Being a Person of Colour in the UK

This past weekend I was in London.  My husband N and I wanted to take our two children into London in order to see some theater on the West End.  It was something we were all looking forward to and was to be a weekend that was one of the highlights of our summer.  It was also a nice time for the four of us to spend some time together and see some sights.  Two things happened over the weekend that I wanted to share today.

The first thing happens so regularly that I cannot even count the number of times it's happened:  The four of us enter a restaurant in a group all at the same time, obviously a family of four.  The hostess takes one look at us and says 'Table for three?'

This photo is to help anybody who might not be familiar with what my absolutely beautiful family looks like.  N is of Indian descent and together with my half Native American heritage everyone else in my family has a darker shade of skin than me.  Because of this strangers all over the place take one look at my family and decide that one of these things is not like the others and I am it.

So, we stayed in a hotel equidistant from the two theaters we were planning to visit.  And we come out of a tube station and go to stand at a cross-walk and we're standing with a group of people who are already there. Within seconds of standing at this cross-walk this older white woman taps me on the arm and when I turn to look at her she says in this loud, exaggerated way, 'If you need to cross the street, you have to PUSH the BUTTON.' then nods her head to check if I've understood her.  She even pushes the button as a demonstration.

I give her two shocked blinks before I say 'I know that.' and she comes across all, 'Well, I was only trying to help' but somehow this time around she manages to speak to me in a normal tone of voice without the unnecessary pauses and emphasis on words. She even manages to look offended when I go to stand on the other side of N, and ask 'Did she just speak to me like I don't understand English?' because I really needed someone else to validate that that was a thing that had just happened. 

These things were just two little things that I happened to remember when I came to sitting down to write this.  Due to the regularity of these types of experiences it didn't affect the enjoyment of the musicals we saw or the time we spent together.  But it does make me a little sad.  That these are still things that I, or other POC, experience on a regular basis.

For these reasons, it's definitely necessary for this book, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge to be out there in the world.  She very intelligently puts into words a lot of the thoughts and experiences, things that make me angry about being a POC in this world (but specifically about living in the UK).  I've written a (very) little bit on this blog about some of the racism that I've dealt with in my life and every time I'm more vocal about my opinions or my experiences (especially online) I get (mostly white) people who are there to argue with me, have me explain to them who don't believe it is a thing why white privilege is an actual thing or similar.

This is my long-winded way of saying that I loved this book and that I'm recommending it if you haven't yet read it.

Reading Diary: Thinner Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews

Another book I've read so far this year is this book: Thinner Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews.  The title goes on to say 'The simple science of building the ultimate female body'  and it's a really interesting book about gaining muscle, shedding fat, eating the right types of food and all of it has a very scientific basis for success.  I read it fairly quickly and this book had my attention throughout. 

I think it's through reading this book in particular that helped me so far in my weight loss goals.  Namely, that I wrote down my goals and I was SMART about them.  (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) The author also suggests a mood board and some other ideas but the one goal I have achieved this year was to run for 30 minutes non-stop, which I did by focusing on my breathing throughout and keeping an idea in my head about why I was running.  Part of my goals are to be fitter and healthier, to be a healthy weight for my age and height, some of it is for other reasons. 

Since I was pretty young, I've always struggled with my appearance.  The way my face looks, my body, my hair.  I've found that I hate my facial expressions, I've hated the way my face changes when I smile.  I don't like seeing my hair from the back, I don't like my profile.  I don't like wearing clothes that would my emphasise my thighs or stomach or flab around my arms.  I don't like my wide shoulders, the thickness of my body, I've hidden behind my glasses since I was three years old. 

Since I was very young I have hated so many aspects of the way I look, I've hated my body.  I feel like I've been conditioned to hate that by everything and everyone around me.  The comments that other people have made about me - not even just in the media - but family members, friends, adults in my life.  It's felt never-ending and I've battled against my own self-hatred for a very long time.  I can't say that any of that will be completely erased anytime soon but what I can say is that things have improved. 

I used to avoid looking in mirrors, I used to avoid having my photo taken.  But it got to the point where I thought, why don't I have my photo taken? Why do I want to erase any memory of myself living this life?  I try not to be as overly critical when I do look in the mirror (I try to focus on one thing I DO like about myself every time I start to feel the negativity creep in) and I make a point of taking a selfie every now and then.  Sometimes I even post them on social media.  I've talked to several other people about similar thoughts.  It helps knowing that I'm not alone though it is sad.  Please note that I'm not posting this in order to receive any compliments.  Logically I know that I'm not hideous to look at.  I just need to build the confidence to be okay with what I look like and that is a process. 

I'm not happy with the weight that I am but I am working towards a realistic weight loss goal, possibly including some of the advice or suggestions I read in this book.  I'm working on other things too, like processing the comments and experiences I've had about my weight or appearance and framing them more in  a positive light in an attempt to free myself of some that.  I'll get there.

Reading Diary: Maya Angelou Still I Rise

Today's Reading Diary is a little different as it is about a documentary that I recently watched.  So, around Christmas, I signed up for Netflix - mostly to watch To All the Boys I've Loved Before if I'm perfectly honest. But I figured, while I have it, I may as well watch all the things I'm interested in.

This was the first documentary I watched, all about the life of Maya Angelou.  And I was pretty surprised when I started watching it.  I realised pretty quickly that I knew very little about the woman herself, or her life.  I had no idea she was a dancer, a singer, an actress.  In fact, she was so many things in her life: a lecturer, a director, a screenwriter.  I really only knew her as a poet and the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

I found it fascinating about her travels, her marriages, her friendships.  And I suppose it is for that reason that I wanted to write this Reading Diary entry today.  Because on the back of watching this documentary, I added a great number of books to my wish list.  I not only want to read the rest of her autobiographies to read about her life in her own words but I added most of James Baldwin's books as well.  Maya Angelou and James Baldwin seemed to be particular friends and I became quite curious to read something of his.

If Beale Street Could Talk is soon going to be released as a film adaptation so now seems like a good time to read that book.  Also, Giovanni's Room is on my list because of the LGBT aspects of the story itself.  Also, Go Tell It on the Mountain.

Another book I added to my list is The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which I of course have heard about but have never read.  There was also a segment on the set of Poetic Justice where Maya Angelou had this intense interaction with Tupac Shakur that made me quite curious to read his poetry, The Rose The Grew From Concrete, so that made it on the list as well.

It was definitely a worthwhile use of my time, watching this.  I love Maya's poetry and it was fascinating to learn more of her life.  I finished watching this and started reading my favourite poems of her's all over again.  Old favourites are favourites for a reason!

