You Aren't Lazy. You Are Overstimulated.

You Aren't Lazy. You Are Overstimulated.
by Sean Kernan, Jun 1st 2021

Sometimes I compose an article that accidentally uncovered my own issues. Here I am, propelling self improvement content every month, telling individuals the best way to live more successfully. Then, at that point I start my exploration and acknowledge I have openings in my game.

This is one of those articles. It's about overstimulation. Again and again, it is overlooked or confused with something different. Its belongings are tremendous and progressing. Figure out how to stay away from abundance boosts, and you'll unchain an innovation that was consistently there sitting tight for you.

Six of the Best Christian Books

I used to get really bored every Sunday afternoon, because I wasn't interested in reading the Bible, but I wasn't allowed to read or watch anything secular (on Sundays). In Christianity, Sunday is the Lord's Day, and we should spend the day focused on Him, and for my parents that meant doing everything we could do keep our minds and our thoughts in Him and cutting out anything that might take our minds off of Him. Which included secular entertainment.

If you're in my shoes, or you just want more Christian books on your bookshelf, I put together my favorite Christian books. Underneath my list I've also included some links to other lists that sound good, and have ones I want to read, but haven't.

My list is based on the following criteria: first and foremost, biblical and theological accuracy, as well as plot and structure, compelling characters and storyline, and how well it presents the Gospel. Lastly, the book has to be just as good as a secular novel of fiction (bc we should enjoy Christian books just as much as books without Christ).

I don't like much romance mixed in, because it takes away from the overall Gospel message and on a Sunday afternoon, fresh from the worship service, it feels borderline blasphemous haha and besides I don't read Christian fiction for the love, I read it for the Bible it presents. I try to stay away from the modern stories, set in modern times, and I lean towards books that are based on Biblical events (think God King, Hittite Warrior), or told from the perspective of someone living in that time (think Bronze Bow).

Beyond The Desert Gate Mary Ray (read after Ides of April)

Bronze Bow, The Elizabeth Speare

God King, Joanne Williamson

Hittite Warrior, The Joanne Williamson

Ides of April, The Mary Ray

Scottish Seas Douglas Jones III

Since my list isn't super extensive, if you want something more along the lines of modern Christian fiction, read through this list, maybe you can find something worthwhile. The problem I have with lists like that one is that they're all too often focused more on the characters and their worldly struggles and less on their faith, or their faith comes secondarily to everything, almost like God is an afterthought. I appreciate the books that are centered more on Biblical things than on the struggles that you find in every secular books you pick up. I can always find a character who has struggles, burdens, doubts, hurdles they have to overcome. I can't always find a character who uses their faith to guide them, or who comes to Christ because of what they see in their life/the lives of those around them. I also just prefer reading about books set in Christ's day instead of my day.

Another list I really appreciate would be this one, I love how she went about putting it together and breaking down the reasons behind these books, as well as breaking the books themselves down and really getting in depth about why they're good books. Haven't read a single one of them but after reading the post I'm sure they're all well-written and the kind of book I'm looking for.

List I'm not so sure about but would like to check out later would be this one. Not sure if any of them are biblically sound, or whether the authors are even Christians (and by Christians I mean Baptist/Presbyterian/Methodist/that kind of denom, since I'm Baptist and Presbyterians and Methodists have similar theology), and I've never heard of these books so I have no idea what they're like, but I'll check them out later.

There's a very extensive Goodreads list that I found which might be promising. Lists on Goodreads can be hit or miss since they're a group effort, and I have no idea where each contributor stands as far as theology goes, so some of these books may be completely off-track. It includes Chronicles of Narnia which are not theologically sound, especially the last book which strays far from the Bible (particularly in regards to life after death and the way God, or in this case, Aslan, deals with those who die unsaved). I also think they're a bit too story-like which makes it hard for me to keep my mind on Biblical things while reading them. They're well-written books, but too much fantasy for me, so I wouldn't read them on a Sunday, because it takes my mind off of God.

20 Online Resources for Free E-Books (Lifehack)

Read through the list and ofc there are some dumb ones like Google Books, Barnes and Noble, and Scribd, which are not helpful and rarely have what you're looking for, but there are some good (though typical) ones like Project Gutenberg, and a few that I hadn't heard of before today. On the plus side, because this is an article for the general public, they have to list the ones that are legal and above board, so if you're uncomfortable with reading a pirated copy off the internet, then this is the perfect list for you. Good luck tryna find modern literature, though.

