Book Review: The Weird Sisters

I've completed another book for the BlogHer Book Club. This book was titled The Weird Sisters, written by Eleanor Brown. 

The title is a reference to Shakespeare's Weird Sisters in Macbeth. And, in Shakespeare the word "weird" actually means something closer to fate. So the titled could be The Fated Sisters or Fate Sisters. 

The family in this book quotes Shakespeare to each other to communicate. Not every word or anything, but a lot of the honest, life lessons are quoted through Shakespeare. The story takes the reader through three sisters and their quest to figure out what to do with their lives. Their "fate." 

It's a nice story, but I found a few things odd. 

1. The novel is written in first person plural. We hear the story as if "The Sisters" were telling it together as one voice. For example, "Our mother was one to get lost in her thoughts, and Rose often had to make dinner." Rose is one of the sisters. See how that's strange? It's an unusual voice to write it, and it made it unique, but a little strange. 

2. The mother of these sisters is battling breast cancer throughout the book. We're told that when the sisters were young, she would often get consumed in her own thoughts and burn dinner or leave the girls unsupervised somewhere. So we know she's kind of aloof, and with her illness, she plays in the background. However, she is never named. We don't ever find out her name. Why? I don't know. We learn of the sisters' father's name through interactions with other people, but never her mother. Is this some statement about the lack of mothering and how that leaves the girls wandering through life looking for a purpose? 

Maybe.

To be honest, I'm not sure. I didn't feel like I got to deeply know any of the characters so it is difficult to know what I was suppose to learn. 

I will be following the conversations over at the BlogHer Book Club this month to see what other people thought about the oddities in the book. 

If you're interested, click here for more information and to see if I just missed the point entirely. 

 "This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club, but the opinions expressed are my own."  

A Blue Moon Evening

Recently, I invited Jenny and Darrin over for some snacks and drinks. And I thought, hmmm. What should I make? I remembered seeing a recipe for Blue Moon beer cupcakes, and I knew Jenny was a fan of Blue Moon. Then I thought, what goes with it.....what about an evening full of Blue Moon beer recipes!

Of course!

You'll see here:

Blue Moon cupcakes

From Miss Make

Beer Cheese dip

From Tidy Mom

Mangria (Blue Moon Sangria)

From 20 Something Cupcakes

I think it was a hit!

My husband can build stuff

Look at my new bookcase!

 

Chris made it for me. He got a fancy air compressor thingy with tools for Christmas from his folks, and he's been busy. 

I had a sad brown bookcase in my office area, but it was falling apart. Doesn't this look better?

It matches the desk that Laura made for me. Aren't I lucky to have people who make things?

Chris also made this silverware drawer insert. It's way better and makes a whole lot more sense than the little plastic one we had. 

Yay! I can't wait to see what I get...I mean, what Chris makes, next. 

What are your 2012 Fashion Resolutions?

What are your 2012 Fashion Resolutions? How do you plan to feel great by looking your best this year?

This is the latest question in the Life Well Lived BlogHer program. I've shared my answer and you should too!

Click here to see what I said and what others are planning to do.

Be sure to enter for a Kindle Fire/Amazon Gift Card here!

Book Review: Why Women Need Fat

Why Women Need Fat by William D. Lassek, M.D., and Steven J. C. Gaulin, PH.D., is one of the most interesting books I've read in quite some time. It's definitely one of my favorites from the BlogHer Book Club. It's not a diet book like you might think. It's a historical, sociological and medical look at how women's bodies work and how the American diet has changed to work against them.

I'm a strong believer in real food. No fast food, processed cheese, soda or other junk foods in my house. This book supports my beliefs, and it also goes into detail about how and why those foods are harmful and make women fat. The book describes the anthropological history of women's bodies in supporting pregnancies and producing health babies. One of the most interesting facts is that the American diet since the dawn of processed foods and vegetable fats has been reduced in omega-3 fats. Did you know that in women's bodies omega-3 fats are turned into DHA, stored around the hips and thighs and this DHA is solely responsible for nourishing a growing baby's brain in the womb? 

To me that is fascinating. And, what this book explains is that the American diet has transformed, thanks to vegetable oils like soy and corn, into a diet that is depleted of good fat and high in bad fat: omega-6. This bad fat actually lowers the good fat, omega-3, you ingest and may already have in your body. 

I'll stop giving away the book, but there's plenty more to learn. Whether you're heavy or skinny, this book isn't going to make you feel bad. It's purpose, in my opinion, is to enlighten you as to how your foods affect you, your body and even your children. Even if you don't read it, remember as Michael Pollen says, "You are what you eat eats." 

Click here to visit the BlogHer Book Review site, get more information on this book and talk with others who have read it. 

I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review, but all opinions expressed are my own.