Hey out there. I try to keep my initial blog schedule alive and Sunday I usually wrote a book review. I have read tons of books lately; however, I would like to share what Petit Joel reads these days because I think this book is very cute and special. Reading to Petit Joel is so important to me that no matter what happened throughout the day, I read to him in the evening. And even if it is just a short story because it is already late. He loves it so much, curls up next to me and usually gets his favorite book out of the bookshelf when he realized it is getting dark outside. My sweet boy.
So while discovering and exploring my new neighborhood, I found an amazing bookstore for kids. Kaleidoscope Kids Books. I am working on a blog post just about all the independent bookstores I found in Ottawa so far, so stay tuned for that – especially if you are from around here and love to read. I literally go to all these places, take pictures, talk to the owner or sales person to find out as much as possible about this particular bookstore. My dream is still to own one myself so why not do a bunch of research while I can, right.
At Kaleidoscope Kids Books I found They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel.What an amazing book, especially because these days I try to get Petit Joel to see things from other people’s perspectives. “You have to be quiet in a library or café,” I will tell him. “Maybe people had a rough day and just come here to relax.” Honestly, he has a hard time understanding this because he is still so tiny.
I just love Brendan Wenzel’s new book, They All Saw a Cat. It is all about a cat, it’s walks through the world and how other creatures perceive it differently. A child sees a cat differently than a fish while leering eyes though the fishbowl. Or a flea that just sees a pile of fur. I think it is really done in a clever child friendly way to show the power of perspective.
If you got inspired and want to purchase this book you can do so at a local independent bookstore you choose or here.
Honestly, I don’t feel like ordering anything online since I am in Canada. I love to go to all the places and discover. And I alway prefer physically going to a bookstore (oh that smell) than ordering online. This is just my opinion. Have a great week.
A couple of days ago, I visited a friend who has the most amazing book collection for her children. She reads to them every night as I do. Petit Joel and I have this little routine and he even asks me to read to him when he goes to bed and usually picks out the book he would like to hear. I think reading to children is so important. I started to read to my son when he was four months old.
So my friends’s son came out with Owl Howl (Heule Eule) and this got me inspired to start a little series on the blog. What Petit Joel reads/likes/eats/loves and such. We sat down on the ground in the garden and my friend started reading Owl Howl. My son, who played a bit further away, stopped everything he did and joined us to listen. We actually purchased the book the next day because he talked about it constantly all day long. He wants to hear it twice every night and takes it to bed with him to “read” it again with his flashlight.
What is this cute book about?
The animals in the wood hear a loud crying sound but don’t know what it exactly is. They are frightened. They try to see where the noise comes from while they look through some bushes and try to see what goes on behind trees. “Maybe it is they wolf, ” they think and the bravest of the animals, a tiny hedgehog, walks through the bushes to see where the noise comes from. There, behind the bushes, the hedgehog sees a tiny owl who cries and cries and won’t stop. All the animals try to make the tiny Owl Howl stop crying but nothing works. A raven gave her beautiful, colorful rocks to play with, a beetle screamed at her to make her stop crying and a squirrel fed her some nuts because she might be hungry. Also, whatever the other animals did, the tiny owl kept crying. Until, in the end, the tiny owl flew back to her mom who took her in her arms and she instantly stopped.
Owl Howl is a beautiful, imaginative, cute illustrated book for babies and toddlers. I think it is a lovely little story, even though why didn’t dad owl try to make baby owl stop crying, hah!? Well, this is how it usually works anyway, so stick to the mom owl for comfort, right.
I like the warm colors of the paintings that are not loaded with tons of details. All animals are easy to recognize and Petit Joel’s favorite are the beetle and the mole. Whenever I read this book to him it makes him comfortable in a way. He asks questions why the little owl is sad and so much more. He feels safe and secure, curls up to me and listens. What a nice way to end a crazy toddler day!
