books, entertainment, lifestyleAddie Manisbooks, book, reading, 2016, recommendations, GoodReads, A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn, socialism, history, neuroscience, Norman Doidge, The Brain that Changes Itself, Appalachian Elegy, poetry, bell hooks, The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir, existentialism, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo, clutter, Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff, newlyweds, Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen, America, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert, creativity, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, dystopia, My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem, feminism, Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill, shortstories, Men Explain Things To Me, Rebecca Solnit, mansplaining, Revenge Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger, The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Paradise Now, Utopia, In A Dark, In A Dark Dark Wood, Ruth Ware, bestsellers, Remembrance of Things Paris, Gourmet Magazine, Blue Nights, Joan Didion, grief, sadness, Woman Code, Alisa Vitti, reproductive health, The Magician's Lie, Greer MacAllister, romance, First Bite, Bee Wilson, food, taste, parenting, parenthood, Strangers Drowning, Larissa MacFarquhar, do-gooders, The Woman in Cabin 10, mysteries, Multiple Choice, Alejandro Zambra, experimentalism, Voyager, Russell Banks, photography, You'll Grow Out of It, Jessi Klein, comedy, Barbarian Days, William Finnegan, surfing, Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness, philosophy, Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy Schumer, The Transmigration of Bodies, Yuri Herrara, The Fire This Time, Jesmyn Ward, racism, politics, Simple Matters, Erin Boyle, responsibility, home, Hagseed, Shakespeare, Hope in the Dark, The Nest, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, family, The Year of the Goat, Margaret Hathaway, The Existentialist Cafe, Hillbilly Elegy, J. D. Vance, citizens, The Girls, Emma Cline, Sweetbitter, Stephanie Danier, How to Set A Fire and Why, Jesse Ball, In Praise of Slow, Carl Honore, burnout, On Writers and Writing, writing, In Other Words, Jhumpa Lahiri, language, The City of Mirrors, Justin Cronin, All the Single Ladies, Rebecca Traister, The First Bad Man, Miranda July, Smarter Faster Better, Charles Duhig, efficiency, One Perfect Day, weddings, Rebecca Mead, The Girl in the Red Coat, Kate Hamer, daughters, Notorious RBG, Irin Carmon, #girlboss, The Widow, Fiona Barton, unreliable narrator, The Tenth Muse, Judith Jones, gourmand, foodie, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Carlo Rovelli, science, physicsComment

Last Year in Books

books, entertainment, lifestyleAddie Manisbooks, book, reading, 2016, recommendations, GoodReads, A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn, socialism, history, neuroscience, Norman Doidge, The Brain that Changes Itself, Appalachian Elegy, poetry, bell hooks, The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir, existentialism, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo, clutter, Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff, newlyweds, Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen, America, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert, creativity, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, dystopia, My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem, feminism, Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill, shortstories, Men Explain Things To Me, Rebecca Solnit, mansplaining, Revenge Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger, The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Paradise Now, Utopia, In A Dark, In A Dark Dark Wood, Ruth Ware, bestsellers, Remembrance of Things Paris, Gourmet Magazine, Blue Nights, Joan Didion, grief, sadness, Woman Code, Alisa Vitti, reproductive health, The Magician's Lie, Greer MacAllister, romance, First Bite, Bee Wilson, food, taste, parenting, parenthood, Strangers Drowning, Larissa MacFarquhar, do-gooders, The Woman in Cabin 10, mysteries, Multiple Choice, Alejandro Zambra, experimentalism, Voyager, Russell Banks, photography, You'll Grow Out of It, Jessi Klein, comedy, Barbarian Days, William Finnegan, surfing, Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness, philosophy, Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy Schumer, The Transmigration of Bodies, Yuri Herrara, The Fire This Time, Jesmyn Ward, racism, politics, Simple Matters, Erin Boyle, responsibility, home, Hagseed, Shakespeare, Hope in the Dark, The Nest, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, family, The Year of the Goat, Margaret Hathaway, The Existentialist Cafe, Hillbilly Elegy, J. D. Vance, citizens, The Girls, Emma Cline, Sweetbitter, Stephanie Danier, How to Set A Fire and Why, Jesse Ball, In Praise of Slow, Carl Honore, burnout, On Writers and Writing, writing, In Other Words, Jhumpa Lahiri, language, The City of Mirrors, Justin Cronin, All the Single Ladies, Rebecca Traister, The First Bad Man, Miranda July, Smarter Faster Better, Charles Duhig, efficiency, One Perfect Day, weddings, Rebecca Mead, The Girl in the Red Coat, Kate Hamer, daughters, Notorious RBG, Irin Carmon, #girlboss, The Widow, Fiona Barton, unreliable narrator, The Tenth Muse, Judith Jones, gourmand, foodie, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Carlo Rovelli, science, physicsComment
Last Year in Books

Looking for something to read in 2017?  Maybe I can help, because I somehow read all the books in 2016.  Our family reading habit coupled with my propensity for aggressive to-do lists leads me to go overboard with the books sometimes, if such a thing is possible.  I set a goal last year of reading 52 books - one book for every week of the year.  This turned out to be more manageable than it sounds and I surpassed it to 54, but largely because working from home allows me to read during a lot of those hours the rest of you are spending at the office walking around chitchatting over coffee with your colleagues.  C'est la vie.

