What I Read | April 2020

April was quite the reading month for me! I read nine books in total and felt like I really found my groove with reading this month, since I’ve cut back so much on watching tv and being on my phone. One of the benefits of being stuck inside all day, is that it gives me a lot of time to read and really get stuck into a book and feel full immersed in the process of reading. Overall, I really liked the majority of the books that I read this last month and I know that I have a lot more to look forward to in May!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern ~ I’m not usually one for fantasy, but I had heard so much about this book from a few friends of mine who really loved it recommended that I read it anyways. The book is about a young man named Zachary Ezra Rawlins, who is wandering through his school library one day and picks up a random book and as he starts reading the book he realizes that the book is his life story. He ends up on a fantastical journey trying to figure out where this book is from and is whisked up into an alternate universe that is at risk of being destroyed. Overall I really liked this book, it definitely is a great one if you like fantasy and want a bit of escapism. At times, the writing felt a bit too meandering and I had to remind myself what was going on at times, which was a bit annoying. This book made me more interested in trying out some more fantasy novels in the future.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead ~ As I’m writing this post I just found out that Colson Whitehead has won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for this book! This book is about a boy named Elwood, who is living in segregated Tallahassee during the 1960s, and is sent to a brutal reformatory school and there he is exposed to abuse and violence. Elwood is a firm believer in Dr. King’s nonviolent movement, but being at The Nickel Academy as well as his peers and their beliefs, test his ideology and his firm belief in non-violence. This book is incredibly thought-provoking, yet manages to be subtle even while confronting truly horrific history. I do wish that this book had been a tad longer so we could have delved a bit deeper into certain sections, but overall I appreciate how much Whitehead packed into such a short novel. This is easily one of the best books I have read this year and it will most likely be in my top picks from 2020.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid ~ And the first disappointing book of the month award goes too… Ok first off, this book is so hyped up, which always makes me far more critical of a book because I’m expecting it to be great (is that unfair?). Any-who, this book is about Emira, a 20-something African-American woman, who babysits for a white family. She is called in to help out the family she babysits for on short notice after a night out with her friends, and is asked to take the young daughter, Briar, out of the house whilst the parents deal with the police (their house got egged). At the grocery store Emira is accused of kidnapping Briar by the security guard on duty. The plot devolves from that point and explores the relationship between Emira and Briar’s mother Alix, a woman who tries so hard to be an ally that she ends up doing the opposite, as well as the role that race and privilege play a role in both women’s lives. I didn’t think this book was horrible, in fact I thought the plot, at the beginning was engaging and thought-provoking, and that the central themes of white savior-hood and privilege are certainly important topics that should be explored more. Where things went wrong for me was the writing, I thought that overall the dialogue was flat and dull and the plot lost it’s way about halfway through. I also thought that Emira’s boyfriend and Alix were pretty insufferable characters, which is kind of the point, but it was so over the top that it made the book less than enjoyable to read at times.

Lanny by Max Porter ~ Unlike Such A Fun Age, I went into reading Lanny with almost zero expectations and loved it so much! This book is definitely experimental both in its form and content, which I imagine some will love and some definitely will not. Lanny is about a small village outside of London, which is inhabited by a local spirit called Dead Papa Toothwort, who listens to the village people and becomes fascinated by a young boy named Lanny. Though Lanny is the main character of the book, we never actually hear from him, but rather the adults that have the most influence over him, that is to say, his mother, his father and “Mad” Pete (a local artist who takes Lanny under his wing as a kind of protégé). I loved this book’s structure as well the depiction of childhood imagination, and the process by which children lose that imagination as they get older. I definitely see myself re-reading this in the future.

