Books Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on January 3, 2013

goals for 2013

It’s now an annual tradition to share my goals for the year on this blog (Here were my goals for 2010 and 2012…apparently having a newborn baby made me less goal-oriented in 2011.) Instead of drafting lofty resolutions, I always like to break it down into smaller goals that I’m more likely to accomplish throughout the year. I don’t always follow up on all of them, but it’s nice to sit down and prioritize how I want to focus my life. Here are some of my goals for 2013:

Read 26 books in 2013. Last year, I set 26 books as my Goodreads 2012 reading challenge number, but I fell short by 14 books…oops. I’m hoping to try to reach this challenge this year by skipping the tv more often each evening and reading instead.
Try yoga again. Since moving to the ‘burbs, I haven’t belonged to a gym or any kind of fitness studio. I recently bought a 10-pack of yoga classes through one of those group coupon deals and I’m hoping to incorporate more fitness into my weekly schedule.
Focus on eating more “real” breakfasts and lunches. I’m pretty good at making a “real” dinner each night for our family, but often I find myself just grabbing whatever throughout the day whenever I’m hungry. I made this Greek Veggie Wrap yesterday for lunch and it was so good (and healthy!) I’m hoping to try a lot more smoothie recipes for breakfast as well.
Keep organizing! Even though we have lived in our home for over a year now, I still find there are spots that I haven’t touched since I initially unpacked them. I’m planning on doing some major basement reorganizing this winter and some garage projects this spring when it starts to warm up a bit.
Grow 2 Sisters 2 Cities. While K and I are very proud how much our little blog has grown in the past few years, we want to keep growing and improving it every day. I want to try many new recipes this year and also continue to work on my food photography and editing skills.

What are you hoping to accomplish in this upcoming year?

sister m signature

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on February 13, 2012

I used to do a post every few months about the last five books I had read (see January ’10, March ’10, July ’10, and September ’10.) I still want to keep writing these kinds of posts, but it has just taken me an extra long time to get through five books since Baby T has been born (and yes, he’s 15 months now.) I’ve finally finished up book #5, so I wanted to finally share them:

1. Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Frazen- If you are a new mother that is busy adjusting to life with a newborn baby, this is NOT the book for you! This book is one of the main reasons it has taken me so long to get through five books. It was a major bottleneck because once I start a book, I don’t like to quit it midway. The author writes in a very verbose manner that requires you to really concentrate on the dialogue. This book is extremely long. This is not a great book to put down for many months at a time and pick up later as you will have likely forgotten all the past story lines. New moms (and anyone else with only a little time to read each day), stay away!

2. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- This was the best book I had read in such a long time. I finished this book over the course of just a few days, which is something I have not done in a long time. Back in the day, I would sit and read the latest Baby-sitter’s Club in one sitting. While I did not do it in one sitting, I would have if toddlers could take care of themselves. The movie is coming out this March so definitely read this one before the release!

3. Catching Fire (The Second Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins- This book was not as great as the first one, but I thought it was still pretty darn good. I read this one over our Christmas vacation in Hawaii and it was hard to put down.

4. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3) by Suzanne Collins- This book is kind of a letdown compared to the first two in the series, but you have to read it to find out the ending if you’ve already read the first two.

5. Mom Blogging for Dummies by Wendy Piersall- If you have started a blog or are thinking about starting a blog, I found this book to be an excellent tutorial. While I skipped over some sections that weren’t relevant to what I was looking for, there were so many tips and tools that I found helpful. I took so many notes on things I want to revisit and implement on 2 Sisters 2 Cities.

Anyone have any recommendations on a great book I should check out? Also, if you are on Goodreads, let me know and we can link up!

my read shelf:

-m

Posted by Meaghan Barry on September 12, 2010

I’ve gotten the chance to read these books this summer:

1. The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help your Baby Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley- I figured since I have some free time now, I should start reading up on how to get babies to sleep through the night. I figured when I am actually starting to have this issue, I will have the least time to read this book! It definitely had some good tips, but I will probably need to re-read through the book again once baby arrives!

2. The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp- Once again, I read this one to be proactive for baby’s arrival. This book goes over the 5 s’s to soothe an infant…swaddle, swing, side/stomach, shoosh and sucking. Husband M and I took a Newborn Essentials class at Isis Parenting the other night. After reading this book, I felt I did not really learn much from this class as I had already learned it in the book. Fortunately, it was not a total bust going to class because Husband M said he actually did learn a great deal. We’ll see how we do with the tips from the book in a couple months once baby is here!

3. The Happiness Project, Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin- This book is not necessarily for people who are unhappy, just people looking to add more happiness to their life (and who wouldn’t want that?) The author spends an entire year with different resolutions for each month to try to bring more happiness into each day. It’s a nice thing to think about doing on a daily basis and she has lots of different ideas on things you can try. She admits that not all things she does is for everyone…it’s more important to decide for yourself what are some things you can add to your life that actually make you happy.

4. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson- Thanks to cousin K, she rescued me from being 400th in my library queue for this book and brought her copy out to Nantucket for me. It was a great book to read on the beach all week. You definitely need to read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo first to understand a lot of the background.

5. Twelve Rooms with a View by Theresa Rebeck- The premise of this book is that 3 sisters find out that they have inherited a multi-million dollar property on Central Park after their reclusive, alcoholic mother passes away. However, the estate gets challenged by their mother’s step sons and the building co-op board. The sisters battle it out with their new enemies, and also learn a great deal about their mother’s secret life she lead.