Feminist Literature + TBR

One of the things that I've most enjoyed in my reading throughout 2017 is this exploration into other types of literature outside of YA.  I love YA, I'll always love YA, but there's so much fun and excitement in reading other types of literature too.  One of the ways in which I've broadened my reading this year is by reading more feminist non-fiction.

I think I've always had an interest in reading more feminist types of books and narratives but it's only been during this year that I've really made a concerted effort to educate myself a little bit more and to find the types of books that I wanted to read on this subject.  I'm not vastly knowledgeable nor have I read everything I possibly can so far ... but what I do want to do is continue reading more.  Here are some of the books that I have read this year and also some of the books I'd like to read in the near future.

Read

Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit

Eat Sweat Play by Anna Kessel

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Nasty Women by 404 Ink

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

If You Could See Me Now by Keris Stainton


I've really enjoyed the books I've read this year.  All of the above are non-fiction books apart from the adult novel by Keris Stainton but which I've included because it is such a feminist and empowering novel.  I started off the year reading essays by Rebecca Solnit and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which I found really inspiring and which I believe ultimately kick-started this whole idea.  The strength of the words in Rebecca Solnit's essays in particular were absolutely fascinating and really spurred me on to reading more.  And I just think Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is just a goddess in general and I need to read every word she's written. The book by Anna Kessel was such a huge surprise to me, because I didn't really think I'd enjoy it as much as I did.  It's a book about women and sport and I've always been the sort of person who felt like 'it doesn't count' my interest in sport but Anna Kessel really changed my mind while reading her book.  I found reading Nasty Women to be interesting but like with any anthology with an array of contributors I liked some essays better than others.  And Everyday Sexism just broke my heart with statistics and personal experiences in the modern day.

TBR

(I've only included books on this list that I already own in a physical copy or digitally on my Kindle)

Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Girl Up by Laura Bates

The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls

I Call Myself A Feminist by Victoria Pepe

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill

Whereas my 'Read' section felt very samey in that they were mostly all non-fiction, my feminist TBR pile has a little more variety to it.  I feel like I'll be more comfortable reading the YA books: Moxie has been garnering lots of positive feedback having been chosen for the Zoella book club, I'm looking forward to (continuing to) reading Things A Bright Girl Can Do about suffragettes, and I've put off reading Asking For It for way too long that I'm almost embarrassed. The Power is, of course, a dystopian story about women having the power to kill at their fingertips but it's a little outside my comfort zone.  The Geek Feminist Revolution and I Call Myself a Feminist are both collections of essays so should be easy to dip in and out of.  And I know very little about Girls Will Be Girls or Girl Up.

I like the idea of continually reading more feminist stories. I'll definitely be looking for suggestions of what other titles to read or look out for.  Do let me know!

What are some of your favourite feminist reads lately?

REVIEW: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer was a book that I'd heard about years ago, starting reading last year and only finished early this year.  It's a book about animal welfare, animal cruelty and the morality of eating animals.  I found it fascinating. It was definitely a book that was difficult to read, but it feels like an important book to read as well. I'm really glad that I have.

As I said, this book is a non-fiction book written by a well-known literary author, Jonathan Safran Foer. He spent several years researching this book after pondering the idea of how moral it is to raise, kill and eat an animal for the food.  As well as having quite a lot of facts in this book (there was at least two pages on my Kindle that listed all the sea life that is harmed or endangered from modern methods of farming fish for food consumption!) there is also some thoughts from the author himself, extracts from people in the farming communities, protesters against factory farming and a really wonderful narrative about eating as story-telling that ties all the different threads of this topic together.

I think the facts speak for themselves on this one. I think most sensible people will realise the harmful impact of factory farming on the animals themselves, pollution etc. But I think the extent of the harm is what is eye-opening about this book.  To me, at least. I knew that things were bad, I didn't realise how bad. Or perhaps I was just entirely disinterested in knowing and thus didn't look into further because of how much I enjoy eating meat presently? I think the latter is more likely the case.

The author delves into the welfare of animals currently being factory farmed, predominantly in the US but he brings up in the text that practices are no better in other countries such as the UK.  The lives and deaths of chickens, pigs, fish, turkeys and cattle are in the main spotlight in this book.  But also the economic reasons for factory farming, detailed accounts of what the different farms for these animals look like, what the lives of these animals consist of. It also looks at a handful of farmers who are trying to be more compassionate in the ways in which they farm animals. The facts portion of this book made my stomach clench, my conscience kick in and it had me seriously considering vegetarianism.

There was also a large section of information regarding the spread of disease that is caused by factory farming and information regarding the extent of pollution.  But I think my favourite aspects of the book revolved around eating as a means of social culture and the thread of story-telling and our eating practices.  I really loved these parts of the book and I could really relate as well. I think what we eat, how we eat, who we eat with are definitely areas that shape our identities which means making large changes in our eating habits difficult for a lot of people to do.

Though the author himself, after doing the research for this book, admits to becoming vegetarian himself, it isn't his aim, I don't believe, to advocate for readers to turn vegetarian themselves. He seems to want to bring the facts to life and is really advocating for better, more responsible choices in terms of animal welfare and well-being.

I really found Eating Animals to be an engrossing, thought-provoking and emotional read. And I, will definitely be considering my eating choices in the future based on the facts provided to me here.

Author Spotlight: Siobhan Curham

Siobhan Curham is an award-winning novelist, motivational speaker and life coach.

She has written books for adults, young adults and children – both fiction and non-fiction – and has publishing deals in the UK, France and Germany. Her YA series, Shipwrecked, is currently being developed for television.

Siobhan is currently working on a non-fiction book called True Face: Be Real. Be Fearless. Be You! to be published by Faber & Faber in 2015.

Her new YA novel, Dark of the Moon, the second in the Shipwrecked series, was published by Egmont in June 2014.

The above is (part of!) Siobhan Curham's official bio that can be found on her website!  Do find out more about Siobhan Curham and her many books (including books for adults) on the following websites:

Siobhan Curham .... Siobhan on Twitter ... Siobhan on Facebook ... Dare to Dream ... True Face Revolution

Of course, recently you've probably heard Siobhan Curham's name in connection with Zoe Sugg and that whole situation.  But I first heard about Siobhan's stories when she self-published her first novel for young adults, Dear Dylan.  I think I saw a review of it over on Chicklish (still one of my favourite websites ever, even if it is no longer running!) and I was intrigued by it.  The title and author of the book stayed with me.

