Tag Archives: books

PW’s April Kindle First Book Club Selection

Roger Pulvers "Star Sand"
Roger Pulvers “Star Sand”

This month’s Amazon Prime Kindle First selection for the PW Book Club is Roger Pulvers, “Star Sand.”

This book is a war fiction novel that takes place during World War II. Here’s the Amazon blurb:

In 1958, a diary is found in a cave on the small Japanese island of Hatoma. Alongside it are the remains of three people.

The journal reveals the story of Hiromi, a sixteen-year-old girl who’d grown up in the United States before living in Japan in the midst of World War II. One day, while collecting star sand—tiny star-shaped fossils—Hiromi finds two army deserters hiding in the seaside cavern—one American, one Japanese. The soldiers don’t speak the same language, but they’ve reached an agreement based on a shared hope: to cause no more harm and survive. Hiromi resolves to care for the men—feeding them and nursing their ailments—despite the risk that, if caught, she’ll die alongside them as a traitor. But when a fourth person joins in on their secret, they must face a threat from within. The diary abruptly ends, leaving everyone’s fate a mystery.

Decades later, in 2011, a young female university student decides to finally determine who died in that cave and who lived. Her search will lead her to the lone survivor—and bring closure to a gripping tale of heroism at a time when committing to peace was the most dangerous act of all.

For those that are Amazon Prime subscribers, the Kindle First book is FREE.  For those that are not Prime members, you’ll have to wait until May 1, 2016 to get your copy.  Kindle First is offered exclusively to Amazon Prime members.  Kindle First contains a selection of books picked by Amazon editors and made available one month prior to its release for free to Prime members.

Not an Amazon Prime member?  You can join by clicking on the ad below.

If you’d like to join the Book Club discussion, you can join by entering your email in the box on the right.  Details on the Book Club discussion will be emailed to you later in the month.

For those who are not Amazon Prime members, but would like to join the Book Club, the Book Club will discuss the book on June 15, 2016.  This gives Prime members two and a half months to read the book, and non-Prime members a month and a half to read the book.

If you have any thoughts or questions you’d like to post for the discussion, feel free to leave the question/comment below or on the Facebook page.

Happy reading!




PW’s First Book Club Discussion

the light of the fireflies

For those wanting to participate in this month’s book club discussion for “The Light of the Fireflies,” you can find the discussion HERE.  Feel free to share your thoughts of the book on the Facebook page.

Since this is the first book club, we’re making this open to anyone who’s read the book to comment on the book.  So if you haven’t finished reading it yet, no problem.  It will remain on the PW Facebook page.

Also, you can comment on the book here if you don’t have Facebook.

Here is the original Facebook discussion and my responses to kick the book club off.

“The Light of the Fireflies” by Paul Pen Discussion Thread.

Hello everyone.

My name is Michelle Kenneth and I’ll be moderating our first book club discussion for Paul Pen’s “The Light of the Fireflies.” This is an Amazon Kindle First book, so if you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you get early access to the book before it is released for FREE. On the first day of every month, they release a group of selections that you can choose from.

For March, I selected Paul Pen’s book. I’ll be selecting the next book tomorrow after they release their selections. [In the future, as we get more interest in the Book Club, I’ll let someone else pick out the next month’s selection.]

So on to the discussion…

1) What did you think of the book?

2) Were you shocked by the ending of the book?

3) When they revealed who the father of the child was, were you surprised at this revelation? Did you assume the baby’s father was who the sister claimed the baby’s Father was?

4) What did you think of the real story of how they ended up in the basement and how they attained their burns?

5) As the boy tells the story from his point of view, he knows his brother is just a little off, but never to the extent we see in the back story. Based on what is revealed in the back story, did you imagine that the brother could be dangerous to society?

6) Overall, what were your thoughts on the book? Would you recommend it to your friends/family?

Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe:  I’ll start the discussion off…

1) Simply put, I did not like the book at all. Generally speaking, the incest involved and the elements of what the brother did to that girl…just not something I would normally read.

2) I was shocked by the ending of the book. I think as a woman, I’m generally concerned for the safety and well being of other women. I assumed the sister was the victim in this, sexually abused by her father. I never imagined she was actually a very bad seed. She was just altogether evil. Did she deserve getting knocked up by her brother? Was that some sort of justice? I don’t think it was. At the end, when she is killed, I thought it was a saving grace for everyone. They were safe from her torment, and she finally escaped her family.

3) I assumed the entire time the father was the father of her child. I never even imagined it was the brother that had knocked her up.

4) I really didn’t like their back story. This family was absolutely crazy. If they had called the police to begin with, they never would have gone into that basement. They never would have received those burns. I’m sure the town would have taken into account that the child had a mental disability. He didn’t report that he had found the girl because he did not know he was supposed to do that. Sure, there may have been villagers talking about how the kid sexually assaulted the girl while she was broken, but they could always move and start over. Why hide the corpse? The boy just didn’t know better. The Sister, she was evil within herself. She would have been better off leaving her family, especially after the way they ‘saved’ the boy the way they did.

The next question is…would you have followed in their footsteps or would you have called the police to save your disabled son?

5) I was very shocked when I read what the Brother did to the girl. It was just difficult to fathom he was a sexual deviant. Then to find out he had sex with his sister…I have to ask how that happened. She seems to fight well for herself. Was she raped? Did he have sex with her while she was asleep? How did he do it? It’s obvious she hates her brother and always has. How was he able to take advantage of her?

If you were in the Sister’s shoes, would you have tried to kill the baby, too? Personally, I don’t even want to think about being in her shoes.

I also could not imagine that the Brother was a danger to society. Part of me thinks that the family just made one too many wrong decisions in an attempt to ‘save’ their favorite son, thus making the situation out worse than it really was. It’s not like the boy killed the girl (or did he)?

6) Overall, I didn’t like the book. I assumed that the reason why they were all in there was because of some nuclear attack or apocalyptic happening…or maybe they wanted to be rid of society that judged them for their appearance after a fire. To find out why they went down into that basement…come on. They were a family of cowards.

Would I recommend this book to anyone? No. Just because it’s not my type of book. A lot of people on GoodReads recommend the book, even though it is very dark.

This book is so haunting it will stick with you for life just because of the disturbing images throughout the book. All throughout the book, I kept wondering how in the world the author came up with this idea.

As we go along and make this a regular book club, we’ll change how the book club is done, so make sure to sign up with your email to join the PW Book Club on the right hand side.  Also, as more people join, I’ll let others pick out the next month’s Amazon Kindle First book on the first of the month.

I’ll be announcing next month’s Kindle First book tomorrow.

For those who don’t know what Kindle First is, you can read more about it HERE.




PW Book Club: March Kindle First Selection

the light of the firefliesThe first official PW Book Club Kindle First selection is “The Light of the Fireflies” by Paul Pen.

Here’s a synopsis of the book from Amazon.com:

A haunting and hopeful tale of discovering light in even the darkest of places.

For his whole life, the boy has lived underground, in a basement with his parents, grandmother, sister, and brother. Before he was born, his family was disfigured by a fire. His sister wears a white mask to cover her burns.

He spends his hours with his cactus, reading his book on insects, or touching the one ray of sunlight that filters in through a crack in the ceiling. Ever since his sister had a baby, everyone’s been acting very strangely. The boy begins to wonder why they never say who the father is, about what happened before his own birth, about why they’re shut away.

A few days ago, some fireflies arrived in the basement. His grandma said, There’s no creature more amazing than one that can make its own light. That light makes the boy want to escape, to know the outside world. Problem is, all the doors are locked. And he doesn’t know how to get out…

For those who are Amazon Prime members, Kindle First books are part of your membership.  You don’t have to pay anything extra.  It’s FREE.

What is Kindle First?  Amazon Prime members can choose one of six books selected by Amazon editors before they are released to the general public.  Even if you don’t finish the book by the end of the month, it’s still yours to keep at no charge (i.e. it’s FREE).

If you are not an Amazon Prime member yet and would like to join in this month with the Book Club selection, you can try the service out for free for the next 30-days.  If you take advantage of all Prime has to offer (books, music, movies, photo storage, free 2-day shipping) and want to continue after the 30-days, you are charged for the year up front (about $110 depending on your state’s tax).  For those who want to cut back on streaming services, Amazon Prime is like Netflix, Dropbox, and iTunes/Google Play Music all wrapped up into one membership.  It figures out to be about $8/month, which is a pretty substantial savings.

For those who want to join the Book Club, we are going to do a LIVE chat at 4PM ET on March 30th.

How can you join the live chat?  Sign up using the email link under PW Book Club on the right hand side.  I’ll email the details and reminder as we get closer to the date.  In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments you want to make while you’re reading, feel free to comment below.

Looking forward to chatting with everyone.  Happy reading!

