Review: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed this book. It had a nostalgic feel to it that draws you back into your childhood—not necessarily in a happy way, but a more real way.

The main character begins to taste the feelings of others in her food at age nine and quickly decides she does not enjoy that aspect of eating, leaving her to eat bland junk food devoid of feelings. This attachment to others' emotions seems to keep her stuck in a place during her childhood which stops her from being able to move on and tell herself apart from others.

She especially has an odd relationship with her mother, who adores her brother even though he seems to be emotionally closed off from everyone.

Eventually her brother disappears and her childhood crush moves away and she is finally able to start learning about herself and seeing her gift as something she can use instead of seeing it as a curse.

If you enjoy books where the characters take a long way toward freedom and self-actualization, this one is for you.



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Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



As today is Jan. 1, this seems like a great time to review this book. I'm sure many, many people already have "get organized," and "simplify" on their list of resolutions for the New Year. If so, this book should definitely be on your list of books to read in 2015.

This book has been better for me than any other on decluttering so far. I think the reason is that I want someone to do the hard work for me, but it's NOT POSSIBLE! Kondo goes ahead and tells you—"Hey, I can't do this for you." But she does give a better solution. She has you work with your intuition by seeing how you feel when you pick up the item. I know. I know. Several of you think this is too new agey for you. And if you think that, then you're probably right. This book is probably not going to help you. But if you can put your pessimism aside and try it out, you might just find this is actually a great solution.

In addition to seeing how your objects makes you feel, the author gives great tips on storing your stuff away. Her way of folding is fantastic! It saves space and she is correct in that most of your shirts will remain unwrinkled somehow even though you are folding them more. It's like ... magic.

I know there are people who say, sure that works for people in Japan, but won't work in America and this is confusing. Do we think we are so special that we're just doomed to clutter? Again, if you think this, you're probably right. But why would you want to be right about this?

I've read the book through once quickly and been throwing stuff out along the way, but know I missed a lot, so I'm starting to rid it over again so I can't take the process more to heart and ensure I do a total restart. I can already tell that this is working better than other books, because a lot of times they would be very specific, which I thought would be good, but would ultimately derail me. They would go into details about basements and garages and kids' rooms—I have none of these. But they wouldn't go into pantry items, spices and hair care products—I have tons of these! So I would be frustrated and move some stuff around and maybe chunk some stuff but I still wouldn't feel done.

This method you use for every item until you're 100 percent done. Keep your fingers crossed that this will work for me and I'll send the same well wishes back.

Happy New Year and have a tidy year!



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Review: Le Divorce

Le Divorce by Diane Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Le Divorce is interesting in that the cover (the cover shown here is not the one I had) looks like the book would be Chick Lit. It's not, though, which makes it interesting when you look up reviews. While it's good literature, those who may have picked it up for the cover may not have especially enjoyed it.

I found it to be refreshing. It covered quite a few different themes, such as navigating a divorce in France, the property rights of a painting, reasons for marriage and divorce, attraction to power, femininity and the battle of the sexes.

One of the quotes I especially liked was, "We wrongly tend to think old people depend on us."

When you're young, you assume the world revolves around you and other young people. As you grow older, you realize everything is actually quite the opposite and older people just let youth believe everything is all about them, so they can get on living.

So... about the book.

Isabel moves to Paris to help her sister Roxy during her pregnancy, since she just quit film school. Just before Isabel shows up, Roxy's husband leaves her and her daughter.

Roxy is distraught and fine with letting people believe he is just away on a trip, but as things move on, people begin to learn the truth and Roxy dives further and further into depression.

When Isabel arrives in Paris, she does not understand what it is about the French that Roxy loves so much, but the longer she is there, the more it grows on her, especially the food. When Isabel finds herself being drawn to a powerful older man, she contemplates what it means to be a mistress and eventually learns first hand.

This novel not only shows some of the differences between Americans and the French through an interesting storyline, but also explores how greed can work its way into the hearts of those that didn't think they were interested in money just by the mere possibility of it.



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Review: Chocolat

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I truly enjoyed this book. I enjoy most books about food, but a book about chocolate can hardly be beat. After I finished reading the book, I watched the movie again to see if it was the same, as there were some things that didn't seem familiar to me, and, in fact, there are quite a few variations between the two. However, while the movie definitely strayed form some of the characters and details, the theme remained in tact. Both cover the theme of the righteous wanting to control life, while showing that that is neither possible nor the most loving thing to do.

Vianne, the main character, draws people in with her welcoming smile and her lovely chocolates. While the local priest sees this as evil, with her temptations, she is merely loving the people that come into her life the best she can. He on the other hand does not know what it means to love, only judge. Though the two are clearly set against one another, perhaps there's room for them both in this small French village.



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Review: The Debutante

The Debutante by Kathleen Tessaro

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I'm quickly becoming a fan of Kathleen Tessaro's work. I first picked up The Perfume Collector because it has a gorgeous cover of a mysterious woman wearing a red dress. After enjoying it, I went back to Half Price Books to see if there was anything else by the author and found this one. While I may not have enjoyed it quite as much as the first one (it's set in England rather than Paris), I still liked it a lot.

