A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

I found this book at the free store and almost didn’t take it. It looked kind of cool, a hand with candy sprinkles all over it. But the description, about a man with an addiction who goes through rehab didn’t sound that exciting. I’ve read a few of those, and they’re mostly over-Christiany, “feel sorry [...]

Money-Saving Tips for the Middle Class - my take on the “depression”

I’m not really feeling the disastrous effects of the “depression” that we’re experiencing.  Yes, things are tight, but for someone like me, they’re always tight.  In the news, I keep seeing all these sob stories about comfortable white people feeling sad because now they can’t afford their laptops, ipods, cellphones, and three cars without tapping [...]

Movie Review: The Science of Sleep

I started watching this movie, expecting a documentary from BBC or the Discovery Channel about sleep and dreams. It was definitely not that, but something much better. A Michel Gondry film. The director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, many of Bjork’s music videos, and several other amazing works, Gondry is known for thought-provoking [...]

J.A.S.O.N. Aloe Vera 98%, Moisturizing Gel

This is a product I picked up at one of the free stores in the Gulf Islands in British Columbia. My husband has been using it more than me, but in the last couple days my regular lotion ran out. I’m usually not too crazy about aloe vera gel. It’s nice for sunburn, but it [...]

The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan

I’ve just finished reading The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan. As with The Joy Luck Club, I was very impressed and found myself lost in the realism and emotion of the story.
As with many of her books, Tan brings in the elements of the mother-daughter relationship, and old China versus new life in the [...]

Plain and Simple: A Woman’s Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender

I loved this little book (just 152 pages, I read it in a few hours). It was not only a delight to read, but also aesthetically pleasing and nice to hold in my hands.
It is an autobiography, but also a spiritual book. Although Sue does not claim to have “found God”, she did discover a [...]