Sometimes it is just a lot of crying over nothing. Mom owl asked in the end,“What`s wrong, baby owl? Why are you howling like that“. Anticipation. What is the baby owl going to say? All the other animals wait desperately to find out why she finally stopped crying. She sniffed a little and then cheeped quietly: “I forgot”.
I would recommend this book for babies and toddlers from 2 years-old to 5.
Get a copy here inEnglish or in German. Enjoy and have a great week!
“Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real.”
I finished Nora Ephron’s The Most of Nora Ephron a couple of days ago and loved it so much that I have to write a quick review about it right away while it is all still fresh in my mind. I bet you watched one of her movies and loved it. When Harry met Sally; Sleepless in Seattle (I mean, c’moooon! Who does not like this movie?) or You have got mail (Meg Ryan in any movie is fantastic!). In Ephron’s book you will find many scripts, essays, early works, short stories and so much more. When I read the script on How Harry Met Sally, I felt like time-traveling when I sat at Kat’s Delicatessen with le husband.
“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”
I am a huge fan of all her food writing and I read Heartburn twice. Ephron was an awesome (screen)writer, director, feminist, full of classic jokes, funny, a beautiful person inside and out who lived an unenviable life. It seemed like she had it all. Except perfect health. She died in 2012 of cancer and left many in shock because almost nobody knew of her illness. She also wrote articles for the “New York Post“, “Esquire” and many more. Online, you can find good stuff on her early reporting about journalism and politics. I love those famous quotes of her:
“If pregnancy were a book they would cut the last two chapters.”
“Beware of men who cry. It’s true that men who cry are sensitive and in touch with feelings, but the only feelings they tend to be sensitive to and in touch with are their own.”
“When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.”
Overall, it was one of the best books I have ever read and I think Nora Ephron was a great writer and alway so positive. This book is definitely worth going back to and to re-read certain passages. Great read!
The movie Everything Is Copy is on my to-watch list for a while now. Watch the trailer if you would like. Enjoy and have a great week.
“What is hardest to accept about the passage of time is that the people who once mattered the most to us wind up in parentheses. “Goodnight you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.”
The Cider House Rules was my first novel by John Irving and kept me speechless when I finished it. I love those times when a book keeps my interest and makes me stay up all night to discover more or even finish it. At points I was totally immersed in Homer Wells’s world because of the very persuasive tone Irving used.
Dr. Wilbur Larch is a physician and director at St. Cloud’s Orphanage in Maine and raised Homer Wells from birth. I first could not believe everything Irving talked about when he explained about orphans, adoption, abortions and certain rules in those times that did apply to troubled mothers who were in need of help – help with illegal abortions, deliveries or giving the babies away to the orphanage for adoption right after birth. Homer Wells, who received his name by Dr. Larch, has been places with families several times; however, something always went wrong and they brought him back to the orphanage. Either he cried to little, cried too much – he ended up back with Dr. Wilbur Larch.
“Being afraid you’ll look like a coward is the worst reason for doing anything.”
As Homer grew older, Dr. Larch meticulously trained and made him his assistant. Homer learned and understood more and more about pregnancies, which made him eventually stop helping Dr. Larch with abortions. Homer left the orphanage when a young couple came to visit Dr. Larch to determinate their unexpected pregnancy. They told him about an apple orchard where they work and enjoy life close by the ocean. Initially, Homer wants to stay for a week or two to learn about orchard work and life. He stayed longer to discover himself and the world. [I thought this was odd for Homer to leave with this couple just like that. They just met each other.] Whatever Dr. Larch told him about life in a very old-fashioned way, did not turn out to be true after all. Homer discovers that there is a lot of evil and tons of temptations and so much more to learn. He figured that Dickens’s Great Expectations, David Copperfield (for the boys) and Jane Eyre (for the girls); the books he used to read to the orphans every night, was the real world.
