Book Shelf: Just Kids

It's been awhile since I've done a "Book Shelf" post, and I just HAVE to fill y'all in on this one.

{here}

Todays review is for Just Kids by Patti Smith, the legendary singer/songwriter/artist.  

I'm always a little unsure about reading books written by celebs.  But I have heard such great things about Just Kids that I had to try it out.

I have always loved Patti Smith's music, and I was so drawn to her way with words.  Each sentence was like a poem.  Everything was written with such thought and magic.

One of my favorite parts of the book was when she wrote about her experiences with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.  Like Smith, I've always loved listening to Joplin and Hendrix and still feel some profound sadness at their untimely deaths, even if I was alive at that time.  She wrote about her feelings of loss and loneliness about the deaths of Joplin and Hendrix.  

Smith wrote this poem about Joplin and I absolutely love it:

i was working real hard
to show the world what i could do
oh i guess i never dreamed
i’d have to
world spins some photographs
how i love to laugh when the crowd laughs
while love slips through
a theatre that is full
but oh baby
when the crowd goes home
and i turn in and i realize i’m alone
i can’t believe
i had to sacrifice you

Their deaths shocked her greatly.  She wrote:

“i was both scattered and stymied, surrounded by unfinished songs and abandoned poems. i would go as far as i could and hit a wall, my own imagined limitations. and then i met a fellow who gave me his secret, and it was pretty simple. when you hit a wall, just kick it in.”

  It was prose like that that made me both unable to put the book down and wanting to put the book down for fear it would end too soon.

One of my all time favorite quotes from the book is this right here:

“say anything,” he said. “you can’t make a mistake when you improvise.”

“what if i mess it up? what if i screw up the rhythm?”

“you can’t,” he said. “it’s like drumming. if you miss a beat, you create another.”

in this simple exchange, sam taught me the secret of improvisation, one that i have acces

sed my whole life

{here}

I think I relate to it so much because I believe it is how we all should live.  So what if we mess up?  Life is simply about improvising alone the way.  If something happens, just do something else to fix it.

I highly recommend everyone to go purchase this book.  I underlined so many amazing passages, these included, and found myself wanting to reread everything over and over. 

Don't you love when a book captures you like that?

The Book Shelf: Pictures of You/ The Paris Wife

Hi friends!  How are you all?  A big hello to all my new blog followers! 

Welcome, welcome haha.

Tonight was my AP Art show, so I spent two hours presenting my artwork.  It was fun!  Once it's all submitted, I'll share some here.

Here is another edition of the Book Shelf with two of my most recent reads.  Enjoy!

Pictures of You

Caroline Leavitt

Synopsis: This novel is about a young woman, Isabelle, who en route to leaving her husband gets into a serious car accident with another woman leaving her own husband.  Following the accident, resulting in the death of the other woman, Isabelle must come to terms with her life, as well as the lives of those affected by the death.  

Review: This book was incredible.  I loved how it switched between Isabelle, the husband of the woman who died, and his son.  The entire story was inspiring, had a wonderful message, and while maybe a little far fetched, and had a surprising message!

Rating: 4/5

The Paris Wife

Paula McLain

Synopsis: This novel follows Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley, and her life married to one of the world's best writers.  It tells of her life of a child, her marriage to Hemingway, their arrival in Paris, and the birth of their child.  

Review:  This book is even better then the reviews tell you it is.  It's easy to fall in love with Hadley and her wild lifestyle.  It's fascinating to hear of her relationships with Paris socialites and how she went out frequently with the Fitzgerald's.  It's also easy to begin to feel bad for her. 

Review: 5/5

What are you reading?  Anything good?

Let me know :)

And don't forget to enter the giveaway! xo

Book Shelf: Four Book Reviews

Spring break has provided a perfect time for me to check off some of the books on my Reading list.

{I did a nice little post here on the importance of reading and all of the books I was bringing to Florida with me.  Turns out, I'm impatient when it comes to browsing book stores and while I've read a lot, I've ended up adding more to my book list.}

I feel that the four books I've read deserved some sort of review.

I always like when blogs do book reviews, because most of the time I'm about to buy the same book.

So it's nice to know whether someone loved it or "wants the last two weeks of there life back".

{Real quote from me.}

1) Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses

Synopsis: This book is about a woman {the author} who is looking for peace from her everyday life of being a part time book critic and full time mother.  She goes to a yoga class looking to shed a few pains and gain perspective on her life.  Poser showcases twenty three of the poses she's learned and coordinates each pose with a specific time of her life.  

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Review:  I loved reading this book.  You know how you find characters and can instantly relate to them?  I related to Claire.   She's funny and charming and you instantly connect with her struggles.  I loved the way she showcased her yoga.  This isn't a yoga book or a yoga how to guide.  It's a biography of a woman's life and how yoga influenced her.  I love reading about how yoga influenced people.  Furthermore, I related to how she started off her yoga journey just seeing the physical practice.  I think that happens with a lot of people.  By the end of the novel, it certainly was a spiritual practice for her.  

2) Yoga School Dropout

Synopsis:  This book follows Lucy, a young woman, as she goes to India in search of enlightenment.  She hopes spending a few months there will make her leaner, happier, and more at peace.  Her journey showcases different yoga schools, gurus, and friends and how her intention for her time in India wasn't exactly what occurred.
Rating: 3/5
Review:  I WANTED to love this book.  I really did.  And to be fair, there were parts I did love.  And maybe it was my own fault.  I was hoping for another Eat, Pray, Love novel, and this just wasn't it.  I loved learning more about India.  I loved the descriptions of the yoga schools.  But I just had trouble relating to Lucy.  It was kind of like a mix between the Shopaholic series and Eat, Pray, Love, but there was something missing.  Overall thought, it was entertaining and had it's funny moments, so it's a quick read if you're interested.