The Reading Challenge: 52+ Books This Year

The Reading Challenge- 52+ Books This Year
One of the resolutions I make every year is to read 52 books a year.  At the end of last year, as I started following more and more bibliophiles on Instagram, I was shocked to see that some people read over 100 books by the end of the year.  I could never imagine doing that feat.  52 books seemed doable, even though that resolution went to the wayside over these last couple of years.

This year, I wanted to make sure I didn’t just read 52 books, but that I read MORE THAN 52 books this year.

My method of attack is this:

  1.  Read 50+ pages every day.  On the weekends, read 100+ pages.
  2. While you’re at work, walking, doing dishes, getting ready for work, listen to audio books.
  3. Once a month, do a quick read that’s less than 150 pages.
  4. Finish books you started in the past, but never finished.

After seeing all of the different Instagram challenges, I thought I’d do my own to get people to challenge themselves to read more this year.

Here is how the challenge works:

  1. Choose a Reward for Yourself.  Pick out an item that you really want, that you could save for along this journey.  Be it a vacation, a luxury handbag, a pair of obscenely overpriced shoes, a class you’ve always wanted to take…pick something that would be considered a serious treat for yourself.  You should reward yourself for a job well done.  Make sure this is something you’re going to enjoy!
  2. Come up with a pricing system.  This will depend on the price of the item you are saving for and what you can afford.  For instance, I reward myself if I don’t purchase the book.  If it was free, a library book, or a gift, I put away $25 after I’ve completed the book.  If it’s a classic (a more challenging smart book), I reward myself $100.  If it’s a book for Book Club that I purchased, I allow myself $20.  If I purchased the book in order to read it, because I just had to have it, only the retail price listed on the book goes into the reward jar, and the amount I actually paid for the book comes out of the reward jar.  Taking the money out of the reward jar to pay for the book is my way of making sure I don’t spend money on unnecessary purchases.  The only exception to purchasing the book is if it is for the Book Club.  If the book is currently in my personal library, because I am making it a challenge to read what’s actually in my personal library this year, I’m rewarding myself $50 per book completed.That’s the reward system I’ve set up for myself.  As you can see, the books I really want to challenge myself to read more of, I set the prize at a higher price in order to encourage myself to read more of those books.
  3. Keep track of what you read.  I used to keep track in a journal of what I read every year, including the amount I earned.  Now, I keep track in my calendar.  I keep stickers handy so I can place a sticker on the days where I completed a book.  It’s a good way to visually see my progress and if I’m staying on track with a book a week (at the minimum).
  4. Don’t dip into the reward jar until the first day of the year.  I’m speaking from experience here.  You are doing two things for yourself…you are working hard towards a goal and you need to learn to save for the reward at the end of the journey.  It is no fun if you get to the end of the journey and realize there’s no reward money there because you spent it already.For many people (including myself), saving money can be very difficult when we live in a society where we get what we want, when we want it.  We don’t save for the future or save for something we want.  Since I started the KonMari method, I have stopped the consumer cycle.  I was literally overflowing with stuff.  I vowed that if I wanted something new, I would have to save for it using the reading challenge.  I’m not allowed to buy the item now.  I have to work towards earning the right to have that item, so that I would appreciate it more in the end because I would know how hard I worked to earn that item.Keep the money in a safe place.  Keep it safe from yourself (if you think you’re going to dip into the jar).  Earn some interest off the money while you save.  Just keep plugging at that savings and don’t touch it until January 1st.

But It’s March

Ok.  I know I started this challenge for you to join in March.  If you’re a bibliophile, you’ve probably already read at least 10 books this year already, so you are on track.  If you are starting from scratch, we can go at this in 2 different ways.  You can either: 1) fast track (and over the months I’ll tell you how) or 2) do this as a full 52-week challenge, let the challenge run through 2017 and you can access that cash on March 1, 2017.

Whichever method you decide to do, I’ll be helping you along.

For those who are Amazon Prime members, I’ll be making recommendations from the Kindle First collection.  If you choose the same book that month, I’ll have a Book Club sign up where we can discuss the book at the end of the month.  [Amazon Prime members can choose one book each month from the Kindle First collection.  These are books selected by the Amazon editors to read prior to the book’s release date.  If you’re an Amazon Prime member, this is part of your membership, no extra charge.]

For those who need to get their extra books in via audio books, I highly recommend Kindle Unlimited.  It’s around $10/month to access many books on your Kindle device or app.  Just make sure when you select the book to borrow that it says Read and Listen For Free on the tab.  If it doesn’t, you may have to pay extra for the Whispersync/Audible audio recordings.  What about Audible membership?  Audible is $14.95/month and that’s just for one audio book a month.  Kindle Unlimited with Whispersync/Audible allows you to read the book and if you need to put the book down, you can switch it to audio and listen until you can read the book again.  Audible doesn’t allow that.  It’s just the audio book.

The only reason you should have Audible is if you want a book that is not audio available on Kindle Unlimited.  I used Audible for Book Club selections when I was having problems getting back into the swing of reading books again after my surgery.  2016 is actually the first time I’ve actively been reading a lot of books since my surgery in 2013.  I didn’t want to give up Book Club, so I listened to the books until I got comfortable with reading books again.  So if you’re concerned about not being able to read as much, seriously consider audio books.  You can listen to them wherever you go when you can’t pick up the physical book.

The March Challenge

March Books

So here’s the March challenge.  We essentially have five weeks this month.  Your focus is going to read/listen to no less than five books.  Here are the five books I’ll be reading.

    1. Kindle First [TBD]
    2. Book Club Selection – A Confederacy of Dunces (falls into the Classic category)
    3. A book about the Circus – Water for Elephants: A Novel (this book is available with audio for Kindle Unlimited members, remember to look for the ‘Read and Listen for Free’ option)
    4. A short book [TBD]
    5. A book about Time Travel – Time’s Divide (The Chronos Files) (next book in the Chronos Files series, also a Kindle Unlimited book)

Anything beyond five books is a free for all.

For those not in a book club, I highly recommend joining a book club.  You can find these at your local library or bookstore.  It’s a great way for you to meet other bibliophiles such as yourself.  It gives great insight into the book that you may not have even realized while you were reading.  It’s also a good way to meet new people and make new friends.  Books are meant to be shared.

If you don’t want to join a book club, since our book club is reading a classic, you can substitute option #2 with a classic or read what we’re reading.

For the Amazon Prime members that choose the same Kindle First book as I do and want to join in our own book club, please comment below, tweet me (@MichelleDoPW or @MichelleKenneth), ping me on Facebook, or tag me on Instagram (@diaryofaperfectionistwannabe).  I’ll share the additional details in an upcoming post.

For those taking the March Challenge, ping me on social media using the hashtag #PWMarchBooks so that we can all find each other and share what we’re reading this month.  I’ll Repost/Retweet, etc. so we can all connect to each other.

* For those playing catch-up, include a short book of poetry and choose at least 2 books this month that are less than 150 pages.  If you can, try to boost your reading by listening to a couple of audio books.  You can listen to these in the car, at work, while you’re working out, walking, etc.

How to Declutter Your Life Part Two: Tackling Your Entertainment

scarves3As part of a new series this year, I wanted to share with you how I am decluttering my life. This is a five month series.  For those who want to take the steps to begin decluttering your life, count on this being a six month life plan to commit to this year.  You’ll need the extra month to truly put this plan into effect.

ESSENTIAL MATERIALS: Make sure to pick up a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.  This is one of the most important books in understanding the points we’ll be covering over these next five months.  Also make sure to have a journal to record your progress.

Step 2. Tackle Your Entertainment

For those who have a rather large entertainment collection (videos, CDs, records, games, books, etc.), today we’re going to focus on how you can downsize your collection.

We are fortunate that we live in an age where we can get rid of our clutter and go digital with almost all of our entertainment needs.  For those who have BluRay players, Smart TVs, XBox Ones and PS4s, (i.e. technology you can connect to the internet) utilize what these devices offer by putting everything up online to access your content through streaming and cloud services.

Take Advantage of Cloud Services – Movies

PART ONE.  You know those pieces of paper you get inside your DVDs and BluRay Discs with a special digital code?  Go online and enter in the codes.  Most use services like Flixster or Ultraviolet.  Those are the two movie cloud services you want to have an account with.  It’s FREE.

What’s great about getting an account with both of these services is that they interlink with each other, so no matter which service you use based on the movie company’s choice provider(s), you can luckily interlink all of the accounts together.  You can do that through the settings on both accounts.

On your Smart TV, Xbox, etc., download a movie app that allows you to access your movie collection.  For me, that app is Cinema Now.

