hello.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted my recent reads, but I thought it was about time to catch up a little with what I read in October (not a busy reading month). If you are on Goodreads, let me know!

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I have some mixed feelings about this one. I found The Historian very interesting, particularly for the historical detail which Kostova does great justice. It is also very well written with great thought and care going into each word and every line. Some lines are particularly lyric. However, I did find it all rather slow-paced and, at times, a little anti-climactic. Unsatisfying. I did enjoy it, but if you aren’t willing to invest some time and energy into this one, it may not be for you. I also yearned for more traditional vampire action. Perhaps I am easily swayed in this direction for my love of all-things vampire, but I felt a little let down in this regard. The prose is beautiful and the history fascinating, but this one does take a little more investment if you don’t like a slower-paced novel. It can start to feel a little long.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I haven’t seen the movie at all and I wanted to read the book before doing so. It was definitely enjoyable, and for any foodie, I can see why they may get into it even more, but I was hoping for a little more Julia Child. Although Powell’s adventure to cook every recipe from the infamous Child tome was enjoyable to follow (along with other antics in her life during that year), I was hoping to read more about Julia Child intermingled with Powell’s life. The details of the recipe were a little much at times and I found myself wanting to skip some of the more extensive descriptions about what went into each butter-filled dish.

i recently read this great post from emira: getting beyond the busy work. such a timely post for me. i’ve found more and more my day is consumed with all the “busy work” that i allow myself to get caught up in rather than the “real work” that needs to get done. if you know what i am talking about, the post is worth a read. if nothing else, at least it helped me feel like i wasn’t the only one. i do need to change some habits – like closing down my email and twitter (shock! horror!) for part of the day so i can really focus. as emira says:

when we’re running around like proverbial chickens, answering phone calls, rushing to meetings and trying our best to stay on top of our inboxes it’s really easy to lose site [sic] of the important in the midst of the urgent, but as the bosses of our own careers and shops it is so very important that we make this distinction.

it’s so easy to get distracted and caught up in being busy that you actually don’t accomplish much at all. when you are running your own business, this is never a good thing. speaking of business, there are all sorts of business books out there for someone starting out on their own, or trying to develop their own business to the next level. who am i kidding? there are about a million books out there, right? and where to start? well, let me help out the other girls out there.

if i had to recommend only one business book out of the thousands (millions might have been stretching it a tad), it would be this one: The Boss of You: Everything A Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business. if you haven’t picked this up yet, do yourself and your business (whether it is already started or just an idea in your head) a favour and purchase it. i promise i’m not a sales rep for the book or anything like that. i’m just a firm believer in sharing good finds when i find them. i really have found this book to be such an inspiring, informative and enjoyable read. in fact, i often go back to certain topics and chapters to re-read them. business can be tough. starting your own business can be terrifying. running your own business can be stressful. a book like this is a helping hand; a much needed push in the right direction; your own personal cheerleader in book form and your little advice-dispenser when you need it.

This month I’ve enjoyed 4 books, 2 of which I highly recommend.

Ticket to Ride is one of those books you need to take your time with. At least I found that. It’s also the sort of book I plan to reread to fully appreciate it. I wrote a short review for our Feb update at All Things Girl. If you like your reads clean, structured and with a happy ending, then skip this. If, however, you like to be a little challenged and prefer a story that leaves you with more questions than answers, then this is for you.


The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I finished this today and bawled. This is a heart-breaking story, but also one that shows the real beauty of humans, along with their brutality. Death narrates the story of Liesel, a 9 year old girl sent to live with foster parents. It’s 1939, Germany. No doubt, you can imagine this is not an entirely happy story. It is however, one about the power of words – for good and for bad, about friendships that endure through the harshest of barriers, and death. Zusak gives you a new perspective on the Holocaust. One that paints it, as it should be, as a grey time. Things are never black and white. The writing itself is…beautiful. Zusak cleverly describes things in a way that makes you stop, reread the description and really absorb it. I highly recommend this book, although be equipped with a box of Kleenex. Granted, I am the type who cries at commercials, so perhaps I’m just a wuss.

