Review: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I decided to finish this after almost putting it down for good and I'm actually happy I did because the last section of the book, titled "Getting over Nutritionism" turned out to be the best part, at least in my opinion, in which he breaks down into detail his famous statement: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants". This section is less heavy-handed with scientific facts and studies about nutrition and how flawed he believes the science of nutrition has become, and instead more about common sense, something that Pollan says has all but disappeared within the American [eating] culture.

While I completely agree that "nutritionism" as a science is definitely flawed, and that we have certainly placed too much trust in the FDA and similar industries, my reason for docking points from the book overall isn't because of how heavy-handed the scientific evidence is, as I would rather see a book focused on scientific fact than not, but instead because of my issue with the way Pollan presents the science. It's almost like he's poo-pooing science and nutrition overall and implying that almost none of what we've discovered over the last 100 years as far as nutrition and health goes is as important as what our ancestors ate 1000 years ago, which to me just stinks of bias on his part and isn't incredibly responsible or thoughtful of him in that regard. Now I'm not saying that I'm on nutritionist's or industrial-farming's side, in fact I'm far from it, but oftentimes I was shocked that he would so easily dismiss the obvious advances and benefits science HAS had on modern human lives in favour of essentially eating as they did thousands of years ago...when people lived half as long as they do now due to poor health, poor nutrition, incurable (at the time) illnesses, and when eating WAS literally survival as we couldn't always be sure if we'd live or die from eating the wrong berry or leaf...BUT I DIGRESS.

One of the best quotes that I found in the book, and one that sums up my feelings on the subject overall, comes right near the end:

"...you have to wonder whether it's realistic to think the American way of eating can be reformed without also reforming the whole American way of life. Fast food is precisely the way you'd expect a people to eat who put success at the center of life, who work long hours (with two careers per household), get only a couple weeks of vacation each year, and who can't depend on a social safety net to cushion them from life's blows"

I completely agree with Pollan's statement on how the American way life has infected their concept of food, health, nutrition, community, farming, relationships, and where their food actually comes from (except perhaps the bit about the two-career household, as this is not a strictly American concept and doesn't necessarily beget an unbalanced relationship with food and eating). I have read so many books comparing American (and to a lesser extent Canadian) culture to other, more traditional, cultures around the world - such as Mediterranean, Asian, Nordic etc. - and the American way of doing anything always comes up short in pretty much every aspect of living well, including the differences in the way we eat and our losing touch with the way our food is being farmed / produced. It's pretty sad to tell you the truth, but that doesn't mean there isn't hope that something can still be done - as he states in the last paragraph of his book:

"I'm thinking of the relationship between the plants and the soil, between the grower and the plants and animal he or she tends, between the cook and the growers who supply the ingredients, and between the cook and the people who will soon come to the table to enjoy the meal. It is a large community to nourish and be nourished by."

If Americans (and Canadians to a lesser degree) began to think of this "shortest of food chains" as he has laid out for us above as being the norm, compared to the long, complicated, harmful and highly processed food chain that is the new norm for them now, then they might just have a chance to change the way they think about food for good. This change in their relationship to food and how it is produced, processed, and eaten would have a ripple effect, bettering not only the health of the planet, but the health of their bodies and relationships with each other as well.


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Review: Upstream: Selected Essays

Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"There is something you can tell people over and over, and with feeling and eloquence, and still never say it well enough for it to be more than news from abroad-people have no readiness for it, no empathy."

I fear that my own eloquence, and feeling, for Mary Oliver's words will indeed never be enough to articulate the intense pleasure and freedom I receive when reading her work. She is the poet of my heart; she writes what I cannot, spills forth my innermost thoughts in ways that I'll never be able to do. All with eloquence.

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Review: The Cozy Life

The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge by Pia Edberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Marketed as "the first ever book written about hygge," I expected something quite a bit more...substantial. I suppose my expectations were a little too high and I probably shouldn't have assumed that just because it is, apparently, the FIRST one written (according to whom? Any evidence?), that it would be that much better compared to the loads of others that have been written since. I had a couple big issues with this book that in the end left me with more questions than answers.

