50 Books in 2015: 16-20

I think it's quite obvious that I have neglected this blog for far too long. I am 94% of the way through with my 50 books in 2015 challenge, yet here I am only posting reviews for books 16-20.....

It's time for me to get to work, and bring this blog back up into something I'm proud of!

Now for the reviews for this batch of 5 books:



The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had a love-hate (mostly love) relationship with this novel. I'm pretty sure it is a sign of a brilliant novel when you can hate it and love it at the same time, and that it can make you sad, uncomfortable, joyous, and so many other emotions within the one week that you did nothing but read the book. In the end, the book came full circle in a truly splendid way. Not only was the storyline well-written, but I found the poetic verses to be captivating. Each line was a story in its own. It is well worth a read.


Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As someone who already follows a plant-based diet, I found this story fascinating and inspiring. It is the memoir of Rich Roll, a man in his middle ages, who finds inspiration to switch to a plant-based diet, and become an elite athlete. It follows him along his journey, through both his triumphs and challenges.




The Power of Trees by Gretchen Daily
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did really enjoy the blurbs written about trees that were throughout the book, but I was not pleased at all about how irrelevant the photography was (except, of course, that the subject was trees). Sure the pictures are beautiful, but if I'm reading about a magnificent African tree, I do not want to see a scenery of a coniferous forest.




Goodnight Mind: Turn Off Your Noisy Thoughts and Get a Good Night's Sleep by Colleen E. Carney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Most books about sleep tend to repeat the same information that all other books have already mentioned. Yes, this book did that, but it also had some bits of information that I had not thought of before. With that being said, I felt that the book jumped around from topic to topic (and then back to another already visited topic) very frequently.




Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pardon my pun, but I thought this book was marvelous. I found myself not being able to put the book down at some points. There are many surprising twists and turns throughout the book that the reader would never expect (yet they somehow all end up making perfect sense),






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50 Books in 2015: 11-15

So I'm behind on posting my book reviews, since I am already through 25 books, but they are on the way! Here's numbers 11-15.

 

1. Three Bird Summer, by Sara St. Antoine

average GoodReads rating: 3.92/5 - my rating: 4/5

my review: This was a cute middle-grade book about a summer of adventure at a lonely summer cabin between two unexpected friends, Adam and Alice. The storyline took me by surprise, and would be a thrill for children to enjoy.  

 2. Some Kind of Fairy Tale, by Graham Joyce

average GoodReads rating: 3.56/5 - my rating: 4/5

my review: A women mysteriously reappears after being missing for twenty years, convinced that she was away in a 'fairyland' of sorts. This story is captivating and leaves you guessing throughout the story (and afterwards!). 

 

 3. Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga, by Benjamin Lorr

average GoodReads rating: 3.96/5 - my rating: 4/5

my review: This book was an interesting look at a side of yoga that vastly differs from the peaceful 'om' yoga such as Vinyasa, that many people think of when it comes to yoga. Exploring the controversial Bikram and his following, this book proves just how far people will go to turn just about everything into a sport.

 4. The Forks Over Knives Plan: How to Transition to the Life-Saving, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet, by Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman

average GoodReads rating: 4.08/5 - my rating: 4/5
my review: This book takes the valuable lessons learned in the Forks Over Knives documentary and expands on the importance and how-to's of following a plant-based diet. The only information I found questionable was the lack of healthy fats in the lifestyle plan. It also includes recipes, many of which I cannot wait to try out.

5. Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe, by Maria Rodale
average GoodReads rating: 3.92/5 - my rating: 4/5
my review: Maria Rodale, of the renowned Rodale Institute, shows us in this book just how essential it is to eat organic whenever possible for a variety of resons, including for our health and the health of the planet that we so desperately need to work to mend. This book read a bit slow for me, but as an environmental professional, I already knew a lot of this information (but rereading it doesn't hurt!).



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50 Books in 2015: 6-10

As with all of my posts, I've fallen behind with updating my book challenge (in part because I've managed to mess up my blog coding and cannot make the pictures smaller).
I am currently at 15 books read, so expect another update soon!



Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself: 40 Ways to Transform Your Inner Critic and Your Life by Lori Deschene
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a collection of various stories, articles, and insights that help motivate the reader to appreciate life and all the lessons it brings. I felt inspired after reading Tiny Buddha's Guide to Loving Yourself: 40 Ways to Transform Your Inner Critic and Your Life to address some of the challenges I was facing, and to share this information with friends. It was a quick read, and I particularly enjoyed the style of it being broken up into 40 different lessons.



The Raw Food Lifestyle: The Philosophy and Nutrition Behind Raw and Live Foods by Ruthann Russo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been a vegan for 3 years now, but I only knew the basics of what a raw food lifestyle was about before reading this book. I found this book to be a great introduction to the principles of raw veganism. The author quotes many different doctors and authors, which I found to be beneficial because it only helped to back up what the author was saying. Ruthann Russo also includes some very valuable resources for continuing researching the raw lifestyle. After reading this book, I have been including much more raw food into my already vegan diet.




