Books – Page 18 – …on the B.L.

How to Skimm Your Life from theSkimm

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 240
Quick Review From the creators of theSkimm. They walk you through the basics of being a successful adult from what they mean when they’re talking about wine to networking to taxes.

Reading *How to Skimm Your Life* in a super fun swing! | yoga pants | shirt | sunglasses | flippy-floppies |

theSkimm has become one of the most beloved emails people receive in the morning. It keeps you up to date on the goings on all over the world without having to invest hours combing through newspapers. I read it myself. The creators are now helping with life in How to Skimm Your Life comes out tomorrow and is a funny and informative.

I love a good glossy book with illustrations. Did you know millennials are changing and reinvigorating the wine industry? It only makes sense How to Skimm Your Life would start with a little wine information. Knowing your way around a wine menu makes you seem and feel fancy. There are also a ton of tips about taxes, travel, side hustles, politics, world history, house cleaning, finances, and networking. It’s a great overview of things every successful adult should be aware of in today’s society.

I love the section about politics and the UN. It helps break down a lot of overwhelming information. We hear about committees and such in the news, but often times we don’t necessarily know what they mean. One of the most important parts of How to Skimm Your Life is the break down of how these things works. It was also fun reading about it because I’m sitting in a coffee shop right across from the National Mall in Washington D.C. Although they fall a little short with the World History section because it starts in 1914. I think they could have given another page or two to a longer history lesson, but that comes from a history lover.

The book has a huge sense of humor, which keeps you flipping the pages. It has an incredibly upbeat tone filled with bright colors and a little bit of fun. Adulting can be hard, but getting better at it shouldn’t be. How to Skimm Your Life is like having a cheerleader in a book.

Memorable Quotes
“And why highly tannic wines like Cabernet Sauvignon develop like Jane Fonda: Better. Every. Year.”

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Title: How Skimm Your Life
Author: theSkimm
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9781984820808

Books, NonFiction

The Art of the Good Life by Rolf Dobelli

June 8, 2019June 8, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 272
Quick Review Dobelli compiles 52 guidelines for living a good life and avoiding the unnecessary in The Art of the Good Life.

The Art of the Good Life by Rolf Dobelli | Skirt | Shirt

Living a good life is kind of everyone’s goal. I hope, anyways. The meaning of life may always be elusive, but living a good life shouldn’t be. Rolf Dobelli is a businessman and well known author. He started out as a novelist but gained international acclaim for his book The Art of Thinking Clearly. His latest The Art of the Good Life compiles 52 guidelines for finding happiness no matter what your life looks like.

As I get older, it seems like my peers are looking to self help books more than in my younger years. I don’t necessary love them. I think they’re a little pretentious and boring. Dobelli seems to have his life pretty well figured out. I wouldn’t necessarily say his advice is ground breaking. In my 28 years on this Earth, I’ve already figured out most of these and have been living from that place for a good while. There’s advice, I wouldn’t follow, but that’s just me!

What I do appreciate about The Art of the Good Life is the prose. It’s well written and interesting. Dobelli pulls from his own life and the lives of others. The guidelines are very much grounded in real life. He has a huge sense of humor, which makes for an entertaining read. There is a lack of oxford comma usage, which I am not a fan of. I won’t hold it against him personally, but his life would be better if he used it. I very much appreciate his appropriate swearing. There’s a harsh honesty to the book. It has a bit of: humans are inherently dumb because we follow our emotions and that’s not smart. Dobelli isn’t condescending, but he doesn’t mince his words about how much time we waste on stupid shit. He is an amateur pilot and uses a lot of plane related examples, which I’m here for. I love flying.

I may not love self help books, but I did enjoy reading this one. I would say overall the guidelines he lays down in The Art of the Good Life are good rules to live by.

Have hard, unbreakable boundaries.
Feelings will lead you down the wrong path, so don’t follow them.
Money is not the key

Although, I wholeheartedly disagree about his sentiments on reading… kind of. One hundred books over ten years… goodness “Once you hit thirty, life’s too short for bad books.” I don’t think I could stick to one hundred books over ten years…. Ugh.

The Art of the Good Life is an interesting read. I enjoyed it, and there are some fun factoids throughout the pages.

Memorable Quotes
Radical acceptance “With each explicable pick-up, your life will get better.”
“A dog is authentic. You’re a human being.”
“A book is something qualitatively different from crème brûlée, a scenic flight over the Alps or sex.”

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Title: The Art of the Good Life; 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success
Author: Rolf Dobelli
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780316445061

Books, Fiction

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan

May 31, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Meh
Length 541
Quick Review Like the first two books in Kevin Kwan’s trilogy, Rich People Problems falls short in storytelling but exceeds in opulence and drama.