The author is half-Danish, half-Filipino, and was born and raised in Denmark until she was 5 years old when at that time she and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada. One of the main issues I had with this book is that although she spent her first 5 years living in a Scandinavian country before moving to Canada, and was raised by a Danish father, in my opinion it's a little too obvious that she is more or less completely "Canadianized" and is in a way too far removed from her homeland to have a really solid grasp on what hygge means. Now in no way do I mean to imply that she doesn't have any authority at all on the subject of being Danish or of their particular way of life - far be it for me to say that I'm the expert on who is or is not a true Scandinavian (I'm Canadian through and through, so no authority here) - but to me it does come across that her understanding of hygge is secondary and perhaps as more of an idea or as an idealized way of life than anything else. To me, Danes and other Scandinavians just live hygge, they don't have to try, and it's usually hard for them to explain it in such black-and-white terms as she does, almost like checking items off of a grocery list.

The other main issue I had is that the 'secrets' that are revealed throughout really don't feel like secrets at all; in fact, I would dare say that you could replace the word hygge with just about any other buzz word of the moment, (mindfulness, minimalism, slow-living), and you would still find that the book makes sense. Each 'secret' or lesson is superficial and lacking depth so that it really just feels like a book full of common sense - for example, when the author explains the difference between drinking tea or coffee:

"Drinking tea reminds me of slowing down my body, mind and soul ... Coffee, on the other hand, is about speeding up, increasing energy to get you through the day with that quick caffeine hit ... Both beverages are hygge in their own way. Sitting in a coffee shop with a hot latte is just as cozy as sipping on herbal tea before bedtime."

Well yes, this is true, but did it need to be written down in a book? It seems a little like stating the obvious to me. I'm not sure why this sentence in particular irks me as much as it does, but trust me when I say that it represents the overall flow of the entire book, ie. a lot of super obvious blanket statements that don't seem to make sense to specifically living hyggeligt in comparison to any other way of living 'mindfully,' or just living in general.

I'm being quite harsh, I know, and perhaps it's because I've read a handful of other awesome and informative books about hygge and Scandinavian culture, (The Year of Living Danishly and The Little Book of Hygge are my two favourites), but regardless of this fact I know I'd have still felt that this book leaves much to desire even if I hadn't yet read anything on the subject beforehand.

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Review: Perfect tree shapes

Perfect tree shapes by Fran Meneses
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVE FRAN SO MUCH!!!

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's try to keep the fangirling to a minimum here, Chels.

Fran is a Chilean Freelance Illustrator living in England with her husband Ed, and their two amazing cats, Hamburguesa and Cereal. She owns an Etsy shop under the name Frannerd and also makes Youtube videos/vlogs about her life as a freelance illustrator, offering tutorials on different techniques used as well as reviews of art supplies, thoughts on the industry, tips for fellow artists, as well as her own hilarious fangirling over all things to do with stationary, graphic novels, Sailor Moon, and other general awesomeness. I have been following her for a couple years now and I genuinely love her. Maybe it's creepy to say this, but I think we could be friends in real life - my boyfriend has also said he could picture us getting along so maybe I'm not so creepy after all...but I digress....

She is an inspiration, to say the least; her artwork and illustrations are brilliant and the way she truly works her hiney off in such a cut-throat industry is admirable. I'm so happy to see her finally getting the recognition she deserves and this little travel journal that she has designed, illustrated, and produced completely on her own (yes, she printed and bound each and every one of the copies sold herself), is just amazing to me.

The illustrations are incredibly cute and quirky with thoughtful detail - her signature style has an almost child-like whimsy and it comes through in each page as she takes us along with her and her friend Monse during their trip to Paris and London in 2014. Fran recounts with both honesty and humour the trials and triumphs of travelling with your best friend in cities not so familiar to either of you - everything from getting lost, to getting hangry, to getting choked-up over brilliant sunsets in a city as beautiful as Paris. In between the main story, Fran also offers helpful tips on where to go and what to see, such as museums and popular attractions, complete with cutely drawn maps, as well as delicious places to eat in each iconic city.

Overall, it reads very much like an actual journal, offering the same intimate feel as a diary as Fran also reflects here and there on her life living abroad thus far and the difficulty of missing her family and friends back in Chile. She describes the tough decisions that she and Ed have had to make in order to afford to stay in Germany (where they were living at the time of her writing) and wonders whether they had made the right decision in following their dreams to live in Europe. Each illustration that accompanies the text is so thoughtful, so sweet, and I absolutely loved getting an intimate glimpse into their lives through this little graphic travel journal.

