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beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first time that I have heard of the 52/52 Project. Yet, after reading this book, I plan to follow Sherry 's Facebook group for the 52 at 52 Project. OMG. This book is funny. Sherry makes me want to break out of my shell and try some new experiences. Although, I have been to an adult shop. However, never have I had the wealth of knowledge that the author got when she visited the trucker style shop in "Of Bunnies and Batteries". I think I will avoid trying an Brazilian wax in "The Woes of Waxing, Not So Poetic". Than there is the trip to the nude beach in "Baring It at the Beach". Also, I can't forget the "Dining in the Dark". Sherry's "My Big Fat Greek Party".
There are many more funny stories to be had in this book. Every time that I thought I was done laughing, I would find myself laughing some more. You could tell that the author really enjoyed every moment of her experiences. Sherry inspires you to find your inner badass self!
There are many more funny stories to be had in this book. Every time that I thought I was done laughing, I would find myself laughing some more. You could tell that the author really enjoyed every moment of her experiences. Sherry inspires you to find your inner badass self!
karenleagermain's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to She Writes Press for providing me with an advance copy of Sherry Stanfa-Stanley's Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- When Sherry Stanfa-Stanley turned fifty-two, she decided to challenge herself by facing fifty-two activities that would take her outside of her comfort zone. Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truth and Dares documents Stanfa-Stanley's quest to seek adventure and push her boundaries.
LIKE- Stanfa-Stanley is funny and relatable. It's easy to root for her as she overcomes personal obstacles, like conquering her fear of heights by going zip lining and riding in a hot air balloon. I think it helps that Stanfa-Stanley is a rather normal person chasing her dreams. She's middle-aged and not in peak shape, yet she attempts adventures. She doesn't have a large budget for her ideas and no one is financially backing her, another element that will make readers feel empowered: If Stanfa-Stanley can achieve her goals, so can you. Get off that couch!
My favorite challenge was when Stanfa-Stanley threw a party for strangers. She asked her friends to invite someone that they knew, but someone that she had not previously met to a party that Stanfa-Stanley was hosting. The friends were not invited, only the strangers. This meant that Stanfa-Stanley was hosting a party and didn't know who was going to knock at her door and none of the other people, knew each other. It was a grand experiment that was a huge success. I absolutely love the idea of a strangers party, especially how it lent itself to diversity in the participants. Although it happened that only women showed up ( men were invited), the women were different ages and from a variety of backgrounds. I think this is a marvelous idea for expanding your social circle. It was heart warming to learn that many of the women stayed in touch,
DISLIKE- Previous to Finding My Badass Self, I had not heard of Stanfa-Stanley. I now know that she has a blog in which readers can follow her adventures. Finding My Badass Self reads like a compilation of blog entries, which I think it might have been. I question the necessity of turning the blog entries into a book. If I was following her blog, it would be delightful to read a few entries at a time and catch up with her life, but as a book, it was tedious. I think a fix would have been to change the format and provide more introspection before moving to the next challenge. There needed to be a bridge between the entries. Not all of the challenges were equally interesting or inspiring, which also contributed to the uneven pacing.
RECOMMEND- Maybe. I'd definitely recommend checking out Stanfa-Stanley's blog. She's humorous and you might find the inspiration to chase one of your own dreams. I'm just not sure that Finding My Badass Self is a better recommendation than just checking out her blog.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- When Sherry Stanfa-Stanley turned fifty-two, she decided to challenge herself by facing fifty-two activities that would take her outside of her comfort zone. Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truth and Dares documents Stanfa-Stanley's quest to seek adventure and push her boundaries.
LIKE- Stanfa-Stanley is funny and relatable. It's easy to root for her as she overcomes personal obstacles, like conquering her fear of heights by going zip lining and riding in a hot air balloon. I think it helps that Stanfa-Stanley is a rather normal person chasing her dreams. She's middle-aged and not in peak shape, yet she attempts adventures. She doesn't have a large budget for her ideas and no one is financially backing her, another element that will make readers feel empowered: If Stanfa-Stanley can achieve her goals, so can you. Get off that couch!
My favorite challenge was when Stanfa-Stanley threw a party for strangers. She asked her friends to invite someone that they knew, but someone that she had not previously met to a party that Stanfa-Stanley was hosting. The friends were not invited, only the strangers. This meant that Stanfa-Stanley was hosting a party and didn't know who was going to knock at her door and none of the other people, knew each other. It was a grand experiment that was a huge success. I absolutely love the idea of a strangers party, especially how it lent itself to diversity in the participants. Although it happened that only women showed up ( men were invited), the women were different ages and from a variety of backgrounds. I think this is a marvelous idea for expanding your social circle. It was heart warming to learn that many of the women stayed in touch,
DISLIKE- Previous to Finding My Badass Self, I had not heard of Stanfa-Stanley. I now know that she has a blog in which readers can follow her adventures. Finding My Badass Self reads like a compilation of blog entries, which I think it might have been. I question the necessity of turning the blog entries into a book. If I was following her blog, it would be delightful to read a few entries at a time and catch up with her life, but as a book, it was tedious. I think a fix would have been to change the format and provide more introspection before moving to the next challenge. There needed to be a bridge between the entries. Not all of the challenges were equally interesting or inspiring, which also contributed to the uneven pacing.
