Monday Musings

Raindrops on our plumeria tree last Tuesday.

My week: It was a pretty quiet week here. I think the most interesting thing I did was go to Bath and Body Works and pick out some fall-scented hand soaps! Also, after using the same shampoo and conditioner for over 10 years, I bought something new this week, Coconut Curls by OGX. I haven't been so excited to wash my hair in a long time!

Reading: I thoroughly enjoyed Emily Giffin's latest, "First Comes Love" (review), and then breezed through "All the Light We Cannot See," Anthony Doerr's beautiful WWII story. I'd been meaning to read it since it first came out two years ago, and I'm so glad I finally did. (Yay for crossing another book off my rather long must-read-in-2016 list!) Though completely different, both books were impossible to put down!

Last night I read the first few pages of an advance copy of "The Other Einstein" by Marie Benedict, a novel about Albert Einstein's first wife, also a physicist, that comes out next month. (Isn't that cover eye-catching? Also... what a crazy coincidence that "All the Light" has the same cover font!) I'm hoping it's a quick read because I have seven (seven!) books ready to pick up at the library.

Knitting: I'm chugging along on my Earnest Cardigan! I had a rather humongous disaster with some mis-crossed cables, but I'm back on track now. You can see a progress picture from last week here.

Watching: I've been watching a delightful BBC period drama, "Lark Rise to Candleford," while working on my sweater. It's set in 1880s England, in the hamlet of Lark Rise and the market town of Candleford, separated by about 8 miles. Our charming main character, Laura, grew up in Lark Rise and then headed to Candleford to work at the post office. It's a pretty idyllic show, almost a little twee, but it's grown on me quickly! I love the characters, and the show does cover interesting themes at times, like strife between economic classes, politics and forbidden love. It's easy and enjoyable, and it's been absolutely perfect to watch while knitting. (Also, it's based on a semi-autobiographical book series by Flora Thompson.)

Listening to: "Kids" by OneRepublic.

Eating: We tried a new recipe this week that I'd say is a keeper, chili mac from Damn Delicious. If you haven't checked out this awesome food blog, you should! I think we've liked every recipe we've tried so far. (Her Swedish meatballs are a favorite and I make her ranch baby carrots as a side dish all the time.)

Looking forward to: Jarrod has been working some insane hours and I feel like I've hardly seen him at all in the last week. I'm so ready for his schedule to get back to some semblance of normalcy! Ah, the joys of being a military spouse... I'm also looking forward to putting out some fall decorations. I'm excited to unpack the pumpkins I made out of old books last year!

I'm linking up with Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Book Review: The Magicians by Lev Grossman

"The Magicians" by Lev Grossman
First published in 2009
402 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Short Of It:
I enjoyed this book about a secret university for magicians, but not quite as much as I expected to. I'm glad I read it, but I'm not sure if I'll continue the series.

The Long Of It:
I've seen "The Magicians" described as Harry Potter for adults over and over again, and while the connection is obvious -- both are about secret schools of magic, a group of friends, and magic manipulated for dark purposes -- "The Magicians" lacks a lot of the things that make Harry Potter special.

Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy is for college-age students, and apparently with age vanishes all the whimsy of a school for magicians. There's no cozy atmosphere, no pumpkin pasties or mail delivery owls, and in their place is a crew of competitive, jaded, moody teenagers who drink to excess and ponder existential questions like the key to happiness in this miserable world.

Brooklynite Quentin is our main character, and we follow him as he excels at Brakebills, graduates, pines for meaning even as he plows ahead with a completely hedonistic lifestyle in Manhattan, and as he finally finds that adventure he's been waiting for his whole life -- which just so happens to take him to another land filled with talking animals (including bunnies!), horse-drawn carriages, mythical beings, and one corrupted man bent on taking it all over.

One of the reasons I didn't find the book to be as engrossing as I'd hoped is that I felt like it focused too much on the wrong things. Instead of Quentin philosophizing and whining incessantly about his life lacking purpose and happiness, I'd rather have had more worldbuilding: I wanted to know more about Brakebills and how magic is taught there; what kind of magic, magical implements and magical creatures exist; what kind of magical government is there? Instead of trailing after Quentin & Co. drinking and screwing their way through NYC, I'd rather have spent more time getting acquainted with the magical land of Fillory. That point goes hand-in-hand with Grossman's writing, which started off strong but was often a bit wordy and tangential. I actually skimmed from time to time.

