Book Review: Women Food and God

Have you ever read a book that articulated something you have been thinking - or feeling - in a way that finally clicked...you know, gave you that "AH-HA!" moment that you have been waiting for?!  Well, I just finished reading exactly that kind of book, and I am looking forward to sharing it with you today.  The book is Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth.

Source

No matter how sophisticated or wealthy or broke or enlightened you are, how you eat tells all. 

After three decades of studying, teaching and writing about our compulsions with food, bestselling author Geneen Roth adds a powerful new dimension to her work in Women Food and God.  She begins with her most basic concept: The way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive.  Your relationships with food is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger, meaning, transformation, and, yes, even God. 

A timeless and seminal work, Women Food and God shows how going beyond the food and the feelings takes you deeper into realms of spirit and soul - to the bright center of your own life.

Source

Yes, back in 2010, Oprah Winfrey had Roth on her show.  In fact, after reading Roth's book, Oprah vowed that she was through with dieting - forever - as in, never again.  I don't know about you, but if something as simple as a book could get Oprah off of her decades-long diet rollercoaster, well then, I'm intrigued.  After reading the book myself, I can understand Oprah's reaction.  Practically every other page of my copy is dog-eared, lines upon lines of Roth's words are underlined, and the margins are covered with my written reflections, reactions, and responses.

If you struggle with body image, disordered eating, or a full-blown eating disorder, this book is a life-changer.

Roth says, "every single person has a shtick with food and therefore everyone should read this book." 

The take-away is this, whoever you are, READ. THIS. BOOK.

Source

Just in case you aren't convinced, here is a L-O-N-G list of my favorite quotes from the book.  If these quotes don't perk your interest, well then, I give up.  Here goes:

• About God - "And I believe in love.  And beauty.  I believe that every single person has something they find beautiful and that they truly love...And I believe that if you follow this love all the way to its end, if you start with the thing you find most beautiful and trace its perfume back to its essence, you will perceive an intangible presence, a swath of stillness that allows the thing you love to be visible like the openness of the sky reveals the presence of the moon." (Pg. 25)

• Ending the War - "But fixing ourselves is not the same as being ourselves...The relentless attempts to be thin take you further and further away from what could actually end your suffering: getting back in touch with who you really are.  Your true nature.  Your essence." (Pg. 32-33)

• Beyond What's Broken - "Realize that brokenness is learned, not innate, and that [your] work is to find [your] way back to what is already whole. " (Pg. 65)

• Breath by Breath - "The problem isn't that we have bodies; the problem is that we're not living in them...Change happens not by hatred but by love.  Change happens when you understand what you want to change so deeply that there is no reason to do anything but act in your own best interest.  When you begin to inhabit your body from the inside." (Pg. 120-121)

• Being Hot Fudge Sundaes - "It's never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale.  We are unrepeatable beings of light and space and water who need these physical vehicles to get around   When we start defining ourselves by that which can be measured or weighed, something deep within us rebels." (Pg. 174)

• Breath by Breath - "There is no way back to the body; the body is the way.  You leave and then you return.  Leave and return.  You forget and then you remember.  Forget. Remember.  One breath and then another.  One step and then another...And it doesn't matter how long you've been gone; what matters is that you've returned...Soon you begin wondering where you've been all this time.  How you wandered so far.  And you realize that torture isn't having these arms or these legs; it's being so convinced that God is out there, in another place, another realm, that you miss the lavender slip of moon, your own awakened presence." (Pg. 125)

Question of the Day:

Have you ever read a book that said something in a way that you had an "AH-HA!" moment?  If so, I would love to hear all about it in the "Comment" section below!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Book Review: The Night Circus

Since early September, I've been suffering from a SERIOUS "book hangover." The culprit, of course, was Tiger's Destiny (The Tiger's Curse Series: Book 4).

And that's the problem with a really good book.  

Inevitably, that really good book makes it incredibly hard to find another book that grabs your attention and makes you want to read again.  With that said, over the last month I have picked up no short of half a dozen different books, only to put them down again after reading the first 20-30 pages.  They just weren't good enough to follow-up Tiger's Destiny.