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe ~ Yet another book I had high expectations for that ultimately let me down. I was so excited to read this book because 1. I’m a history nerd (I majored in history in college) and 2. Coe sets out to bring a new perspective and analysis to the life and legacy of George Washington’s life. The reason why I didn’t like this book is because there was absolutely no analysis, and as someone who studied history and has read a decent amount of historical writing, I expect exhaustive and extensive analysis when I read an historical book. I don’t think that I’m this book’s intended audience because it is meant to be a more popular history book, but even still, I wish Coe hadn’t been so rushed in her description of George Washington (this book is a mere 300 pages and spends about 40 pages on his presidency).

The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott ~ This is a work of historical fiction about the Cold War and the role the CIA played in disseminating the famous Russian novel, Doctor Zhivago, in order to undermine the Soviet Union. I really expected this to be a crossover between a spy novel and an historical fiction, and while the beginning really built up momentum, the last third of the book fell flat plot-wise and ended up turning into a love story, which was a bit disappointing. This book is ok, it’s an easy read overall, but I think there are better works of historical fiction that are based around similar subject matter.

The Idiot by Elif Batuman ~ This book is quite a divisive one, some people absolutely hate it, while others love it. I happen to fall in the category of those who love this book. The main issue people have with this book is the fact that it doesn’t have a plot, but I’m a firm believer that a book doesn’t need a plot to have meaning. This book is about a college freshman named Selin, who embarks on her first year at Harvard and navigates new friendships and academic life. This book made me tear up and laugh out loud, and I could relate so much to Selin and her experiences. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more nostalgic for college and academic life as I did when I read The Idiot.

These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card ~ Last book of the April! This book is about Abel Paisley, who faked his own death decades ago, and assumed the identity of his friend, Stanford Solomon. Abel left behind a wife and a family back in Jamaica when he faked his death and started anew with his second wife in New York, the consequences of which reverberate for generation. The narrative perspective constantly jumps around from chapter to chapter, which can be confusing at times, but ultimately serves to underline how Abel’s decisions have had effects on nearly all of his living relatives. This book really dives deep into the idea of inter-generational, since it also explores Abel’s own ancestry and the legacy of slavery that looms over his family. I really liked the first 85% of this book, but the ending was just a little rushed and came out of nowhere. Had Card had an extra fifty pages to resolve and weave in the last few chapters to the overall narrative I think it would have been more successful. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future novels from Maisy Card!

My Favorite Memories of My 24th Year

Even though my 24th year didn’t exactly come to the end that I was expecting (i.e. we are currently on lockdown here in California for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19), this past year was a pretty good one overall. There definitely were some low-points, but there were also a lot of really high highs, and I know that those moments are the ones I will remember. I can’t wait to see what 25 has in store and since we spent my birthday in lockdown, it’s definitely made me take stock and feel a lot of gratitude for what I have at this moment in time.

Going Climbing Outside for the First Time ~ 24 was the year that Brad and I got really into climbing. I had climbed a little bit in high school and it was something I was always exposed to since I have quite a few family members who are really into rock climbing, but I had never taken a huge interest in it till this last year. Brad and I started going to the gym about 3-4 times per week and started to get really antsy to finally climb outside a bit. Luckily my uncle, who is a really experienced climber, took us out one afternoon to a local crag and I had my first go at climbing outside. To say it’s more difficult than climbing in a gym would be an understatement, but the rush you get being 30+ feet off the ground, standing on the tiniest footholds, and crimping like there’s no tomorrow is absolutely unmatched. More than anything, it’s felt really rewarding to find a lifelong sport in climbing, which is something I honestly never guessed would happen at this age.

Dinner Parties with Friends ~ We really leaned into having a lot of dinner parties with friends this year. I’ve definitely reached an age, along with my friends, that going over to each other’s houses, drinking wine, and cooking dinner is so much more fun than going out to the club. My group of friends decided that we would do both Friendsgiving and Friendsmas, which were so much fun and I think we will continue this tradition for years to come. I absolutely love hosting and cooking and it’s so much more fun when you get to share it with your best friends.

