Without time-consuming training for the past 8 months, I have been devouring books. This month was no exception.

I read nine books this month, although to be fair, three of them were short, read-in-one-sitting, books. I don’t want to overly brag about my selections, but this month’s book are so good! I just couldn’t get enough of them.

June Reads

Rising Strong
I am new to Brené Brown. I had heard her name quite a few times, and she is even in Big Magic. I put the book on my list after hearing her on Elizabeth Gilbert’s podcast.

The book was a little hard for me to get into, mostly because I was missing the helpful background from all of her books that came before it. Still, this book taught me to recognize the stories I tell myself and realize that they are not The Truth. I have stopped myself quite a few times this month from a negative story where everyone is clearly out to get me and changed it to a positive. It hasn’t rocked my world, but Brown has definitely given me more awareness of my tendencies and encouragement to take control of my experiences.

WomanCode
I had such high hopes for this book. Maybe too high. On the first page I thought I was going to tell all of my friends to read it, but by the last it didn’t seem worth their time, or mine. It did not draw on science enough in my opinion, and there was a bit too much emphasis on changing behavior like exercise and deep, emotional conversations around the monthly menstrual cycle. Not for me.

Creative Confidence
This book left me fired up about creating and writing. Written by the founder of IDEO and Stanford’s famous design school, this was a rich, rewarding book. I have notes on notes on notes. A must read! Especially if you are creative or you think you aren’t. Loved it.

The Age of Selfishness
I never pick up graphic novels, or really anything about the economy, but this one reminded me of a friend when I was browsing the library and it ended up making its way home with me. It was a bit of an odd book for me, but I appreciated the clear breakdown of Ayn Rand’s beliefs and ideas as well as the explanation of the economic collapse. Overall, it left me with great new knowledge and fairly depressed.

Retox
I spoke with Lauren Imparato for a story on the best habits of yoga teachers, and I ended up checking out her book after the piece came out. I thought I might flip through it a bit and look at the pictures. Instead I surprised myself and read it cover to cover.

I have’t used any of her solutions for things like headaches or “rage against the female machine” yet, but I have my notes at the ready. This one is great if you are vaguely familiar with yoga or interested in how you can influence what’s going on in your body.

We Should All Be Feminists
This little nugget warms my heart. It is an essay adapted from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s (just as incredible) TEDx talk. If you have recently watched the talk most of it will feel familiar to you, but I still loved reading it. I mean, the woman was sampled by Beyoncé! She’s amazing. I moved Americanah to the top of my list after realizing she wrote it.

Grunt
I love Mary Roach. She’s one of my writer heroes, and this book is a great example of why. It’s funny, personal, and downright odd. She gives you a look at some of the weirder things all while making science interesting and easy to understand. I loved this book so much I went and heard her speak on her book tour. #HardCoreFan

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
I understood 30-40 percent of this book. It’s not Carlo Rovelli’s fault. Physics theory is not my strong point. But I do feel smarter just for reading it. The book started as columns in an Italian newspaper before they were compiled into this short (less than 100 pages) read. Whether you are a nuclear physicist or you cringe when you hear ‘chemistry’, I recommend this one.

Attachments
This is my only fiction for the month, and it was well worth the read. I really enjoyed the story, up until the end when I got mad because I didn’t feel like it was real enough. I think all of this non-fiction might be ruining my sense of fantasy. Even with my “That would never happen!” outburst at the end, I still really enjoyed it.

As much as I love browsing Pinterest for recipe ideas, it just can’t beat flipping through a solid cookbook. These healthy cookbooks have me all jazzed up about getting creative in the kitchen this summer.

Love and Lemons Cookbook
You’ll be hard-pressed to find another book as beautiful as this one. I love flipping through it. The book is full of gorgeous full page photos for every recipe, and the whole thing feels light and calming. Jeanine Donofrio’s recipes include a healthy mix of foods. Notes about how to modify recipes to be vegetarian and/or gluten free are peppered throughout so you can make her dishes to suit your needs.

Bowl
Get ready to crave ramen like crazy. I couldn’t stop myself from flagging nearly every recipe. Vegetarian pho? Yes please! This cookbook has everything from a vegetarian spin on popular Asian bowls to Buddha bowls stuffed with veggies.

Eating Clean
This is the only cookbook I have ever read from cover to cover. Amie Valpone’s story is fascinating, and enjoyed getting some ideas for recipes without dairy or gluten. I won’t follow her meal plan, but I would like to incorporate some of her principles (and snacks!) into my daily eating.

Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking
Confession, I still haven’t actually seen this one. There’s a long list of us waiting for it from the library. But given how create The Minimalist Baker’s recipes are, I’m confident it’s worth my wait and your time. Her vegan (and mostly gluten-free) recipes are flavorful and full of nutritious ingredients.

The Sprouted Kitchen
From yet another blogger I love, this cookbook is pretty and functional. She makes vegetarian food feel innovative and homey at the same time. Her gluten-free cornmeal pancakes are on my short list.

