Apartment Therapy: The 8-Step Home Cure

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, founder of Apartment Therapy, is adorable, and his book Apartment Therapy: The 8-Step Home Cure (2006) is equally so. It's packed with great tips for turning your stuffy old apartment into a beautiful and comfortable home, one that you're happy to be in alone and excited to invite others to enjoy. The idea with this book is that you are willing to commit 8 weeks to beautifying your home, because 8 weeks gives you enough time to make the necessary changes and is also a good length of time for setting new, healthy habits. I am not willing to devote 8 weeks of my time, but I read the book anyway. And if I DID make such a commitment, I would certainly use this book.

The 8-Step Home Cure is divided into 2 sections. In the first, Maxwell G-R explains the reasons that many people experience dissatisfaction with their apartments, the ultimate being bad flow. He then goes on to organize the apartment in terms of a body - with a heart, a head, bones, and breath - that needs to be listened to and nourished. The second section is the Cure itself, divided into 8 weeks, with a main goal each week and ideas for either a Deep Treatment or - if you're ready - a One-Room plan.

At the end of the 8 weeks, Maxwell G-R encourages you to throw a party, and he gives you tips on music to play as the evening progresses, recipes to make for each of your four courses, beverages to serve, lighting, what have you. And at the very end was one of my favorite little pieces of this book, "35 Suggestions for a Healthy Home," which I thought were very sweet. Such as making an effort to say hello to your neighbors, always including a thank-you note with your rent, treating yourself to fresh flowers once a week, and... flossing.

All in all, I thought The 8-Step Home Cure was a really nice book. And though I'm not devoting the time to the Cure, I did try to incorporate some of Maxwell G-R's tips into my apartment, and it has indeed made a difference. At first I was a skeptical about how much I could do in my tiny space, but after learning that Maxwell and his wife and their baby live in a 265-square-foot New York apartment, I thought, "Alright, no excuses."
Website: Apartment Therapy

YouTube video: A Tour of Maxwell's Apartment with Oprah

Knitting Under the Influence

My big sister gave me Knitting Under the Influence (2006) by Claire LaZebnik for Christmas a few years ago, along with a skein of yarn and a pattern for a felted bag. All of these things have sat neglected in my apartment. Not because I don't want to read and knit, but because I am lazy. In an effort to catch up on unfinished business, I decided to delve into this gift at long last. The thought of knitting a felted bag makes me feel a bit panicky, so I thought I'd start with the book.

Knitting Under the Influence is about three 20-something ladies who get together each week to knit and gossip. Kathleen is a pampered princess who's used to getting what she wants. Her problem is that she doesn't know what she wants. Lucy is a scientist who begins to question her values when an animal rights activitist targets the lab where she conducts research. And Sari is torn when the man who used to torment her autistic brother in high school asks her to work with his autistic son.

I enjoyed reading Knitting Under the Influence. The characters were sassy and not all that nice to each other, and I can't say I related to any of them, but their relationship and occupational dilemmas were entertaining, and LaZebnik has her characters seek answers to some interesting questions - For Kathleen, can she justify marrying a man for his money, knowing that she'll be well taken care of, but bored? For Lucy, can she justify killing one animal for research if it could possibly save thousands of humans down the line? And for Sari, can she treat an autistic child fairly and set her personal feelings aside, knowing that this child's father ridiculed her own autistic brother when they were younger?

The men, however, did not impress me, and I wondered what had these women falling all over themselves. Especially Jason, Sari's high school nemesis. I was seriously creeped out when he started calling her repeatedly and sending her bitter, guilt-trippy emails. He seemed like a sad, sad little man. I know Sari said he was ridiculously good-looking, but come on now. Just because a stalker is handsome, it doesn't make him any less of a stalker. Stalkers are making appearances in quite a few of my books lately, and the strange thing is, they usually end up getting their way.

Anyway, I thought Knitting Under the Influence was a fun bedtime read. For me, another guilty-pleasure sort of book. And although the felted bag may take a while to make an appearance, I wanted to share one knitting project that I am very proud of. Sheldon the Turtle, you can see him below. When he's feeling immodest, he can also come out of his shell. I knit him for my niece, and while he may be a piece of cake for the more experienced knitter, I was literally reduced to tears and childish temper tantrums while struggling to make this toy. If you want to have similar fun times with Sheldon, his pattern can be found at Knitty.

Author Website: Claire LaZebnik.

New Moon

Using the bookstore's Breaking Dawn midnight release party as an excuse to continue indulging in this guilty pleasure, I followed up my reading of Twilight with New Moon (2006), the second book in the Stephenie Meyer series.
It was alright, and I plan to read Eclipse and Breaking Dawn as well, but I have to say, I am getting a little frustrated with Bella. She's got some attitude and a rebellious streak that is kind of cute, but her heart is so easily swayed by Edward and now Jacob. It's like they have some sort of hypnotic power over her, which I suppose they do, but sometimes it's like, "Come on, woman!"

I also got really creeped out when she started calling Jacob every half hour all day, then drove by his house, then parked across the street and waited for him. Like a stalker. Lucky for her, her persistence paid off, but if I were Jacob, I would have run far, far away. Ladies, please, try to avoid this kind of behavior!

All in all, I enjoyed New Moon. While weird obsessive all-consuming relationships are no good in real life, they are kind of fun to read about in novels. I can definitely understand why some readers have problems with these books, but hopefully those who enjoy this series are smart enough to realize that Bella's choices - in life and with men - are not always the healthiest.