I truly encourage you to check out her artwork, videos, and her Etsy shop, and of course this travel journal as well!

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Review: How to Hygge

How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars!

This is a lovely cookbook/lifestyle guide on how to live the 'Scandinavian' way, complete with loads of beautiful photos, stories, recipes, and snappy lists at the end of each chapter to really sum up each concept. Scandinavia is all the rage these days, slowly replacing très chic France and the Mediterranean as the new-best-way-to-live-long-and-be-happy. As a self-professed 'Scandophile' I was super excited to delve into this book to learn just how exactly one may bring more hygge, or 'cosiness' into one's life. Though of course, much like the Dutch gezellig, trying to attain hygge almost defeats the point of it entirely, and it really is an overall feeling than an actual event or a 'thing' to accomplish. Want a less convoluted explanation than what I just gave you? Read this book! Need more explanation/inspiration on living hygge after reading this book? Read The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country, one that I enjoyed immensely and which also satisfied my Scandi-cravings.

I recommend reading this in actual book form if you can - I read it on my Kindle and although I could see the photos, I can only imagine how gorgeous they'd be in colour and in print. The recipes sound scrumptious and mostly pretty easy to prepare, while the lifestyle and home decor suggestions highlight both the practical and laid back approach one can only expect from some of the coolest (in my humble opinion) countries in the world.

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Review: Bloom: navigating Life and Style

Bloom: navigating life and style by Estée Lalonde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been following Estée for years on YouTube (back when she was still called Essie Button!) though mostly her vlog channel over her main channel as I'm not incredibly interested in beauty and fashion, but even still, I'll watch just about anything she posts because I just love her personality so so much. She is a genuinely kind person as well as hilarious, awkward, and self-deprecating, all things I love in a human and can totally relate to myself. I would seriously love to be her friend in real life (doesn't everybody??) so of course when I found out that she was writing a book I had to pre-order it, and I'm so glad I did!

First of all, the book is aesthetically beautiful, with it's pastel colour scheme and that gorgeous cover photo! It's full of photos from her personal life that correspond to the content of each of the eight chapters - everything from beauty and fashion to food, home decor, travel, life, work, and my personal favourite, "People," specifically her relationship with her boyfriend Aslan. The letter he wrote to her is super sweet and you can just tell that they have an incredibly strong bond and love for each other. She writes about the people in her life with both honesty and pure love and admiration - you can tell that she is genuinely inspired by the special people in her life. I also really enjoyed the 'letters' that she wrote to specific people in her life, like her brother and childhood best friend. These sweet touches add to the overall appeal of the book and make it feel that much more personal and heartfelt - quite a lot like watching one of her many, many YouTube videos, which are always a joy to me.

Estée also spends some time talking about the more difficult moments in her life, for example her strained relationship with her father, growing up as more of an outcast among her peers, and her own battle with depression and anxiety later in life. These stories are not particularly heavy nor do they bring the overall feeling of the book down, rather they add to its depth and make for a more rounded look into her life and who she is as a person. Everyone has gone through hard moments in their life and I feel like these stories are great for younger people, perhaps pre-teens and teenagers, who are experiencing those awkward and trying moments firsthand. It's comforting to see where she was in life and where she is now, and definitely easy to relate to for me.

Estée has put a lot of effort and love into her work outside of this book, building her career from the ground up while never compromising on her own personal style, and in saying that it's clear that this book is a labour of love as well. As someone who has gone through many similar ups and downs in my own life, Estée is an inspiration to me, and in watching her own life unfold on screen I strive to be as genuine, kind, and determined in my own life as well. She definitely lives a charmed life now, but she's worked for it, and I admire her gumption.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because although I absolutely love her and her message (and again the book is just so dang BEAUTIFUL), I had expected a bit more as far as content goes. I would have liked more of the actual writing, more about her stance on gender equality and feminism and more stories from her life; though then again I may have just expected the wrong thing out of the book overall. I also can't ignore that she is much better on camera than as a writer, so for that reason alone I just can't give this book a higher rating. That said, it's a lovely 'coffee table' book and one I know I'll return to when I need a little pick-me-up or inspiration. I will continue to support her and I'm excited to see where she'll take her career next.

