The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook by Kelly Jaggers

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

300 easy, healthy Mediterranean recipes for the most popular kitchen appliance—the Instant Pot—perfect for anyone following the Mediterranean diet!

The Mediterranean diet is celebrated all over the world for its fresh and healthy ingredients, vibrant flavors, and complex recipes. Following this diet can help you reduce inflammation, avoid disease, and lose weight, making it popular for anyone looking to live a healthier lifestyle.

The Everything Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook shows you how to recreate classic Mediterranean meals in under an hour using the much-loved multi-cooker, the Instant Pot. With more than 300 recipes for delicious meals, snacks, and even desserts, you’ll have everything you need to create healthy, fresh, and fast meals every day of the week.

My thoughts-

The Mediterranean diet is arguably one of the best- if not the actual best- diets in existence. There is a huge focus on vegetables and fresh ingredients. The best thing about the Mediterranean diet is the delicious meals you can make and still eat in a way that is good for your body. If you have been around this blog for a while you will know I adore my Instant Pot. It is one of my most frequently used kitchen tools and I have several cookbooks devoted to this awesome little cooker. I book marked so many recipes in this book that I absolutely can not wait to try. The dessert section at the end made me happy because there were several delicious sounding desserts that were fruit based and used natural sweeteners to make them more healthy.  There are so many recipes included here that there is definitely something for everyone! My absolute favorite find in this book is a Greek lemon chicken soup called Avgolemono. My local Greek restaurant serves this soup and it is one of my favorite things on the menu and I am excited to be able to make it at home! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys eating healthy! 

You Matter. By Matthew Emerzian

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

You matter. Not because of what you earn or how you look or what you’ve achieved, but because you are inherently valuable. Author Matthew Emerzian takes this seemingly simple premise and shows readers how truly understanding their own worth will change every aspect of their lives. You Matter is a call to empathy and a joyous celebration of the value of each and every person.

The book is structured into three sections, each of which expands the concept in ever widening ripples. In the first section, “I Matter,” readers come to terms with their own worth, in “You Matter” that awareness expands to acknowledge and celebrate the value of the people around us, and finally in “We Matter” Emerzian explores the power of a thriving community with those around us. Each chapter features exercises, journal prompts, and conversation starters to help readers dive deeper.

Author Matt Emerzian is the founder of Every Monday Matters, a not-for-profit dedicated to spreading the message of self-worth and compassion to people throughout the world. Every week 1.2 million people—from elementary school children to employees at national corporations—engage with ideas and concepts from Every Monday Matters.

My thoughts-

Self help books are hit or miss for me. I either find them incredibly dull or deeply engaging. This is the first self help book I have read in a while that I couldn't put down. I love the positive vibes throughout the book about how to make your mark in this world by doing what you can because you matter! Part memoir- I enjoyed the bits about the author's life- both about people have helped him in some way or people he has helped in some way, and it seems like these meetings always seem to end into friendships. Mr. Emerzian shows us through various stories of his how we can make differences in small ways by something as simple as striking up a conversation with a stranger in a Starbucks, as well as to search within ourselves for what comes naturally to us and use that to contribute to the world. I absolutely love the message behind this book. I recommend it to anyone trying to find their place in this world. 

Postscript by Cecelia Ahern

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Seven years after her husband's death -- six since she read his final letter -- Holly Kennedy has moved on with her life. When Holly's sister asks her to tell the story of the "PS, I Love You" letters on her podcast -- to revisit the messages Gerry wrote before his death to read after his passing -- she does so reluctantly, not wanting to reopen old wounds.

But after the episode airs, people start reaching out to Holly, and they all have one thing in common: they're terminally ill and want to leave their own missives behind for loved ones. Suddenly, Holly finds herself drawn back into a world she's worked tirelessly to leave behind -- but one that leads her on another incredible, life-affirming journey.

