December Reads

Surprisingly, December was a great month for reading. It felt like I was constantly dashing around like a caffeinated cheetah the whole month, so I'm shocked I have a double post. It helps that I spent the Christmas holiday walking the dogs (listening to an audiobook) and baking/cooking (cookbooks).

Enjoy!

Bea at Ballet by Rachel Isadora (picture book)

I cannot get enough of Isadora's illustrations. They're happy, bright, and perfectly capture the joy and excitement of little ones. I love the drawings of both Bea's and Sam's outfits, how the pianist has an earring/gauge, the simplicity of how the five positions are portrayed, and the attention to detail (barrettes in the hair, patterns on the clothes). Plus there's a bit of humor and self-acceptance in this book. This book may be small, but it's full of treasure and beauty.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maureen Goo (Teen Fiction)

Goo's writing style is hilarious, refreshing, and accessible. Luca is incredibly sweet, almost too sweet, and Desi is nerdy but doesn't have a lot of real-life skills. They're pretty funny together, and though a couple of Desi's "K Drama Steps to True Love" are flagrantly dumb and lacking any kind of judgement whatsoever, the two of them are likable because of how they interact with each other. I thought the best friends, Wes and Fiona, and Desi's dad were a lot more interesting than Desi, and I would have liked to hear more about them. The story itself is interesting. A part of me wondered early on about Desi and Wes, and also about the attraction between Desi and Luca. Desi's K drama clouds the relationship's credibility just as much as it clouds their actual relationship. Though I have mixed feelings about the characters and certain aspects of the story, I have decided I wholeheartedly applaud this book because the writing is excellent and Desi's slip back into playing games towards the end is actually a little endearing. Why? Because we're human and the flaws we struggle with don't just go away because we recognize we have them. Bravo to Goo for shining a light on something so darn tricky. I will leave you with one of my favorite moments. It happens right after Luca has dinner with Desi and her dad. Luca is both impressed by and jealous of Desi's relationship with her father. "'You and your dad...It's killer to witness...' 'What do you mean?' I asked...'That kind of relationship. The way you guys are. I've never seen anyone like that with their parents.' He was complimentary but there was something sad hanging on the edges of his words, as if this nice thing highlighted the crappy thing in his own life."

Good Cheap Eats in 30 Minutes (Or Less!) (Adult Nonfiction)

The title doesn't lie! My favorite thing about this book is how simple and easy the recipes are. I'm sure there are many, many people out there who knew about baking rice versus cooking it on the cooktop, I was not one of them before reading this book. Though this book has some great recipes (my family hasn't tried them all...yet), it will always be known as the book that introduced me to baked rice. The cashew chicken is currently my family's favorite recipe from this book.