RECOMMEND- Maybe. I'd definitely recommend checking out Stanfa-Stanley's blog. She's humorous and you might find the inspiration to chase one of your own dreams. I'm just not sure that Finding My Badass Self is a better recommendation than just checking out her blog.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
adrienneambo's review against another edition
5.0
Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares was the book I needed as I approached the last year of my 40's. Sherry Stanfa-Stanley on the cusp of her 52nd birthday decides to undertake 52 challenges on her "unbucket list." Laugh out loud funny and inspirational, this collection of challenges ranges from a pizza eating contest to jumping on the first plane available to an unplanned destination. I read this cover to cover never boring of Sherry's adventures. Sherry has earned her spot in one of my favorite genres...funny writers that prove fact is ALWAYS stranger than fiction.
kirkw1972's review against another edition
3.0
I'd never heard of the 52/52 Project until I read this book although I have heard of quite a few different versions of the idea. Sherry tries to be more adventurous after finding herself as a late singleton so she makes up a list at age 52 of 52 new things to try; one a week for a year. I enjoyed the book. Not sure that I'd want to try some of the things she's done but more power to her for having a go. It's a fun, inspiring book
Free arc from netgalley
Free arc from netgalley
jewelz996's review against another edition
3.0
Generally ok. Woman has the idea to do 52 new things that scare her during her 52nd year. Interesting. It makes me want to do new things that scare me too.
jenabrownwrites's review against another edition
3.0
"As adults, most of us have forgotten how to be silly. The first rule of going outside our comfort zone is learning to laugh at ourselves."
Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares is a novel in which one woman, Sherry Stanfa-Stanley, undertakes a year of pushing her limits in order to discover who she is and what she is capable of.
To really appreciate and understand this book, it's important to know that this book is a series of blog posts from the authors blog. When she turned 52, she created the 52/52 project. 52 experiences as a 52 year old woman, all designed to test her limits and really push her outside her comfort zone.
As a reader newly discovering this author, the book did feel choppy and was hard to read as a book. I can see the appeal as a weekly blog, as each piece focuses on one task from her list. In book format though, there's nothing to tie the pieces together. She even mentions that she often interacts with her Facebook group, so the weekly experience of discovering what she is planning and experiencing would be far more satisfying than reading in this format.
Formatting aside, the entries themselves were fun to read. Stanfa-Stanley is funny and I can picture my mother doing these things with much of the same commentary and horror. Who wouldn't simultaneously laugh and cringe at the prospect of taking your elderly mother to a nude beach?! Or to the shock of getting a brazilian wax for the first time?
It might be easy to dismiss some of these challenges as tepid or fairly modest. It's not as if everyone will find zip-lining or going for a hot air balloon ride as thrilling or limit pushing. And some women may even think a wax is an easy Tuesday appointment. Again, I do think having the context of the blog and Facebook page is helpful in relating to the author in these cases.
She does give context at the beginning of the book, explaining what sparked this journey. And it does help to remember this while reading the posts.
"Regardless of our motivations, at some point we decide to either continue sighing at the status quo of our lives or else we open our minds and our arms to embrace change. I chose change, albeit with trembling hands and a wavering mindset."
Not every challenge was necessarily frivolous. Getting a colonoscopy, for example, is probably something most people are hesitant or fearful over. Being able to admit to this fear, and to complete the task anyway, perhaps can help someone else do the same.
And, not every challenge was accomplished, or accomplished the way she thought. Her plan to sing onstage with a band happened. But rather than the well-practiced and rehearsed version she was planning, it ended up being spontaneous. And, her attempt to complete a ropes course ended before it began. I did like that there was still a lesson to be learned, even in failure.
"Perhaps acknowledging our limitations is an essential part of self-discovery. Maybe we learn just as much about life and about ourselves by discovering our weaknesses as well as our strengths. Maybe we succeed in growing even as we fail."
In an age where social media encourages us show only our success, it is important when someone is able to be honest and show the failure as well. And maybe that's what makes this journey, and these posts as relatable as they are. Some things were fun and funny. But even when they are cringe-worthy or humiliating, Stanfa-Stanley shows us anyway. She lets us laugh with her and cry with her, and honestly, this is the bravest thing of all.
Overall, the book was entertaining. However, I think it could have been a little more compelling if, instead of simply compiling these blog posts, the author gave us more context into each post instead. Who helped come up with these challenges? What limits specifically was each designed to push? Were any chosen by other people, and if so, who? These types of thoughts and explanations would have added more dimension and depth. While the book was a fast and funny read, I would have really enjoyed it if it offered more than what I could get from already published posts.
This book did make me curious to find her blog and her Facebook page, as they do seem like an interactive group of people willing to push boundaries and find themselves. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Thank you to BookSparks and She Writes Press, for sending me this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares is a novel in which one woman, Sherry Stanfa-Stanley, undertakes a year of pushing her limits in order to discover who she is and what she is capable of.