Using that app, link all of your upload libraries (Flixster and Ultraviolet) to the movie app (you can also do this online).  You should be able to access your library of all digital content you entered in codes for through the various upload services.  Movie companies usually decide which service they will use as a digital content service.  You just have to enter in the code, pick which account you have from the list, and then it automatically is added to your cloud library.

When you open up your movie app on your TV, all of the digital content through the various services will be all in one spot to access no matter which TV or device you use.

Going Forward.  Resolve to only purchase all future movies through the streaming service.  You don’t need the actual physical copy to clutter up your home.  By purchasing through the streaming service, you will have access to that movie on any of your devices.  It also saves you a trip to the store or wait time to get it in the mail.

PART TWO.  If you use streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, consider matching your current library with theirs.  If it’s part of their service, consider ditching your actual copy of the movie.

Most people don’t know that part of their Amazon Prime service is a streaming movie service just like Netflix.  It’s part of the Prime membership.  You don’t have to pay extra for it.  All of the videos you order (or have ordered over the years prior to Prime) are available in the Amazon Cloud for you to access, too.  They also have their own shows like Netflix does.

Netflix and Amazon Prime have a lot of the same movies and TV shows.  The only major difference is their own original content like Orange is the New Black (Netflix) and The Man in the High Castle (Amazon Prime).

For your Smart TVs, video consoles and BluRay players…just download the Netflix and Amazon Prime apps to your TV to access the streaming services.

After you’ve completed PART ONE and PART TWO, you can get rid of the physical DVD/BluRay discs.  They are available to you digitally.  You can make a few bucks off that collection by going to a local retailer that buys used DVDs/BluRays.

PART THREE.  After you have entered in all of the codes you found, matched your collection to Netflix or Amazon Prime, sold your collection (or donated it), now you need to focus on maintenance.

Check every now and again to see if there are any movies popping up on Netflix or Amazon Prime that you already own.  If it’s new to their catalog, you can let go of your copy.  Netflix makes it easy by showing what new movies they’ve added.  Amazon Prime is a bit more laborious to check.  Netflix is the easiest to go through and search.  It’s much faster if you search the collection via your computer.

For the new movies you want to purchase, instead of buying a physical copy of it, you can now buy a digital copy through the movie app (Cinema Now) or even through Amazon.  You can even rent movies if you don’t feel like buying.  The prices to purchase are comparable to the actual physical copy.  What’s also nice is that when you purchase, it downloads immediately.  You don’t have to go to the store or wait for it to be delivered.  It saves time and shipping costs.

Keep in mind that if you rent, check the prices between your cable provider, Amazon and the movie app.  One may be cheaper than the other.  Also, if you can wait, most of the popular movies are out on the movie channels a month after it’s released on DVD.  I DVR it if I want to keep it.  It saves from purchasing the movie itself.

Take Advantage of Streaming Services – Music

I use two streaming music services: Amazon Prime and Google Play.  Of the two, I prefer Google Play.  Amazon Prime Music is part of the Amazon Prime membership.  You don’t pay extra for it.  Google Play is a little less than $11 per month (depending on your state taxes).

I prefer Google Play because I am able to access their extremely large music library.  The selling point for me is the classical collection.  There are certain albums I like and Google Play has it.  Amazon Prime does not.  Not everything on Prime is part of the service.  You have to pay for some of the music.  Google Play, on the other hand, has everything.  To me, that’s worth the $10+ each month: access to unlimited music and stations.

I don’t own any CDs thanks to streaming services.  I can download every single album or song I’ve loved throughout my entire life and not pay anything extra beyond that monthly fee.

Keep in mind though that some artists will force you to purchase their music.  If that’s the case, you’ll need Amazon Prime or iTunes to get their music.  They won’t always be available on streaming services.

Either way, it keeps it digital.  It’s less stuff you have to physically take care of.

Less clutter and less stuff to take care of is our mission!

Take Advantage of Reading Apps – Books

There is an ongoing debate among book lovers.  Hard copy or digital?  Most book lovers do both.  For advanced copies of books, I have to have the physical copies.  They don’t send digital copies (although they should…it would save so much in shipping costs).

PART ONE.  For books I have to have now, or something to read while I’m traveling, I order it through my Nook app or Amazon Kindle app.  I try to order all new books that are available digitally through one of the two apps, depending on who is selling the book cheaper or if I want narration added to it.

One service I do love is Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited.  It’s a monthly service ($9.99/month).  If you think about how much you pay per month for one book…and you read a lot…this service may be best for you.  What I love the most about this service is that most of the books have narration.  If I have to stop reading and walk somewhere, then I switch to narration so I can continue the book while I’m walking.  It’s also great if you’re at work and need something to listen to.  I listen to books while I’m working to help kick out my New Year’s Resolution of reading 52+ Books a year.

There is also the Audible service, but for the same price, you get one credit per month for an audio book.  You also can’t switch back and forth between reading and listening to the narration.  I prefer the Kindle Unlimited because like it says…unlimited books from their library.  That includes the books you can switch back and forth between reading and narration.

So for those times you find that incredible book you just can’t put down but you have to because you have to go from point A to B or you are at work…consider the Kindle Unlimited service.  You can listen to the book when you can’t read it.  The narration picks up right where you left off reading.  That’s why I love this service so much.

PART TWO.  For those who have libraries at home…finding a way to declutter your books (when you are a bibliophile) is just impossible.  So I want to focus on storage.  If you’re looking for the perfect library system, try the Billy cases from Ikea.  They are pretty high and can accommodate a rather large book collection.

I keep all of my books in the library.  Unless I am reading that book, it’s the only time a book is allowed out of that room.  People go on and on about styling their bookcases to look pretty.  All of my books are alphabetized by author.  They are all standing up, none are on its side (a KonMari must, everything must be standing up).  If there are more books than shelf space, that means I have to weed out books to get rid of.

For the books I’ve already read, I only keep the books that were so good that I know I may need a passage from it later.  These are the type of books that moved me.  All the rest are either donated or sold at a resale bookstore.

Because I receive a lot of advanced copies, I have to weed every year to make room for the new review copies.  Out of the advanced copies group, I only keep the books that were personally autographed to me.  All the rest are donated after I review them.  You can’t really resell advanced copies of books.

The key thing about having a library is that all of the books be in ONE PLACE.  Do not scatter them throughout your home (with the exception of coffee table books).  Have them all in one place so that when you are looking for a particular book, you will find it in that one room sitting on the shelf where it is supposed to be.  Come up with a system that works for you.  Alphabetizing by author works for me.

I also keep the review copies separate from the main books in the library.  They have their own book shelf so I know which books I’m supposed to review.

The KonMari method teaches that we should stand everything up on its side (folded clothing, books, etc.).  Keep that in mind as you place the books in an order that works for you.

The method of going through the collection and asking yourself if the book ‘sparks joy’ is a bit fruitless to ask of bibliophiles.  All of the books spark joy.

In order to declutter from an overflowing collection, start with the books you’ve already read.  If you have no intention of reading or referencing it again…let it go.  If there are books that were given to you that you have no intention of ever reading because it’s not something that interests you…let it go.  Books that are too damaged to read, recycle them.  College books…come on, you are never going to read them again…let it go.

The most important thing in this process is to make sure you have the correct storage space for your library.  If it’s overflowing, or you can’t stand all the books up on the shelves, you need to pare down or get a book shelf that will work for your budding collection.  Start paring down the groups I mentioned above.  Give those books another chance to let someone else enjoy them.  It served its purpose in your life.  By letting it go, it’s one less thing you have to take care of.

PART THREE.  Maintaining order in your reading apps is very important.  You can order up a storm of books and they will all sit there in your queue waiting to be read.  This is where YOU STOP doing that.  In a way, you are overwhelming yourself by creating a clutter of books you need to read on an app.  Resolve from here on out to buy the book when you plan on reading it.

For books you’ve read, make sure you archive it, return it (Amazon Kindle), or remove it from your active library.  You can always recall the book whenever you need it (if you purchased it).  This clears up your visual library when you open up the device/app.  Your goal is to be a minimalist in this decluttering journey.

If you really want to start decluttering your devices/apps, consider putting most of the books into the archive and leaving only the next 3-5 books you want to read in the queue.  As you finish and archive each book, you can go through the archive and add the next book to the queue or purchase a new book.

Your goal is to declutter your reading apps.  Maybe someday they’ll create reading lists (like they do music playlists) where you can easily drop and categorize your books.  So if you’re in the mood to read a teen book, you can just go to your TEEN BOOKS list you created and pick one from your archived list.  I guess I should email them and request this?

For the Gamers

Gamers technically already know that if they have an internet based game console, they can just order the new game through the console and it is uploaded immediately.  No need to purchase the physical copy.

Buying a physical copy means you have to use that disc each time you want to play the game.  It’s better to just download the game.  This is great especially if you’re at someone else’s house and want to play a game you downloaded.  Just switch to your profile on the other person’s game console and you can play.

