Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic Instagram Photo from @thelizdiaries taken at Union Square Barnes & Noble in NYC

Can I just take a moment to say how much I love Elizabeth Gilbert? I freaking love this woman!

Ok now that we got that out of the way can we talk about her last book called Big Magic? I freaking love this book!

I'm all about following your dreams and living your best life possible and the main reason I love and admire this writer so much (can we say girl crush?) is because she is such a huge advocate of those things. In Big Magic Elizabeth Gilbert talks about how living creatively is not only important, but necessary. As she says, "a creative life is an amplified life, it's a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life and a hell of a more interesting life. Living in this manner continually and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you is a fine art in and of itself because creative living is where the big magic will always abide." 

The best part about this book is how realistic Elizabeth Gilbert is about living a creative life. Doing so does not mean quitting your job, your family and your friends to go live in seclusion to write or paint or do whatever art it is you want to pursue. You also don't have to get yourself into debt by getting a degree from some fancy Liberal Arts college. Nor does creativity have to be painful or torturous. All of these romanticized ideas of what a creative person is suppossed to be are not always true and one key thing to also keep in mind is that there is an endless list of things that fall under the creativity spectrum. In the book Elizabeth Gilbert gives an example of a friend of hers whose creative outlet is ice skating.

The second best part about this book is that Elizabeth Gilbert explains that although fear is an inevitable part of our lives, it is not a bad thing necessarily. She brings this up fairly early in the book because people come up with all kinds of excuses of why they are not creative and more often than not what really lurks under those excuses is fear. Just plain old fear. It is ok to acknowledge fear and even welcome it, however, it is not ok for fear to control any part of your creative process as she puts it. 

I was lucky enough to see Elizabeth Gilbert on the first day of this book's tour last September in New York City and it was a dream come true. Unfortunately, she did not do any book signings, but I was able to purchase a pre-signed copy of Big Magic and listen to Elizabeth Gilbert speak about creativity and then do a Q & A and let me tell you that she is just as amazing and authentic in person as she is on TV and in her books. Fortunately, Barnes and Noble recorded a part of that evening as you can see in the video below. (I freaking love the internet!)

"Your own reasons to make art are reason enough. Create whatever causes revolution in your heart." 

So what will you create?

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time!

-Liz

Wild: From Lost to Found in the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

I craved Snapple through out this book because Cheryl Strayed mentions fantasizing of having one a few times in the book. 

At the age of 22, Cheryl Strayed looses her mother (who was only 45 years old) to cancer. It is at that point that Cheryl's life spirals out of control. She starts using sex and drugs to numb the pain of her loss, destroying her marriage and ultimately loosing herself in the process.

In 1995, a few years after her mother's death, Cheryl embarks on the journey of hiking over 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (which goes from the Mexican border to the Canadian Border through California, Oregon and Washington) as a way of healing herself and it is through this journey that she begins to do just that as well as forgive herself.

I knew I would like this book when I cried on page one of the prologue after reading this: "I was alone. I was barefoot. I was twenty-six years old and an orphan too. An actual stray, a stranger had observed a couple of weeks before....."  Ugh, so powerful and relatable (to me anyway) and what can I say, I love a memoir. It is perhaps one of my favorite book genres, I especially like memoirs of women who have overcome painful obstacles in life. Those are my favorite kind of memoirs.

Cheryl Strayed's honest and unapologetic tone in the book were wonderful. Then there's the movie. Don't even get me started on the movie. I freaking loved it! Reese Whitherspoon was phenomenal in it and it is one of my favorites now.

Well, that is all for this time, until next time!

-Liz

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Miss Rumphius is definitely my favorite children's book of all of time. Even now as an adult I don't get tired of reading it. What better message to send children than to tell them the story of a woman who despite setting out to make her dreams come true, she never forgets that she must also do something to make the world more beautiful?

I love the audio version of it too.

Please share this book with all the children in your life.

Until next time!

