Book Review: August 2023
A lighter month (yes 5 books is a “light” month for a nerd like me) but still some great reads with a bit of variety with non-fiction, memoir and fiction. No duds, these would all be great for you to check out. Any suggestions from your end?
"Women, Food and Desire" by Alexandra Jamieson
5 stars
A lovely and intuitive book specifically for women. If you’re in your 30’s - 40’s you likely grew up in the 1990’s…a really weird time of Diet Culture. We were told to look a certain way and in order to achieve that we basically had to bully our bodies into submission. We were exercising and moving not from a place of love but from fear. This book asks us to look beyond the Whoop, My FitnessPal, AppleHealth, etc and follow what our heart (or gut) is telling us. To be clear, I love data and metrics, but listening to that small voice that tells us to rest more or push more depending on where we are in our cycle (among other things) can be deeply nourishing. More info about this fascinating subject can be found here.
"Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng
4 stars
A book I wasn't expecting based on other novels by Celeste Ng (including “Little Fires Everywhere”) Tragic in some parts and hopeful in others. At times I felt downright depressed because of the state of the world. This has a dystopian scare factor that just close enough to where we are now but also not out of the realm of possibility. How humans care for each other in the face of adversity is a really lovely theme to explore.
"The Far Field" by Madhuri Vijay
4 stars
A dense and detailed read. I loved exploring India through the eyes of the protagonist. The vivid characters really came alive and the rich description made me feel like I was walking in the Himalaya Mountains. Lots of twists and turns with some really emotional scenes.The ending though....well damn, I did not see that coming. And (not a full spoiler alert) I was feeling conflicted and a bit disappointed. The rest of the book was fantastic but the last 10% kinda tanked. Still, worth checking out.
"Fieldwork" by Iliana Regan
4 stars
It seems like I'm reading a memoir by a strong and inspiring woman each month which brings me a lot of joy. This month, Chef Iliana took me on a fantastic journey through nature and her own heart as well as culinary creativity. With themes of family, gender, work ethic and generational trauma + healing I really enjoyed this. And yes, now I want to go to the magical Milkweed Inn in Upper Michigan. It just might take me 5 years to get there with the robust waiting list. More info about her can be found in this article which I enjoyed.
"Someone Else's Shoes" by Jojo Moyes
4 stars
Having enjoyed other books by the author, I figured this one would be good to check out. It was a little "girly" for me in the beginning but it turned around half way through with a strong female friendship vibe of “I got your back sister.” By the end I was flying through it as I couldn’t wait to see the resolution. At times I was downright stressed thinking, “what the heck else can happen to these gals” but through creative spirits the outcomes were comical and lively. A good read.
Monthly book total: 5
Annual book total: 57