Dear Dylan

So when the book was picked up by a traditional publishing house and sold to Egmont, I was incredibly happy for her, even though I didn't know much about her or the book.  I did get a copy of it for review, but it came at a time when I felt pulled in too many directions and one of my guest reviewers very kindly reviewed it for me.  And she liked it.  I still would like to find the time one of the days to go revisit Dear Dylan and give it my full attention. It's a story told entirely in emails between a teenage girl and (supposedly) the celebrity she really looks up to. I like that this book is about friendship and finding those ways to get through difficult times.  It sounds like an interesting book.

Finding Cherokee Brown and Finding Your Inner Cherokee

But it wasn't until Finding Cherokee Brown that I really sat up and took notice of Siobhan Curham and her writing.  I read Finding Cherokee Brown and I felt incredibly connected and emotionally invested in a character and her story line.  Reading Finding Cherokee Brown actually helped me as well. I struggle with my self-confidence and the idea that's brought up in the book about a girl who makes up an alternative persona who is everything that she wants to be sounded like such a good idea that sometimes in situations where I felt uncomfortable or where my anxiety might creep in, I'd sometimes think of what my alternate-Michelle would look like.

Which is kind of why I was so happy that Siobhan Curham wrote and distributed Finding Your Inner Cherokee for free during anti-bullying week.  The main character in Finding Cherokee Brown is bullied and in Finding Your Inner Cherokee, Siobhan really pulled together her own experiences of being bullied with her life coaching and writing for teenagers to put together a short non-fiction guide to help teens and young people regain their confidence after bullying.  I won't lie, reading some of this book made me cry because almost 15 years after my own bullying experiences and I still needed to hear some things and I realised that I hadn't quite gotten over how painful my own experiences with bullying was.  It was an eye-opener. And I thought Finding Your Inner Cherokee was a really important and worthwhile project to have done.

Shipwrecked and Dark of the Moon

But then, Siobhan Curham has also written Shipwrecked and Dark of the Moon which I think are very different.  They're kind of a Lost meets Gossip Girl as a bunch of teenagers get stranded on a deserted island.  I believe they've been optioned but ...again, I haven't yet read them.  They look really fun and adventurous but I just haven't gotten around to them.  I think that's just me though. These books came out with Electric Monkey and I will read them. I will.

True Face

Siobhan's latest project is another non-fiction book called True Face. It's published this month by Faber and it's a book about identity and image and a guide to being your true self in the age of social media and the pressures on teenage girls to be perfect.  Just like with Finding Your Inner Cherokee, I find myself reading this book and feeling very emotional. Like even though I'm in my 30s and feel reasonably more okay with myself and who I am, there is still always more that I could be more okay with.  And Siobhan does a great job of walking through certain things and finding great exercises to do and great case studies to inspire. It's a wonderful thing, and I hope True Face really helps people out there.  

Have you read any books by Siobhan Curham? Do you now want to?

Finding Your Inner Cherokee Guest Post by Siobhan Curham

Today I have the very lovely Siobhan Curham here for a special guest post for Anti-bullying Week to promote her FREE non-fiction e-book which she has written as a guide to help those who have been bullied to work through their feelings, gain confidence and become happier people.  I've read the book and I thought it was fantastic. Very interesting, hopeful and inspiring.  As a teenager I was a victim of bullying and all these years later and I still find the advice and support that Siobhan Curham has given in Finding Your Inner Cherokee something that I still need to hear, advice that I still need to be reminded of.  I think it's a wonderful thing she is doing and I am more than happy to support and promote this book! 

To find out more about Finding Your Inner Cherokee or about Siobhan Curham, please do visit her website: www.siobhancurham.co.uk 

Finding Your Inner Cherokee Guest Post

by Siobhan Curham

In March of this year, my novel Finding Cherokee Brown was published. Finding Cherokee Brown tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who finds the confidence to stand up to her bullies in her own unique way. After the book was published I received many emails from readers telling me that the book had helped them deal with bullying in their own lives. This made me want to do more to help and so the idea for Finding Your Inner Cherokee was born. Finding Your Inner Cherokee is a non-fiction e-book, full of case studies, exercises and advice, designed to help victims of bullying find their inner strength and become happy again.

When we think about the emotions that bullying causes, fear is often top of the list. But anger is just as common – and can be just as destructive if it isn’t dealt with properly.

When you are constantly being picked upon, anger starts building inside of you like the red hot lava in a volcano. And this is perfectly understandable. What you are going through isn’t fair. It isn’t right. After a while you can start feeling furious at the injustice of it all. And if you don’t find a safe way of letting your anger out, you can start to turn it in on yourself.

As a writer (and Official Word Nerd!) I am a great believer in the therapeutic power of the written word. The following exercises are featured in Finding Your Inner Cherokee and are the most effective ways I have found for releasing tension and anger, through writing.

Journal it Out

Find a time when you won’t be interrupted and turn to a fresh page in your diary / journal / random notebook. Imagine for a second that your feelings of anger are filling a tank inside of you. See your writing hand as a tap. As you start to write about how you’re feeling, let your anger flow out through your words. Get it all out on to the page. It doesn’t matter if there are spelling mistakes or commas in all the wrong places. As long as you are writing freely that’s all that counts. It is fine to swear and be as mean as you like. Don’t hold anything back. Write until you feel your anger fade, then when it’s all gone, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Just relax for a few moments and, when you feel ready, open your eyes and write down five things that you are grateful for. I know that some days it can be hard to find even one thing to be grateful for but make sure you do this last part of the exercise as it’s a great way of switching your brain from negative to positive. It doesn’t matter if it’s just that you’re grateful for the opportunity to express yourself, or that the sun is out, or that you had something nice on your toast for breakfast. As long as it makes you feel grateful it’s all good.


Write a ‘Dear Bully’ Letter

First off, don’t panic – I don’t mean actually send your bully a letter, but writing one that you will never send can actually be very therapeutic. Often, because we’re afraid of our bully, we don’t say anything when they start to pick on us. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to say anything. I bet you have loads you’d like to get off your chest. Well, here’s your chance, in the safety of a letter that will never be sent.

Take a piece of paper and begin it as you would a real letter, addressed to your bully. Then let rip. Tell them exactly what you think of them, how they make you feel, what you wish they would do (emigrate to Mars on a one-way ticket, perhaps?). Feel free to be as rude as you like and if you want to, write in BIG, ANGRY CAPITALS in ANGRY, RED INK. Keep writing until you’ve said everything you want and need to. Don’t hold back at all. If you start to cry while doing this exercise, just let the tears out too. When you’ve finished and feel you’ve got nothing left to say, I want you to add one final sentence:

I FORGIVE YOU.