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Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mindy Kaling has convinced me to be her best friend.

I'm ashamed to admit that back in the day when the (American) television show The Office was at its height and I called myself a fan, I was also completely unaware that Kaling had any claim to the show other than her character Kelly Kapoor. I know, I know, I'm a bit of a space-cadet sometimes and apparently failed to notice her name in the writing and producing credits the countless times that it appeared. When her new show The Mindy Project came out I decided to give it a try, having by now realized her contributions to The Office, and assumed it'd be equally gut-bustingly hilarious and witty. Alas, I was both disappointed and let down. Maybe I didn't watch enough episodes to really get into it, maybe I just didn't 'get' what the show was trying to do; either way, it was not Mindy's and my time. So Mindy and I took a break - we just 'weren't that into each other.'

Now all of that has changed. Reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?... is like reading my diary from high school. In fact the title of the book itself sums up my entire high school experience. I am more than sure that I said those exact words at least once between the ages of 14 and 18. Mindy gets it. She gets what it's like to be 16, 21, 25, and still feel like everyone is hanging out without you. But instead of playing the victim card, Mindy tells us that it's okay to be the odd one in a sea of conformists, to be the quiet one, the shy one:

"I just want ambitious teenagers to know it is totally fine to be quiet, observant kids. Besides being a delight to your parents, you will find you have plenty of time later to catch up."

MAN if I had had someone to tell me this when I was a teenager! Well to be honest I probably wouldn't have listened to them anyway being a teenager and all, but still! It's the sentiment that counts! It's kind of funny (or sad) that now, after almost 10 years since I graduated, I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that high school sucked and that is a-okay! I have noticed a bit of a trend in memoirs released by female comedians (Amy Poehler and Tina Fey to name two of my favs) in which they recount embarrassing, awkward, and yet totally relatable stories from their teenage selves. They're the kind of stories that make you laugh out loud and exclaim "that's so true!" and suddenly you don't feel so weird/crazy/alone. Mindy's own tales had me giggling and rolling my eyes as I remembered just how important high school and high school related events seemed to us all at the time, as if we were all living a version of the famous song "Jack & Diane":

"Are you kidding me? The thrill of living was high school? Come on, Mr. Cougar Mellencamp. Get a life."

Ooh Mindy, preach it girl.

The book is divided up into a number of bigger sections and then again into a bunch of smaller, cuter, sections. This worked out fine for me once I got used to it as I just didn't expect there to be so many mini-essays among the essays. At first I found the flow to be a bit jarring - we'll be reading about her fondness for Irish goodbyes one minute and then jump into a chapter about how "hooking up is confusing" the next, so yes it's a bit all over the place which did bring my own rating down a bit.

Despite the over-all jumpiness of the book, the hilarious essays often made up for it, some notable ones being "I Forget Nothing: A Sensitive Kid Looks Back," and "I Love New York And It Likes Me Okay," and "Hollywood: My Good Friend Who Is Also A Little Embarrassing." Those titles alone have some pretty amazing potential for a stand-alone.
I particularly enjoyed "Types of Women in Romantic Comedies Who Are Not Real" and "Non-Traumatic Things That Have Made Me Cry" (this last one had me fist-pumping in agreement like crazy, especially over our shared love for the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack...the tears are real people!).

Basically, I could go on and on but I have definitely already over-stayed my welcome on this one. You get it. This book is funny.

My fan-girlish and favourable review aside, I'm only giving this book 3.5 stars. Out of the whole thing, I really only loved a handful of the essays, while the rest of them fell a little flat and felt a bit forced, like she was just filling in pages with random thoughts (hilarious yes, but random).

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Review: Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance

Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance by Jennifer L. Scott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

*1.5 Stars*

It's a good thing that I only borrowed this from the library, as I would have been quite disappointed had I bought it instead! I've read Scott's previous two books and enjoyed both, however this one fell flat for me.

Lessons from Madame Chic, Scott's first book, is part-memoir-part-how-to-guide centered around her time living abroad with a host family in Paris, France when she was young and the "lessons" that her host mother, "Madame Chic," taught her about being a confident, self-actualized, and poised young lady 'the French way.' In her second book At Home with Madame Chic, Scott expands upon her first book and demonstrates how she uses the lessons she learned while in Paris in her now Californian home as a wife and new mother, with plenty more 'how-to's' on running a smooth home while remaining always 'chic'. While not at all revolutionary in content and a bit on the preachy side, both are an easy, light read and her stories about living in Paris are entertaining if you can look past the 1950's house-wife aspect that appears in each. I am by no means a supporter of such clearly gendered roles in the home, nor do I consider myself 'chic' or 'posh' in any way, but she means well and I've kept on with her books due to my love of all things French.