Special Recommendations are bolded - here is a link to my GoodReads Challenge.  Get more information on any of the below, and be my friend!

  • A People's History of the United States (Howard Zinn) - for the socialist-leaning history buff
  • The Brain that Changes Itself (Norman Doidge) - for the amateur neuroscientist
  • Appalachian Elegy (bell hooks) - for the blue collar feminist poet
  • The Ethics of Ambiguity (Simone de Beauvoir) - for the practical philosopher
  • The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Marie Kondo) - for the clutter bug
  • Fates and Furies (Lauren Groff) - for everyone but the newly married
  • Lies My Teacher Told Me (James W. Loewen) - for an expanded view on American history
  • Big Magic (Elizabeth Gilbert) - for the part-time creator
  • Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) - for a comfortable entreé into dystopia
  • My Life on the Road (Gloria Steinem) - for the budding feminist
  • Bad Behavior (Mary Gaitskill) - for the short story fan
  • Men Explain Things To Me (Rebecca Solnit) - for anyone who gets man-splained on the regs
  • Revenge Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger) - for the completist
  • The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood) - for those looking for a hidden gem
  • Paradise Now: The Story of American Utopianism (Chris Jennings) - for a hidden history
  • In A Dark, Dark Wood (Ruth Ware) - for the best-seller buff
  • Remembrance of Things Paris (Gourmet Magazine) - for the armchair foodie
  • Blue Nights (Joan Didion) - for anyone tough enough to hang through the sads
  • Woman Code (Alisa Vitti) - for anyone with alternative views on reproduction
  • The Magician's Lie (Greer MacAllister) - for the romantic
  • First Bite (Bee Wilson) - for the new parents
  • Strangers Drowning (Larissa MacFarquhar) - for the do-gooder who wants to do more
  • The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware) - for the mystery obsessive
  • Multiple Choice (Alejandro Zambra) - for the experimentalist
  • Voyager (Russell Banks) - for the photographer
  • You'll Grow Out of It (Jessi Klein) - for the comedy writer
  • Barbarian Days (William Finnegan) - for the surfer and gypsy
  • Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness (Rebecca Solnit) - for the budding philosopher
  • Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo (Amy Schumer) - for the super fan
  • The Transmigration of Bodies (Yuri Herrera) - for those seeking a fast, dark tale
  • The Fire This Time (Jesmyn Ward) - for a deeper view into other perspectives
  • Simple Matters (Erin Boyle) - for the responsible citizen and homemaker
  • Hagseed (Margaret Atwood) - for the Shakespeare fan
  • Hope in the Dark (Rebecca Solnit) - for those stunned by the November election
  • The Nest (Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney) - for the members of a large family
  • The Year of the Goat (Margaret Hathaway) - for those who want to quit their day jobs
  • The Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being and Apricot Cocktails (Sarah Bakewell) - for the Francophile
  • Hillbilly Elegy (J. D. Vance) - for the empathetic citizen, red or blue
  • The Girls (Emma Cline) - for those who were part of a clique
  • Sweetbitter (Stephanie Danler) - for the former waitress
  • How to Set a Fire and Why (Jesse Ball) - for the adult who was once a sassy tomboy
  • In Praise of Slow (Carl Honoré) - for anyone on the verge of burn-out
  • On Writers and Writing (Margaret Atwood) - for the writer, obviously
  • In Other Words (Jhumpa Lahiri) - for the language-lover
  • The City of Mirrors (Justin Cronin) - for the adventure fan who started with Book 1
  • All the Single Ladies (Rebecca Traister) - for all the ladies and the men who love them
  • The First Bad Man (Miranda July) - for the surrealist
  • Smarter Faster Better (Charles Duhig) - for the efficiency maniac
  • One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding (Rebecca Mead) - for the bride-to-be
  • The Girl in the Red Coat (Kate Hamer) - for the parents of sons, but not daughters
  • Notorious RBG (Irin Carmon) - for the #girlboss
  • The Widow (Fiona Barton) - for the unreliable narrator
  • The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food (Judith Jones) - for the gourmand
  • Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli) - for the armchair scientist

recommendations, entertainment, lifestyleAddie Manispodcasts, Bon Appétit, Foodcast, Marissa A. Ross, Food52, Burnt Toast, Molly Yeh, Call Your Girlfriend, Dear Sugar, Tiny Beautiful Things, #GirlBoss, Sophia Amoruso, happiness, Gretchen Rubin, Radio Cherry Bombe, Cherry Bombe, Slate, Double X Gabfest, Culture Gabfest, Mom and Dad Are Fighting, Refinery29, Strong Opinions Loosely Held, Tiny Spark, philanthropyComment

