Better Than Before

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started this book years ago, and I'm glad to have finally finished it. Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project was literally life changing for me during grad school. I was unhappy and totally confused about how I'd ended up pursuing a degree that didn't match my passions. Her book and the experience of living in LA for a few months (along with a few other things of course) helped jump start life as I know it now. All this to say that Rubin speaks very clearly to my way of thinking and in a very straightforward manner repeatedly helps push me towards creating the life I want to have. This is not my favorite of hers, but it was still full of great reminders and suggestions.

Better Than Before fits in alongside Atomic Habits by James Clear (exceptional book), Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam (a book I reread periodically), and Greg McKeown's Essentialism.

Happy reading and happy living a bit better than before--

All the Light We Cannot See - Round Two

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

August 2020
I loved this book even more the second time. The sense of place, as Anne Bogel says, is so well established throughout the story. I was struck this time by how young Werner and Marie-Laure are and how devastating certain details are from the perspective of a parent. Anthony Doerr really is a gifted writer.

Happy reading--

The Stationery Shop

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is so beautifully told. With the backdrop of political upheaval in Iran, the story of two teenagers falling in love and then being separated and how their lives evolve in the coming decades is incredibly compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed the epistolary elements, the love of books, the idealism for change, the culinary descriptions, and of course, the book centering around a stationery shop.

This book is probably a 4.5, but I rounded up for how captivated I was. Happy reading and happy school supply buying. Wish I could send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils. :)

ps. Let's be honest - I have been misspelling stationery all my life.

Gravity Is The Thing

Gravity Is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay - so here's the thing. I picked this book up for three reasons: Jaclyn Moriarty is Liane Moriarty's sister, and I love Liane Moriarty. It totally piqued my interest that the two sisters were bestselling authors, though this is Jaclyn's first book geared towards adults. And embarrassingly, you might have guessed the second reason: her name is Jaclyn spelled like mine. I so rarely come across my name and then on top of that, my spelling, that I couldn't resist. Lastly, I'm a sucker for an Australian narrator.

Those reasons really aren't great ones for recommending a book to other people, and honestly, I probably would give this book 2.5 stars. The plot was just SO odd. I would try Moriarty's writing again though because I liked her characterization and overall writing style. I just couldn't ever suspend belief long enough to go with the book's main premise. The relationship and reaction to the main character's brother, however, was very compelling.

So, it's another half and recommendation that leaves me saying again, only read this if you read a high volume of books each year...and even then....

As always though, happy reading--

Big Summer

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Big Summer" would have been the perfect beach read...assuming any of us were leaving our houses and going places. There's fantastic commentary on social media, fat shaming, wealth and status, and the influence of parents and friends all without being preachy. It's just embedded in a story that you forget is a murder mystery of sorts. I really hope it gets made into a movie...and that someday we all get to go the beach again.

Happy reading--

**One big disclaimer - there is a super saucy scene that is wildly unnecessary in the middle of the book. That may motivate a few of you (I'd name names, but that would be awkward ;) ) and for a few others, you can just skip it...I literally fast forwarded through it because that's not my thing.

Again, Again

Again Again by E. Lockhart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I contemplated stopping this book half a dozen times. I kept going because I really liked another one of Lockhart's books and because the main character's brother deals with an addiction. As the sister of addict, I rarely see the familial dynamics of addiction in fiction, and I was intrigued. That said, this book should not be read in audio form. Lockhart has multiple realities playing out simultaneously and it was jarring to jump back and forth. It reminded me of that movie Vantage Point, that came out years ago. The first couple times that the move replayed a scene from a new perspective were fascinating and by the third and fourtht one, the whole audience literally groaned.

So, not a good read for me, but I do appreciate Lockhart including a very real and very hard part of life.

Happy reading--

ps. Seeing "Again, Again" made my think of my nephew Henry and his toddler self, saying "again, again" when he wanted you to repeat an action. It was the cutest. 

The Lions of Fifth Avenue

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona  Davis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So many good potential elements - dual narratives in different time periods, the New York Public Library as a main setting, strong female characters, book theft, etc. Unfortunately the execution wasn't amazing and the 90s character was a little annoying. I was intrigued throughout, but I saw some of the twists coming and wanted certain details more developed.

This is first Fiona Davis. She's been on my radar for a long time, but I'm not sure I would dive in again simply because there are too many books to get to. If you love another one of her books, I'd really like to know.

Happy reading and happy New York dreaming--

Know My Name

Know My Name by Chanel Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exceptional, devastating, gut-wrenching, essential - there are so many ways to describe this book, but they don't really do justice how necessary it is that we bring conversations about sexual assault to light. The number of women assaulted is staggering. The number of women who receive unwanted sexual attention is ridiculous.

When I was a freshman in college, all the girls in the freshmen dorms were given whistles to blow in case of an emergency. We laughingly joked about being in a dangerous situation and asking the perpetrator to pause what they were doing so we could blow our whistle. The idea that the whistles were any sort of solution is so disturbing and so futile. More concerning is reflecting back on how many times I have have been on the receiving end of unwanted attention and how little I felt I could do at the time. Why is that still a reality? Why was Chanel's experience even a thing?!

Chanel Miller is remarkable because she using her voice and her experience to give validate and strengthen others. We have to do and be better. We cannot keep putting the weight of good behavior on girls saying that they are the ones that are responsible for keeping themselves safe....

Too much to say so I'll stop there, but this should be essential reading. That said, it could be extremely triggering and Chanel is very straightforward.

I can't say happy reading as I usually do, but it seems fitting to end with the quote, "We read to know we're not alone." Chanel Miller's book certainly gives that feeling of camaraderie to people who need it.

Find Your Path

Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life by Carrie Underwood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ummm - this would be a 2.5 star book. I picked it up because I like her idea of Fit52 - that you are working to be strong and healthy 52 weeks a year. That said, it was just underwhelming or not for me in terms of how she eats, etc. Could totally be someone else's style, but I still love Carrie Underwood and will forever dream of having hair like hers. I just am going to stick to her music.

Happy reading--

The Upside of Falling

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's a while since I read some fun young adult fiction. This one did not disappoint. It's cheesy, dramatic, and romantic. There's a love story (essential for most YA), parents that let the characters down, grades to bring up at school, etc. It was fast and entertaining.

Happy reading--

Attachments

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The only I'm sorry about with Attachments is that it took me this long to read it. Rowell has an ability to create such interesting characters that you can't help but root for. I loved a glimpse into the recent past when email filters felt like a new thing and directly addressing the IT guy was common practice among a few of us at work when we were using personal email on a work server.

This is not a perfect book, but it's a delightful book, and Rebecca Lowman is a great audiobook reader. You won't be disappointed.

Happy reading--

From Scratch

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Food and Finding Home in the Sicilian Countryside by Tembi Locke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. It has everything I like from a love story to travel to delicious food. Somehow though, I was too caught up in the good title and the cute cover photo, and totally missed that this book is about Tembi's life after she loses her husband. Perhaps not anticipating that subject matter is what left me a little cold considering that I was experiencing the stress of my baby being in the NICU when I started the book. That said, it has the potential to be a compelling story and Locke does a good job setting the respective scenes. She certainly helps you fall in love with her Saro and makes you crave Italy in a major way. This is not, however, a book like Joan Didion's and many others that are eloquent explorations of grief. It's just a Texas girl who fell in love with a Sicilian boy, and how she navigated her own experiences after he went away.

I'd say read it or don't read it. It's probably more of a 3.5 star book, but not as essential as others I've read this year. Happy reading--