BOOK REVIEW: The Art of Frugal Hedonism by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb

Several years ago, I tutored a teenaged boy who had a curious habit when it came to eating his after school snacks. This young guy, we'll call him Joe, would take the tiniest bites of his snacks and roll the bites around in his mouth with his eyes closed, chewing far more than necessary, and then swallow the bites. When I asked him about this little habit, he told me it was so that he could really enjoy what he was eating and that by closing his eyes, taking tiny bites, and holding the bites in his mouth while chewing and moving them around for longer than necessary, he created a fuller, much more enjoyable experience for himself. He said he was teaching himself to really enjoy and engage with what he consumed, and that in doing so he was also practicing self control and limiting portion sizes too. He was learning to recognize that great joy can be gained through small experiences and was saving himself many calories (he'd spent several years overweight and out of shape) and quite a lot of money (thanks to not over consuming).

What my student was doing falls under the title of frugal hedonism and today's book review is all about the concept.

Title: The Art of Frugal Hedonism -- a guide to spending less while enjoying everything more

Author: Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb

Publisher: Melliodora

Year published: 2016

ISBN: 9780994392817

Genre: non-fiction, lifestyle, frugalism, hedonism

Pairs well with freshly baked cookies, 

your favorite coffee or tea,

and your favorite reading chair.

I first read The Art of Frugal Hedonism by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb when it was first published in 2016, and I greatly enjoyed revisiting this little treasure trove of tips, hints, and ideas for how to live better while spending less.

I haven't always been a frugalist or hedonist, but when I discovered that the two ideologies could co-exist, I was converted to both!

A frugal hedonist is a person who understands and takes pleasure in enjoying life to the fullest while also being fiscally conservative. Frugal hedonists aren't necessarily scouring the Goodwill for their next pair of jeans or dumpster diving for tonight's dinner, but they might if they see something that's high quality and worth the energy and effort. A frugal hedonist could just as likely be shopping at Goodwill or pulling a nightstand out of a dumpster as spending over $100 on a pair of shoes that they know are high quality and that have a lifetime guarantee and thus will last years rather than the short life span of a cheap pair of sneakers from the discount store. They understand that they have skills and knowledge that might be useful to their neighbor and vice versa and are happy to trade and barter. They understand that an experience is more valuable than an object. They understand that making small shifts here and there can bring significant improvements in their quality of life without making huge financial outlays.

And, Raser-Rowland and Grubb explore all of this and more in their book.

The Art of Frugal Hedonism is an easy read, thanks in large part to how it is organized with brief chapters ranging from one to five page and written in such a way that you could read the book straight through like any other book, or you could dip in here and there for a tip or pick me up or inspiration as you see fit. The writers both have great senses of humor as well, lending the book a friendly and upbeat tone that also adds to the immense readability. They don't use any fancy terminology and don't get bogged down in statistics and calculations to try to prove their points which I've seen in other books on the same topic. Instead, Raser-Rowland and Grubb keep things simple and easy to understand for the regular reader. 

As I noted, this was my second time reading The Art of Frugal Hedonism, but it probably won't be my last. Both times I've read it, I gleaned great tips and ideas and inspiration for my frugal hedonist journey. The first time I read the book, I was much more focused on the frugal aspects of my life journey. This time, I was much more focused on increasing the hedonistic aspects of life while staying committed to my frugalism. 

Raser-Rowland and Grubb make it clear that you don't have to give up all of your daily pleasures in order to pinch your pennies until they turn into diamonds, in fact, I think they'd be horrified if anyone came away with the impression that their book was simply about wealth building through extreme frugality! No, they greatly encourage significantly increasing your life enjoyment, but without sacrificing your financial stability -- in fact, you can significantly increase your joy in life while also increasing your financial stability. Doing so may require changing some habits and may be even more challenging amid things like the pandemic going on worldwide as I write this, but it can be done.

