My Book Life

1:25 pm 7 November 2015

"The burst of life that took centuries to build, revealed in an old tree trunk's cross section. At its center, material memories of the sapling that this tree once was. Year after it grew by accretion, adding successive layers of the interplay of xylem and phloem, water in and water out, sap traveling up and down, transporting complexities under the corky protection of callous bark. If we could read the code of this great being, we would hear tales of drought summers or deep winter snows melting into spring overflow. The history of a life much longer than any human's tells its tale in concentric rings."

Visions of Earth: National Geographic Photographs of Beauty, Majesty, and Wonder - National Geographic Society

Susan Tyler Hitchcock

Change Your Clothes, Change Your Life: Because You Can't Go Naked

5:00 pm 31 December 2014

This book would be a great place to start for someone who really wants to overhaul a wardrobe in need. I found myself nodding in agreement with most of the author's points. It is simply written, and you can learn from it even if your are further along on your fashion and style journey.

Exploring the Titanic: How the Great Ship Ever Lost- Was Found

5:00 pm 18 November 2014

I read this book so many times that the pages are all in singles now. I had Titanic-Mania for my entire childhood. I don't know how this title compares to other Titanic related subjects, but I still own and read this book 20 years later.

150 Best Minimalist House Ideas

5:00 pm 31 October 2014

The photography is absolutely beautiful. I could get lost dreaming about my house looking like those pictures. My real life however, is a bit messier than that. So dreams they must remain.

Year of No Sugar: A Memoir

5:00 pm 13 September 2014

A light-hearted approach to a year without a substance that most Americans would claim is essential. The family in the book would most definitely be described as normal. Yes, they still ate sugar. But my impression was that they did exactly what most people do when they change how or what they eat. You have to find a happy medium between your "before"and your goal in order to stay motivated.

Just My Typo: From "Sinning with the Choir" to "the Untied States"

5:00 pm 9 September 2014

A light read. I laughed pretty hard at this one. Anyone who has ever seriously read a dictionary for fun and loves spelling and grammar should enjoy this book.

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade

5:00 pm 31 August 2014

I read this book in 5 hours, it was so engrossing. It made me think of a side of adoption that honestly never occurred to me. It never crossed my mind, even being a child of adoption, that the birth mother would still be in pain about it so many years later. I said a prayer for my birth mother this year on my 30th birthday hoping that she has made peace with the decision she made. I am eternally grateful for her sacrifice.

The Knot Book of Wedding Lists

5:00 pm 30 June 2014

I found this book to be immensely helpful when planning my sister's wedding. While much of the content was decorum overkill for my purposes, the questions that they posed were great. I took several ideas from this book that would never have crossed my mind.

Weird Al: The Book

5:00 pm 6 June 2014

Not nearly as involved as I would have liked but still an entertaining read.

Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures

5:00 pm 31 May 2014

Written purely for the humor found in every day parenting, which at times, is all you need to hear. I found the situations discussed to be true to life, yet mostly times that would rarely be exchanged in polite conversation. The pictures were hilarious and straight to the point.

The Can't Cook Book: Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified!

5:00 pm 24 April 2014

I am one of those folks who finds the Dummy and Idiot books too complex, so this one still missed the mark a bit for me. I think others may appreciate the unintimidating approach though.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

5:00 pm 19 March 2014

I enjoyed reading the theories of high-reactive children becoming introverts (risk averse), and low reactive children becoming extroverts (risk seeking). The information lines up with my childhood experiences of being extremely averse to applause and crowd noise. This book is reminding me of my current read, "The Tell:..." which also has a couple of chapters outlining the same theory.

The Book of Jezebel: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Lady Things

5:00 pm 10 March 2014

Even though my political stance differs significantly from the author, it was a great read. It is formatted like a dictionary, with satirical definitions for everyday things (mostly nouns). Some definitions made me laugh, some made me shake my head fiercely in disagreement, but I truly enjoyed the journey.