Until now.

I just finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and it was AWE-some!  I think the fact that it falls into the "fantasy fiction" genre didn't hurt either.  That certainly helped it's case in following up one of the books from my favorite series of all time (of course, I'm talking about the one and only Tiger's Curse Series).  So, without any further ado, here's a synopsis of this newly released must-read!

Source

Synopsis:

The circus arrives without warning.  No announcements precede it.  It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.  Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements.  It is called Le Cirque des Reves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors.  Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing.  Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

Source

Review:

Pros:

For fans of The Time Traveler's Wife and The Tiger's Wife, The Night Circus will be an automatic hit.  Much like The Time Traveler's Wife, the novel jumps back and forth through place and time during the 19th century, "and that dislocation mirrors the magic afoot in the circus tents.  Points of views shift, narration and tangential vignettes occur, and the short chapters are more cinematic in their pacing than literary." (Source)  If you like novels that jump around while narrating from different times and perspectives, well then, Morgenstern's book will be right up your alley!

If you are drawn to stories rich in detail, background, and description (much like The Tiger's Wife), then the telling of The Night Circus' decades-long duel will be a perfect fit for your reading pleasure.  Uniquely, the duel is not punctuated "with wands or light sabers - but via [Celia and Marco's] heartfelt creations and manipulations - a maze of clouds, an ice garden, a living carousel.  They one-up each other until they fall madly in love. (Source)

Cons:

The Night Circus is a relatively slow read.  Much of the book is constituted by elaborate descriptions of the circus and its main characters; and if for no other reason, that means that this book is a perfect fit for some readers and a total misfit for others.  If you are a reader that craves action and dialogue, well then, The Night Circus might not be the book for you.  However, if you appreciate descriptive narrative and enjoy learning about what's going on in the hearts and minds of a stories' protagonists, then this book should be a perfect fit!

Finally, some of the books biggest potential questions are left unanswered...untapped...undiscovered.  In some ways, I am inclined to say that Morgenstern played it a little too safe.  So many of the questions related to love and loss are left untouched.  I was left wondering - or rather, having to figure out on my own - how two orphaned children that were raised without love or affection could so naturally have the ability to love one another.  Is love innate?  Is it learned?  How are children that were unloved for so long inherently able to love one another so perfectly?

Source

Regardless, in the end I was happy to have read The Night Circus.  It was fun.  It was beautiful.  It was a love story...albeit an imperfect one.  And, thankfully, at the end of the day, it pulled me out of an almost month-long "book hangover"!

Question of the Day:

What's the best book you have read recently?  I NEED suggestions!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

The Golden Present

Young people live in the future.

Old people live in the past.

Wise people live in the present.

 - Anonymous

Source

I randomly stumbled upon this quote about five days ago. Ironically, I have thought about this quote quite a bit since then, which - I suppose - means that I am living a bit in the past.

Go figure.

I find that, most of the time, I am battling against my propensity to dwell on time gone by, or incessantly plan for those yet to come.  But - let's not get sidetracked - regardless of my own thought patterns, the quote above seems (to me, at least) to echo a great truth.

Living in the present moment can be hard.

For a multitude of various reasons, we might all want to escape our present.  Perhaps it is diverting to focus on the warm and fuzzy memories of your past.  Perhaps I find it calming to plan for things that won't yet happen for another six months (or, in some cases, six years).  Perhaps, by expending our energies on the past and the present we are momentarily set free from the things in the present moment that we might much prefer to ignore.  Perhaps, the past and the future are (at times) misused to distract us from the pain, the hurt, the anger, and the depression of the here and the now.

But, therefore, doesn't that also mean that we run the risk of missing the abundant joy, the surreal happiness, the holistic peace that is also the present?!

Source

In fact, one of the true sources of both happiness and health is the ability to inhabit the present moment...not just to exist in it, but to BE in it.  

For, as we all know, "reality only exists right now - it's as close and accessible as our breath - and this awareness heals suffering caused by past regrets or future fears."  As Eckhart Toole has said:

Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and not enough presence.  Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are cause by too much past, and not enough presence. 