Despite my gripes, I did enjoy this book. It was creative and interesting (can you imagine living for months as a goose?), and it was nice to read a magical fantasy involving pseudo-realistic characters. And, though it was a bit over the top, I also liked the "adult" element: bad language, sex, drinking, drugs, intelligent conversations, general malaise with the idea of adulting. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series (though I do admit that I'm curious about where Grossman takes the story) but I am glad I finally read "The Magicians." I'd recommend it -- just maybe not so much as a "Harry Potter" equivalent for grown-ups. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't gone in with that expectation.

Book Review: First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

"First Comes Love" by Emily Giffin
First published in 2016
380 pages
My rating: 4 out of 5

The Short Of It:
After the slight flop of "The One & Only," Emily Giffin is back in top form as a premiere writer of women's fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The Long Of It:
Emily Giffin is a master at writing addicting, heartfelt, relatable stories with characters who are far from perfect but ultimately likable and easy to root for. It's hard not to see a little of myself in every Emily Giffin protagonist.

Her latest novel is a tale of two sisters, Josie and Meredith, whose already complicated relationship was strained even further after a terrible tragedy -- the death of their beloved older brother -- rocked their family when they were teenagers. Now they're all grown up -- and they could hardly be more different.

Josie is a first-grade teacher, a free-spirit and a lover of good times who can sometimes come off as selfish. Thirty-eight and husbandless, what she wants most in the world is a baby. Meanwhile Meredith is a type-A lawyer with a wonderful husband and an adorable 4-year-old daughter. But her seemingly perfect life is fraught with unhappiness: her marriage is on the rocks, she sometimes gets frustrated with motherhood, her job is ridiculously demanding. Neither feels fulfilled and each secretly envies aspects of her sister's life, though they would never admit as much. With the 15-year anniversary of their brother's death -- which has so greatly affected both their lives -- looming, their tenuous relationship seems to be barreling toward a make-or-break point.

As usual, Giffin tackles with ease the topics that are relevant to her readers: things like marriage, motherhood, adult friendships, dating, work, family -- and the joys and difficulties that come with each. So much about this novel works. Giffin's writing is easy to read and it just flows -- this was one of those books that had me constantly saying, "Just one more chapter!" And I loved that the chapters alternated between Josie's and Meredith's narration, often mentioning the same event in each, which made me think about how easily miscommunication and misunderstandings happen, and how differently two people can view the same situation. You'll be cheering for both Josie and Meredith to discover what's missing from their lives, to make up, to really see each other, to overcome the issues they've been carrying for 15 years, to be happy.

If you haven't read Emily Giffin before, this is a good book to start with. I hope you'll fall in love with her realistic characters and her insightful writing just as I have.

Book Review: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

"Sleeping Giants" by Sylvain Neuvel
First published in 2016
Book 1 in the Themis Files series
304 pages
My rating: 4 out of 5

The Short Of It:
Totally not what I expected, but I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the second installment in the series.

The Long Of It:
For some reason I had it in mind that "Sleeping Giants" would be long and complicated and heavy on the science fiction (aliens, in this case), but it really wasn't any of those things.

Told entirely in interviews conducted by a nameless (but powerful!) showrunner, as well as mission reports and journal entries, it's an incredibly easy and fast-paced read, and though it's 300 pages there's so much spacing that in actuality it's probably more like 2/3 of that. And the aliens themselves are really not in play at all -- though I imagine that'll come in future books.

"Sleeping Giants" is instead about the discovery of an ancient alien contraption left on Earth -- a giant metal female form, separated into pieces and buried deep underground across the planet 5,000 years ago -- and the process of uncovering its mysteries, which involves a somewhat volatile conglomeration of scientific, military and government powers.

The main characters are a physicist, two military helicopter pilots, a geneticist and a linguist -- not to mention the mysterious unidentified man keeping track of them all, definitely the most interesting character of the bunch. In addition to unearthing and learning how to work the extraterrestrial metal giant, the novel deals with relationships and personality conflicts, ethics and conspiracies. What is seen as an amazing discovery by some is seen as an amazing -- and very dangerous -- weapon by others.

The plot kept me engaged and the writing was decent, though not anything to write home about. "Sleeping Giants" was a quick and easy read that left me wanting more, and I'll definitely be picking up the second book when it comes out next year.

