4 blue books: february reading list

I have found some very inspiring people via online methods. Some of whom are now fantastic friends in real life. I think, if I was still living in the UK, Laura would be on my list of people to meet.

I read a lot. But the idea of a traditional book club doesn’t really interest me. So, I was super happy when I found Laura’s Year in Books project. I’ve been lurking around in the shadows ever since, making lists of new books to read and this month, I’m ready to share my current list. All of these are non-fiction, though I have also read a couple of fiction books this month as well.

1. A Boat, a Whale & a Walrus: Menus and Stories
   by Renee Erickson, Jess Thomson, Jim Henkens (Photographer) (e-book – not pictured)
   I like a book that reads like a memoir and also has recipes included. This was a great read, even though most of the recipes are not suited to NZ – it’s hard to source things like crab here (without it costing an arm & a leg) though her Chilled Melon Soup recipe caught my eye and I will be making her Rose Petal Harissa, as the ingredients are similar to one I could buy in the UK that I can’t buy here.
2. Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home
   by Jessica Fechtor
   Another memoir with recipes. I have no idea how I came across this book (one of the blogs I frequent probably) and, so far, I’m enjoying it. I really like Jessica’s writing style and am very glad I picked this one up.
   [Update] Upon finishing it, I found the book, as a whole, quite bland (pun intended). Whilst it was a good read, for me it lacked some real substance, as if the author has just skimmed the surface in the telling of her experience. And, for me, some of the recipes didn’t really fit with the story being told in the chapter.
3. The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection
   by Michael A. Singer
   My friend Lisa put me on to this book. I hadn’t read any of his others, but got this one from the library based on her recommendation. Wow. What an incredible life he has had, simply by saying “yes”. One of the passages that really struck me was this one…

   Everything I did, I did to the best of my ability. I was not only writing a program for these two clients, I was writing the best program I possibly could as my gift to the unvierse

   It got me thinking about doing all my things (no matter how trivial they seem) to the best of my ability. As my gift to the universe.
   This is one I think I will have to read again. So, so good.

4. A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder–How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place
   by Eric Abrahamson, David H. Freedman
   I’ve read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up (haven’t we all now?) and thought it would be interesting to read about the alternative. I do love a nice organised space, but am definitely prone to bouts of disorder! I haven’t started this one yet, so I can’t tell you anything about it aside from that it has me intrigued.

It is a total coincidence that all four of these books have blue covers. But I like it – it certainly appeals to the orderly side of me!

What’s on your reading list this month?