3) House Rules

Synopsis:  This story follows that of Jacob, a 18 year old boy with Asperger's.  He has always been interested in forensics, following crime labs and coming up with his own crime scenes.  But when his social tudor, Jess, ends up dead, all hell breaks loss.  With his favorite blanket being at the scene of the crime, he is automatically the prime suspect.  His inability to express his true feelings make him seem even more guilty.  As the trial progresses, his entire family- even himself- begins to doubt his innocence.
Rating: 3.5/5
Review:  First of all, I have a special interest in children with Autism related disorders, so that is what initially caught my eye.  I also love Jodi Picoult's writing, and find myself unable to put her books down.  This was no exception.  I felt for Jacob and his family and wanted to give everyone a hug.  Working with children with special needs, I have studied many of the social aspects that cause them trouble.  It's funny how I immediately took the side of Jacob throughout this novel.  I think certain parts could have been executed better {I wouldn't say this is the best novel she's written}, but overall I enjoyed House Rules.

4) Bossypants

Synopsis:  Tina Fey, SNL alum and 30 Rock star, shares her thoughts on childhood, motherhood, and everything in between.  From working at a theater as a teen, to getting her start on Saturday Night Life, to creating her hit TV show, to becoming a mother, Tina Fey shows how women can have it all.
Rating: 5/5
Review: FUNNIEST. BOOK. EVER.  I'm not lying.  I've read so many books, but this was hysterical.  Take it from a girl who never reads books written by celebs.  But I love Tina Fey, so I gave it a shot.  And I feel in love with her all over again.  I have a total girl crush.  Not only is she funny, she's smart, confident, and knows how to be one hell of a leader.  But most importantly, she tells how being a celeb is not all it's cracked up to be.  She made herself so relatable to the public.  I am now hanging it over to everyone I come in contact with and in one month, have plans to reread it because it was that funny.

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What books are you reading?
I had a great time in Jersey over the weekend.  I met most of my teammates for next year, and fell in love with MY college all over again.  That feels weird to say.  I also found a roommate!  Her name is Megan and she's as sweet as can be.  And a swimmer too :)
xo

*google image search

Book Shelf

I recently ordered a ton of new books.  It's hard to read during the school year when you're juggling papers and a pile of required reading books, but since spring break starts in a week and the end of the year is rapidly approaching, I allowed myself I book buying spree on Amazon.  Ever since I was a little girl, I enjoyed reading whatever I could get my hands on.  I think it's really important for parents to read to their children and teach them the importance of reading.  I'm grateful my parents instilled that in me as a child, and always encouraged and purchased me books of any genre.  

I recently saw this on Oh, Mishka's blog and had to share because it is so true:

"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by God, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes."

— Rosemary Urquico

This is incredible and is so true.  I think if you may either love to read or hate it.  If you love it, you know what I'm talking about.  My closet is overfilling with books.  Books I can't bear to part with because they all tell a story about a part of my life.  Like the time I stayed up all weekend, sleeping only a few hours, to read Gone with the Wind.  Or my fascination with biographies and nonfiction.  I could go to a bookstore or library and spend hours.  Hours just looking at my options.  I always leave the bookstore clutching my shopping bag to my chest, like a prized possession.

I want to start incorporating more book reviews, reading round ups, and "on my book shelf" type posts on the blog.

Here are the books I recently purchased:

1.  I've heard amazing things about The Paris Wife, and I've been dying to try it.  People have compared it to Loving Frank, and I loved that book! {I'll do a book recommendation post sometime soon}
2.  I've always been in love with reading books about World War II and the Holocaust.  Call me morbid, but even when I was 11 and 12 I would read everything I could get my hands on about this subject.  While it's incredibly sad, it's very interesting to me about the dynamics and psychological affects of the time period.
3.  As I said before, I love biographies, and I think the store of Chanel is such an incredibly interesting one.  I'm excited to give this a whirl.
4.  I love Jodi Picoult because she is a captivating author and I can usually get through her books quickly because they interest me so much!  She picks interesting, sometimes controversial, subjects.  This one is about a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, and since I just finished my paper on this subject, I was drawn to it.
5.  I love hearing about how yoga has changed people's lives.  As a yoga teacher, I find the whole transformation process inspiring.
6.  I think this could be a fun read, and some are comparing it to Eat, Pray, Love.  I loved that book, so I'm hoping this has a similar appeal.


I'm currently reading....

I picked this up on a whim a while ago, and finally found time to read it.  It's about two Americans, a doctor and his photographer wife, who move to Kenya so he can complete medical training.  They climb Mount Kenya with their friends, and tragedy occurs, changing the course of their time in Kenya.  I'm half way through, and so far so good.  I'll let you know how it is!


What are your favorite books?  Do you enjoy reading?  I'd love to find new favorites!
These are all coming with my to florida!  Yes, i am the girl that packs half her suitcase with thick books.


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Thanks for all your input on the yoga post!  I've decided that every Monday will be yoga Monday.  I'll offer a pose of the week as well as some insight into teaching, being a student, and my personal yoga life!
I'm excited :)
xo

* all pictures google images