Yarn Along: "First Comes Love" and Earnest Cardigan

Reading: I'm a little over halfway done with Emily Giffin's latest book, "First Comes Love," which is told in alternate chapters narrated by adults sisters who have a pretty tenuous relationship. They could hardly be more different: one is a type-A lawyer and mother in an unhappy marriage and the other is a fun-loving, free-spirited first-grade teacher who dreams of having a baby but is missing the husband component. Both have a lot going on in their lives, and -- completely unbeknownst to each other -- both envy parts of their sister's. Meanwhile, the fifteenth anniversary of a terrible tragedy that drastically changed their family is looming -- and Meredith and Josie seem to be rapidly barreling toward the make or break point in their sisterhood.

I don't read a ton of women's fiction anymore, but Emily Giffin has stuck with me as I've put some other chick-lit authors by the wayside. She just has a knack for writing addicting, heartfelt stories and imperfect, flawed, lovable characters.

Knitting: We have arm holes! I split off the sleeve stitches on my Earnest Cardigan yesterday, which is major progress considering I was re-starting the whole thing just over a week ago. Jarrod has been working some insane hours, so I've had a lot of extra free time to work on it.

I decided I needed a show to watch while knitting and after browsing Amazon Prime I started "Lark Rise to Candleford," an older BBC/PBS period drama set in the 1800s. It's a bit twee and quaint, but it's great to watch while knitting because it doesn't require my full attention. And the main character works at the town's little post office, which I love as I've got a bit of an obsession with mail. (P.S. I often checked in and out DVDs of the show when I worked at the library in Ohio and was always a bit confused by the title, but FYI, Lark Rise and Candleford are two villages in the English countryside separated by a few miles. The protagonist has grown up in rural Lark Rise, but her parents send her to bustling -- by comparison -- Candleford to work with her aunt at the post office. Also, it's based on a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by Flora Thompson!)

Enjoying: A Starbucks salted caramel mocha and a yummy guava-cream cheese pastry thingy. They were having a promotion for $1 pastries and I was powerless to resist. I'm glad the fall drinks are back -- I love salted caramel mochas, I like pumpkin spice lattes, and I'm intrigued by the new chile mochas.

My 12 Favorite Memoirs

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is about the best of the best: our favorite books in the genre of our choosing -- and what a tough thing to narrow down! After much debate and list-making, I veered toward non-fiction, and from there I decided to go with memoirs.

These books are all wonderfully written accounts of personal experience. Some are funny, some are serious. Some are written by well-known people, some aren't. But they are all fantastic reads and I highly recommend them! (These books are all great in their own way, and they're in no particular order.)

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

This is not only one of my favorite memoirs, it's one of the most memorable books I've ever read. It's full of quirky, hilarious adventures and anecdotes, and I still don't think I've yet to laugh out loud reading a book as much as I did this one. Lawson's second book, "Furiously Happy," was wonderful too. (review)

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Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalvan

As a dog lover and military spouse, I knew I had to read this book the moment I saw it -- but it's a great memoir for every kind of reader. It's well-written and heartwarming, and it has a lot to teach about both the brilliance of service dogs (and the mechanics of linking up a service dog with a human) and the horrors of PTSD. (review)

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

This book, which details Doughty's surprising decision to take a job in the funeral industry in her twenties, has completely stuck with me in the years since I read it. It answers all your morbid curiosity questions about dead bodies, but Doughty brings up more serious issues too, like the history of the death industry, how different cultures deal with death differently, how our society has become so distanced from death, and the emerging trend of natural burials. (review)

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When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Well, I didn't mean to put two books about death next to each other, but here we are. "When Breath Becomes Air" couldn't be more different from "Smoke." It's a very poignant, elegant memoir written by a brilliant neurosurgeon/neuroscientist who, at just 36, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. It's about what makes life meaningful, and about dying with grace, but it's also an interesting look at Paul's quest to become the best physician he could be. One of the best books I've read this year. (review)

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson has a talent for educating his readers while making them chuckle, and I'm gradually working my way through his work. So far "A Walk in the Woods" has been my favorite. I love the mountains and hiking, and I thoroughly enjoyed Bryson's humorous account of his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail with an overweight and somewhat bumbling pal. (P.S. The book is way better than the movie.) (review)

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The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton
"The Daily Coyote" is about a twentysomething city girl who winds up in middle-of-nowhere Wyoming, seeking a change and some direction for her life. She gets all that and more when she adopts an orphaned coyote pup. The book, a chronicle of Charlie the coyote's first year of life and the author's first year in Wyoming, is worth reading for the amazing photographs of Charlie alone!