Homer discovers love at the orchard and a lot more which makes him stay longer and work at the orchard. When he finds out that the orphanage plans to replace Dr. Larch, who is addicted to ether and is getting too old to perform surgeries, Homer thinks about going back to work as a doctor. What will happens next and will he eventually return to the orphanage?
Overall, this book is phenomenally written, beautiful, superb, sad at points, moving, tragic and satisfying with extraordinary powerful imagery. I love how Irving makes all the characters interact with each other, how they describe their experiences, reflect, love and discover.
Get the bookhere. Not in the mood to read the book? Watch the trailer to the movie if you would like. The movie is fantastic as well. Enjoy and have a great week.
“Everything about well-being sits firmly on this very simple rule I have learned: You must become who you really are. You must bet the real you. That means to love, accept, and be yourself no matter what. I truly believe that straying away from and separating from your inner being, or who you really are, is the root of discontent. You are not in need of self-help; you are in need of self-love. The only thing yo need to do is find yourself, and stay there.”
Just a quick Hi from me, late on Sunday to finish this week with a couple of lines about an interesting book I read a while ago. First of all, the Reiki Seminar I attended blew my mind and was way better than expected. I learned so much about myself, about how to deal with certain situations better and how to mentally grow. Thank you le husband for this amazing gift for my upcoming birthday. It was slightly different than getting earrings or perfume and such [I am not so crazy about those things anyway!] and worth so much for me. If you are new to the whole Reiki thing but interested, I would suggest you get in touch with me and I will tell you how to connect with SEHES in Rödental/Germany. I cannot say too much about the seminar because there are no words for how fantastic this experience was. One has to feel and learn for themselves when ready. Thank you again, Martina and Uwe!
When I was totally new to energy healing and Reiki I searched for books and explanations. Throughout this search I found Amy B. Scher’s book How to Heal Yourself When NO One Else Can – A Total Self-Healing Approach for Mind, Body & Spirit.Again, if you want to familiarize yourself a little idea about this topic, this book is a great start. Be Happy, Be Free, Be YOU! You learn a bit about energy, as well as self -and body healing. Also what it means to surrender, accept and flow when it comes to a true healing process. It is important to identify blockages that might be there and search for answers in the subconscious mind. Another chapter I enjoyed was to learn the language of my body. [The SEHES in-depth seminar covers all this a lot better and so much more!]
It is and was important for me to change my relationship with stress and certain experiences that have been ingrained in my life. Also, according to Scher to “transform unhealthy emotional patterns and address fear”. You will learn many insights and encouragements while creating your unique map for healing. This book offers lots of solid information with many helpful exercises written in a clear, understandable language.
Isn’t it great to eventually come into alignment with who you really are one step at a time? I love to discover new things – especially when it comes to my own person – and to figure out who I really am.
Order your copy here. Below is a great thought-provoking video by Amy B. Scher if you would like to see. Enjoy and have a great week!
“We are disclosing animals, wired for unburdening. It’s what we do as a species. When I am being told, I listen, mindful of the honor, remembering all the while that the shore would be mistaken to believe that the waves lap up against him because he is so beautiful.”
Hello and Happy Sunday!
I re-read David Rakoff’s Half Empty a while ago and I am a huge fan. My glass is usually half full but it is interesting to read about people who prefer their glass half empty and like to be on the negative side of the pond most of the time. I am a huge David Sedaris fan and David Rakoff is right up his alley. Rakoff’s theory is that “…all research is Me-search” and I like to reflect on how annoying and at the same time right-on he can be.
Great entertainment in ten essays make you find out about the power of negative thinking with a pretty sweet pace of challenging sentences or as Rakoff puts it “my ideas move like cold honey”. Throughout the book, Rakoff refers to being Jewish, Canadian, gay and “freakishly small” and I was pleasantly surprised by the content. With this series of autobiographical essays that are mostly based on disappointment, failure and pessimism, Rakoff’s holds up a mirror to society, all with this amazingly dry humor that I love. Sometimes his writing style is pretty dense and some people might be put off. There are just many tangents he goes off on and I also had to re-read certain passages but I love challenges.