I urge you to start by baking some cookies or a nice quick bread as you sit down to read The Art of Frugal Hedonism. As you put together your cookies or bread, take pleasure in the act of measuring and mixing and shaping. Smell your ingredients and think about how lovely your home will smell once they are combined and baking in the oven. In the US, we are moving swiftly through fall so I also think about how cozy and warm my home will be during and after baking. I like to put on some soft music as I work in the kitchen, and I clean and put things away as I go -- done with the vanilla? Put the jar back in the cupboard and move on to my next ingredient, smelling or tasting things as I go or noting the various colors and textures. As the oven warms, I take a moment to be thankful for my apartment which I love so much. Once all the utensils and bowls are in the sink and my cookies are in the oven, I set the timer and grab my book for 15 minutes of reading joy while sitting in my favorite chair and sipping some lovely warm tea while I read. As I move further into the book, I close my eyes as the first hint of baking cookies starts to fill the air and I inhale deeply, thinking about how delicious the cookies will taste when they are done. And, with my first cookie, I eat it in tiny little bites, feeling and tasting and savoring each one.

That, my friends, is the peak of frugal hedonism for me! 

If your looking to up your life enjoyment while being more mindful of your financial situation, I urge you to consider reading The Art of Frugal Hedonism by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb. This is one that I plan to read again and again, so although I read a library copy, I plan to buy a copy for myself.

You can get it from independent book sellers via Bookshop HERE.

Or, buy a copy from Amazon HERE.

Links in this post may be affiliate links in nature.

Purchases through these links may result in small commissions

for me at no added cost to you. Thank you in advance!

BOOK REVIEW: That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam

I have rarely read a book that more completely and accurately captures the sometimes monotonous feelings of motherhood while also capturing the fierce protectiveness of motherhood, the tension between one's responsibility to their family versus to their career, and so on. That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam captured it all for me. Additionally, the book is set in the 1980s and 90s -- basically my childhood through my early 20s.

I loved That Kind of Mother, but I'm glad I didn't read it when my son was young and I was in the thick of new motherhood -- I think it might have been too real, too accurate. Alam doesn't portray motherhood as overly negative or messy or anything bad, but he does present us with a mother who, while loving her children fiercely, is also a bit stuck. She fixates on Princess Diana and returns to thoughts of Diana throughout the novel when she feels unable to move on in life or when life is just dragging on and on without anything really interesting happening to her. She channels Diana when she feels the need to be strong or elegant, but relates to Diana when she feels trapped in her own life. Yet, our protagonist, Rebecca, also manages to eventually reach for and achieve her goals in life.

Rebecca is not the most likable of characters. At times she is selfish, ignorant, sheltered. She has no idea what life is like for many of those who are on the periphery of her own life. But, she also allows herself to be confronted with her own flaws and she attempts to learn from such confrontations -- not always fully successfully and not always without stepping into a bigger mess first.

I actually found that I liked Rebecca more because of her un-likableness -- she felt more real and well rounded because of her flaws.

Rebecca struggles to breastfeed after her son's birth, but is met in the hospital by Priscilla, a lactation consultant who gently helps -- if I'd had a Priscilla in my life, I'm sure my own breastfeeding experience would have been much different (it was awful). After returning home post-delivery, Rebecca still finds herself struggling and returns to the hospital in order to seek out Priscilla and help. 

Rebecca feels both overwhelming love and protectiveness for her son, as well as irritation and frustration. But, as parents, don't we all feel both at times? Priscilla helps Rebecca navigate through her complex feelings while also encouraging and supporting Rebecca in her career pursuits as a writer after Rebecca hires Priscilla as a nanny. Ultimately, they form a very tight relationship, but not necessarily with the support of Rebecca's husband. 

All seems to be going well when Priscilla becomes pregnant herself and unexpectedly passes away. Rebecca, by now familiar with Priscilla's adult daughter, ends up taking in Priscilla's newborn son. 

But, I didn't mention...

Rebecca, her husband, and their child are white. Priscilla and her son are Black.

Rebecca loves this little boy and new addition to her family just as much as the son she gave birth to. She dotes on them both and supports both, but as the two boys grow and get older, society begins to treat them differently. Society treats her differently -- the white mother of a Black boy? 

Ultimately, this is a novel about motherhood with an undercurrent of a story about race. I suppose a non-mother or non-parent might see it as the opposite -- a story about race with an undercurrent of a story about motherhood. That would not be wrong. It is also a story about adoption and what it means to be a family. And, it is a story about being a woman, separate from the role of mother. 

We all bring ourselves to what we read, and I read this as a story of motherhood and womanhood first. I also read it as a story of adoption. I am a mother. I am adopted. 