Remove the old garment which no longer suites you

and step bravely into the new one - 

weaved from an awareness

gained after years of struggle and pain.

Do not lose site of who you are

in that quiet space - where only reality exists.

You've paid a high price to get here - 

no sense in giving it all back.

Your life is here and now.

Be present for it.

Live it wisely.

Nirmala Devi 

(Source)

While at the ashram receiving my yoga teacher certification, I was gifted with Swami Satchidananda's book entitled "The Golden Present."  Filled with daily readings from Swamiji's lectures and talks, this books offers up a variety of teachings on how to serve others and realize peace, truth, and unity.  I read it almost every day (some day's I forget...oops!); and although I have a long way to go before learning its lessons, it has certainly been a helpful tool along the journey.

Source

I will leave you with today's excerpt from "The Golden Present":

August 19: The Simple and Practical Way to Find Peace

Anytime anyone complains of worry, anxiety, depression, fear, hatred, jealousy - whatever it is - let him sit back and analyze the cause.  If he is really sincere, he will find out that he wanted something for himself.  Selfish desire causes all the problems.  Do things for the sake of others, not for yourself.  That is the simple and practical way to find peace.

Question of the Day:

Do you feel like you live in the past, present, or future?  What can you do to help make you even more PRESENT in your own life?

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Book Review: The Dovekeepers

I have already told you that a dear friend sent me The Dovekeepers as a gift.  At the time - when I told you that the book was so "passionately magical" that I was trying to read it slowly, savoring every page, and enjoying Alice Hoffman's narrative voice - I didn't realize that I would come to write this review as a changed reader.

In every reader's life there is a book - perhaps two or three - but rarely more than half a dozen, that forever alter the experience of reading a novel.  Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers was the third novel in my life to do just that.

Note: Just in case you are wondering, Wurthering Heights by Emily Bronte was the first, and The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion was the second.

Through its pages I felt wonder, pride, and such an intense sorrow that I even shed a few tears (which makes The Dovekeepers only the second novel to have made me cry...Didion's Magical Thinking was the first).

Synopsis:

Nearly two thousand years ago, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert.  According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived.  Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffman's novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path.  Yael's mother died in childbirth, and her father, an expert assassin, never forgave her for that death.  Revka, a village baker's wife, watched the murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her young grandsons, rendered mute by what they have witnessed.  Aziza is a warrior's daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and expert marksman who finds passion with a fellow soldier.  Shirah, born in Alexandria, is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power. 

The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege.  All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets - about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love.

Source

Review:

Books are like food in the sense that everyone has slightly different taste buds.  So, while I found The Dovekeepers to be an enormously rewarding and engaging novel, I don't expect my review to convince everyone that Hoffman's novel is a "must-read".  Obviously, I am not a professional book critic.  My review will not be particularly academic or over-analytical.  Instead, my review is based off of the fact that I read for enjoyment - and sometimes to learn a thing or two - and in regards to that criteria, The Dovekeepers was outright phenomenal!

I am not a huge history buff, nor do I particularly enjoy reading historical books, but I did learn tid-bits about the battle at Masada in college, and I always had a vague curiosity about what really happened.  Obviously, Hoffman's telling isn't necessarily the "real story," but while it might not be 100% real, it is most certainly compelling in the most beautiful of ways.

Perhaps unexpectedly, Hoffman's "creative path into Masada is from the ground up: not through its generals and warriors, but through its mother, daughters, and wives." (Source)  While the story unfolds through the voices of four distinct narrators, I found myself being entranced by Yael (the first of them), only to be further entranced by Revka (the second), and then Aziza (the third), and finally Shirah (the fourth).  By the end of the novel, the four, distinct, narrative voices blended together in a single voice saying: "Let my burden be your burden, and yours be mine." (Source)

The Dovekeepers is not for the frail of heart, or the reader that only enjoys a lighthearted tale.  It is beautifully raw and incredibly emotional (at least for me) to read.  Reading it is an exercise in dichotomy, for it left me feeling both heavy and light, depressed and hopeful.

In the end, it left me contemplating persecution.  