Okay, I can practically hear you yelling, ‘WHAT?!!!’ But please bear with me. I’m not asking to do this because I want you to be kind to your bully. I’m asking because I want you to be kind to yourself.

There’s a famous quotation that some people attribute to Buddha and some to Jesus. Either way, it’s extremely wise, and it goes like this:

‘Not forgiving is like drinking a cup of poison and hoping the other person will die.’

Let me adapt that quote especially for you:

‘Not forgiving your bully is like drinking poison and hoping the bully will die.’

Basically, what this means is that anger and unforgiveness are like poison. They eat away at you from the inside, keeping you tense and stressed and uptight. But your bully is completely unaware of your angry thoughts. So they carry on doing what they’re doing, oblivious – and you carry on hurting.

By releasing your feelings of anger towards them, and forgiving them, you are actually setting yourself free. Instead of constantly stressing and feeling bitter, you create the time and the headspace to concentrate on far happier things. It’s obviously a lot easier to forgive once the bullying has stopped, but practising forgiveness while you’re still being bullied is a great way to ease your anger.

Even if you find it hard to do it with any meaning, always write ‘I forgive you’ at the end of an angry letter to your bully. Remember that by forgiving them, you aren’t letting them off the hook, or condoning what they’ve done, you’re actually helping yourself to feel happier.

Finding Your Inner Cherokee will be available from Amazon Kindle and all other e-book stores from 18th November and can be downloaded for FREE at my website: www.siobhancurham.co.uk

REVIEW: Finding Your Inner Cherokee by Siobhan Curham

Finding Your Inner Cherokee by Siobhan Curham is a wonderful (free!) non-fiction e-book that addresses the subject of bullying.  It is written by the author of Finding Cherokee Brown which was published by Electric Monkey earlier in the year and is the story of a girl who is dealing with bullying at school.

Though related to the same issues that are addressed in Finding Cherokee Brown, you do not need to have reading it to enjoy Finding Your Inner Cherokee.  Finding Your Inner Cherokee is a short guide filled with stories about other people's experiences with bullying as well as advice and activities that are there to help, support and empower victims of bullying.

As a child and teenager, I was bullied. So Finding Your Inner Cherokee (and also Finding Cherokee Brown) were very emotional reads for me.  While I didn't carry out all of the exercises included in the book all of the activities and advice really made me stop and think more about how bullying did affect my happiness, my confidence and my life.  

Finding Your Inner Cherokee is a very helpful, hopeful and inspiring book.  I wish that I'd read it as a teenager and even though it has been many years since my own personal experiences with bullying, the message that this e-book contains are still messages that I find important to be reminded of!

A huge thank you to Siobhan Curham for providing me with a free review copy of this book prior to its publication.  Finding Your Inner Cherokee is being published for free during Anti-Bullying Week, please visit here for more information. And stay here on the blog and read a guest post by Siobhan Curham about Finding Your Inner Cherokee!

REVIEW: Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal

Guest review by (my husband!) N from greysqrl

Despite it being half term I woke up at 6:30 today just like every other day. Normally I'd check Facebook on my iPhone and then switch the TV to Sky News and stare blankly at it rather than getting out of bed. Today was different; for the first time in months/years there was a book on my bedside table that I actually wanted to read. As I've said before I don't tend to read many books with the only ones I care for being quirky (Douglas Coupland / Matt Beaumont) and it's been a long while since a book has really interested me. If I get bored with something I won't see it through and I do get bored very quickly. I don't get much free time but, when I do I'm surrounded by other items that want my interest, the internet, games consoles, photography and of course movies. Books don't fare very well when compared to visual competition.

I'm a software developer who works with mobile phones writing software for them. I don't own an overpriced MacBook but I do love my iPhone and iPod Nano. I've always been captivated by Steve Jobs' nemesis Bill Gates and have read many books about Bill Gates and about the invention of the personal computer but I know very little about Steve Jobs or the history of Apple so, when Michelle told me that she'd been offered a book about this iconic re-inventor for reviewing, despite thinking it to be odd considering her blog is about teen fiction I jumped at the chance to review it for her.

Karen Blumenthal's 'Steve Jobs: The Man who Thought Different' is one of many biographies about the former Apple CEO but this one is (apparently) primarily aimed at the teenage market. Although it doesn't use Fortune magazine's Jobs photo for the cover (as seen on Walter Isacsson's official biography), it does however use a relatively recent and clean photograph and the design is aesthetically pleasing. Now, most readers may not feel that such a point is valid, but remember, Steve Jobs was all about the attention to detail and the importance of the look of a product and packaging so any worthy book about Steve Jobs should take such matters into consideration if it wants to appeal to the appropriate audience. This one, like the official biography does and is in my opinion in a minority in that respect.

Unlike the official biography which consists of around 600 pages, this 300+ page book uses double spaced text and numerous (and very welcome) picture inserts, the book is split over three parts and twenty-two chapters which makes each chapter perfectly bite-sized. That appeals to me because I like to check how large a chapter is before starting it. If a chapter is just a few pages long I'll consume it and then consume the next one, and the next one whereas one large chapter consisting of the same number of pages makes me less likely to begin it and more likely to give up on the book. I should point out that the chapters are also well broken up, each has a reason to be and ends on a cliffhanger that just made me want to start the next one. So, after one sitting I quickly went through seven chapters and would happily sit and read more if it were not for the fact that I'm about to head out to the cinema with the kids. Within these first eight chapters I've learnt a lot about the young Steve Jobs, his early endeavours both positive and negative and the life experiences that helped shape him and Apple. What I've read so far has been well-written, simply delivered and the text is peppered with anecdotes from Steve and his colleagues and friends.

It is now two days since I wrote the text above and amazingly (for me) I've completed the book. This is one of only a few books that I've voluntarily completed and one of only two books that have been read in such a short time period (the other being Matt Whyman's fictional Man or Mouse). I feel somewhat saddened to have completed the book as honestly, I wanted more. The author did not appear to have personally interviewed Steve Jobs or anyone else detailed in the book and has instead compiled her work from research, despite this the book does appear to chronicle the Apple co-founder's life from birth through his turbulent time at Apple, and NeXT via Pixar and Disney to his early death.

Now, although I am interested in technology and aware of the rise of the personal computer revolution, such an understanding is in no way required to enjoy this book. Any technical information is well explained without being patronising to those who are aware and a glossary is included at the back should it be required. This allows the book to appeal to technical folk as well as those who may just wish to understand more about a guy who probably has touched your life in some way. The book is honest in its portrayal neither seeking to make a reader love or hate him; it deals well in explaining how amazing yet unpleasant Jobs could be.

