Reading List: Women, the "F" Word, and Other Controversial Topics.

Here is a list of books about women. Written by women. But not just for women. Because men write books all the time that are not only marketed for men, but also for women. I don't have a problem if women write books for women, or if men write books for men. But it seems that often, when a women writes a book (particularly in a non-fiction/essay type style) it is to be marketed solely for women. Now this assumption is not a well researched one because I am too lazy and I am not in college anymore, BUT this feeling does stem from what I have perceived and I think it holds some truth. So long story short, just because these are books written by women it doesn't mean they are only for women. Okay. Let's move on.

(Left) Bad Feminist - Roxane Gay: Just started this one... so far it is a really refreshing and healthy conversation about feminism. It clears up a lot of confusion (you know, like when you hear feminism and all you think of is Beyonce...)

(Right) Yes Please - Amy Poehler: I mean, it's Amy Poehler? This book will be amazing. 

(Left) Not that Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham: Oh Lena. I am a fan of Girls. I am not a fan of everything that happens on Girls, with my complaints being on how narcissistic the characters are rather than how graphic the sex scenes are because sex is sex and at least this show is real about it. I appreciate the raw and gritty aspects of Dunham's writing style. I know there is a lot of controversy around Miss Dunham (in fact Roxane Gray criticizes Lena pretty harshly in Bad Feminist for the lack of diversity in Girls, which is an issue) All in all, this book will be intriguing to read. 

(Right) Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling: I read this book a few months back and I could not put it down. It made me want to be a comedian. Go read it now. 

(Left) How to be Parisian Wherever You Are: This looks like a guilty pleasure read for sure, but who wouldn't want to be like a Parisian wherever they are?

 (Right) Girl Talk: It is more of a coffee table book than a bus book (which is something you can take with you to read on the bus... obviously.). I previewed some of the pages on Amazon and it looks hilarious.

 And on a more serious note... 

(Left) The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery: Someone recommended this book to me almost 3 years ago. It was one of those things where I was super busy with school but I checked it out from the library anyway, and then read one page and it was due back and someone had a hold on it and I was broke and had no money to buy books for fun, yada yada yada. Although this book isn't about women, it is written by a brilliant one!

 (Right) Girls of Kabul - Jenny Nordberg: This books seems fascinating and heartbreaking. It is about girls in Afghanistan whose parents decide to raise them as boys. 

So there it is. Some books written by women, about women, but remember... not just for women. Because women's thoughts are not only to be heard by women.

Summer Reading List

For me summer has always meant books upon books. When I was young, my mom and I used to bring our red, radio flyer wagon to the library and fill it up with books. It always felt so magical to me; a place full of books where I could get as many as I wanted for free and a season that felt like an endless amount of time to read them all. Most summers my family would travel to Lake Tahoe and to the Sierra Nevadas to go backpacking or camping, this is where the majority of my summer reading was done. Either on the dock by the beautiful and big Lake Tahoe, or in the tent in some amazing mountains filled with peaks and meadows. Summer has always been for books and mountains, and even though now I have the freedom to read all year long (perks of graduating from college!), the summer is still the most inspiring time to delve into the pages of a book. Here is a list on what I plan on reading this summer:

Fiction

(Left) Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. This is my favorite book of all time. I read this book every summer and it always changes me. Summer is not summer without Jem, Scout, Boo Radley, and Atticus. (Right) Paula Coelho's The Alchemist. I am a little late on reading this book, I believe it was very popular in the 90's. I am currently reading this right now and it is helping me find direction during a season of having no clue what my "Personal Legend" is. 

 (Left) Jack Kerouac's On the Road. This has been on my list for a while and I hope to finally get around to reading it this summer (Right) Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being. My mom recommended this book to me. It is a story of two women connected from Japan and the San Juan Islands here in Washington. I am always a sucker for books set in the Pacific Northwest. 

 (Left) Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Once again, I am a sucker for books set in the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle. (Right) The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I just finished this book. It is about a old man who walks across England, it was so beautiful!

 (Left) Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins. I don't know much about this book except that everyone seems to love it. So I guess I better read it. (Right) Anita Diamant's The Red Tent. A fictional take on the life of women during biblical times. I have always been curious what it must have been like to be "unclean" for 12 weeks out of the year, and what the red tent was really like.

Non-Fiction

(Left) Alys Fowler's Garden Anywhere. I picked up this book from the library last week and I am learning all about container gardening, how to make your own compost, and thrifty foraging. We plan on starting our own little garden this summer. (Right) Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Ah! A book on how to write from one of my favorite writers! 

 (Left) Poems by Wendell Berry. I have never read Wendell Berry before but I have heard wonderful things. I need more poetry in my life. (Right) Sheldon Vanauken's A Severe Mercy. I read this book about three years ago and it taught me so much about love, loss, and Christ. I first read this book when Mike and I started dating and it was so beautiful. Please ditch the cheesy dating books and read this. I will never forget the quote "Love is like a glass of water in the middle of the night." I want to reread this one before our wedding this summer. 