As Jennifer Raymant - a goodreads reviewer - wrote, "the persectution of Jews over and over again just completely baffles me.  They truly are one of the most formidable, strong, and resilient race the world has ever seen."  After all, "we are all souls anyway, aren't we?  Here to learn.  Here to grow.  Let us see each other as souls. Let us bounce around in the imperfection of our soul bodies, dancing in their pure light way, on this dense earth planet." 

So what's my thesis?!

It's simple really:

The Dovekeepers is elegant.

It is graceful and intelligent.

It is haunting.

It is devastatingly tragic.

It is beautiful.

READ IT.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever read a book that made you cry?  If so, which one was it...I might want to put it on my reading list!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Reading vs. Listening: Is listening to an audio book REALLY reading?

Recently, I have started listening to quite a few audio books.  Since the studio that I co-direct is approximately a 30 minute drive away, I do a lot of driving.  Once I add in my regular errands, I can easily listen to a complete audio book every one or two weeks.  In fact, over the last couple of months I have "read" five Diana Gabaldon novels, including:

• Dragonfly in Amber;
• Voyager;
• Drums of Autumn;
• The Fiery Cross; and
• A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

You might recognize Gabaldon's name because I did a book review of the first book in her series, Outlander.  You might also remember that Outlander is a 625+ page treatise novel, and was the shortest novel in Gabaldon's series!  Truth be told, the size of her novels is actually what led me to "reading" the subsequent installations in audio book form.  

And it has really worked for me!  

Honestly, without the audio books, I don't think that I would have had the time - not to mention the dedication - to read the five (now six) additional novels in the Outlander series.  As much as I would have liked to, the truth is that I just don't have that many hours in my day to dedicate to sitting on the couch reading.

So here's the conundrum: 

While the purist bookworm in me says that my recent infatuation with audio books makes me a cheat, a phony, a poser, a hypocrite, and an outright charlatan, the realist in me says that I am simply fitting my love of reading into the difficult reality of a busy life.

Even more to the point:

Can I really even call what I listen to in the car "reading"?

To help me answer that question, I did a little a lot of research, and here are a few things that I learned:

• Research that predates CD's suggests that reading and listening are strikingly similar cognitive processes.  For example, a 1985 study found listening comprehension correlated strongly with reading comprehension - suggesting that those who read books well would listen to them well, also. (Source) 
• In a 1977 study, college students who listened to a short story were able to summarize it with equal accuracy as those who read it. (Source)
• Language comprehension and production evolved in connection with HEARING probably 150,000 years ago, and to some extent is "hard-wired." (Source)
• Writing is 5,000-7,000 years old - partially piggybacking on the same circuits as hearing.  So, it's possible that LISTENING to speech is more spontaneously comprehensible and linked to emotion brain center - hence more evocative and natural. (Source)
• On the other hand, reading allows you to pause and reflect and go back to do a second take. (Source)

As for me, I agree with John Colapinto from The New Yorker because I, too, have "discovered that audio books are (among other things) an ideal way to get to know a work that [I couldn't], for whatever occult reason, bring [myself] to read in book form."

But, even with that said, the purist bookworm in me is still a little skeptical.

As Jenni Laidman from the Chicago Tribune writes:

Still, more than 100 audio books later, I remain on the fence between reading and listening.  Audio books are good.  They're enjoyable.  They're wonderfully efficient.  But I wonder if the audio book experience is quite as full and as nuanced as reading.  Is the world I create as a listener as rich as the one I form as a reader?  Then again, there's [the audio book reader} and the intimacy of a performance even more personal than reading and more original than I would have conjured.  I cannot decide.

And if a professional reader and writer cannot decide, then why should I?!

Next up - an awesome recipe that I am SO excited to share with you all!  If you've been craving something with an Asian flare, you won't want to miss out on this one!

Question of the Day:


Have you ever listened to a book on tape?  If so, what was your experience?  Did you like it as well as reading a book in the traditional manner?  Did you like it better?  Did you feel like you were actually "reading"?


