Movement Matters: Essays on Movement Science, Movement Ecology, and the Nature of Movement

This was a collection of essays by Katy Bowman all about how our sedentary lifestyle leads to repercussions for ourselves, our community and the planet. She suggests many ideas and gives personal examples of how to move more by "stacking your life," or meeting many needs with fewer actions. It's like multitasking, but it is more holistic and value-oriented than simply about getting things done. She also talks about the many ways our outsourcing our movement does not save us time or energy or money in the long run, and makes an impact on the lives of others across the world. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Katy, and I love her voice and hearing her talk about her own life. She is very funny and likes to interject jokes and quips into her writing, which makes it entertaining to listen to. This book was not so much educational or informational as it was inspirational and thought-provoking. Katy urges us to instead of waiting for the science around movement to catch up with us, we start somewhere and do what feels right.

Half Broke Horses

I recently finished reading this book for the second time. I had previously read it last year, along with The Glass Castle and The Silver Star, and found myself compelled to revisit it. One of the things I love about the book is Lily Casey Smith's tenacity and gratitude for everything she had. Even when she was teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, she felt thankful for the opportunity to educate her children. It's clear that Lily felt a sense of obligation to do good in the world. While she didn't go out of her way to make enemies, she would stand her ground if someone crossed her. She held strong opinions and beliefs, and was always willing to defend them.

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it fell short for me. The writing felt chaotic and disorganized, with short "scenes" that barely covered a topic before moving on to the next. While the story was somewhat linear, given the vast timeline Perry covers (from childhood to present day), he fails to delve deeply into any specific period. For example, he discusses shooting season 4 of Friends, but then suddenly the show is ending.

Additionally, Perry frequently name-drops other celebrities, but doesn't provide any substantial insight into his relationships with them. While it's his memoir and he can write as he pleases, in the final chapter, he lists off names without much purpose. For instance, he describes Barack Obama as "the smartest man he's ever spoken to," but fails to explain why that detail is significant to his story.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

I really enjoyed this book. Based on the title, I was expecting it to be cynical and aggressive, but the philosophy was actually made up of simple truths that I really needed to hear. One of the most important was taking responsibility for one's own life and everything that happens. So often, if I have a fight with a friend or miss a homework assignment, I start thinking of ways that it wasn't my fault and I shouldn't be in charge of fixing it. And sure, I could play the blame game for ages. You can always find someone else to blame for your misfortune, mistake or terrible circumstance. But most of the time, I simply messed up. More importantly, no one else is going to fix my problem for me. I really appreciated the messages this book had to offer. I have to say, the first chapter was probably my favorite part, simply for the many F-bombs dropped. It was so funny. (less) [edit]

I'm Glad My Mom Died

 I recently read a book that I found to be truly amazing. I had already heard many positive reviews about it and even watched some interviews where the author, Jennette, discussed some of the topics covered in the book. It was strange to see her on TV as a kid and have no idea about the difficulties she faced in her personal life. The things her mother subjected her to were truly frightening. I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Jennette herself, and I found the parts where she discussed her struggle with an eating disorder to be particularly difficult to listen to. However, I am grateful that Jennette was able to overcome her situation and move forward with her life, although she admits that it is a slow and painful process that may take a lifetime. I also appreciated her sense of humor and lightheartedness when recounting these painful memories, which made the book more enjoyable to listen to. (less) [edit]

The Love Hypothesis

The hype around this book was big, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as some people. I found the writing pretty corny at times. I found the characters very flat and having not much personality. Even Adam, who is supposed to be "an ass," we only know this by the narrator's description of him. We don't really get a sense of him being cruel, so it didn't feel very believable.

The book starts with a scene that becomes relevant later in the plot, and then skips ahead in time, but it felt like too big of a skip. I felt like I was missing context for how we are supposed to feel about the characters. I thought the narrator, Olive, would go back and fill us in, but she didn't.

I also didn't understand why Olive was so into Adam. Apart from his being hot and muscular, which she mentions many, many times, there was nothing particularly appealing about him and Olive is obviously determined to hate him. They have maybe two semi-personal conversations before she decides she is in love with him. It felt very rushed and not believable.

Overall this book was cute, but I don't understand the hype. 

Jane Eyre

 I understand why Jane couldn't stay with Mr. Rochester. Her whole life has been defined by other people. She was abused in childhood by her horrible relatives and then sent to a school with terrible food and conditions and some cruel teachers. As her life goes on, she is able to gain more and more autonomy and discover what she really wants. She felt so betrayed by Rochester that she couldn't stay with him just because he wanted her to. She didn't want to feel at his mercy, or like she was living life on her terms. She felt like she needed him more than he needed her, and that is a difficult feeling. Jane needed to venture out into the world and discover what life had to offer her. Eventually she realized that what she wanted was Mr. Rochester. When she returns to him and he is blinded, he has lost some of his power. She still loves him, but she is no longer frightened by him. They have a more equitable relationship. She realizes that he needs her, too.

Everything, Everything

I recently watched Everything, Everything, the 2017 film adaptation of Nicola Yoon's novel of the same name. It's been a while since I read the book, but I've been looking forward to seeing the movie for a long time. I love Amandla Stenberg and knew she would be great in this role. Watching this movie gave me a second chance to reflect on the story itself and notice new things.

I loved the use of color in this film. In the beginning, Maddy says she wears a white t-shirt every day, and we also see her wearing white pajamas, robes, etc. This is meant to represent how here life is untouched and pure. White is also the most prominent color in hospitals, representing cleanliness and sterility. As Maddy has new experiences, however, more color is added to her wardrobe. Even so, the colors are all soft, pastel greens, yellows, and blues. This is meant to show her soft and feminine nature.

Maddy and Olly wear opposite colors
to show their contrasting worldviews.

On the contrary, Madeline comments on how Olly always wears black. This is meant to symbolize how his world view is somewhat sullied. He has had to deal with abuse from his father and having to move often. He is a very thoughtful and introspective person. However, his color choice lightens as the movie goes on, showing how he is becoming open to new experiences.

I also think Maddy and Olly wear opposite colors to symbolize a sort of a ying-yang. They come from completely different worlds, but they fit together and complement each other.

I really enjoyed the surreal aspects of this film. It reminded me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Towards the beginning, Maddy says that she enjoys architecture, and every time she makes a new model, she adds an astronaut figurine to it. The astronaut is like her, longing to explore the great unknown, but never really touching it, trapped inside a bubble. Thus, we see Olly and Maddy having conversations within Maddy's models. There's a diner, a library, etc. They look like ordinary places but there's always an astronaut present to indicate that it's a dream sequence. I liked this because watching two teenagers text back and forth while gazing at each other through the window can get a little tired. Having there conversations appear real felt a lot more personal and intimate.

By the time they meet in New York, Maddy has discovered
her own sense of self and her style reflects this. 

I liked how Maddy and Olly made efforts to fit into each other's worlds. Olly follows Maddy to Hawaii because she longs to go there...and she already bought plane tickets. Nonetheless, he tries to see what she sees in the ocean. The landscape of Hawaii is also very bright, clear, and pristine, as is Maddy's worldview. At the end of the film, Maddy is the one who follows Olly to New York, where he has gone with his family to escape their abusive father. In a way, New York is the opposite of Hawaii. It's crowded, dirty, and completely urbanized. However, Maddy tries to fit into Olly's world the same way he fit into hers, and try to see it through his eyes. To him, New York represents freedom and a fresh start.