 (Left) Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. I am currently trying to understand what art means to me in my life. I have always felt that I had some sort of "artist" heart in me, but not in any sort of traditional way. I guess I believe life is a blank canvas and how we live is our art. Plus Madeleine L'Engle knows her stuff. (Right) Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God. I read her book Still two summer ago and it shaped my faith in many ways. I am excited to read more of her work. 

Well there you go, I better get to reading!

A Season of Newness

In the past month life has flipped upside down. I am in a new place with new people doing new things. Where there is newness, there is also the constant presence of the unknown. I have been trying to loosen my grip, unclench my muscles, and lighten my body so it can be filled with whatever this season gives. I have been mirroring this newness in simple ways, by trying things that I have never done. These things vary from tiny things like the placement of a few bobby pins to big things like training for a half-marathon. This may seem silly to some people, but God is really showing me that the more my actions reflect this season the more He can help me be at peace with the present. (and we have to start somewhere right?)  Here is a great quote about change and newness from the book I am currently reading:

"I’ve learned that in many cases, change is not a function not life’s cruelty but instead a function of God’s graciousness. If you dig in and fight the changes, they will smash you to bits. They’ll hold you under, drag you across the rough sand, scare and confuse you. But if you can find it within yourself, in the wildest of seasons, just for a moment, to trust in the goodness of God, who made it all and holds it all together, you’ll find yourself drawn along to a whole new place, and there’s truly nothing sweeter. Unclench your fists, unlock your knees and also the door to your heart, take a deep breath, and let God do his work in you." -Shauna Niequist 

So here's to my season of wildness.

(Left) Rocking the floppy hat. Mike got me this hat for Christmas and I feel so confident and daring when I wear it.
(Right) Trying this new hair style. I saw this on Pinterest and realized that I have never worn my hair like this. It wasn't some daunting fish tail braid wrap, it was new yet subtle.

Exploring the City of Portland. This Portland City Guide has been helping me get a hold of my bearings. I know that it is going to take time to learn where the best slice of pie and friendliest coffee shops are; it is going to take time to learn Portland, and that is okay. In the mean time I will continue to keep trying, to keep walking into cafes that I think are coffee shops and be scorned by unfriendly baristas when I only order a drip coffee and ask if there is wi-fi.

(Right) I am determined to make homemade doughnuts. I love doughnuts, a lot. And I have been seeing some yummy recipes on Pinterest lately, this being one of them.
(Left) I baked these scones. But I added blueberries instead of cranberries. I brought them to a work potluck and people loved them. When in need of new friends, bake these scones.

Running, doing intervals, and trying new exercise classes. I have been trying weight lifting classes for the first time, running intervals on the treadmill, attempting to go to yoga once a week, and training for my half-marathon that I plan on doing in May.

Inspired by this outfit. So much so that I bought my very own black jumpsuit, which is a big fashion dare for me. But, this is my season of newness, and where there is newness there is a black jumpsuit waiting for me, with perhaps some red lipstick on the side.

(Left) Let's put an egg on my pizza. I have been seeing so many recipes like this one around Pinterest and I am making a mental note to give it a shot by the end of the week.
(Right) Trying Green Smoothies for the first time.   I never though I would like putting spinach in my smoothies, but to my surprise it was quite tasty (mostly because, as I discovered, you don't really taste the spinach). Yay for sneaking more veggies into my diet!

I hope this inspires you, wherever you are, to embrace change and try new things!

Reading List

Years ago I used to be a reader and now, quite honestly, I have lost my passion for it. Being stretched thin and exhausted in college might have had something to do with it. In the past 4 years reading has slowly become less enjoyable, I would tell myself that my brain only has so much space and now is the time to fill it psychology and music theory. 

I want to find my passion again for reading, to get lost in pages, words, and stories written by someone other than myself; finding common ground with the thoughts of authors and the stories of their characters. Below is a list of books I have been wanting/trying to read.

 (1) Anne Lamott has been one of my favorites for a few years, she is honest, witty, and sassy. She presents faith in such a refreshing and oh-so-human way (2) A book set in Seattle and written from the point of view of a dog, yes please.

 (1) The Light Between Oceans has a lot of good vibes around it according to Amazon, I would like to read it and find out for myself (2) I already started reading this gem. Mike and I picked it up at a bookstore on San Juan Island the weekend we got engaged. Being from the land that Steinbeck wrote about, I connect deeply with his books.

 (1) Shauna Niequist seems to put things into words that I have never been able to articulate, I've read Cold Tangerines and I am excited to read more of her. (2) I've never read Kerouac before but I have heard beautiful things about this book. I'm a sucker for books about traveling

 (1) In light of Nelson Mandela's recent passing, I want to reread Cry, the Beloved Country. Set in South Africa, this novel is a beautiful representation of suffering and redemption. I read it in high school for a literature class and I still have quotes from it written in my journal. (2) I also enjoy reading books about the culture in the Middle East (I'm a big fan of Khaled Hosseini's novels). This story is about women in Pakistan and all that they have to endure.

(1) I have been wanting to get back into running long distances again and I have heard wonderful things about this book. My hope is that it will inspire me to sign up for a spring half marathon (2) Sue Monk Kidd is an incredible author and I flipped when I saw she had a new book out. The Secret Life of Bees is honestly one of the most incredible novels I have ever read.

If anyone has any other book recommendations please comment and let me know!