There are SO many books. There are books about habits - building them and breaking them. Books about listening to your intuition and books about the power of deep thought. Books that tell you to GO FASTER! and books that say slow down... So - we've decided to have some fun and tackle a few with our brand-new "Get Shit Done" booklist. Our posts are part review, part summary, part commentary. More books will be added over time - please make suggestions in the comments!

*Each "post" is the author's own and does not reflect the view of the Reno Collective or its members.

The first book up is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, by blogger and author Mark Manson. (My sincerest apologies if you have been on the hold list at my local library.) Contrary to Mark's promise (click the link...), my face is still firmly attached, but I liked it. I found it on one of those New-Year-New-You blog posts that espouse the greatest "get shit done" books ever written in the blah, blah, blah.

A few takeaways:

1. There are just way too many fucks to consider giving - so carefully choose the ones most important to you and stick with them. According to Manson: "The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it's giving a fuck about less, giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important." We are trained to give a fuck about as much as possible...why? "Because giving a fuck about more is good for business." (Think bigger TVs and longer selfie sticks...with fans.)

2. The fire hose of information that we consume each day is teaching us that "exceptionalism is the new normal." If it won't break the internet - don't bother. Manson's suggestion: not only do we need to learn not to WANT more, more, more, but we also need to stop trying to BE more, more, more.

3. Get your values in check. "If you want to change how you see your problems, you have to change what you value and/or how you measure failure/success." SO - you can either decide to gauge your success by selling millions of records in your own band or by selling more records than your former bandmates. (See: Megadeth vs. Metallica) One leaves you fulfilled, the other miserable and weepy. Literally, apparently.

4. Life's not all rainbows and unicorns (?!?) and it's actually pretty healthy to admit it. Manson's thought: "denying negativity is perpetuating problems rather than solving them."

5. Shakespeare may have written Romeo and Juliet to satirize romance - not celebrate it?!? (Sorry, Leo.)

I would suggest this book if you a) hold grudges and b) are a people pleaser. It's a quick read and there are some great "case studies." However, if you are averse to four-letter words and constant reminders of just how much sex the author had in his life, it might not be for you.

Have you read it yourself? What did you think? Worth it - not worth it?