Category Archives: Books

PW’s First Book Club Discussion

the light of the fireflies

For those wanting to participate in this month’s book club discussion for “The Light of the Fireflies,” you can find the discussion HERE.  Feel free to share your thoughts of the book on the Facebook page.

Since this is the first book club, we’re making this open to anyone who’s read the book to comment on the book.  So if you haven’t finished reading it yet, no problem.  It will remain on the PW Facebook page.

Also, you can comment on the book here if you don’t have Facebook.

Here is the original Facebook discussion and my responses to kick the book club off.

“The Light of the Fireflies” by Paul Pen Discussion Thread.

Hello everyone.

My name is Michelle Kenneth and I’ll be moderating our first book club discussion for Paul Pen’s “The Light of the Fireflies.” This is an Amazon Kindle First book, so if you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you get early access to the book before it is released for FREE. On the first day of every month, they release a group of selections that you can choose from.

For March, I selected Paul Pen’s book. I’ll be selecting the next book tomorrow after they release their selections. [In the future, as we get more interest in the Book Club, I’ll let someone else pick out the next month’s selection.]

So on to the discussion…

1) What did you think of the book?

2) Were you shocked by the ending of the book?

3) When they revealed who the father of the child was, were you surprised at this revelation? Did you assume the baby’s father was who the sister claimed the baby’s Father was?

4) What did you think of the real story of how they ended up in the basement and how they attained their burns?

5) As the boy tells the story from his point of view, he knows his brother is just a little off, but never to the extent we see in the back story. Based on what is revealed in the back story, did you imagine that the brother could be dangerous to society?

6) Overall, what were your thoughts on the book? Would you recommend it to your friends/family?

Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe:  I’ll start the discussion off…

1) Simply put, I did not like the book at all. Generally speaking, the incest involved and the elements of what the brother did to that girl…just not something I would normally read.

2) I was shocked by the ending of the book. I think as a woman, I’m generally concerned for the safety and well being of other women. I assumed the sister was the victim in this, sexually abused by her father. I never imagined she was actually a very bad seed. She was just altogether evil. Did she deserve getting knocked up by her brother? Was that some sort of justice? I don’t think it was. At the end, when she is killed, I thought it was a saving grace for everyone. They were safe from her torment, and she finally escaped her family.

3) I assumed the entire time the father was the father of her child. I never even imagined it was the brother that had knocked her up.

4) I really didn’t like their back story. This family was absolutely crazy. If they had called the police to begin with, they never would have gone into that basement. They never would have received those burns. I’m sure the town would have taken into account that the child had a mental disability. He didn’t report that he had found the girl because he did not know he was supposed to do that. Sure, there may have been villagers talking about how the kid sexually assaulted the girl while she was broken, but they could always move and start over. Why hide the corpse? The boy just didn’t know better. The Sister, she was evil within herself. She would have been better off leaving her family, especially after the way they ‘saved’ the boy the way they did.

The next question is…would you have followed in their footsteps or would you have called the police to save your disabled son?

5) I was very shocked when I read what the Brother did to the girl. It was just difficult to fathom he was a sexual deviant. Then to find out he had sex with his sister…I have to ask how that happened. She seems to fight well for herself. Was she raped? Did he have sex with her while she was asleep? How did he do it? It’s obvious she hates her brother and always has. How was he able to take advantage of her?

If you were in the Sister’s shoes, would you have tried to kill the baby, too? Personally, I don’t even want to think about being in her shoes.

I also could not imagine that the Brother was a danger to society. Part of me thinks that the family just made one too many wrong decisions in an attempt to ‘save’ their favorite son, thus making the situation out worse than it really was. It’s not like the boy killed the girl (or did he)?

6) Overall, I didn’t like the book. I assumed that the reason why they were all in there was because of some nuclear attack or apocalyptic happening…or maybe they wanted to be rid of society that judged them for their appearance after a fire. To find out why they went down into that basement…come on. They were a family of cowards.

Would I recommend this book to anyone? No. Just because it’s not my type of book. A lot of people on GoodReads recommend the book, even though it is very dark.

This book is so haunting it will stick with you for life just because of the disturbing images throughout the book. All throughout the book, I kept wondering how in the world the author came up with this idea.

As we go along and make this a regular book club, we’ll change how the book club is done, so make sure to sign up with your email to join the PW Book Club on the right hand side.  Also, as more people join, I’ll let others pick out the next month’s Amazon Kindle First book on the first of the month.

I’ll be announcing next month’s Kindle First book tomorrow.

For those who don’t know what Kindle First is, you can read more about it HERE.




PW Book Club: March Kindle First Selection

the light of the firefliesThe first official PW Book Club Kindle First selection is “The Light of the Fireflies” by Paul Pen.

Here’s a synopsis of the book from Amazon.com:

A haunting and hopeful tale of discovering light in even the darkest of places.

For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.

He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone’s been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they’re shut away.

A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There’s no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn’t know how to get out…

For those who are Amazon Prime members, Kindle First books are part of your membership.  You don’t have to pay anything extra.  It’s FREE.

What is Kindle First?  Amazon Prime members can choose one of six books selected by Amazon editors before they are released to the general public.  Even if you don’t finish the book by the end of the month, it’s still yours to keep at no charge (i.e. it’s FREE).

If you are not an Amazon Prime member yet and would like to join in this month with the Book Club selection, you can try the service out for free for the next 30-days.  If you take advantage of all Prime has to offer (books, music, movies, photo storage, free 2-day shipping) and want to continue after the 30-days, you are charged for the year up front (about $110 depending on your state’s tax).  For those who want to cut back on streaming services, Amazon Prime is like Netflix, Dropbox, and iTunes/Google Play Music all wrapped up into one membership.  It figures out to be about $8/month, which is a pretty substantial savings.

For those who want to join the Book Club, we are going to do a LIVE chat at 4PM ET on March 30th.

How can you join the live chat?  Sign up using the email link under PW Book Club on the right hand side.  I’ll email the details and reminder as we get closer to the date.  In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments you want to make while you’re reading, feel free to comment below.

Looking forward to chatting with everyone.  Happy reading!

The Reading Challenge: 52+ Books This Year

The Reading Challenge- 52+ Books This Year
One of the resolutions I make every year is to read 52 books a year.  At the end of last year, as I started following more and more bibliophiles on Instagram, I was shocked to see that some people read over 100 books by the end of the year.  I could never imagine doing that feat.  52 books seemed doable, even though that resolution went to the wayside over these last couple of years.

This year, I wanted to make sure I didn’t just read 52 books, but that I read MORE THAN 52 books this year.

My method of attack is this:

  1.  Read 50+ pages every day.  On the weekends, read 100+ pages.
  2. While you’re at work, walking, doing dishes, getting ready for work, listen to audio books.
  3. Once a month, do a quick read that’s less than 150 pages.
  4. Finish books you started in the past, but never finished.

After seeing all of the different Instagram challenges, I thought I’d do my own to get people to challenge themselves to read more this year.

Here is how the challenge works:

  1. Choose a Reward for Yourself.  Pick out an item that you really want, that you could save for along this journey.  Be it a vacation, a luxury handbag, a pair of obscenely overpriced shoes, a class you’ve always wanted to take…pick something that would be considered a serious treat for yourself.  You should reward yourself for a job well done.  Make sure this is something you’re going to enjoy!
  2. Come up with a pricing system.  This will depend on the price of the item you are saving for and what you can afford.  For instance, I reward myself if I don’t purchase the book.  If it was free, a library book, or a gift, I put away $25 after I’ve completed the book.  If it’s a classic (a more challenging smart book), I reward myself $100.  If it’s a book for Book Club that I purchased, I allow myself $20.  If I purchased the book in order to read it, because I just had to have it, only the retail price listed on the book goes into the reward jar, and the amount I actually paid for the book comes out of the reward jar.  Taking the money out of the reward jar to pay for the book is my way of making sure I don’t spend money on unnecessary purchases.  The only exception to purchasing the book is if it is for the Book Club.  If the book is currently in my personal library, because I am making it a challenge to read what’s actually in my personal library this year, I’m rewarding myself $50 per book completed.That’s the reward system I’ve set up for myself.  As you can see, the books I really want to challenge myself to read more of, I set the prize at a higher price in order to encourage myself to read more of those books.
  3. Keep track of what you read.  I used to keep track in a journal of what I read every year, including the amount I earned.  Now, I keep track in my calendar.  I keep stickers handy so I can place a sticker on the days where I completed a book.  It’s a good way to visually see my progress and if I’m staying on track with a book a week (at the minimum).
  4. Don’t dip into the reward jar until the first day of the year.  I’m speaking from experience here.  You are doing two things for yourself…you are working hard towards a goal and you need to learn to save for the reward at the end of the journey.  It is no fun if you get to the end of the journey and realize there’s no reward money there because you spent it already.For many people (including myself), saving money can be very difficult when we live in a society where we get what we want, when we want it.  We don’t save for the future or save for something we want.  Since I started the KonMari method, I have stopped the consumer cycle.  I was literally overflowing with stuff.  I vowed that if I wanted something new, I would have to save for it using the reading challenge.  I’m not allowed to buy the item now.  I have to work towards earning the right to have that item, so that I would appreciate it more in the end because I would know how hard I worked to earn that item.Keep the money in a safe place.  Keep it safe from yourself (if you think you’re going to dip into the jar).  Earn some interest off the money while you save.  Just keep plugging at that savings and don’t touch it until January 1st.

But It’s March

Ok.  I know I started this challenge for you to join in March.  If you’re a bibliophile, you’ve probably already read at least 10 books this year already, so you are on track.  If you are starting from scratch, we can go at this in 2 different ways.  You can either: 1) fast track (and over the months I’ll tell you how) or 2) do this as a full 52-week challenge, let the challenge run through 2017 and you can access that cash on March 1, 2017.

Whichever method you decide to do, I’ll be helping you along.

For those who are Amazon Prime members, I’ll be making recommendations from the Kindle First collection.  If you choose the same book that month, I’ll have a Book Club sign up where we can discuss the book at the end of the month.  [Amazon Prime members can choose one book each month from the Kindle First collection.  These are books selected by the Amazon editors to read prior to the book’s release date.  If you’re an Amazon Prime member, this is part of your membership, no extra charge.]

For those who need to get their extra books in via audio books, I highly recommend Kindle Unlimited.  It’s around $10/month to access many books on your Kindle device or app.  Just make sure when you select the book to borrow that it says Read and Listen For Free on the tab.  If it doesn’t, you may have to pay extra for the Whispersync/Audible audio recordings.  What about Audible membership?  Audible is $14.95/month and that’s just for one audio book a month.  Kindle Unlimited with Whispersync/Audible allows you to read the book and if you need to put the book down, you can switch it to audio and listen until you can read the book again.  Audible doesn’t allow that.  It’s just the audio book.

The only reason you should have Audible is if you want a book that is not audio available on Kindle Unlimited.  I used Audible for Book Club selections when I was having problems getting back into the swing of reading books again after my surgery.  2016 is actually the first time I’ve actively been reading a lot of books since my surgery in 2013.  I didn’t want to give up Book Club, so I listened to the books until I got comfortable with reading books again.  So if you’re concerned about not being able to read as much, seriously consider audio books.  You can listen to them wherever you go when you can’t pick up the physical book.

The March Challenge

March Books

So here’s the March challenge.  We essentially have five weeks this month.  Your focus is going to read/listen to no less than five books.  Here are the five books I’ll be reading.