Author Website: Stephenie Meyer

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Charlie - my cat and also my internet alter-ego - is a fan of Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1994) by Anne Lamott. And so am I.It was with great trepidation that I picked up this book. My sister gave me Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith a few years back, and that book - combined with other circumstances - made me feel a little overwhelmed. So I opened Bird by Bird with skepticism, expecting to cast it aside after a few pages.

To my surprise, I read it quickly and with much joy. Whereas before I found Lamott's self-deprecating humor irritating, this time I found it honest and relatable. She offers encouragement, but she also lets you know that writing is often a painful experience, one that confronts you with your deepest fears and insecurities, and one that can crush your spirit if you don't learn how to push through the hard stuff.

I laughed and I cried while reading Bird by Bird, and it made me think I should give Traveling Mercies another try. Lamott also mentions Natalie Goldberg in this book, and that reminded me that I should re-read Writing Down the Bones one of these days. I read that for the first time last year and gained a lot from it.

If you are a writer, or if you are into artistic expression of any kind, I would recommend Bird by Bird, as well as Writing Down the Bones, as wonderful inspirations for awakening the creative spirit. While these women have their own unique perspectives and techniques for writing, they both agree that the most important - and often the most challenging - part of writing is simply to pick up the pen and put it to the paper.

Month in Review: June

June was a month of book and plant buying for me. For $18, I bought 16 used books and 2 plants, all of which you can see below.
The books I bought are:
1. The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
2. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
3. Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
4. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
5. Wings of the Dove by Henry James
6. Paradise Lost by Milton
7. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
9. Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
10. Independent People by Halldor Laxness
11. Jazz by Toni Morrison
12. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
13. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
14. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
15. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
16. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

When I will make time to read all of these treasures, I do not know, but writing my goals out seems to be a good first step to accomplishing them, and I WILL.
In Other Excitement...

My garden is coming along nicely, and I've even picked a few lettuce leaves from it. The picture above is of its humble beginnings. Being patient is difficult, and I look forward to seeing my efforts rewarded.

I became obsessed - to put it lightly - with these baby robins in a tree outside my apartment. So cute! They have since fledged, but in a nearby nest, a catbird (I think) is still sitting on its eggs, so I will transfer my fascination to those babies once they are born. Baby birds are so fuzzy and funny.

Well, that was my month. Books were the focus, and that's fine by me! Next month, I look forward to lots more reading, of course, but I also want to start cooking again, especially meals that involve grilling, so I can be outdoors. I just checked out the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook from the library, and I think tonight I'm going to make mushroom and spinach stuffed zucchini.

Little Brother

Shortly after reading George Orwell's 1984, I came upon Cory Doctorow's Little Brother (2008), and reading it seemed like the natural choice. I was interested in the ideas Orwell explored in 1984, and I was curious to see how Doctorow would update Orwell's classic dystopia in a modern context.
The result, Little Brother, is as Scott Westerfield describes: "A rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion." While paying his respects to Orwell, Doctorow creates a new police-state, where the Department of Homeland Security takes over the role of Big Brother, and waterboarding takes the place of rat-filled head-cages. I'm not sure which is more terrifying.

Marcus and his friends are in the wrong place at the wrong time while skipping school, and when a terrorist attack rocks San Francisco, Marcus and his buddies are harshly interrogated and humiliated. Upon his release, Marcus finds his beloved home a changed place, one where the DHS monitors everyone's comings and goings and treats every citizen like a potential terrorist.

While the less informed believe that the DHS is acting in their best interests, Marcus knows the truth - that the system designed to protect him from terrorism has actually become a system of terror. Marcus chooses to fight back, but his creative methods raise their own questions - are his actions justified, or is his quest to overthrow the DHS turning him into a criminal, too?

I enjoyed reading Little Brother well enough. I liked that Doctorow presented both sides of the questions he raised. There was Marcus's side - the side that believes you are innocent until proven otherwise, and there was the other side - the side that believes innocence comes with a price, that freedom is achieved by, strangely enough, giving much of it up.

I am not so much into computers, so I got lost during Doctorow's many animated passages about the joys of technology, but I tried to grasp the basic magic of it. As with 1984, I like thinking about the questions that Doctorow raises with Little Brother. In some ways, the answers seem so black and white. But I think Little Brother (and 1984) demonstrate that, when the human element is involved - and especially when lots of humans are involved - the answers are never easy.
Author Website: Cory Doctorow

Summer Reading (Books for Kiddos)

As July 4th weekend approaches, the children's bookshop where I work is getting increasingly busier. Here are 3 of our most popular summertime titles, plus 1 very cool beachy activity: Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James - The humorous correspondence between Emily - a little girl who finds a whale in her backyard pond and names him Arthur - and her teacher, Mr. Blueberry - who tries (and fails) to convince Emily that it is impossible for a whale to live in a pond. This is a sweet story about the power of a child's imagination.
Riptide by Frances Ward Weller and illustrated by Robert J. Blake - Energetic Riptide Windjammer loves patrolling Nauset Beach, but the residents don't need a dog on duty. That is, until he saves a little girl from a real riptide and earns his place as one of Cape Cod's finest lifeguards. I have a weakness for animal rescue stories, and this book makes me all teary-eyed.
Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris van Dusen - Mr. Magee and his beagle Dee are ready to have a relaxing picnic at sea, when a curious baby whale bumps their boat playfully and launches them into a tree. Thankfully, the adult whales are ready to lend a tail, and Mr. Magee and Dee return safely to dry land, yet to enjoy their picnic. The Beachcomber's Companion is an educational kit put out by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). It's a set of laminated cards that provide facts about commonly found Atlantic seashore animals, like the terrifying sand flea pictured above. The cards are conveniently packaged in a mesh bag for collecting beach finds, and the kit comes with a special wipe-away marking pencil. Those scientists think of everything!