You can take games/consoles you no longer want to places like Game Stop to resell.

When you pare down your games, you want to ask yourself if this game brings you joy or not.  If it doesn’t, let it go.  If you are not going to play it again, let it go.  If you beat the game already, let it go.  If you have the next version of the game (like most sports games) and it’s better than the older version, let the older version go.

I know there are collectors out there, so with the older game consoles and games, if they still function properly, keep and maintain them.  I know how it feels to be nostalgic and want to play Atari or Nintendo 64.

For current and new games, consider downloading the games from here on out.  Or use a game renting service like Gamefly.

Keep in mind that the less stuff you have, the less things you have to take care of.  Your goal here is to declutter and get rid of everything that does not bring you joy.  The only things you want to keep in your home are the things that bring you joy.

Does it Spark Joy? 

Remember that throughout this whole process of decluttering your entertainment, your first question is “Does this spark joy?”  If it doesn’t, let it go.  The whole purpose of decluttering the KonMari way is to only keep the things in your home that brings you joy.  You only want to surround yourself with the things that bring you joy.

After you have used this method to pare down everything (sometimes it can take a few tries to declutter one category), what you want to have left from your collection are ‘just enough.’  In other words, you have enough and you don’t need anymore.  You’ve minimized your collection down to where things are not overflowing.  You are content with the amount you have.  For some people it may be nothing.  For others 25, 75, 100, or 500.  Just as long as you have adequate storage and things are not overflowing, you can have as many as you want…but the whole idea to decluttering is to have less things so you can do the things you’d rather be doing without being burdened down by stuff that will suck the energy out of you.

The Resolutions 2016

Resolutions 2016

Resolutions.

We all make them.  Some try to say they tossed their resolutions out before the ball even dropped.  Then there are those who realize that they need a change.  Very few stick to those resolutions just a day into the new year.  Others go two to three weeks into the new year.  Some see it through for the first three months and then give up.  Then there are those who truly stick to their resolutions because they wanted to see it through until the end.

Over these last couple of years, I’ve tried to make resolutions, but because I was a little stuck in life, I just didn’t care about those resolutions because I wasn’t quite sure what it was about me that I wanted to change.

For those who don’t know, I was faced with my own mortality back in 2013 when I was told I had a tumor in my parathyroid gland (the gland that synthesizes calcium).  The gland and the tumor had to come out.  I was told to prepare for the worst.  The worst was death.  I found out in August 2013.  On October 22, 2013, I went under the knife and woke up a very different person.

I’ve been pushing myself since then to try to get back to some sort of normalcy.  But it just wouldn’t come.  That normalcy is about finding out who you are now that everything in your universe has changed.  This is normal for people who have had a major surgery or are faced with their own mortality (like a heart attack, an accident, cancer, etc.).  Your life before that moment means nothing to you.  It’s who you are after the surgery or life threatening moment that you are trying to define.  Just who are you now and what do you want out of life?

Since the surgery, I’ve had friends so absorbed in their own worlds that the second they can stop and ask what is going on they are shocked to discover just how much I’ve been struggling since the surgery and what I’ve been doing to get back to being normal again.  I can tell you one thing…it has not been easy.

But this year, I feel like it is time to evolve into the person I am trying to become, and in some cases, get back to.

This past year, I’ve been sharing a few of the things I’ve been doing on Instagram and Twitter.  It’s a way to take a glimpse at the path I’m ultimately following.  I’ve found that when you are on the right path, everything works out more magically for you than you can ever imagine.  I’ve made a lot of new friends this past year and have met and spoken to a lot of incredible people this past year.  When I got the invitation to Martha Stewart’s conference, I was shocked.

That was synchronicity. It was the defining moment of 2015 that helped me understand what I was going to do with my life.  What direction my life was heading was all laid before me in that conference.  It was like I could finally connect the dots stretching across the universe before me to create a new destiny.  In other words, I finally saw the person I was to become.

When people ask me what my resolution this year is, I say it’s to work on my Type-A personality.  People laugh like that’s absolutely crazy.  Who wants to work on being Type-A?  Well, I’ve been lingering between Type-A and B and I’m kind of sick and tired of being stuck in the middle there, gravitating between getting shit done and being too lazy to do it.

My friend said to me after Thanksgiving that she had read that the way you can tell if a person is Type-A or Type-B all falls under when they put their Christmas tree up.  Type-A’s have the tree up no later than the day after Thanksgiving.  Type-B’s procrastinate.  They get their trees up no later than Christmas Eve.  My tree was up the day after Thanksgiving.  Waiting until Christmas Eve would have driven me crazy since there’s so much to do between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Now, I’m going nuts because the tree is still up and it’s January 2.  No worries…it’s coming down at some point today.  I only kept it up until now because Matthew Lucifer’s birthday was yesterday and he loves hiding out under the tree.

Getting back to being Type-A, it falls under being a Perfectionist Wannabe.  Martha Stewart is the epitome of the Perfectionist.  After all, when it comes to home stuff, don’t we ask, “What would Martha do?”  One thing I learned at the conference is that we all need to be just as good as Martha, so that one day people will say, “What would ______ do?”

So this year, at the top of my list is to work on being a Type-A for one simple reason…because focusing on being that Type-A is what drives the motivation behind doing all of the things I want to do in life.  I’m tired of dreaming or just trying to figure out what I want to do.  Being a Type-A motivates me to stop thinking about it and just do it already.  Meandering between Type-A and Type-B to me means thinking about it, thinking about doing it, and then coming up with a lot of reasons on why I can’t do it.  When you do that, you find you start to suffer.

So I’m going to take you through each resolution one at a time.

 

FOCUS ON BEING THE TYPE-A PERSONALITY.

{Explained above.}

 

KON MARI (DECLUTTER) THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE IN ALL ASPECTS: HOME, MIND, BODY, FINANCES, AND LIFE.

Over the next five months, I’ll be sharing how I’m decluttering the various aspects of my life. The reason why I chose to make this a major resolution is because I found that I was buried under so much stuff that each weekend when I told myself I was going to write, I’d find myself spending the entire weekend cleaning and taking care of stuff around the house.  I never got around to doing the things I wanted to do to advance my life because I was too busy taking care of the shit I already had in my life.  In November, I learned about the Japanese art of decluttering and started to apply it to my life.  I feel so much better now that I’ve started to create the right kind of change in my life.  I’m getting rid of things so I don’t have to take care of them anymore.  The less tidying I have to do, the more time I have to do the things I really want to be doing with my life.

I learned over these last couple of months that decluttering doesn’t just happen with your things, but it should also happen with the things you keep in your heart and your mind.  It should happen with your finances.  You have to clean house in every single aspect.

One thing I didn’t expect out of this were the emotions that come out of nowhere.  They’re emotions you never knew you had.  It can be pretty ugly to face, but it gets to the root of the problem with why you stockpile so many things around you…why you shop so much…why you do X, Y and Z until you are drowning in it.  When you face it, it will help you move forward to living with only the things you need in order to be happy.

PRACTICE YOGA REGULARLY.

This year will mark my 40th year of life.  One of the goals I’ve had for myself since I was in my early 20s was to have a yogalicious body.  Well, that Type-B in me has procrastinated until now.  So this is the year I want to finally make that change a permanent change.

DEVELOP CONTENT DAILY FOR PERFECTIONIST WANNABE.  WORK HARD AT MAKING THE SITE SUCCESSFUL.  

One thing I’ve discovered over these last few months is that the thing I wanted to do most was create more content and make this site successful.  But being bogged down with so many other things (like stuff) made me realize it’s time to be that Type-A, declutter the stuff that doesn’t bring me joy, and really bust my ass to do the things I want to do for this site.

Two days in a row of posting in 2016.  You can say I’m off to a good start.

I’ve been promoting my work, researching and putting things together to make sure I turn this site in the direction I want it to go into.

READ 52+ BOOKS THIS YEAR. 12 OF WHICH NEED TO BE A CLASSIC (1 CLASSIC A MONTH).

This is a resolution I make every year.  These last two years, it’s fallen to the wayside.  I decided to really to get things moving this year, especially since I’ve been talking to publishers these last six months.

These past few days, I’ve been following a lot of Instagram accounts for people who love books.  I’ve followed a January Instagram challenge.  I’ve sorted through and picked the books I want to read and review this month.  Photographed it.  Posted it.  More importantly, I’ve spent plenty of time reading, so I know I’ll cross one book off my ‘to be read’ list later today.  That’s one book down by the second day in 2016.  That is huge progress, especially since that’s a book I was supposed to review months ago.

