Books of 2015

So far I've ready 36 books this year.  Which may not sound too crazy, but for me this is good steps back to reclaiming the childhood Emily who read books and hunted through library shelves constantly.  Thankfully, gone are the days of grad and post-grad solitary non-fiction reading too.  Here are the books I wouldn't hesitate to recommend (or that earned at least a 4/5 star rating on my Goodreads account).  All have been impactful or immensely enjoyable. 

Fiction books I would recommend:
+ Gillespie and I
+The Nightingale
+ Big Little Lies

Non-fiction books I would recommend:
+ Animal Vegetable Miracle
+ Scary Close
+ We Took to the Woods
+ Rurally Screwed

The Favorites

So far, this winter has been hard.  Some days I feel so gray.  Sometimes there is hardness in life that isn't simply healed by more self-talk or therapy. 

And sometimes the only things that provide the soul healing I need is laying in bed all day reading my favorites.  My favorites are the books that are dog-earred, sticky-noted, scratch covered, stained from years and days of re-reading and re-re-re-reading. These are the books (and blogs!) that reaffirm a life philosophy, remind me of better patterns of thinking, breath in encouragement, provide visual inspiration in contrast to the drab gray sky and brown trees, that make me laugh, sigh, and want to get up in a certain lightness and make that mango chicken curry right now. 

Today I did exactly this. 

Here is a photographic list of the favorites:

/Self Help

 /Cookbooks

/Food Memoirs

/Blogs:
-Aura Joon
-The Longest Acres

And after one spends a day soul healing through reading, it is important to get up, and dance to both of these songs:
1) Darkness on the Edge of Town
2) Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Spring Break 2011

So far this Spring Break has included....

.....traveling to Chicago with the Adler family to see Mike/ UM Club Hockey team at regionals.

Well...

...some how they won regionals after a terrible loosing streak, just barely getting into regionals, and having a team morale of zero.  It was amazing how much a little spirit can go.  

Later that day we...

.....celebrated Laura's birthday in South Haven.  Happy 23rd Birthday Lou!

Mike and I then stayed in South Haven for the next few days....

......and saw our dream house

....visited the beach.

And watched HGTV for hours, went grocery shopping, took a trip to Menards for fun, had a dinner date at Clementines and did nothing school related.  

Here is....

......my favorite picture from this week.  It's Mike patiently waiting in the car for me as I go crazy taking pictures.

Some other highlights from Spring Break:

-Dinner dates with best friends

- Spending hours at the book store with my little sister and Mike.

- My field placement interview for grad school!

-Wedding planning gone right

-Phone chats with best friends

-Watching Sweet Home Alabama

Book Review: Comanche Moon

Like I said before, I wasn't as successful with my 12 books over break goal as I thought I would be.  In addition I started break off with this many books:

....and ended up with this many:

All thanks to library book sales, my mother's donation of old social work books, recommended sequels from friends and Christmas gifts. 

So now my new goal is to read 1-2 books per week.  

One book over break that stuck out as a new favorite is Comanche Moon by Catherine Anderson.  At first, I was hesitant because of it's easily stereotyped cheesy romance story cover, however, a good friend has claimed it as her favorite.  And this best friend wouldn't read a cheesy romance story anyways.  This book is West side story meets Native Americans and pioneers.  It's a story of courage, finding yourself and what you believe in, and most importantly (and the best), true love.  The plot is believable and never cheesy or exaggerated.  You feel one the emotions the characters feel.  Even readers on Amazon agree, giving Comanche Moon a 4.5 out of 5 star rating.  

What do I recommend this book for?  For the time when you need an escape from all of your studying and stress in your life.  Maybe even when you need some love related inspiration.  Either way, it's a great touching and moving book that may even challenge your own thoughts about how you relate to people.

Let me know if you would like to borrow my copy!

*Photos taken by Emily Patterson

Home for the Holidays

I came home today to this lovely Christmas display:

I think were starting to reach our maximum capacity for ornaments. 

Then Mike gave all his presents to my family and he got to open his!

As far as my reading goals...this is how many I have left (all 12).

And....I'm starting off with....

Recommended by Ms. K. Adler.

Wish me luck!  Im off to my grandma's house to celebrate with the realitives.  Happy Holidays!