    1. Kindle First [TBD]
    2. Book Club Selection – A Confederacy of Dunces (falls into the Classic category)
    3. A book about the Circus – Water for Elephants: A Novel (this book is available with audio for Kindle Unlimited members, remember to look for the ‘Read and Listen for Free’ option)
    4. A short book [TBD]
    5. A book about Time Travel – Time’s Divide (The Chronos Files) (next book in the Chronos Files series, also a Kindle Unlimited book)

Anything beyond five books is a free for all.

For those not in a book club, I highly recommend joining a book club.  You can find these at your local library or bookstore.  It’s a great way for you to meet other bibliophiles such as yourself.  It gives great insight into the book that you may not have even realized while you were reading.  It’s also a good way to meet new people and make new friends.  Books are meant to be shared.

If you don’t want to join a book club, since our book club is reading a classic, you can substitute option #2 with a classic or read what we’re reading.

For the Amazon Prime members that choose the same Kindle First book as I do and want to join in our own book club, please comment below, tweet me (@MichelleDoPW or @MichelleKenneth), ping me on Facebook, or tag me on Instagram (@diaryofaperfectionistwannabe).  I’ll share the additional details in an upcoming post.

For those taking the March Challenge, ping me on social media using the hashtag #PWMarchBooks so that we can all find each other and share what we’re reading this month.  I’ll Repost/Retweet, etc. so we can all connect to each other.

* For those playing catch-up, include a short book of poetry and choose at least 2 books this month that are less than 150 pages.  If you can, try to boost your reading by listening to a couple of audio books.  You can listen to these in the car, at work, while you’re working out, walking, etc.

The Resolutions 2016

Resolutions 2016

Resolutions.

We all make them.  Some try to say they tossed their resolutions out before the ball even dropped.  Then there are those who realize that they need a change.  Very few stick to those resolutions just a day into the new year.  Others go two to three weeks into the new year.  Some see it through for the first three months and then give up.  Then there are those who truly stick to their resolutions because they wanted to see it through until the end.

Over these last couple of years, I’ve tried to make resolutions, but because I was a little stuck in life, I just didn’t care about those resolutions because I wasn’t quite sure what it was about me that I wanted to change.

For those who don’t know, I was faced with my own mortality back in 2013 when I was told I had a tumor in my parathyroid gland (the gland that synthesizes calcium).  The gland and the tumor had to come out.  I was told to prepare for the worst.  The worst was death.  I found out in August 2013.  On October 22, 2013, I went under the knife and woke up a very different person.

I’ve been pushing myself since then to try to get back to some sort of normalcy.  But it just wouldn’t come.  That normalcy is about finding out who you are now that everything in your universe has changed.  This is normal for people who have had a major surgery or are faced with their own mortality (like a heart attack, an accident, cancer, etc.).  Your life before that moment means nothing to you.  It’s who you are after the surgery or life threatening moment that you are trying to define.  Just who are you now and what do you want out of life?

Since the surgery, I’ve had friends so absorbed in their own worlds that the second they can stop and ask what is going on they are shocked to discover just how much I’ve been struggling since the surgery and what I’ve been doing to get back to being normal again.  I can tell you one thing…it has not been easy.

But this year, I feel like it is time to evolve into the person I am trying to become, and in some cases, get back to.

This past year, I’ve been sharing a few of the things I’ve been doing on Instagram and Twitter.  It’s a way to take a glimpse at the path I’m ultimately following.  I’ve found that when you are on the right path, everything works out more magically for you than you can ever imagine.  I’ve made a lot of new friends this past year and have met and spoken to a lot of incredible people this past year.  When I got the invitation to Martha Stewart’s conference, I was shocked.

That was synchronicity. It was the defining moment of 2015 that helped me understand what I was going to do with my life.  What direction my life was heading was all laid before me in that conference.  It was like I could finally connect the dots stretching across the universe before me to create a new destiny.  In other words, I finally saw the person I was to become.

When people ask me what my resolution this year is, I say it’s to work on my Type-A personality.  People laugh like that’s absolutely crazy.  Who wants to work on being Type-A?  Well, I’ve been lingering between Type-A and B and I’m kind of sick and tired of being stuck in the middle there, gravitating between getting shit done and being too lazy to do it.

My friend said to me after Thanksgiving that she had read that the way you can tell if a person is Type-A or Type-B all falls under when they put their Christmas tree up.  Type-A’s have the tree up no later than the day after Thanksgiving.  Type-B’s procrastinate.  They get their trees up no later than Christmas Eve.  My tree was up the day after Thanksgiving.  Waiting until Christmas Eve would have driven me crazy since there’s so much to do between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Now, I’m going nuts because the tree is still up and it’s January 2.  No worries…it’s coming down at some point today.  I only kept it up until now because Matthew Lucifer’s birthday was yesterday and he loves hiding out under the tree.

Getting back to being Type-A, it falls under being a Perfectionist Wannabe.  Martha Stewart is the epitome of the Perfectionist.  After all, when it comes to home stuff, don’t we ask, “What would Martha do?”  One thing I learned at the conference is that we all need to be just as good as Martha, so that one day people will say, “What would ______ do?”

So this year, at the top of my list is to work on being a Type-A for one simple reason…because focusing on being that Type-A is what drives the motivation behind doing all of the things I want to do in life.  I’m tired of dreaming or just trying to figure out what I want to do.  Being a Type-A motivates me to stop thinking about it and just do it already.  Meandering between Type-A and Type-B to me means thinking about it, thinking about doing it, and then coming up with a lot of reasons on why I can’t do it.  When you do that, you find you start to suffer.

So I’m going to take you through each resolution one at a time.

 

FOCUS ON BEING THE TYPE-A PERSONALITY.

{Explained above.}

 

KON MARI (DECLUTTER) THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE IN ALL ASPECTS: HOME, MIND, BODY, FINANCES, AND LIFE.

Over the next five months, I’ll be sharing how I’m decluttering the various aspects of my life. The reason why I chose to make this a major resolution is because I found that I was buried under so much stuff that each weekend when I told myself I was going to write, I’d find myself spending the entire weekend cleaning and taking care of stuff around the house.  I never got around to doing the things I wanted to do to advance my life because I was too busy taking care of the shit I already had in my life.  In November, I learned about the Japanese art of decluttering and started to apply it to my life.  I feel so much better now that I’ve started to create the right kind of change in my life.  I’m getting rid of things so I don’t have to take care of them anymore.  The less tidying I have to do, the more time I have to do the things I really want to be doing with my life.

I learned over these last couple of months that decluttering doesn’t just happen with your things, but it should also happen with the things you keep in your heart and your mind.  It should happen with your finances.  You have to clean house in every single aspect.

One thing I didn’t expect out of this were the emotions that come out of nowhere.  They’re emotions you never knew you had.  It can be pretty ugly to face, but it gets to the root of the problem with why you stockpile so many things around you…why you shop so much…why you do X, Y and Z until you are drowning in it.  When you face it, it will help you move forward to living with only the things you need in order to be happy.

PRACTICE YOGA REGULARLY.

This year will mark my 40th year of life.  One of the goals I’ve had for myself since I was in my early 20s was to have a yogalicious body.  Well, that Type-B in me has procrastinated until now.  So this is the year I want to finally make that change a permanent change.

DEVELOP CONTENT DAILY FOR PERFECTIONIST WANNABE.  WORK HARD AT MAKING THE SITE SUCCESSFUL.  

One thing I’ve discovered over these last few months is that the thing I wanted to do most was create more content and make this site successful.  But being bogged down with so many other things (like stuff) made me realize it’s time to be that Type-A, declutter the stuff that doesn’t bring me joy, and really bust my ass to do the things I want to do for this site.

Two days in a row of posting in 2016.  You can say I’m off to a good start.

I’ve been promoting my work, researching and putting things together to make sure I turn this site in the direction I want it to go into.

READ 52+ BOOKS THIS YEAR. 12 OF WHICH NEED TO BE A CLASSIC (1 CLASSIC A MONTH).

This is a resolution I make every year.  These last two years, it’s fallen to the wayside.  I decided to really to get things moving this year, especially since I’ve been talking to publishers these last six months.

These past few days, I’ve been following a lot of Instagram accounts for people who love books.  I’ve followed a January Instagram challenge.  I’ve sorted through and picked the books I want to read and review this month.  Photographed it.  Posted it.  More importantly, I’ve spent plenty of time reading, so I know I’ll cross one book off my ‘to be read’ list later today.  That’s one book down by the second day in 2016.  That is huge progress, especially since that’s a book I was supposed to review months ago.

52 books may seem like a lot, but I hope to read over 100.  There were a few Instagram accounts I followed that read over 100 books in 2015!  If they can make it possible, I know I can at least attempt to read over 52 books this year.  I’d feel like I accomplished something HUGE!

I do listen to audio books at the office and while I’m commuting or walking.  I’ve cracked out a few books this past year that way.  Now that I feel passionate about reading again and have started following a community with that same passion, I believe this is definitely a resolution that will be completed by the end of 2016.

[NOTE: If you have a resolution you need help with, follow inspiring accounts on Instagram of people with that same goal in mind.  A lot of times seeing something visually beautiful and stimulating, sharing your progress and joining challenges will help inspire you to complete your goal.]

GO ON A SPENDING DIET (SEE #2).  HAVE FEWER, BUT BETTER THINGS.

I carry a piece of paper in my wallet that says “Have Fewer, But Better Things.”  At first, figuring out what ‘better things’ was netted me a lot of stuff just to pare it down to figure out what was ‘better.’  In the process, I discovered what I truly loved.  I  kept only the things I knew would last for a very, very long time.  These were the things that I enjoyed.  In the process, I started to find my own sense of style.  No more are the things that don’t fit, pinch a little, or I don’t feel absolutely amazing in.  They were donated or sold.

I also have a large entertainment collection consisting of videos and books.  I learned new ways to pare those things down, and go digital.  That meant getting with the times and investing in new technology that would allow me to simplify my life, organize everything, and help me to get rid of things that would only require maintenance and space in my home.  The goal is essentially to have fewer, but better things.

That means…for the next 6 months, while I am saving for another resolution, I’ll be focused on a spending diet so I don’t accumulate while I’m trying to declutter and get things under control.  The focus is fewer, but better things.  I already have the better things, I just need to pare all the other stuff out just to make sure that’s all I have.  I don’t want to add to it anymore.

PHOTOGRAPH MORE.  RELEASE THE WORKS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS (like the Pete Yorn photo collection like the photo that appears above).

So when I met Pete Yorn after one of his concerts in NYC, I mentioned I was a photographer, because I had been photographing him all night in front of the stage.  He asked me where my studio was (I had a good laugh).

I promised him a couple of years ago I’d release my photo collection of him from that night.  Yeah.  It’s been two years.  That Type-A in me from here on out will be getting that collection, as well as all of the others, out this year.  After all, there are some photos out there that is available for sale through stock photography already.  I just have to work on a few more of my relationships with a few other stock photography companies this year.  Trust me, it’s on my TO DO list.

The stuff like this Pete Yorn photo are treated a little differently.  When the collection is released, it’s not available for stock photography.  It will be available in more of the art photography form.  A little pricier than licensing to publish a photo.  His photos are part of the Rockstar collection.  I would like to continue the Rockstar collection this year.  We’ll see who I add to the collection…

FINISH THE NOVEL.  NO EXCUSES.

No more procrastinating.  Just finish it.

LIVE EACH DAY FULLY.  WORK HARD.  PLAY HARD.  ENJOY IT ALL, EVEN THE TOUGH STUFF.

WRITE, WRITE AND WRITE.  THEN WRITE SOME MORE BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO WRITE.

TRY TO EAT MORE FRUITS/VEGETABLES WITH EACH MEAL.  SNEAK IT IN SOMEHOW.

