Summer Reads- The Good, The Bad & The Fantasy

This summer I have got myself into the bad habit of reading 80% of a book then abandoning it. I am not sure if it is because of my some what chaotic attention span or if it is because I simply loose interest in the book. While I do have a stack of partially read books, I have managed to finish a few.

1. Farm Sanctuary by Gene Baur
Over the years I have become increasingly interested in food production. From how the fruit and vegetables we eat have been grown to how the animals we eat are treated. Farm Sanctuary gives you an in-depth look into factory farms in North America without being shocking for the sake of sensationalism. This book is insightful, honest and really makes you think about the food we feed ourselves and our families. The days of cows grazing in the pastures are long gone for the animals that end up in most of our groceries stores today.
I think this book is a interesting read for everyone, vegan- meat lover. It's important and responsible to know how what we eat is effecting the planet. Highly recommend.

2. #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
I have watched Sophia's career sky rocket from her days as a vintage eBay retailer to an online super star in a very short time so I was very excited to see this book come out. She shares her rags to riches story in an easy to read, fun way that allows you to read this book in one sitting. It was enjoyable and I did jot down a few interesting tips or inspirational quotes as I read, but I would not call this a book a guide to success and I am not sure that was her goal anyway.
After reading her book I headed to her online store, like a sucker and did some shopping.  As soon as my order arrived I felt duped. The quality of the items I received was horrible, less then I would expect for your average fast fashion retailer at the mall and far more expensive. I quickly returned my purchase only to wait a month for a refund that happened after 3 phone calls to customer service. Not what I was expecting from a store owned by someone who wrote an entire book about how wonderful her product and customer service was. In the end I feel like I bought into the hype.
But the book was fun and had a few helpful tips for business owners. I would suggest borrowing it from the library and skip the online shop that made her famous.

3. Porter Magazine
This new magazine is powered by Net-A-Porter.com, the high end online retailer. To be honest, I like this magazine on a very simple level. It's pretty. The garments are all so far out of my budget that there is no room for jealousy, this one is straight up fantasy for me and I need a little of fantasy in my life.

What are you reading this summer????

What are you reading this summer??

Amrita- Banana Yoshimoto

Do I judge books by their cover? Yes, often. That is why I chose this one. But luckily I enjoyed the story even more then the cover. I highly recommend. 

Wild- by Cheryl Strayed

I read this one while we were on vacation in the forrest, it seemed an appropriate chose. I love reading stories about things I would never do, ie. hike for months solo, climb Mount Everest, go to war and so on. I am just not that tough of a person, I will have to live through books and expereicne these things second hand.

Salt  Sugar Fat- Michael Moss

I figured I should make an attempt to learn something this summer so I picked up this one. Sometimes these types of books can be a little dry and they take me ages to read. But this was the exception. I thought it was really interesting to learn how so many dangerous ingredients end up in our food. Really makes you think twice before grabbing your next meal out of a box.

Mahogany- Burton Wohl

I love these little pocket sized books from the 70's. I just started this one, I'm just 20 pages in but already entertained. Diana Ross is on the cover, it has to be good.

What are you reading?? Any suggestions?

Did You Know???

 Did you know that you can borrow movies and music from the library, for FREE??!!! I guess I aways sort of knew this, but never took advantage of it until recently. I live just around the corner for a library so it's very convenient. I walk over there at lunch and usually pick 5 movies for the week. I don't often get a chance to watch all of them, but who cares, its free! I end up watching movies that I may have normally missed because I did not want to risk $5 on them in the video store (or itunes or where ever people get movies from these days, Im out of touch). I borrow new movies, old movies, documentaries and occasionally a foreign language film to listen to while I work. I like hearing other people talk, but I sometimes enjoy not know what they are saying.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Perfect for the hottest day of the year, right? Soup may not be a summer time favorite, but it's so good and so easy to make!
I borrowed this book The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau from the library last week and have been trying out some of the recipes. First up was the Cuban Black Bean Soup, I loved it. Filling and tasty.

• 2 tablespoons of water, for sauteing
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 4 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 medium bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons of hot sauce ( I used chilli flakes)
• 2 cans of lite coconut milk
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Place water in soup pot, heat over medium high. Add onions, garlic and chopped red peppers. Cook until onion is transparent, about 5 min.
Stir in black beans. Add bananas, cumin, ginger and hot sauce. Stir and cook until fruit softens. Pour in coconut milk and vegetable stock. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid reduces, about 45 min.
Place soup, in batches into blender until blended smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: I tried to take a picture of the actual soup. Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of soup and make it look good????? Shout out to all the food photographers out there, I couldn't do your job.

