Recent Reads

Happy New Year to everyone! I came down with a flu on New Year's Day, hoping everyone else is starting things off a little bit better.  Today I wanted to share two books I recently finished, one being Diane von Furstenburg's autobio and the other a historical fiction account of New York City.

New York: The Novel, by Edward Rutherfurd

This historical fiction piece provides a sweeping history of New York City from the 1600s through 9/11.  A massive undertaking for the author, although somehow he's written similar accounts of Paris, London, and Russia. The book follows the Master family, starting with their original Dutch ancestor, trapping beaver and fighting with his wife in the wilderness of Manhattan (yeah, wilderness). It follows the Master family line right on through colonial times, the Revolutionary war, Civil War, emancipation, the Great Depression, the sixties, eighties, etc. The Master family interacts with characters that each represent all the different cultures that came to make up Manhattan as well, from Irish and Italian immigrants, to Brooklyn Jews, to poor Puerto Rican families fighting gangs in Harlem.

What I liked about this book was getting a flip book style view of history. It all happens so seamlessly, one minute Lower Manhattan is swampland and the next it's full of skyscrapers. I also loved how just plain nice the characters were (though, of course, that made it less realistic). The bad thing about the book was that it actually feels a little fluffy, almost like chick lit. Maybe it's because almost all of the characters get lucky breaks, or maybe it's because the author sort of flies through some periods, but I have to say it's not actually the most substantial read. Definitely fun, cool, and enjoyable overall though. If you don't mind sinking into an 800-pager, check this one out.

The Woman I Wanted to Be, by Diane von Furstenburg
Ugh. I wanted to love this one. I love DVF's clothes, and her column in InStyle magazine, and I've always found interviews with her to be very interesting. I couldn't wait to read her autobio, but I was disappointed.

I started out liking it but came away feeling almost brainwashed. She talks about all aspects of her life, from her childhood, her marriages, family, love affairs, and ups and downs in her business, but only in the most superficial way. Her goal seems to be flaunting her glamorous, jet-set lifestyle, and it comes off as pretty narcissistic. For example, she constantly talks about her love for her husband, Barry Diller, but then has all these periods where she leaves him for a few years to be with other men, and talks about this as if it's totally normal and fine, just something she needed to do.  She also totally glosses over her bout with cancer, making it sound like she spent a few weeks at a yoga retreat. Her treatment of the topic was so surface that the reader can't connect with her at all.  She goes on and on about Studio 54, and all her celebrity encounters, and never once addresses any flaws in herself or talks about her struggles in any real way.  It's not worth reading. Skip this one.

Recent Reads

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10% Happier, by Dan Harris

Harris is a Nightline news anchor who suffered a panic attack on live TV, which subsequently propelled him into the world of meditation and mindfulness.  Harris studies Eckhart Tolle, works with a prominent psychiatrist well-versed in Buddhism, encounters the Dalai Lama, and attends a 10 day meditation retreat. He begins to understand and observe the frenetic way his mind works, and calm the disparaging, ragingly insecure voice that runs constantly inside him.

The book is incredibly well written. I loved watching the struggle- we see him start out hating anything spiritual, thinking mediation is for goons, and ultimately wind up benefitting from it and preaching its cause to anyone who will listen. It reminds me of the way I think God works in most of our lives, putting struggles in our path to continually improve and change us, challenging us to open our minds and embrace things we once rejected. 

The book is not a “how to” on meditation, though you can gain lots of tips and insight by reading it. Harris formally includes some notes and resources in the appendix, but my favorite were the little nuggets of wisdom I picked up throughout:

“When a big wave is coming at you, the best way not to get pummeled is to dive right in.”

“You may find that it’s not the pain that is intolerable, but instead your resistance to it.”

 

“How often are we waiting for the next pleasant hit of ...whatever? The next meal or the next relationship or the next latte?”

 

Simple and maybe even obvious, but so many of us, especially myself, live our lives on the exact opposite way. 

 

I didn’t devour this in a day like I do with a good fiction novel, and I admit I don’t find Harris to be the most likable person in the world, but it was definitely a worthwhile read, and has, of course, inspired me to meditate. 

