This week, I continued More Than You Know and finished Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. I would definitely file Girls in the same category as Commencement: a solid choice for a beach read.
Girls follows the dating and professional lives of several women against the backdrop of a carousel of weddings, showers and babies. As a 23 year old, I definitely found myself relating to their stories and at some points wondered if Jennifer was writing about me. The stories were almost eerily true to life and I felt like I was at a happy hour with my friends, swapping stories. My only regret was that I wasn’t actually on a beach for this book!
So far, so good on my summer reading list! I finished Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan in about three days, giving me a head start on the rather lengthy More Than You Know.Commencement follows the college and post-college lives of four girls who meet at Smith College and become inseparable. Figuring out relationships, dating, your first big girl job, I felt the characters were pretty relatable. Maybe a little extreme at times, but for the most part, I could identify in a way with each character.
You are able to gain insight into each of the four girls chapter by chapter and I enjoyed hearing a girl’s story from her friend’s point of view and then hearing it from the girl herself’s eye. It reminded me of an often repeated saying of my favorite high school English teacher, “Perception is reality.”
The tales and journeys were gripping and while I wasn’t crazy about the ending (I felt it was a little rushed in tone compared to the rest of the book), I thought it would be a good beach read…or in my case, a bus read!
Every so often, I find a book that I cannot literally put down. The kind of book that keeps your eyes seemingly glued to the page. For me, Mudbound was that kind of book. I finished this book in about 2 days because, quite frankly, I couldn’t drag myself away from it.
Mudbound made me wish I was back in high school AP Literature class, discussing prose and analyzing the symbolism. My favorite class in high school was an honest to goodness tie between Literature and American History. With Mudbound, you get both.
Mudbound tells the story of a family who moves to the Mississippi Delta shortly after WWII to start a farm and live a simple life. However, a brother traumatized from the evils of war, a racist father and a wife who longs for her civilized Memphis roots do not ensure the simple, rustic life in the least. When an African-American war hero returns to the Delta and becomes frustrated that his station in life is practically worse than before he joined the Army, tensions and passions come to a blistering apex.
For those looking to really kickstart their summer reading list, I think starting with Mudbound would certainly do the trick.
On the last day of school from third grade to middle school, I went to school with either my dad or mom to pick up my final report card, listen to my teacher tell my parents about my excellent behavior at school (read: I was a goody two shoes) and receive my summer reading list.
Falling under the “goody two shoes” category, I lived for my summer reading list. Once we left the school, I would beg my parents to immediately drive to Barnes & Noble to purchase my books. I would also beg them to go to Office Max to purchase my school supplies for September but that’s another story.
My parents are avid readers and would indulge me to visit the bookstore so I could peruse the aisles. It was no surprise that I needed glasses by the fifth grade.
Since I’m no longer in school and I won’t be picking up my beloved summer reading list from my teachers, I took matters into my own hands.
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I’d love for you to pin it and read along with me! I already finished Mudbound, to say I could not put it down is an understatement. Visit my blog tomorrow for a review
If you aren’t already, friend me on Goodreads. I love seeing which books people are reading. Do you have a summer reading list?
I love all your comments & likes on my Instagram photos of my recent dishes, here & here. I love to cook, minus the dirty dishes, and I enjoy those moments during the week when I can turn up the radio and dance around the kitchen as I prepare a dish. Wait, did I just admit that?!
As a 23 year old, it can be intimidating finding recipes to try. I don’t have fancy gadgets or a budget that can handle trips to specialty food stores. When I spy a new recipe, I make sure it fits all my criteria: a) easily found at Trader Joe’s or Safeway, b) ingredients I could use multiple times in other dishes and c) doesn’t involve serious chef machinery.
So where do I find these recipes? I get my inspiration from my cookbook crew
1: I purchased I Heart Trader Joe’s soon after I discovered the wonders of Trader Joe’s. While some ingredients mentioned are no longer available, you can easily find replacements if you ask a crew member. This book has everything from starters to full entrees!
2: Have I mentioned lately how much I adore Ina? Before becoming the Barefoot Contessa she was a DC Girl, too! Ina worked at 1600 Penn in energy policy. A woman after my own heart. I received this book for my birthday from my aunt, uncle and cousins and read it cover to cover. Questions about entertaining & planning a party menu? Ina helps you along every step. Foolproof is a great supplement to her Food Network show & blog.
3: Hungry girl is a pretty accurate description of me so it wasn’t a surprise I received this cookbook from another aunt for Christmas. I love the guilt-free aspect of these recipes yet you feel like you are indulging. Worried about bikini season? Hungry Girl gives you the total calories in each recipe so it takes out the guesswork in meal planning.
4: Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s is the latest addition to my cookbook crew. My mother found the book for me and when I went home the other weekend, it was waiting for me on my bedside. Naturally, I stayed up late poring through it and mentally noting which meals I’d like to try and in which order. Good bedtime story, no?
I grew up in a family of cooks but I didn’t really explore the area until after my sophomore year of college. Prior to, I was a baker and was much more likely to whip up peanut butter cookies than wade through an entree recipe. Not having a campus meal plan will change a girl.
Are you looking for BBQ recipes? Summer salads? Farmer’s market meals? Tweet or email me and I’ll get to work
Lean In was on my radar since its publication but long, long library waitlists postponed the book’s arrival on my bedside table. Then, my mother purchased Lean In and told me she would share it with me when I came home.