Today I Made... Feather Tote SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT.
This light weight tote is perfect for travel. Light weight but strong. Folds well in to luggage and can handle quite a bit of stuff when in use. It's medium size also make this a great tote for your daily commute to the office.

Michael Kiwanuka- LOVE this guys voice.

He's only 24 and so talented. I bought his album this morning and have it on repeat.

What I am Reading...

1Q84- by Haruki Murakami

I still have about 200 pages left of this book so I can't give my full opinion, but I do know that I love it so far. I am almost savouring this one like a rich dessert, reading only so much at a time because I don't want it to be over. 

Many years ago picked up The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle also by Haruki Murakami at a garage sale for 25 cents. I enjoyed it at the time but think I wasn't ready for his style of writing and didn't appreciate it the way I would now. I will be re-reading that one soon. 

Murakami has the most beautiful style of writing, like nothing I have read before. His words evoke such vivid visuals that without effort I can go back to scenes in my head and feel like I watched them take place right in front of me. I highly recommend.

Paris Times Eight- by Deirdre Kelly
To be honest I like almost any book that reminds me of Paris. But following Deirdre's journey through the city was light and fun. A casual book you could easily finish in a weekend.

Letters To A Young Feminist- by Phyllis Chesler PH.D.
In school I never took a Women's Studies course and didn't spend a whole lot of time wondering if I considered myself a feminist or not, but lately I have found myself more and more interested in Women's lives and experiences all over the world, past and present.  I enjoyed this one. Phyllis talks a lot about her experiences growing up in the 50's, 60's and 70's which makes it clear how many things have changed and how many sadly have not.

What have you been reading???

Thrift Store Finds

Once or twice a week I make my rounds to the local thrift stores to see if I find any garments that can be turned into beautiful leather bags. While I am there I usually venture into a few other sections, home goods and books. This week I found a pair of the sweetest little espresso cups. Hand painted with 24k gold. These little cups will make a wonderful addition to my morning routine. Second hand stores are a great place to find books. Its nice to go in without a title or author in mind and pick up something you may not otherwise read. This week I will be reading Papillon by Henri Charriere.
Total Spent: $4.89

Girl Can Sing.

So effortless. Beautiful.
Side Note: I love her green bed.

Working on some new stuff

 

He really sleeps like this.

Witness Katrina - The Passionate Eye Sunday Showcase | CBC News Network

I have seen a few documentaries about Hurricane Katrina, all of them heartbreaking. But this one, filmed by the people who actually endured it really hit me. I just can not believe that this was allowed to happen. The people of New Orleans were abandoned by their own government for days. How could something like this happen is a country as powerful as America??? This video is available for 30 days, I highly recommend it.

Witness Katrina - The Passionate Eye Sunday Showcase | CBC News Network

Summer Reading. What have you been reading???

 I cut my cable back in May when I realized I was spending more time flipping then actually watching anything. Why pay good money every month just to be annoyed with commercials and the boring variety of reality tv options?? No regrets, reading is much more entertaining.
What have you guys been reading?? Would love some recommendations!!

I love a clean room.

Nothing feels better then a good night sleep in a freshly cleaned bedroom. Everything is organized, fresh and clean. Most of the time my bedroom is not like this, so I really enjoy the few moments a month when it is. As I slaved away, Winston caught up on his beauty sleep.

What should I make????

Last week I went away. I read a lot, and ate lots of chocolate. Today I HAVE TO get serious.
What should I sew?????
 • A big screen printed canvas beach/shopping tote 
OR 
• A clutch made of recycled leather in bright blue?????

Elle Magazine

I always love their covers, simple and pretty.

Stuff like this makes me wish I had musical talent. I don't.

In Session- Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan

This American Life- Read me a story.

I love when people read to me. I have tried to convince friends to read to me, but most think its weird and won't.  It's not that I can't read myself, but if I can sew and listen to a story then I'm extra happy. So I turn to my computer. There is  "This American Life".  They have a ton of interesting stories in the radio archive section.  Sometimes I download "60 Minutes"podcasts, those are good to.
Have you found any good stories on the internet?? I need some more.

Memories-Soul Food

I watched the Grammy's tonight and one of my favorite performances was Cee-Lo's. He has a voice that makes me want to hug him. Anyway, seeing him reminded me of this song, "Soul Food" from nineteen nighty something. I loved it in high school and love it just as much today.

The Radiant Child

  

I haven't seen this yet. I heard its good.

Need New Music, suggestions please!!

Today I am looking for some new music to listen to while I work. I got a few itunes gift cards for Christmas and they are burning a hole in my pocket!

I bought one album "Lungs" form Florence & the Machine. So far loving it!

What are you guys listening to??