Race is brought up several times throughout the novel -- when Rebecca meets other mothers or has a parent-teacher conference, when her adopted son's biological family has concerns about "the talk" about being Black in America, and so on. These issues are dealt with carefully and sensitively, as are the issues around adoption.

That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam is a great novel with chapters short enough that a busy parent could easily read a chapter, put it down to attend to a child or dinner or whatever else, then come back to it later in the day without getting lost. The writing is clear and focused and you are carried along in Rebecca's story of motherhood and autonomy as a woman as she grows as in both roles over the years, ultimately stepping fully into herself in both roles. 

You can buy That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam on Amazon HERE or on Bookshop HERE.

BOOK REVIEW: The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg

Title: The Year of Pleasures

Author: Elizabeth Berg

Publisher: Ballantine 

Year published: 2005

ISBN: 9780812970999

Genre: fiction; chick lit; USA fiction

Pairs well with your favorite flannel pajamas,

a slice of berry or peach pie,

and a glass of Merlot.

As I've noted previously, when I'm in a reading slump, I often turn to a well loved novel that I've read several times over. This past week, that was The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg. 

As a woman who has completely started over more than once in my adult life, I identify closely with the main character, Betta Nolan: after the tragic loss of her husband to cancer, Betta sinks into an understandable period of depression, confusion, worry, loss, and so on. Ultimately, she decides to follow through on a dream she and her husband had involving moving to the middle of the country and starting over in a small town. 

But, of course, nothing is ever as easy as just picking up and moving. Betta does make the move, but it is filled with a sense of directionlessness and a pull towards something that is ill defined yet also tinged with feelings of fate. 

Throughout the story, we learn more and more about the woman Betta was, who she wanted to be, and who she becomes (which is really who she was all along). We meet an adorable cast of characters along the way, ranging from sweet college kids that feel almost like lost puppies looking for their mother to a single mom and her sweet son to a cranky old woman who is dealing with losses of her own, not to mention three old friends from Betta's life before marriage. 

I love this novel for its familiarity, not just because I've read it so many times (at least ten!), but also because I see myself in Betta and her joy in little pleasures that she often denies herself even though her husband encouraged her to indulge. I see myself in her love of fine things, comfortable things, joyful things, heartwarming things. I see myself in her love of quirky things and her joy in creating stories both professionally and as a hobby. I see myself in her use of baking and cooking as a love language. 

Betta starts out lost and very much alone, but throughout the novel, she rebuilds her sense of self, learns to enjoy life again despite a huge loss, and she creates a new home and a new sense of family and community. 

I hope you'll give The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg a chance and that you'll fall in love with the story and the characters just as I did. 

And, I hope you'll come away with the knowledge and belief that it's ok to use the good soap that you set aside for company, the plush towels you keep for guests, the chocolate that you only buy on special occasions. Don't wait for guests or special occasions. Use the fancy soap and soft towels. Eat the good chocolate. Buy the little bowl that you love even though you don't know what you'd use it for. Life is too short not to indulge in some pleasures.

Buy it on Amazon HERE or on Bookshop.org HERE.

BOOK REVIEW: Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi

I have enjoyed watching Padma Lakshmi cooking or talking about cooking for several years, but after watching her show "Taste the Nation" on Hulu, I decided to look for her cookbooks at my local library. Naturally, there is a long hold list for the one that my library has -- Tangy, Tart, Hot, and Sweet -- so I settled for her 2016 memoir, Love, Loss, and What We Ate. 

Although the memoir was not the best I've ever read, I still enjoyed it very much. Within the first twenty pages, I was drawn in with both my wanderlust and tastebuds ablaze! Lakshmi has me wanting to travel, to cook, and to eat new foods.

The memoir follows Lakshmi's life back and forth between the United States and India, as well as to London, Paris, and Miland. She describes in beautiful detail her extended family and the importance of food in her life from a very young age and uses food to explore her relationships with her family members, friends, and lovers. 

I had no idea Lakshmi had been a model, nor that she'd been a television host in Italy, and until watching "Taste the Nation", I'd never really noticed the large scar on her arm (even though I'm sure I've seen it before!). Lakshmi's background is at once highly familiar and exotic. She had many of the same struggles as a teenager as myself and many others, but she also straddled two cultures. She was raised by a single mom and had to navigate two different stepdads and the resultant challenges in her relationship with her mom and these men. 