i used to finish a book, no matter what. if i started it, it meant i finished it. part of this was because i have an aversion to leaving things undone, and part of it was blind hope that somehow, along the way, the book would redeem itself, become enjoyable or be worth the effort. with this approach, i have read a number of books i wouldn’t recommend. that’s not to say they aren’t books others may enjoy, they just weren’t my cup of tea. likewise, i have spent a number of hours rather bored, trudging through the pages of a less-than-enticing novel.

well, no more. i realise now (too late to gain back those wasted hours) that there are far too many good books to read and far too little time. if a book isn’t worth the time, i’m not going to waste it. now, i do have a tendency to start a book and if it doesn’t grip me within the first few chapters, i may put it back down for a while until the right mood comes along. i will always come back to it and give it a proper chance, but if, reaching the half-way mark, the book is still a battle rather than an enjoyment, and there is nothing with the writing-style, characters or story that i find appealing, what’s the point?

i have at least 20 books on my bookshelf which i haven’t read yet, and today i went and bought 4 more. i know i will get to all of these eventually, but i also know i have to be in the right frame of mind. the book, and author’s hard work, deserves my full attention and if i’m not in the mood for that type of book/story, they won’t get it. that’s not fair to the author, or to me, as i may miss out on a really good read.

it’s taken me awhile to realise that it is ok to leave a book unfinished. it’s ok to leave some things undone. time is short and it’s important to spend what time you have on things that are worthy of it.

I’m proud to be an utter bookworm. I love books and I have a pile of them waiting to be read, with an even longer list of books I still want to get my hands on. Below are some of my recent reads which I’d recommend. For those of you on Goodreads, let me know.

The Outsider by Albert Camus. Camus is most widely associated with existentialism although he apparently did not care for this label. The Outsider is, basically, the story of a man put on trial for murder, but judged by society according to his overall personality and response, or lack of response, to his mother’s earlier death. Very interesting and thought-provoking. The main character can be absurd (in it’s purest sense) in what you as the reader expect, but that is really part of the whole story. Ultimately, it is a story about one man refusing to pretend to be something he is not, and facing the high consequences of this.


Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips. This is a really fun and quick read. Phillips has a great sense of humour and really is able to bring you into this idea of a different, yet familiar world. The Greek gods (Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Ares and others) are living amongst us in the 21st century but they are no longer the powerful Gods of the past. They continue to run the world on their diminished powers, and as expected, in their own selfish games, end up meddling with the lives of mere mortals. Some meddling goes too far though when Apollo is made (by the arrow from Eros) to fall in love with a meek girl, Alice. Things get out of hand and gods and mortal must work together before the end of the world.


Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is my favourite play. I’ve read this a few times but picked it up yet again this week since we just got our tickets to see a performance of Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in May. I’m thrilled and can’t wait to see these two exceptional actors take on the roles of Vladimir and Estragon. The play itself is about these two characters waiting for a man named Godot. Saying anything more is not really in keeping with the point of the play…or pointlessness perhaps. Worth reading.


Persuasion by Jane Austen is not one of the more widely known novels by Austen, but is is just as good. What else would you expect from her? It is Austen’s last completed novel and a real gem, especially for anyone who has enjoyed her other more popular novels. She continues to tackle the ideas of society expectations and personal desires with wit and humour, strong female characters and of course, love. There also seems to be a bit more of a “bite” in some of the main characters lines. Perhaps a little bitterness that has crept into Austen herself. Beautifully written and at all times, engaging, I couldn’t put Persuasion down.


The End of Faith by Sam Harris. Provocative, insightful and daring this is a book I wish more people would read and consider. I don’t agree with all the viewpoints – especially the more dooming ones – but Harris brings many ideas and ideals to consider and reconsider. It is a powerful read and extremely timely. No doubt many people will hate it as it attacks certain ideals that many hold dear – and in fact hold above life itself – but I feel this is worth reading to, at the very least, gain a different perspective.