LINK.  https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-online-resources-for-free-books.html

website for finding new movies

After watching Premium Rush, I was on an extreme bicycle-movie kick, specifically bike messengers/couriers/delivery people. So I stumbled upon this 1986 film, Quicksilver, which sounded similar to Premium Rush so I watched it. Turns out it was nothing like Premium Rush and was also incredibly bad, because everyone except the extras acted like complete morons and left me with a craving for brain cells and, more than before, a movie as good as Premium Rush. The website Best Similar, though it hasn't helped me find a movie like Premium Rush, has given me so many new movies to watch.

It's explicitly for that purpose, so that you can click on a genre or a defining trait of that movie and find the exact thing you're in the mood for (bicycles, chases, NYC, corrupt officials, cops, college, high school, drama, romance, comedy, road trips, moving out, growing up, switching bodies, heists, magic, fairy tales, grief, loss, nostalgia, parties, cars, fashion, suspense, thrillers, etc.) and now I have a couple bicycle movies on my watchlist as well as other movies they said were similar.

LINK.  https://bestsimilar.com/

If that doesn't work to find a movie, try couchpop.com - I'm not sure how to best navigate their website yet, but if you google "similar to _ couchpop", you can go to a page that compares movies to that movie, as well as gives taglines for that movie. This way, you click on the tagline(s) of the things you want to see replicated in another movie and it takes you to a list of movies like that. For me, it would be bicycles, bicycle courier, race against the clock, crime, maybe NYC, etc.

You can also try taste.io or tastedive.com (both of which may be similar to couchpop in that you have to google it to get to the right page). Reddit is also helpful if you have an account and are desperate enough to wait a few weeks to a year before people reply with good suggestions. Or reply at all.

If you're still not satisfied with that, go watch Premium Rush and be unsatisfied about the fact that it is the only good bicycle movie out there and there isn't really anything better than Wilee getting chased by a cop and losing his cool bc he's so sick of nearly dying, doing stunts and marathons around NYC, all while tryna beat the clock. It won't make you feel any better but at least it'll make you feel like me.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen 📕

In order of how I like their format (font size, spacing, how easy/accessible it is to get to the next page and jump around within the book), going from most appealing to least appealing, not counting the ads that break up the flow of reading.

LINKS.  http://readfreeonlinenovel.com/book/the-false-prince-by-jennifer-a-nielsen/1

https://readbooksnovel.com/the-false-prince/

https://allnovel.net/the-false-prince-the-ascendance-trilogy-1.html

https://readonlinefreebook.com/the-false-prince-the-ascendance-trilogy-1-s88-c1-h

https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/jennifer-a-nielsen/1600-the_false_prince.html

Best of Poirot's Short Stories?

If you need help figuring out which short story/collection to start with, this article breaks them down and lists every short story featuring Poirot.

LINK.  https://everythingagatha.com/home/poirot/short-stories/

The Underdog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie 📚

A dead heiress on a train, a murdered recluse, a wealthy playboy slain at a costume ball are but a few of the unfortunate victims of confounding crimes committed in the pages of Agatha Christie’s The Under Dog and Other Stories, a superior collection of short mystery fiction all featuring Hercule Poirot as the investigator.

LINK.  https://novelonlinefull.com/chapter/the_under_dog_and_other_stories/chapter_1

Read Agatha Christie Free Online 📚

Heads-up: when you click on a book and you get to the end of the page, there's a TINY link at the bottom, below the ad (or where an ad would be, if you have adblocker) that says "next page". You'll need a magnifying glass, but it's there if you look hard enough.

LINK.  https://blog.maxpay.org/category/agatha-christie/ (all 84 of her works are available!)

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie 📖

Eleven short stories published under one title, Poirot Investigates is about the famed eccentric detective who solves a variety of mysteries involving greed, jealousy, and revenge.