52 books may seem like a lot, but I hope to read over 100.  There were a few Instagram accounts I followed that read over 100 books in 2015!  If they can make it possible, I know I can at least attempt to read over 52 books this year.  I’d feel like I accomplished something HUGE!

I do listen to audio books at the office and while I’m commuting or walking.  I’ve cracked out a few books this past year that way.  Now that I feel passionate about reading again and have started following a community with that same passion, I believe this is definitely a resolution that will be completed by the end of 2016.

[NOTE: If you have a resolution you need help with, follow inspiring accounts on Instagram of people with that same goal in mind.  A lot of times seeing something visually beautiful and stimulating, sharing your progress and joining challenges will help inspire you to complete your goal.]

GO ON A SPENDING DIET (SEE #2).  HAVE FEWER, BUT BETTER THINGS.

I carry a piece of paper in my wallet that says “Have Fewer, But Better Things.”  At first, figuring out what ‘better things’ was netted me a lot of stuff just to pare it down to figure out what was ‘better.’  In the process, I discovered what I truly loved.  I  kept only the things I knew would last for a very, very long time.  These were the things that I enjoyed.  In the process, I started to find my own sense of style.  No more are the things that don’t fit, pinch a little, or I don’t feel absolutely amazing in.  They were donated or sold.

I also have a large entertainment collection consisting of videos and books.  I learned new ways to pare those things down, and go digital.  That meant getting with the times and investing in new technology that would allow me to simplify my life, organize everything, and help me to get rid of things that would only require maintenance and space in my home.  The goal is essentially to have fewer, but better things.

That means…for the next 6 months, while I am saving for another resolution, I’ll be focused on a spending diet so I don’t accumulate while I’m trying to declutter and get things under control.  The focus is fewer, but better things.  I already have the better things, I just need to pare all the other stuff out just to make sure that’s all I have.  I don’t want to add to it anymore.

PHOTOGRAPH MORE.  RELEASE THE WORKS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS (like the Pete Yorn photo collection like the photo that appears above).

So when I met Pete Yorn after one of his concerts in NYC, I mentioned I was a photographer, because I had been photographing him all night in front of the stage.  He asked me where my studio was (I had a good laugh).

I promised him a couple of years ago I’d release my photo collection of him from that night.  Yeah.  It’s been two years.  That Type-A in me from here on out will be getting that collection, as well as all of the others, out this year.  After all, there are some photos out there that is available for sale through stock photography already.  I just have to work on a few more of my relationships with a few other stock photography companies this year.  Trust me, it’s on my TO DO list.

The stuff like this Pete Yorn photo are treated a little differently.  When the collection is released, it’s not available for stock photography.  It will be available in more of the art photography form.  A little pricier than licensing to publish a photo.  His photos are part of the Rockstar collection.  I would like to continue the Rockstar collection this year.  We’ll see who I add to the collection…

FINISH THE NOVEL.  NO EXCUSES.

No more procrastinating.  Just finish it.

LIVE EACH DAY FULLY.  WORK HARD.  PLAY HARD.  ENJOY IT ALL, EVEN THE TOUGH STUFF.

WRITE, WRITE AND WRITE.  THEN WRITE SOME MORE BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO WRITE.

TRY TO EAT MORE FRUITS/VEGETABLES WITH EACH MEAL.  SNEAK IT IN SOMEHOW.

Since the surgery in 2013, I gravitate between being a foodie and a kiddie.  That first year, you couldn’t ask me to get beyond eating what you’d feed your 5 year old child.  Grilled cheese.  Chicken nuggets.  Tater tots.  Spaghetti with meat sauce.  You know, the simple stuff.

I couldn’t enjoy the finer things that first year after the surgery.  Now, I either have a foodie moment, or I eat kid food.  There’s no in between.  When people say they’re on a diet, I look at them like…what’s that?

I don’t eat a lot of food.  I only eat as much as my body is interested in eating (which isn’t much).  What I would like to do is in that little amount of food I consume, that my veggies be more than ketchup with my chicken nuggets.  I would like to enjoy fruits and vegetables again.  This is a 2 year struggle post-op.  I’m hoping this is the year I get beyond the protein and carbs and can really add in fruits/vegetables on a regular basis.

MAKE MORE FRIENDS AND CONTACTS.  GET TO KNOW YOUR FOLLOWERS.

Over the years, I have tried not to get close to people.  I’ve tried to make sure there was that barrier.  You can say there were a few too many stalkers and weirdos in my past that contributed to that decision.

Over these last couple of years, I’ve learned that I can handle the crazies and the fans that call me all the time, text me, message me to the point of…ok…you’re being a little awkward and weird.  I can handle it now.

Why punish everyone because there are a few people that get a little nutso?  There are a lot of great people out there.  I’ve made some great friends over this last year in the various industry events I’ve attended.  I’ve been learning to start being friendlier to complete strangers on social media, and not so guarded.  Kindness gets you so much farther in the world these days.  Besides, being kind and just talking to people (including the homeless) has made me really see life in a whole new perspective.  It’s helped me to finally see humanity in everyone…including the forgotten and ignored.

FIND A SITTER FOR MATTHEW SO YOU CAN GO ON VACATION THIS YEAR.

So the main reason why I have not been able to travel in these last two years was because I was under a medical travel restriction the first year post-op.  After that, I adopted Matthew Lucifer.  He’s my sweet, adorable, can turn into Lucifer himself, Maine Coon cat.  He’s not a normal cat.  He is HIGH MAINTENANCE.

I can leave the other cat home for a week…no problem.  Matthew…I can’t leave alone for one night.  Both cats would be dehydrated if I left them alone a whole day, because Matthew plays with water.  He dumps out his water bowl so he can play in the water.  I have not been able to kick him of this habit.  He literally picks the heavy container up using his entire body weight to dump out the contents.  I fill his water bowl 3 times every morning.  Usually, there’s no water in the bowl when I get home.

Matthew is like a 4-year old child (he turned 4 yesterday).  You can’t leave him alone unattended for too long.  He is very social, but he’s not good with sleepovers because he is known to bite and keep people up all night long.  I had mom brain the whole first year I had him.  He’s been sleeping from 8PM-5:30AM for only 3 months now.  He wakes at 5:30AM, wakes mom up, and doesn’t stop until 6AM when it’s time for breakfast.  If you don’t rise to feed him at 6AM, plan on dealing with Lucifer until you get out of bed.  Full on cat attack while you’re trying to sleep.  Every morning it is like this.

If only I could find him a sitter so I can go to South America…I could really begin to travel again.

BUY YOUR NEW HOME BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

I’ve been tossing between buying/building for the last two years.  This is the year I’ll make that decision.  I am tired of living where I’m living now, being bothered by other people. I just want a place all my own without crazy landlords calling me up about apartments that have nothing to do with me.  Like I care the person next to me is moving out.  Why are you telling me to list their apartment?  It has nothing to do with me.  [Yes, this did happen just last month.]

HIT ALL MONTHLY FINANCIAL GOALS YOU’VE SET FOR YOURSELF. HUSTLE.

If you want to reach your own financial goals, you have to buckle down and get serious about it.  If I want to build my dream house, it requires the right funds.  If I want this site to do what I want it to do, I have to hustle.  If I want my own personal success and dreams to come true, I have to hustle.  The goal this year is to make sure all of those goals are met, especially financially.  It is not cheap to do the things I do.  There is a lot of money vested into the success of this site.  Between events, appearances, the correct wardrobe to go with it, conferences, etc. it costs a lot to go and do these things.

I have a certain audience and they are my peers.  Who are my peers?  The same people who understand that if you want a dream to come true, it takes a lot of your own capital.  You have to really invest in that life in order to make yourself successful.  If you want to be a millionaire, you have to surround yourself with millionaires.  You want to be an artist, you have to surround yourself with other artists.  You want to be a writer, you have to surround yourself with people in the industry.

When you have money and invest in putting yourself among those people that are the influencers and will inspire you to make your dream happen, it’s easier.  Most people think that success comes from luck, busting your ass, etc.  I’ll let you in on a secret…it is a whole lot easier when you have the money that can put you in the same audience as those people you admire and strive to be like.

What I plan to do over the course of this next year requires some serious hustle in order for this site (and my life) to turn into what I envision it to be.

All of the previous resolutions, especially the Type-A resolution, is what will fuel me in making sure that the ultimate goal for 2016 for this site comes to fruition.

…..

So over this year, I’ll be sharing this Type-A hustle journey with you.  There are so many aspects to it, especially with the decluttering over these next 5 months.

If you love to read books, follow my Instagram: diaryofaperfectionistwannabe.  I’ll be joining a lot of the reading challenges and discussing books there, since there is a pretty huge community there discussing it.  I’ll also look for other avenues to discuss books/movies, etc. with everyone if I see there’s an interest.