-m

Posted by Meaghan Barry on July 24, 2010

In between pregnancy and baby development books, I’ve tried to fit in some fun reading. Here are the last 5 books I have finished:

1. Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry- Set in crowded, poor Bombay, this book explores the story of a family struggling to take care of their aging father. I believe I found this book via this list of books to read before you die. Kind of a sad book, but an interesting read about modern day India and family culture.

2. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See- I thought this book was excellent, but I would not mark it as a light summer read as it has a bit of depressing story line. Two Shanghai sisters are sold off from their family in desperate times and are forced to move to Los Angeles. Through a very difficult journey, they are able to stay together and build a life together.

3. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks- This is a typical Nicholas Sparks novel set in a beachtown of North Carolina. It was a cute, light read, but I felt pretty silly when my boss came over to my desk one day and commented that his 14-year old daughter was reading the same book (apparently Miley Cyrus is starring in the movie edition of the book).

4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson- I finally got on the bandwagon and read the first of Stieg Larson’s trilogy. It was very interesting to read and I was captivated through the whole book. I find it interesting to see that this book captures a male and female audience alike…I see a 50/50 split between men and women reading this on the bus. I currently have the next two books in the series on my hold list at the library (I am something like 450th in the queue for The Girl Who Played With Fire!)

5. House Rules by Jodi Picoult- Definitely not one of my favorite Jodi Picoult books. It is about a teenage boy with Asperger’s and his mother and brother. I found two of these three characters (mom and the kid with Asperger’s) to be extremely annoying.

I am now in search of a good summer read in anticipation of the vacation we are taking in August- any suggestions?

-m

Posted by Meaghan Barry on March 27, 2010

I have been on the road the past few weekends (ski trip, Vegas) and we are finally home this weekend to catch up on sleep, laundry, and grocery shopping. Since my last 5 book summary, here is what I have been reading:

1. My Life in France by Julia Child- This is Julia Child’s autobiography…particularly focusing on her years living in France. The movie Julie & Julia bases many scenes of the movie around stories told in this book. After seeing the movie, I enjoyed reading this, especially in Julia’s enthusiastic tone.

2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro- I was googling for books to add to my library list one day, when I came across the following list: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. This book just happened to be number one on the list so I figured it was a must read. Set in England, it tells the story of children who are raised in a special boarding school that is isolated from the rest of the world. These children were scientifically reproduced for their organs. When they turn adults, it is their role in society to donate their organs to “normal” people to help them carry on longer lives. It was definitely a sad novel, but an interesting look at bio-ethics and questions we need to ask ourselves as we delve into the next steps of bio-technology.

3. Brooklyn: A Novel by Colm Toibin- This novel is the story of a young Irish girl in the 1950s. Unable to find work in Ireland, a local priest helps her find work in America and assists with her relocation. Once there, she faces a great deal of homesickness, but eventually falls in love with a young Italian boy. After a sad twist, she is forced to make a very difficult decision with her future.

4. Nanny Returns: A Novel by Emma McLaughin & Nicola Kraus- This book is the sequel to The Nanny Diaries. This was a fun, light read and I got through it very quickly. The story takes place a few years after Nanny Diaries concludes. Nan is now married and runs into one of her old charges. Through a series of events, she once again get tangled into the affairs of the crazy X family.

5. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert- This book is also a sequel…this one to Eat, Pray, Love. I really enjoy Gilbert’s writing style. I read EPL while I was vacationing in Spain last year and it was a really great book to read while traveling (as much of the whole book is about her one year travel adventure to Italy, India, and Indonesia). This book starts off with her Brazilian boyfriend being detained in US Customs and no longer allowed in the country. Forced with this new challenge, she takes a look at her fear of marriage, as well as the matrimonial history among many cultures. I really enjoy her writing style and learned some really interesting things while reading this book.

I have gone overboard on my library hold requesting and I can’t quite seem to catch up on my current list (I am ending up having to turn books in for their final due date before I can even crack the cover)! Since the weather is not going to be particularly nice here in Boston this weekend, I will have to do some catch-up reading. What books have you been reading lately?

-m

Posted by Meaghan Barry on January 23, 2010

Over Thanksgiving, Christmas, a couple of sick days, and my recent vacation I have been able to get through 5 books over the past couple months. Here is a mini summary of each:

1. A Meaningful Life by L.J. Davis- The main character in this book is generally unhappy with his career and life, and looks to renovate a Brooklyn brownstone in his spare time. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style/voice.
2. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah- Two girls who lived across the street from each other become unlikely friends for life. It’s a relatively light read and would be a good book for the beach.
3. The Sharper the Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn- An autobiography where the author decides to enroll in France’s Cordon Bleu cooking school after losing her job. It was a good book to read after seeing the movie Julie and Julia.
4. The Associate by John Grisham- I always enjoy a good John Grisham novel and this one did not disappoint. A law student gets blackmailed into working for a large corporate law firm and is forced to reveal legal secrets to his blackmailers.
5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- My grandma lent me this book at Christmas. It had been on my library hold list, but I had been hundreds in front of me so I had not expected to read it for awhile (it seems every other woman on my bus to work is reading this book). It was a very good book and was disappointed to finish it as I no longer would have it to look forward to. It is a story about a white woman who attempts to write a book telling the stories of the black housekeepers in a still very segregated South.

I enjoy walking through Barnes & Noble and noting any new books that I want to check out. I then just log into my BPL (Boston Public Library) account and request these books to be held. It usually takes a few weeks depending on the book’s popularity, but they call you when it’s available and it’s absolutely free. I love the idea of having a Kindle, but I’m not in love with the idea of having to pay for books when they are available for free otherwise.

-M