Lakshmi also goes into great detail about her difficult marriage to Salman Rushdie and the lingering effects it had on her psyche and her post-divorce relationships, and she is quite frank and open about her struggles with endometriosis and fertility. I took comfort in several aspects of her story, as memoir readers often do, and saw myself reflected in many of her experiences. 

I do wish that the book had a been a bit more tightly edited and that there were more recipes sprinkled throughout. While I don't mind a metaphor here and there, they are quite heavily used in the first half of the memoir -- occasionally so frequently that I almost put the book down. And, I'm a sucker for a memoir that includes recipes, but again, there were several in the first half of the book and then far fewer in the second half. I would have loved a recipe with every chapter or every other chapter, especially since so much of the book revolves around food, spices, and the pleasure of eating. 

Overall, if you enjoy memoirs, food, and travel, I do think Love, Loss, and What We Ate is well worth your time, just be prepared for the metaphors and uneven spacing of recipes. I enjoyed it enough that I likely will re-read it at some point in the future. 

You can find Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi on Amazon HERE or Bookshop.org HERE.

Have you read Lakshmi's memoir or used her cookbooks? If so, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of them.

BOOK REVIEW: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

I was BLOWN AWAY by Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi! I was drawn in right away by Gyasi's descriptive and detailed writing style which reminded me a bit of the writher Paul Theroux's style. 

I wish I could say that I read Homegoing straight through and without big breaks, but a friend and I picked it up and decided to read it together back in mid-April when Covid-19 shutdowns were still somewhat new in the United States and we were all still figuring out how concerned we should be. I figured, "Hey, I'll likely have plenty of time to read!" 

And, I did...

But, as I really started to get into the book, I found myself having to slow down and step away a few times because some of the descriptions are so vivid and difficult to read that I had to take a few breaks. And, as I stepped away from the book a few times, the pandemic really ramped up in the United States, followed quickly by the murder of George Floyd and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests -- including protests in my city of Portland, Oregon.

My friend and I could not have predicted the protests, nor the huge surge in interest in reading and learning about racism and bigotry, shopping Black-owned businesses, and so on, so it was coincidental that the book we'd chosen to read was written by a Black woman. And, her novel is rooted deep in the history of slavery. 

Homegoing follows two lines of a family through a pair of half-sisters in 18th century Ghana. The sisters are separated with one being captured and sold into slavery, eventually resulting in a family line in the United States and the other marrying an Englishman who happens to be part of the slave trade but with her line staying in Ghana. 

Gyasi weaves two familial lines together by alternating between them every other chapter. Each chapter follows the life of one generation of the family from the 18th century to near-modern day with the final chapter wrapping up the entire story in a way that I won't spoil for you here other than to tell you this: the end is PERFECT. I don't know that I've read many (if any) books where the ending is so perfectly crafted and makes so much sense. That alone makes Homegoing worth reading.

The novel includes views of the slave trade from the point of view of Ghanian villagers, British slave traders, and those captured and forced into slavery, and shows quite forcefully just how strongly the past clings to the present. Gyasi deftly weaves the lingering echoes of slavery and all of the institutionalized racism that came with it and still exists today into every chapter. Her characters feel complete and real. Those of the last few decades feel like people I might see walking down the city street -- I could picture them and hear them so clearly. 

Even though the two family lines diverge for many, many generations and across two continents, the way Gyasi wrote her story shows the deep connections between the two. What's also interesting about her novel is that you could read it straight through, as my friend and I did, or you could read one story line first and then the other. In fact, I plan to re-read it following one story line and then the other soon. 

I HIGHLY recommend Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi! Some descriptions and events in the book are definitely hard to read (the conditions of the dungeon in which slaves are kept, whippings, and so on), but every word of this book has importance and bearing on the entire novel. 

Have you read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi? What did you think of it? Drop a comment and let me know!

You can buy the novel HERE on Amazon or HERE on Bookshop.org.