So, would I recommend this book? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. It details both the personal and public life of jobs and at times is quite sad and touching. It will briefly explain about how personal computers landed on every desktop and touches on the relationship between Job's Microsoft rival Bill Gates. It details how the company that Jobs created fired him and how he came to see this as being the best thing that happened to him. The book goes into some depth on the darker side of a man that was able to create the most beautiful products but could not accept the creation of his own child and clearly shows us how confusing, immature and petulant jobs could be whilst balancing such material well by discussing his spiritual and environmental sides.

The book in my opinion could be read not just by teenagers but by adults both technical or not. So, if this isn't the normal book you'd expect to be reviewed on this blog, consider it for someone else in your life that either has an interest in the tech-industry, loves Apple products, loves Pixar movies or even for that matter just loves to read biographies.

As Jobs re-invented existing products, this book has reignited my interest in reading.

Wonderful review, N, thank you so much!

Mini-reviews

Things have been a bit rough with The Boy being ill, but the other part of the problem is also my lack of motivation and organisation when it comes to getting my reviews together. I shall work on that. For now, here are some mini-reviews of books that I have read at some point this year!

Heartburn by Nora Ephron - 'If I had to do it over again, I would have made a different kind of pie. The pie I threw at Mark made a terrific mess, but a blueberry pie would have been even better, since it would have permanently ruined his new blazer, the one he bought with Thelma ...I picked up the pie, thanked God for linoleum floor, and threw it' Rachel Samstat is smart, successful, married to a high-flying Washington journalist...and devastated. She has discovered that her husband is having an affair with Thelma Rice, 'a fairly tall person with a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs, never mind her feet, which are sort of splayed.' A delectable novel fizzing with wisecracks and recipes, this is a roller coaster of love, betrayal, loss and - most satisfyingly - revenge. Heartburn is Nora Ephron's roman a clef. It is the amusing revenge of a woman scorned: 'I always thought during the pain of the marriage that one day it would make a funny book,' she once said - and it is.

I love Nora Ephron's movies, I think she's brilliant. Earlier in the year I read a collection of her essays, I Feel Bad About My Neck, which were hilarious. I didn't really know that she'd written this novel, OR that there was a movie made of it. But after I Feel Bad About My Neck, I hunted down Heartburn, read it in one sitting and loved it. Sometimes I wanted to shout at her for the choices that Rachel makes over the course of the novel, but it all feels very authentic. I suppose because it's a fictionalised account of her own marriage break-up. Some months later, I watched the movie version, and ... it was a bit of a let-down. To be fair, it was mostly just that I didn't like Jack Nicholson. And I thought a lot of funny bits were left out or not really explained. But I did enjoy the book, there was so much there that I thought was painfully honest. I really felt for her. And honestly, all the little details just made me smile. Loved it.

Property by Valerie Martin - Manon Gaudet is unhappily married to the owner of a Louisiana sugar plantation. She misses her family and longs for the vibrant lifestyle of her native New Orleans, but most of all, she longs to be free of the suffocating domestic situation. The tension revolves around Sarah, a slave girl who may have been given to Manon as a wedding present from her aunt, whose young son Walter is living proof of where Manon's husband's inclinations lie. This private drama is being played out against a brooding atmosphere of slave unrest and bloody uprisings. And if the attacks reach Manon's house, no one can be sure which way Sarah will turn ...Beautifully written, Property is an intricately told tale of both individual stories and of a country in a time of change, where ownership is at once everything and nothing, and where belonging, by contrast, is all.

I didn't think it was possible to enjoy a book while at the same time hating the entire cast of characters. Until I read this book, that is. I didn't sympathise with any of the characters, they were all a little spiteful and hateful and bitter. I liked the symmetry between Manon and Sarah both being 'property' - one as a slave, the other as a wife. The setting was written really beautifully, as was this inner rage of these two women, but when I finished the book it didn't have any lasting impact on me. I know it won the Orange prize, and I can see that Valerie Martin can write well, but without any connection to the characters, I didn't much care.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby - Nick Hornby returns to his roots - music and messy relationships - in this funny and touching new novel which thoughtfully and sympathetically looks at how lives can be wasted but how they are never beyond redemption. Annie lives in a dull town on England's bleak east coast and is in a relationship with Duncan which mirrors the place; Tucker was once a brilliant songwriter and performer, who's gone into seclusion in rural America - or at least that's what his fans think. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker's work, to the point of derangement, and when Annie dares to go public on her dislike of his latest album, there are quite unexpected, life-changing consequences for all three. Nick Hornby uses this intriguing canvas to explore why it is we so often let the early promise of relationships, ambition and indeed life evaporate. And he comes to some surprisingly optimistic conclusions.

I'm not sure I agree with the 'surprisingly optimistic conclusions' from the product description above. I found Juliet, Naked to be quite a melancholy little book throughout. If my 'optimistic' they meant 'ambigious' than I would agree. Because the ending was quite open-ended and I don't normally care for endings like that :( Overall, I did enjoy the book. Annie and Tucker have both wasted a lot of their lives, either in an unsatisfying relationship or by doing nothing, career-wise. And in Juliet, Naked they are both forced to do something about the lack of direction in either of their lives. And I liked it. I haven't been able to read any of Hornby's latest novels, but in this I did see something of what I used to like about Nick Hornby. I wish the ending were different, and the title makes me a little uneasy, but I was able to laugh at the dialogue and the characters.

Lighthousekeeping by Jeannette Winterson - From one of Britain's best-loved literary novelists comes a magical, lyrical tale of the young orphan Silver, taken in by the ancient lighthousekeeper Mr. Pew, who reveals to her a world of myth and mystery through the art of storytelling. Motherless and anchorless, Silver is taken in by the timeless Mr. Pew, keeper of the Cape Wrath lighthouse. Pew tells Silver ancient tales of longing and rootlessness, of the slippages that occur throughout every life. One life, Babel Dark's, a nineteenth-century clergyman, opens like a map that Silver must follow, and the intertwining of myth and reality, of storytelling and experience, lead her through her own particular darkness. A story of mutability, talking birds and stolen books, of Darwin and Stevenson and of the Jekyll and Hyde in all of us, Lighthousekeeping is a way into the most secret recesses of our own hearts and minds. Jeanette Winterson is one of the most extraordinary and original writers of her generation, and this shows her at her lyrical best.