Fruit of All Evil by Paige Shelton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The only negative thing about this book was that I could not put it down. Paige Shelton delivers again with the second book in her Farmers Market Mystery series. I am particularly fond of the farmers market setting off the series, and I am growing very fond of the characters (despite the overly persistent nature of the heroine).




Starting Seeds: Vegetables * Herbs * Flowers by Barbara Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a very comprehensive resource for anyone who is new to gardening, or at least to growing from seeds. I found a lot of useful information that I will be using this growing season. I would also suggest this to seasoned gardeners because there is always more to learn!





Year of No Sugar by Eve O. Schaub
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I certainly enjoyed and appreciated the premise of the book, as well as the author's writing style, I do not agree with how the family played out their 'year without sugar'. The author was constantly referring to fructose as "bad sugar", and would use other sweeteners such as xylitol (which is a sugar alcohol) since it does not contain fructose. This and some other rules that the family had created for their experiment did not make sense to me, which made the book less interesting.




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50 Books in 2015: 1-5

Sorry I have been slacking a bit on getting posts out there. I promise that I'm going to get better at this soon!!
Until then, enjoy the reviews of the first five books I have read this year.


1. A Girl Named Faithful Plum: A True Story of a Dancer from China and How She Achieved Her Dream, by Richard Bernstein



GoodReads says: "In 1977, when Zhongmei Lei was eleven years old, she learned that the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy was having open auditions. She'd already taken dance lessons, but everyone said a poor country girl would never get into the academy, especially without any connections in the Communist Party of the 1970s. But Zhongmei, whose name means Faithful Plum, persisted, even going on a hunger strike, until her parents agreed to allow her to go. She traveled for three   days and two nights to get to Beijing and eventually beat out 60,000 other girls for one of 12 coveted spots. But getting in was easy compared to staying in, as Zhongmei soon learned. Without those all-important connections she was just a little girl on her own, far away from family. But her determination, talent, and sheer force of will were not something the teachers or other students expected, and soon it was apparent that Zhongmei was not to be underestimated."
Average Rating: 4.03

I said: 4/5 stars, "This was an uplifting and inspiring book about a young Chinese dancer from the country who managed to succeed despite the fact that the odds were stacked against her. As someone who dances and knows how hard the dance world can be, I found this book to be a different perspective on the world of dance."


2. Skinny, by Diana Spechler

 

GoodReads says: "After her father’s death, twenty-six-year-old Gray Lachmann findsherself compulsively eating. Desperate to stop bingeing, she abandonsher life in New York City for a job at a southern weight-losscamp. There, caught among the warring egos of her devious co-counselor,Sheena; the self-aggrandizing camp director, Lewis; his attractive assistant,Bennett; and a throng of combative teenage campers, she is confronted by acaptivating mystery: her teenage half-sister, Eden, whom Gray never knewexisted. Now, while unraveling her father’s lies, Gray must tackle her ownself-deceptions and take control of her body and her life."
Average Rating: 2.97

I said: 3/5 stars, "This book was a quick-read, standard YA fiction story about a young woman dealing with what else, but her weight. The main character proves to be a bit superficial and self-centered throughout the story. It was a decent read, but it did not blow me out of the water by any means."


3. Sisterland, by Curtis Sittenfeld



GoodReads says: "From an early age, Kate and her identical twin sister, Violet, knew that they were unlike everyone else. Kate and Vi were born with peculiar “senses”—innate psychic abilities concerning future events and other people’s secrets. Though Vi embraced her visions, Kate did her best to hide them. Now, years later, their different paths have led them both back to their hometown of St. Louis. Vi has pursued an eccentric career as a psychic medium, while Kate, a devoted wife and mother, has settled down in the suburbs to raise her two young children. But when a minor earthquake hits in the middle of the night, the normal life Kate has always wished for begins to shift. After Vi goes on television to share a premonition that another, more devastating earthquake will soon hit the St. Louis area, Kate is mortified. Equally troubling, however, is her fear that Vi may be right. As the date of the predicted earthquake quickly approaches, Kate is forced to reconcile her fraught relationship with her sister and to face truths about herself she’s long tried to deny."
Average rating: 3.35

I said: 4/5 stars, "I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is probably in part due to my love for all things new age and spiritual (the two main characters are psychics, but the new age-ness of this is extremely downplayed). I also found the story line addicting, and the writing wonderfully executed. I may have not personally been pleased with the ending, but I could not put this book down."


