality or the questioning of its rituals, rather, it encourages inertia in these matters. We sponsor and commercialize physical strength, beauty, acting ability and wealth, applauding them with awards of one sort or another. But if a person wants to change this world into a happier place to live in, we label them a bad influence; this is insanity.

Author has discussed many topics that are essential to discover ourselves. Through discussion of the very amazing topics like, completeness, mind drama, independence, what ifs, emotions and energy, observation, attachment, faith, intention, and Humanity, author lead us on the self-discovery path. We get the insight of all these topics with detailed narration of what we are doing wrong, we understand some topics very wrongly to begin with, reasons of unhappiness, how to be more observant, and how we can make things right. Also there was discussion about the title of the book ‘Just around the Bend’.

Each chapters starts with the beautiful quote related to the topic discussed in the book. I so loved all the quotes that I have to stop my finger from typing all here. All the things were explained in easy language with few examples.

Attachment is a prison we don’t want to break free from; it brings a false sense of security and identity with it which is why we struggle to let go.

Few things I really liked in the book were-

About the internet and Social Medias, how it could be both good and bad depending on our choice. About how we live in poising past and uncertain future rather than living in today, Now. Most beautiful topics were fining Completeness in ourselves, freeing from prison of Attachment and what actually Faith is. These three topic really changed my mind.

Hope is calculated risk and belief requires no evidence; both however, are roads that can lead to faith- it’s embedded in our heart.”  

The way completeness was discussed in the book, how even forming relationship just to fill our incompleteness leads to unhappiness and how finding completeness in ourselves and two such people together can form beautiful relationship few other examples likewise was brilliant. I loved reading about Emotions and Energies. “Emotion= Energy in motion.” Did you know emotions are contagious? This topic discussed about how it can affect us and people around us and how we can free our emotions from traps, and how we can understand our emotions and others, learn to surround ourselves with positive ones and let go of the negative ones, can help us towards peace of mind.

Another thing I like was about independence. How wrong I was about this word and after reading this chapter I understood no one is truly independent in seeking independence we are doing so many wrong things. We all and even nature is inter-dependent. We need each other to survive, to change the world and it ultimately lead to the topic unity, being the Whole. Everyone is essential like organs in our bodies they need each other to function the whole body and so we do. This was even more elaborated in ‘Humanity is One’ and sealed the deal of understanding humanity. We all are unique, have talents and as one we are complete.

This book showed the mirror, the naked truth, the reality of ourselves, of human nature and of society. The problem we are all experiencing with ourselves, how we can start the change with ourselves in order to change society and can work as one in order to be truly independent.

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Overall, Few things I already knew and believed in it, some were new to me, and some changed my mind. I learned lot from this book. If all self-help books are like this then I think I would like read them. There is something for everyone here. I recommend this book to all of you, I’m you will start loving self-help books like I did.


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Author: Renée Paule

To know more about author click Here.

Buy Here: Amazon.com / Amazon.in

*** Note: I received review copy of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. I am glad I got a chance to read this book. ***


What do you think about the book and review? Have you read this book already or any books by Renée Paule? If so what did you think about it? Share your thoughts in the comment-box below.

Happy Reading! 🙂

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Hi, I'm Yesha, an Indian book blogger. Avid and eclectic reader who loves to read with a cup of tea. Not born reader but I don't think I’m going to stop reading books in this life. “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

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