“There will be peaks of great joy from which to crow and vales of tears out of which to climb. When and why they will happen, no one can say, but they will happen. To all of us. We will all go back and forth from one to the other countless times during a lifetime. This is not some call to bipartisanship between inimical sides. The Happy and the Sad are the same population.”
While Rakoff wrote Half Empty, he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor and began chemotherapy. Unfortunately he passed away in August, 2012. In his essay “Another Shoe” is a little twist of his usual humorous take on negativity. He describes how he felt when his cancer came back and that he is struggling through it with hope and this strong belief that it does not really matter what goes on with your life, you must hang on and keep moving forward. The book is just an amazing mix of laugh-out-loud moments and funny images that he described in such a way that some would stay with me for days.
“My room is cheerfully located between the sixth-floor elevators. The springs of my bed wheeze. The elevator dings. The ice machine right outside my door rumbles forth its icy bounty, a steady tattoo that beats “Stay up! Stay up!” I am in a canvas that Edward Hopper never felt bummed out enough to paint.”
Sarcastic, funny, thought-provoking, sometimes sad, sometimes very funny, delightful and brilliant. For David Rackoff or David Sedaris fans a must-read! Enjoy!
Order the book here. Also, watch this interesting video below if you would like. Have a great week.
“Girlfriends, let me tell you exactly how it is. The worst problem every woman faces is called: Man!”
Cora Hübsch is waiting. For a phone call from a man she spent one night with and had the best sex of her life. She waits for a long time. And what happens if women wait too long for a phone call? They begin to doubt and question the entire dating/relationship thing. So she patiently waits. The phone remains silent. In the meantime and while waiting, Cora could find a cure for AIDS, split an atom or prepare her tax return. Maybe she can throw away the old christmas tree that sits lonely and sad on her balcony since December. It is going to be a long night.
A great funny little book when the reader gets the chance to observe how Cora’s life changes through this period of waiting. At some points I could not stop laughing and at others I had to nod blankly because the author, Ildiko von Kürthy is so right on and entertains the reader with tons of irony. I also like Cora’s monologues. “Shouldn’t I just call him back if I feel like it,” she asks her best friend Jo. Jo simply responds “after you had sex with someone and he didn’t call you back for three days then this night meant nothing more to him than leveling out his hormones. Don’t ever call him before those three days passed. Never. Under no circumstances“. Personally, I don’t agree with some of these problems Cora and Jo explain and have; however, Mondscheintarif shows clearly one problem that most women have: to make decisions! Any decisions. Also, some parts are a little exaggerated and you might know how things will turn out pretty quickly. But I loved it nonetheless.
This novella is fun and entertaining but personally even though I don’t want to follow any “rules” when it comes to relationships. If I want to call someone I do exactly that. Simple. But for Cora and Jo, it is necessary for a woman to live by the rules. The more complicated, the better. Otherwise it would be boring, right?
I read this book a couple of times already. I even bought my sister a copy and she loves it. Same for the movie. We both know entire passages by heart. It just makes me comfortable and happy when I read it.
Is this book something I would enjoy?
First of all, the movie or book is only available in German. However, if you want to practice German, watch the movie. This book is for you, if you are waiting for a guy to call you back after a first date/night. Also, if you love a special mix of humor, sarcasm and melancholia, read this book. Then you will love Cora and the plot for sure. The book is written in the present and switches back to three days ago, the past, which makes the story more interesting and catching. The protagonist Cora has a very refreshing way of telling her story and of course tons of honesty and humor. The book or the movie are just like good friends. Friends you like to turn to if you are not feeling well, if you are lonely or want to talk.
Book and movie highly recommended. Order the bookhere.