My favorite Frida Kahlo books

Each week I participate in a baking challenge celebrating women in history, and this past week's theme was the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. I have long been a Frida fan, discovering her in high school at a time when I felt very much out of place in my family and my school. I was artistic (but not yet confident enough to call myself an artist), dressed semi-eccentrically, and had political ideas that were quite different from those of much of my family. As many teenagers tend to do, I looked outside of my family for others I might identify with. I'm not Mexican, didn't consider myself an artist at the time, and so on, but I still saw something of myself in Kahlo.

Years ago, I had a sizeable collection of books about Frida, but due to money woes in my 20s, I sold all of them -- this, my dear readers, is one of my biggest regrets when it comes to books! I wish I'd held onto them!

Fast forward to the past four or five years, and I've started to rebuild my Frida Kahlo library and thought I'd share my books with you (I'll share the dishes from my Frida Kahlo themed cooking in a future post). 

I have four Frida Kahlo books, of which two were bought at the Victoria and Albert Museum (or V&A) in London, England, one was bought in the United States, and one was bought at the beautiful El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore in Buenos Aires, Argentina (more on El Ateneo Grand Splendid in a future post). However, all four are available to purchase in the United States. I love these particular books because they are colorful and full of vivid images and don't shy away from some of the realities of her life. 

The first two books are children's books written in English. Despite being for kids, these are both easily enjoyable by adults too. 

Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo -- an illustrated biography by Zena Alkayat with illustrations by Nina Cosford

While the illustartions in this book are not Frida's own art, they are highly engaging and help to tell the story of Frida's life. The text and artwork are both equal parts whimiscal and serious. I love looking at the pictures and seeing little details that I've missed previously. It feels like every time I open this little book, I see something new. I also like that the text looks like handwriting instead of a normal book font. 

Buy it on Bookshop HERE.

Buy it on Amazon HERE.

V&A Introduces: Frida Kahlo published by and For the V&A Museum, London, England

I had the great fortune to visit the V&A Museum in London when they had a Frida Kahlo exhibit in 2018 and it was one of the best museum exhibits I've ever attended! While photos weren't allowed inside the exhibit, you can learn more about it and HERE.

This little book is a highly colorful, richly illustrated children's book that, like the one above, does not shy away from the details of Frida's life and perhaps goes a bit further into them than the first book, though without being gruesome or too "adult" in theme. It is superbly illustrated and gives bite sized details and information rather than being a regular text that goes straight from start to finish.

Not currently available via Bookshop.

Buy it on Amazon HERE.

Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up published by and For the V&A Museum, London, England

This is the book that was developed for adult visitors as an accompaniment to the V&A Frida Kahlo exhibit I attended in London in 2018. And, wow, is it packed with information, photos, artwork, patterns, color, and so much! It's easy to dip into the book here and there or simply read it cover to cover. The book covers much of Frida's life, as well as how she presented herself to the world and to herself and those in her life.

You may notice that the title is a little bit of a play on words: "Her Self" versus "herself". Much of the exhibit was focused on a tension between Frida presenting herself as fiercely and proudly Mexicana while also contending with her incredibly damaged body which caused her pain for her entire life, contrasting both with her life as an artist, a wife, a daughter, a revolutionary, and more. There was also a strong focus on her clothing and artifacts from Kahlo's life, including beauty objects and tools, notebooks and journals, art supplies, family photos, professional portraits, her own artwork, her husband's artwork (Diego Rivera), and more. The exhibit included clever use of mirrors to create illusions and different ways of viewing many of these objects. And, many of the display cases were designed to look like beds since large portions of Frida's life were spent confied to her bed. Many of the objects and works of art had not been displayed until a couple of years prior to this exhibit, so it was interesting to see parts of her life that had been closed away from half of a century. You can explore some of the exhibit HERE.

Buy it on Bookshop HERE.

Buy it on Amazon HERE.

Now....best for last!

Frida by Sebastian Perez and Benjamin Lacombe

While I truly love the above three books, I wanted to save the fourth for last. This book is truly one of my treasures! I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina around the time of its publication and first saw it at the gorgeous El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore, but I didn't buy it. I thought I would just pick it up when I returned home. Well, when I got home, I looked the book up on Amazon and the only copies available were over $100 each! I was shocked! My uncle was still in Argentina and graciously went back and bought the book for me. I treasure the book to this day because it's so incredibly beautiful and becuase my uncle was willing to go back and buy it for me. He died from a brain tumor just six months later and I miss him every day.