At any rate, I look forward to talking to everybody.  Feel free to share your resolutions or thoughts below.  Is there anything you’d like to see from the site this year?  Just let me know.  I already have one request in re: Justin Bieber…

Young fans…

Mission 40

santorini14September begins a new season for me and this is what I have planned for the site.

Why is September the start of a new season?  

Well, consider it a little like going back to school.  Each new school year is the start of a whole new you.  That’s what I always loved about the fall.  Autumn marked the start of a renewal and a chance to do things differently…actually, better than you did them before.

It means new clothes, new books, new activities, new learning experiences, and a whole new workload.  September marks Fashion Week.  For me, it also marks the start of my hockey season when I go back to covering hockey for Inside Hockey.  The hockey season starts on September 17th for me.  I’ll still have plenty of film screenings and premieres to attend, as well as a few film festivals.  The Metropolitan Opera season also begins for me and I’m starting it off with Turnadot.

September also marks the release of many new books from various publishers.  We’ll be sharing what’s new, as well as have a few special interviews with authors.

Mission 40

I’ve been tinkering with the idea of sharing the new journey I’m on.  I’ve kept it under wraps these last couple of months because I’ve been trying to add some structure and thought into what exactly I wanted to do.  Next year, I turn 40.  With that, I have always had a specific goal in mind for myself of who I wanted to be at 40.

I’ll admit that I’ve laid that goal to the wayside for so many years because I’m a bit of a procrastinator.  I kept thinking, “Oh, next year…I have plenty of time.”  Well, I can’t say that anymore because next year is 40.  Now is the time to get my butt in gear.  I have to start being that person I envisioned myself to be at this age and that’s where Mission 40 comes in.  Mission 40 is a challenge I’ve created for myself to push myself into being the person I’ve always dreamed I would be at this age.

What does Mission 40 entail?  

The number one thing on this list is my overall health.  After dealing with four tumors in this last decade, it’s time to start improving my overall well-being.  Maybe instead of four tumors in this next decade it will be one, or maybe I’ll get lucky and not have another tumor again for the next 30-50 years.  I have the cancer gene, so it is inevitable that I will get another tumor or cancer in some form at some point in my lifetime again.

The goals I am setting with my overall health entail:

  • Exercise
  • Diet
  • Brain Health (i.e. increasing knowledge through learning and brain challenges)
  • Soul Health (i.e. Meditation)
  • Beauty (hair, nails, etc.)
  • Less Stress
  • Overall Happiness
  • Getting more sleep

There are also certain personal goals I’ve set for myself careerwise that I am putting into action as the new season begins.  There are certain bucket list items I’d like to check off, too.  There are so many things I’d like to do over this next year in order to increase my overall happiness in life.  A lot of that has to do with becoming more involved.

I’ve also started working more within the community, working on issues that we face in order to make the community better through service.  I’ve also been getting more involved globally on how to evolve humanity by working towards eliminating many of the problems people face like poverty, war, slavery, and inequality.  It’s time humanity evolved and I’m working to put that into action.

I’ll have a special section set up so that you can follow along with what I’m doing on a day to day basis…a journal, so to speak.

My ultimate goal is to reward myself with a special trip to South America next year to see Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands.  If I can get over my fear of snakes…maybe I’ll take a little trip into the Amazon as well.  All in all, this is the adventure I’m planning for…a little 40th birthday present to myself…a South American adventure.  Before I can do any of that, I want to be in a certain place in my life before I reap the rewards.

For those interested in joining me on my Mission, I’ll explain how you can become more involved with the adventure I’m on so you can construct your own Mission for yourself.

 

End of Summer Weekend Reading Material

The summer is starting to wind down.  With only three weekends left, many are running off to get that one last vacation in before the fall arrives.  For me, June, July and August are my months for vacation, which means taking a bit of a break from writing and the blogs.  September is when I’m back in the saddle again.  From film festivals to NY Fashion Week, to movie premieres, to NHL training camps, to the start of the Metropolitan Opera season…my working season begins.  That means the content on this site will increase.

There will be more interviews from authors, publishers, celebrities, and artists.  There will be more reviews, talks about books, films and the arts, a special fashion edition, and a new project unveiling that I’ve been working on over these last couple of months.

If you think content isn’t going up fast enough, as my artist friend Borbay describes the site…the word “Perfectionist” is in the title.  That means that the content here is meant to be far superior so it takes a little longer to create it.  People will just have to wait.

For now, let’s talk about what reading material is on the radar.


1.  Kim Thúy, Mãn and Ru: A Novel.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kim Thúy back in May when she was signing copies of her latest book Mãn.  I had never read her works before.  I just saw the book in the Book Expo newsletter from Random House Canada and knew I wanted to get my hands on it.  She signed it “To Michelle, Thank you so much for coming back to me again.”  You’ll find out soon on the site why that little inscription is a bit serendipitous {TEASER}.

What I was not expecting from Mãn was how beautifully written the book would be.  It’s a quick read, but also the type of book you have to reflect upon as you go from chapter to chapter.  Each chapter is only a paragraph or two long.  In that one simple paragraph, she can tell an entire story, but she does it so beautifully that you go back and re-read the sentence, stumbling over each word slowly in order for it to sink in.  

What makes Kim’s works in both Mãn and  Ru: A Novel so unique is that she has perfected the art of storytelling by using very few words to tell an entire story.  Each word she has chosen sinks deep into your soul and you are left pondering the words over, letting your tongue roll over each phrase she has chosen in each tale.  

Both books are a compilation of stories of Vietnamese immigrants.  She weaves each of their stories from one to another, using a choice word in each chapter to connect to the next story.  For instance, she uses the word ‘red’ to end a story in one chapter and then uses it again in the following chapter to tell the tale of another immigrant.  That one word can create a strong connection from one person to the next.  In a way, it’s the same as how people read and connect to her books, no matter where they are from.  The term “communism” can create a bond with a person in Eastern Europe because they can understand the struggle the Vietnamese went through, even though their experiences were totally different.  That one word means something powerful to them.  That one word is a lifetime of stories and struggles, of hunger, fear, anger and upset.  Just one word can invoke so much passion in a person…just like a simple word like ‘red.’  That’s what makes Kim Thúy’s books so thought-provoking…one simple word can create a flood of feelings that enables the reader to connect to the book itself.  

Her ability to weave these stories together using choice words is also a way of understanding how everyone in the book is essentially linked to each other.  They may have in common that they are all Vietnamese immigrants, but there’s more to it.  It links their life experiences from how we show love through food to what it means to let go of the person you love.  From coming from well to do families to all of a sudden finding themselves as refugees in a foreign land, living as janitors, seamstresses, farm hands, etc.  Then there are those who come from poor families who marry up and move to North America through marriage.  She opens our eyes to the life of the immigrant in North America.  They may have been from rich families or were doctors or professors in Vietnam.  They sacrificed who they were to start over again in another country.  Some were stripped of everything, others found opportunity.  How do they evolve under those circumstances?

The stories are all very humbling.  The writing style is unique and beautiful.  I will forewarn you that you will be very hungry after you read her books.  I have been eating Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai food every single day since I read Mãn.   As you’ll discover in the book, the connection with food is about love…the love a mother shows to her child.  The love a wife shows to her husband.  It’s what bonds a family and friends together.  

I highly recommend reading both of her books.  You will not regret it.  Your soul will thank you for the fresh drink of beauty.


2.  Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman: A Novel.

If you’ve read the reviews of Harper Lee’s latest Go Set a Watchman: A Novel, people are really mad.  It’s not even a story.  It’s just a rant.

SPOILER: Atticus Finch is a racist.

That’s what really has everyone up in arms.  But that’s because most of us had no clue when we read To Kill a Mockingbird that Atticus was anything but fair and colorblind.  To find out he was a racist?!?!

This is where I want to remind everyone that Go Set a Watchman: A Novel was the first novel written by Harper Lee.  It was also rejected by the publishers.  They liked the characters, but it needed a stronger story.  Go Set a Watchman: A Novel laid the foundation to the setting and the characters, but it needed a story.  That’s when Lee came back and gave the publishers a new book entitled To Kill a Mockingbird.  That was the book they published and it became a Pulitzer Prize winner.

What makes Go Set a Watchman: A Novel so difficult to digest is that it takes place 20 years after To Kill a Mockingbird.  We know the story.  We loved Atticus Finch, Scout, Jem, Dill and Calpurnia.  How could we all of a sudden be shocked that Atticus was a racist and that Calpurnia didn’t really care for her or Jem?

You have to keep in mind that Go Set a Watchman: A Novel was the first book, not the second book.  It was also the book that was originally rejected.  When she came back to the publishers with To Kill a Mockingbird, maybe she decided to make Atticus fair and not a racist.  Maybe Calpurnia really did care about the kids and didn’t care about the fact there was a black and white barrier.  Maybe Harper Lee fixed what was really wrong with Go Set a Watchman: A Novel and made the characters into ones that would be cherished for all eternity when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird.