 

Some Luck, by Jane Smiley

 

Loved this book. The novel starts in 1920 with newly married couple Rosanna and Walter Langdon, living on a farm in Iowa.  Each chapter spans a year, ending in 1953. I loved the format of the novel; it moved quickly and mimics life- first you have a newly married couple, primitively without electricity, and all of a sudden their children are grown up with kids and adventures of their own.  The story has births, deaths, love, and family, set against historical backdrops of the Great Depression, World War 2, and the McCarthy era. A sweeping, fascinating portrait of American family life. Loved it.

 

The Girls from Corona del Mar, by Rufi Thorpe

Boy, was this a weird one.  The book explores the friendship between two opposites: Mia, the “bad girl,” and Lorrie Ann, “the good one,” and what happens when their fortunes change. A string of bad decisions and bad circumstances catapult Lorrie into a dark, depressing path. Mia watches from afar and attempts to reach out, but their friendship falters over issues like illness, death, drugs, and parenting. The novel explores the bonds between friends. Though compelling, I ultimately found this one unnecessarily dark with a depressing ending. 

 

Evergreen, by Rebecca Rasmussen

Okay, I have to admit the cover art drew me in, even though I read by Kindle.  This one’s a bit similar to Some Luck, in that it involves a couple in the earlier part of the 1900s living off the land. Eveline and her husband, Emil, live in a small cottage in the woods.  They raise one small boy, but one day when Emil is off at war, Eveline is raped and conceives a daughter. She  never tells her family about this event, or the daughter, whom she gives up, but after her death her son Hux finds out, and seeks to find his sister.  The novel is an easy read, touching on themes of loss, regret, love, and what might have been. Enjoyable, fast paced, and interesting.

Back with Some Recent Reads

Hi again.  I basically took a summer vacation from blogging, but I’m back now and hope to be posting regularly again.

The reason for the hiatus was pretty exciting- we bought a house!! Construction hasn’t actually begun on the house yet, so it’ll be quite awhile till we move, and I’ve got no pictures to show, but my heart was in planning and getting all that together. Plus we took a no-computer-access vacation in August, which didn't work any wonders for my blog. 

But it leads me to my first post in over a month, a new edition of recent reads. I spent a large part of the summer gloriously lounging by the pool or on the beach, and I got some wonderful reading in.

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed

I loved this. It’s ultimately a redemption story- the memoir of a woman wrecked by drugs and death and a broken home, who decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail when she has nowhere left to turn. The story was gripping.  Her ability to access and describe her emotions is amazing, as is her resolve, strength, and toughness. The hike is not an easy one, and Strayed is not even close to properly prepared, but nothing deters her.  Strayed, and her life, are my polar opposites, and reading this, I was amazed on so many levels- the abuse a human body could take, how much you can overcome with sheer willpower, and even the way the universe appears to look out for each and every one of us. Truly a stellar read.

This Is Where I Leave You,  by Jonathan Troppel

This movie comes out Friday night. My husband’s was obsessed with this book, so I picked it up too and enjoyed it. It’s a hilarious story of an extremely dysfunctional family who comes together for a shiva after their father’s death.  The characters are entertaining and vivid, and they’re all facing some intense personal problems, which makes some of their interactions quite bizarre.  A fun read, if a bit vulgar at times.

Women in Clothes, by Sheila Heti, Leanne Shapton, Heidi Julavits

I’d describe this book as a literary collage. The authors surveyed 639 women from all perspectives and backgrounds- young, old, rich, poor, famous, sweatshop workers, transgenders, you name it- to get their views on style and fashion.  The book, which is crazy long, puts these answers together in variety of fun ways, from straight-up survey reprints, to interviews, to photo collages, to arty little literary pieces (that, admittedly, I didn’t understand and skipped over).   It got a little long and boring for me by the end, but overall cool and something a little different.

Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld

This is a kooky chick lit book about two twin sisters born with ESP. One chooses to go all out and become a medium, and the other chooses to abandon her skills in favor of a typical suburban life. When the psychic sister predicts a huge earthquake will hit their town, she gains crazy notoriety and the twins are forced to grapple with sibling and self-image issues that have been brewing for years. This is a fun, easy, chick-lit kind of read.  