An auction house owner lets her niece come to live with her because she is in some sort of trouble and she gives her a job working with a longtime employee, who just happens to be handsome, though brooding.

The niece is nothing like the employee thought she would be and actually enjoys her company as they go to an estate to take inventory.

At the estate, the niece finds a hidden room with a hidden box that leads her down a road of mystery. As she finds out more clues to a famous debutante from the past, the woman realizes some of the mistakes of her past and has to make a decision on what to do about it.



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Review: Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier

Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book will not only give you the research behind gratitude and why living a grateful life leads to a longer, happier life, but will also teach ways to cultivate gratitude. If you've ever felt you should be more thankful, this book will tell you why you're right and what to do about it.



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Review: Nurturing Healing Love: A Mother�s Journey of Hope & Forgiveness

Nurturing Healing Love: A Mother�s Journey of Hope & Forgiveness by Scarlett Lewis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book just takes a few hours to read and tells such an inspiring story about love and healing.

A mother, whose son died in the Sandy Hook tragedy, tells her story of grief and healing after such a tragic loss, while also telling a story of hope and sharing her son's message to others.

During the months following the tragedy a year from last December, the mother tries many healing mechanisms, from therapy to spiritual practices, and finds the ones that help her most.

While the story may sound sad, this book is not one of sadness, but of hope and healing.

The mom and the son that remains move toward hope through helping others and spreading the message of love around the world.

I would highly recommend it to anyone.



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Review: How Should a Person Be?

How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I just couldn't finish this book even though I tried. It's been so highly praised, I had high hopes, but I just can't make myself do it.

If someone who loved it wants to share some insight, I'm open to hearing it, but I had a really hard time relating to the characters.



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Review: Stumbling on Happiness

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book gives a clear idea of why people make decisions they think will make them happy, but don't always end up that way. In the end, we learn that the best way to determine if we should do something is to ask someone how they feel right now as they are doing the thing we are thinking about doing. Notice I didn't say to ask someone who has done what we want to do. The reason is we often have different feelings about what we have done or are going to do than what we actually felt while doing that thing.

For instance, how often does someone scream with fear while on a roller coaster, but then later say it was awesome? The same goes for those who get a masters degree. They may say once it is over it wasn't that bad, but ask anyone in the middle of getting their master's and you will hear a much different story.

Ultimately, your mind plays tricks on you on how you felt about circumstances and events in the past and how you'll feel about them in the future.

Read the book for a more extensive look at all of the ways we trick ourselves and to see some of the events people assume will bring happiness versus which ones actually do.



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Review: Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Gosh! it took so long to read it's hard to know what to write. I did enjoy it, but it stretched on, taking me months to read.

This is a bit of a complex novel in that it has many, many loves explored throughout--fleeting love, young love, persistent love, long-term love and old love.

It's an interesting look at how people choose who they want to love and who they choose to keep at a distance.

I'd recommend it to readers who don't mind a novel to take it's time in telling the story and want to explore ideas of different kinds of love throughout life.

I'd skip it if you're looking for an easy read or something that gives you immediate pleasure. While I've just finished "Love in the Time of Cholera," I get the feeling it's one of those that will have me reflecting the different aspects of it for a long time. I've been told that I need to read "One Hundred Years of Solitude," but I may need a bit of a break before embarking on that adventure.



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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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Review: Coming Clean: A Memoir

Coming Clean: A Memoir by Kimberly Rae Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed this book about the author's upbringing living with hoarder parents. I guess we all have things that our parents do that drive us crazy repeatedly, but in this case, she literally has to live with their filth ongoing. It was also interesting from the standpoint that I'm a mix of minimalism and cluttered, so I could understand where her dad was coming from in feeling somewhat soothed by having his information surrounding him. The difference is that I eventually have a point at which I cannot tolerate it any more and will completely clean everything and I cannot stand for shared spaces, such as the kitchen and living room to have clutter. It's also interesting to hear how someone can be frustrated and loving to their parents at the same time. Her parents seem to take their lifestyle just as a thing that's somehow happened to them and don't seem to notice they've created this lifestyle. In fact, it doesn't seem like the dad even realizes there's anything wrong with it. Regardless of whether you grew up in a spotless house like mine, or a completely messy house like the author's there are themes that will likely strike a chord with you.



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Review: The Year of Magical Thinking

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I'm not sure why I've been reading books about death, but somehow I've been finding myself reading about 2 things: women who are left single while pregnant and those who are left single by their husband's death. I suppose this could show a fear of abandonment, but since I'm already single, it seems an odd trend to say the least. "The Year of Magical Thinking" is along the lines of widowhood, not pregnancy. It's about Joan Didion's year following her husband's death.

While I've never had anyone really close to me die, I can still understand some of the obsession she goes through in this process after losing someone. She begins methodically going over every last moment and every conversation looking for a way to change the reality that has already happened. If she could just understand how her husband died of a heart attack, perhaps she could prevent it-never mind the fact that it's already happened.