Anyhow, back to this amazing book! 

This book is a MASTERPIECE! While it does not contain Frida's actual art, the illustrator captured the essence of Frida and her art on every page. But, what's even more incredible is that every three to four pages are layered in such a way that pieces of the top two to three pages are cut away, revealing portions of the pages beneath. This book is so visually interesting that I don't even care that I'm not fluent enough (yet) to read the book (it's written in Spanish)! This book is a true piece of art in and of itself! Everyone that's come to my home and looked through it has been blown away! Like the other two children's books I've mentioned, this one also does not shy away from some of the harsher realities of Frida's life, but the artwork also includes many references to some of her more disturbing paintings (and those that are less difficult to view). Please keep that in mind if buying this for a child.

I'm happy to say it is now available in the USA for a much better price (ranging from $25 to $50 on most websites). 

Buy it on Bookshop HERE.

Buy it on Amazon HERE.

I look forward to sharing my Frida Kahlo cooking and baking with you in a future post, as well as photos from my visit to El Ateneo Grand Splendid, and more.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make purchases via these links, it may result in a small commission for me at no extra expense to you. Thank you in advance!

BOOK REVIEW: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Title: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Translator: H.T. Willetts

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Year published: This edition: 2014

ISBN: 978-0-374-53468-4

Genre: fiction, historical fiction, Russian literature

Pairs well with:

stale bread,

weak tea,

and extremely cold weather.

I initially started reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich with a tutoring student. My student was assigned the novella in the fall of 2019 for a high school course on Russian Literature, and we both enjoyed the book.

The novella is fairly stark and straightforward in both tone and style, but it was an interesting look inside a Soviet gulag or prison. Although the story takes place over a single day in a prisoner's life -- Ivan Denisovich -- it feels as if it takes place over weeks, if not a months. The author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the translator of this edition, H.T. Willets, describe the prison, prisoners (called "zeks"), guards, and so on with such careful precision that it's hard to not feel almost as if you are right there next to them. The novella is both crisp and pared down to the raw bones of the story while also being rich with detail -- but the details add to the stark tone. 

While it was sometimes hard to keep track of characters -- the story jumps between their last names, middle names used like last names, full names, and nicknames --  the story moved along at a good pace and it's easy to keep track of the main character since the entire story revolves around his activities over the course of the day. The book moves from Ivan's first moments in the morning through to his last moments in the evening and much attention is given to warmth, work, and food. And, interestingly, although Ivan's life could be viewed as steeped in misery, he finds moments of enjoyment and clearly has found his place within the hierarchy of the prison guards and other prisoners.

The novella isn't long, but the subject matter and intricacies can be complex and heavy on the heart and mind. Despite the heaviness, I strongly suggest this book, particularly as an introduction into Russian literature. 

Find a copy on Amazon HERE.

3 ways to increase your reading during difficult times

I've heard from many friends and acquaintances that the global pandemic, and now social and police injustice sparking protests and riots across the country as more and more black lives are lost or brutalized by the police, plus our government seemingly preparing to attack its own citizens, has caused them to feel lost, confused, unfocused, and generally unable to engage with their usual interests and habits. 

And, I'm right there with all of you.

For the past couple of months, I've really struggled to keep reading and engaging in my other interests and hobbies, and the further I got from those things, the worse I felt about myself and life in general. 

Yet, I've been struggling with how to re-engage with my hobbies and interests.

I've spent hours and hours scrolling on my phone, watching television without really paying attention, picking up and setting down books and hobbies, and just not enjoying anything. I am already predisposed to depression and I felt like I was slipping pretty quickly into a massive depressive episode. Without making some concious changes, I knew it was going to just get worse and worse. 

So, I decided to be proactive and set up some rules around my needs, interests, and the way I was living life in order to create new habits or re-ignite old ones. I'm still struggling on some days and sometimes during moments of pretty good days, but I feel like the changes I've made have helped me to not sink too far down, and I've reinvigorated my reading habit. 

While they aren't perfect and life isn't happy rainbows and unicorns every day, these three tips have helped me to ramp up my reading again -- I hope they'll help you too.

