March Reads

It’s the end of another month, and while there are about 10 hours left in March as I sit down to write this, I’m doubtful I’ll finish any more books today as I have quite a pile of work to finish. Before we get into the list of books I read this past month I just HAVE to tell you that I’m typing this from my new Macbook. It feels like it’s been such a long journey (really it’s only been a couple months) but it feels so good to have all my “stuff” back (iTunes files, Adobe programs, my fonts, my password manager). Total first world problems for sure, but I don’t mind saying how happy I am to have them all back!

Anyway, it seems as though I did more reading than usual in March, and that can likely be attributed to my lack of a working computer. April is going to be quite a bit busier both with blog work and courses I’m taking so it’ll be interesting to see how the month’s list compares.

A few of the books on this month’s list were audio books which are indicated by a * after the title. Now let’s get on with it!

The book links and photos all link to Amazon.ca. If you make a purchase through one of them I will earn a few cents that will inevitably go towards buying more books – and so the cycle continues. 😉

Yes Please by Amy Pohler*

When this book first came out a few years ago I was anxious to read it. I’d read Mindy Kaling’s and Tina Fey’s books not long before and had hoped this one would be amazing as well. But then I heard reviews from my friends who said it was a disappointment so I skipped it. I recently noticed the audiobook version had won a lot of awards so I thought I’d check it out. It was enjoyable-ish. There were some really great moments and great analogies that I enjoyed, but there was also a lot of, what felt like filler. Had I been reading the written version I’m not sure I would have finished it, but for a good car listen it was fine. Not one I’d super recommend, but decent.

If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t) – Betty White*

Right on the heels of Amy’s book, I dove into this Betty White book. Not quite an autobiography (I believe she’s already written a few of those), but more of a collection of stories. This was really short (the audio book was about 2 hours total) so is a nice little quick listen or read for an afternoon. There were a lot of cute little stories and some more serious topics as well but all in all, I enjoyed this one. I mean really, Betty White is a treasure. There is just no denying that!

You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life: Simple 4-Minute Meditations for Inspiration, Transformation, and True Bliss – Rebekah Borucki

I’ve followed Bex online for many, many years and couldn’t wait to get me hands on her new books when it finally came out. And this book does not disappoint. I’ve had many, many hours of meditation training and still found lots of great tidbits in this book, and found it the most accessibly written meditation book I’ve ever read (and I’ve read quite a few). If you are interested at all in meditation, this is the book to pick up. In fact, I am planning to create an online yoga/meditation course/class and am seriously considering making this book part of the training program. It is so good! Pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.

The Subtle Knife  – Philip Pullman

This is the second book in the “His Dark Materials” series (the first book being the more well known The Golden Compass). As reviewed in last month’s post, The Golden Compass wasn’t my favourite, but I was interested to see how the series developed. Well, I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this instalment so much more! It expanded on the first book and added some interesting new plot lines and twists. I’m currently partway through the third book so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is as enjoyable as this one.

Picture Perfect Social Media – Jennifer Young

I spotted this at the library and picked it up on a whim. I’ve taken so many courses and read so many books on social media that I wasn’t sure if I’d learn anything new (for the record, I’m a little slow in implimenting what I know so don’t judge my social media accounts haha), and I’m not sure if I did but I enjoyed going through it. There were lots of interesting photo examples, mini interviews with many bloggers sharing some of their favorite tips and equipment. If you are looking to improve your photography or make your photos stand out/more visually appealing this is a great non-techie book to check out.

Today Will Be Different – Maria Semple

Sigh. I had such high hopes for this book. The premise seemed interesting. A woman who wakes up one day and declares today will be different – she’ll do all the things she neglects and puts off other days, but then everything starts going wrong.

I didn’t dislike this book, but it was one of those rare books where I’m half or more through a book and out of the blue I say to my husband, “I just don’t know if I like this book.” There was nothing that really made me think I couldn’t finish it but I have to admit that what was built up to be the big twist at the end left me feeling cheated. I was expecting more, and frankly, I found the main character to be a bit infuriating.