I'm beginning to really love Jeanette Winterson. I thoughts Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was a bit strange, but enjoyed it enough to pick up Sexing the Cherry. I had issues with that, but not enough to stop me from reading Lighthousekeeping. And I've realised that with every Winterson novel, there has to involve some kind of oddness. Lighthousekeeping starts with a girl, Silver, and her mother on some weird-shaped house on a cliff with a dog that has different length legs. And then her mom falls off the weird-shaped house and Silver goes off to live with the mysterious Pew in a lighthouse and now his story is entwined with that of Babel Dark and his love affairs. And it's all a little bit confusing and if I wasn't paying attention at any point, I might have lost the plot entirely. What I got from it was the importance of stories and story-telling, and love and that each of us has darkness inside of us as well as light. I don't know how to explain it better than that. It was kind of a strange ride that Winterson took me on, but a good one.


I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley - From getting locked out of her flat twice on the same day and being fired for baking a giant cookie in the shape of her boss' head, to playing bridesmaid for a friend she'd long forgotten, Sloane Crosley can do no right, despite the best of intentions. With sharp, original and irresistible storytelling that confounds expectations at every turn, Crosley recounts her victories and catastrophes, finding uproarious comedy and genuine insights in the most unpredictable places.

I think I mentioned before, the reason I picked this book up was because I'd seen it listed as a book someone else had read and she'd posted it on a forum I visit. No comments about if it was any good or anything, so no clue really as to WHY I ended up buying it in a charity shop. I hadn't heard of Sloane Crosley before I picked it up, and I did think as I was reading it 'how bizarre it is that I'm reading some random woman's essays on things' but I stuck with it, and there were some really good moments amongst the essays. I think if I'd known of Sloane Crosley before I read them, I might have had a bigger interest in what she had to say, but I did laugh at some of her misfortunes, as was her intention, I'm sure. Getting locked out of her house, being a bridesmaid to someone she hadn't seen or spoken to in years. I think her family were great, and I would have loved to have read more about them. We get glimpses of them throughout, they seem fascinating.

And there we have it. A small round-up of some of the books I've been reading this year and not reviewing!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Mini-reviews

Last month I got a bee in my bonnet about clearing out some space in my TBR shelves. So I ended up picking the slimmest looking books and reading them, not because I really wanted to but because I need some space, damnit. A terrible way to pick the next book, but it worked. It had the added bonus of clearing some of shelves of books that had been there up to a year AND it gave me that wonderful sense of accomplishment when I finished a book. Luckily, I mostly enjoyed the books I read as well. Here are five of the books I read at the same sort of time. I only realised afterwards that three of the books had 'Girl' in the title. I love weird coincidences like that.

Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith - I picked up Girl Meets Boy awhile back, after reading The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. I loved the idea of Canongate's Myth series, this retelling of old myths by popular authors. It's an interesting way to engage readers with myths of the past. And I'd wanted to read Ali Smith for awhile and I thought a slim little book like this might make a good place to start. And oh, it was so good.

I can't say that I'd heard of Iphis and I know almost nothing about Ovid's Metamorphosis, but it really didn't matter once I picked up the book. It is absolutely lovely and romantic and just plain sweet. I really wanted to read passages out to anyone who would listen because the writing is just so beautiful. In Ovid's myth, Iphis is a girl who is transformed into a boy in order to marry Ianthe who she passionately loves. In Smith's novel, the myth is brought to life again as the story of two sisters in Scotland, Midge and Anthea, and they come to terms with Anthea's relationship with another woman, the meaning of love and where their place in the world is. And while the side story of a woman's place in a corporate world is also fascinating, it's the love story that blew me away.


Shopgirl by Steve Martin - I picked up Shopgirl by Steve Martin from a library sale. That happened more than a year ago, possibly. I'd seen the film with Claire Danes and Steve Martin previously, but I kind of wanted to check out Steve Martin's writing style. I was a bit curious about it (but not enough to put it at the top of my TBR pile, obviously). I'm really not sure what I was expecting.

This novella is really similar to the movie in terms of style and pacing. It's a very gentle story about this lonely girl, Mirabelle and the ways in which she changes her own life after meeting two very different men. Her life really isn't going anywhere, she's almost content to let things happen to her, until she meets Ray Porter. I don't know. At some points, it felt like there was something more to Shopgirl, I found some of the observations to be really spot-on, and I felt a little protective of Mirabelle throughout the story but when I finished, I wasn't left with any big emotional impact.


The Graduate by Charles Webb - Yeah, I didn't really connect with The Graduate very well. I have to admit, I've never seen the film. In fact, the only thing I really know about The Graduate, is what I saw in the film Starter For Ten with James McAvoy? Remember, when he walks in on his crush's mother in her underwear? And made a stupid comment about Mrs Robinson? That's a terrible reason for me to have picked up The Graduate, isn't it? At least it was short.

I could see the whole disillusionment of Benjamin's character coming back from university thing. The pressures and expectations of his family and bizarrely what the neighbours think. And the train-wreck romantic relationships at the end. But it all just didn't work me for me.


Girl With Glasses: My Optic History by Marissa Walsh - Here's another one I've had on my stack for awhile. After I commented on Keris' review of it over on Five Minutes Peace, she kindly sent me her copy. It was really quick to read, light and fun. There was a lot I could relate to.

I started wearing glasses from before my third birthday. I went through the trauma of horrible plastic lenses and the 'four-eyes' teasing. I went through the different phases of despising my glasses, hiding behind my glasses and finally embracing my inner-Girl With Glasses. I'd have liked to hear more about some of Marissa Walsh's experiences, it kind of felt like she was glossing over some of the more interesting stories and sticking with the glasses thing a little too much. But that's OK. It was an interesting diversion on a lazy afternoon.


The Unfinished Novel and other Stories by Valerie Martin - Ahhhh, I'm absolutely terrible at reviewing short stories. I picked up The Unfinished Novel in a library sale just after I read Property a few months back. I didn't like the characters in Property, but I enjoyed Martin's style of writing, so I really wanted to give another try. Short stories though, I kind of love them and I kind of don't. The thing with The Unfinished Novel is that I read it just after reading some of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, and I was kind of burnt out on them already.

Valerie Martin's short stories in this book are all about artists. Writers, painters, actors, anything really creative and the relationships that they are involved in. And they don't really go well. All the relationships are either doomed or failed and I'm sure she was trying to say something about the passion of artists. Some of the stories really gripped me and others I found myself losing interest a little bit. A different time, different circumstances I'm sure I'd have felt differently. I still want to read more Valerie Martin someday, but maybe I'll stay away from the short stories for a little while...

And there we have it. A little round-up of the shorter books I've been reading lately. Have you read any of these books?

