Book Report, July - December

JULY
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
I'd like to credit Susan Cain with changing my life. A couple years ago when I learned what the word "introvert" meant, I believe from her stellar TED Talk, I realized I fit the bill! An introvert is someone who needs quiet, who hangs back, who needs to be alone to recharge. Her book is loooooooooonnggg but it was fascinating and well researched. I loved it. I think it should be required reading for everyone in Western society, where we value extroversion over introversion.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
I'd been wanting to learn more about the life story of Helen Keller for awhile and this one, her auto-biography, was pretty good. But I think I'd learn more about her from someone else. I had so many questions and wanted more details about how she was describing the falling snow or the beautiful sunset. How did she know what was happening in a room full of people? She explained the main ways she learned to communicate and "hear" and "see" but I always wanted more details. It's clear she was aided by an extremely strong will and a wealthy family as well as the constant companionship of her devoted teacher, Ann Sullivan. It was interesting how much she talked about nature and books - these were what brought her the most joy. And I'm always looking for a good love story ....was there none? I don't know! She never mentioned anything about love. I guess I have to find a different, more juicy Helen Keller story.

Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd
Say hello to my new Feminine Divine Bible. I need to get a hard copy so I can highlight it as much as I did my borrowed Kindle copy. It was chock full of research about any kind of feminine divine you can think of, as well as her experimentation of creating her own rituals and symbolism that helped her access her inner female divine. I found it all really fascinating and really helpful. My favorite quote: "When God is male, male is God." Boom. A real eye-opener about the patriarchy. I want to give this book to every woman I know....but I won't....because I also think you kind of have to be ready for it. And I was.

All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen
What a heartbreaker. This is the author's story of his life growing up in a Hasidic Jewish community in New York state and his subsequent loss of faith and because of it his whole family. It completely broke my heart. Ended in weeping. Terrible stuff.

AUGUST
The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
This book is basically "God has your back" but for non-religious people. Her book has a lot of the same concepts I've been learning about over the last couple years from people like Rob Bell, Abraham Hicks, Jess Lively .... just that the universe wants to reward you, so make room to let it all in. Ask the universe/God for what you want, and you'll get it. Put out the vibe that you want to attract and see what magic unfolds. I'm a total sucker for this kind of stuff, so I loved it.

SEPTEMBER
An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler
A cross between a cookbook and a poetic conversation about the satisfaction that comes from cooking and eating good food at home. Adler is a self-taught chef who has worked at famous restaurants. In this book, she focuses on making simple meals that use all parts of your ingredients. For example, use your vegetables in soup and keep their peels and leaves for making stock or pesto later. She kinda blew my mind with how simple and delicious-sounding some of her ideas were and she definitely made me want to be less wasteful in my kitchen. Post-edit: I never finished the book beacuse I kept feeling bad about how wasteful I am. But I DID make vegetable stock. And I want to go back to the book later when I'm feeling less sensitive, because I liked her writing and her recipes.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
This is the memoir of the man who started Nike. Moral of the story: There is no such thing as overnight success. Also, I never, ever want to start a company. It was exhausting to read about all of his twists and turns; I can't imagine going through that and coming out on top. Well done, Nike.

OCTOBER
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin
This was a delightful read. He's a well-known American chef, but he grew up in France and learned to cook from a young age in his mother's cafes and as an apprentice to many French chefs. He rose to fame with Julia Child and James Beard and was a pioneer of the concept of cooking in bulk and figuring out how to distribute quality food among franchised restaurants. Really fun for me to read about him going to the St. Antoine outdoor food market in Lyon which I've been to. A solid foodie read.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Woo. This one. It was GOOD. But also a little depressing. It was good because the author did a masterful job of taking a huge span of time and turning it into a richly woven, interesting on every page, tapestry. It was a real page turner. It was depressing because the author is extremely atheist and I am just not and so his worldview is void of any kind of spiritual aspect that I tend to look for. I think it should be required reading in schools. It covers a lot of ground and still keeps you engaged.

NOVEMBER
At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider
This is a chronicle of the author and her family's adventure traveling the world for 9 months. A little self-indulgent, but I let her have it. Because she and I are similar people. We crave adventure and worldliness, yet we crave equally the stability and rituals of home life. I really enjoyed the armchair travel it afforded me; they visited a lot of places I will likely never go. For example, she and her husband met as humanitarian aid workers in Kosovo and lived for awhile in Turkey. Those places are not even on my radar but I loved learning about them from her. It reminds me that, in truth, if I had the time and money, I'd love to visit every single place on this planet.

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
Woo. Whoa. Eek. Another brain buster by Mr. Harari. I think it should be required reading for everyone today because it's highly relevent. It's about robots taking over. And this is real. And it's scary. But it's already happening and nobody is concerned. (Apple Watches, Google Glass, self-driving cars, Facebook, Amazon, machines diagnosing disease.) It really makes you think: is this a bad thing? Or is this a good thing? I think it's some of both. I think I highlighted the whole book because my brain kept exploding. Similar critique on the atheist front: hard for me to stomach his staunch belief that there is no such thing as soul or spirit. But, hey, you do you, Yuval! (The most interesting sidenote here is that Mr. Harari is a technophobe, does not own a smart phone, and meditates for two hours each day. He is winning at life and when the robots take over, he will be the one who survives.)

DECEMBER
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Have I read this before? Yes. Did I love reading it again? Yes. Is she the perfect person to have around to make all your holiday stress go away? Yes, yes, yes. Yes Please.