Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner, 2010

Author of #1 New York Time Bestselling books such as In Her Shoes, Jennifer Weiner's novels seem to revolve around female characters who are undergoing moments of crisis.

Fly Away Home is no different.  Crises involved in this story are triggered by a scandal created by a philandering politician. 

His dedicated wife is left stunned.  In the meantime, her daughters are also going through crises of their own. 

It ends up that the "perfect" daughter is not leading as perfect a life as thought and the black sheep daughter continues to struggle to be understood by her family. 

With somewhat generic characters and story lines, the book reads quickly and is a good beach read. 

Predictable to the end, which emphasizes that it's never too late (or easy, as the way these things happen in novels and movies) to make changes, there is not much else of note about this book.

After Dark by Haruki Murakami, 2007

In preparation for my pending trip to Japan, I wanted to read something by a Japanese author, and one of the most well-known is Haruki Murakami.

After Dark's pages are filled with his short, lyrical prose about intersecting vignettes surrounding a girl's desire to escape for the night and spend it in Tokyo.

The novel begins a few minutes before midnight with Mari Asai reading at a Denny's in Tokyo.

An acquaintance recognizes her and kicks off her night of unexpected events that include a love hotel where rooms are typically rented by the hour, Chinese gangs, troubled women, a company man who works late into the night to avoid seeing his family, and a sister trapped in sleep (and a TV).

Each character seems to be running away and hiding from something, which makes the late night and early morning a fitting backdrop.

The majority of the stories are filled with meaningful human interactions and insight into people's loneliness, fears and search for sometimes something as simple as safely. 

Across the street from our hotel in Ginza.

As these human emotions unfold, there is a parallel surrealist story surrounding Mari's sister, who Murakami always refers to by her full name: Eri Asai.

Adding to the surreal element is the narrator perspectives that are outside the bounds of the standard first, second or third perspectives.

A trademark Murakami talent, he is able to combine fantastical elements into a very real, human story without any disconnect while the reader moves from one element to the other.

When in Japan, there happened to be a Denny's across the street from our hotel in Ginza.  Of course, having read After Dark, I had to make a pilgrimage and stop by for a lovely American-style breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and coffee.

I Have Nothing to Wear! by Jill Martin and Dana Ravich

The fitting subtitle for this book is: A Painless 12-Step Program to Declutter Your Life So You Never Have to Say This Again!

Wearing something that is not your style results in an identify disconnect, not being comfortable in your own skin by virtue of what you are wearing.

This book is an instruction manual that every women should read to learn the basics of style and building a wardrobe that will make you feel great about yourself.

Jill Martin and Dana Ravich break down something as complex as personal style into a handful of steps that will impact your approach to your wardrobe.

Filled with graphics and white space, I Have Nothing to Wear! makes for a quick, easy read for any woman who finds herself muttering these words as she looks at her closet full of clothes.

Style
There are six basic styles.  I always thought of myself as preppy and classic.  Not a fashionista since I tend to avoid trends. 

The six basic styles are:
 1. classic girl - structured basics that will stand the test of time
 2. bohemian girl - soft and flowing, neutral colors such as white, denim, metallic, and tan/brown
 3. preppy girl - structured basics, but more casual and louder
 4. fashionista - latest trends that work for her body
 5. surfer chick - comfortable casual pieces with minimal jewelry, bright colors
 6. soccer mom - functional,  comfortable clothes, solids and dark colors

Fashionista Audrey Hepburn.
A fashionista "will always be chic, and she
will almost always be dressed in black."

While reading I Have Nothing to Wear!, I realized that I really did not know my own style. 

I am a fashionista mixed, oddly enough, with a soccer mom (even though I do not have kids...), with a bit of a classic girl.

This explains why I have always sworn by comfortable clothes and shoes, but have always been drawn to heels and slinky black tops, yet avoided them since I thought I was just trying to be trendy.

Before recognizing my true style, I created wardrobe confusion by trying to dress in something that I thought I was (i.e. preppy) or that looked good on other people.  

