We Died in Water by Meg Flores

I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this book from the author through a giveaway. I was very excited to get an early peak since it comes out on Oct 1st. It is a beautiful book and was very thoughtfully packaged with a hand written note. This is a poetically written memoir composed of short vignettes. While I thought the writing was incredibly beautifully, I also felt that her passages seemed repetitious. I think my younger, college self would have connected to her story a lot more than where I am in life currently, but I think her story will resonate with others going from break ups to new loves.

The theme of beaches/oceans/water/waves kept coming up in many of her passages, which I understand was a deliberate choice by the author, but sometimes it seemed a little forced. Overall I think this is a beautiful tiny book that will look great on a coffee table or nightstand, to be thumbed through occasionally. I think the author is very talented and I am looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

This Particular Happiness

This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story by Jackie Shannon Hollis

Release Date: Oct 1, 2019 by Forest Avenue Press

This is the first piece of creative nonfiction by Forest Avenue Press and I thought it was brilliant. This memoir focuses on themes such as family expectations, relationships, friendships, grief, loss, trauma, personal growth and of course motherhood or lack there of. I thought the perspective shown was important because it wasn’t the usual story where a woman could not get pregnant because of infertility, lack of a partner or by making a firm choice on their own. This memoir is about a woman who chose a life of childlessness because of the love she has for her husband, who firmly did not want children. Ultimately it is a choice that she comes to terms with but getting to that point was filled with a lot of self reflection and growth. We get to explore all the moments in their lives that led up to this choice and how it played out in their relationship. It was a very raw and messy account, which is to be expected with such a life changing decision. There are moments where the author pleads with her husband to change his mind but there are also moments where we see tremendous growth.

Maybe it wasn’t him I’d given up a child for. Maybe it was for me. Leading to this moment, held in the power of love and other possibilities. It was me I owed. To stand up and declare my plans. To not wait for someone else’s approval.

The above quote is in reference to the author wanting to make a career change and spend more time writing and exploring other interests.

What should I call myself? Childless by circumstance, from being with a man who didn’t want children? Or by choice, because I chose him and never chose children? I decided it didn’t matter as long as I defined myself by what I had, rather than what I didn’t have.

I thought the author did a great job showing her struggle of resenting her husband but also realizing the many doors that not being a mother opened up. I think this can only be done by having the necessary time to heal and process such complex emotions.

Mom saying he (Dad) wasn’t fine with my choice really meant she wasn’t fine with it. Maybe she never would be. No matter how old I got, or how happy I was without children, the ache for her approval would always be with me.

In addition to overcoming her own struggle with not having children the author also dealt with a complex relationship with her parents and their expectations of her, which is something so many of us can relate to.

The author and her husband clearly went through difficulties but as their relationship evolved they came to understand each other deeply. Whatever resentment that may have been there for a brief period was replace by this understanding, openness and a beautiful ache.

There are so many ways to be in the world and none of them have to be the expected.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book. This in no way impacts my review. All opinions are my own.

 

The Nobodies by Liza Palmer

The Nobodies: A Novel by Liza Palmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first novel I’ve read by Liza Palmer and I wasn’t expecting the raw humor – it was a pretty entertaining read! The story is about a journalist, Joan, who finds her career and life crumbling. She is forced to move back in with her parents and find any job she can. She gets a job at a tech start up as a junior copywriter with a bunch of millennials. I like how the author didn’t turn this opportunity into a complete millennial bashing session. We all know millennials can be awful but let’s move on.

I appreciated the diversity in the cast of characters (it is set in LA after all). Joan reluctantly enlists some new friends to help her get to the bottom of the shady operation they work for. The whole journalism and tech start up life wasn’t super relatable to me but it was fun to read about.

Joan is very hard on herself throughout the book, she feels like a failure and questions her writing ability. Joan went from high school to landing a job with the LA Times. To me that seems like she must be pretty talented. I think it is human for everyone to feel some level of imposter syndrome and feeling like we are not good enough. Her supportive and loving family encourages her to take some college classes as a way to strengthen her credentials and have something to fall back on but she refuses to take this advice. On top of that she wants to have a big break out story that will make her happy and make her feel like “somebody.” She is so hard on herself but can not admit to being wrong.

The entitlement here was a bit frustrating but I can recognize that her disillusionment about her career is a feeling that is relatable to many people. I appreciated the themes that explored self love and career pressures. The plot to uncover the mystery was less interesting to me and felt rushed. Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read with some thought provoking ideas on how we can “try to feel a little less like nobodies each day.”

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book, which I won through a Goodreads Giveaway. This in no way impacts my review. All opinions are my own.*

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Yoga for Better Sleep

Yoga for Better Sleep: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science by Mark Stephens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

As modern science unravels some of the mysteries of our sleeping, dreaming, and waking states, age-old yoga practices are helping us to enjoy better sleep, clearer minds, and healthier bodies. Over 65 percent of U.S. adults are sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation causes and worsens many ailments, including stress, heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity, and depression. This book provides easy-to-do and effective yoga activities–including postural sequences, breathing exercises, and meditation tools–for better quality and quantity sleep across the life cycle from childhood to older age. Long-time yoga instructor, teacher trainer, and best-selling author Mark Stephens integrates the ancient wisdom of yoga with the practical insights, age- and condition-specific sequences, and discussions of neuroscience and psychology to offer practical tools for improving sleep–naturally and drug-free.

My Review: I was a bit skeptical on how a book about yoga for sleep could be 300+ pages long. However, when I saw the level of detail in this book it made sense. As someone who works in the healthcare field I found this book to be well researched with 26 pages dedicated to the bibliography (pages 293-319). It is a mini textbook complete with an index to help you quickly find any topic you want to flip back to. Some of the chapters include the Basic Yoga Sleep Sequence, which has clear black and with photographs of real people demonstrating the poses. Subsequent chapters include, Yoga Sleep Sequence for Hyperarousal and Yoga Sleep Sequence for Depression or Lethargy. The book includes a glossary of terms and goes in-depth to explain all the phases of sleep. There is even a small section on jet lag and shift work. Overall I am impressed with the content of this book.

Here’s a quick list of tips for better sleep that was provided in the book:

Stick to a sleep schedule
Exercise is great, but not too late in the day (2 to 3 hrs before before bed)
Avoid caffeine and nicotine before bed
Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed
Avoid large meals and beverages late at night
If possible, avoid medications that delay or disrupt your sleep
Don’t take naps after 3pm
Relax before bed
Take a hot bath before bed
Have a good sleeping environment
Have the right sunlight exposure
Don’t lie in bed awake
See a health professional if you continue to have trouble sleeping

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*Disclaimer: I received this book from North Atlantic Books through a Goodreads Giveaway. This has no impact on my review and all opinions are my own.