To really appreciate and understand this book, it's important to know that this book is a series of blog posts from the authors blog. When she turned 52, she created the 52/52 project. 52 experiences as a 52 year old woman, all designed to test her limits and really push her outside her comfort zone.
As a reader newly discovering this author, the book did feel choppy and was hard to read as a book. I can see the appeal as a weekly blog, as each piece focuses on one task from her list. In book format though, there's nothing to tie the pieces together. She even mentions that she often interacts with her Facebook group, so the weekly experience of discovering what she is planning and experiencing would be far more satisfying than reading in this format.
Formatting aside, the entries themselves were fun to read. Stanfa-Stanley is funny and I can picture my mother doing these things with much of the same commentary and horror. Who wouldn't simultaneously laugh and cringe at the prospect of taking your elderly mother to a nude beach?! Or to the shock of getting a brazilian wax for the first time?
It might be easy to dismiss some of these challenges as tepid or fairly modest. It's not as if everyone will find zip-lining or going for a hot air balloon ride as thrilling or limit pushing. And some women may even think a wax is an easy Tuesday appointment. Again, I do think having the context of the blog and Facebook page is helpful in relating to the author in these cases.
She does give context at the beginning of the book, explaining what sparked this journey. And it does help to remember this while reading the posts.
"Regardless of our motivations, at some point we decide to either continue sighing at the status quo of our lives or else we open our minds and our arms to embrace change. I chose change, albeit with trembling hands and a wavering mindset."
Not every challenge was necessarily frivolous. Getting a colonoscopy, for example, is probably something most people are hesitant or fearful over. Being able to admit to this fear, and to complete the task anyway, perhaps can help someone else do the same.
And, not every challenge was accomplished, or accomplished the way she thought. Her plan to sing onstage with a band happened. But rather than the well-practiced and rehearsed version she was planning, it ended up being spontaneous. And, her attempt to complete a ropes course ended before it began. I did like that there was still a lesson to be learned, even in failure.
"Perhaps acknowledging our limitations is an essential part of self-discovery. Maybe we learn just as much about life and about ourselves by discovering our weaknesses as well as our strengths. Maybe we succeed in growing even as we fail."
In an age where social media encourages us show only our success, it is important when someone is able to be honest and show the failure as well. And maybe that's what makes this journey, and these posts as relatable as they are. Some things were fun and funny. But even when they are cringe-worthy or humiliating, Stanfa-Stanley shows us anyway. She lets us laugh with her and cry with her, and honestly, this is the bravest thing of all.
Overall, the book was entertaining. However, I think it could have been a little more compelling if, instead of simply compiling these blog posts, the author gave us more context into each post instead. Who helped come up with these challenges? What limits specifically was each designed to push? Were any chosen by other people, and if so, who? These types of thoughts and explanations would have added more dimension and depth. While the book was a fast and funny read, I would have really enjoyed it if it offered more than what I could get from already published posts.
This book did make me curious to find her blog and her Facebook page, as they do seem like an interactive group of people willing to push boundaries and find themselves. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Thank you to BookSparks and She Writes Press, for sending me this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
dariazeoli's review against another edition
4.0
I was unfamiliar with the author or her 52/52 Project prior to reading this book, but I think I'll be checking it out now. Stanfa-Stanley writes of her year of doing things outside her comfort zone with humor and a conversational tone that makes her story accessible.
I often wonder what my life would look like if I did more things that scared me. This book is a reminder that sometimes, our biggest obstacle is ourselves. While I don't think I'll ever be badass enough to do half the things discussed in this book, it has me thinking again about the stories we tell ourselves, and how nothing is impossible.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.
I often wonder what my life would look like if I did more things that scared me. This book is a reminder that sometimes, our biggest obstacle is ourselves. While I don't think I'll ever be badass enough to do half the things discussed in this book, it has me thinking again about the stories we tell ourselves, and how nothing is impossible.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.
megbomb's review against another edition
4.0
When Sherry Stanfa turned 52, she decided to take 52 risks with her unbucket list. She spent the year doing all sorts of things that she had never experienced before. We're talking everything from a colonoscopy to past life regression to a hot air balloon ride.
The book reads like what it is, a collection of blog posts chronicling the different adventures that the author went on. Some are only a couple pages long and some are a few times that length. Some are deeply moving, some are pretty corny ( the 2 page colonoscopy chapter would have been about 10 words if not for the poop pun after poop pun), most are a barrel of laughs.
This was an enjoyable, light hearted, and inspiring book. It was a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed, and doesn't last forever. I hope I don't wait until I'm in my 50s to take some risks and make new friends wherever life takes me.
The book reads like what it is, a collection of blog posts chronicling the different adventures that the author went on. Some are only a couple pages long and some are a few times that length. Some are deeply moving, some are pretty corny ( the 2 page colonoscopy chapter would have been about 10 words if not for the poop pun after poop pun), most are a barrel of laughs.
This was an enjoyable, light hearted, and inspiring book. It was a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed, and doesn't last forever. I hope I don't wait until I'm in my 50s to take some risks and make new friends wherever life takes me.
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