This game seemed to be right up my alley-- I'm a HUGE pun lover and find few things funnier than an unexpected and well-executed pun. Plus, it was a fun change of pace to try out a game instead of reading a book! Here's the thing about this game: it takes serious commitment and dedication and the right frame of mind. It's not a casual game. You need to gather your wittiest friends, probably have a few drinks to get the creative juices flowing, and really dial into your funniest self, because it's no joke (ha!). Overall, not my favorite game as it just took a LOT of concentration and thinking to really craft new puns from the two randomly matched words each round, but if you're fired up and feeling particularly punny, this is great and very entertaining game to have on hand!
“Whom to marry, and when will it happen— these two questions define every woman’s existence.”
Those are the opening words of the first chapter, and HOW RIGHT IS SHE. Here's the thing: I'm single. I love it. And I have a lot of thoughts about it. So, the premise of this one (making a life of one's own) totally grabbed me, especially because this cover is awesome and it's a NY Times Bestseller (always a good thing).
I have highlighted and underlined and written "YES!" in the columns a LOT throughout this one. It's informative but in a storytelling kind of way, it's an honest journey of Kate's life through 5 influential and trailblazing women throughout history (whose lives all coincide with hers in such serendipitous ways), and it's just a great read.
It doesn't glamorize either singleness or coupledom, but really shares what the back cover calls "the pleasures and possibilities of remaining single." It honestly had me feeling like finally, a book that gets it and gets me. It's refreshing. It's beautifully written. It's fascinating. It's intelligently written and not superficial at all. It's intimate and honest and just really, truly good.
A must read, especially if you're single, ever wanted to be single, or wonder about what it's like to be single.
You can read more about Spinster on Penguin Random House's site HERE.
FYI: I received a copy of Spinster from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review!
The cover of this one is truly SOMETHING. It will grab your attention, that's for sure! I was so curious about this one from the moment I saw it. The cover says "exploring creativity with innovative chefs" and I knew I would find it fascinating, and I did. It's an awesome collection of the most interesting and unique conversations with chefs, accompanied by really cool (and sometimes gross if you're a meat-averse vegan!) food photography. This will be one I'll keep on my coffeetable as a conversation starter for sure. I loved the behind the scenes look into the food and restaurant industry, and Questlove's perspective as a "drummer, producer, musical director, culinary entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author" gives it a really fresh feel. These conversations were so cool to me-- the art and science and creativity behind food is exhibited here in a truly engaging and mindblowing way. If you are interested in foodie culture at all, definitely grab this one! It's a work of art in and of itself.
(I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.)
see my review on goodreads here!
The cover of this one grabbed me when I saw it on the BookLook Bloggers site-- the green isn't often found on book covers and the title is in a large, handwritten font that makes it instantly feel like it's more personal. From the first few pages (they're the super slick, shiny pages, not rough paper like most books are!), I could tell this book would be perfect for high school or college girls who need encouragement for the adventures ahead of them. It felt a little young to me (and I'm only 24!) but I can't wait to pass it along to a friend. The chapters end with journaling pages that would be great for anyone wondering about and wrestling with the next stages of their life. Grace tells her story openly and warmly, and feels like a friend throughout this book. It's not theologically deep or terribly earth-shattering, but as the back cover says, it really is "a positive and encouraging book [that] offers inspiration to anyone who wants to live a fulfilling life right now."
This book was intriguing to me like many others similar to it are (Essentialism, Create vs Copy, Better than Before, etc)-- because I'm so interested in our we build healthy habits to live fulfilling, productive, and creative lives. This book wasn't dry or slow at all, but extremely helpful with an endless number of direct applications to my life and work. Every chapter ended with action steps, which I found SO helpful as each chapter got me fired up about a different facet of my work and I wanted to dive right in. There are so many acronyms throughout this book that are great tools for remembering how to apply these practices, and I've already started journaling with the "DATE" one at the end of the day to remember what I discovered, achieved, am thankful for, and experienced. I know I'll refer back to this one as my career continues, and I'm still thinking about so many of the ideas and strategies Webb shared here. A fantastic, applicable, helpful, motivating book!
As the editor of BibleStudyTools.com and as a Christian, I read the Bible a LOT. I have an NIV Bible, a NRSV study Bible from my college Old Testament class days, a journaling Bible for my art... but I've never had, seen, or used a Bible like this one. The arrangement of Scripture based on time is fascinating to me, especially as I become increasingly interested in the deeper stories, contexts, history, and meaning beneath the text.
This Bible feels fantastic in hand-- weighty, solid, well-made. The pages are colorful, full of incredible information, maps, art, facts, etc. I couldn't stop flipping through it when I got it in the mail, and I learned like five new things within a few minutes of reading.
There's just something so illuminating about realizing the historical context of the stories we read in the Bible, and something so exciting about putting together the pieces and the details of the greater scope of things. It really brings Scripture to life in a way that is life-changing, and I can't recommend study Bibles like this one enough for just that reason.
I can't wait to keep this Bible in my regular rotation as I study the Word-- it's such a helpful, unique, meaningful tool.
I received this Bible from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review!
I received this one free from NetGalley in exchange for my review (which will be honest always, because that's my thing). I have mixed feelings about Chris Cleave after reading both Gold and Little Bee by him-- I LOVED Gold but really disliked Little Bee (even though everyone I know loves it). I wasn't sure what I would think of this one as a result! I'm pretty dead set in the middle on this one. It was a whole new subject matter, but still character driven more than plot. I blew this one pretty quickly, but just wasn't as enamored by any of the characters or able to connect with the storyline as well as I expected I would. It's a love triangle story at its core, and the twists and turns as they came didn't really hook me or shock me like they perhaps were intended to, and I felt like the ending fell a bit flat after how everything played out. Gold is still my favorite of Cleave's books, and the one I would most recommend!
I received this one from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review, and honest review I will give! I couldn't finish this one. It wasn't that the premise wasn't interesting and unique (it was) or that the writing was bad (it wasn't) or that I wasn't interested in the plot or characters (I was)...there just was some spark missing and this one felt super slow. I talked to someone else who listened to this one on audio and felt the same way about its slowness, sadly! It's about a man who takes a job as a missionary of sorts to an entirely new galaxy, where he meets the natives and goes to live among them, all the while trying to stay in contact with his wife back on Earth who keeps him informed of the disasters and tragedies happening back home. It's not a small book (500 pages) so once I had given it 200+ and still felt like it was dragging, I knew it was time to just let this one go. I can't tell you too much more about the plot because at halfway through, that's really all that had happened... I did flip ahead to find out how it ends though, even though I'm sure that's cheating. Oops! Not one I would highly recommend, but still an interesting read if you're willing to slug through the slowness.