Graphic Novel round-up

I've always been a little intimidated by graphic novels. Mostly because when I think of graphic novels, I always think along the lines of Batman and Superman comics and the sort of hard core fans that come with them and I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable in those conditions. But graphic novels aren't limited to superheroes. Graphic novels are just as diverse as regular novels and there are some really great ones out there and I'm only just discovering some of them.

Maus by Art Spiegleman - I believe this was the first graphic novel I read. And I read it back in January. It's amazing. I remember people raving about the book when I worked in Books Etc all those years ago and now I'm kicking myself that I waited so long to pick up Maus.

I really loved the illustrations - the Nazi cats and the Jewish rats, I thought that was really clever. At the same time as telling this heartbreaking story of his father's survival during WWII, there's also this complicated relationship between father and his new wife, and father and son and the effects that the war has had on all their lives. I've only read the first part of the story and I'm anxious to read the second part. I'd really like to get back to these characters, especially the sarcastic Vladek.

The Comical Tragedy or Tragical comedy of Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean - I've always, always had a bit of a literary crush on Neil Gaiman but I've tried reading the Sandman graphic novels without any success so far. When I saw this book, I thought 'wahey, a stand-alone Neil Gaiman GN!' and did a little dance. My dance was short-lived. Because Mr Punch is one of the darkest, creepiest things I've ever read. Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, my god, there is such darkness in your heads for creating this gruesome little story and accompanying it with those frightening illustrations! Gave! Me! Nightmares! I finished this and I swear to you, I had to watch scenes from musicals like The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music on youtube to tip the balance of the disturbing occuping my head. I will never again think of Mr Punch in the same way. *shudder*

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang - This book was unexpected. I didn't know much about it beforehand, just that several people mentioned it as a starting place for first-time graphic novel readers. So I requested it on my book-swapping website and when it arrived, I thought, 'ooh.' And I read the little synopsis which read that the book is split into three parts, the first a folktale of sorts about a monkey who would like to be revered as a god; a Chinese boy who falls in love with an American girl; and a high school student who is embarassed by his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee. And if you think you know how these three stories go together, you'd be wrong. I promise. Like I said, American Born Chinese turned out to be something entirely different than I expected. It's very weird. And uncomfortable to read in parts, especially in regards to the depiction of Chin-Kee. It brings up issues of racism and stereotypes and is meant to make people feel uncomfortable.

I did like the overall message of being comfortable with who are and highlighting the racism that exists, but the strangeness of some of the storylines probably overshadowed that message for me.

And finally, we have Embroideries by Marjane Sartapi - Earlier in the year, I read Persepolis by the same author and loved it. So I made it my goal to hunt down some of Sartapi's other works to give them a try as well. And first into my house is Embroideries. And what a fun, little graphic novel this was. It relates the stories of Sartapi's (female) family and friends and neighbours. And specifically the stories that concern their love and sex lives. And the sex lives of a bunch of Iranian women is not something I thought I would ever read about, but it's refreshing to see such topics being openly discussed and it brings to light a lot of different issues, such as the importance of virginity and the ways in which women have been treated over different generations. The stories include happy and unhappy marriages, love, and keeping up appearances. It's mostly light and entertaining. I'm glad that I read it, but I wish it were longer and that some of the stories were told more in-depth.

So, there we have it. Four very different graphic novels. Now that I've read these, I'm desperate for more. Have you read any wonderful graphic novels lately? Leave your recommendations in the comments!

REVIEW: Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou

I gave birth to one child, a son, but I have thousands of daughters. You are Black and White, Jewish and Muslim, Asian, Spanish speaking, Native Americans and Aleut. You are fat and thin and pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered, and I am speaking to you all. Here is my offering to you.

I adore Maya Angelou. Everything she writes sounds like poetry to me. I read the first of her autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, many years ago and Angelou quickly became an inspiration to me. She also speaks beautifully, she writes powerfully and packs such wisdom into her words. She's written other books that follow on from I Know Why, and I have several of them that I haven't yet gotten to. After reading Letter To My Daughter, I think I shall bump up her other books to the top of my pile.

Letter to My Daughter is dedicated to all the women of the world. She writes little essays and the occasional poem to share with us all the lessons that she has learned and would like to share with us, her daughters. She writes about the experiences that have shaped her life - her first sexual experience, an abusive boyfriend. She writes about her relationship with her own mother, about conversations where Angelou said something horribly embarassing and out of line. She writes scathingly of society falling into vulgarity and obscenity. But her lessons are gentle. Be kind to others, there's a friend waiting in strangers, don't jump to conclusions as you may look foolish. Some essays are just her experiences and you're left to piece together what advice is given for yourself.

Maya Angelou has led such an interesting life and is such a strong and courageous woman. And reading Letter To My Daughter inspires me to live life with kindness and inner strength, to learn from my mistakes, to 'become the rainbow in somebody's else's cloud,' to be hopeful, and uncomplaining and charitable. I adored this book. I highly recommend it.

The ship of my life may or not be sailing on calm and amiable seas. The challenging days of my existence may or may not be bright or promising. Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude. If I insist on being pessimistic, there is always tomorrow. Today I am blessed.

Other Opinions:

The Book Lady's Blog

Read for: 100+ reading challenge, Woman Unbound reading challenge


Maya Angelou introduces Letter to My Daughter

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REVIEW: The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Everyone of you that said I would like The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, thank you. You were all right. Also? the advice about reading this book with a pen and paper nearby to frantically scribble down his recommendations? Yes, you were spot-on about that as well.

But how could any book blogger not love this book? OK, so these are all articles that he wrote for an American magazine Believer over the course of a year, but I felt like it could have all been Hornby's book blog. The sub-title for the book (I find sub-titles to be fascinating!) is: A Hilarious and True Account of One Man's Struggle with the Monthly Tide of of the Books He's Bought and the Books He's Been Meaning to Read.

And it does what it says on the tin, really. And he is funny. I've noticed that in the novels of Hornby's that I've read, and it comes across in the Polysyllabic Spree as well. Hornby has such enthusiasm for books and for reading. And he has all those neuroticisms that everyone has, he just writes about them better than most. How he buys loads of books and never gets around to them. How sometimes he gets distracted by what's on the telly, complains about long-winded passages in books. He gives up on books. There was one particular passage, which I've had stuck in my head for awhile about how he was put off a book by a single line said about a football match. You should read it, it was hilarious.

What I found really wonderful about the book is the variety of books that he shared with us all. Poetry, graphic novels, YA, biographies, sports books, debut novels. He even got quite personal with us when reading books about children with autism. I had a great time with this book and at the end, I had a huge smile on my face and a long list of books to add to my TBR list.