However in reading her third book, I may just have to call it quits on Scott. Her material is already stretched pretty thin in her second book, and now with the third, I feel like I just re-read books one and two. Not only that, but it reads like an early 19th-century etiquette book for girls - complete with lists of "DO's" and "DON'TS" at the dinner table or while entertaining friends, how to eat particularly difficult foods like artichokes and spaghetti, and (perhaps most adamantly) to NEVER wear lounge-wear when at home. I get it - wearing pj's in public is lazy, but if I want to change into my comfy pants when I get home...I'm going to do it!

So, like I said, Scott means well in her quest to "elevate the arts" and rid the world of the slovenly-dressed, poorly-mannered heathens (which is how I believe she'd say it, not me), but I also couldn't help but think while reading this last book in particular that although we could all use a little reminder in how to be polite humans, there are far more pressing matters in the world that actually need our attention, non?

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Review: Yes Please

Yes Please by Amy Poehler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I could I would give this book 10 stars. I seriously, truly, madly, deeply, loved reading every bit of it. I am already a huge fan of Amy's, so call me biased, but I still think anyone who has a smidgen of a sense of humour will enjoy this book. She surprised me with her writing and story-telling ability, not that I don't think she can tell a good story,(because she seriously can, she was born to tell stories) but that it really felt as though she poured her heart and soul into the pages of it...she is truthful, open, unashamed, and completely real. She made me laugh out loud countless times, but she also brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart during the more serious and difficult-to-write-about topics (because there are some serious topics in there! It's not all fun and games folks!).

If it were at all possible (and it is) I actually love her more as an artist and a human being after reading her book. When it says on the back of her book that "in a perfect world we'd get to hang out with Amy Poehler," I wholeheartedly agree...we could be best friends...for real...just saying. Okay I will stop. Just go read it. NOW.


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Review: Why Not Me?

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"If my childhood, teens, and twenties were about wanting people to like me, now I want people to know me. So, this is a start."

Mindy! Oh sweet, hilarious Mindy.

I thoroughly enjoyed her second book. It takes off strong from the first page and definitely kept me laughing and highlighting passages of golden nuggets of wisdom for its entirety. She has this incredible gift for storytelling, which I know I've said before, but it's so true! Not only is she great at captivating her audience with her insane humour, but she continues to hold our attention because what she has to say about life is just so spot on.

"...I knew the truth, which is if someone really wants to see you, they always find a way. Always. That hurt my heart, but I realized, unlike in past relationships when I was younger, it didn't need to be dramatic."

Mindy published her first book 3 years ago, so she's had a few more years to reflect on her busy life in Hollywood and to feel more comfortable as an adult in the working world. In her last book, it's quite apparent that she was still going through some growth not only in her career but with herself as well. I read in a couple other reviews that between her two books, she seems much more at ease with herself in this one, more unapologetically "Mindy" than before. I have to agree. She is obviously at a good place in her life right now, comfortable in her career and finally ready to ask "why not me?" instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks of her and whether or not she's a capable comedic writer, which she clearly is. Her maturity and self confidence not only reflects in how she speaks about herself but in how she speaks about her relationships with people in her life. I feel like I related to her quite a bit in her first book, but I relate to her even more in this one. She's still Mindy, but better.
Mindy '2 point 0' (The Office, anyone?)

A few of my favourite chapters are:
"Things to Bring to My Dinner Party"
"Player"
"I Love Sex Scenes!"
"A Day in the Life of Mindy Kaling"
"One of the President's Men"
"Soup Snakes"
"A Perfect Courtship in My Alternate Life" [Can this be a real story please?!]
"Why Not Me?"

So, if those hilarious and mysterious chapter titles intrigue you at all, and you have a sense of humour, and you like Mindy Kaling (hey, even if you don't!)...read this book!

"'Soul mates' is what you aim for, but soup snakes is what you get sometimes."

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