Since the surgery in 2013, I gravitate between being a foodie and a kiddie.  That first year, you couldn’t ask me to get beyond eating what you’d feed your 5 year old child.  Grilled cheese.  Chicken nuggets.  Tater tots.  Spaghetti with meat sauce.  You know, the simple stuff.

I couldn’t enjoy the finer things that first year after the surgery.  Now, I either have a foodie moment, or I eat kid food.  There’s no in between.  When people say they’re on a diet, I look at them like…what’s that?

I don’t eat a lot of food.  I only eat as much as my body is interested in eating (which isn’t much).  What I would like to do is in that little amount of food I consume, that my veggies be more than ketchup with my chicken nuggets.  I would like to enjoy fruits and vegetables again.  This is a 2 year struggle post-op.  I’m hoping this is the year I get beyond the protein and carbs and can really add in fruits/vegetables on a regular basis.

MAKE MORE FRIENDS AND CONTACTS.  GET TO KNOW YOUR FOLLOWERS.

Over the years, I have tried not to get close to people.  I’ve tried to make sure there was that barrier.  You can say there were a few too many stalkers and weirdos in my past that contributed to that decision.

Over these last couple of years, I’ve learned that I can handle the crazies and the fans that call me all the time, text me, message me to the point of…ok…you’re being a little awkward and weird.  I can handle it now.

Why punish everyone because there are a few people that get a little nutso?  There are a lot of great people out there.  I’ve made some great friends over this last year in the various industry events I’ve attended.  I’ve been learning to start being friendlier to complete strangers on social media, and not so guarded.  Kindness gets you so much farther in the world these days.  Besides, being kind and just talking to people (including the homeless) has made me really see life in a whole new perspective.  It’s helped me to finally see humanity in everyone…including the forgotten and ignored.

FIND A SITTER FOR MATTHEW SO YOU CAN GO ON VACATION THIS YEAR.

So the main reason why I have not been able to travel in these last two years was because I was under a medical travel restriction the first year post-op.  After that, I adopted Matthew Lucifer.  He’s my sweet, adorable, can turn into Lucifer himself, Maine Coon cat.  He’s not a normal cat.  He is HIGH MAINTENANCE.

I can leave the other cat home for a week…no problem.  Matthew…I can’t leave alone for one night.  Both cats would be dehydrated if I left them alone a whole day, because Matthew plays with water.  He dumps out his water bowl so he can play in the water.  I have not been able to kick him of this habit.  He literally picks the heavy container up using his entire body weight to dump out the contents.  I fill his water bowl 3 times every morning.  Usually, there’s no water in the bowl when I get home.

Matthew is like a 4-year old child (he turned 4 yesterday).  You can’t leave him alone unattended for too long.  He is very social, but he’s not good with sleepovers because he is known to bite and keep people up all night long.  I had mom brain the whole first year I had him.  He’s been sleeping from 8PM-5:30AM for only 3 months now.  He wakes at 5:30AM, wakes mom up, and doesn’t stop until 6AM when it’s time for breakfast.  If you don’t rise to feed him at 6AM, plan on dealing with Lucifer until you get out of bed.  Full on cat attack while you’re trying to sleep.  Every morning it is like this.

If only I could find him a sitter so I can go to South America…I could really begin to travel again.

BUY YOUR NEW HOME BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

I’ve been tossing between buying/building for the last two years.  This is the year I’ll make that decision.  I am tired of living where I’m living now, being bothered by other people. I just want a place all my own without crazy landlords calling me up about apartments that have nothing to do with me.  Like I care the person next to me is moving out.  Why are you telling me to list their apartment?  It has nothing to do with me.  [Yes, this did happen just last month.]

HIT ALL MONTHLY FINANCIAL GOALS YOU’VE SET FOR YOURSELF. HUSTLE.

If you want to reach your own financial goals, you have to buckle down and get serious about it.  If I want to build my dream house, it requires the right funds.  If I want this site to do what I want it to do, I have to hustle.  If I want my own personal success and dreams to come true, I have to hustle.  The goal this year is to make sure all of those goals are met, especially financially.  It is not cheap to do the things I do.  There is a lot of money vested into the success of this site.  Between events, appearances, the correct wardrobe to go with it, conferences, etc. it costs a lot to go and do these things.

I have a certain audience and they are my peers.  Who are my peers?  The same people who understand that if you want a dream to come true, it takes a lot of your own capital.  You have to really invest in that life in order to make yourself successful.  If you want to be a millionaire, you have to surround yourself with millionaires.  You want to be an artist, you have to surround yourself with other artists.  You want to be a writer, you have to surround yourself with people in the industry.

When you have money and invest in putting yourself among those people that are the influencers and will inspire you to make your dream happen, it’s easier.  Most people think that success comes from luck, busting your ass, etc.  I’ll let you in on a secret…it is a whole lot easier when you have the money that can put you in the same audience as those people you admire and strive to be like.

What I plan to do over the course of this next year requires some serious hustle in order for this site (and my life) to turn into what I envision it to be.

All of the previous resolutions, especially the Type-A resolution, is what will fuel me in making sure that the ultimate goal for 2016 for this site comes to fruition.

…..

So over this year, I’ll be sharing this Type-A hustle journey with you.  There are so many aspects to it, especially with the decluttering over these next 5 months.

If you love to read books, follow my Instagram: diaryofaperfectionistwannabe.  I’ll be joining a lot of the reading challenges and discussing books there, since there is a pretty huge community there discussing it.  I’ll also look for other avenues to discuss books/movies, etc. with everyone if I see there’s an interest.

At any rate, I look forward to talking to everybody.  Feel free to share your resolutions or thoughts below.  Is there anything you’d like to see from the site this year?  Just let me know.  I already have one request in re: Justin Bieber…

Young fans…

Perfectionist Guide to Starting 2016

January 1 2016

Happy New Year, Everybody!  I hope you all had an amazing holiday season.

You’ll find over these next few months a few changes to the site.  For one, I’ll be posting more often (a New Year’s resolution of mine).  Second, I’ll be sharing some of my favorites I come across that have really helped me along in my journey.

Starting off this year, I wanted to share a few of my favorite essential items that I’m using to accomplish my goals this year.  Each item I’ve chosen to share has it’s own unique quality in helping me be the better person I aspire to be.  Here are my picks and why I chose them…

THE PERFECTIONIST’S GUIDE TO STARTING 2016 OFF RIGHT

1. Kate Spade 2016 17-Month Medium Agenda- Gold Dots (153150).  I love Kate Spade planners.  This is my second year using them.  Not only are they pretty, but they are perfect for organization and toting.  This year, I decided to downsize and get the medium sized, which is not as big as the striped planner.  This works perfectly as a Go To when I need to know where I’m going, what I need to do, bills to pay, and errands that need to be run.  I use stickers and washi tape to help keep the organization looking pretty {planner organization post upcoming}.

2. kate spade new york Large 17 Month Covered Spiral Agenda, Black Stripes.  This planner is great for those who need a bigger agenda.  I use this to plan all of my content.  It’s pretty bulky, so I keep this one at home.  It’s great to use because there’s plenty of space to write in.  Also great for those who have  a lot of multi-tasking.

3. Ninja Kitchen System Pulse (BL201).  I’ve had one of these for a couple of years now and it’s been one of the best appliances in my kitchen.  It’s great for making spinach smoothies (my favorite) and superblending the hell out of things.  For those needing to add some juicing into their diet, I highly recommend this for making smoothies.  It’s a powerful blender and really does the job.  Keep in mind that this is not a juicer.  A juicer is something entirely different. Coupled with a juicer, the Ninja is a great tool to help detox your body.

4. Rodney Yee: ABS Yoga for Beginners. I’ve been using this video for years.  I started off using the VHS tape.  When it switched to DVD, it was renamed and I had no idea what it was called.  One of my former bosses is a friend of Rodney Yee and mentioned to him that I was looking for a specific video.  Rodney knew exactly which one I was looking for and gave me a free copy of the DVD.  I have been using this video in the mornings, especially when my back is in a lot of pain.  Going through just one session, you can feel the results immediately.  You can feel the burn in your abs just a few hours later.  More importantly…ZERO back pain immediately following the workout.  That’s how effective this particular video is.  Like it says, this is for beginners.  I still use it 15 years later and the effects are always beneficial.  This is a must have for those wanting to try yoga, to get stronger abs, increase flexibility, relieve back pain, or just get fit.  This has been my all-time favorite workout DVD in this lifetime.

5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.  This book is what is changing my life right now and something I’ll be talking about over these next few months.  Starting off 2016, I wanted to start decluttering my life and getting down to being more of a minimalist: To Have Fewer, But Better Things.  I downloaded this book through Amazon and devoured it within a couple of days.  I ended up throwing out five large bags of clothes from my closet…and that was only the beginning.  My goal is to go through these next five months and completely declutter the things in my life that no longer bring me joy.  The less things you have, the less things you have to take care of.  I’ve been so overwhelmed with things that I found that the reason why I didn’t have the time to write or do the things I wanted to do was because I was so inundated and drowning in my stuff that I spent more time cleaning up and tidying, without ever finding an end to it.  There’s a whole mental side to this beyond just keeping the things that bring you joy.  You start to realize why you buried yourself in stuff.  It’s not a pretty monster to face, but you have to face it so that you can learn to never go back to being that person again.  As a Perfectionist Wannabe, this book is a great tool to jump start a change in your life.  If you’re a loyal reader, we’ll be talking about this book a lot in the upcoming couple of months, so make sure to devour your copy.

6. Stabilo Point 88 Pen Sets color parade adjustable set of 20.  A friend of mine (who knows how crazy I am about organizing my planners and color coding them) found these Stabilo pens and bought a set as a gift for my birthday.  These are the most wonderful pens out there, especially if you color code your agendas (or color in the adult coloring books).  Another friend, who is a teacher, also swears by them.  She uses them for so many things, including scrapbooking and journaling.

7. FranklinCovey Planner Love Magnet Clips – Gold. I love all things cute and sticky when it comes to organizing my planners.  These are great to use to mark special occasions or clip receipts or tickets to events.  {I’ll share more of my cute and sticky collection in the upcoming weeks.}

8. My Mind’s Eye Trend Style Notebooks, 3 Designs, Peach, Black, and Aqua.  I stock up on paper products at the start of every year. Usually I order Sugar Paper products, but this year, I’m stocking up on My Mind’s Eye.  They don’t just offer journals and note cards.  They also have scrapbooking needs and party paper to help you plan your next shindig.

9. Silhouette Cameo Bundle with Vinyl Starter Kit Bonus Mat & Blade $25 Online Store Card and Guide.  This Cameo is one of my newest investments.  It is amazing what this product can do.  I’ve watched Youtube tutorials on designing glitter shirts, creating vinyl mugs, stickers, quilting patterns and silk screens for pillows, etc.  It’s amazing what this thing can do and so accurately. For those who love to craft or are business owners, this product could really simplify your life.  I bought one to help expand Perfectionist Wannabe into a new direction.  I can’t wait to share with you the products I’ve developed thanks to this Silhouette Cameo.  It’s amazing what this little device has been able to do for so many people.  The precision of the work is absolutely perfect.  Just look up a few Youtube videos on products people have made with the Silhouette Cameo and then come back and tell me you don’t want one for yourself (that is if you’re into the DIY world).

10. Chalkboard Calendar Wall Panel from West Elm.  The second I saw this, I knew I had to have one.  This is perfect for organizing editorial content.  It’s also perfect for just everyday home and family calendars.  It’s a decal so it’s easy to put up.  You can peel it off when you move or don’t need it anymore.