Those are the things you need to keep in mind when you read Go Set a Watchman: A Novel.

Would I recommend it on its own?  No.  It’s a rant, not a story.  BUT, if you’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird, you need to read Go Set a Watchman: A Novel to truly understand the entire context of the times, racism, and Alabama.  For those who are writers, it’s actually an interesting look into how you can be rejected from one story, but you can go back and rewrite it based on the same characters and create a masterpiece.  Sometimes a complete do over is the key.  She learned from her mistakes and came out with one of the best novels of the 20th century.  That is a life lesson within itself.

Currently reading: Nina George, The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel.

I decided to take a little break from reviewing the tall stack of books I received from publishers so that I can read something without the pressure of it feeling like ‘work.’  I was ordering a couple of books for the Book Club when Amazon recommended this book.  It looked like such an interesting story that I decided to order it as my ‘fun’ book (i.e. a book I chose, rather than was chosen for me by someone else).

I always love stories that take place in Paris, but I really love stories that involve books as a means for adventure.  Any book lover understands that love of the book itself and what the adventure means.  They understand that little happy place.  So take a bookshop apothecary that is located on a barge, a bookseller that finally opens up that letter the love of his life left for him when she left him 20 years ago, a bestselling author that is being hounded by crazed fans and you have an adventure of how a bookseller is trying to make amends with the love of his life by setting sail on his bookshop barge to make right where he went wrong.

In all honesty, I kind of want my own Bookshop Apothecary…a bookshop that prescribes the right books to people, rather than selling whatever books people want to buy.  Sometimes the latest novel just isn’t the right book for that person during that time in their life.  Trust me when I say, I’d like to take back all that time I spent with Gillian Flynn’s “Dark Places.”  I put up with it because it was a Book Club book, but damn if I’ll ever read another one of her books willingly.  She’s too dark for me.  An Apothecary would have stopped me from even purchasing that book, explaining that the book just doesn’t go with my personality.

I will say that I am enjoying this book.  I’m now at the part where he embarks on his adventure.  It’s really exciting.  The author has already used the love of books to charm me into loving the lead character.  Can’t wait to find out what happens!

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September is a big month for publishing houses.  The majority of new releases come out at that time.  Stay tuned for our list of what to read in September.

Book Review: Circling The Sun

"Circling the Sun" by Paula McLain is due to be released on Tuesday, August 28th.
“Circling the Sun” by Paula McLain is due to be released on Tuesday, August 28th.

If there’s any book you need to pick up this summer, let “Circling the Sun: A Novel“ from Paula McLain be at the very top of that list.  If you’ve read “The Paris Wife,” you already know how spectacular the story was.  “Circling the Sun” is even better.

Like “The Paris Wife,” the main character is based on a real person.  McLain starts off by introducing us to Beryl Markham, a woman who is on a journey to become the first person ever to fly from London to New York.  [There were people that had flown from New York to London, but never from London to New York.]  As her plane starts to stutter, her life flashes before her eyes and we are transported to Beryl’s days of youth when she was a young girl running wild on a farm in Kenya.

McLain takes you through Beryl’s life as a wild child who hung out with the Kipsigis tribe and learned how to raise horses with her father.  She trained with the boys of the Kipsigis tribe on how to hunt, make bows, and snap whips.  She rode horses and trained them to race, just like her father did.  She was a tomboy through and through.

By the time she was sixteen, her father’s horse farm started to fail, so her father pushed her into marrying a neighboring farmer.  Not knowing each other very well ended up leading to a divorce a few years later.  Before her father left for Capetown, he told Beryl to get her license to be a horse trainer, so she set out to become the first woman to ever get a license to be a horse trainer.

She went to work at a family friend’s ranch where she could log her hours and prepare for the exam.  She took the exam and a few weeks later received her license to train horses to race.  This would become her livelihood.

As her first marriage was slowly disintegrating, she started to have indiscretions.  She soon began to learn how the colony could damage her and the people around her through gossip.  It’s even more amazing how the gossip traveled.  You think you’re alone and no one else will know, then all of a sudden everyone knows.

If you’ve ever seen or read Out of Africa, both Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton play prominent roles in Beryl’s story.  Both women would end up falling head over heels in love with Denys.  Beryl, though, may have loved him more.

McLain takes us through Beryl’s triumphs over the years, her relationships and adventures from one year to the next.  This book was so well written and the story was just so fascinating, just like “The Paris Wife,” I had a hard time putting it down.  McLain is a master storyteller.  Beryl is an inspiring woman.  She was the first woman to ever be a licensed horse trainer.  She was not only the first person to fly from London to New York, but she was also the first woman to do it.

Beryl made her share of mistakes and learned from them, but she also valued her freedom.  She was a wild child from the start and no one could truly tame her or domesticate her.  Like Denys, it wasn’t in their nature.  They valued their freedom more.  That is truly why they were so drawn to each other.  They understood that need inside of each other to not be caged.

Denys was the love of her life.  He was also the love of Karen Blixen’s life, as well.

In the end, Denys truly belonged to Karen.  She could write the other woman out of the story (Out of Africa) like she never existed, because Denys was hers in the end.  She was considered the grieving widow, even though they never married.

This story was absolutely incredible.  It will make you want to book your next vacation to Kenya to go on a safari expedition, to see the rolling hills or the flamingos flying off at the sound of horses hooves on the beaches.  The book is beautifully written.

Circling the Sun: A Novel will be released on Tuesday, July 28th.  You’re going to absolutely enjoy this tale.  Paula McLain is proving again and again why she is a master at her craft.

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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All content and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Come Away With Me

Come Away With Me by Karma Brown. This is the Advance Uncorrected Proof and not the official cover. The release date is August 25, 2015.
“Come Away With Me” by Karma Brown. This is the Advance Uncorrected Proof and not the official cover. The release date is August 25, 2015.

I’m just coming off of a very long vacation, so I’m very behind in posting up content.  It doesn’t mean I wasn’t working in some way or another.  It does mean I was able to find some time to catch up on a lot of reading material.

The first book I’m going to share is Karma Brown’s “Come Away With Me” from Mira Books.

The book is about a young woman named Tegan Lawson.  She is going through one of the most difficult times in her life.  Before, she was newly married, expecting a baby, and everything was just perfect until a car accident left her childless for the rest of her life.  Her husband, Gabe, was behind the wheel that night.

Dealing with the loss of their unborn child and knowing that she will never be able to have a child again, left her severely depressed and angry at her husband.  It was his fault this happened.  She blamed him.  How does a marriage survive this?

She and Gabe have a Jar of Spontaneity where they place their dream destinations.  She pulls out three pieces of paper to determine where they will go to help get Tegan out of their apartment.  It’s an attempt to help fix Tegan (and their marriage).  She draws out Thailand, Italy and Hawaii from the jar.

In Thailand, they start off in Bangkok and then head to Chiang Mai to ride elephants and buy art painted by elephants.  In Italy, they head to Ravello, Italy so she can learn how to cook Italian food just like Gabe’s mother.  In Hawaii, she learns how to Hang Ten.

This adventure is a spiritual adventure for Tegan.  In each place, she’s learning how to be herself again.  More importantly, she’s learning how to be happy again.

What will surprise the reader is that the story isn’t quite what it seems.  There’s a twist at the end that will leave your heart pounding and wanting to just embrace Tegan into your own being to protect her, because you understand her in ways you never thought you would be able to.  The story will break your heart from the very beginning, but then you’ll find hope and promise at the end that makes you realize no matter how horrible things can be, you can always find your way out of that dark place.  No matter how crushed and broken you are, you can be happy again.

I will warn you, for those who have been in that place of deep grief, depression and sorrow, the first 100 pages will be difficult for you.  It was for me.  Brown dives so deeply into that depression and loss, you’ll feel like putting the book down and not going through with it.  There were some points in the beginning where I wanted to throw the book across the room because I was so mad at Tegan.  I wanted to shake her and say, “Get over it.  Get your ass out of bed.  Move forward with your life, dammit!”