I just want to stop by here quickly after a long party-weekend at my sister’s house and therefore, lack of sleep. Are you in the mood to read something funny? I just finished the Audiobook version of Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I read all of Sedaris’ books but this one I enjoyed the most. I was able to hear and see him at a book reading in Boston a couple of years ago. It was fantastic. There I listened to men who sat behind me. They said that David Sedaris’s audiobooks are way better and so funny when you listen to him read. So I purchased the book. I am not a huge fan of audiobooks, but this one, wow -let me tell you, it is good.
There are 25 stories, some shorter, some longer but easy to read. Sort of like “one more quick story and then I talk to you”. David Sedaris is very smart, funny and entertains the reader with awesome, hilarious stories. You will find out about the humiliation of learning French as an adult (my favorite story) when Sedaris moved from New York to Paris and needed to take French lessons. Annoying American tourists, teaching a writing course when you have no clue how to and many stories about his entertaining and funny father or learning how to play guitar from a sexist midget make Me Talk Pretty One Day one awesome read. I like how different stories and Sedaris’ changing mix in tone make some stories just laughing out loud funny while others have a somewhat deeper, more serious meaning.
It just does not get boring to listen to David Sedaris speak – and especially not when he reads his own material. David Sedaris’s logic:
“I find it ridiculous to assign a gender to an inanimate object incapable of disrobing and making an occasional fool of itself. Why refer to lady crack pipe or good sir dishrag when these things could never live up to all that their sex implied?”
“I hate you’ she said to me one afternoon. ‘I really, really hate you.’ Call me sensitive, but I couldn’t help but take it personally.”
Highly recommended in audio format. Buy Me Talk Pretty One Day here and watch this awesome interview if you would like. Signing off for tonight. Have a great week.
Thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I read two books by Joshua Becker already and am following his blog. I am into minimalism myself and those facts as well as the cover and title drew my attention to his latest book. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.
“Security, acceptance, and contentment are not the only hidden motivations that might be driving you to buy too much. The more you remove, additional unhealthy motivations will begin to emerge. They may be difficult to uncover, but it is important that you do so. Some people buy more than they should because they have a sense of inadequacy and try to compensate for it with accumulation.”
Have you ever thought that you might have too much stuff? That your house or garage is so stuffed that you cannot even enter it? I read many books on minimalism already and when Joshua Becker’s had been released I was excited to receive a copy to read. Becker explains in one of the chapters: “First, let’s review what minimalism is. It is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from them“. What led me to minimalism in the first place was that I was tired of constantly cleaning, managing and organizing all the stuff that was piling in my apartment. When I moved I did not want to take everything with me and started to simply throw things away, donating them to just have less work without even thinking of a minimalistic lifestyle.
If you are new to minimalism, this book is a great way to start your journey to declutter and give your life an overall cleanse. You will learn that excessive consumption leads to more piled up stuff in your house and eventually to a bigger house to store it all. Many love faster cars and to have the latest technology but does all this really bring happiness is the question. Are people happier just because they live in a mansion? Becker gives a lot of food for thought that made me realize that when I was younger I had a constant desire for more. To buy the latest fashion, the latest gadgets but I constantly wondered why it makes me happy for just a little while. Then I needed something else. Something fancier, faster, better.
When I read the book I knew that I am much happier owning less. You will learn through practical tips and approaches how to declutter your life and home. Becker said, “You don’t need to start with the hard stuff. Start easy. Start small. Just start somewhere.” The author asks challenging questions that make you consider the minimalistic life. He also shows how we get manipulated constantly through advertisements, commercials, TV and so much more. I liked how Becker uses many examples from his own life on how his minimalism journey started. He also mentioned The Minimalists who I have been following for a long time as well as many other minimalists and their stories which is very inspiriting. Joshua Becker and his wife are the founders of the non-profit organization The Hope Effect with the goal to provide homes to orphans. All this became possible due to there minimalistic lifestyle and I think this story is fantastic.