If you haven’t read my reviews of Crazy Rich Asians or China Rich Girlfriend, you can read them by clicking the titles… Not glowing reviews by any stretch of the imagination. The third and last installment in the trilogy might be the best out of the bunch. Rich People Problems has a little bit more character development than any of the other books.

The thing about these books is they suck you in with the crazy amount of money and drama. Plots are driven forward by drama and silliness and a whole lot of crazy. This covers up for the not so great writing and complete lack of interesting or compelling characters. The main protagonists of the books are completely non-existent as people and remain in the two dimensional realm.

Eddie is the worst.

That character deserves his own sentence apart from the others. He’s kind of the epitome of awful. What I did appreciate about Rich People Problems is Grandma Su Yi. The matriarch of the family. She had been watered down to an enigma with zero personality or role. This book she received intrigue, back story, and arguably more character development than any other character in all three books combined. I appreciated that very much.

The trilogy consists of three sizable books, but they are very quick reads. I wouldn’t pick Rich People Problems up if you’re looking for something deep and intriguing. These books make for great vacation reads or mindless escapism. Fun but not worth much. I did like the movie version of Crazy Rich Asians much better than the book.

404 Error: No Memorable Quotes Found

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Title: Rich People Problems
Author: Kevin Kwan
Publisher: Anchor Books
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780525432371

Books, Fiction

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

May 30, 2019May 28, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 352
Quick Review Pride and Prejudice is set in modern day Pakistan in the Binat home. Kamal fills Unmarriageable with all the wonderful judgements one would expect from a Jane Austen novel.

Reading Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal in Houston’s Museum District | Dress

I’m not necessarily a fan of love stories, but Jane Austen tells far more than how two people fell in love. She had a sharp eye and a quick wit. Pride and Prejudice is beloved by the world for so many reasons. Soniah Kamal brings the plot and characters into the world by setting it in a world not so different from Victorian England: Pakistan. Unmarriageable is a beautiful retelling.

Alysba Binat is the second oldest Binat Sister. At 30, she is all but unmarriageable. She helps support her family as an English Lit teacher alongside her older sister Jena.

I’m not going to give the plot line because you are probably familiar with it anyways. Unmarriageable does a good job sticking to the plot while making it modern and global.

I love well Kamal does at bringing this classic story into the modern era while also making it relatable to a completely different demographic. Muslim girls in Pakistan face similar life choices as the Bennet girls did in Victorian England. As much as times have changed, for so many women and girls life has not progressed that much. Unmarriageable is able to point this out to the demographic who do have choices. Kamal also makes the point that Pakistan was colonized by the British and taught to revere British Literature while looking down on their own cultural heritage. Through this novel, Kamal is able to combine a mixed literary heritage into something beautiful transcending religion, gender, and culture.

Reading Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal | Dress

I love how Kamal uses Pakistani versions of the character’s names throughout Unmarriageable. It’s really interesting to see how that translates. The use of Urdu words and phrases is also a great way of blending Pakistani culture into the book while making it accessible to Western readers. Alysba teaches Pride and Prejudice to her class, so it comes up often throughout the book. It works within the novel, but I don’t particularly love this literary device. It feels a bit overdone and boring. What I do appreciate is how many books Kamal mentions of Pakistani heritage.

I never thought I could dislike Mr. Collins more than I already do. He’s an odious and boring character. Kamal out does herself with Mr. Kaleen when he says, “Alysba was lucky he was not the sort if man who’d respond to her insult of a refusal by throwing acid on her.” Oh how lucky she was. Ugh. This hurt me.

Unmarriageable is a lot more pointed than Austen’s original. Austen tells the story and lets the reader surmise. The satire, observations, critique, and sarcasm are left for the reader to take in. Kamal points out relationships, dynamics, hypocrisies, etc. There is a lack of nuance requiring much less analysis. The plot moves faster than the original work and is a much smaller book. I wouldn’t say this is better or worse; it just is. It does appeal to the modern reader more than the original would if published today.

I really enjoyed reading Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal. It is a wonderful retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It has a lot to offer readers of all ages and backgrounds. Perfect for summer vacation.

Memorable Quotes
““But reading widely can lead to an appreciation of the universalities across cultures.””
“Perhaps you truly could not make someone disbelieve what they’d been so thoroughly conditioned to believe.”
“A woman is nothing and no one without virtue. Her virtue is the jewelry of her soul.”

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Title: Unmarriageable
Author: Soniah Kamal
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 978124799717

Books, NonFiction

In Love with the World by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

May 28, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Meh
Length 288
Quick Review Rinpoche decided to leave the comfort of his home to travel for three years killing off who he used to be to become someone new.