I found that if you stick with it, you’ll find the adventure that awaits is worth pursuing with Tegan as she reclaims her sanity, her peace of mind, her happiness, and herself.  The story does get better.  More importantly, for those who have found themselves in that deep misery that you can feel when you have lost someone you love, this is a way of finding hope that things can and will be alright.  You can feel that deep sorrow and grief that feels like it will never end, but you won’t always feel that way.  It’s just a moment and that’s what Karma Brown explains all throughout this book as she takes Tegan from her happiest of times, to her worst of times and then to her new self.  These tragic moments change you forever, but the journey that follows is one that makes you an even greater person than you were before.


come Away With Me 2Come Away with Me is due to be released on August 25th.  For those who have lost someone, and for those who love to travel, as well as enjoy reading spiritual adventures, I highly recommend this book.  I will say that this book was not what I expected at all.  Karma’s note of “Hope you enjoy!” that she inscribed in the front made me want to say, “Thank you for writing this book.”  I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to.  I went in expecting nothing and came out of it thinking…this is the kind of story that sticks with you for the rest of your life in a very good way.  The book doesn’t just make Tegan into a better person, it turns the reader into a greater person as well.  You realize just how weak you can be, but also how strong you can be after life deals some of the hardest blows you’ll ever experience.

After reading this book, I started my own Jar of Spontaneity.  I drew out four pieces of paper of places I will be going to over this next year.  I pulled: Vietnam, India, South America and Bolivia.  Tegan suffered a lot in the realization of what she lost after she lost the baby and her reproductive organs.  It hit home for me because surgeries can oftentimes change you when you realize you can’t have kids anymore.  I haven’t traveled overseas since my surgery.  This book prompted me to go out and do those things again, because I’ve found that some of the greatest journeys into your own being happens when you travel.  Thanks, Karma, for reminding me it’s time to take that step forward.

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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation.  I received a free copy of this book from Harlequin Books in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All content and opinions are my own.

Book Review: Like My Father Always Said

mchughBook Review – Like My Father Always Said…: Gruff Advice, Sweet Wisdom, and Half-Baked Instructions on How to Fix Your Stuff and Your Life, by Erin McHugh

Just in time for Father’s Day, Erin McHugh’s “Like My Father Always Said…” is a collection of sayings from fathers that McHugh gathered after creating a similar book for mothers in Like My Mother Always Said…: Wise Words, Witty Warnings, and Odd Advice We Never Forget.

Fathers tend to give advice that is very unusual and quite different than the wise sage advice we get from our mothers.  Here are a few quips from the book:

“Do it right or do it again.”  – Norm, father of Erik

“Those of you who are standing around saying it can’t be done are bothering those of us who are doing it.” – Dewey, father of Jean

“If you can’t go one way, go the other.” – Henry, grandfather of Josie

“Do whatever you want to do-Figure it out and I will explain it to mom later.” – Bob, father of Robin

“Don’t ever think you are better than another person.” – Edward, father of Tina

“When you surround yourself with good people and work hard, good things happen.”  – Dick, grandfather of Tommy

“Your only responsibility in life is to be kind.” – Freddie, father of Marion

“Keep your head down and stay the course.” – Robert, father of Christina

I selected these quotes to share here because they go right along with the theme of this site.  It’s about living every single dream possible.  These little instructions above are just a few of the many items you will find throughout the book.

This book will make a great gift for fathers, or just about anybody out there.  As I was reading through this, I had wished my father had given some sort of bits of wisdom like this.  But after reading the advice from all of these different fathers, I feel much wiser than I did before.

I think the most interesting quote in this book came from Brad Meltzer.  I had just met him the day before when I read his contribution to this book.  It really made me laugh at how supportive his father was of his writing career.  He was his biggest fan, so much that when he woke up from anesthesia after his surgery, he told his son that he was selling his books in heaven.  Brad’s response had me laughing.

That was the story that touched my heart the most.

If you pick up this book for your father for Father’s Day, make sure to pick up a copy for yourself and your siblings, too.  All of the sayings in this book are great advice for everyone.  It’s a quick read that you will definitely enjoy.

I always say it takes a village in order to help each other.  McHugh managed to create a village of fathers to give sound, maybe a little crazy, but wise advice to us all.

The book is available now.

You can follow Erin McHugh on Twitter: @ErinHere

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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation.  I received a free copy of this book from the author and Harry N. Abrams Books in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All content and opinions are my own.

The Greatest Love Stories

love_in_the_time_of_cholera_wallpaper_6_800Ok, everybody..don’t kill me for asking this, but I need some help with a summer project I’m working on.

I’ve enlisted a couple of friends to help me, but I thought I would see if by posting something this would get more responses.

I was Googling the ‘greatest love stories of all time’ and came back with ‘Wuthering Heights’ as number one. Of course, I’m sitting there thinking…WHAT? That’s got to be the absolute worst book of all time. I wouldn’t even call it a love story. Love turning into evil…that’s not a true love story. Why in the world would some great library say that love turning into evil is the greatest love story of all time?

Forget Romeo and Juliet.


Perhaps some guy thought ‘Wuthering Heights’ up just because he was obsessed with some chick that turned into a bad ending…and that’s why it hit #1 on the list.

So I’m not using ‘Wuthering Heights’ as a model this summer…thank you very much.

Let me explain what I’m looking for in this project…

I am looking for the most inspiring love stories in book or movie format…especially stories that talk about FATE/DESTINY. “Serendipity” with John Cusack is a good example for the movie category.

I’m starting on “Love in the Time of Cholera” later this week when I finish “Dreamers of the Day” (a historical novel based in 1918-1921 about the days of Lawrence of Arabia and Winston Churchill).

What books/movies inspired you and made you think that love was worth it all? Or books/movies that made you sigh thinking…WOW…

You can post the comment here or email me at: msmichellekenneth@yahoo.com.

And guys…come on, there’s got to be a good one out there for you. My brother swears by “Notting Hill.” Well, at least the soundtrack. 😉 And right after I wrote that…my brother calls me to ask me if he sounds like he’s high when he talks on the phone. Brothers…




The Septembers of Shiraz

septembers of shirazI just finished reading “The Septembers of Shiraz” by Dalia Sofer. It really made me think a lot about religion, privileges and circumstances.

I’ve learned over the past few years that it is difficult to be friends with people that are not in the same class as you financially. The main reason has a lot to do with how money makes others feel.

For those who have abundance and can buy their own freedom, they can’t trust those who do not have these same privileges. Why? Because the green eyed monster can take its toll. In places like Iran (where the setting in this book takes place) where the mullahs rule, having abundance is looked down upon.

They will rob a man who worked hard to have the finer things in life. They will say that they have a right to those things. They take from others what they did not earn. They justify their thievery by saying that someone who worked hard for those things did not deserve them.

The thing is, we see this everywhere. People who are less fortunate blaming those who are fortunate and worked hard. That’s not to say that everyone doesn’t work hard. It’s just sometimes people think that people that are more fortunate didn’t earn it or work hard for it. We all do…but the type of labor performed is different in every circumstance.

Some people work 18 hour days and even though they have a family, they are married to their work moreso than to their own families. They miss out on that treasure because they’ve determined that providing for them was more important then nurturing them.


Others make their family their priority, and in some people’s eyes, that makes that family the richest family around. Some people can’t have a family, so seeing a couple with a few kids running around will make them a little bit jealous.

What one man’s fortune is can be different for the next man. It doesn’t always involve money. Being fortunate requires a lot of work in life (no matter how it’s performed). We oftentimes give up one thing so that we can have another thing.

I gave up the thoughts of getting married and having a family of my own because I was more fortunate in my career. I’m already well aware that if I were to have a family I would have to choose whether to give up my career or let my children be raised by nannies. With the way my life has been going, it’s better to just forego making that decision and continue doing what I’m doing…that is until God changes my circumstances.

A lot of people assume I’ve always had money. The truth is…there was a time when I had to hit rock bottom in life and try to be the starving artist in order to realize what it was I wanted out of life. I remember how my diet consisted of chicken broth (which ironically is still the case but that’s due to different circumstances).

During that time, I didn’t have a choice…I could only afford chicken broth. Now, it is a choice.

I always like to remind myself of where I came from and how I rose above those circumstances to be where I am today. I was fortunate in my path in life. But this is my path. It is not meant to be traveled upon by anyone else but me.

We make choices as we go along this path in life. We have a choice of suffering or letting go of the suffering and realizing that we don’t have to suffer in life. We are in charge of our own life and the choices we ultimately make.  Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” is a great example of this.

When people allow jealousy in to dictate how they will treat the next person…it’s not right. Shakespeare did not call it the green eyed monster for nothing! Jealousy is a monster. It changes people. It makes them bitter, evil and mean. It does not serve anyone any good to be jealous. It only promotes more hate in the world.

The “Septembers of Shiraz” really made me think a lot about life and our circumstances. It’s not just a story of a Jew that is thrown in prison by mullahs in Iran. It has a lot of deep meaning to it.

It also really made me dislike religions even more. It’s just amazing how much hate is spread if you believe differently then the next person. To be ridiculed, tortured and forced to believe in something you don’t is to me…absolutely STUPID. Can’t we all just get along?

You believe how you want to believe. I’ll believe how I want to believe. The only thing we can agree on…is just being neighborly. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.