1. Read first thing in the morning

Like making your bed, going for a run, or any other good habit, if you read first thing in the morning, you'll be able to tick it off your list of accomplishments for the day. And, if you love reading as much as I do, it will start your day on a positive note. 

I've been finding that if I start my day with 20 minutes of reading -- my personal minimum amount of time -- then I usually come back to reading later in the day.

2. Have a designated reading spot

I don't just read anywhere in my home. Instead, I consciously cultivated a corner as my reading nook. Is it special and fancy with grand bookcases and luscious furnishings? Nope. Not at all. But, it is comfortable with a stack of books at the side of my reading chair and ottoman, a few blankets, and a table for a cup of coffee or glass of water, and it has great natural light during the day with a lamp for darker days or the evening. I don't do much else sitting there. That spot is reserved just for reading. And, because it's cozy, I love to sit there, so I read a lot by cultivating a special, comfortable reading experience. 

3. Read something easy or familiar

My TBR (to be read) pile is quite large with some pretty heavy reading material -- I like complex topics, but also what my mom once called "depressing" genres. Right now, I just can't handle that type of material when the world feels darker, heavier, and more depressing than at any other time in my life. 

I've given myself a break and instead picked up lighter and easier books. I've been reading some chick lit, young adult, and humor. I've also been reading some very short books and children's books, as well as re-reading books I love and am already overly familiar with. 

A friend and I planned to read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and to have a virtual dinner date to discuss the book, but I found it so heavy and sad (it's about the effects of slavery through several generations and from Africa to the US) that I had to put it down. By following the three habits above, I've managed to go back to the book in small chunks, interspersed with some of my favorite chick lit novels. And, I'm glad because Homegoing is superbly written and incredibly timely.

It's ok to put in some focused work at renewing your reading habit. It's ok to set up a comfy spot that you use just for reading. It's ok to read books that you normally wouldn't pick up simply because the genre or reading level is easy. 

If you're looking for your next read, I'd love for you to check out my reading lists on Bookshop.org -- not only can you puruse books, but you can purchase too. Each purchase through Bookshop.org helps support independent book sellers across the United States.

Please note: links may be affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance!

Comfort reading during difficult times: When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison

2020 has been....not what any of us imagined it would be. Am I right?

For many of us, the stress hasn't been just heightened, it's been completely disruptive to our normal habits and interests. In my case, I haven't been able to focus enough to read a lot, nor to read anything too heavy. 

A friend and I decided to read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi together with plans to do a virtual dinner date (we'd make the same dinner and then meet via Skype or Hangouts to discuss the book), but I started to find the serious nature and devastating scenes to be too much right now. I had to put the book down (I've since picked it back up).

Instead, I switched to something much easier to read in terms of subject matter, and a book I already have read and love: When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison. This is city girl chick lit (can we make that a new category, like a sub category of chick lit?).

Title: When in Doubt, Add Butter

Author: Beth Harbison

Publisher: St. Martin's Press 

Year published: 2012

ISBN: 9780312599096

Genre: fiction; chick lit

Pairs well with a big bowl of pasta,

cupcakes, comfy pajamas,

and your favorite comfort beverage.

Our protagonist, Gemma Craig, not to be confused with Jenny Craig of weight loss diet fame. Gemma is a single woman living in Washington, D.C., and a personal chef with a different client each night of the week. Two are what you might call wanna-be power women -- well to do women who care more about appearances than substance and who are clamboring to be among the D.C. elite. Then, there's the mysterious Mr. Tuesday, a bachelor that she never meets but flirts with by brief notes about the meals she prepares for him. Then we have Lex, owner of a department store and with a personality that's much like a doting and supportive uncle. Lastly, is the mysterious Oleksei family, owners of a lucrative dry cleaning business...or is that just a front for mafia ties? And, along the way, we also meet Willa, an obese, housebound gambler, and a few other supporting characters, not least of which are Gemma's cousin, Penny, and Penny's daughter, Charlotte. 

When in Doubt, Add Butter, will definitely make you hungry -- maybe for dishes you'd never normally try (eggplant in pomegranate walnut sauce, anyone?) -- but it will also warm your heart as you follow along on Gemma's adventures and misadventures as a personal chef, a friend, and a one night stand.