The Martha Stewart Gift Bag & Giveaway

Ever wonder what Martha Stewart would give away in her gift bags?  Well, here’s a look inside what we received during the American Made 2015 Summit.AmericanMade1

This denim tote from Map Tote is the perfect tote bag.  It’s nice, big and sturdy with long straps.  I also love the denim material used to make the bag.  It was strong enough to hold all of the stuff Martha sent us home with.

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On the way home, I thought I spilled some of the Martha Stewart bottled coffee I had put in my bag.  I kept looking for a wet spot on the bag and couldn’t find anything.  After I got a couple of blocks from Martha’s HQ, I felt like I needed to eat something, because I felt like I may have had five too many cups of coffee.  But wait, I only had two cups of coffee and my last cup was at 11AM.  What gives?

Well, it would be the aroma from Martha Stewart Cafe’s Martha’s Blend coffee.  It was so strong, my body was getting the jitters just by smelling the coffee.  Considering I was loving her delicious coffee at her HQ, you can expect this to be the perfect brew.  You can purchase her coffee and teas at Martha Stewart Cafe.

My favorite item in the bag is something I’ve been wanting for some time now, but didn’t know where to get it.  This little monkey comes from a company called Creature Cups.  I’m going to have to order a few more of these.  I’ve been wanting the octopus one for some time.  They are so cool.  I can’t wait to give them as gifts this year.

The little slab of chocolate (I’m going with a guess here) may be from Dylan’s Candy Bar.  Let me tell you something, that little piece of chocolate had me in heaven.  It was so delicious.
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Yogi teas, Stew Leonard’s Super Peanuts, Thank You cards from The UPS Store, Triple Sec from The DryBar, Martha Stewart’s Appetizers: 200 Recipes for Dips, Spreads, Snacks, Small Plates, and Other Delicious Hors d’Oeuvres, Plus 30 Cocktails, Seafood Brush from Wild Alaska Seafood, and lipstick from Sonia Kashuk.

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Bottled coffee from Martha Stewart, quilting material from The City Quilter, Chalkboard US Map from Fathead.  What I like about the Fathead is that you can color in all of the states you’ve visited.  That’s what I did with mine.

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This beautiful deck of cards comes from Yaniv.

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Other fun things received is the Coolhaus Ice Cream Book: Custom-Built Sandwiches with Crazy-Good Combos of Cookies, Ice Creams, Gelatos, and Sorbets, a copy of Martha Stewart Living’s Thanksgiving issue, Woats, Pom juice and a box of Triscuits.

GIVEAWAY!!!

So you know sharing all of this would lead to something. As part of the month of November, a time when we should be thinking of the things we are grateful for, Ariana Huffington mentioned that every night before going to bed, her daughter lists three things she is grateful for and shares it with a couple of her friends.

Keeping in line with the things learned at the American Made 2015 Summit, I want to know what THREE THINGS you are grateful for.  Share in the comments below and enter for your chance to win a copy of Martha Stewart’s Appetizers cookbook.  The contest begins on November 11 and ends on November 18.  GOOD LUCK!

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The Interview: Poetic Author Kim Thúy

Kim Thúy is the poetic author of two incredible books: the award winning book Ru: A Novel and her latest release Mãn. [You can read DoPW’s review here.]

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq0wrDVXS9E]

What makes Kim’s works so breathtaking is how she has mastered the craft of telling a story using very few, yet precise words, to illustrate a moment in the most poetic way.

Kim has graciously agreed to do an interview with DoPW.  If you have yet to read her works, you’ll understand what makes her books so special as you read through her interview.  I sighed throughout the interview from the beauty and truth to her words.  

man1.  Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am 47 years old, female, a bit shy of 5 feet, vacillating between 110 to 115 pounds but I still often think that I am invisible–or could be invisible. I love being on the bench observing others as much as being the one who points out to others the beautiful things existing around us. I spend a lot of time sharing the words I like with friends. Once, I began typing a page I wanted my best friend to read.  By the end of the month, she had the whole book emailed to her one bit at a time. However, some photographs would say that I move constantly, making their work impossible sometimes. My publishers worry I might fall off the plane after travelling to 22 cities of 13 countries in 6 months, crossing 18 time zones more than once. Personally, I think I am very still, almost motionless. The numbers contradict with my state of mind due to the fact that I am very slow–slow thinker, slow writer, slow at understanding jokes! So, my mind never gets to follow my body. It remains at the same spot at all time, which helps me not feeling the pace I guess…
2.  You’ve worn a lot of hats so far in this lifetime.  You’ve been a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer, restaurant owner, as well as an Award-winning author.  In Ru, you mention that this has a lot to do with realizing that you can do everything you’ve ever wanted to do after your aunt Six gave you a tin filled with professions she dreamed for you.  This allowed you to realize that you could dream your own dreams.  What other dreams have you had for yourself?  Of the jobs you’ve had already, which was your favorite? 
I never thought I could be any of things I’ve done. I simply followed the waves as they came to me. Everything was way beyond my ability, professionally and mentally and physically. But, as an immigrant, every job opportunity is considered to be a gift. And my responsibility is to be worthy of the gift. I have not had any dreams since the refugees camp where I did dreamed for constipation. The open pit was hopelessly horrible… After the camp, everything has been bigger than my imagination could imagine. My dreams have all come to me before I knew how to dream them.
 
I have loved all my jobs. Without them, I would not have been able to write the things I have written. Without them, I would not have seen all the complexity of life. Without them, I would not have known how to see the essence of things amidst chaos.
 
 3.  In your books, you share the stories of the immigrants that have left Vietnam and have settled in Quebec.  Each person has their own unique story.  Which stories have had their biggest impact on you?
All of them since together, they tell our collective story. Each one is interesting and mostly, important.
 4.  You have a very unique writing style.  You use very few words to tell a story.  Each choice of words weaves together a beautiful tale that strikes a person deep within their soul and leaves the reader gasping at the beauty of the words.  There is an art in using very few words to tell an entire story.  Were there any writers that inspired you to write this way?
The Lover by Marguerite Duras was my first book in French, or more precisely, the book which exposed me to literature. My uncle read it with me sentence by sentence to help me understand why Duras is exceptional and revolutionary. My mom used the book for my dictées from the first to the last page. And finally, I learned it by heart to absorb the musicality of the French language.
 5.  Be truthful, how long does it take you to write each paragraph?
Each paragraph had 3-4 pages at the beginning. Everyday, I read from the first sentence down. Everyday, I would delete, rewrite, delete and delete some more to take away all excess. And to make everything feels as light as a feather in the wind.
 6.  In Ru, you wrote about living the American Dream.  What does the American Dream mean to you?
It means possibility and freedom and hope.
7.  Mãn is a beautiful tale about the different forms of love, including how love is shown through food.  Can you tell us what kind of memories different types of food brings back to you?
It is mostly the food from street vendors in Saigon I did not have the right to eat due to the lack of hygiene. Even though I have eaten from the street and on the street once I could decide for myself, these types of food still attract me the most because they carry a lot of forbidden desires.
8.  One of the saddest stories in Mãn was the explanation of the dog tags.  “Before he left, he’d gone to see her in uniform and given her the plate to offer her “the life he hadn’t lived” and his dream of her that would be eternally a dream if he didn’t come back to retrieve it” (p. 135).  Then we discover that he did not choose her in the end.  He didn’t come back.  What Maman does ‘out of love’ shows great strength even in the greatest of heartbreaks.  In the stories you have collected throughout your lifetime, how have these individuals coped after letting go of their dream to be with the person they loved?
I simply LOVE your questions, especially this one. The broken heart people I know have a thing in their gaze–nothing identifiable or tangible but there is a certain void and depth at the same time. As well, I find them ‘man’, not serene as such but there is a calm in them, the calm of sadness maybe…or the calm of someone who no longer struggle, who has given up a part of themselves. Like Mia Couto has written, it feels like their organ to dream had been amputated from them…
[This reference is from Mia Couto’s The Tuner of Silences]
9.  There are two things your books did for me: 1) They made me very hungry; and 2) I now have a very strong desire to travel around Vietnam.  If readers wanted to take a literary journey through Vietnam using your books, what are the places/experiences you would want them to see/try above all?
The markets and more markets. Just sit in the middle of any of them, have a fresh sugar cane juice or a coffee and watch the flow of people in their daily lives.
10.  The tale of the Vietnamese immigrant is very humbling.  Many came from being well off to all of a sudden being refugees with nothing, scrounging for food, shelter and warmth.  I know a lot of immigrants come to North America with a dream.  Most times it isn’t for themselves.  It’s for their children.  They dream of their children having a better life than the ones they had.  Growing up, did your parents have dreams of the person they wanted you or your siblings to become?
They wish us choosing medicine or dentistry or pharmacology so that we have a stable salary from a stable profession. They wished a steady life for us. My brothers became a dentist and an actuary. I was a lawyer in one of the top 3 law firms in Canada but got lost somewhere on the way to the office at one point 🙂
11.  You’re a mother, too.  Do you find yourself in their shoes?  Do you also have dreams of your children having a better life than you have?  Or do you feel you are the one setting the example of how there are endless possibilities of the person they can become?
I have no specific dreams for my children. I only ask and help them to always make the most out of everything they do and be the most of what they can be. My second son is autistic. So, I often remind my older one to not waste his privilege to be born with no handicaps.
12.  What dreams for yourself do you still have on your list of things to be in this lifetime?
I have received too much from this life already. I do not need more. Actually, I feel very guilty for all my privileges–great family, good health, kind friends, generous readers and critics, unexpected love and affection…. I do not deserve this much.
 
 13.  What’s upcoming for you?  Are there any new projects coming up?
I am writing my next one. Enjoying every single minute, every single word… Writing is bliss.

Kevin Costner’s New Book

Kevin Costner. October 21, 2015.
Kevin Costner. October 21, 2015.

These days, you’ll find a lot of celebrities aspiring to cross one more thing off of their bucket lists.  Bruce Willis, for example, will be starring on Broadway for the first time ever in a theatrical adaptation of Stephen King’s “Misery,” alongside “Roseanne’s” Laurie Metcalfe.  Kevin Costner decided he wanted to finance and release a book of his own alongside Jon Baird (writer) and Rick Ross (illustrator).

Together, they created “The Explorers Guild: Vol. 1.”  This book has been in the works for the last 8 or 9 years.  Baird wrote the book, Costner gave his input and ideals, and Ross illustrated the book.  What they came up with was a novel they hope will be passed down from generation to generation, sitting next to the likes of Jules Verne or Joseph Conrad up on the bookshelf.  Costner’s need to have a perfect product like his previous works is reflected in the beauty of his first book.  This book is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

Rick Ross (l) with Jon Baird (r). October 21, 2015.
Rick Ross (l) with Jon Baird (r). October 21, 2015.

The paper is soft and delicate with a beautiful layout.  Each word leads up to the graphic novel story, so you’re not just reading text, you’re also reading a comic strip.  They are interwoven together to tell the story.

While the topic of the evening was on how this unique book came to life, Costner, who is a master storyteller, told a few stories of his own.  He spoke about two films that made a huge impact on him as a child: “How the West Was Won” and “Giant.”  He also spoke about the moment he decided to become an actor, and when he encountered Richard Burton on a plane.




Costner was very inspiring as he spoke about the things in life that inspired him to become the person he became from acting and directing to this new book.

Kevin Costner. October 21, 2015.
Kevin Costner. October 21, 2015.

Here is the audio from the talk at the Modern Museum of Art (MOMA) in NYC on October 21, 2015. The talk becomes very interesting (and inspiring) during the last half when Costner starts telling his life stories.