Our Trip to Alaska ~ This past September we took a cruise through the Inside Passage in Alaska with Brad’s family and it was an incredible trip! I’ve been to Alaska twice prior to this past trip, however I had never been to that part of Alaska. The scenery was absolutely incredible and we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights, which is pretty rare for the time of year we were visiting and how far south we were. Brad and I also got a lot of great quality time together and we were both able to really switch off from work (which is rare for us) because our cell service was so minimal throughout the trip.

Getting Engaged! ~ I think this is pretty obvious, but getting engaged was the highlight of my 24th year. The day that Brad proposed was easily the best and happiest day of my life thus far. The proposal itself was such a surprise and I am so happy he involved my sister and her boyfriend to document the whole thing so we can look back on the video and the photos year after year. Brad and I have been together for 3.5 years and lived together for almost two years and honestly I didn’t think being engaged would change our relationship too much, but it definitely has for the better. I definitely feel a whole new level of commitment, even though we were obviously very committed before he proposed, and having our wedding to look forward to is so fun and exciting.

Budget-Friendly Self-Care Ideas

Right now, more than ever, the majority of us are in need of some serious self-care. While indulging in a pampering routine and using luxury products can feel nice, I wanted to talk about self-care activities that truly help my mental health and that don’t break the bank. A lot of these things cost very little to no money to do and I’ve found help me get out of my head when life gets stressful. I hope these suggestions help you to feel a little less anxious and help to lift your mood.

Reading ~ This is something I’ve been talking a lot about recently, but honestly reading is one of the best self-care activities I can rely on during stressful times like these. In order to keep reading affordable for myself, I have mainly been using my Kindle and renting ebooks from my local library (most libraries have this sort of system, so make sure you research it). I really only purchase physical books when I have a gift card to my favorite local bookstores or when I am really excited about a book and expect to reread or pass it on to a loved one after I’m done reading it. Not only does reading offer a really nice and much needed break from screens, but it also allows you to immerse yourself in another world, which is honestly the thing I love most about reading. I especially try to allocate time to read before bed, because it helps me to not think about the stresses of the day and it helps me fall asleep easier.

Yoga ~ I used to do yoga all the time when I was in college and then I fell off the wagon for awhile. I recently got back into yoga this past January through doing the Yoga With Adriene 30 Day Yoga challenge. Doing yoga for thirty days consecutively made me rediscover my love for the practice and made me realize how much I missed it in my every day life. While we’ve been practicing social distancing through all of this COVID-19 craziness, I’ve been doing yoga every day through the Yoga With Adriene YouTube channel and it’s honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done for both my physical and mental health. Most of the practices are very beginner-friendly and aren’t particularly long.

Give Yourself A Manicure ~ Out of all of the pampering-type self-care activities, doing a manicure on myself is one of the most relaxing things I can think of doing. Unlike other pampering things like taking a bath or doing a face mask, doing a manicure actually requires a lot of focus, which I find much more useful when I am feeling really anxious or stressed about other things. In being really focused on painting my nails, even though it’s a superfluous task, I am distracted from all of the other craziness going on in the world and even if that lasts for just a quick 30 minutes, it helps me find center again.

Doing A Puzzle ~ Brad and I love doing puzzles together. I think like painting my nails, doing a puzzle is a somewhat mindless task that takes a lot of focus. It’s so easy to get lost in a 1000 piece puzzle for the entire day and it’s so fun and rewarding to see the final result. I feel like getting your mind stimulated is such an under-rated way of practicing self-care, and I cannot recommend it enough (especially if it means spending less time in front of screens).

Brain Dump In Your Journal ~ I tend to journal a lot when I’m in a funk or if I’m going through a particularly anxious period. I love the ritual of getting up early in the morning, sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and taking a solid 15-20 minutes to just get all of my thoughts out of my head and onto paper. Using that time to release all of my feelings is incredibly therapeutic and even if you don’t make any huge breakthroughs during your time writing, it’s nice at the very least to just have some quiet time to sit with your thoughts and think about how you’re feeling on any given day.

