The Martian is A Timely Tale of Thrills

If ever there was a novel that tied in to current events, The Martian by Andy Weir would be it. Don't believe me? Pause. Step away from this blog and head over to your news site of choice. Do a quick search in the science section and you'll find the story about the colonization of Mars. No longer is the subject a matter of fiction.

The story is compelling and touches a nerve of fear at the very core of the reader. Imagine a Mars exploration gone wrong. An astronaut, Mark Watney, presumed dead who turns out to be alive but left behind on Mars. Watney needs to plan his survival down to the most minute detail. From food to water, to oxygen and a way to contact Earth. His life depends solely on his ability to find ways to prolong his survival.

Andy Weir clearly did his research while writing this novel. All of the details, from NASA protocol to the environment of Mars, are well covered. And while science fiction may not be my genre of choice, this book certainly kept me interested and reading through to the end.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Make Up by Michelle Phan is Just What Her YouTube Fans Ordered

If you know who Michelle Phan is, than you hit the bulls eye for this book's demographic. Are you scratching your head and wondering if I've insulted your age? Don't worry, I fall in the upper 30s category (wink wink) and this book still offered some useful advice to me as well.

Make Up by Michelle Phan

Quick back story of Michelle Phan because really, that is what makes her such an internet celebrity. Michelle is a self made celeb (which is quite refreshing!) who made a name for herself by creating How-To Makeup tutorials on YouTube. She amassed a HUGE following and created both Ipsy (the full-size monthly beauty box subscription service), as well as her own cosmetics line, em. Quite an impressive accomplishment for a twenty-something.

Make Up is Phan's first book and is basically three books in one. First is her autobiography, Second is the guts of the book (make up tips, tricks and tutorials) and the Third section about how to cultivate your own business/brand.

I think that this book is perfectly targeted for the tweens through twenty-year old set, as it gives them lots of useful advice (both style wise and career wise), but for anyone a little older, this information may all be old news to you.

Having said that, I found certain aspects of the book to be useful (the smokey eye instruction because I can never quite nail the perfect technique!). There were also ample reminders about Do's and Dont's in the age of oversharing and social media.

Definitely gift this book to a young girl in your life. She'll be impressed that you even KNEW who Michelle Phan was!

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

2015 Reading Challenge

A friend shared this with me today and I'm actually super excited about this. It's Popsugar's 2015 Reading Challenge and it's a mix between a scavenger hunt and a book challenge. Basically there are 50 category prompts and you need to read a book that falls into each category. I'm hoping to use this as a way to knock off a bunch of books from my to-read list.

Sounds fun, doesn't it? Feel free to play along. I'll periodically update this post with my progress. Comment on your progress and your book choices below. Happy reading in the new year!

Update January 2, 2015. I figured I'd get a jump start on this challenge by choosing the book I could read in one day/one sitting. If you are looking for a starting off point, this might be a good one to ease yourself into the challenge.

Update January 3, 2015. I'm super excited to have gotten my groove back, when it comes to reading. I had hit quite a lull in the past two months and this challenge has really invigorated me and made me fall in love with books again. I'm using this challenge as a way to FINALLY read all those books I had passed over or blindly added to my to-read list.

Literature Lovers: Here is a Home Style Book JUST FOR YOU

Being the self-proclaimed book lover that I am, I couldn't resist the book NOVEL INTERIORS by Lisa Borgnes. The concept behind this beautifully photographed book (courtesy of Ivan Terestchenko) is how to live "in enchanted rooms inspired by literature". Great idea for any book lover.

Novel Interiors

First of all, I can't stress how truly enchanted these rooms actually are. While flipping through this coffee table book, I could easily envision myself wandering through these magically inspired rooms and being transported to some of my favorite literary settings. Taking a cue from such authors as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Henry James, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Isak Dinesen and Marcel Proust, the book is all about an eclectic mix of collections, styles and charming touches that are a true blend of traditional literary touches and livable esthetic. The message is simple: Embrace what you love about your favorite literature and bring it home to adopt into your everyday life.

While many of the rooms and homes showcased are a bit out of the league of the typical homeowner, you can take these ideas and incorporate the parts that speak to you quite effortlessly into your own home.