We’ll have a review of “The Explorers Guild: Vol. 1” soon.




End of Summer Weekend Reading Material

The summer is starting to wind down.  With only three weekends left, many are running off to get that one last vacation in before the fall arrives.  For me, June, July and August are my months for vacation, which means taking a bit of a break from writing and the blogs.  September is when I’m back in the saddle again.  From film festivals to NY Fashion Week, to movie premieres, to NHL training camps, to the start of the Metropolitan Opera season…my working season begins.  That means the content on this site will increase.

There will be more interviews from authors, publishers, celebrities, and artists.  There will be more reviews, talks about books, films and the arts, a special fashion edition, and a new project unveiling that I’ve been working on over these last couple of months.

If you think content isn’t going up fast enough, as my artist friend Borbay describes the site…the word “Perfectionist” is in the title.  That means that the content here is meant to be far superior so it takes a little longer to create it.  People will just have to wait.

For now, let’s talk about what reading material is on the radar.


1.  Kim Thúy, Mãn and Ru: A Novel.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kim Thúy back in May when she was signing copies of her latest book Mãn.  I had never read her works before.  I just saw the book in the Book Expo newsletter from Random House Canada and knew I wanted to get my hands on it.  She signed it “To Michelle, Thank you so much for coming back to me again.”  You’ll find out soon on the site why that little inscription is a bit serendipitous {TEASER}.

What I was not expecting from Mãn was how beautifully written the book would be.  It’s a quick read, but also the type of book you have to reflect upon as you go from chapter to chapter.  Each chapter is only a paragraph or two long.  In that one simple paragraph, she can tell an entire story, but she does it so beautifully that you go back and re-read the sentence, stumbling over each word slowly in order for it to sink in.  

What makes Kim’s works in both Mãn and  Ru: A Novel so unique is that she has perfected the art of storytelling by using very few words to tell an entire story.  Each word she has chosen sinks deep into your soul and you are left pondering the words over, letting your tongue roll over each phrase she has chosen in each tale.  

Both books are a compilation of stories of Vietnamese immigrants.  She weaves each of their stories from one to another, using a choice word in each chapter to connect to the next story.  For instance, she uses the word ‘red’ to end a story in one chapter and then uses it again in the following chapter to tell the tale of another immigrant.  That one word can create a strong connection from one person to the next.  In a way, it’s the same as how people read and connect to her books, no matter where they are from.  The term “communism” can create a bond with a person in Eastern Europe because they can understand the struggle the Vietnamese went through, even though their experiences were totally different.  That one word means something powerful to them.  That one word is a lifetime of stories and struggles, of hunger, fear, anger and upset.  Just one word can invoke so much passion in a person…just like a simple word like ‘red.’  That’s what makes Kim Thúy’s books so thought-provoking…one simple word can create a flood of feelings that enables the reader to connect to the book itself.  

Her ability to weave these stories together using choice words is also a way of understanding how everyone in the book is essentially linked to each other.  They may have in common that they are all Vietnamese immigrants, but there’s more to it.  It links their life experiences from how we show love through food to what it means to let go of the person you love.  From coming from well to do families to all of a sudden finding themselves as refugees in a foreign land, living as janitors, seamstresses, farm hands, etc.  Then there are those who come from poor families who marry up and move to North America through marriage.  She opens our eyes to the life of the immigrant in North America.  They may have been from rich families or were doctors or professors in Vietnam.  They sacrificed who they were to start over again in another country.  Some were stripped of everything, others found opportunity.  How do they evolve under those circumstances?

The stories are all very humbling.  The writing style is unique and beautiful.  I will forewarn you that you will be very hungry after you read her books.  I have been eating Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai food every single day since I read Mãn.   As you’ll discover in the book, the connection with food is about love…the love a mother shows to her child.  The love a wife shows to her husband.  It’s what bonds a family and friends together.  

I highly recommend reading both of her books.  You will not regret it.  Your soul will thank you for the fresh drink of beauty.


2.  Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman: A Novel.

If you’ve read the reviews of Harper Lee’s latest Go Set a Watchman: A Novel, people are really mad.  It’s not even a story.  It’s just a rant.

SPOILER: Atticus Finch is a racist.

That’s what really has everyone up in arms.  But that’s because most of us had no clue when we read To Kill a Mockingbird that Atticus was anything but fair and colorblind.  To find out he was a racist?!?!

This is where I want to remind everyone that Go Set a Watchman: A Novel was the first novel written by Harper Lee.  It was also rejected by the publishers.  They liked the characters, but it needed a stronger story.  Go Set a Watchman: A Novel laid the foundation to the setting and the characters, but it needed a story.  That’s when Lee came back and gave the publishers a new book entitled To Kill a Mockingbird.  That was the book they published and it became a Pulitzer Prize winner.

What makes Go Set a Watchman: A Novel so difficult to digest is that it takes place 20 years after To Kill a Mockingbird.  We know the story.  We loved Atticus Finch, Scout, Jem, Dill and Calpurnia.  How could we all of a sudden be shocked that Atticus was a racist and that Calpurnia didn’t really care for her or Jem?

You have to keep in mind that Go Set a Watchman: A Novel was the first book, not the second book.  It was also the book that was originally rejected.  When she came back to the publishers with To Kill a Mockingbird, maybe she decided to make Atticus fair and not a racist.  Maybe Calpurnia really did care about the kids and didn’t care about the fact there was a black and white barrier.  Maybe Harper Lee fixed what was really wrong with Go Set a Watchman: A Novel and made the characters into ones that would be cherished for all eternity when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird.

Those are the things you need to keep in mind when you read Go Set a Watchman: A Novel.

Would I recommend it on its own?  No.  It’s a rant, not a story.  BUT, if you’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird, you need to read Go Set a Watchman: A Novel to truly understand the entire context of the times, racism, and Alabama.  For those who are writers, it’s actually an interesting look into how you can be rejected from one story, but you can go back and rewrite it based on the same characters and create a masterpiece.  Sometimes a complete do over is the key.  She learned from her mistakes and came out with one of the best novels of the 20th century.  That is a life lesson within itself.

Currently reading: Nina George, The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel.

I decided to take a little break from reviewing the tall stack of books I received from publishers so that I can read something without the pressure of it feeling like ‘work.’  I was ordering a couple of books for the Book Club when Amazon recommended this book.  It looked like such an interesting story that I decided to order it as my ‘fun’ book (i.e. a book I chose, rather than was chosen for me by someone else).

I always love stories that take place in Paris, but I really love stories that involve books as a means for adventure.  Any book lover understands that love of the book itself and what the adventure means.  They understand that little happy place.  So take a bookshop apothecary that is located on a barge, a bookseller that finally opens up that letter the love of his life left for him when she left him 20 years ago, a bestselling author that is being hounded by crazed fans and you have an adventure of how a bookseller is trying to make amends with the love of his life by setting sail on his bookshop barge to make right where he went wrong.

In all honesty, I kind of want my own Bookshop Apothecary…a bookshop that prescribes the right books to people, rather than selling whatever books people want to buy.  Sometimes the latest novel just isn’t the right book for that person during that time in their life.  Trust me when I say, I’d like to take back all that time I spent with Gillian Flynn’s “Dark Places.”  I put up with it because it was a Book Club book, but damn if I’ll ever read another one of her books willingly.  She’s too dark for me.  An Apothecary would have stopped me from even purchasing that book, explaining that the book just doesn’t go with my personality.

I will say that I am enjoying this book.  I’m now at the part where he embarks on his adventure.  It’s really exciting.  The author has already used the love of books to charm me into loving the lead character.  Can’t wait to find out what happens!

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September is a big month for publishing houses.  The majority of new releases come out at that time.  Stay tuned for our list of what to read in September.

Book Review: Circling The Sun

"Circling the Sun" by Paula McLain is due to be released on Tuesday, August 28th.
“Circling the Sun” by Paula McLain is due to be released on Tuesday, August 28th.

If there’s any book you need to pick up this summer, let “Circling the Sun: A Novel“ from Paula McLain be at the very top of that list.  If you’ve read “The Paris Wife,” you already know how spectacular the story was.  “Circling the Sun” is even better.

Like “The Paris Wife,” the main character is based on a real person.  McLain starts off by introducing us to Beryl Markham, a woman who is on a journey to become the first person ever to fly from London to New York.  [There were people that had flown from New York to London, but never from London to New York.]  As her plane starts to stutter, her life flashes before her eyes and we are transported to Beryl’s days of youth when she was a young girl running wild on a farm in Kenya.

McLain takes you through Beryl’s life as a wild child who hung out with the Kipsigis tribe and learned how to raise horses with her father.  She trained with the boys of the Kipsigis tribe on how to hunt, make bows, and snap whips.  She rode horses and trained them to race, just like her father did.  She was a tomboy through and through.

By the time she was sixteen, her father’s horse farm started to fail, so her father pushed her into marrying a neighboring farmer.  Not knowing each other very well ended up leading to a divorce a few years later.  Before her father left for Capetown, he told Beryl to get her license to be a horse trainer, so she set out to become the first woman to ever get a license to be a horse trainer.

She went to work at a family friend’s ranch where she could log her hours and prepare for the exam.  She took the exam and a few weeks later received her license to train horses to race.  This would become her livelihood.

As her first marriage was slowly disintegrating, she started to have indiscretions.  She soon began to learn how the colony could damage her and the people around her through gossip.  It’s even more amazing how the gossip traveled.  You think you’re alone and no one else will know, then all of a sudden everyone knows.

If you’ve ever seen or read Out of Africa, both Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton play prominent roles in Beryl’s story.  Both women would end up falling head over heels in love with Denys.  Beryl, though, may have loved him more.

McLain takes us through Beryl’s triumphs over the years, her relationships and adventures from one year to the next.  This book was so well written and the story was just so fascinating, just like “The Paris Wife,” I had a hard time putting it down.  McLain is a master storyteller.  Beryl is an inspiring woman.  She was the first woman to ever be a licensed horse trainer.  She was not only the first person to fly from London to New York, but she was also the first woman to do it.

Beryl made her share of mistakes and learned from them, but she also valued her freedom.  She was a wild child from the start and no one could truly tame her or domesticate her.  Like Denys, it wasn’t in their nature.  They valued their freedom more.  That is truly why they were so drawn to each other.  They understood that need inside of each other to not be caged.

Denys was the love of her life.  He was also the love of Karen Blixen’s life, as well.

In the end, Denys truly belonged to Karen.  She could write the other woman out of the story (Out of Africa) like she never existed, because Denys was hers in the end.  She was considered the grieving widow, even though they never married.

This story was absolutely incredible.  It will make you want to book your next vacation to Kenya to go on a safari expedition, to see the rolling hills or the flamingos flying off at the sound of horses hooves on the beaches.  The book is beautifully written.

Circling the Sun: A Novel will be released on Tuesday, July 28th.  You’re going to absolutely enjoy this tale.  Paula McLain is proving again and again why she is a master at her craft.

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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All content and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Come Away With Me

Come Away With Me by Karma Brown. This is the Advance Uncorrected Proof and not the official cover. The release date is August 25, 2015.
“Come Away With Me” by Karma Brown. This is the Advance Uncorrected Proof and not the official cover. The release date is August 25, 2015.

I’m just coming off of a very long vacation, so I’m very behind in posting up content.  It doesn’t mean I wasn’t working in some way or another.  It does mean I was able to find some time to catch up on a lot of reading material.

The first book I’m going to share is Karma Brown’s “Come Away With Me” from Mira Books.

