Book Review: My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir

I have been in a reading rut! I'll pick up a book and put it down - never to finish it. And i'll be honest with you, it took me for what seemed like forever to finish this book. My Year with Eleanor follows the story of a young woman with a high salaried, high stress position, jobless after getting laid off. As she sat in a coffee shop she read a quote from the chalkboard that read

"Do one thing every day that scares you."
—Eleanor Roosevelt

She began to do a lot of research on Eleanor Roosevelt and the woman she was. She fell head over heels with her accomplishments, goals, how she handled herself, carried herself and how she did so many interesting and daring things. It was then that the author Noelle decided to take the year off to conquer a fear everyday. Some of those fears were simple others were daring like going swimming with the sharks, do a stand up comedy routine, conquer your fear of heights and she even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Despite the obvious things she wanted to conquer she realized how scared she really became in life. How her fears stopped her from going out and meeting new people, sticking up for herself or trying someplace new and exciting. A couple of my favorite quotes:

"Mindfulness will help you stay in the present, where fear does not exist. Fear exists in the past, like worrying about the dumb thing you said to your boss yesterday, or in the future, as in fretting over whether your plane will crash"

"Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people"

"Fear can paralyze our lives. Fear of making the wrong decision keeps us from making any decision at all"

"Do things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they are paying any attention to you at all."

The most unhappy people in the world are those who face the days without knowing what to do with their time. But if you have more projects that you have time for, you are not going to be an unhappy person. This is as much a question of having imagination and curiosity as it is of actually making plans."

"Procrastination is the lazy cousin of fear. 'When we feel anxiety around an activity, we postpone it - whether its doing our taxes, working on a project we're not sure we can handle, or having a painful conversation' You'll never feel ready. You have to do things now - even if you dont feel ready."

I really enjoyed this book though it took some time to finish it because it's something I am going through currently. Lots of fear is clouding my head because I am afraid of the unknown, afraid of what someone will say, afraid of the failure, afraid of disappointment. This book taught me some valuable lessons. It was a great read for the beginning of the year for a fresh start and a fresh outlook. Loved.

*****

Book Review: Catching Fire

The book I read for the month of June was the 2nd installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy – “Catching Fire”

Here’s what Amazon had to say

Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.

I enjoyed the second book, it took a little for me to get hooked unlike the first, but this one didn’t disappoint with the action and the dang tension between Katniss and Peeta, will they just get together already FOR REALZ and be done with it!!! They both love each other, whether Katniss wants to admit it or not. I thought the 2nd book lacked a little something different than the first, as it had the same idea. I know it’s a builder for the last installment but, eh I thought it was going to be something a little different. But I still enjoyed it!

Book Review: ***

May Book Review: Writing down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Soooo… I may have missed two months of my book a month.  No excuses, but I am back on track for May and read the book “Writing down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg it’s a great book written in an amazing voice about writing your guts out.  I love writing but I get so caught up in my voice, am I writing with passion? am I writing without worry of critics? I’m not looking to write the next best American novel.  But I am looking to write what's in me… and this books talks to you in such a way that makes you want to write better, truer, more authentic.  Here are a  couple of my favorite quotes from the book.

“… if you want to become a good writer, you need to do 3 things.
Read a lot,
Listen well and deeply,
and write a lot.
And don’t think too much.”

“I feel very rich when i have time to create, and very poor when i get a regular paycheck and not time to work at my real work…”

"Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open."

"This is your life. You are responsible for it. You will not live forever. Don't wait."

"Anything we fully do is an alone journey."

"If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you."

"Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down."

I enjoyed this book, because it talks to you about writing but also about life, and it was exactly what I needed to hear when I read it.  I recommend it to anyone even if you aren't into writing and want to read something uplifting and inspirational

Book Review: The Pioneer Woman - From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels

So originally I had planned on reading Nicholas Sparks "Safe Haven" as my February book, however, once I got my hands on this book - I just couldn't put it down. If you remember this post my mom and I met Pioneer woman at her book signing and since then I've been obsessed with the book. The story itself is on her website, but the book itself includes some extras like some of her favorite recipes and her first year of marriage.

I like Amazon's little blurb about it - Popular blogger and cookbook author Drummond shares the story of her courtship and marriage to her husband, whom she refers to as Marlboro Man. Though Drummond grew up in Oklahoma, she never imagined she'd end up there for good. After four years of college in Los Angeles, Drummond was only making a pit stop home before moving to Chicago. A chance encounter with a devastatingly masculine cowboy in a local bar changes everything. Though several months elapse before Marlboro Man calls her, the spark between them ignites as soon as they start dating. A rancher with deep roots in the land he works, Marlboro Man isn't going anywhere, which means Drummond has to decide whether, to be with him, she's willing to give up her dream of moving to Chicago. By the time Marlboro Man proposes, the decision is made, and Drummond prepares to marry the love of her life and discover what being a rancher's wife will entail. Charming and bright, Drummond's story will be an inspiration to those who despair of finding old-fashioned, lasting love.

I loved her writing style, her wit and how the poor thing despite her trying to remain calm and charming had such embarrassing things happen to her, which makes her even more relateable. It just proves to show that no matter what kind of life we envisioned for ourselves and our future it doesn't really matter because life already has its plan for us. And let's be real, how doesn't love a wonderfully amazing weepy love story?

Highly recommended *****

Book Review: Heart of the Matter

Even though I got a head start for my 12 books in 2011 goal, I was happy I did. I feel accomplished and ready to start my next book. Before I do, I wanted to give a quick review on my first book of 2011 by Emily Giffin, "Heart of the Matter"

I loved this book more than I disliked this book, simply because it was written so beautifully. What I disliked about the book was how extremely frustrating the topic was: Infidelity. And although I don't want to write out any spoilers, I did not end the way I wanted. But alas, that is life.

The book revolves around two women. Tessa and Valarie. The story goes back a fourth on how these two woman's lives are intertwined together through an act of infidelity. Tessa's husband, Nick is a children's plastic surgeon working on burn cases and trauma. Valarie's son, Charlie was involved in an accident falling into a fire pit while staying at a friends sleepover. The child is then taken to the Hospital where Nick is his plastic surgeon. Nick and Valarie begin a friendship which ultimately leads to an affair. (which further fuels my argument that when you are in a serious relationship you CAN NOT be friends with the opposite sex. You can be friendly but NOT friends) The story goes on to Tessa's suspicion of her husbands intentions and a glimpse into their marriage with all its cracks and the very hard life Valarie had and how she is falling more and more in love with her son's doctor.

The book held my attention the entire time, which can be hard. There were a couple quotes in the book that really stood out to me.

"I think about the thin, fragile line separating all of us from misfortune, almost as a way of putting a few coins in my own gratitude meter, of safeguarding again an after happening to me."

"But i still find myself reaching out and knocking twice on our wooden cutting board. Because you can never be too sure when it comes to the things that matter most."

"I nod, thinking of how difficult marriage can be, how much effort is required to sustain a feeling between two people - a feeling that you cant imagine will ever fade in the beginning when everything comes so easily. I think of how each person in a marriage owes it to the other to find individual happiness, even in a shared life. This is the only real way to grow together, instead of apart."

All in all I thought the book was wonderful. It dealt with a tough issue and made it very real. I would recommend it to anyone.

Rating out of 5 stars: ***