Feel free to get lost in the pages of a book that takes its inspiration from plenty of good novels. A perfect gift for the book lover or home interior decorator in your life.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

A Letter to My Cat is The PURRFECT book for any cat lover!

Cats are kind of having their big moment in the media. From all the hilarious internet cat videos, to Grumpy Cat's Christmas Movie that just debuted to impressive numbers, it's no surprise that people love cats.

A Letter to My Cat

But why? A person's relationship with their cat is as different as, well, snowflakes! In the book A Letter to My Cat: Notes to Our Best Friends by Lisa Erspamer, you will find a collection of essays from celebrities, veterinarians, kids and your average cat owner. Heart tugging, humorous and always truthful, these essays touch on what makes each feline-human relationship special and endearing. Colorful photos accompany each essay, giving the book a complete feel of getting a glimpse of each special bond.

This book would look great on any cat lover's coffee table or be a great holiday gift! Get your paws on it for the holidays and make the cat lover in your life very happy.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Neil Patrick Harris Writes His Autobiography (and You Can Too!)

If you were a child of the 80s there is probably one experience that we all have in common, at least from a literary point-of-view and that is the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books. You remember them, they were the first time you ever felt like part of the reading experience. You would read a book from the series and then interact by choosing what happens next in the story (ex. For something good to happen to the main character, turn to page 20. For an unexpected turn of events, turn to page 25). In the time before the Internet, this was revolutionary!

Fast forward to the year 2014. One of the most recognized celebrities has taken the Choose Your Own Adventure formula and introduced it to a whole new generation, while re-introducing it to the far more cynical and grown up children of the 80s. The celebrity is none other than Mr. Doogie Howser himself, Neil Patrick Harris (90s kids would get the aforementioned Doogie reference).

Neil Patrick Harris, Choose Your Own Autobiography

It's beyond appropriate that Harris' autobiography, aptly titled Choose Your Own Autobiography, takes the form of the well-remembered and popular 80s children's book series. Of course at it's core the book is Harris' own take on his life from childhood to present day, but it is so much more than that. It is laugh out loud funny, full of celebrity chatter and tied together in the fondly remembered style that puts the reader in charge. The classiness of Harris pours through, yet he never seems to take himself too seriously. He touches on his childhood when he discovers his love for theater and acting, his coming to terms with his sexuality, how being Doogie Howser was a blessing and a curse, his dabbling with fellow celebrities and his most recent role as Barney on How I Met Your Mother.

This book is really an entertaining read. You will laugh and you will forget you are reading a book instead of sitting down and having a chat over coffee with your friend NPH. Don't pass this one up!

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Spent: Exposing Our Complicated Relationship with Shopping, Edited byKerry Cohen

It's not really any surprise that the essays contained within the aptly named anthology, Spent: Exposing Our Complicated Relationship with Shopping (Edited by Kerry Cohen) are all penned by women. Not to feed into sexist stereotypes, but in the immortal words of Chris Rock, "women be shoppin'". And that's kind of where the whole "ha, a book about women liking to shop" notion ends. Because this isn't really that kind of book at all. As matter of fact, not a single one of the 31 essays in this book really falls into the "I-like-shopping-because-I'm-a-woman-and-that's-what-I'm-supposed-to-like-to-do-for-fun" category. On the contrary, there are a surprising amount of essays about just the opposite, women who loathe having to shop, at least for the traditional feminine staples (shoes, clothes, bags, makeup).

Spent: Exposing Our Complicated Relationship with Shopping, edited by Kerry Cohen

I found all of these essays fascinating and widely differing. It's a book that begins with the universal-enough topic of shopping and branches out into our always complicated relationships with other people and ourselves. What we shop for, what we are really trying to obtain when we buy things, the meaning behind why we hate shopping, how shopping in our childhood helped to cement memories and further carve out our pro/con shopping mentality, shopping for others versus shopping for ourselves, the price point of the things we buy, where we shop, shoplifting...it's all thought-provoking and perfect fodder for this anthology.

A quick read that really gets to the core of a problem most of us have, and explores it from honest and often relatable ways.