Review: Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect, and Happiness

Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect, and Happiness by Karen Rauch Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was a great intro into Feng shui. Several years ago, I was really into reading about Feng shui, but had not really practiced it in a while. When I found this book at Half Price Books last week, I decided it might be time to revisit it.
If you're not familiar with the concept, Feng shui is all about placing things in your home with intention in order to have the best outcomes in your life in terms of money, love, fame, health, etc. it also teaches about creating space for energy to flow in and out of your life more easily.
It's a quick read and offers many solutions to whatever design problems your home may have. For instance, there are good and bad places for your toilet to be positioned in your home. Your bed should not face a door.
I also liked that the author invited readers to learn other practices of Feng shui besides her own, being open to different practices of Feng shui.
Overall, I found the book helpful and easy to read and was able to apply the tips to my own home easily.



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Review: Mad About the Boy

Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



In some ways, I'm ready for Bridget Jones to grow up a bit. Even though she's middle-aged, I feel like she's got a lot to learn and maturing to do. I get that she is supposed to represent that part of us that sometimes just can't get our act together, but I had hoped she'd grown just bit from her earlier days. She also seems to end up with the men who make her most fell like a little child, so perhaps she has daddy issues?

Overall, I think it's hard to rate this book, as there is so much pressure to be the the first book we fell in love with. I'm not sure if I wasn't terribly crazy about this book because 1) it's not the first book 2) I'm not as young as I once was and therefore can't entirely identify with Bridget the way I could in my 20s or 3) it just wasn't as great as the earlier books.

All that to say, it's an easy read, that flies by, has some entertaining bits and can keep you occupied over the holiday. Just don't expect too much in the line of character growth, as I'm not sure that's where this character is headed.



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Review: The Valley of Amazement

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



As always, Amy Tan tells a great story that winds its way this way and that.

Again, she shows the complicated relationship between mothers and their daughters through the lens of American-Asian women. Regardless of coming from a different ethnic background, there are enough similarities between mothers and daughters to lend a familiarity among most women.

While I have seen this book being compared to Memoirs of a Geisha, that should not make you think that this story will unwind in the same ways. This novel has its own twists, turns and surprises.

Some of the themes around love and relationships with men are also interesting as the main character gets a taste of some of the best and worst relationships possible.

If you enjoy stories that are original, complicated, yet keep a thread winding the story along and character development, you'll enjoy this one.



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