The book is about a young woman named Tegan Lawson.  She is going through one of the most difficult times in her life.  Before, she was newly married, expecting a baby, and everything was just perfect until a car accident left her childless for the rest of her life.  Her husband, Gabe, was behind the wheel that night.

Dealing with the loss of their unborn child and knowing that she will never be able to have a child again, left her severely depressed and angry at her husband.  It was his fault this happened.  She blamed him.  How does a marriage survive this?

She and Gabe have a Jar of Spontaneity where they place their dream destinations.  She pulls out three pieces of paper to determine where they will go to help get Tegan out of their apartment.  It’s an attempt to help fix Tegan (and their marriage).  She draws out Thailand, Italy and Hawaii from the jar.

In Thailand, they start off in Bangkok and then head to Chiang Mai to ride elephants and buy art painted by elephants.  In Italy, they head to Ravello, Italy so she can learn how to cook Italian food just like Gabe’s mother.  In Hawaii, she learns how to Hang Ten.

This adventure is a spiritual adventure for Tegan.  In each place, she’s learning how to be herself again.  More importantly, she’s learning how to be happy again.

What will surprise the reader is that the story isn’t quite what it seems.  There’s a twist at the end that will leave your heart pounding and wanting to just embrace Tegan into your own being to protect her, because you understand her in ways you never thought you would be able to.  The story will break your heart from the very beginning, but then you’ll find hope and promise at the end that makes you realize no matter how horrible things can be, you can always find your way out of that dark place.  No matter how crushed and broken you are, you can be happy again.

I will warn you, for those who have been in that place of deep grief, depression and sorrow, the first 100 pages will be difficult for you.  It was for me.  Brown dives so deeply into that depression and loss, you’ll feel like putting the book down and not going through with it.  There were some points in the beginning where I wanted to throw the book across the room because I was so mad at Tegan.  I wanted to shake her and say, “Get over it.  Get your ass out of bed.  Move forward with your life, dammit!”

I found that if you stick with it, you’ll find the adventure that awaits is worth pursuing with Tegan as she reclaims her sanity, her peace of mind, her happiness, and herself.  The story does get better.  More importantly, for those who have found themselves in that deep misery that you can feel when you have lost someone you love, this is a way of finding hope that things can and will be alright.  You can feel that deep sorrow and grief that feels like it will never end, but you won’t always feel that way.  It’s just a moment and that’s what Karma Brown explains all throughout this book as she takes Tegan from her happiest of times, to her worst of times and then to her new self.  These tragic moments change you forever, but the journey that follows is one that makes you an even greater person than you were before.


come Away With Me 2Come Away with Me is due to be released on August 25th.  For those who have lost someone, and for those who love to travel, as well as enjoy reading spiritual adventures, I highly recommend this book.  I will say that this book was not what I expected at all.  Karma’s note of “Hope you enjoy!” that she inscribed in the front made me want to say, “Thank you for writing this book.”  I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to.  I went in expecting nothing and came out of it thinking…this is the kind of story that sticks with you for the rest of your life in a very good way.  The book doesn’t just make Tegan into a better person, it turns the reader into a greater person as well.  You realize just how weak you can be, but also how strong you can be after life deals some of the hardest blows you’ll ever experience.

After reading this book, I started my own Jar of Spontaneity.  I drew out four pieces of paper of places I will be going to over this next year.  I pulled: Vietnam, India, South America and Bolivia.  Tegan suffered a lot in the realization of what she lost after she lost the baby and her reproductive organs.  It hit home for me because surgeries can oftentimes change you when you realize you can’t have kids anymore.  I haven’t traveled overseas since my surgery.  This book prompted me to go out and do those things again, because I’ve found that some of the greatest journeys into your own being happens when you travel.  Thanks, Karma, for reminding me it’s time to take that step forward.

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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation.  I received a free copy of this book from Harlequin Books in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All content and opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Witch Hunter

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker.
The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker.

Book Review – The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker.  Released June 2, 2015 by Little, Brown and Company.

I am a sucker for Young Adult Fantasy Fiction, so when Little, Brown handed me a copy, I couldn’t wait to read it.  I don’t remember where I heard about the book before, whether it was from Book Club or a book recommendation from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, I knew I wanted to read it because it’s right up my alley.

First off, I love stories about witches.  This is what intrigued me about the book:

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king’s best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she’s accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

That is what captured my attention.  I didn’t read anything beyond those two sentences, but it was enough to get me to want the book and read the book from start to finish.

What is this book like?  Consider it the female version of the Spook series “The Last Apprentice” by Joseph Delaney meets Xena: Warrior Princess meets Pirates of the Caribbean meets Disney’s “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” meets Jon Snow.  I only mention Jon Snow (Kit Harington) because that’s who I would have cast as John the healer in the movie version of this book.

This book starts off with the two witch hunters, Elizabeth and her friend, Caleb’s, search for a few warlocks/necromancers who are practicing dark magic and attempting to bring an old magician back to life again.  They’re required to capture, not kill these wizards.  They bring them back to be tried before they are burned at the stake, because all forms of magic are outlawed in the land.

After accidentally killing a wizard in the book’s introductory hunt, she and Caleb head to the local pub where she discovers that Caleb is going off to party with some palace girl.  She stays behind and decides to drink her woes away with glass after glass of ale (which actually ends up being absinthe).

While at the pub, she runs across a pirate and the king’s fool.  They capture her and try to get her to talk.  But she’s so out of it, she’s no help to them.  She lies about who she is (a witch hunter), pushing it off as if she is just some kitchen maid.  They let her go.

On her way back to her room, she finds a guard outside of her door.  He’s been sent there under the King’s orders.  She knows why he’s there, but she doesn’t want to go with him.  She stumbles and out of her pocket falls some special herbs that are used in terminating pregnancies.  The King’s guard sees it and accuses her of practicing witchcraft.  He arrests her and takes her straight to the Inquisitor, Lord Blackwell, Duke of Norwich, the man she works for.

Despite being one of his witch hunters, Blackwell sentences her to death by burning at the stake.  Caleb swears he will get her out of prison.  He promises he’ll come back for her.

He never does.

As she is on the verge of dying, rotting away in a prison cell, an unlikely individual walks into the prison to save her.  The most wanted wizard in all of the land, Nicholas Perevil, springs her from her prison…and thus begins her new adventure.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book.  When it got to the end, I was happy it was over with (because you should see all of the books I need to review).  But as the days went by as I was preparing the review in my head, I kept thinking…you know, I’m not done with this story yet.  I want to know what happens to Elizabeth next.  The way it ended, I expect to see another book after this.  The story just doesn’t feel like it’s over yet.  It feels like we could get a few more books out of this tale and develop these characters stories more.

This is Virginia Boecker’s debut novel.  While at times, I thought it was a little crazy she added so many different elements like pirates, wizards, witches, revenants, nymphs and scary looking creatures you never want to meet in a dark alley, she actually masterfully pulled all of these vastly differing characters in and weaved an intricate tale where all of their stories worked well together…including the pirates.

Think about it…how weird would it be if J.K. Rowling threw a pirate into the Harry Potter books?  That’s what Boecker did.  You think it’s dumb at the start, but as you go along on their journey you realize just how important having a pirate is in this tale…and then you can’t imagine the story without the pirate or the revenants.  They are all instrumental in helping a witch hunter find herself.

The characters were developed so well along the way, you can’t help but fall in love with the friends Elizabeth makes along the way.  You even feel sympathy for the evil wizard himself.  After all, there’s a reason to the madness and need for power.  In a way, for Lord Blackwell, it’s the only way he believes he can save their kind.

Elizabeth’s tale is about one of growing up.  She grows up believing a certain way, but when taken out of that element and forced to see the world in a new light, she is forced to come to a reconciliation of what she was taught to believe was right, and discovering for herself what is right in her heart.

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

  • He’s asking me the question I’ve always asked myself.  How an unremarkable girl like me could live through unimaginable danger like that.  I didn’t know then, not really, and I’m not sure now.  I offer up my best guess anyway.“Because I was afraid to do anything else except live.”
  • “You can’t undo your past.  You know that as well as I.  But you also can’t foresee the future.  Not even Veda’s prophecy can do that.  What you want to do next, who you want to be, where you want to belong, that’s entirely up to you. As I always say, nothing is written in stone.”

For those who love YA Fantasy, I recommend reading “The Witch Hunter.”  This is the kind of series that can only get better after each book…and yes, according to Virginia Boecker’s Twitter, there’s a Book 2!  You’ll fall in love with the characters.  Imagine John (the Healer) as Kit Harington (Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow)…trust me when I say you’ll fall head over heels in love with his character.

You can find out more about the book and it’s author from her website.  You can also follow her on Twitter @virgboecker.

You can purchase the book at Amazon.com by clicking on the link: The Witch Hunter

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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation.  I received a free copy of this book from Little, Brown in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All content and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Like My Father Always Said

mchughBook Review – Like My Father Always Said…: Gruff Advice, Sweet Wisdom, and Half-Baked Instructions on How to Fix Your Stuff and Your Life, by Erin McHugh

Just in time for Father’s Day, Erin McHugh’s “Like My Father Always Said…” is a collection of sayings from fathers that McHugh gathered after creating a similar book for mothers in Like My Mother Always Said…: Wise Words, Witty Warnings, and Odd Advice We Never Forget.

Fathers tend to give advice that is very unusual and quite different than the wise sage advice we get from our mothers.  Here are a few quips from the book:

“Do it right or do it again.”  – Norm, father of Erik

“Those of you who are standing around saying it can’t be done are bothering those of us who are doing it.” – Dewey, father of Jean

“If you can’t go one way, go the other.” – Henry, grandfather of Josie

“Do whatever you want to do-Figure it out and I will explain it to mom later.” – Bob, father of Robin

“Don’t ever think you are better than another person.” – Edward, father of Tina

“When you surround yourself with good people and work hard, good things happen.”  – Dick, grandfather of Tommy

“Your only responsibility in life is to be kind.” – Freddie, father of Marion

“Keep your head down and stay the course.” – Robert, father of Christina

I selected these quotes to share here because they go right along with the theme of this site.  It’s about living every single dream possible.  These little instructions above are just a few of the many items you will find throughout the book.

This book will make a great gift for fathers, or just about anybody out there.  As I was reading through this, I had wished my father had given some sort of bits of wisdom like this.  But after reading the advice from all of these different fathers, I feel much wiser than I did before.

I think the most interesting quote in this book came from Brad Meltzer.  I had just met him the day before when I read his contribution to this book.  It really made me laugh at how supportive his father was of his writing career.  He was his biggest fan, so much that when he woke up from anesthesia after his surgery, he told his son that he was selling his books in heaven.  Brad’s response had me laughing.

That was the story that touched my heart the most.

If you pick up this book for your father for Father’s Day, make sure to pick up a copy for yourself and your siblings, too.  All of the sayings in this book are great advice for everyone.  It’s a quick read that you will definitely enjoy.

I always say it takes a village in order to help each other.  McHugh managed to create a village of fathers to give sound, maybe a little crazy, but wise advice to us all.

The book is available now.

You can follow Erin McHugh on Twitter: @ErinHere

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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation.  I received a free copy of this book from the author and Harry N. Abrams Books in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All content and opinions are my own.

Reading: How to be French

Children seeing large bubbles for the first time in Paris, France. (c) Michelle Kenneth
How to Be French: French children seeing large bubbles for the first time in Paris, France. (C) 2011 Michelle Kenneth.

Hello Lovelies.

In my research this month on “How To Be French,” I found some rather interesting articles worth sharing.

1. 10 Eating Rules French Children Know (But Americans Don’t), from Mind Body Green.  By Rebeca Plantier.