Tell me all about it in the "Comment" section below! :)

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Book Review: Chasing Redbird

For the past few days I have been reading "a harrowing, thrilling, feminist historical novel" by Alice Hoffman entitled The Dovekeepers.  Hoffman's book is so passionately magical that I am trying to read it slowly, savoring every page, and enjoying her narrative voice (THANK YOU to the dear friend that sent me the book!).  Without a doubt, there will be a review of The Dovekeepers on the ABC blog.  However, you will have to wait until I finish the book first!

In the meantime, I recently paused - for less than 24 hours, mind you - to read Chasing Redbird.  Written by Newberry Medal-winning author Sharon Creech, Chasing Redbird is commonly found on middle and high school English curricula.  I'm not sure how, but Creech's book never made its way onto any of my teachers' lesson plans; and as a result, I never got around to reading it.

It was only recently, when I was reading a friend of an acquaintance's blog, that the book was mentioned as a "life-long favorite" and "must-read."  In fact, this particular blogger said that she re-reads Chasing Redbird at least once a year!

"Heck," I thought, "if a book is good enough to read once a year, I must be missing out.

I have to read this book...NOW!"

So, what did I do?  

I immediately set down The Dovekeepers (besides, it would make it last longer if I took a little break from it), and drove off to the library.  Thankfully, Chasing Redbird was available.

Less than 24 hours later I had read Creech's 261-page book from cover to cover.

While I can't say that Chasing Redbird is a "life-long favorite" or a book that I will read "at least once a year," I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Although a quick read (honestly, what would you expect from a book geared towards 12-17 year olds?), it was definitely a fun and enjoyable read.  Moreover, I think that Chasing Redbird contains wonderful life-long lessons about grief, loss, and finding one's place in the world.

Source

Summary:

Zinny Taylor: Explorer

It started out as an ordinary summer.  But the minute thirteen year-old Zinny discovered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change.

Right from the start, Zinny knew that uncovering the trail would be more than just a summer project.  It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own.  But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions.  And that the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie's death, and herself, was to find out where it went.

From Newberry Medal-winning author Sharon Creech comes an intricately woven tale of a young girl who sets out in search of her place in the world - and discovers i tin her own backyard.

Source

While researching for this post, I ran across the author's website.  In it, Creech offers insight into her writing experience:

As I was writing [Chasing Redbird], I was vaguely aware that the trail was working on many levels.  Not only was it a real, literal train in the woods, but it also seemed to mirror the trails we all follow in our lives (Which way should we go?  What should we do?) and also to mirror the writing process (Which way will this story turn? Why can't I see where it's going?). (Source)

Review:

After reading Chasing Redbird I realized something...while there are some books that call out to be read, dissected, and then reviewed, there are others that are meant to simply be enjoyed.  Maybe that is why I am finding it a bit difficult to review Creech's book.

I just want to enjoy it.

In the end, I came to appreciate that although Creech took on the difficult topics of death, grief, identity seeking, and finding one's role in a large (and complicated) family, she did so in a way that was - ultimately - accessible to young readers.  Although I, myself, am not a young reader; I did gain something from its reading, and would certainly recommend this book to my own future children.  

Zinny teaches us that, sometimes, the best medicine is to explore the unknown.  

That "unknown" might materialize in the form of an undiscovered trail, like it did for Zinny; or it might take the form of unknown emotions, fears, and/or dreams.  Whatever the "unknown" is, Zinny empowers her readers to take a chance, take a leap, and explore it! 

Favorite Quotes:


"Life is a bowl of spaghetti...every now and then you get a meatball.  Sometimes it's a good meatball, and sometimes it's a bad meatball." (Source)

"Sometimes it seems too crowded on our side, and you don't know who you are.  You feel like everybody's spaghetti is all tangled in one pot...I discovered an old trial, overgrown with grass and weeds.  I knew instantly that it was mine and mine alone.  What I didn't know was how long or how hard it would be to uncover the whole thing, or that it would turn into such an obsession...the trail was just like the spaghetti of me and my family...it took a heap of doing to untangle it." (Source)

Question of the Day:


Was there ever a book that you feel like you totally forgot to read as a child, that you went back and read as an adult?  Did you like the book...or did you just think it was childish and overrated?


Whatever your story is, tell me all about your experience in the "Comment" section below.  