-Liz

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I finally finished reading The Fault In Our Stars this week and then immediately afterwards I watched the movie, of course.

These are my favorite quotes:

1.)   "That's the thing about pain, it demands to be felt."

2.)   "...I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

3.)   "...the world is not a wish-granting factory."

4.)   "You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful."

5.)   "The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention. The guy who invented the smallpox vaccine didn't actually invent anything. He just noticed that people with cowpox didn't get smallpox."

6.)   "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you."

Do you have a favorite quote in this book?

Until next time!

-Liz

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite

I have to admit I was a little disappointed at first that this book wasn't more about the Peace Corps. It's a memoir about Eve Brown-Waite's life as an American expatriate in Uganda mostly, but she does have a short Peace Corps stint in Ecuador at the beginning of the book. I loved the book at any rate.

I think Eve Brown-Waite is a wonderful story teller. Her writing is candid and unapologetic as she describes her misadventures abroad. I was literally laughing out loud throughout the book. I really enjoyed it. It's a good book to read if you are interested in learning a bit about what life as an American expat is like and even if not the love story alone is worth the read. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good love story.    

Until next time!

-Liz

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

The Paris Wife is the story of Ernest Hemingway and his marriage to first wife Hadley Richardson. Wait let me back up. The Paris Wife is a book about Hadley Richardson and her marriage to Ernest Hemingway. It's from Hadley's perspective with a few intercepting chapters of Ernest's perspective. The book mostly takes place in 1920's Paris (though they do travel quite a bit), so you get a glimpse of that time period which is absolutely fascinating to me (as well as Ernest).

I really liked Hadley at first. I thought she was so much like me. We both lost our fathers at a young age; We both fell out of a window as children; We were both named Elizabeth (though she went by Hadley); And we were both late bloomers of sorts, but that's where the similarities end.

I loved Hadley and Ernest's love story at the beginning and I can see why Hadley was so taken by Ernest. I think it might have been impossible not to fall in love with Ernest. Soon after their marriage began, however, I started feeling annoyed with Hadley. She seemed so needy. Now, I tried to remember that she was a newlywed and that she missed her husband when he went away for work, but I hated that her whole life revolved around him. Now, again, I tried to remember that she was a newlywed and that she lived in a different era, but still I couldn't help but feel bad for her and not in a compassionate way either. I just felt sorry that she was so pathetic. When Ernest started acting like a jerk and being unfaithful, Hadley bugged me even more for not leaving the relationship and for the third time, yes, I know it was a different era and things were different, but the thing is that she was surrounded, if not, part of the lost generation in the roaring 1920's. I just wish she would have stood her ground more in the relationship and done more for herself.

I love historical fiction and this book does a fine job at capturing this time period and though it is no secret that Hadley's marriage to Ernest ends in divorce because we know he had two more marriages after this one (no spoiler there), I felt frustrated with Hadley throughout the book. Even so, it is always great to take a peek at history through a book and get a glimpse into the lives of the people of that time, the choices they made, and how they felt. For those reasons I loved this book.

Until next time!

-Liz

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent is the second dystopian book I've read this year. That's a lot for me because this is a genre I don't normally reach for, but I kept hearing people talk about it and then I saw that there was a movie coming out so of course I had to read it and then watch the movie. I didn't board the Hunger Games bandwagon back when the books first came out you see and I have yet to read them or watch the movies so this time I thought I'd jump on the Divergent bandwagon. God I'm such a follower. Anyway, the book is good. I liked it.

The main character, Beatrice, lives in what was once the city of Chicago and society has split up into five groups called factions: Candor who are the honest, Amity who are the peaceful, Erudite who are the intelligent, Dauntless who are the fearless, and Abnegation who are the selfless. At the age of 16 everyone undergoes a personality test of sorts to help them figure out which personality trait they most possess and help them determine which faction they should join because they are born into one faction, but have the choice to switch to another. Once they select their faction at the yearly choosing ceremony (wether it'd be the one they were born into or a new one) they can never switch factions. The problem is that Beatrice's test results, or Tris as she is later called, are inconclusive because she falls equally into three different factions, Abnegation (the one she was born into), Erudite, and Dauntless. This makes her divergent which makes it very dangerous for her because as she will find out, the government is threatened by her incapability to "fit in" to a single group and be easily controlled.