I loved the chapter on clothing. I don’t own many. This is my choice and I am fine with it. Quality over quantity.Becker offers many tips on how to clean your closets. Organizing my closet and clothes was easy for me. Books on the other hand was a different story.
Becker talks about books and how he used to cram his shelves with books “to signal to anyone who visited his office that he was well read, intelligent, and worthy of esteem. When he understood this about himself, he felt embarrassed. He then removed two-thirds of his books, that he didn’t really need and realized that he no longer needs to impress others by the number of books in his shelves.” I love this. I am a huge book lover myself and I have a lot of books. Always had. To go through my shelves with a minimalistic approach I realized that books do not define me. They do add value of course in a way contribute to who I am, but they don’t need to sit around in my shelves forever. At least not all of them. So I keep the ones I cannot live without.
I think The More of Less is an extraordinary, inspiring and amazing book that I highly recommend even though if minimalism is not your thing but you would like to make some small changes in your lifestyle, declutter or discover some areas where you could apply some of the minimalist principles.
Listen to this great interview with Joshua Becker or visit his website. Good stuff.
There is a lot of hype about this book. It seems everybody on this planet talks about it, read it, wants to read it and whatnot. “The most shocking thriller you will read this year“? Most inaccurate and unrealistic claim ever. I dragged myself through this book waiting for a change in the plot or something else interesting but unfortunately it did not happen. L.S. Hilton’s femme fatale Judith, who is the main character in Maestra seems like a weird psycho lady after just a couple of pages.
The initial set up of the story was good, entertaining and even grabbed my attention. The author introduced Judith as a young beautiful woman who tried to make her way in the art world. She seemed smart and works at a well-known auction house as a receptionist. All she wants is money however because of her debt and to buy great expensive clothing. Judith also wants to gain respect and entry in the real art society and world. Then she meets an old friend who told her about this amazing job as a hostess at a champagne bar. Judith works there occasionally, then every night, making a lot of money in tips, manipulates the customers to purchase the most expensive champagne which is the main purpose of the etablissement. Judith then saves all the money, starts a savings account and buys tons of expensive clothing and the labels and brands are mentioned constantly in the book. All she wants is to look hot; she also detests fat people. She is also a sex addict. The scenes described reminded me a bit of 50 Shades of Grey but more graphic, brutal and disgusting. Judith is most certainly not a virgin.
So she works as a hostess and at the art house. At the auction house, things start to go down. Judith finds out about a conspiracy and art fraud and ends up being fired because she wants to make it all public. At this point I waited for justice. I mean, who wouldn’t? Revenge? Nothing. All that happens from now on are brutal sex and killings. The author describes a sex party that Judith, a friend, and James, a “fat annoying customer at the hostess club” attend. Then an “accident” happened and James died. It is not even Judith’s fault but she escapes. I just wanted her to be caught at this point and the book to end. When she was with the next guy, Steve, I thought the story might get a bit better but is just downhill from there until the end.
It seems that the author tried something here, and something different there and then combine both stories but it just does not work. Out of nowhere, Judith completely changes and is a cold-blooded killer and sort of sociopathic. The story could be okay but somehow there need to be flashbacks why she became like that, childhood troubles and whatnot for example. For me, there should be a lot more to a journey or story than just a confusing mix of weird circumstances. In an interview L.S. Hilton said that she did a lot of research before and during writing the book. Well, I did not find any investigations, police reports or forensics. Doesn’t anybody try to catch her while she is randomly killing people, after having insane crazy sex and getting high all the time? The book just does not add up and fell apart pretty quickly. A good decent psychological crime thriller is something different. The plot hast too many holes. Trilogy? No thank you.
Would I love to read this book?
There is nothing mysterious about the plot. Don’t read it if you are looking for something glamorous, class, erotic, thrilling or a good plot. If you are into x-rated porn, obnoxiously expensive clothing and constant designer fashion names, expensive hotels and yachts, poor taste and slightly disgusting overall-feel, then you will enjoy this book.