If you are looking for a light read this might fit the bill, but I would recommend her previous book “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” before recommending this one.

The best part of the book? When Eleanor is upset her son tells her to “Smell the soup, cool the soup,” something he and his classmates were taught to do in school when they get upset. That visual cue is music to a yoga instructor’s ear (or eyes I guess in this case).

The Four-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss*

I would never consider myself rich, but in the context of this book, I am closer to being part of the new rich than many. I’ve chosen what consider to be “alternative” careers as a healthy living content creator and a fitness instructor, and have the flexibility of working from nearly anywhere at anytime. Aside from when I’m teaching classes I get to decide when I work and for how long I work. Because I am surrounded by those I consider co-workers (others in the online space making similar careers online), I’ve heard people talking about this book for years, and finally decided to check it out. I really enjoyed it and enjoyed a lot of the tidbits were extremely useful to me.

Since I don’t sell a physical product there were chapters not terribly relevant to me but overall this is a wonderful read. Even if you work a standard 9-5 and see no hope for you do to anything else, this book may change the ways you think about travel, about how you spend your non-working hours, and how you want to live your life.

Two thumbs way up here.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices Book 1) – Cassandra Clare

I had read The Mortal Instruments Series a number of years ago, and one of my BFF’s Lisa kept asking if I had read this prequal series, so I decided it was about time I got caught up on the earlier Shadowhunter business. I very much enjoyed this book, and upon finishing it at 6 pm one Saturday night was disgusted when I realised that a) the library was now closed until Tuesday, and b) that book 2 was checked out with a return date of mid-April and the e-book had a waiting list of 4 or 5 people. DRAT. I really enjoy my YA books, and in particular, enjoy dystopian and fantasy based series and this happily falls into the latter category.

Shadowhunters, Vampires, Daemons, all things I don’t have to worry one little bit about in my day-to-day life, and that is how I like my books to go. Absolute nonsense I don’t need to worry about in real life. If you read and enjoyed The Mortal Instruments series or enjoy Shadowhunters on Netflix/Freeform then this would be a good series to check out.

What Alice Forgot – Liane Moriarty

After enjoying Big Little Lies and The Husband’s Secret so much last month, I’ve continued on with my Liane Moriarty binge reading. The premise of this novel is the classic, “woman wakes up and can’t remember the last _____ years of her life.” In this case, it’s a full decade she’s lost, including the birth of her three children. Without spoiling anything the story unfolds as she learns who she has become over the last 10 years and what has happened in her life while she tried to make sense of it all. I had flashbacks to Sophie Kinsella’s “Remember Me?” but with less lighthearted comedy and more raw emotion. As tends to be the theme in Liane’s books, a secret or twist unfolds as you work through the book and while you can see what is going to happen before it happens, you don’t really know how the ending is going to play out exactly.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. Will it find it’s way onto my list of favourites? I don’t think so.

Buttercream Basics: Learn the Art of Buttercream Decorating – Carey Madden

I know, it seems like this is an entry right out of left field. But it’s not. I love baking and decorating but I think my icing skills could use some help, and this book was amazingly helpful in telling me things I didn’t know and teaching me all the things I’ve been doing wrong, haha. I really appreciated the step by step instructions for so many different designs. This lefty especially appreciated the section near the beginning that explained how to alter the instructions for us lefties. I haven’t yet had the chance to practice what I’ve learned but the kittens have their first birthday next week so you must know that as a crazy cat lady I will be making a cake for their family to enjoy while they are enjoying a special birthday treat of their own 😀 And yes, I already have a particular cake in mind. Stay tuned – if it turns out I’ll be sure to post a photo!