I'm very much looking forward to reading the other book that's been published about his reading behaviours, Housekeeping vs. the Dirt. (and Shakespeare Wrote For Money? I'm not quite sure.)


Other opinions:

things mean a lot
A Work in Progress
Stainless Steel Droppings
Books. Lists. Life.


Read for: 100+ reading challenge

REVIEW: Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes

I do adore Marian Keyes. Every novel of hers that I've read I instantly love. I think she's funny and charming and intelligent. Which is why I'm shocked that it's taken me so long to read Under the Duvet. I have quite a few books on my TBR shelf (don't we all!) but part of the reason that I chose to read Under the Duvet now was reading Marian's last newsletter in which she revealed that her depression has stopped her from doing any writing. She's been on my mind lately, and I do wish her well. I've struggled with my own depression for such a long time so I feel like we have this thing in common. And I feel it even more so now that I've read this collection of essays and journalistic pieces, some of which were unpublished before this. I do so want to be friends with Marian Keyes.

Under the Duvet (with the fab subtitle of: Notes on High Heels, Movie Deals, Wagon Wheels, Shoes, Reviews, Having the Blues, Builders, Babies, Families and other Calamities!) was published roughly ten years ago and though some bits felt slightly dated (her pieces on seeing in the millenium for instance) all were written with such humour and charm. Everything Marian writes feels spot-on. I giggled my way through this one, much to my husband's horror, as I was curled up under the duvet. She writes about her life, her friends, her family, holidays, Christmas parties, her love of shoes, buying a house, learning to drive, and marriage. The essay that stood out the most for me though is her piece about her alcoholism. It's honest and touching and I'd have read the book for that essay alone. I'm eagerly anticipating her follow-up, Further Under the Duvet.

Other opinions:

Trashionista
Reading Adventures

Read for: 100+ reading challenge, Women Unbound reading challenge

REVIEW: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I think I might be the last person alive to read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I somehow managed to miss all the hype surrounding this book with it being on Oprah and the best sellers lists and all. And I'm glad for that. I don't like reading hyped-up books when they're at the height of their popularity, but mostly just because I'm contrary. But then, I was looking at a list of possible recommendations for the Women Unbound reading challenge and this book was there, I noticed that Eat, Pray, Love was also in my library and I thought I'd give it a try. One of my goals for this year is to read more non-fiction, after all.

And when I said I missed out on the hype, I really meant it. I didn't even know what this book was about until I brought it home from the library and read the blurb on the back of the book. Hopefully you'll bear with me through the brief synopsis, there is that slim possibility that there may be other clueless souls like me who have not heard of this book. (are you out there, clueless souls?)

Elizabeth Gilbert is a 30 something year old woman who finds herself reeling after a particularly nasty divorce and an unsuccessful love affair. She's unhappy and alone and needs to do something drastic to recover. In order to do this, she has decided on a year-long trip to Italy, India and Indonesia where goes in search of pleasure, God and a balance between the two.

Gilbert decides first on Italy because something about the Italian language makes her happy. This caught my attention straight away. I like the idea of focusing on the things that makes us happy and then pursuing them. I feel like this is something that I need to be more aware of and proactive about. In this part though, Gilbert attends an Italian language class, eats a lot of pasta and gelato and gains a bunch of weight. Her writing style is quite friendly and chatty and she comes across as a person who would be a fun friend to have around.

Then she heads off to India to an ashram in order to seek God through yoga. I found this part to be quite difficult to wade through. I'm not particularly spiritual and Gilbert's beliefs and mine don't necessarily go hand in hand. I'm not against what she believes, I just found it all to be a little cheesy, in particular her conversations with herself as she struggles with hours of meditation or chants. I can relate to feeling a need to strengthen personal belief systems, and living in an ashram in India does sound fascinating. But I felt a lot of the descriptions included in this India part dragged the flow of the writing down. Best part of the ashram? Richard the Texan is hilarious.

And finally, Gilbert flies away to Indonesia on the vague comments of a medicine man who told her previously that she would live in Indonesia and the two of them would become great friends. The months in Italy and India seemed so structured and ordered that I found the lack of planning into the Indonesian months to be a little jarring. The new love interest helped, as did the arrival of new characters that pulled at my heartstrings, but the stop-start reading of her time in India meant that the momentum of reading was lost for me and I found myself forcing my way through the last bit.

Overall, I did enjoy Eat, Pray, Love. I found Elizabeth Gilbert to be funny and entertaining. I was rooting for her throughout and I love the premise of the book - a woman searching for happiness and inner strength and following her heart. I'd love to be able to take a year out and find myself. I wonder where that would lead me if I had the chance? Where would it take you?

Other Opinions:

Bookslut
Maw Books Blog
1morechapter

Read for: 100+ reading challenge, Support Your Local Library, Women Unbound reading challenge

What did you think of this book? Will you be reading Committed? Are you looking forward to the upcoming movie? If you had the same opportunities, where would your journey take you?

REVIEW: Dear Me: A Letter To My Sixteen Year-Old Self

Dear Me is a really beautiful little book. I loved the variety of contributors to this collection, actors and actresses, comedians, musicians. Some were very famous, some I didn't have a clue about, but all were interesting to read. Quite a few of them had included a photo of themselves at 16 which I was able to either giggle over or feel completely awed by. There were short letters, long letters, letters which included their own illustrations, some were hand-written. There really is something for everyone. There was some really nice reflections on body appearance, mistakes in love lives, humour, the importance of treating friends and family members well. A book to dip in and out of, you don't necessarily need to read it word for word, and you certainly don't need to read it in any particular order. However, I found that once I'd started it was really difficult for me to put Dear Me back down.

It's a lovely book, reminding us all what's important in life, looking back at our teenage years. Here's what my letter to my sixteen year old self might look like (and erm, what I did look like!):

Dear Michelle,

16 is a big year for you. Don't worry, even though your birthday was a bit of a bust doesn't mean the rest of the year will go in the same direction. Lighten up, would you? And it's OK to let people in. You're surrounded by some wonderful people and they'd all help you if only you opened your mouth and said something. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, no matter what you think. It'll do you good. And I know how much you like to think that you don't need anyone or anything, but we both know that's a big lie. Your family means everything to you, so suck it up and make peace. It'll be good for you. There are wonderful things in your future. Love, travel, children. So don't be so miserable, this time of your life won't last very long. I wish you could see how beautiful you are and how much you deserve happiness and love in your life. I know you won't believe me, but you are and you do. Keep your head up, and for god's sake, smile.

Lots of love,

Michelle

What would you like to say to your sixteen year old self?