So very beautiful... the pictures are evocative and colorful and gorgeous. And I love the way it jumps around from topic to topic, and the way it focuSo very beautiful... the pictures are evocative and colorful and gorgeous. And I love the way it jumps around from topic to topic, and the way it focuses on the small and everyday and easily-overlooked....more
Definitely one of the most unusual memoirs I've ever read, in the sense that it's focused on a particular emotion... I don't think I've ever come acroDefinitely one of the most unusual memoirs I've ever read, in the sense that it's focused on a particular emotion... I don't think I've ever come across a book that so specifically confronts one woman's experience with/journey through anger. And I really liked it, even more than I expected to; it was one of those lucky finds at my local library. Occasionally the writing seemed a little show-offy to me--as if a particular word was chosen for its shock value/strangeness rather than because it was actually the right word--but mostly what I felt was appreciation, for the author's honesty and willingness to delve into such a powerful and challenging subject....more
My sense is that there are lots of books out there about going to Italy (or Provence) and how wonderful it is, and how it can change your life. And thMy sense is that there are lots of books out there about going to Italy (or Provence) and how wonderful it is, and how it can change your life. And though I haven't read any of those books, one thing I love about Rachel Cusk's memoir is that I am sure it's completely unlike all of them. The way she looks at the world is so weird (in the best possible way)--this is evident in her novels and also in this beautiful, strange, wondrous travel book. It's so hard to describe her style; there's something detached about it, and dark, and sometimes disturbing and sometimes very funny. And always very, very intelligent, searching, intense. I particularly loved her musings on beauty (and the lack of it in most parts of our world) and on art; paintings are alive to her, and her relationships with the works of art she sees in Italy are alive, as well, and deeply resonant. Going to Italy does actually seem to have changed her life, but she would never come out and say so. Another reason to love her....more
One of those books about a grim subject (the author's daughter's psychotic breakdown) that manages to be surprisingly funny as well as beautiful, wiseOne of those books about a grim subject (the author's daughter's psychotic breakdown) that manages to be surprisingly funny as well as beautiful, wise, and generous....more
I wasn't sure I'd like this book after reading the introduction, which I found a little... sentimental, I guess, and a little predictable. But the resI wasn't sure I'd like this book after reading the introduction, which I found a little... sentimental, I guess, and a little predictable. But the rest of it (which is to say, about 99% of it, since the intro. is only maybe 4 pages long) was a joyful surprise: smart, deeply thoughtful, wide-ranging, not at all predictable, and (hooray) not at all sentimental. Phyllis Theroux writes beautifully about a big variety of topics: family, growing older, mature love, her mother's very fascinating and unusual life, writing, money, spiritual life. I would read frantically and then stop to copy down a quote I loved, and then read frantically some more. I was inspired by this book... which, though I love a lot of contemporary memoirs, isn't something I often experience when reading them....more
I remember reading a quote once by Katherine Paterson, stating that children's books are either mirrors (showing the reader something about him or herI remember reading a quote once by Katherine Paterson, stating that children's books are either mirrors (showing the reader something about him or her self) or windows (showing the reader something about The Other)... and that, essentially, children love both kinds of stories. I think the same thing is true about books for grown-ups, and I started out reading And the Heart Says Whatever (such a great title) assuming it would be a window book for me. Emily Gould and I apparently have nothing in common, aside from being white, female, and born in the 20th century. And I was fascinated by her descriptions of what, to me, is a completely differnt sort of life... and then surprised and moved by her descriptions of her emotional life which, in spite of the outward differences, I found so easy to relate to. I guess that's the universal underlying the particular... or something like that. But it was lovely to find myself so touched, in the best sense, by this book, and also to find it so funny in some parts that I actually laughed out loud....more
Things I adored about this book: it's about female friendship, Cambridge, and dogs. Plus it's beautifully written. Hooray!Things I adored about this book: it's about female friendship, Cambridge, and dogs. Plus it's beautifully written. Hooray!...more
I loved, loved, loved this book. Which surprised me, because I wasn't particularly into the Dani Shapiro novel I tried to read. Maybe I didn't try harI loved, loved, loved this book. Which surprised me, because I wasn't particularly into the Dani Shapiro novel I tried to read. Maybe I didn't try hard enough. Because this book is beautifully written and very, very moving. It isn't really specifically about Buddhism, though it's one tradition Shapiro investigates in her effort to (for lack of better words) get more spiritual (she also explores yoga and Judaism, which is her family tradition). I'm making the book sound silly and lightweight, which it isn't, at all. Shapiro describes beautifully so many things that are so difficult to describe; meditation is a good example. And I was so so glad that this wasn't one of those "I found yoga and now my life is perfect" kinds of memoirs. Shapiro is very honest about everything she goes through, including rough edges, pain, and not knowing--and the book feels organic and heart-felt as a result....more