Recent Reads: Thrive, by Arianna Huffington

 

Photo from Amazon

A $22 credit appeared in my  Amazon account the day Arianna Huffington’s new book, Thrive, came out, so I immediately purchased it.  I’ve been attempting (and failing) to work my way through the ever-popular Lean In, and I wanted to see what Sheryl Sandberg’s peer had to say. Sandberg has a message of jumping into work, and Huffington has a metric of adding more balance to working hard, an idea I like better.

Huffington calls thriving the “third metric” of success, after money and power. She explains that she, and many other top CEOs and execs are considered “successful” based on standard parameters like money and power, but their lives reflect exhaustion, a lack of interpersonal connection, and poor health.  She says money and power are two legs of a stool, and without the third metric of thriving, a successful person’s life is unbalanced and they’ll eventually topple. 

The purpose of the book is to expound on what thriving actually means, and how we can attain it in our overworked, overscheduled lives.  Huffington divides thriving into four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving.  Experiments, science, research, and personal stories (both hers and other high powered execs) underscore the importance of focusing on these four items in everyday life. 

My favorite chapter was the well-being one, which delves into the benefits of meditating, mindfulness, exercise, and connection.  Huffington talks about the idea of a centered place of peace being within each of us, and how to get there.  It’s a truth that’s seen in a lot of religions, including my personal one of Catholicism, and something I definitely need to continue to work on.   Reading this chapter, and the rest of the book, reminded me to put my focus on the moment I was living, and helped me to calm down a bit and stop jumping ahead to the future.  It alleviated some of the constant “rush-rush-rush” I feel in my daily life. 

It’s important to me to see a successful woman in charge of a powerful company discussing the need for us to all take care of ourselves. Too much connectivity, too much working, too much phones and Internet drives me a little crazy and I think has a lot of negative impacts on humanity, and a private sector leader getting behind the idea of calming it down could hopefully be the start of cultural changes.  

What I liked too about this book was that it was kind of an ode to her late mother.  Huffington’s mother seems full of wisdom and insight, and the little clips and stories added a great human touch to the book. 

Loved this one and recommend everyone read it!!

Recent Reads

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A Scattered Life, by Karen McQuestion

This was an Oprah’s book club pick, and I’m not really sure why she chose this book. It centers around Skyla, a happily married, if slightly bored, mother, whose life begins to change as she takes on a job at a local bookstore and befriends her flighty new neighbor, Roxanne. The book’s themes include recognizing that what you have is enough to make you happy, as well as how to love those around you.

 

It sounded so good, but honestly, this one fell flat for me. The main character’s problems and feelings weren’t well developed, which made the solutions less impactful, and it felt like nothing happened until the last 20 pages. I flew through this in a day- it wasn’t boring, just not amazing or all that thought-provoking.

 

Lilly: Palm Beach, Tropical Glamour, and the Birth of a Fashion Legend by Kathryn Livingston

I love biographies, entrepreneurial stories, and Lilly Pulitzer, so this was a win for me. There are a few chapters where the author gets into a deep and detailed “who’s who” of 1800 and 1900s high society, which I could have lived without. But overall it’s an interesting read, with lots of great stories of Lilly’s life and business. 

 

Some Nerve: Lessons Learned While Becoming Brave, by Patty Chang Anker

For full disclosure, I’m only 2/3 through this book, but I’m loving it so much I wanted to share already.  The author, Patty Chang Anker, finds herself living a life very limited by fear, and for the sake of her children, chooses to begin to face that fear. The book starts off with her boogie boarding to face her phobia of the ocean, and moves into other common fears like flying and public speaking, before progressing to deeper topics such as death and loss. 

 

Anker is such a warm, real person, and it comes through vividly on the page.  She candidly shares her experiences, providing honest, uplifting, yet realistic assessments.  Reading the book is like having a conversation with a friend. It’s helped me to see that the way my brain frames situations or events are not always this concrete truth, and that fears and supposed inabilities can be challenged for a more fulfilling life.   

 

What’s a Hostess to Do? by Susan Spungen

Susan Spungen was the food editor for Martha Stewart Living magazine, and penned this book as a guide for hostesses of varying experience levels throwing all sorts of parties.  It’s divided into chapters on various occasions and holidays, and includes tons of tips on planning and timelines, as well as tried-and-true recipes.  I loved this book and have read it over and over and over, though I have not tried any of its recipes.

