Books Reviews

Book Reviews

I Haven't Outgrown the Book Report

Lessons From Madame Chic 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott. This was a very fun read with sections and stories that were laugh out loud funny.  I got the giggles that wouldn't stop from one of her accounts.  These, however, were giggles with a purpose. 

The book is divided into three parts:

Diet and Exercise

Style and Beauty

How to Live Well

Part 3 - How to Live Well was the most eye opening of all for me.  Eleven chapters were devoted to this part of the book and I need to work at each of the eleven chapters. Poise or charm schools still existed when I was young.  I've written that I attended when I was a preteen so part 1 and part 2 seem like easy, breezy sections.  "How to Live Well" this is where finishing school would have served me well but these schools have long since faded into history.  For example:

Chapter 12 - Clutter is So Not Chic.  I'm not sure I need to write any more, but I will.  I knew I didn't like clutter; I am a minimalist.  My family doesn't subscribe to my minimalist philosophy.  Clutter is annoying, and I would agree.  However, to say, it is so not chic made me want to schedule a huge spring/summer cleaning project, lay down the law, and rent a large dumpster.  Since my first plan isn't a wise one, I'm going to begin with my stuff which is directly under my control.  I'll begin by looking for my own clutter,(then I'll hold a meeting;). 

Chapter 15 - Practicing the Art of Entertaining.  I give a dinner party every other month and, good golly Miss Martha, do I go at it from the wrong perspective.  When my guests arrive I am usually a bit worse for wear. I settle down after we begin the meal but I am usually rushing around when they first arrive.  According to Jennifer and Madame Chic, frazzled, rushing hostesses are not chic. The author suggests resurrecting the ritual of the aperitif.  I looked up aperitif.  It means a beverage which stimulates the appetite. As Jennifer, the author describes it, an aperitif is used to settle the parties involved and prepares them for a pleasant dinner. I think an aperitif in the living room with my guests would help me transition from maker and planner to hostess and participant. 

I was impressed with the last book I read by this author and Lessons From Madame Chic was not disappointing either.  Even if you read the book for the laughs, I believe you will learn something about yourself.  I know I did. (June 2016)

Made From Scratch Reclaiming the Pleasures of the American Hearth by Jean Zimmerman.  Written as an investigation into the loss of domestic life, this book is chocked full of facts, research and quotes surrounding domestic concerns.  The author, Jean, addresses the American shift from the care of and fulfillment surrounding all things domestic. Americans, as a whole, the author writes have lost their love for cleaning, cooking, sewing and creating the home environment. Examples from the author's own experiences are sprinkled throughout the statistics and make for an enjoyable read.  I did not know that Betty Crocker was invented by General Mills to sell white flour. It appears that Americans have been duped by marketing and advertising campaigns to believe we have better things to do than clean or cook.  I am told by marketers a store bought gift is better than a hand made one.  Political forces and commercialism have driven women from their homes. Those of us who have a real passion for all things domestic are made to feel as if we are wasting our potential. Being a homemaker is not future discussed on career day. A few more amazing facts I read were:

. . . this at a time when 98% of the world still does its laundry by hand, in a bucket or on the banks of a river.  (P. 185)

Children, say sociologist, experience much of their intellectual growth around the dinner table.  With the decline in home cooking comes a reduction in the number of those healthy - and intellectually salutory- family meals. (P. 229)

The repetition required in needlework engenders a form of focus that one doctor, Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School, has called the "relaxation response, " in which brain waves actually change to counter whatever stresses may affect a person.  Heart rate, muscle tension, and blood pressure decrease as a result, and a feeling of serenity washes of the knitter. (P. 302)

My take-aways from this book:   1. American culture has lost much of its homemaking skills by outsourcing our home labors to machines and services. 2.  I given some though to how influenced I am by marketing and commercialism. 3. Reflecting on my own situation, I realize I don't spend much time on the basic tidying of the home, which according the research gathered by the author is highly beneficial not only for me but for those under my roof.  Jean does not suggest I do all the tidying either. If fact, she encourages an 'all hands on deck' approach, ensuring all appreciate cleanliness and order. 4. Lastly, I need to share with others what I was taught by my mother and grandmothers.  These 'crafts and tasks' are an important part of our history as Americans. (June 2016)

Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott.  My sister was telling me about these books about Madame Chic and the companion blog The Daily Connoisseur.  I checked out the blog first and was hooked.  I had to get the books. Unsure this was a book for my bookshelf, I put it on hold at the local library. I received it Wednesday night and I finished it on Thursday night. (Mind you, I only have the evening hours to read; I was immersed in her book.) It is 269 pages of topics and ideas that made me take stock of me. 

Poise was important to my mother and my grandmothers.  My mother took me to charm school.  I was brought up to hide my undergarments beneath my clothes and look people in the eye when I spoke to them.  I hadn't however considered poise at home.  I dress professionally each day and I dress nicely to leave the house for errands.  I do not dress to impress when I am at home. I have been embarrassed a time or two to greet the UPS man in my fleece bottoms and sweatshirt with rollers in my hair at 4 pm. 

Jennifer writes, on page 37, "When she (Madame Chic) came home from running errands, she remained in her day clothes. . . She never changed into her pajamas early. She continues at the bottom of page 38 and top of 39, "It is important to remain presentable when we are at home, especially when we have children. . . you do not want your children to look back on you and only remember you in yoga pants! Dare to be stylish at home."

So I'm pondering, will my children only remember me in my fleece pants?  I'm sure the UPS man has trouble not laughing when he sees me in our family's retail store dressed professionally.  Yep, he's seen the real me.  What a contrast. 

There were other topics which made me pause.  Grumbling.  Am I a whiner?  Whiners are not poised people. Do I hold interesting conversations?  Am I present in the moments of my life?  (June 2016)

The CSA Cookbook by Linda Ly.  She describes this book as a nose to tail approach to veggies.  She is right. Her book covers all the edible parts of the most common vegetable garden plants, how to prepare them for cooking and then recipes to utilize the veggie completely.  Before reading this book, I didn't know you could eat broccoli plant leaves.  I didn't think they'd poison me but I didn't think they'd be palatable either.  A gardener waits a long time to get a single beautiful head from the broccoli plant.  All the while, the plant grows these enormous dark green leaves.  The book has amazingly beautiful pictures of both the plants and the food.  The chapters have titles such as, (5) Bulbs and Stems or (6) Roots and Tubers.  Most interesting and informative are the stories before each recipe. I am glad I own this book.  My sons purchased it for my mother's day present. I intend to try Pea Shoot Salad next. (page 90) Oh, by the way, I have served broccoli leaves twice now.  They have a wonderfully mild broccoli flavor. Linda has a blog titled, Garden Betty.  The blog is as beautiful and informative as her book.  (May 2016)