My thoughts-

I had no idea that Cecelia Ahern was writing a sequel to P.S. I Love You until I saw it online. I was so excited and couldn't wait to read it! It was so good. It has the same heart and soul as the original and allowed us the chance to get to know Holly again seven years after she lost Gerry. There is also plenty of Gerry in this book, even some peeks into their early relationship that we didn't get in the first book which was wonderful! Postscript is both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. I absolutely loved it and read it quickly since I couldn't put it down. The journey Holly finds herself on is an interesting one and if you loved the first book you will most definitely love Postscript. 

Seperation Anxiety by Laura Zigman

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

Judy never intended to start wearing the dog. But when she stumbled across her son Teddy’s old baby sling during a halfhearted basement cleaning, something in her snapped. So: the dog went into the sling, Judy felt connected to another living being, and she’s repeated the process every day since.

Life hasn’t gone according to Judy’s plan. Her career as a children’s book author offered a glimpse of success before taking an embarrassing nose dive. Teddy, now a teenager, treats her with some combination of mortification and indifference. Her best friend is dying. And her husband, Gary, has become a pot-addled professional “snackologist” who she can’t afford to divorce. On top of it all, she has a painfully ironic job writing articles for a self-help website—a poor fit for someone seemingly incapable of helping herself.

Wickedly funny and surprisingly tender, Separation Anxiety offers a frank portrait of middle-aged limbo, examining the ebb and flow of life’s most important relationships. Tapping into the insecurities and anxieties that most of us keep under wraps, and with a voice that is at once gleefully irreverent and genuinely touching, Laura Zigman has crafted a new classic for anyone taking fumbling steps toward happiness.

my thoughts-

I listened to an audio snippet of the first chapter of this book and knew I had to read the whole thing. I kind of wish there was an advanced audio copy because this would have been a fantastic book on audio and that is coming from someone who usually doesn't like fiction on audio. I am at a time in my life where my anxiety levels are extremely high and for me, humor and laughter get me through a lot, so this kind of exaggerated account not only brought out the humor for me but was actually semi-relatable on some level. There were many funny scenarios throughout the book but my favorite came at the end at the dog park. I thought in the end that this dysfunctional book was even a bit heartwarming. I recommend this book If you like a good laugh.

The Light After the War by Anita Abriel

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

Inspired by an incredible true story of two Jewish friends who survived the Holocaust, this sweeping novel of love and friendship spans World War II from Budapest to Austria and the postwar years from Naples to Caracas, perfect for fans of The German Girl and We Were the Lucky Ones.

It is 1946 when Vera Frankel and her best friend Edith Ban arrive in Naples. Refugees from Hungary, they managed to escape from a train headed for Auschwitz and spent the rest of the war hiding on an Austrian farm. Now, the two young women must start new lives abroad. Armed with a letter of recommendation from an American officer, Vera finds work at the United States embassy where she falls in love with Captain Anton Wight.

But as Vera and Edith grapple with the aftermath of the war, so too does Anton, and when he suddenly disappears, Vera is forced to change course. Their quest for a better life takes Vera and Edith from Naples to Ellis Island to Caracas as they start careers, reunite with old friends, and rebuild their lives after terrible loss.

My thoughts-

It has been a while since I have read a historical fiction novel, and it makes sense that I would jump back in with my go-to sub-genre of WWII Fiction. This one is different than many of the others I have read because it is about survivors after the war, and they travel to several different places trying to escape their past and start anew. I have two best friends and I can't imagine going through anything like the characters in this novel did, but I know that if I had my two closest friends on Earth with me, I would be able to get through it somehow and it is the same for Edith and Vera, who have been through way more than anyone should by the time they reach the end of their teens. This is an emotionally heavy book, but a page turner for sure. There are some glimmers of light in the end, but your heart will definitely be broken for both Edith and Vera several times over before you get there. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, WWII fiction, or stories of redemption.

Hill Country by Cassie Chambers

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Owsley County is one of the poorest counties in both Kentucky and the country. Buildings are crumbling and fields sit vacant, as tobacco farming and coal mining decline. But strong women are finding creative ways to subsist in their hollers in the hills.

