Learn Something New

The Year of Cozy by Adrianna Adarme

This is a very cute book, and the images are beautiful. My biggest issue with it is some of the recipes and crafts use obscure ingredients and materials you would probably need to order online. The contents also seem to be thrown together helter-skelter. It was fun to read through though. 

259 pages

From Freezer to Table by Polly Conner & Rachel Tiemeyer

Although I thought their second book was better than their first, this one still has some great ideas on how to prep meals in advance for easy healthy weekday cooking. I love the idea of setting up a freezer club, where each person contributes a few meals and they all swap. Probably not a good idea for right now, but it's still something to keep in mind for the future!

233 pages 

Body Reading by Sasha Fenton

This short and sweet guide reviews how humans have traditionally attributed meaning to different parts of the body. The author goes through the reading of heads, hands, eyes, feet, even moles and itches.The chapter on phrenology was especially interesting. Does any of this actually reflect someone's personality and fate? No, but it sure is fascinating to read about what people thought and believed in the past. 

144 pages

The Witch's Book of Self-Care by Ann Murphy-Hiscock

This is a great collection of self-care techniques, meditations, recipes, and activities. I love how simple and clear the instructions are. They are all very doable with little need for materials. Self-Care is a huge focus for me right now, and this book is just what I needed. I may end up buying my own copy. 

224 pages

Personal Improvement

Summary: I’ve been reading quite a few books lately designed to help me better understand myself and those

around me, looking for ways to bring out the best in all of us.

Review: I have found some piece of truth in each of the books below. By far the most engaging and helpful titles were When, Grit, and Quiet, which I rank 5 out of 5. The others were good as well, though, so I give them each a 4 out of 5.

Author	Title	Pages
Joyce Meyer	Eat the Cookies - Buy the Shoes: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up	208
Angela Duckworth	Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance	353
Charles Duhigg	The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business	400
Brene Brown	The Gifts of Imperfection	158
Daniel Pink	When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing	272
Cain, Susan	Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking	368

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Born to a survivalist family in the Idaho mountains, Tara had never set foot in a normal classroom or been to a doctor. The family spent their time preparing for the End of Days by working in their father's junkyard or stewing herbs with their mother, a midwife and healer. When an older brother decides to go to college, Tara can't help but become curious about the outside world. She taught herself enough to get the score necessary to gain a scholarship to BYU. Once in college, she begins to question her family's way of life, eventually questioning the meaning of family itself.

While I normally avoid mentioning my personal feelings toward a book in a post so that people can reach their own conclusions about whether or not they want to read the book, I cannot recommend this book enough. Tara's struggle to understand her family and her quest for self-invention is astonishing and beyond admirable. I've had many fiction books take me on an emotional journey, but I've never found a nonfiction book that resonates quite like this one.

352 pages.

The Power of When by Michael Breus, PhD

Most advice centers on what to do, or how to do it, and ignores the when of success. But exciting new research proves there is a right time to do just about everything, based on our biology and hormones. As Dr. Michael Breus proves in The Power Of When, working with your body's inner clock for maximum health, happiness, and productivity is easy, exciting, and fun. 

The Power Of When presents a groundbreaking new program for getting back in sync with your natural rhythm by making minor changes to your daily routine. After you've taken Dr. Breus's comprehensive Bio-Time Quiz to figure out your chronotype (are you a Bear, Lion, Dolphin or Wolf?), you'll find out the best time to do over 50 different activities. Featuring a foreword by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and packed with fascinating facts, fun personality quizzes, and easy-to-follow guidelines, The Power Of When is the ultimate "lifehack" to help you achieve your goals.

I am all about reading things to glean more insight into my personality and habits, but sadly, this fell short for me.  I had taken the quiz before but never actually read the book (I'm a bear in case you were wondering).  And while interesting, I didn't find anything in it to be life-altering.  I do know some people, however, who had their whole perspectives changed.  So maybe try it out for yourself.  And let me know what you are. :)

384 pages

3/5

Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

Summary: "When a family trip to the Grand Canyon turns out to be a trick to take her to a remote, all-girl, residential treatment center for unstable teenagers, sixteen-year-old Brit, devastated by her father's duplicity, comes to realize that only through inner strength and the help of other inmates who become her friends can she endure the harsh conditions of the prison-like institution and plan a way to escape."

I really enjoyed this book - it's short and sweet. The friendship and sisterhood of Brit and the girls she meets at Red Rock is quite refreshing. 

290 pages