Knowing my true style, I know now that if I wear a piece outside of my core style (i.e. a bohemian peasant top), that I need to pair it with something that is part of my core style (i.e. a great fitting, comfortable pair of jeans) so that I will feel like my true self, versus trying to be someone else.

And for those high heels that used to sit in the back of my closet, I wear them almost every day now.

Catharsis: Don't Settle, Be a 10
Once you have reached style awareness, you need to go through your closet to ensure that every piece is a 10 to start the declutter process.

A 10 is something that meets the following criteria:
 * Flatters your figure
 * Shows your personality
 * Is in keeping with your style
 * Is in perfect condition
 * Feels comfortable on your skin

A 10 makes you feel great and confident, and gives you a little swagger.  Something that you would not mind being seen in if you ran into an ex or an ex's sister.

Rounds: Change is a Slow Process
Now it is time to make sure your closet is filled with 10s.  If your closet is filled with 10s, you will end up wearing 10s and therefore, feeling great about yourself.

Like anything else, change is a slow process that needs to be gradually incorproated before it becomes permanent.  As you go through your closet - and do this in phases to make things manageable - categorize each item into: Keep, Maybe or Toss.

For Maybes, remove them from your closet and keep them on a chair or table, so that it becomes a waiting area for when you have more time to try on the item to determine if it is a Keep or Toss item.

If an item ends up in Maybe every other week, remember that you should not settle and if you are not sure whether an item is a 10, it means that it is not a 10.  This same advice applies to men as well as clothes...

Other Basics That No One Ever Taught Us
The book also provides excellent tips on organizing a closet that goes beyond keeping items folded and hung, and introduces practical concepts to help visualize your outfits when deciding what to wear.

It also lists the ten basic items (dark denim jeans, black blazer, little black dress, black skirt, white button-down, black pumps, metallic strappy sandals, black midsize purse, metallic clutch, and wrap) that serve as the foundation of your closet, as well as how the items can be pieced together for work, play and fun. 

My Take Away
It is hard not to suffer from style confusion when shopping with friends or seeing a great outfit on someone else, but if you know your style and stick to your style, the confusion goes away.

For me, I know that my 10s tend to be from the Gap (the pants fit me well), items that complement my legs, and tops that are fitted and black, and accentuates my neck and shoulders.

Like personal finance, style is not taught in school but something people are supposed to figure out on their own.  Yet, both topics are important and things everyone woman (and man) should know.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie, 2001

Packed with 574 pages of research, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman is an edifying read that provided me with an education of 18th Century Russia and European politics and diplomacy that escaped me during my History and Social Sciences classes in junior high and high school.

Noted by The New York Times as one of the 100 nonfiction notable books of 2011, Catherine the Great is the epic story of one of Russia's greatest empresses.

At times, the political policy accounts made for slow reading, but the accounts of Catherine's rise to power, expansion of her empire and impact of the French revolution read like a thriller.

The Early Years
Born Sophie in Germany in 1729, she was renamed Catherine when she converted to Orthodox to marry the future Tsar of Russia, a distant cousin.

The marriage, and Catherine's life in Russia, was heavily controlled by Empress Elizabeth, Peter the Great's daughter and Russia's then ruler.  At Elizabeth's orders, Catherine's father was not invited to her wedding and her mother was sent away after the wedding.

Catherine's marriage to Peter III was an unhappy marriage.  The future Tsar was known as an imbecile, with unsophisticated and sophomoric interests and manners.

At sixteen, Catherine knew that she was a political pawn and brought to Russia to produce an heir to ensure the stability of Elizabeth's continued reign.

Accepting her destiny, Catherine learned the Russian language and customs, and became a dutiful wife under the constant, watchful eye of Elizabeth.

Portrait of Catherine the Great.

The Payoff
Catherine's patience and diligence to prove herself to the Russian court and people paid off in 1762.

After Elizabeth's death, a coup instigated by Catherine's "favorourites" and her husband's murder under the watch of trusted soldiers, Catherine was coronated the Empress of Russia in 1762.

During her reign, Catherine expanded her empire by forging strategic alliances with foreign powers, corresponded with European philosophers who thought of Russia as backwards, and amassed an impressive collection of European artwork, including works by Rembrandt.