If there’s anything this author has discovered is that her children know how to be French better than she does.

This was one of the most interesting articles I read this past week.  It really makes you rethink how you eat, how much you eat and what you eat.  For instance, instead of grazing throughout the day (like most Americans do), it’s important to eat three meals a day.  You want to be hungry when you approach each meal so that each meal will be a complete pleasure.

After reading this article, I decided to make lunch the heaviest meal of the day and eat lighter in the evening (like a salad or a soup).

I will say that taking the advice from this article, I approach each meal differently, savoring each bite with pleasure.

2. 44 Classic French Meals You Need to Try Before You Die, from Buzzfeed. By Marie Telling.

Consider this your French food bucket list.

I’ve been sharing this list with my foodie friends.  We’ve been salivating over the pictures.

Don’t be dismayed if you love French food, go through the list and realize you’ve probably only had a handful of these dishes.  Imagine this list as showing you the possibilities of enjoyment you can add to enhance your life.  I’m making it my mission to either try these dishes at a restaurant or learn to make them this year.

3. 12 Fashion Secrets to Steal From French Women, from Stylecaster. By Leah Bourne.

For those who want to build a Fantasy Wardrobe, I highly recommend starting here (we’ll discuss this topic further this month on the blog).  While French women appear to have the best taste in fashion, it looks like the way they build their wardrobe is all about class and common sense.

They very rarely wear trendy clothes.  They never wear stilettos.  They invest in neutral colors.  They buy qualitative clothing, which means buying more expensive clothing (which also means owning less clothing).  This is not about having a lot of clothing (like us Americans who amass a rather large collection of clothing).

I’ve noticed there are a large number of French women carrying around an Hermès Birkin bag.  Believe it or not, this article explains how it is possible for them to own a bag that costs between 4-6 figures (i.e. the down payment on a house, or in some cases, the cost of an entire house).  [Forbes did an article on how you can buy your first Birkin.]

Simply put, they wait and save for that investment piece.

This article will make you rethink how you’ve crafted your own wardrobe.

4. 7 Secrets to Decorating Like the French, from Domaine.  By Julia Millay Walsh.

French homes always appear so posh, put together, and elegant.  This article explains how you can get the French decor at home.

5. French Women Don’t Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano.

This is on my list of books to read.  The author of this bestseller is currently in the NYC area talking to a group of French loving New Yorkers about the French life.  Like the first article listed in this post, Guiliano goes into more detail on how French women eat and live.  They’re thin, eat these incredible meals, eat carbs (and chocolate), yet they stay incredibly slim.  How is it possible?

It’s not about depriving yourself, it’s about embracing the finer things in life and ENJOYING THEM.

On Sunday, I’ll dive more into living that positive mindset.

6. FAVORITE BLOGGER: French Country Cottage.

This is one of my favorite sites to be inspired on how to decorate the home.  The styling and pictures are just absolutely gorgeous!  I recommend following this site.  I’ve been following it for years.  Make sure to also follow her on social media.

French Food Made Easy: Laura Calder

French Food at Home by Laura Calder includes some of the most amazing French recipes you’ll ever taste. Laura simplifies it for you.

Before moving this site to a new platform, I experimented with a topic last year to see how it would be perceived.  Each month would get its own region and we would take a look at all things from that region.  We’re revisiting FRANCE and all things FRENCH to start off Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe’s relaunch since it was so popular last year.  We’ll take a look at French food, arts, culture, photography, books, etc. all throughout this month.

Each week we’ll be showcasing a cookbook and divvying up a few of the recipes from the book.  This week’s French recipes are from Laura Calder’s book French Food at Home.

For those just starting out learning how to cook French food, it can seem a little daunting.  As James Peterson writes, you could end up using every single pot and pan in your arsenal just to make one meal.

Calder makes the different processes of making French food a little easier.

For instance, this fabulous Honey Hen recipe with Lemon Pasta was so good, you’re not going to want to share it.

Honey Hen with Lemon Pasta
Honey Hen with Lemon Pasta

Honey Hen

Honey Hen
Honey Hen

Ingredients

1 chicken (3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard*
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

[*You can use Whole Grain Mustard as a less spicier substitute for Dijon mustard.  It is equally as good.]

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Melt the honey in a saucepan and whisk in the mustard and herbs.  Pour over the chicken pieces in a baking dish, and roll them around to coat well.

Bake, turning occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, well browned, and veiled in its dripping hot sauce, 40 to 45 minutes.*

[*Cooking times may vary.]

Lemon Pasta

This is one of my favorite, easy and simple pasta recipes from Laura Calder.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Grated zest of 4 to 5 lemons*
1 cup heavy cream
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Salt and Pepper
Lemon juice to taste
1/2 pound fresh egg pasta

[*For extra zing and/or color, use a mix of lemon/lime zests.]

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.  While you wait, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in the lemon zest. Pour over the cream and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring to melt.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add lemon juice to taste.

Cook the pasta.  Drain, return to the pot, and toss with the sauce.  Divide among four serving plates, garnish as you like, and serve immediately.*

[Note: This dish must be eaten hot.  When it goes cold, it basically turns into cold butter and pasta noodles.]
Toast Soup
Toast Soup

Toast Soup

If you’re like me, it’s a little difficult to get through an entire loaf of French bread.  Instead of tossing the bread out when it starts to go stale, Toast Soup is the answer.

Ingredients

6 slices smoky bacon*
4 cups chicken stock
About 8 cups cubed French bread (roughly 1 loaf)
2 cups milk, more if needed
2 teaspoons sherry or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard**
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

[*Note: When purchasing bacon make sure it says “Smokey” not “Smoke Flavored.”  There is a major difference.] [**Note: You can use Whole Grain Mustard as a substitute for Dijon mustard.]

Instructions: 

Fry the bacon until cooked but not necessarily crisp.  Pour over the stock, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover, and let infuse about an hour.

Meanwhile, toast the bread on a baking sheet in the oven until quite dark, but not burnt. Transfer to a large saucepan.

Strain the stock over the toast, reserving the bacon.  Add the milk, vinegar, and mustard and purée until very smooth with an immersion blender.*  Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cut the bacon into slivers and refry until crispish.  Reheat the soup, whisking in the cold butter at the last minute to give it gloss.  Serve piping hot with the bacon bits scattered over.

[*Note: For added texture, do not purée all of the bread in the soup.  Leave a few pieces as is, but purée the majority of the soup.]

* * * *

Laura Calder’s book is one of my favorites.  It’s a great beginner’s book into learning how to cook French food.  She makes things simple because creating an elaborate French dinner can seem absolutely terrifying.  The recipes are easy to intermediate and everything tastes absolutely wonderful.

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Reading Material: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Over the last ten years, I have come to fall in love with the writings of Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  His claim to fame is the amazing novel, “The Shadow of the Wind.”

A friend had suggested I read this book, because she heard someone else suggest it.  I read the book, absorbed it, and fell madly in love with the story.  Zafon went on to write two books connected to this bestseller: “The Angel’s Game” and “The Prisoner of Heaven.”  Each book lived up to the extraordinary storytelling of “The Shadow of the Wind.”

For those who love books, the adventure into a Zafon book creates a new-found love of books all over again.

Like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, many of Zafon’s books that pre-date “The Shadow of the Wind” were originally written in Spanish.  Now, for the English speaking bibliophiles who love Zafon’s works, we have to wait for the translations into English.  They have been slowly, but steadily coming out one by one.

Within those translations, we discover Zafon’s first love…young adult fiction.  That’s how he started out, writing young adult fiction.  Each story he’s written is so miraculous that it stays with you for life.  You never forget a Zafon tale.  He is a master storyteller.

I am currently reading his final young adult fiction book, “Marina.”  Over the past year, I’ve struggled with getting back into reading and traveling the world.  A lot changed in me after the tumor was removed.  Many things that I loved, I didn’t care for anymore, even though I knew it was important to fall back in love with those things again.

“Marina” has finally made me fall back in love with books and travel again.  Zafon is such a masterful storyteller that you can’t help but get caught up in the story.  You hate putting the book down because you feel like the story is going to continue on without you and you may miss something.  You not only connect with the characters, but you truly feel like you, yourself, are part of the story…that this is now a part of your own story.

I have never encountered a writer that can continually, work after work, do what Zafon has done.  He captivates the reader from page one, drawing them into this tale of wonder and intrigue, making us see the streets of Calcutta and Barcelona as if we are standing there with the character, looking over our shoulders as we, too, can hear the snapping of a twig behind us.  We can feel the heat of summer, or the crisp breeze of autumn, hear the rustling of the leaves, and feel the adrenaline rush through us.  It’s what makes us quickly turn the page as we become sucked into the world Zafon has created.

I have had many favorite authors in the past, but Zafon is clearly in a league of his own.

When discussing his hopes for his young adult fiction, Zafon wrote on his website, “They remind me of what the discovery of reading meant to me.”  That is exactly what “Marina” has done for me post-op.  I’ve read many books since my surgery.  From Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” to Alexandre Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo,” to the “Divergent” series and Joseph Delaney’s “Spook’s Apprentice,” none of them have instilled in me the love of reading, adventure and travel like Zafon has done.  He raises this sense of excitement and intrigue in his work that makes you want to be a better human being, because you understand how important knowledge is through books.

If you are new to Zafon, I recommend starting with “The Shadow of the Wind” and then moving through the subsequent novels that followed.  Then after you’ve read the adult fiction, go back and read the young adult fiction.  You will begin to see his mastery in storytelling.  It is as if he has perfected the craft like no other before him could.

After I read “The Shadow of the Wind,” I only wanted to read more and more stories about the love of books, but nothing compared to that masterpiece.  He made me fall in love with books all over again.

Picking up “Marina” all these years later, he’s done it to me all over again.  I have fallen back in love with reading and wanting to travel the world.  He’s helped me rediscover the two things in life I love most.

Here are Zafon’s works (in English) [click on picture to purchase at Amazon.com]:

2015 Book Challenge

A resolution I make every year is to read 52 books a year (a book a week).  These last two years I’ve kind of slacked off due to dramatic life changes.  In 2015, I plan on getting back on track.

While perusing Pinterest, I saw that Popsugar had pinned this reading challenge from their site.  I think it’s a brilliant way to come up with ideas on what to read next.  So I’m joining the Popsugar Book Challenge.  You should join us!  You can click here for a downloadable printable.

Here’s their challenge:

2015 book challenge
PopSugar.com’s 2015 Reading Challenge.

If you find a great book this year, please pass the information along in the comments!

October Reading Material: The Vampire Chronicles Continue

prince lestatOne of the items on my bucket list is to read all of Anne Rice’s novels.  I’ve read many, but not all of her works.  When I finally read Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, I started to rethink keeping this wish to read all of her books on my bucket list.  From darkness comes light and if she was going religious on me, I wasn’t going to continue reading her work.

But alas, she decided to return to what made her so famous to begin with…Vampire Lestat has risen from the dead (again).  Mrs. Rice has decided to resurrect her anti-hero, the Vampire Lestat in her new novel, Prince Lestat.

Here’s a little snippet from Barnes & Noble:

The novel opens with the vampire world in crisis…vampires have been proliferating out of control; burnings have commenced all over the world, huge massacres similar to those carried out by Akasha in The Queen of the Damned . . . Old vampires, roused from slumber in the earth are doing the bidding of a Voice commanding that they indiscriminately burn vampire-mavericks in cities from Paris and Mumbai to Hong Kong, Kyoto, and San Francisco.