She also goes through the pain of trying to move on, but feeling guilty if she is enjoying herself. It's a natural feeling, and yet, does her not enjoying life bring her deceased husband any closer to feeling joy once again?

If you've ever wondered what it's like to lose someone after a long marriage, this is probably one of the few books that tries to show exactly the things being thought without trying to give a happy ending or a false sense of everything happens for the best. This isn't to say it's a depressing book-it wasn't. It was a fast read that gives a glimpse into the odd way we try to deal with death, even when we act like everything is as it always was.



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Review: The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I had been wanting to read this book for a while, so when a friend of mine offered to lend it to me, I jumped at the chance. I was curious how it would go, since I've been reading Gretchen's blog for a few years and, while I love the idea of the blog, had never been as inspired as I thought I should be. The book was exactly the same. While it's inspirational in a way (I love the idea of becoming more "me" and doing things I like to do instead of things I think I should want to do), I also think that many of her ideas were fairly similar and the ideas weren't that far outside the box. It also really bothered me that she would not attempt meditation, even though people kept repeatedly telling her it was the No. 1 thing for them in being happy. Granted, I realize it's HER project and not mine, it just seems like she wasn't THAT willing to try new things in order to reach her goal. Many of the things she did was just increase something she already did, such as be more polite. I've hear her new book, "Happier at Home" got better ratings than the first, so I'm still undecided on whether to give it a chance. I'd love to hear if anyone did their own happiness project, especially if they went a little more "outside the box."



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Review: Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'll be real honest. I bought this book because I read a tweet that was talking about how great it was. When I began to read, I wasn't so sure. The beginning felt very shallow, but over time I grew to like it (not love it, but like it).

This book, aimed at teens is the story of a girl who fell into popularity just before middle school and, while she wasn't a super-terrible person, she wasn't willing to step out of her box and be nice, or even pay attention to, people outside of her four-person popular group (except for her shallow boyfriend, who just wanted to get into her pants).

The story starts out with the main character, Sam, who dies in the first scene in a car wreck. But the weird thing is, she wakes up the next day only to find herself at the beginning of the day she relived before her death. Much like Ground Hog Day, her day keeps starting over, allowing Sam to try things a little different each time--sometimes for the better and sometimes for the best.

Will Sam ever become a better person and makes things right or will she spin out of control with the power she has at knowing she will likely just wake up again to relive the same day?

Overall, I liked the idea and think it was well-written. I just had a hard time liking some of the main characters very much, although the minor characters will pull at your heart strings as you see them suffering in the typical high school popular/unpopular scene.



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Review: All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane

All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book brought me back to Austen and I am so thankful for that.

The author is a professor in California, and goes on a trip through Latin America to host Austen book clubs and see how they resonate in different cultures. It's fun to hear of the people she meets along the way, who are very different from one another but are still open to sharing time and meals with her. She also finds love along the way. In some parts, it dragged a bit, but still I learned a lot about the different cultures through her travels and remembered the things I love about Austen's books: the relationships, the personalities, the slow themes that weave through her novels that can still be seen in families today.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen or of traveling new countries, you'll find a friend in "All Roads Lead to Austen."



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Review: Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



After beginning "All Roads Lead to Austen," I was reminded of my love for Jane Austen novels when I was a preteen and teen leading me to pick up the book a reread it before even finishing the book that led me to it (which I am now almost done with).
What I learned from my rereading was that this classic, while lacking any real action, is still able to keep me reading from beginning to end without wanting to move onto anything else.
In its characters, I could see family members, friends and others.
The theme, of course, is what the title implies, spouting the major characteristics which keeps our hero and heroine apart for much of the novel.
Mr. Darcy's reservedness and his pride misjudges Elizabeth right away. And his snubbing her followed by a quiet, observed personality makes her assume that his pride is such that he is cruel and uncaring and judges carelessly.
Throughout the novel they misjudge one another, all the while a bit of matchmaking with Elizabeth's sisters moves one drama to another of the ways of marriage, especially in those days, but even relating to today's society in that making a good match can be factored on many things—false charms, real riches, character, one's place in society, relations and any number of things people deem important or unimportant in a spouse.
While a seemingly simple story, with a few surprises, this novel has inspired many 'copy cat' books, including "Bridget Jones' Diary" and "Clueless."
I now want to obsessively dive deeper into any and all things related to Jane Austen and shall be caught up in the obsession for a while perhaps.



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Review: Who Could That Be At This Hour?

Who Could That Be At This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had never read a Lemony Snicket book before, but was intrigued when a friend showed it to me at a Halloween party last night. The questions on the back cover were interesting and she said it was a quick read and I could borrow it. Less than a day later, I have finished it and can say I enjoyed the cleverness of the book and hope to finish the series when it comes out. While written for youth, I enjoyed the book and its way of introducing large words—known and unknown to myself and defining them without having it disrupt the flow of the book. The accompanying illustrations were done well and complemented the book well. If you aren't familiar with the series either, it is a mystery series with the main character Snicket, who chose the worst chaperone available on purpose. Snicket finds himself with a sleuth who is bad at her job, but is able to spend his time looking for answers to puzzles himself. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew books.



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