Goals for Christmas Break

To stay away from the television, to stay off facebook and away from boredom induced eating...I have created a reading list!  My goal is to read all twelve books that I've selected.  This Christmas Break of reading is to bring upon personal growth and education, a source for lively, engaging conversations, and a way to "rejuivinate" the mind before another stressful semester.  Besides, there is really nothing that interesting on facebook anyways.  Here is a list of the titles I've selected and why I've selected them:

1) Time Traveler's Wife- I want to watch the movie, but I heard the books is better so I though I would read it before I saw the movie.  Basically, you always got to have some of that mushy love in the mix of it all.

2) Comanche Moon- A recommendation from a good friend.  I'm excited to get addicted to this author.

3) Celtic Way of Prayer- I'm interested in the combination of both.

4) Slowing Down to the Speed of Life- I've recently been interested on how your thoughts affect your feelings and what you can do to change it. 

5) Love and Summer- Love from the Irish perspective.

6) The Kite Runner- I've been meaning to read this one since my D.C. roommate came home with a used copy from the market.  

7) The Seven Storey Mountain- Recommendation from my father.  Spritual growth.  

8) The Art of Happiness- Embracing my Buddhist education further.  

9) Cheating at Canasta- Short stories, that I've already been secretly been reading. 

10) The Simple Path- Mother Teresa. Enough said.

11) The Ways of a Peaceful Warrior- Another book recommendation.  

12) Unconditional Love- Lately, I've been curious about what creates unconditional love.  How it comes about.

I hope to be doing a mini-book review for each book that I tackle with the lessons learned.  Hopefully, I get through them all.

Lessons from "Dear John"

First of all, read it.  I admit that I was first hesitant when Kelsy handed me this book.  I know of Nicholas Sparks' reputation as writing mushy love stories where someone always dies at the end (think The Notebook).  However, something about the book was endearing and believable.  The love story was anything but corny, fake or predictable.  A man in the army meets a senior in college on his leave for the summer.  They end up falling in love and end up writing letters back and forth to each other over the next year, promising each others futures to one another.

Anyways, my lesson learned was the importance of family in prioritizing your life.  I know that sometimes I think, I could go off or live anywhere I wanted, if I didn't have the ties to my family.  Sometimes, it almost feels like a burden or a weight or responsibility holding you down to stay in Michigan.  However, since reading the book, "Dear John" my thoughts have changed.  By the end of the book, he was left with no substantial family ties.  He had no desire to go move around or "do his thing", he only wanted family.  Think about it, what's the point if you have no one to share you life with.  It hit me after reading, that wow, I should be lucky to have this so called "burden" in my life, this tie back home.  As much as we say it, we don't always understand it, but family is truly one of the most important things.  

P.S. Watch the trailer for the movie!

Lessons learned from A Severe Mercy Part 2

This post once again, is dedicated to the lessons learned from the book, A Severe Mercy.  The following are some lessons from the book that I thought were important and even applicable to life and relationships.  It's the little things that always keep our relationship alive and keep the love burning.

I know the quotes are a little daunting, however, they contain wonderful meaning(plus I wouldn't have put it on here if it was irrelevant, right?. 

1) Bridging The Gender Gap- "I spoke also of the closeness of Davy and me and of that aspect of it that was an effort to develop feminine understanding in me, masculine in her" (Vanauken, 205)

2) Spontaneity- "Somewhat later- I'm looking a bit beyond the first spring- we developed what might be called a principle of spontaneity: if one of us had an impulse- to stop and listen to a bird, to go for a walk in the night, to cut classes, to do anything- we both followed it always." (Vanauken, 39)

3) Cup of Courtesy- "And there was a principle of courtesy: whatever one of us asked the other to do- it was assumed the asker would weigh all consequences- the other would do.  Thus one might wake the other in the night and ask for a cup of water; and the other would peacefully (and sleepily) fetch it.  We, in fact, defined courtesy as 'a cup of water in the night'.  And we considered it a very great courtesy to ask for the cup as well as to fetch it." (Vanauken, 39)

4) Sharing- "Total sharing, we felt, was the ultimate secret of a love that would last for ever.  And of course we could learn to like anything if we wanted to.  Through sharing we would not only make a bond or incredible friendship, but through sharing we would keep the magic of inloveness." (Vanauken 35)


5) Fights- "Fights always came when we had got a little bit out of harmony with each other." (Vanauken, 40)