LINK.  https://www.gutenberg.org/files/61262/61262-h/61262-h.htm

LEGAL Ways to Read Full Books Online

The list, in case you're in a hurry:

1. Project Gutenberg

2. Internet Archive

3. Open Library

4. Google Books

5. Smashwords

6. ManyBooks

7. BookRix

8. Authorama

9. Bookboon

10. Wattpad

11. Library of Congress

12. HathiTrust Library

LINK.  https://ebookfriendly.com/sites-where-you-can-read-books-online/

Other lists (mostly geared towards children, I think)

https://www.differentiatedteaching.com/free-websites-for-digital-reading/

1. Epic

2. International Children's Library

3. Magic Keys

4. iStoryBooks

5. Project Gutenberg

6. Planet EBook

7. Reading IQ

8. Amazon Free eBooks

9. Free-Ebooks.net

And for nonfiction:

10. NewsELA

11. Scholastic News

12. Freckle (formerly Front Row)

(they also have audio/digital books as well as books for test-prep practice if you scroll down far enough.)

https://www.techcrazyteacher.com/2017/04/16-fabulous-reading-websites.html (this one is for sure geared towards small children, and has 20 sites listed, so I won't even give you a sneak peak, you can look through it yourself.)

LIL PSA HERE!!

If you enjoyed a book you read online, please consider buying it! My personal recommendation is (and will always be) Thriftbooks, an online resource for getting second-hand, steeply discounted books that would otherwise be left to gather dust as someone buys a brand new one off of Amazon.

Please support your local book stores and libraries, as well as buying second hand to minimize the number of new editions and printings made every year! In general, if it's a book that's been around for awhile, or isn't in great condition, you'll get a great bargain. You will be paying for shipping ($5 if you're in the US, much higher if you're outside of it), as well.

Note: if you make an account with thriftbooks, you get 8 points for every $1 spent, and a free book for every 500 points earned! If you're going to be buying books anyway, you might as well get points, and eventually a free book, for doing so!

Website Simply For Self-Published Short Stories

Bored? Lonely? Boring and lonely? Ready for some new short stories, because long ones aren't it for you?

Look no further. These may not be well-written, as it's more of a group effort on this website, but they do have an abundance of short stories, as they're all written by those who are part of the site. This isn't a "read free online" so much as a "read other people's stuff online that they put out there themselves". It's more of a Wattpad than a Project Gutenberg, Open Library, Internet Archive, or even a 100vampirenovels.

But it's still a cool concept and might be fun for you, so go ahead and risk getting sucked in. They're short stories, it won't take too long.

Heads up: it requires an account before you can access the stories.

LINK.  https://blog.reedsy.com/short-stories/

the Agatha Christie website is by far the coolest place to go in 2021

forget the Bahamas, have you been to the home of Agatha Christie. The online home, I mean. The site that says "home of Agatha Christie" at the top. It's got so many resources - FIRST, you have a complete and comprehensive list of not only the murder mysteries she wrote, but the plays, the short stories, and the un-murder mysteries (eg, Mary Westmacott). You can filter these by detective, and you can also filter them by A-Z or first published. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you can DOWNLOAD A HERCULE POIROT READING LIST or a Miss Marple reading list, OR A COMPLETE AGATHA CHRISTIE READING LIST!

It gets better. They have multiple reading lists. Some way more personalized ones, some way more quirky ones, and some way more cool ones.

You can also look through the film and TV section, which is exactly what you'd expect, a full list of all the adaptions made so far. You can also visit their YouTube channel. What they do there, and whether it's as cool and helpful as their website, I have no idea. 

There is also a list of characters that she has in her stories. I was surprised to find that Inspector Japp, Superintendent Battle, Captain Hastings, and Colonel Race aren't on there. I thought for sure they'd make the list before Harley Quin or Parker Pyne did because they're such notable, well-known characters. At least in Colonel Race's case, since he actually has (what, four?) books where he stars as the detective.

And at the very bottom you can sign up for their newsletter.

Come, see, and conquer the world of Agatha Christie, you won't regret it.

List of Agatha Christie Short Stories

If you ever want to read all of them and you need a(n almost) comprehensive list, wiki fandoms have you covered. The Agatha Christie wikia fandom has a list, complete with links, US and UK collections, and two comments! It doesn't include Problem At Pollensa Bay, The Harlequin Tea Set, Magnolia Blossom, or Next to a Dog.

LINK.  https://agathachristie.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_short_stories_by_Agatha_Christie

UPDATE: I found another, actually comprehensive list that is far more helpful and has filters you can add to narrow it down to what type of short story you'd like to read. It's the official Agatha Christie site, which means it's the official short story list.

LINK.  https://www.agathachristie.com/stories?format=short-story&character=all

I'm hoping in the near future to have each of these available here, but for now you'll have to go somewhere else to read her short stories for free. I'll be putting a list of links together someday soon while I slowly add onto my collection of free books available on here.