Cassie Chambers grew up in these hollers and, through the women who raised her, she traces her own path out of and back into the Kentucky mountains. Chambers’s Granny was a child bride who rose before dawn every morning to raise seven children. Despite her poverty, she wouldn’t hesitate to give the last bite of pie or vegetables from her garden to a struggling neighbor. Her two daughters took very different paths: strong-willed Ruth—the hardest-working tobacco farmer in the county—stayed on the family farm, while spirited Wilma—the sixth child—became the first in the family to graduate from high school, then moved an hour away for college. Married at nineteen and pregnant with Cassie a few months later, Wilma beat the odds to finish school. She raised her daughter to think she could move mountains, like the ones that kept her safe but also isolated her from the larger world.

Cassie would spend much of her childhood with Granny and Ruth in the hills of Owsley County, both while Wilma was in college and after. With her “hill women” values guiding her, Cassie went on to graduate from Harvard Law. But while the Ivy League gave her knowledge and opportunities, its privileged world felt far from her reality, and she moved back home to help her fellow rural Kentucky women by providing free legal services.

Appalachian women face issues that are all too common: domestic violence, the opioid crisis, a world that seems more divided by the day. But they are also community leaders, keeping their towns together in the face of a system that continually fails them. With nuance and heart, Chambers uses these women’s stories paired with her own journey to break down the myth of the hillbilly and illuminate a region whose poor communities, especially women, can lead it into the future.

My thoughts-

I thought that this memoir sounded interesting. I have never met anyone from the Appalachian mountains and I have never been to the area, but I love learning about new people and different cultures so I was excited to learn about the Appalachian people and Cassie Chambers' family. This was definitely an interesting read. I found myself interested from the very beginning of the book. The author has a great writing style an interesting family story to tell. I enjoyed reading about her family, her mom and her Aunt Ruth in particular seem to be the strong women she modeled herself after. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys memoirs or who finds people and geographic areas different what they are used to interesting to learn about. 

The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000's by Andy Greene

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

When did you last hang out with Jim, Pam, Dwight, Michael, and the rest of Dunder Mifflin? It might have been back in 2013, when the series finale aired . . . or it might have been last night, when you watched three episodes in a row. But either way, fifteen years after the show first aired, it’s more popular than ever, and fans have only one problem--what to watch, or read, next.
 
Fortunately, Rolling Stone writer Andy Greene has that answer. In his brand-new oral history, The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Greene will take readers behind the scenes of their favorite moments and characters. Greene gives us the true inside story behind the entire show, from its origins on the BBC through its impressive nine-season run in America, with in-depth research and exclusive interviews. Fans will get the inside scoop on key episodes from "The Dundies" to "Threat Level Midnight" and "Goodbye, Michael," including behind-the-scenes details like the battle to keep it on the air when NBC wanted to pull the plug after just six episodes and the failed attempt to bring in James Gandolfini as the new boss after Steve Carell left, spotlighting the incredible, genre-redefining show created by the family-like team, who together took a quirky British import with dicey prospects and turned it into a primetime giant with true historical and cultural significance.
 
Hilarious, heartwarming, and revelatory, The Office gives fans and pop culture buffs a front-row seat to the phenomenal sequence of events that launched The Office into wild popularity, changing the face of television and how we all see our office lives for decades to come.

About the book-

Like many other people who were fans of the original UK version of "The Office", I am pretty sure I rolled my eyes and resisted the US version for quite a while thinking it could never live up to the original. I am so glad my husband started watching it and talked me into it as well during the original run because it ended up surprisingly far surpassing the UK version and becoming one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. I know so many people who go to this show as their "comfort binge" on Netflix too and I am glad to see so many new people fall in love with such an innovative piece of tv history. This book gives a behind the scenes look in the form of various interviews with many of the people involved from the creators to the writers to the crew to the actors themselves, giving us a well rounded look at what it took to make The Office in to what it was. Even if you are a super fan you will come away with new information regarding the creative process, Steve Carell's departure from the show and how that all went down, character development, and thoughts on a spinoff or reboot. I recommend this book to any fan of "The Office".