In Love with the World by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche | Eating ice cream at Sweet Cup in Houston | Shirt | Pants | Shoes

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was already revered within his religion when he decided to leave his community in the middle of the night to experience life and the world in a new way. In Love with the World is his experience as a wanderer for three years.

Rinpoche grew up within the faith of Tibetan Buddhism and had trained his entire life. He had never experienced life in any other capacity than through the lense of Tibetan Buddhist. One night, he gave no notice to his community. He left. He saved a little money, which is harder than you’d think. He wrote a letter explaining why he left and that he would return in three years. He was 36 years old. In Love with the World is as much a book about his emotional and mental transformation as it is about his physical journey in the world.

There is a sense of who people are by their titles or their clothing. Rinpoche wears clothing screaming buddhist and has the titles and achievements of Master of the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism and is the overseer of the Tergar Meditation Community. He’s a big deal. He is also a person with anxieties and fears and joys and a sense of humor. For as incredibly wise as he is, he is also funny. I highly enjoyed this tidbit, “I had felt rescued by my training more than once, even though that same training ensured the practical life skills of a lapdog.” It’s funny but deeply insightful. He has a knowledge base that is incredibly helpful and meaningful but doesn’t go very far when you’re stuck on a train with just about nothing.

I really enjoyed reading In Love with the World because it is full of wonderful insights into a life completely different than my own. It would be a great read for vacation or on a plane. Something to dive into.

tMemorable Quotes
“I had set off on my own to intentionally seek this disruption through what I had been thinking of as an ego-suicide mission.”
“Until we accept the truth of impermanence, ignorance and confusion will darken our days.”
“While the luminous mind never dies, the experience – as with any experience, no matter how transformative – was just another cloud passing by.”

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Title: In Love with the World; A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying
Author: Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche with Helen Tworkov
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780525512530

Books, Fiction

China Rich Girlfriend

May 21, 2019May 16, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Meh
Length 479
Quick Review Rachel Chu and Nick Young are newlyweds, but not everything is honeymoon perfect when they decide to spend the summer in China.

Reading China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan in Houston’s Museum District. | Red Dress | Shoes

I have mixed feelings about the Crazy Rich Asians the book and the movie. You can read that review here. I have a thing about always finishing every book I read. I don’t often read series, but when I do, I read the whole thing. Since is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I thought I’d read Kevin Kwan’s China Rich Girlfriend.

Rachel Chu is an economy professor in New York with her new husband, Nick Young, a history professor. They get married even after opposition from his wealthier than shit Singaporean family. Due to random circumstances, Rachel finds her biological father and spends her honeymoon in China getting to know her brother. She and Nick get swept up in Hong Kong high society and all the drama the uber wealthy find.

The issues I had with the first book are pretty much the same issues I have with China Rich Girlfriend. The plot is engaging and moves very quickly. It’s easy to keep reading. The fast moving, drama filled plot distracts from the flat and empty characters. It’s hard to have any emotional connection with the characters because they don’t seem to exist in a human realm of emotion. If it weren’t for the great acting done by the cast in the movie – especially Constance Wu – I would have no thoughts or connection to any of the characters. It’s all story and drama with no depth. It’s a great mindless read to get swept up in while by the pool watching your kids, a bird, or napping. You don’t have to pay that much attention to this book.

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan | Dress

The lack of character development doesn’t take away from the fun narrative style Kwan brings to China Rich Girlfriend. The narrative style was equally fun and satirical in Crazy Rich Asians. There’s a lot of grandiosity and throwing around of wealth, which, honestly, sounds like a heap load of fun if I had a gold bar pooping unicorn in my backyard. Like in the first book, Kwan utilizes footnotes to bring the reader into his high-society world full of drama with fun tidbits, gossip, and more. Footnotes are also used to alert the reader to cultural things most [Western] readers probably wouldn’t pick up on. He does a good job highlighting the hypocrisy of the uber wealthy. One fun one is the women carrying Birkin bags but cutting out coupons. It seems ridiculous, but I whole-heartedly believe women like this exist in the world. (I would probably be one of them.)

Overall, China Rich Girlfriend has a lot of redeeming points as a vacation or summer read. If you’re looking for an insightful look into the meaning of life or quintessence of humanity, this is not it. It’s a soap opera in book form. Fun but not good.

Memorable Quotes
““Bernard has no money. He only gets about ten million a year to live on,” Carol confirmed.”

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I absolutely love this red dress from Target. It’s such a cute wrap dress. I have terrible luck finding wrap dresses that won’t blow wide open at the thought of wind, but this one doesn’t! Also these shoes from Target are perfect. I love a good pointy-toed nude shoe.

Title: China Rich Girlfriend
Author: Kevin Kwan
Publisher: Anchor Books
Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 9780804172066