FaceTime or Call A Loved One ~ I’ll be honest, I don’t use FaceTime all that much, but since we’ve been under shelter-in-place here in California for the last few weeks, I’ve been using it so much more to talk to friends and family. Of course it can never replace the feeling of seeing someone in person but it does lift your mood to reach out and talk to someone. I feel like when people talk about self-care, it’s usually a solitary practice, but I think there’s just as much to be said for self-care that involves talking to your loved ones.

Bake Some Treats ~ Baking is my ultimate stress relief and it has been since I was little. I love the concentration and precision it takes to bake something, but also that it’s a full sensory experience. Some recipes also take up the better part of a day so it’s a nice thing to do when you have a lot of time to kill and you don’t want to spend that time parked in front of a screen. One of the best things about baking is that you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor for days to come and there’s nothing like indulging in a cookie before bed as another little act of self-care.

What I Read | March 2020

March has been quite the month. It honestly feels like a year has passed since March began, since so much has changed in such a short space of time. This month has been a tough one, I think for most people around the world, however, with all the newfound time spent at home, I’ve had quite a bit of time to tackle some reading and dive into some books that have been on my to-read list for quite some time. I can honestly say that even though this month has been pretty awful overall, all of the books I read this month were books that I absolutely loved and would highly recommend.

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips ~ I have seen this book on the main shelf in my local book store for so many months now and have been really interested in reading it for so long, but just never got around to picking it up. We have kind of an informal book club amongst 3-4 of my coworkers and some of them had been talking about how much they loved this book and one day my sweet sweet coworker picked up a copy for me from one of those little free libraries. The book is set in the far eastern part of Russia and is about two girls who go missing and the journey the local community goes through in grappling with their disappearance. The book is more about the intricate social and cultural dynamics within this region, more so than it is a who dunnit type book. The writing is absolutely beautiful and it is clear that Phillips took a lot of time and care when it came to researching this region in Russia. The one critique that I have is that there are a lot of characters and at times it can get confusing when different characters start weaving in and out of each other’s stories.

Circe by Madeline Miller ~ When I got my Kindle last summer, I immediately downloaded this book, because it had been on my to-read list for over a year at this point. This book is a modern re-telling of the Greek goddess Circe’s story. Circe is most well-known in Greek mythology for playing quite a pivotal role in the Odyssey. I really enjoyed this book! As someone who loves Greek mythology and who has read the Odyssey, it was so fun to read about so many of these critical moments in Greek mythology from Circe’s perspective. If you don’t know a lot of Greek mythology or haven’t read the Odyssey I wouldn’t be at all discouraged from reading this book, since it’s very easy to read and understand all the different characters. I will say that the first third or so of the book did feel a bit like a slow burn, but it did get more and more exciting as the book went on!

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Raden Keefe ~ After I read Circe, I was really in the mood to read a non-fiction book and I had wanted to read Say Nothing for so so long and figured it would be the perfect book to fit the bill. I’m not exaggerating in saying that this is probably is one of my favorite books I will read in 2020, if not my favorite overall. I am fascinated by Irish history, specifically the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which I partly attribute to the fact that I have very strong Irish heritage from nearly ever side of my family. This book specifically focuses on the murder of Jean McConville, which was committed by the IRA, and how that murder can reveal so much about the social fabric of the Troubles how these conflicts affected “normal” Belfast citizens. Obviously the topic of the Troubles is incredibly complex and I’ve read several other books on the subject, none of which were as clear and concise as Keefe’s. I loved how much research and history was weaved into this book and it never took a side (whether that be pro-Loyalist or pro-IRA). Keefe managed to write an historical non-fiction that read more like a thriller at times.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman ~ After reading Say Nothing I was definitely in the mood for a happier, lighter read. I have a few chick-lit type books on my to-read list at all times just in case I’m in the mood for something lighter and this one had been on that list for awhile. This book is about a woman in her late twenties who lives on her own, is obsessed with books, works at a bookstore, and who was raised with a relatively absentee single mother and therefore doesn’t have much family. Nina finds out that her father, who she never knew, recently passed away and left quite a large family and fortune behind. She gets to know her newfound family and navigates the tricky waters of branching outside of her normal bubble being alone and being accepted by a family she never knew about. I enjoyed this book and it was very quick to read. Unlike a lot of other books in a similar vein, like Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (a book that I found completely overhyped and at times annoying to read), the main character is flawed but not at all unlikeable. If you’re looking for a book that lifts your mood, this one would be great to read.