6) Materialism- "Over-valued possessions, we decided, were a burden, possessing their owners.  We decided to own nothing that we couldn't be comfortable with - reproductions not originals, cheap bindings not rare editions." (Vanauken, 33)

6) Love Grows- "Every year on our anniversary we said, 'If we're not more deeply in love next year, we shall have failed.'" (Vanauken, 43)

7) Creeping Separateness- "The killer of love is creeping separateness.......Ceasing to do things together. Finding separate interests.  'We' turning into 'I'.  Self.  Self-regard: what I want to do.  Actual selfishness only a hop away.  This was the way of creeping separateness.....First came the creeping separateness: the failure behind the failure." (Vanauken, 37)

8) Failure of Love- "Inloveness is a gift of the gods, but then it is up to the lovers to cherish or to ruin.  Taking love for granted, especially after marriage.

9) Being Apart, Long Distance- "In later navy days when my ship would be at sea for a fortnight, we found that it took about 24 hours for us to recover the reality of each other, even though we would have been thinking constantly of each other.  What happened, we decided, was that, apart, we would slightly idealize each other, and to that extent lose the real person." (Vanauken, 40)


10) Truth Session- "It was part a 'truth session" but, more significantly, it was an inquiry into the 'state of the union'.  Were we fully sharing? Was there any sign of creeping separateness?" (Vanauken, 41)


Each of these lessons add a certain value and reminder for what our relationships can grow to become and what we have to do get there.  From the simple things like, Spontaneity and getting the other a cup of water in the night as well assharing and the truth sessions are important.  Making sure you stay emotionally connected, converse freely and often, and once a month... get to the deep issues, making sure nothing builds up and bad habits are prevented.  I know for myself, I never want the feeling of "inloveness" to fade once things are "settled in" in a relationship.  I wanted to be in my 40's and still having that in love glow and that feeling of deep understanding with my partner.  Love is a gift, but in order for it to grow it takes nourishing and work from both partners.  So go for that spontaneous bike (moped) ride or camping trip and remember to love deeply and honestly.  

*Photo taken by Emily Patterson

Lessons learned from A Severe Mercy Part 1

For the next few days, I will be featuring the book, A Severe Mercy by dedicating the posts to lessons I learned from the book.  A Severe Mercy is written by Sheldon Vanauken.  

The sweet inscription inside the front cover

I first heard of the book, A Severe Mercy through a different blog.  I thought if it's blogging about it must be worth reading.  I bought a used copy for $2.09 and sat down for two days diligently reading it until I was finished.  I wanted to read and understand each detail.  However, with the great human depth exhibited in this book, I've decided to read it once more in another month to make sure I have gotten the full meaning and understanding.  This book is about a couple's love story and their quest for faith and truth.  Also, included in the book is the story of the friendship between this couple and C.S. Lewis of which 18 of Lewis' letters are included in the book.  The best part is that this love story is TRUE (written by the husband himself) and MEANINGFUL.  Much better than anything like The Notebook or P.S. I Love You (even though they follow the same kind of plot).  I learned many things....all of which have been noted by tabs or highlighted.  

Page 204

First Lesson Learned:
I've always struggled with the idea of a death of a spouse.  I've always thought that it's realistic to maybe move on after their death.  However, would I be able to move on if I've already built a whole life with them- a house, a career, children, unconditional love?  Or is there a unsaid norm saying that you can't fall in love again if you have all of those things, but maybe if you've never had kids or are not married you are permissed to move on and fall in love once or twice more.  Is it realistic to move on, to part with the romantical idea that love goes beyond "death do us part"?  How far do the binds of unconditional love go?  I've never made peace or resolution within myself until I read a certain passage in, A Severe Mercy.  "Although I must live long years in time beyond Davy, somehow I felt certain that we should go on the the Eternal Majesty together, nor would she be conscious of delay" (Vanauken, 204).  It hit me, if one's true love dies we cannot ever love another because that unconditional love isn't dead and will be reunited in heaven after both people die on earth.  In A Severe Mercy, when he first tells Davy of her terminall illness, he says, "This--this illness-- is maybe going to mean our parting--for awhile."  Meaning,that they  will be reunited one day with one another because love doesn't end with their mortal death.  Therefore, you can never love another.  This means "the one" is all powerful, beyond the superficial construction of hollywood romances.  Once married, a couple becomes eternally one, under God.  


Next post will feature general relationship guidance from the book.

*Photos taken by Emily Patterson