While the book does not include any recipes (pretty much my only complaint...), it is delicious in other ways. I've read other books by Beth Harbison, and this one is my favorite. The characters and plot are just tight enough to keep me interested, but not so tight that I can't reasonably understand what's to come in the story, and the characters are all well imagined with strengths, weaknesses, and the other characteristics that make them feel real. If Gemma were an actual person, I'd want to be her friend (and not just for her cooking skills).

Overall, this is a good, light read and perfectly filled my need for material that wasn't depressing or too serious.

Get your copy of When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison now via my shop on Bookshop.org -- you can find it and other chick lit novels I love HERE or click the image below.

Please note, this post does contain affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you purchase through these links. 

I will be upgrading links across my blog to point to Bookshop.org when possible -- Bookshop.org supports independent booksellers in the United States at a time when many are threatened through competition and under-pricing from mega-corporations. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara

Title: The Disappearance of Signora Giulia

Author: Piero Chiara

Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo 

Year published: 2015

ISBN: 9781782271048

Genre: fiction; mystery; Italian mystery; 1950s mystery

Pairs well with your favorite pasta dish,

crisp, white table linens,

and a strong Italian coffee.

Of all the unexpected places to find good reads, I found The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara at The Dollar Tree (a deep discount store where nothing costs more than a dollar, for those not familiar). I'd purchased a few good books at The Dollar Tree previously, but had assumed maybe it was just a fluke. I guess not! 

The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara is set in a small Italian town, near Milan, in the 1950s and is a mystery (as you might guess from the title). The volume is slim and a fairly quick and easy read, and perfect for a brief respite from reality. 

In the book, Signora Giulia is a wealthy woman married to a much older man who is an established lawyer. Their daughter, Emilia, attends school in Milan and Giulia went to visit every Thursday. Early in the novel, we learn that Giulia has also been visiting a lover in Milan. But, one day she appears to leave for her weekly visit and never returns home. Where did she go? Did she run away on her own? Did she run off with her lover? The clues lead towards the lover, but it's not that simple. There are many questions that come up and a few competing motives. 

Piero Chiara crafts a setting that you can easily see and place yourself into as you read -- you can feel the cobblestones of Italian streets and palazzos under your feet. You can picture big, heavy desks in the police and lawyers' offices. You can see the trees and lush landscaping of Signora Giulia's home. And, I greatly enjoyed the dialogue, carrying along the story. 

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this novel and found it just suspenseful enough to keep my interest without going overboard into convoluted tangents and false leads. At first, I was disappointed with the ending which is somewhat vague, but the more I sit with it, the more satisfied I am that the unclear ending was actually perfect. You are left to come to your own conclusions about a couple of suspects in Signora Giulia's disappearance, but at the same time, everything is tied together and makes sense, even without a definitive resolution. Normally, I would find this type of ending frustrating and I'd vow not to read another work by the author; however, in this case, Chiara put together his story in such a way that I think it works and I'm satisfied that I know what happened to our main character. I liked it enough, even with the ending, to look for further works by Chiara. 

As I write this, we are in the middle of libraries and bookstores being closed due to Covid-19 racing across the United States and other parts of the world. I'd love for you to find the novel at your local library, but if you can't find it at your library or through your library's digital offerings, please try a local, independent bookstore -- they need your purchases more than ever if they are survive the massive financial losses of this pandemic. However, you can also try to get it from Amazon. Take your pick:

Many independent bookstores in the USA are offering shipping or curbside pickup even if their shops are closed due to the virus. PLEASE check with your favorite local independent shop before ordering from elsewhere.

If you are in the United Kingdom, you can order directly from the publisher (Pushkin Vertigo) HERE.

In the US:
-- Buy from Abe Books HERE.
-- Buy from Penguin Random House HERE (not an independent, but still better to buy direct or somewhat direct than through Amazon).
-- Buy from other independents HERE.
-- Support independent bookstores by getting the audiobook HERE.

If you really feel a commitment to Amazon, you can get the book HERE.
***This is an affiliate link and I may receive a small commission should you purchase from Amazon, but at no extra cost to you. As much as I'd love that, I still would rather you consider shopping independent first.

Have you read The Disappearance of Signora Giulia by Piero Chiara? Have you read anything else by him? If so, leave a comment with your thoughts.