4. No Experience Necessary: The Culinary Odyssey of Chef Norman Van Aken, by Norman Van Aken

GoodReads says: "No Experience Necessary is Chef Norman Van Aken s joyride of a memoir. In it he spans twenty-plus years and nearly as many jobs including the fateful job advertisement in the local paper for a short-order cook with no experience necessary. Long considered a culinary renegade and a pioneering chef, Van Aken is an American original who chopped and charred, sweated and seared his way to cooking stardom with no formal training, but with extra helpings of energy, creativity, and faith. After landing on the deceptively breezy shores of Key West, Van Aken faced hurricanes, economic downturns, and mercurial moneymen during the decades when a restaurant could open and close faster than you can type haute cuisine. From a graveyard shift grunt at an all-night barbeque joint to a James Beard award finalist for best restaurant in America, Van Aken put his trusting heart, poetic soul, natural talent, and ever-expanding experience into every venture and helped transform the American culinary landscape along the way. In the irreverent tradition of Anthony Bourdain s Kitchen Confidential, and populated by a rogues gallery of colorful characters including movie stars, legendary musicians, and culinary giants Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse, and Charlie Trotter No Experience Necessary offers a uniquely personal, highly-entertaining under-the-tablecloth view of the high-stakes world of American cuisine told with wit, insight, and great affection by a natural storyteller."
Average rating: 3.54

I said: 3/5 stars, "There were times when this 'zero to hero' chef memoir seemed to read slowly and drag on. Despite this, I still enjoyed reading about how the chef's passion for cooking grew through time. There were times when I really enjoyed this book, and there were times when I just wanted to "finish it already"."


5. Farm Fresh Murder, Paige Shelton

GoodReads says: "Becca Robins leads a simple life, making jams and preserves on her very own farm. But when there's a murder in her quaint little town, she puts herself in the line of fire to defend her friend's innocence-and goes from making jam to being in one."
Average Rating: 3.66

I said: 5/5 stars, "I read this entire book in a day in part because it was a quick read, but also because I couldn't put it down. I am very passionate about farming/homesteading/etc., so the background that the story is set against was particularly enjoyable for me. I've never considered myself much of a murder mystery fan, but I can't wait to read the next book in the series."



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15 in 2015

So it's been 2015 for three weeks now, and I am just getting around to this post. Better late than never, right?
Since 2013, I have been making lists of goals for the new year. (I avoid the term 'resolutions' due to the stigma around the whole idea). Since it is 2015, I will be creating 15 goals this year. I have found that a lot of my goals have to do with each other, but I think that will only help ensure the success of the goals (and it shows what is important to me).

Here is my list (because I love lists so much):

1. Read 50 books - If you are a frequent on my blog, you have probably noticed that I completed a challenge last year to read 50 books throughout the year. I have every intention of completing this goal again this year.
2. Bike everywhere - I have a bike, so there is no reason why I should not be riding my bike everywhere, except that I am pathetically out of shape (I can hardly bike a mile with the random hills in my neighborhood). This year, I want to start biking more instead of driving or taking the T (public transportation), especially to work since it is only a mile a way.
3. Take advantage of YMCA membership - I am incredibly fortunate to have a YMCA membership through my family, but I have not been going. I want to start going to the Y to start taking advantage of their amenities, including the gym and the pool.
4. Get back on pointe - I have been doing ballet for about 20 years, and I started doing pointe when I was a teenager, but it has been awhile since I have last done pointe. I need to get a new pair of shoes, and start doing classes at my studio on pointe. The end goal here is really to be able to audition for the 2015 Urban Nutcracker (urbannutcracker.com).
5. Start a home yoga practice - I have friends who have made incredible progress with home yoga practices, so this is something I would love to try out.
6. Pick clarinet back up - It's been some time since I have played clarinet, which is a shame. I would really like to play more often again.
7. Meditate more often - Meditation is a very important aspect of decreasing stress and developing a personal spiritual practice, so I would like to make a point of sitting down and making a mindful choice to meditate more often.
8. Journal more often - Journaling is another great tool for reducing stress (as well as increasing creativity). I started a journal two years ago as a part of my 13 in 2013 goals, but it is something I often neglect.
9. Create more - This goal is vague on purpose because there are so many different ways that I would like to create more. This ranges from making art, food, DIY beauty products, and more.
10. Write letters - I have a few friends who I am penpals with, but I always forget to write back (I know, it's terrible). I want to start writing letters to friends more often (and reply more quickly).
11. Keep life simple - Another vague goal, but I hope to simplify my life by getting rid of more of my material possessions and being mindful of what matters most to me.
12. Keep my space more clean/organized - This goal ties into the last one because having less items will help me maintaining a clean and organized living space. David and I have done a lot of work rearranging and creating space in my room, but I want to maintain and even better this level of organization.
13. Become more productive in the AM - Most of my work schedule is during the evenings, and (partially due to my insomnia), I tend to stay in bed for as long as I can get away with until I have to start my day. I would really like to start to get up and moving earlier. I always have a lot that I could be doing (blogging, yoga, gym, groceries, etc.), so I want to start doing them before I go to work.
14. Grow blog - I haven't fully worked out in my mind what this will mean yet, but I know that I want to blog more and have a greater presence with my followers and within the blogging community. I think my first step here will be to get some inspiration from other blogs (they even have books about blogging now - who knew?).
15. Start saving money - 2014 was a bit of a rough year financially for me because I have a lot of bills to pay (my student loans are about the same as my rent/utilities), and I spent most of the year bouncing around from job to job. I really want to manage to put some money aside this year while continuing to make all my bill payments.


If you made it this far, congratulations! This certainly was a long post. I would love to hear some of your goals that you are working on right now, so feel free to share in the comments below.