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Book Review: Outlander

On my flight home from Emily and Henry's wedding a couple of weeks ago, my airplane neighbor and I got to talking about books.  Surprisingly, she and I had similar taste enjoying such novels as The Hunger Games, the Twilight Saga, Divergent/Insurgent, and the like.  After exchanging a number of suggestions back and forth (for instance, I was adamant that she read the Tiger's Curse series), she assured me that I must read Outlander by author Diana Gabaldon.

I was a bit skeptical when I found out that the book fell under the genre of historical fiction.  As you all know, historical books are not normally my sort of thing.  I am a fiction girl at heart, preferably young adult fiction with a little utopia/dystopia thrown into the mix, but 100% fiction for sure.  Regardless, since we had so many other book interests in common, I decided to head to my local library and give it a shot (I decided on the library because, honestly, who wants to waste $15.00 on a book they aren't even sure they will like?).  In the end, I read the 625+ page book in under a week and LOVED IT!  My best description of Outlander goes something like this:

1 Part The Time Traveler's Wife + 1 Part Braveheart = Outlander

Summary:

Claire Randall is leading a double life.  She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon - when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles.   

Suddenly she is a Sassenach - an "outlander" - in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743. 

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny is soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch.  She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart.  For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Interesting Side note: When I Googled the author, I found out that Diana Gabaldon is actually a Dr.!  In fact, she holds three degrees in science: Zoology, Marine Biology, and Quantitative Behavioral Ecology, and spent a dozen years as a university professor before beginning to write fiction - none of which has anything to do with her Outlander novels.  I guess that just goes to show me/you/us that we can never really know what God has in store for our lives; so we might as well enjoy the ride!

Review:

As explained in the Adams County Book Reviews:

Part romance, part historical fiction, with a dash of science fiction...this book appeals to readers of basically any genre.  But, don't let the romance descriptive deter you from trying this - people I know who despise romance novels cannot believe how much they enjoyed reading this book and the series...Gabaldon's extensive research is evident in the descriptions of the 17th century and the conflicts of that era between the Scottish clans and the British.

From the start, I found myself liking the character of Claire.  She is strong, resourceful, adaptable, and underneath it all, an incredible partner, lover, and friend.  Jamie, too, is one of my favorite male literary characters.  Although his behavior is sometimes a bit archaic in terms of gender relations, it is understandable when placed within the confines of his place in history.  Outside of that, he is - above all else - honorable, a man who always seeks to find himself on the right side of justice.  In fact, he reminds me immensely of William Wallace's character in Braveheart: incredibly ruthless at times, willing do do whatever is necessary to stand up for what he believes is right, but ultimately a loving and patriotic family man.

Main protagonists aside, Outlander "is not a light-hearted read, for sure.  There's a very high body count, and some brutal torture scenes."  Regardless, for me, all of that just made the story "ring true."  In the end I was left satisfied by the "epic-style adventure and truly satisfying romance." (Source)

After finishing Outlander yesterday afternoon, I immediately headed back to the library to pick up book two in the series, Dragonfly in Amber.

Unfortunately, it was checked out. :(  

Instead, I picked up another dystopian YA novel to keep me occupied until Dragonfly is returned.  I will let you know about my thoughts on this continuing series in future posts!

Question of the Day:


In the spirit of historical fiction: what is one event, time in history, or culture that you are interested in learning more about?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Book Review: Insurgent (Book II of the Divergent Trilogy)

I finished Insurgent - a 544 page book - in two days.  

That means I read over 250 pages a day.  

(No, I didn't just sit on the couch all day.  I still taught yoga, I still cooked, I still played with Lola, and I still talked to my husband.  But when I wasn't doing one of those four things, I read.)

And, to answer your question, YES, it was that good.

In case I haven't succeeded in peaking your interest quite enough, and you're wondering what Insurgent is all about, here is a brief description:

One choice can transform you - or it can destroy you.  But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves - and herself - while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. 

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors.  War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows.  And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable - and even more powerful.  Transformed by her own decisions, but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. 