Like I said before, I liked the book. The movie was good too, but I don't think I will ever get used to the fact that the movies are never going to be exactly the same as the books, still good overall though. The story has action, suspense, and yes, even love. The book does have some violence that made me cringe a bit, the movie not as much. I was left with a lot questions about this society and how it came to be and about a few of the factions that were not talked about as much. These questions will probably be answered in the next book, Insurgent, but I guess that is how trilogy books work, the first book leaves you wanting more so that then you have to go out and get the other books. That's convenient isn't it? By the way, I took the book's personality test and I'm divergent. I suspect most people would be, at least I would hope so. 

Until next time!

-Liz

P.S. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I first read The Giver back when I was in high school. I believe I was in 11th grade and I remember thinking what a bizarre story it was. It was unlike anything I had ever read before. Re-reading recently it has made me feel no different.

Jonas lives in a community of the future that is "perfect" in that it lacks all pain and suffering. There is no hunger, disease, or fears, no crime or war, but there is also the lack of any real joys or pleasures of life. The community strives for equality or "sameness" as they call it, but that means that people don't have the freedom to choose a job, a home, or a spouse. Everything is decided for them, thus there is no such thing as feelings, or passion or any real human connections.

At the age of 12 everyone begins training for the job that was assigned to them, but when Jonas turns 12 he doesn't receive just any job, he gets assigned to be The Receiver of all memories, good and bad, from the past. The current Giver is the person who trains Jonas and teaches him about the pains of war and joys of love. As Jonas learns of the old way of life he has to decide whether he wants to continue living in the community he was born into or if he wants to seek out a life of feelings and emotions elsewhere.

This story is definitely thought provoking. It is meant to make you question your life and relationships and the social issues around the world. We often speak of hopes of a better world without pain and suffering, but what things would we have to give up for such a world? And how would we recognize joy without pain?

I found some parts of this book difficult to read. The practice of euthanasia and infanticide are part of the story and I was horrified by them. There is also mention of suicide. It is a little shocking that this is children's book and I can't imagine having read it at a younger age than 16 or 17 so it is not surprising that this book has been banned in some schools across the country. At the same time, I really like the book because it does make you question things that you've never thought of before. At just 179 pages you would not think this book would have that much of an impact, but it does. I highly recommend it. Plus I hear there's a movie coming out soon.

Until next time!

-Liz

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I had only ever heard of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie, but had no interest in watching it and one day, months ago (maybe a year ago), my friend at work mentioned this book to me so I added it to my reading list. About a month ago the book and movie were brought up again at work in conversation so I decided I must read it immediately and see for myself what all the fuss was about. Luckily, I already owned it because I bought it months ago at a thrift store after having added it to my reading list (a common practice of mine) and oh is it good! I couldn't put it down and I even found myself thinking about it at work and anxiously awaiting the moment when I could be reunited with it to continue reading it. You know a book is good when your thoughts about it are competing with your thoughts about going to Zumba after work–something I love, but more about that another time.

I had been advised about the violence this book contained so I was prepared for it and, surprisingly, I handled it rather well. I mean I was creeped out and repulsed by it, but no nightmares. Thankfully the entire book is not like this, but it does have several episodes of violence, more specifically, violence towards women. In fact, this book's original Swedish title (the author was Swedish) was Men Who Hate Women.....so there you go.

In a nutshell, this book is the first of the Millennium Trilogy written by Stieg Larsson. It is a fictitious crime/mystery/thriller novel that takes place in Sweden where journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired by a wealthy man to solve the mystery of the disappearance of his teenage niece from forty plus years ago. Mikael is later assisted by badass computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. 

