Spinster

I've been wondering lately, "Do I even want to get married?"  So it was opportune timing that I chanced upon Spinster by Katie Bolick.  She actually wrote a very popular and highly debated article called "All the Single Ladies" for Atlantic magazine several years ago.  Much like the article, it was very difficult to get through.  Have you read it?

I judge books by their covers.  I thought that I was really going to enjoy this book.  I was expecting humor, and some reassurance that women could have fulfilling lives without marrying.  Ms. Bolick shared bits of her personal life interwoven with lives of 5 "awakeners," other historical literary women who were known for their single lifestyles at one point or another.  It took me three weeks to finish and I can't remember anything that really stood out to me.  She's been in serious relationship and even had marriage proposals.  In spite of her age, she will not settle down for so-so.  Conversely for me, the book has had the opposite effect of making me want to be in a relationship and show her that marriage can be a good thing.  It's in the Bible too.  Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

I'll Write You a Love Letter

click to listen to Leona Lewis' song Love Letter

These days I've been reading a handful of books simultaneously.  Reading a little before bed each night rather than powering through them in my usual style.  There are so many books on my Kindle that I have yet to get to as well.  And yet, I still love to browse bookstores when I get the chance.  While perusing the aisles, I saw an interesting one that was called If You Find This Letter  by Hannah Brencher.

Food52 Genius Recipes

Apparently, my sister tells people that I am an amazing baker, which I don't consider myself to be.  I don't even like baking.  I just like sweets.  The only reason why I started was because I was unhappy with the baked goods bought from the market.  So, I decided to bake them myself.  For me, cooking is the same thing.  It's a joyless means to a necessary end.

So the easier it is the better.  Something that can be made using ingredients I actually have on hand in my kitchen.  No saffron threads or fresh ginger please.  Usually, I make something and it lasts me for a week or more.  By then, I get bored and at it eventually evolves into a stew at some point or another.  Even if it turns out well, I'm not wowed enough to make it again next time.

I've bought cookbooks in the past hoping for quick and easy recipes that might become staples that I wouldn't have to think about.  Unfortunately, they required a whole lot of ingredients or time or both.  Food52 Genius Recipes actually contain recipes that I am not intimidated by.  Crepes made from tortillas?  A salad utilizing hard unripe peaches or cauliflower soup made with and mostly water?  Yes, please!

Just Add Watercolor

Lately, I am flexing more of my creative muscles.  I've been dabbling in my old sketchbooks and drawing.  Naturally, drawing got me thinking about painting again.  And being the super cautious and thorough me, I got a book to refresh my memory before diving right into it.

Just add Watercolor  by Helen Birch is a little book (about the size of a Kindle), but it packs a whole lot of information as well as inspiration.  It's got 87 pages of different paintings in various styles by artists from all around the globe.  In not just watercolor, but gouache, mixed media, and colored pencils too.  It's perfect because I haven't cultivated my own style yet and I wanted to see how others treated the medium to their advantage.

Job U

*  I received this book from
Blogging for Books for this review

I'm doing a lot of research before plunging into the job market again.  I just finished this book called Job U  to find out what skills I need in order to get hired.

I expected it to be a straight how-to book, but it read more like an academic essay.  The author, Nicholas Wyman continually repeated that the whole notion that everyone should attend college in order to attain "success" was flawed.  If you don't think college is necessarily for you or you've been there, done that.  You should consider professional certifications, associate degrees, apprenticeships, or occupational learning.  Besides the associate degree, I didn't even know these options were available!  He only shared a handful of programs in specific chapters.  Luckily, the appendix shares a lot more resources, so I'm going to be checking out those websites next.

I wish I had read this book while in high school because it would have saved me a couple years and a lot of money.  I was hoping that by the end of the book, I would have had a clear career path illuminated for me, but this book is just a helpful tool.  In closing, Mr. Wyman said, "What I am here to tell you is that when considering your next step, take in as much information and guidance as you can, but ultimately only you can make the decision about what job or career will be the right fit."

Did you go to college?  Are you in college?  What's your job or are you seeking one too?  If you have any career advice please share.  My uncle told me to get over myself.  There is no dream job.  You just need a job.  I hope that my life is not as depressing as his.

In Full Bloom

So, I specifically set out to read books that fellow Asians had written and came across In Full Bloom.  I related to the protagonist so much that I finished it in 2 or 3 days.  I had to find out what happened to her so that I could get a glimpse of what might happen in my own future.

Asterios Polyp

Due to the meager selection of good quality movies on Netflix, I'm not sure I will continue with Cinematic Saturdays.  But I did finish this book call Asterios Polyp.

What I Read in January

I'm going to start keeping a list of the books I've read from month to month.  I will link the book title to GoodReads where you can browse through more reviews of the book if you are intrigued by my pithy evaluations.  Should I only mention the noteworthy stuff or would you be interested in knowing what bad books I would not recommend?

The Hundred Dresses
I always admire well-done fashion illustrations and this book contained 100 of them.  The dresses varied from contemporary to costume, wearable and high-fashion.  Each dress was briefly described and offered a bit of fun history or witty commentary.  Lovely to breeze through.

Blog, Inc.
I bought this on a whim at a used bookstore and after reading it started sun over eden.  I had a lot of reservations about starting a blog in an already oversaturated market but the words of Ms. Cho helped me to take a leap and do it anyway.  Overall, I do not regret purchasing it.

Miss Harper Can Do It
I bought this book because the protagonist was a socially awkward 3rd-grade teacher (my dream job) about my age and her attempt to write a not-too-serious memoir while her boyfriend is deployed.  She's a bit like Bridget Jones, who could be viewed by some as lovable, but I found her rather frustrating.  (There were 2 instances in the book where she wrote something and it wasn't until much later that I realized that she had made it up completely.)  I appreciated the way the writer experimented with form, but I never fell in love with the protagonist and the ending was cliche.  Let's just say that she spends a lot of time with her male best friend while her boyfriend is away.