Tammy > Recent Status Updates

Finally picked this book up again yesterday and decided to start over since I had forgotten everything.

I am not yet regretting it.

Actually started this Dec 30. And it is already seriously overdue at the library, so I better read it quick because the librarian informed me someone else is waiting for it ⏲️ So far it is fine.

Took a bit of a break after reading the introduction, but I am now slowly working my way through the poetry. I finished the first fascicle, which is apparently a published bundle of poems. There are so many words I don't know, but I am letting the poetry wash over me. I understood one poem about picking a rose and the bees and butterflies missing it.

Hopefully I will settle into a rhythm.

Why wasn't this in the first book?! It adds so much depth to the characters. I wish this information and point of view had been incorporated.

Basically feels like required reading if you read book 1.

Knew nothing about this book going into it, but an unexpectedly engaging read. I don't typically go for this type of non-fiction, but I am interested to read more.

Note: It did start out a bit unnecessarily gruesome, imo.

I'm only two chapters into this book and I already spent 20 minutes to my husband complaining about how predictable this book is. The titular coconut cake has already resulted in two cliches, giving me the impression that we're rushing through the boring backstory to get to the actual story they want to tell. And the main character is frustratingly flawed -- happily engaged to a man who doesn't like or get her.

Okay, full disclosure: I started this book like two months ago and only got to page six. I guess you could say that it didn't exactly grip me from the beginning. However, I recognized the importance of what the book wanted to say. I think I just felt like I understood the gist without needing to read further.

So today I was flipped to the middle and read something interesting, prompting me to give it one more try.

I started reading this book to better understand and support a friend. I absolutely love the tone of the book. It emphasizes empathy and kindness, which feels much more natural to me than "tough love".

The book insists that you start with understanding your loved one and understanding addiction in general, which is hard when you want to skip to Part 3 and read the "How to Help" section. I'll continue w/ this later.

I've bounced around reading different parts of this book as I was house-hunting. It's the kind of book that requires sitting down and seriously considering your finances and the type of life you'd like to live. Not a quick read, in that regard. I'd like to start over, but it's time to return this to the library before the big move, so...to be continued.

This book takes a look at the historical development of food culture in Japan. The first chapter begins with ancient Japanese history and, as someone who isn't really enthusiastic about history, I found it a bit dull. However, as the chapters have progressed, more modern Japanese food culture is being mentioned and I find that fascinating. I especially like learning about the influence of Buddhism on food culture.

Picked this book up again after watching Emily in Paris. The more academic tone of this book nicely balances the very non-academic nature of Emily in Paris.

I've been bouncing around reading different chapters of this book, since house-hunting has shifted my financial interests from "general financial well-being and possibly investing" to "ummmmm what is the responsible amount to spend on a mortgage?"

But ridiculous realities of the cost of housing aside, the most important takeaway is The Balanced Money Formula:

Must-Haves: 50%
Wants 30%
Savings 20%

Easy peasy!

Raw poetry on themes of love and depression. If you're dealing with a breakup, Alicia Cook is singing your song.

Some of these lines are so relatable: "How do I silence my mind / like I silence my phone?"

I resisted updating last page where Dan and our new named female character have already had sex. "Dan had no objections, in fact, he worried that if he didn't have sex with her she'd get sore." WTF?

Then one page later, another woman: "... an obvious frown on her face. Jealousy? ...No, he decided. April was young and popular and so good-looking that even the rednecks forgot she was an African-American."

uh...

Oh good, I've progressed 6 pages and a new named female character has entered the book whose role, I presume, is not to immediately die.

How is she described?

"She was almost Dan's height, with a generous figure that edged close to being plump. [...] Not quote voluptuous, but good-looking enough to be a news anchor some day, Dan thought. If she skinnies down a little."

There's more, but that's enough for now.

I am literally less than 10 pages into this book and I already have so much to say. The racism you encounter allows you to pretty easily figure out which decade the book is written in.

A character is identified simply as "the Saudi" and gleefully exclaims how they blew up an American spaceship. I have read all of two sentences of this character and I can already tell he is a flat stereotype. Not a great start.

I took a break after an unexpected event in the book happened. A month or so later, I picked the book up again and now I'm reading a chapter or two a night.

Definitely enjoyable, but not unputdownable. Also, 350 pages into the book and I'm not even halfway there!

I like that the book has me forming theories and I'm curious to know more about where we're headed.

My god, I put off starting this book because I couldn't get past the cover (figuratively). It is so...uncool. Sorry 😐

But once you get past that, it’s more tolerable. I have some concerns about how the romance begins in this book. Is this #feminism? I'm confused...

So far so informative!

I listened to Shawn Stevenson's three-part series on his podcast about the importance of sleep, and that pretty much captures what's in this book so far. However, I like re-reading the points and I think, if you haven't heard his podcast, this book is absolutely worth reading.

Could it be summarized in a long blog post? Yes, probably. But sometimes repetition is what it takes for something to stick.

I've hit a bit of a wall with this book. I guess I expected more nutritional studies to inspire me to want to cut sugar, and while that has been a feature, the main focus of the book is on the politics surrounding sugar and its marketing. It is a literal history on the marketing around sugar, which is interesting, but less interesting for 172 pages. And still more remains.

Hmmmm, to proceed or not?

Already so inspired that I've purchased 10 pounds of soybeans for making my own soymilk and natto. And if anyone has an old sake barrel that I could nab for making my own soy sauce...

Can't wait to finish reading. Who knows what else I'll have acquired by then!

A compelling comparison of sugar to other drugs. Hmmm...