I like the characters. They have depth and you become intrigued by them, especially with Lisbeth.

This book brings to light that even Sweden has it's problems, past and present. Besides the statistics about violence against women, I found it interesting that there was a Nazi movement in Sweden in the first part of the 20th century. Coincidently, I found an article about recent violence in connection to Neo-Nazis in Sweden. Now I don't know about you, but when I think of Sweden I think of that nation that is often referred to as the nation which has one of the highest standards of living in the world and where people are happiest, not one of violence and Nazis, but I guess no country in the world is perfect and immune to evil. Also, according to this book Swedes eat a lot of sandwiches and buy a lot of Ikea furniture, go figure!

I am already reading the second book in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and I'm looking forward to figuring out who Lisbeth is. I moved the The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movie to the top of my Netflix queue and it has now been sitting at the top of my DVD player for the last two weeks. I am trying to build up the courage to watch it. The book I could handle, the movie I am not so sure. I don't even like watching shows like CSI or Law and Order because of their violent themes.....Anyway this post is way longer than I intended it to be. If you're still reading, first, I wanna say thank you, second, I wanna say I really liked this book (I think I established that at the beginning). I think that any time you are both, entertained by a book and able to take something away from it is a double bonus!

Until next time!

-Liz

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath, first published in 1939, is said to be John Steinbeck's greatest masterpiece. At the time, this book caused so much controversy that it was banned and even burned in some places due to its telling nature of what life was like for the poor migrant workers in California. The rich farmers were portrayed as greedy and ruthless and the government was portrayed as protective only of the interests of the wealthy and not of those of the poor. People thought this book to be inaccurate and overdramatized, but it was mostly the members of the Farmers Association of California who felt that way, go figure.

The main characters of the story are the Joads, a fictional family from Oklahoma forced to leave behind all they know because of the dust bowl of the 1930's. Like countless other families of that era, they go seek out the advertised opportunities of the promised land of California and journey across the country, but instead of finding work and a better life they only find "Okie" hatred, prejudice, and injustice.

"They were hungry, and they were fierce. And they had hoped to find a home, and they found only hatred. Okies—the owners hated them because the owners knew they were soft and the Okies strong, that they were fed and the Okies hungry; and perhaps the owners had heard from their grandfathers how easy it is to steal land from a soft man if you are fierce and hungry and armed. The owners hated them. And in the towns the storekeepers hated them because they had no money to spend. There is no shorter path to a storekeeper's contempt, and all his admirations are exactly opposite. The town men, little bankers, hated Okies because there was nothing to gain from them. They had nothing. And the laboring people hated Okies because a hungry man must work, and if he must work, if he has to work, the wage payer automatically gives him less for his work; and then no one can get more." Steinbeck, John. (1939). “The Grapes of Wrath.” Penguin Books; page 233.

I started reading this book a few years ago and had the hardest time getting into it. I wanted to give up on it more than just a few times, but as a Californian and more specifically, a Steinbeck country native, I feel it is my duty to read all Steinbeck literature. If not I would be like an Englishman never reading Shakespeare or a Spaniard never reading Cervantes and that simply cannot be. So instead of giving up on the book completely, I'd read as much as I could handle then put the book down.....for a month or two.

Eventually I would get to like the book and then love the book. When I got almost half way through it I started feeling like I was really getting to know the Joads (it's hard to keep the characters straight because there's so many) and I felt for them as they struggled every day to stay afloat; I admired their optimism about all the wonderful opportunities that were awaiting them in California (or so they thought); and I was terrified for them as they were nearing California because I had the sneaking suspicion that they were going to have to endure a lot of hardship in this dream land where they did not know they were not wanted; and lastly their courage to keep going after all the bad things that happen to them was very inspiring.