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Written in the form of a letter to his teenage son, Coates's book deals with the issue of race in America through the lenses of current events, history, and his own experiences as a black boy growing up in Baltimore and a student at Howard University. It's a quick, fascinating and important read -- and it couldn't be more timely.

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My Life in France by Julia Child

Julia Child's memoir is one favorite books of all time. I didn't know anything more about Julia than what I learned watching the movie "Julie and Julia" when I picked up her book on a total whim years ago when Borders was going out of business. What an amazing surprise -- it's about food, it's about travel, it's about France, it's about love. This is a must-read for any Francophile or foodie. (review)

The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne

This book is about Josh's struggle with Tourette's -- as well as his adventures as a reference librarian and a strongman. It's a funny, heartfelt, honest look at a fascinating person finding his way in life. (review)

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Poor Your Soul by Mira Ptacin

Ptacin's memoir is a brutally raw, honest look at an unexpected pregnancy that turned into an unimaginably difficult decision when Mira and her husband learned their baby wouldn't survive outside the womb. Mira's story is interspersed with glimpses of her childhood and her mother, who also had to deal with the loss of a child. It's about grief, love, family and moving on -- but what I liked most was how open Mira was in her lovely writing. I felt like I had known her for years after I closed the back cover. (review)

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner

I just read this book a few weeks ago, but I know it'll stay with me for a while. It's an inside look at what it was like to grow up (in horrible conditions) in a Mormon polygamist colony, where Ruth was just one of over 40 full- and half-siblings. At 15, she escaped with her three younger sisters. It was written from the perspective of Ruth as child, a technique that definitely works here as Ruth gradually comes to observe the world around her. (review)

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A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold

I thought it was incredibly brave of Sue Klebold, mother of Columbine shooter Dylan Klebold, to write this book; I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to rehash the worst time of your life -- the day your son and his friend murdered 14 people and the horrific years that followed -- and serve it up to the public. But Sue had a purpose in writing down her story, and that's to promote mental health and suicide awareness. This was an intriguing read with an important message. (review)

Monday Musings

Waikiki sunset on Friday evening.

My week: It was another quiet week here. We went to the beach on Labor Day and again on Friday afternoon. And I went to a knitting meet-up for the first time on Thursday evening, which was fun; I sipped my first fall Starbucks drink of the season while knitting and chatting.

Reading: I finally finished up "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman yesterday -- a week after I started it, which is a pretty long time for me. I really loved it at first, but my interest waned as the story went on and I found the writing to be a bit wordy and tangent-y. I still enjoyed it overall, but I'm not sure if I liked it enough to continue the series. Last night I read the first couple pages of Emily Giffin's new book, "First Comes Love," which should be easy and fast-paced and a good change.

Knitting: I made a ton of progress on my Earnest Cardigan this week! I'm now long past where I ripped out and I love how it's coming along. The combo of seed stitch and cables is right up my alley.

Watching: We missed watching this season of "Orphan Black" on TV because of the move to Hawaii, but we're watching it on DVD now. We watched the first disc over the weekend, and while it took me a bit to get my bearings and remember what was going on, now I'm hooked and can't wait to start disc 2.

Listening to: "Something to Believe In" by Young the Giant.

Eating: I made some delicious lemon-orange poppyseed muffins this week, recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. I'd had the recipe pinned on Pinterest for ages and was finally motivated to make it after I kept reading about poppyseed muffins in "The Things We Keep" by Sally Hepworth recently.

Learning: I'm not a big fan of old movies and I'm not sure I've ever actually seen either of these actresses on film -- and maybe that would've clued me in a long time ago -- but I always assumed Audrey Hepburn was Katharine Hepburn's daughter. Not so. Not even close. I was baffled... their last names, their ages and their shared Hollywood fame make it seem obvious that they'd be related.

Looking forward to: Popping into Bath and Body Works this week and stocking up on some fall-scented hand soaps! And for Jarrod's work schedule to go back to normal. He'll be working 2 p.m to 2 a.m for eight of the next ten days. Ugh!

I'm linking up with Kathryn of Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?