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My Go-To Easy Recipes

I want to start out today’s post by acknowledging that this last week has been difficult and worrying for pretty much everyone, and if I can provide a bit of a respite from the noise and the scariness with a bit of positivity and ease, I will do everything I can to provide that. With that, since I am practicing social distancing, I will be using my extra time at home to be creating more content for you all and hopefully I can do even a small part to distract you from all the craziness, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Since many of us will be home for the foreseeable future and will be made to cook at home, I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes that I use consistently and are easy, satisfying, and relatively cheap to make!

Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken ~ If you don’t already own the cookbook, Salt Fat Acid Heat, or haven’t seen the Netflix show by the same name, I highly recommend you do so! This chicken is the recipe I use the most out of that cookbook and it is both the best and easiest way to roast an entire chicken. The ingredients are also super minimal (it’s basically just buttermilk, chicken and salt) and the recipe basically requires zero skill so it’s great if you are a bit intimidated by roasting a whole bird. Because the meat gets so tender and juicy, it also makes for great leftovers and can last you for awhile after it’s initial preparation.

Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric ~ I know that everyone and their mother talked about this recipe last year, but that’s because it’s so darn good (it’s also completely vegan and gluten-free)! I love how much this recipe leans on pantry staples and it’s component parts are not only hearty but cheap as well! This recipe makes quite a bit, but luckily because it’s a stew, it just gets better with time so you can happily eat it a few days after you initially made it.

Simple Ribollita ~ My mom has always been an ardent supporter of a great minestrone soup when you’re feeling under the weather, and while I love minestrone, Ribollita is my preferred homey italian soup because it is slightly more indulgent and hearty. Like the Chickpea stew, Ribollita is mainly comprised of pantry staples like canned tomatoes, parmesan, bread, and root veggies such as carrots, celery, garlic and onions. This soup also comes together super quickly so you don’t have to prep hours in advance like a lot of other soup recipes require. It’s also vegetarian (not gluten-free though, unless you were able to find a really good crusty loaf of gluten-free bread).

Pasta Al Limone ~ Pasta is always my go-to easy weeknight dinner recipe. I am a self-professed carb queen and would happily eat pasta every single day if I was able to. I absolutely love a creamy pasta dish, but sometimes it just feels so heavy. I love how the lemon in this dish adds a nice hint of acidity without feeling too overtly lemony. There’s also a video on how to make this on the BA youtube channel if you’re more of a visual learner!

Caramelized Shallot Pasta ~ Like I said, I love pasta! This recipe is great for those of you who prefer more of a tomato-y sauce over a creamy sauce. One of the things I love about this recipe is it actually makes enough sauce for eight people, so unless you’re having a large gathering, you save the other half of the sauce for later to use with more pasta, or you can use it to fry eggs, spread on toast, really the world is your oyster! It’s easily one of the most deeply flavored tomato sauces I’ve ever made thanks to the tomato paste and the addition of a lot of shallots and anchovies (however if you don’t like anchovies don’t be too put off, it’s not a fishy-tasting pasta).

Instant Pot Pork Carnitas ~ Nothing says easy weeknight dinner like Instant Pot recipes! It took me a while to learn how to use our Instant Pot, but it has definitely become a staple in our kitchen arsenal. Since both Brad and I work all day, we don’t have tons of time to cook in the evenings and this recipe is great because it takes a process that would usually take over four hours and condenses it into about 45 minutes. We both love carnitas and will usually do taco night when we make this recipe and it makes enough to have leftovers fr the next day!