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

First things first, I realize that this is ANOTHER dystopian novel.  I know, I know, you probably think that is all that I read, but really, it's not.  Right now, for instance, I am reading a historical fiction novel and loving it.  But that's besides the point.  My point is that yes, this is a dystopian novel, but don't discount it just because you think that you don't like this genre, or you think that all of the novels in this genre are essentially the same.  Trust me, they aren't.  They are as unique to one another as coffee is to marinara sauce (that's my very awkward way of saying that,  although they are all books, they have totally different flavors).  Take for instance, the author's explanation as to why she connects to the dystopian field of writing:

[There are times when] everything seems like the end of the world, and I don't think that's necessarily a silly thing.  You're waking up and becoming aware that the worlds has problems and those problems affect you, whereas when you're [a child] they don't seem to affect you that much even if you're aware of them.  This dystopian trend picks up on that little part of your life where everything feels really extreme and it honors that part of your life by saying, "Yeah. It is the end of the world.  Let's look at it."

Just to catch you up, I read Divergent (the first book in Roth's trilogy) last May.  Quite unexpectedly, I fell totally in love with the book by page five.  Similar to my experience with Insurgent, I read the 500+ page novel in a couple of days.  And then, I had to wait over 11 months for Insurgent to be released.  The wait was more than worth it (as you will see in this review), but now I am stuck waiting another 12+ months for the final installment of the trilogy to be released.

But wait...

...let me back up...

...I'm getting ahead of myself.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term "insurgent" means:

• (noun): a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially: a rebel not recognized as a belligerent

Tris is the quintessential insurgent.  First - and foremost for me as a reader - she is conflicted about the necessity of violence, and sometimes death, in times of societal rebellion.  In turn, Tris shuts off a large part of herself in an attempt to protect herself from future pain.  I understand that "gut reaction" sort of response because it is something that I, myself, do in times of extreme emotional stress.  On the other hand, Tris is resilient, honest to a fault, and frequently stubborn.  Although sometimes misdirected, her intentions are always pure.  As a female reader, I can relate to both Tris' sacrificial intentions and imperfections.  In this way, I feel a stronger connection to characters such a Tris and Katniss (from the Hunger Games), than say a character like Bella from Twilight (To all you Twilight devotees, don't get your panties in a twist, I am still as loyal a Twlight fan as ever!).

I recently read an interview with Divergent/Insurgent's author Veronica Roth.  In that interview, Roth is asked how her personal adolescent experience informed her writing of the trilogy.  Her response really hit home for me, and perhaps indicates why I am able to connect with the world she has created in her books:

As a teenager, I put a lot of pressure on myself, and a lot of that, for me, was about finding a moral high ground.  As I've grown up, I've decided to abandon that because it made me judgmental and also stressed me out.  There's really no way to be perfect.  Perfectionism is a silly trait to have, so in a lot of ways that inspired the world of "Divergent," in which everyone is striving toward that ideal and falling short of it.  Tris is a character who experiences that stress about, "Am I doing the right thing? I always have to do the right thing.  If I don't, what am I worth?"

Take that Perfection.  You have just been unceremoniously throw out of the window!

Insurgent left me flabbergasted!  

In the final two pages of the book there is a HUGE twist!  I knew that something was brewing throughout the book, but I would never have guessed what it was.

My jaw literally dropped when I read the last page.  

So I read it again.  

And then I read it a third time, just to make sure I had read it correctly the first two times.  

WOW.  

Don't get me wrong, I liked the twist.  It is a little crazy...certainly out-there...but it should make for a very interesting conclusion to the trilogy.  Unfortunately, I will have to wait over a year to see how it all shakes out.  Darn those trilogies and series!  Between:

• The Twilight Saga;
• The Hunger Games;
• Delirium/Pandemonium;
• the Tiger's Curse Series; and
• now the Divergent trilogy;

you think I would have learned my lesson by now, right?!  I guess I am more stubborn and like Tris than I realized...

Question of the Day:


What is your favorite genre of books to read (i.e. fiction, nonfiction, history/historical fiction, self-help, spiritual, wellness, young adult literature)?!

Also, if you have read any F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C. books recently tell me about them in the "Comments" below.  I am always looking for a great new book to read!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo