Saturday, May 11, 2013

Book Reviews... The Art of Eating In, Lean In, & Julia's Cats

I've actually done alright reading some books lately, y'all!  (You can always see what I'm checking out on my Goodreads.)  Here's are a few I finished recently...


My friend Lindsey recommended The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway.  The author reminded her of me (a half-Asian foodie who loves cooking!) and she was spot on.  In the book, NYC-dweller Cathy chronicles her decision to swear off restaurants for two years.  It wasn't just about finances or health, but to rediscover the joy of cooking.  She definitely splurged on good ingredients, navigated the social challenges of her quest, and discovered some very unconventional paths to a good meal.  The book wasn't a literary masterpiece, but I found quite a few inspiring and interesting tidbits to glean from it.

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I do read quite a few books for professional development; my career is important to me!  But many of the books I read aimed at women were disappointing; I felt like I could get the same advice by reading cliche women's magazines.  But when I heard the buzz (and controversy) around Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, I had to give it a shot.

I loved it.  I loved Sheryl's TEDTalk before, which inspired her to write, and this is one of the few books aimed at women about career that I loved.  I don't have an Ivy League education, and I probably won't end up a COO, but I just felt like I could relate to her story.  Learning she was married and divorced young made me feel better.   Hearing her mistakes made me realize you can recover and learn and grow.  You can push yourself to achieve in a man's world, you just have to do things a bit differently.  (It's just the truth.)

I see myself re-reading this when I need encouragement and motivation to push myself, as I start a family, as I move up in the career.  I highly recommend it, no matter your career path, because I think we could all benefit from leaning in.

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My friend CP and HP sent me Julia's Cats: Julia Child's Life in the Company of Cats when my dear kitten Barley passed away.  I happened to be reading it when my old girl Cally passed, and learning that my beloved Julia Child had a tortie too made me love her even more!  The book is a quick, easy read about how much Julia loved her cats, introduced to her first in Paris as a solution to a mouse problem.

I found a favorite quote out of the book too:


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Read any good books lately?

1 comment:

  1. As if we needed another reason to love Julia ;)

    I just read Mindy Kaling's book for a book club I joined and thought of you!

    ReplyDelete

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