As the novel moves from present-day New York and the West Coast to ancient Egypt, fourth century Carthage, 14th-century Rome, the Venice of the Renaissance, the worlds and beings of all the Vampire Chronicles—Louis de Pointe du Lac; the eternally young Armand, whose face is that of a Boticelli angel; Mekare and Maharet, Pandora and Flavius; David Talbot, vampire and ultimate fixer from the secret Talamasca; and Marius, the true Child of the Millennia; along with all the other new seductive, supernatural creatures—come together in this large, luxuriant, fiercely ambitious novel to ultimately rise up and seek out who—or what—the Voice is, and to discover the secret of what it desires and why . . .

And, at the book’s center, the seemingly absent, curiously missing hero-wanderer, the dazzling, dangerous rebel-outlaw–the great hope of the Undead, the dazzling Prince Lestat . . .

This being the month for all things spooky and scary, reading any of Anne Rice’s supernatural books will not only make you fall in love with these villains, but they will also make you look at history very differently.  Rice’s re-telling of history through the world of the supernatural is what makes me love her stories so much.

Stuart Townsend as Lestat in Queen of the Damned.
Stuart Townsend as Lestat in Queen of the Damned.

One of my favorite novels by Rice is Memnoch The Devil.  The way she depicted the temptation of Christ made me wonder if perhaps the devil was just misunderstood.  She gave new meaning to the term ‘sympathy for the Devil.’  That book made me look at the Bible very differently.  What if everything about the Devil was just a misunderstanding between God and his angel?  The Bible vilified him, making him out to be the bad guy, when instead all he wanted to do was to help.

If an author can change your way of thinking like this, they would have to be a master at their craft.  Anne Rice is definitely the master of hers.

After reading why the Christ the Lord years happened (she was close to death on several occasions and turned to religion during that time), and then why she turned away from Christianity afterward, I forgave her for the Christ the Lord years.  Those years were the years she needed to know something bigger than all of us was looking out for her.  We all find ourselves in those moments in our lives.  The Christ the Lord years were just the years when she needed God.

When you look at the progression of her work, you realize that the books she placed before us were just a reflection of her own world at that time.  It was about her own spiritual growth, it was about dealing with the death of her child.  You begin to see that these books are not just supernatural chronicles, they’re a chronicle of the things she was going through in life.

Even in Memnoch, she was grappling with the duality of good and evil.  That perhaps, the way religion is taught to us is a lie.  The Devil was and still is an angel.  What if his whole story was just a lie?  What if he was only trying to help, not deceive?

These are questions she posed to the reader.  She made you re-think how you viewed the world.  Instead of going on what religion tells you is the truth, what if there was another truth?  That was the whole purpose of Memnoch.  What if there was another truth?  It was her way of making you re-evaluate how you perceive life, God, and the world, that makes me believe that, like the gothic novelists before her, her works will be celebrated and adored centuries after we’re gone.  Why?  Because you’re a different person after you read her work.  She awakens your mind to question what you believe and take on the possibility that what you believe may not necessarily be true.

It’s understanding that, you begin to realize there are always other truths.  You will never know which truth is the real truth.  Every story has many different sides.  You can’t just listen to one and consider it the only truth.  You have to hear all sides.  Even when you hear all sides, you’re not always going to come up with one singular truth.  You begin to see that the duality between good and evil is really not a duality.  It’s just a misunderstanding of what is good.

While I’m only in the sixth book in The Vampire Chronicles (The Vampire Armand) out of 11, I will definitely be purchasing Prince Lestat to add to my library.  The Vampire Chronicles are worth spending time enjoying.  It may not scare you, but the stories will stay with you.  I’m glad to see Lestat is back.  I didn’t start to love him until The Tale of the Body Thief.  To see that he lives to see another novel, this, indeed, makes me happy.

The book is due to be released on October 28.

UPDATE: Just a few minutes after posting this, Anne Rice tweeted that her first book signing for Prince Lestat will be on 10/28 in NYC at 192 Books.  You must purchase the book through 192 Books in order to attend the event. DETAILS.  Space is limited {I have my order in for the event!}.

Labor Day Reading Material

It’s the final days of summer.  With only 3 days remaining before we officially kick start our autumn mentality, here are a few books worth picking up during your last few days of relaxation.

Half-Broke Horses

half broke horsesI’m not a lover of Westerns, but imagine looking at it through the eyes of a woman.  Then imagine being one of those women who lived every single adventure you can ever imagine.  Cowgirl.  Pilot.  Horse Jockey.  Teacher.  Wife.  Mother.  Ranch Caretaker.  Gunslinger.  Gangster selling booze during prohibition.  Gambler that’s better at poker than the rest of the gunslingers at the table.

This was the life of Jeanette Walls’ grandmother.  Her story is a great story, especially for women.  It’s inspiring to read because you begin to realize what it takes to live every dream you can dream for yourself.

Imagine being a 15 year old girl traveling 500 miles on horseback to teach at a schoolhouse then seeing a plane fly overhead and think to yourself, “Some day I’m going to fly a plane.”  She actually went out and did just that.  She was more than just a teacher or a girl living on a ranch.  She was a tough, courageous woman who had no fear of living every dream she could think of for herself.

That is what is so inspiring about the story.  She had no fear of living her dreams.  When the opportunity presented itself, she grabbed it by the horns and rode it out…just like these half-broke horses that came into the ranch.

It’s a quick read.  I finished it in less than two days.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

a tree grows in brooklynIf you’re interested in reading a classic, I highly recommend this book about a girl coming of age in Brooklyn, New York.  This is the book that really got me started on trying to live more simply at home and started my de-cluttering campaign.  It made me re-think being absorbed in consumerism, and learning to cut back and be more of a minimalist (I thought about it, it didn’t fully shape into being).

I really loved this story, as well as did everyone in my book club.  In this recession, it’s good to read about stories of harder times.  If we think we had it bad, our grandparents had it worse back during the Depression era.  But the thing is…they survived on the bare minimum.  That’s what so intriguing about the book.

This story is about how one family survived in poverty before, during and after the Great Depression era.  It’s a story you will never forget.  It’s also a story you will enjoy immensely.

The Golem and the Jinni

Golem_and_the_Jinni_book_coverSpeaking of New York stories, this story is about two cultures: the Jewish and the Syrian culture.  One tale is about the Golem and how she comes about living in New York City, another tale is about a Jinni that finds himself in a different time in the shop of a tinsmith in another neighborhood of New York City.  This story is about how to very magical creatures collide and try to survive without anyone (but a few people) know about their true nature.

All of this comes to a head when a very evil man decides to use them for his own evil purposes.  This story is about correcting the wrongs of the past, and learning to live when you are just so different from everyone else.

This was a great read, especially in understanding two very different cultures and watching them collide in this great city called New York City.

 Cloud Atlas

cloudatlasI have a new favorite author and his name is David Mitchell.  I saw the movie and read the book.  As always, the book was way better than the movie, because it goes into more detail.  What I loved about the story is that it really made me think of the various lives we live and how it is always in a constant state of repeat in each lifetime.  The people we meet all have a meaning in our lives.  We may play our roles differently in each lifetime, but the end result is always the same.

OR is it?

Then again, it makes us ask ourselves what our roles are in each lifetime and our own purpose to the grand design.  Sidney Poitier talks about this in his books, how each generation is meant to mean something greater in further generations.  Each generation is setting the tone for what is to come.  Each generation plans and prepares and creates the backdrop to the greater story.  Each story leaves its clues for future generations, even if it is for the same set of souls that are repeating the same story line again and again.

The book is amazing and will really get you to think about your own purpose to the story we’re living.

A Winter’s Tale

a winter's taleSpeaking of purposes in life and our timing…Mark Helprin brings one of his greatest stories he’s ever written…”A Winter’s Tale.”  This book is also a movie starring Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe (with a surprise appearance from Will Smith).  If you want to know if you should pick up the book, see the movie first.  There are elements in the movie that made me want to dive further into the story…mainly because it was about destiny.

What if your purpose was to save someone, but it wasn’t the person you thought you were supposed to save?  You meet your one great love, a person you were destined to love, only to lose all of your memories, walk through this lifetime with no recollection of who or what you are, just to save one soul.  That is the story of Peter Lake, except his journey is a bit more on the magical side.

With angels and demons trying to help or thwart his progress, as is the struggle with all humankind when they are chasing after their destiny, we go through this tale of adventure with Peter Lake as he discovers love, friendship, fear, loss, and love far greater than he could ever imagine.

And yes, the irony here is that the story takes place in New York City, too!

What can I say?  Some of the best stories come from my fine city. 🙂

Happy reading this weekend and have a safe, wonderful end of the summer Labor Day Weekend!

The Right Book of Art

booksCoffee table books, especially large books of art, are never cheap.  Finding the right one for your home when there are so many to choose from may seem a little daunting at first.  Then when you’re at the bookstore and find just the right book, it’s either too big to carry home or the price tag doesn’t match your budget.

In the picture, you can see the large Manet and the Tissot.  In the background, there’s a Bernini and Rubens.  What you don’t see is the big book from the Louvre, another on Italian architecture and another on Flemish music.  Either I have a love for large books or I found them on sale.

Trust me, it was the latter.  My library has seasonal book sales where people in the community donate books they don’t want (including the area schools).  I picked up all of these art books for $2 each.   It was just luck that I happened by when they were unloading so many art books.

I picked up books from my favorite artists, and artists I wanted to know more about, like Bernini and Tissot.  I chose books that had large illustrations, but also had plenty of details in the narrative where I could learn more about the artists.

Out of all books I’ve found on artists, this book is my favorite from David Sylvester on Magritte: Magritte: The silence of the world.  I loved it so much the first time I saw it, I didn’t return it to the library until it was 6 months overdue.  I couldn’t justify spending $100 on one of my own.  Luckily, it went down to $30 (guess what I’m getting for my birthday), because there is a newer version (published in 2010): Magritte

 

Finding the right book is all about what you want to take from the story of the artist.  Does his work speak to you?  Does the artist’s story speak to you?

The reason why Magritte’s book was very meaningful to me all surrounded the story of the artist and why he chooses to hide the face of the subject in his paintings.  His story brinks on the form of madness, the loss of someone he loved, and disconnection.

I’ll spoil the story for you…Magritte’s mother committed suicide when he was a child.  She drowned herself.  When they pulled her out of the water, her nightgown was over her head.  That’s how Rene Magritte saw his dead mother.  That’s why he paints faces like that.

After having lost someone dear to me, I understood Magritte’s loss and how, at times, it can force you to the brink of madness…the memories.  I think, for myself, I related to Magritte because someone I loved had committed suicide when I was younger.  I understood how he felt and I could see his loss in his paintings.  I could feel that same sorrow, but I also saw the great beauty and bigger understanding of the universe as a whole in his paintings.

Discovering an artist you can relate to and finding the right book that tells the story in a way that moves you, THAT is the right art book for you.  Many of the art books I own are both decorative and they also help me to learn more about the artist.

Magritte’s story by David Alexander is told so well…like I said, I had a hard time parting with the book.  You may think I had a hard time parting with the book because I love Magritte’s work…that’s not true at all.  I actually don’t like his work at all.  His artwork haunts me.  To me, his artwork is my definition of insanity, but at the same time, his artwork is like a ball of memories for me…and yes, that ball is a symbolism in his artwork.

Find an artist that speaks to you in ways you can’t even imagine, like Magritte speaks to me.  His work comes from a very dark place in the psyche.  For those who have lost someone they loved to suicide, his work explains things that cannot be explained with words.

There are plenty of artists and books out there that help people to heal.  Magritte was my way of healing and understanding.  For the next phase in my life, who knows what artist’s story will define me and my life.  When I discover that book, it will be when I need it the most.