I took several women’s leadership and policy classes in college, I felt that most of the data and studies were ones I was already familiar with. However, I loved the anecdotes from Sheryl and her colleagues/friends about balancing life and work. I audibly cheered when she said it was almost more difficult for a single woman to juggle life and work. While I do feel as if I have more time post-college, between writing posts, the behind-the-scenes aspect of my blog, happy hours, errands, etc I feel like there are not enough hours in the day!
I also loved that my mother scrawled notes in the margin for me. That is a huge statement for me because it used to drive me up a wall (to say the least) when she would notes, underline or otherwise mark up my books. Of course, we had a whole gabfest about Lean In but as I read I enjoyed coming across her notes and seeing what she was thinking about as she read certain passages.
The push pops note especially struck me. I found this note in the chapter about making sure your partner is actually a partner. When I was little and my dad was watching me for the day, we would always go to an ice cream shop a block from my house and get Flintstones’ Push Pops. I loved The Flintstones and this was our special dad-daughter tradition, a very cherished childhood memory. I am really lucky to have such an involved father!
I would recommend Lean In to women of all ages and if you would like to discuss the book, you can reach me at dcgirlinpearls(at)gmail(dot)com or @DCGirlinPearls!
I have a ton of books on my book shelf. In fact, I have the vast majority of my books at my home in New York because there is simply no space for them in my studio. To cut down on space and costs, last summer I started using the DC public library. It was one of the best decisions I made because it helped my budget significantly and opened my book list to works I would not have otherwise read.
{Cupcakes & Cashmere} was high up there on my reading list for awhile. I love the {blog of the same name} and I needed a little divine inspiration. In fact, I broke my rule and bought this book. Cupcakes & Cashmere was chock full of excellent advice and tidbits from style to manicures to decor and hosting, there was no way I couldn’t let this book not live full time on my coffee table.
It’s easy to fall into the same routine day after day, Cupcakes & Cashmere provided ample opportunities to inject simple glam into the every day life. Need proof? Keep reading DC Girl in Pearls : )
I am back in the swing of reading one book each week! It feels wonderful: no matter how exhausted I am when I climb into bed, I will read at least 10 pages before I drift off to sleep.
I spied {Lunch in Paris} a couple of weeks ago when I ducked into one of my favorite DC bookshops, Kramerbooks. I immediately put myself on the DC Library waiting list for it and was thrilled when I picked it up. After reading {My Berlin Kitchen}, I was expecting a similar vein of story telling but instead, Lunch in Paris is more of a light hearted chick lit piece. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Lunch in Paris follows artsy, wanna be-free spirited Elizabeth and her fateful lunch with Gwendal, a handsome Frenchman. Her lunch sparks a passionate love affair and her eventual lifestyle as an expat in Paris. Through Lunch in Paris, Elizabeth explores the cultural differences between her perceptions and those of her (spoiler alert) boyfriend turned husband Gwendal.
She develops a passion for Paris’ open air markets and immerses herself into French culture and most especially, its famous cuisine. Through her adventures in the kitchen to mastering the art of properly ordering at the local butcher shop, you find yourself cheering for Elizabeth as she tries to blend her distinctly American attitudes and perceptions into the more laissez-faire French mentality. If you traveled to France or just wish you could, you will enjoy this light hearted read, it was a wonderful book for me to read on my morning and evening commutes.
Whew, it’s been awhile since I did a book review. Currently, I am six whole books behind my goal of 52 books read in 2013. Yikes, time for this bookworm to get back into the swing of reading. Good thing I’m going to the library today to pick up two new reads!
This week I read By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop by the co-founders, Alexis and Alexandra.
I have never actually shopped on Gilt although I do receive their daily emails. However, I am fascinated with start ups and By Invitation Only is one part case study on the creation of a company from the ground up and one part career advice. A winning combination in my book!
I really enjoyed seeing all the challenges and hoops Gilt went through before they became a huge success. It can seem daunting, as if a start up goes from 0 – 60 and makes it big at the drop of a hat. By Invitation Only gives you the nitty gritty, behind the scenes obstacles and blood, sweat and tears that goes into a start up. The background history of e-commerce is a fun bonus into the mix. If you are intrigued by fashion, technology and/or its intersection, I’d pick this book up.
DC tends to attract slightly geeky individuals and I am guilty as charged. My geeky guilty pleasure? I love historical fiction. Maybe I should clarify: I lovereally well done and researchedhistorical fiction.
I picked up Morgan Llwelyn’s 1916 in high school and I fell in love. Llwelyn’s work is impeccably researched and the fictional characters are very much plausible: it’s realistic to think of them rubbing elbows with notable figures in history. In this case, Irish history.
{1916} depicts a coming of age story for Ned Halloran, who loses his parents on an ill-fated voyage on the Titanic. He then attends St. Edna’s and becomes heavily influenced by its headmaster, Patrick Pearse: a poet and revolutionary. Ned finds himself at the forefront of the Irish rebellion against the British Empire’s rule.
You will find yourself enthralled in the story and cheering (and often crying) for the characters both real and fiction. The series continues with 1921 so you can follow the Halloran clan throughout the history of Ireland in the 20th century.