Disclosure: this book was given to my by Robert Rose Publishing in order to facilitate a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Truly Madly Guilty – Liane Moriarty

Another Liane Moriarty title and this one currently is my least favourite of her titles I’ve read thus far. I was so interested to learn what this “event” was that had happened, but then when I found out I was disappointed. I mean, it was a serious event for sure, but I was somehow expecting something completely different. Even after the event is finally revealed, there remains a secret that isn’t concluded until almost the end of the book. That twist – while certainly interesting still left me feeling a little flat. However, I’ve talked to a few friends who have enjoyed this book more than any of Liane’s other books so perhaps I’ve read too many in too short of a period of time. It’s not bad, and I’d definitely recommend it over “Today Will Be Different” if that gives you any help…

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1) – Marissa Myer*

Oh em gee you guys. I loved this book. When reading the premise (a cyborg girl who is a mechanic in a futuristic/fantasy earth) that clearly was going to have ties to Cinderella I was sceptical. But within 10 minutes of listening to it I was hooked. Because it was an audiobook I let it play while cooking and baking and my husband would wander through on occasion and would comment on parts of the story her heard. At one point he happened to be there when a plot twist was revealed and I stopped it and was like, “What!? Do you think _________!?!?” And he just laughed at me and said he really had no idea what I was talking about. Come on man, get with the program. P.S. I later came back and said, “BTW _______________” to tell him my theory was right and he laughed at me again.

This is another YA title and sure, it’s a bit predictable (as I said, it’s clearly got a Cinderella theme), but I really, really enjoyed it. Possibly it was my favourite book of the month. I really enjoyed Rebecca Soler as the reader (I often hate the readers on fiction audio books, that’s why I often stick to celebrity books and business books in audio format) and have already dove into the second book in the series. I really hope it doesn’t disappoint!

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices Book 2) – Cassandra Clare

Remember I said I was upset when I finished the first book and realised someone had checked out this book from the library? sWell I put a hold on it on that Saturday, and on Tuesday they emailed me to tell me it was ready for me to pick up – weeks ahead of the date listed online. Yahoo! And to ensure I wouldn’t have to wait for the third book, I immediate put a hold on that one too and picked them both up the next day.

Continuing on with the storyline from the first novel I am still enjoying the series (am currently on book three) and am anxious to see how the story unfolds. So many problems right now. Oye. And I love a book with problems that make me exclaim out loud while I’m reading, hahaha.

The Aromatherapy Beauty Guide – Danielle Sade

I love me some homemade lotions and potions and was eager to check out this book. I already have one or two titles full of aromatherapy recipes but one can never have too many! I prefer to use aromatherapy books that are independent of any essential oil brands because I find they can sometimes be a bit misleading as far as uses and safety guidelines go. It’s sort of the same as how I don’t like taking nutritional facts from a cereal box, the information might be correct but it also might be slanted a little bit. At any rate, this is a fabulous book. It not only breaks down different recipes using essential oils but also talks about natural raw ingredients, carrier oils, plant butters and infusions. In the section on essential oils, it gives wonderful guidelines for use and tips and information specific to each oil for the best storage and even chemical breakdowns of the oils. After those sections, it moves into a pretty extensive section filled with recipes for making your own cleansers, creams, serums, body products, a special section for mothers and moms-to-be and men too. I am desperately excited to whip up some new concoctions but am forcing myself to use up what I have before making anything (which is proving to be very dull and responsible).

This is a great resource for all you other at-home witch doctors (FYI, I’m not really a witch doctor. A witch doctor has much more knowledge than I, I’m more of a pseudo-witch doctor), definitely worth buying!

Disclosure: this book was given to my by Robert Rose Publishing in order to facilitate a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

And that is it! 14 books for the month of March. I think that’s going to be a record for 2017 but time will tell!

I feel like wrapping up this post with a “what to pick up” and “what to skip” section – so I will.

What To Pick Up

If you are into YA/Dystopian/Fantasy style books definitely pick up Cinder. And if you do, and don’t enjoy it – please don’t tell me. I might be crushed.

What To Skip

I feel badly even choosing one, but it’s actually an easy choice, skip Today Will Be Different, and instead check out Where’d You Go, Bernadette?.

Have you read anything lately that you think I might be interested in? I’d love to hear what titles you’ve read and loved lately!

You can also follow me on Good Reads to see what other books I’ve read since I started using the site – and yes for the record I really am still on page 193 of A Clash of Kings. And I’ve been there for years. It’s a goal of 2017 to finish  that series but at this rate it’ll never happen!