The Biographer
Robert Massie is a Pulitzer Prize winning biographer who specializes in Russian Tsar biographies and history.

With the details and insight he provides, he conveys the nuances and complexity of Russian and world affairs during Catherine's reign.  Because of this, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman is a highly educational and fascinating read.

29 by Adena Halpern, 2010

This is a charming, witty story about a 75-year-old grandmother, Ellie, who receives her birthday wish to be 29, the same age as her granddaughter.

The story unfolds from the view point of three women - Ellie, Ellie's daughter and Ellie's close friend, Frida.

The reason the story works is because Halpern captures Ellie's and Frida's septuagenarian musings and gripes perfectly.

Ellie and Frida are frustrated that their bodies no longer respond as they used to where they tire after walking a block, and that people consciously and unconsciously treat them as "old".  

The third voice is that of Ellie's daughter, Barbara, who has always been on the heavier side and similar to the other two characters, has been trapped by limitations of her body as well as what others project onto her.

Ultimately, regardless of age (or body weight), people want to feel appreciated, challenged and loved.

As Ellie lives out her magical day, she realizes that her imagined regrets are unfounded, the life she builds yourself each day matters, and she needs to live life without looking back.

The other two characters also come to this realization as they imagine life without the "missing" Ellie.

I tend to jot down quotes that I like.  Some quotes from 29:
* Always have confidence.  It gets you everywhere.
* Barbara, whatever has been bugging you your whole life, get over it!
* It's a lesson I've learned - enjoy the things you have.

The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews, 2009

I started reading this before my vacation with the intent of finishing it on the beach.  The story is a light-weight, enjoyable story that refreshingly spends more time on the heroine piecing her life back together after a Washington scandal than her falling in love.

Of course, there is a love story.  Andrews's novels, however, contain more action, characters and plot twists than typical chick lit novels where action tends to culminate in a lowly assistant in the PR or fashion or magazine industry running in Jimmy Choos.

The majority of the story takes place in a small town in Georgia.

Similar to Andrews's Summer Rental, which I read last year, The Fixer Upper at 419 pages in hardcover is a (Southern) charming story that will keep you occupied while on the beach or on the plane ride back from the beach.

A nice surprise is the three recipes at the end of the book, each representing a female character.  One of the recipes is for egg salad, which I have always enjoyed, but never made.

Inspired by finding the recipe at the end of the book, I plan to tackle my first egg salad sandwich sometime in the next few weeks.  If this is not living smarter, living harder, then I don't know what is...!

Dempsey's Egg Salad
Serving: Four generous sandwiches

   8 eggs, hard cooked
   1/4 cup finely chopped celery
   1/2 cup mayonnaise (preferably Duke's)
   1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
   1 tsp yellow mustard
   Salt, pepper, celery salt

   Peel and roughly chop hard-cooked eggs.  Toss in celery.  Fold in mayonnaise, relish, and mustard.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and celery salt.
   For sandwiches, use multigrain bread; add lettuce and red pepper rings.

4/6/12 Update - I made this last night and do not like the taste from the sweet pickle relish.  It's a good thing that I halved the recipe on my first try.  I plan to try another egg salad recipe until I find one that works for me.

Live Smarter, Live Harder

I am back from my vacation and read the three beach vacation reads that I had bought with me.  They were all great beach (as well as plane) reads - the books went by quickly and maintained a positive message.

In addition to my beach reads, I also read Glamour Magazine, which profiled e a successful woman DJ who lost her parents and raised her younger sibling.

Antigua...

She keeps three quotes by her desk, one of which is: Work smarter, not harder.

While reading this, I modified this mantra to fit my state of mind at the time:

Live Smarter, Live Harder

This is a reminder for me:

1) To enjoy life even if it does not go as planned (message from The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews)

2) Be confident (Act Like a Lady, Think Like A Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey and Denene Milner) 

3) Enjoy my youth (29 by Adena Halpern)


The two other quotes that the DJ maintains by her desk are:
* Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.
* Everything is easy if you know what you're doing.