 

I bought this on the Kindle, but there are lots of pictures so if you are a cook who prefers books, you may want to try this in the book format. 

 

Mother, Daughter, Me by Katie Hafner

Hafner’s memoir details the year that her mother came to live with her and her daughter. The situation is made complex and interesting by the fact that Hafner’s mother was an alcoholic throughout her entire childhood. There are tensions among the generations, but issues are hashed out and reconciliations made, and the book is a great read, though sad at times.

 

Recent Reads, Nonfiction Edition

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Lately I've been reading all nonfiction books. I'm going through one of those spells where I can't seem to find a novel that interests me.  Hopefully I'll be back on the next installment with some fun fiction.

State by State, edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey
I bought this ages ago and never read it, and recently picked it up.  Fifty notable people each pen an essay about their state, with the goal of “describing America to Americans.” (Anthony Bourdain’s essay absolutely nails New Jersey!!). It’s a fun read, and it’s great because you can just pick a state and read the essay and not feel bad if you don’t read the rest of the book. The appendix has a table of state statistics (crime rates, suicide rates, etc) in the back, which was really interesting. Good read for something a little different. 

Clean by Alejandro Junger
I have absolutely no idea how I got lead to this book, but I was completely fascinated. Dr. Junger is a cardiologist who focuses on the nutritional aspect of health- basically how the things we ingest impact our bodies’ ability to reduce toxins and keep us healthy.  

He created the “Clean” program, a 1-3 week detox that involves lots of juicing, shakes, and no processed foods. You can eat one solid meal of lean protein and vegetables per day, and you juice for your other meals.  It seems extreme, but he shares (of course) tons of stories of patients suffering from all sorts of ailments- stomach, skin, cardiac, etc- and how following his program drastically lessened or eliminated their symptoms completely. 

I didn’t try the program, and have no immediate plans to, but I am fascinated by reading about the results, and just about some of the regular medical information Junger gives. It makes you trust in your own body and want to be good to it.

 I’d love to know if anyone out there has tried this program, and what the results were!

The Church of 80% Sincerity by David Roche
This book is about a concept, not a real church. It’s not even really religious. The author, David Roche, was born with an extreme facial deformity, and the book just details his experiences of learning to love himself and find his own personal worth instead of focusing on his exterior.  The concept of “80% sincerity” is about letting go of perfection and finding grace and love in flaws. Enjoyable, but not amazing, and quite short.  

Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties by Julia Reed
I am obsessed with all things Southern.  I always tell my husband I wish we could pack up and move to Atlanta, but I have far too much New York in me to ever fit in elsewhere.  The South just seems so genteel, classy, elegant, and fun.  But since I can’t live there, I get my fix in books like Reed’s, which is composed of short food writing pieces and essays. Her Southern life comes right through, and while the recipes don’t really appeal to my tri-state area Italian palate, it’s a fun read nonetheless.

Any book suggestions?

Recent Reads

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This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, by Ann Patchett

 

Really enjoyed this collection of Patchett’s essays on topics from writing to relationships.  My favorite was “The Mercies,” a story of Sister Nena, a nun who taught her in elementary school and later became a friend. Also enjoyed her tale of RV’ing with the man who became her husband. Great read, especially for commuters- the essays end and you won’t get stuck at a cliffhanger point just when it’s time to get off the train.

 

 

Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott

This book followed Lamott’s Traveling Mercies, and is the second in a three part series. In each chapter, Lamott reflects on finding God’s presence amidst various struggles, including aging, parenting, dealing with grief, and living through the Bush presidency.  I just love Lamott’s writing. Her voice is wise, soothing, and warm, and reading her books always helps me to take it easy and trust.

 

 

Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Ouevres Handbook, by Martha Stewart and Susan Spungen

 

An oldie but a goodie. Published in 1999, the recipes and ideas are classics. Appetizers range from upscale, perfectly presented canapés to casual dips, and chapters are organized by presentation, ie, “Layered and Stacked,” “Dips,” etc. Plus, there’s a photo for every single recipe, though the photos are all up front, with the recipes in the second half of the book, an organization I found a little strange. Still, the content and quality is awesome. I’m looking forward to trying out the tropical fruit salsa for the Superbowl.