10 Podcasts I Am Currently Digging

Ten podcasts to keep you digitally engaged and aurally distracted.

recommendations, entertainment, lifestyleAddie Manispodcasts, Bon Appétit, Foodcast, Marissa A. Ross, Food52, Burnt Toast, Molly Yeh, Call Your Girlfriend, Dear Sugar, Tiny Beautiful Things, #GirlBoss, Sophia Amoruso, happiness, Gretchen Rubin, Radio Cherry Bombe, Cherry Bombe, Slate, Double X Gabfest, Culture Gabfest, Mom and Dad Are Fighting, Refinery29, Strong Opinions Loosely Held, Tiny Spark, philanthropyComment
10 Podcasts I Am Currently Digging
link loveAddie ManisGossip Girl, Netflix, Barry Jenkins, Notting Hill, tweeting, Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perelman, Grubstreet, Roxane Gay, writing, advice, goals, aluminum foil, household, Rebecca Solnit, travel, airlines, flight, medicinal mushrooms, wellness, ashwaghanda, creativity, deadlines, toxic femininity, feminism, humor, The New Yorker, ethical wardrobe, clothing, fashion, minimalism, capsule wardrobeComment

Somethings & Nothings: January 11, 2018

Roxane Gay on living your creative dreams, the 10th anniversary of Gossip Girl, Barry Jenkins breaks the internet with the funniest thing you'll read all day, and more

link loveAddie ManisGossip Girl, Netflix, Barry Jenkins, Notting Hill, tweeting, Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perelman, Grubstreet, Roxane Gay, writing, advice, goals, aluminum foil, household, Rebecca Solnit, travel, airlines, flight, medicinal mushrooms, wellness, ashwaghanda, creativity, deadlines, toxic femininity, feminism, humor, The New Yorker, ethical wardrobe, clothing, fashion, minimalism, capsule wardrobeComment
Somethings & Nothings: January 11, 2018
books, recommendationsAddie Manisbooks, reading, recommendations, The Answers, Catherine Lacey, Bitch Doctrine, Laurie Penny, Bonfire, Krysten Ritter, perfume, senses, Grace Bonney, Design Sponge, makers, inspiration, In the Company of Women, M. F. K. Fisher, Love in a Dish, How to Cook a Wolf, Margaret Atwood, MaddAddam, trilogy, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, Samantha Irby, Meaty, Bitches Gotta Eat, The Mother of All Questions, Hope in the Dark, Rebecca, Solnit, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, My Own Words, essays, briefs, decisions, Zadie Smith, On Beauty, The Reporter's Kitchen, Jane Kramer, Eve Babitz, Sex and Rage, Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, The White Album, Tender, Nigel Slater, Marissa A. Ross, Wube, Wine. All the Time., 2017Comment

The Best Books I Read in 2017

food memoirs and dystopias and feminist essays, oh my

books, recommendationsAddie Manisbooks, reading, recommendations, The Answers, Catherine Lacey, Bitch Doctrine, Laurie Penny, Bonfire, Krysten Ritter, perfume, senses, Grace Bonney, Design Sponge, makers, inspiration, In the Company of Women, M. F. K. Fisher, Love in a Dish, How to Cook a Wolf, Margaret Atwood, MaddAddam, trilogy, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, Samantha Irby, Meaty, Bitches Gotta Eat, The Mother of All Questions, Hope in the Dark, Rebecca, Solnit, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, My Own Words, essays, briefs, decisions, Zadie Smith, On Beauty, The Reporter's Kitchen, Jane Kramer, Eve Babitz, Sex and Rage, Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, The White Album, Tender, Nigel Slater, Marissa A. Ross, Wube, Wine. All the Time., 2017Comment
The Best Books I Read in 2017
link loveAddie ManisCall Your Girlfriend, blood drive, blood donation, Bleed for Amina, books, feminism, A Wrinkle in Time, Sisters in the Storm, Jessica Valenti, Eater, Cecile Richards, food, politics, culture, Parkland, teenagers, BuzzFeed, organizing, flatulence, Sophie B. Hawkins, travel, luggage, Oscars, Get Out, Dunkirk, Marc Maron, WTFComment

Somethings & Nothings: March 4, 2018

a national #Bleed4Amina CYG blood drive, a Marc Maron WTF garage tour, flight-landing flatulence, a ode to "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover," and more

link loveAddie ManisCall Your Girlfriend, blood drive, blood donation, Bleed for Amina, books, feminism, A Wrinkle in Time, Sisters in the Storm, Jessica Valenti, Eater, Cecile Richards, food, politics, culture, Parkland, teenagers, BuzzFeed, organizing, flatulence, Sophie B. Hawkins, travel, luggage, Oscars, Get Out, Dunkirk, Marc Maron, WTFComment
Somethings & Nothings: March 4, 2018