I'm not gonna lie to you, this book is a little depressing, it does, after all, take place during this nation's great depression, but you become invested in the characters and you start rooting for them and hoping they achieve their dreams, which are the most basic of dreams, like finding their livelihood, a home to call their own, and their daily bread. My heart ached for the Joads as they suffered through the trials and tribulations of that time which included, but were not limited to poverty and displacement, illness, hunger, and even death. Worse yet, they had to do it all in an unknown land far where they were despised, from home.

Though it took me a while, I fell in love with the Joads and their story because despite all the horrible things that happen to them, they try to keep the family together as much as possible and not only that, they remain kind to one another and to perfect strangers. I was especially moved by the constant generosity the Joads and the other families in their situation gave one another despite having close to nothing.

"Learnin' it all a time, ever' day. If you're in trouble or hurt or need--go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help--the only ones." Steinbeck, John. (1939). “The Grapes of Wrath.” Penguin Books; page 376.

I know this book is required reading at some high schools and colleges, but it wasn't for any of the schools I went to and I’m glad. I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much back then as I do now. I highly recommend this book. It is reminiscent of some of the issues going on today in our country and around the world (like immigration issues and social and economic inequalities among others). As a forewarning, I want to add that this book may stir up many different emotions, but if not, at the very least it will be a good history lesson and that in and of itself makes reading it worthwhile.

Until next time!

-Liz

Oh For The Love Of Books!

Travel Books

I don't think I can call myself an avid reader, but I do love books and I like to collect them. I have coffee table books, historical novels, college text books, books in Spanish, travel books, classic literature books, books in English, atlas books, decorating books, books in Portuguese, dictionary books, craft books, biographical books, self-help books, and even a couple of books in Italian and French (for me to practice Italian and French when I take Italian and French). I have maybe about 200 books which is really not very many (or is it?), but I would love to keep expanding my collection. I dream of having my own personal library some day, in spite of having to lug those books from place to place every time I move, which has been a lot.

College Text Books 

I know, I know, with all the great technology out there I should be reading ebooks on some gadget, but what can I say, I love holding a book while I'm reading it. I mainly buy used books anyway which saves me money and is good for the environment. Sure, ebooks are more practical. They take no space at all (except for the gadget) because they're paperless (I guess that's good for the environment too), but there is just something about books. I like having something tangible you see. I like being able to turn the pages of a book and highlight certain things I find interesting and even write in it. While I am aware I can go to a public library and check out books, I am a person that has a hard time parting with books, particularly if they were good reads or if they made me learn something (keep in mind that I don't keep books I didn't like). Besides, books make wonderful decorative pieces. I love displaying them and admiring them too. Am I being a book loving romantic or just a hoarder?

Bedside Table

Currently I have over 30 books on one of my bedside tables and about 8 or so on the other bedside table that I have not read yet. I recently counted these and I didn't know the number was that high. This is a first time confession, even to myself. I am a little ashamed to admit that I buy books knowing that I have lots of them at home that I haven't read yet. Not for lack of desire to read them, just lack of time mostly, but if it makes you feel any better I have every intention of reading each and every one of those books. Because of this I have stopped buying new books (well new to me).....for now.

Some of my books in Spanish

How I choose a book is another story. Books are often recommended to me or I'll read some fantastic review about one in a magazine or from Oprah's book club so I decide to get it, but there is also another way.........Now I know they say one should never judge a book by its cover, but I must admit I am guilty of doing this and quite often. I love going to thrift stores and yard sales and looking at books, well not just looking at them, I like buying them too, obviously. About half the time I go book hunting I find books that have been on my reading list. The other half of the time I find books that "look" interesting. If the cover and the title appeal to me then I will take the time to read the back and then I go from there, otherwise I probably won't give it the time of day. Yes, I'm a sucker for a good cover, but ultimately I know it's what's on the inside that counts.

Do you prefer ebooks or paper books? Do you ever buy books when you still have several (or dozens) to read at home? How do you select books to read?

Until next time!

-Liz

"Sometimes you read a book so special that you want to carry it around for months after you've finished it just to stay near it." -Markus Zusak