 

 

The Fault in our Stars, by John Green

I kept seeing this book everywhere. It’s about two teenaged lovers with terminal cancer, and while that alone sounded awful, the praise was so high I decided to check it out anyway. It was a sweet story, and better than I thought, but I’m still not sure what all the fuss was about. Maybe I’m just too old for young adult novels. 

 

 

The Husband’s Secret, by Liane Moriarty

 

This one came recommended to me by my mother in law. She wouldn’t tell me anything about the book except that I had to read it, and I resisted for awhile as our taste in books doesn’t typically coincide. I found it a bit dark at first, (surprising, given the pink flower on the cover!) but I couldn’t put it down. The book had tons of twists and turns, fascinatingly drawn characters, and a compelling multi-person point of view. Few popular novels really make me think, but this one brought up so many questions for me- what would I do? Why was this character a certain way? I don’t want to give too much away, as going into it knowing nothing made it better for me. An excellent read.

Recent Reads

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!! Mine was wonderful, spent with my husband and family, and possibly a little too much Jack Daniels, courtesy of my brother.

 

I'm on a bit of a work hiatus for the next few days and looking forward to diving into a new pile of books I got.

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Which got me thinking, since I usually devour a book a week, I figured I may as well start sharing my recent reads and reactions to them. I figure I'm not the only one with a little downtime on my hands now, so here’s some books I've read over the past month or so:

 

How to Love an American Man, by Kristine Gasbarre

Kristine Gasbarre is pretty terrible at relationships, and after a string of failed ones followed by the death of her grandfather, she moves back home to live with her grandmother. While back in her hometown, Grandma dispenses love and marriage advice while Kristine falls for a sophisticated, but difficult to pin down, local doctor. At times, the author is truly immature, and her actions sometimes are frustrating, but I loved the relationships she had with her family, and her grandmother’s love advice.

 

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Lead, and Parent, by Brene Brown

Dr. Brown is a vulnerability researcher, and this book discusses the way many of our fears, shame, and feelings of inadequacy keep us from living a wholehearted, connected life. She points out that many of these feelings are shared among people, and that throwing light on these dark corners of our emotions reduces their power and gives us courage to really be ourselves. The book is written in a very straightforward, plain style that makes it easy to understand, though her teachings may be harder to actually apply to our lives.  It’s a great and encouraging book, and though it takes effort and courage to improve ourselves, Brown shows the benefits of doing just that.  Excellent choice for improving ourselves.

 

Don’t Sing at the Table, by Adriana Trigiani

This is one I really read and re-read, one of my all-time favorite books. I’m a sucker for family history, and this book memorializes Trigiani’s two Italian grandmothers, sharing their histories, personalities, and life lessons. I also come from a large Italian family, and I see a lot of my relatives in this book. It fills in the gaps just a little for me where my grandmother’s family lore left off. Love it.

 

Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg

I am on kind of a Fannie Flagg kick lately. Admittedly, this is not the deepest or most original novel, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. It’s about an old Southern lady who dies, goes to Heaven, and comes back.  Flagg’s descriptions of Heaven and life seem fairly prosaic and often oversimplified, but it’s a wholesome and fun read. I really liked it. 

 

Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline, by Lauren Winner

I’m always up for a civilian take on religion, and have recently gotten into author Lauren Winner. She converted to Orthodox Judaism only to later convert to evangelical Christianity. I really enjoyed her first memoir, Girl Meets God, so I picked up this second book. It’s a short tome that highlights Winner’s favorite parts of Judaism, things she feels are missing from Christian worship. As part of an interfaith household (I am Catholic, my husband is Jewish), this book was useful in helping me to see ways to combine and celebrate our different faiths.

 

The Tao of Martha: My Year of Living, or Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off the Dog, by Jen Lancaster

 

Oh, Jen Lancaster. I loved her first few books, but am now finding myself a little tired of her shtick. How many times can she mention her under-theAmbien-influence midnight shopping sprees? How many times can one person give themselves food poisoning, and why does the reader need the details? She’s definitely worth checking out if you’re unfamiliar with her, but for me, I’ve hit my Jen saturation level.

Any book recommendations?