I so much wanted to love this book, since I DID love Alix Kates Shulman's first memoir, Drinking the Rain. But it didn't quite do it for me; I enjoyedI so much wanted to love this book, since I DID love Alix Kates Shulman's first memoir, Drinking the Rain. But it didn't quite do it for me; I enjoyed this book, was moved by it, learned quite a bit (specifically about traumatic brain injury), and I'm glad I read it. I guess I wanted it to be Drinking the Rain, and it wasn't......more
A hard book to categorize... part memoir, part history of the Berkeley neighborhood where the author lives, part geography, part spirituality. I endedA hard book to categorize... part memoir, part history of the Berkeley neighborhood where the author lives, part geography, part spirituality. I ended up really liking it, though I was not sure I was going to initially; the beginning seemed kind of unfocused, but the way Barbara Gates moves between subjects--in an nonlinear, almost dreamy fashion--really grew on me. Beautiful, lyrical... I've never read another book like it....more
I expected to enjoy this book, but not to love it as much as I did, nor to be inspired to start my own Happiness Project! This book is a lovely blend I expected to enjoy this book, but not to love it as much as I did, nor to be inspired to start my own Happiness Project! This book is a lovely blend of memoir, sociology, self-help, spirituality... it has little bits of everything, in a really good way. Gretchen Rubin has done so much fascinating research about happiness, and is so astute and honest about her own life, I learned tons as I was reading, while enjoying myself at the same time....more
While I didn't love this book quite as much as Things Seen and Unseen, it's still smart and moving and wonderful. It's a sequel memoir that deals withWhile I didn't love this book quite as much as Things Seen and Unseen, it's still smart and moving and wonderful. It's a sequel memoir that deals with both the death of the author's brother, and her struggle to figure out whether or not she wants to become a priest. Again, I loved rediscovering it--both her books are worth reading and rereading, they are so full of depth....more
I reread this book recently and loved it just as much as I did the first time, possibly more. Beautifully-written, smart, honest, perceptive, sometimeI reread this book recently and loved it just as much as I did the first time, possibly more. Beautifully-written, smart, honest, perceptive, sometimes really funny. The book describes a calendar year of the author's religious life (she's a member of a liberal Episcopalian church in California) and is wonderfully forthright about her struggles and difficulties as well as times of clarity and hopefulness. Aside from obvious Christian references (God and Jesus especially), what struck me this time around is how much what she describes is like Buddhist practice: dealing with impermanence and disappointment; ritual and the present moment; discerning what is really true....more
This is like a fabulous picture book for grown-ups. It's hand-lettered and full of beautifully colored illustrations/photographs and is as gorgeous toThis is like a fabulous picture book for grown-ups. It's hand-lettered and full of beautifully colored illustrations/photographs and is as gorgeous to look at as it is amazing to read. It's short, but I read it very very slowly; it deserves to be loved and savored....more
I'm so glad a friend loaned me this memoir, which I'd never heard of before. It's a beautiful and moving and surprising book--surprising because of itI'm so glad a friend loaned me this memoir, which I'd never heard of before. It's a beautiful and moving and surprising book--surprising because of its unusual subject matter (in part, it's about the decision not to have children, but also about relationships and art and life as a poet) and also because of Molly Peacock's unique and honest take on everything in her world. I wanted to read it slowly, because the prose is so gorgeous, but also wanted to read it fast, because I couldn't wait to see what would happen to her next, how her questions would be resolved. A generous, thoughtful, and completely lovely book....more
I'm totally fascinated by this book, which I've now read twice. Partly because it's so very funny, partly because Susan Shapiro's life is incredibly dI'm totally fascinated by this book, which I've now read twice. Partly because it's so very funny, partly because Susan Shapiro's life is incredibly different from mine, partly because--in spite of that--I still find things I can relate to in her work and life. This book describes a year she spent undergoing addiction therapy, and quitting an incredible number of substances, including alcohol, cigarettes, bread, and gum (!). She's incredibly honest and, like I said, really very funny, and I'll probably read this book a third time at some point......more
This is one of those blogs-become-books about a year (in this case, I think it was actually two years) of doing something wacky/creative/different. InThis is one of those blogs-become-books about a year (in this case, I think it was actually two years) of doing something wacky/creative/different. In this case, the author, who lives in NYC, decides not to eat out, at all, for an extended period of time; she explores cooking and baking, dumpster-diving for food, foraging in city parks, and all sorts of sustainability issues (one chapter about the waste that goes along with take-out food was particularly fascinating). I did enjoy it, though I think the parts that are truly about food and eating work much much better than the sections about the author's personal life, which read more like glorified journal entries. Some excellent-sounding recipes, too, and I love books that mix recipes with prose!...more
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