Protein Ninja
Looking to add more vegan protein into your diet? This book is for you. While I loved Veganomicon, I was a little disappointed in this book from Terry Romero. I didn’t realize when I requested it from the library that nearly ever recipe would include protein powder. I also had a hard time finding gluten-free recipes in it.

What are your go-to healthy cookbooks?

In case you missed it: Healthy Cookbooks Part 1

I cannot keep myself out of the library this month. Ever since I started checking out stacks of cookbooks, I keep coming home with more and more books. It looks like I’m running a library out of my room, and I’m starting to get concerned the librarians are getting suspicious (they aren’t).

It’s impossible to keep up with the books I’m bringing in. Each time I pick up a book from the shelf I tell myself that I’m only here for the ones that I requested, and I still manage to bring them all home anyways.

In other words, expect quite a few books in the next couple of months. I enjoyed my May reads, even if they were a random mix.

What I Read This Month

My Life on the Road
Like most young women, I am very familiar with her name, but I have not read much of Gloria Steinem’s work. I picked up this book based on the suggestion of Emma Watson’s book club, Our Shared Shelf. Her stories are incredible. From nearly constant travel for decades to being around present to some of the most monumental moments in recent history, Steinem’s book was eye-opening in a way I didn’t expect. I loved reading about one extraordinary woman’s life, and I especially took comfort in the fact that she didn’t really know what she wanted or what she was doing for years either. She just kept going and figuring it out on the road. Fascinating book.

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up while in Spain last year, and I couldn’t help myself from checking out the follow-up. I thought it was a heavily illustrated guide, and to be honest I really only wanted to check it out for her clothes-folding techniques. Overall it was alright, but nothing amazing. While this one does give more detailed instructions, if you haven’t read Life-Changing Magic it’s going to be much less helpful and will often leave you wondering. The first book is likely all you need.

The Happiness Project
This one is not really a new book, but it didn’t change its impact on me. I loved reading about Gretchen Rubin’s self-experiments and the things she thought would make her happier. It definitely helped that our personalities and temperaments are quite similar, but there is definitely something for everyone in this book. If you only read one book out of this list, this might be it.

Why Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants
My brother brought this home from a trip to Portland, and it went through our roommates and friends like wildfire. While I didn’t think it was as good as The Oatmeal’s The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances, the males in my life loved it. I could tell when they were reading it by the giggling or full out laughter that would bounce through the house.

Modern Romance
This one far exceeded my expectations. I have complicated feelings toward Aziz Ansari. I loved him in Parks and Recreation and thought he was sexist in a standup I saw. He earned some points back with this one. Get ready for real data and some hilarious quips. I particularly enjoyed some of the blurbs they included from their focus groups/subreddit. It also made me incredibly thankful to not have delved into the complexity of online dating. I got stressed out just reading about it. We have an overwhelming amount of choices. Good luck, my friends. Good luck.

Like No Other
In case you can’t tell from all of the books above, I’m in a bit of a nonfiction groove right now. This was my only fiction this month, and it just didn’t do it for me. To be fair, it’s a young adult book, but for some reason I was holding it to higher standards. It just wasn’t for me.

What should I read next? Any fiction or nonfiction books you love?

More Books: You can see all of my recommendations here.

Currently reading Clean Eating: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body. While I won’t be doing a “clean eating diet” or a “detox diet,” I am certainly going to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods in my diet and steer clear some of the big inflammation (and upset stomach) instigators. Hopefully my ankle responds well and heals faster.

Why do we wait for perfect? Let’s encourage all progress toward sustainability.

I want to eat these dark chocolate pots de creme every day. With only 11 grams of sugar from honey per serving, they are my current favorite substitute that my sweet tooth hasn’t noticed isn’t actually full of sugar.

Why are we so unsatisfied with the limits of our bodies?

The LA Times story on Oxycotin was shocking.

But not as shocking as the wage gap for NBA players and WNBA players. Women athletes still don’t make what their counterparts do. Let’s do something about it already.

Let’s keep doing more of this. And remembering to treat what we have well and buy used first.

Things I wrote:

Best Habits of Yoga Teachers

7 Crazy Things Eucalyptus Oil Can Do For You

7 Things You Didn’t Know Pepper Could Do

The Best Gluten Free Ice Cream Brands (I consider myself an expert on this one)

These healthy cookbooks were a breath of fresh air and a fun way to try new recipes. I am on a major crusade to add more vegetables and nutritious foods of all kinds to my daily diet. To get inspiration, I have been checking out loads of cookbooks from the library after reading Skin Cleanse  – I had 10 at home at one point. From a couple of my old standbys to new goodies, I highly recommend them all.

6 Healthy Cookbooks

1. The Oh She Glows Cookbook
I loved this book. Every recipe is stuffed with vegetables and whole foods. I made the miso orange bowl that was ah-maz-ing. More please!

2. Thug Kitchen
I can’t get enough of this cookbook. It makes me laugh every time I flip through it or make a recipe out of it. Thug’s blasé approach to cooking is refreshing and makes my time in the kitchen so much less stressful. No other cookbook has ever encouraged me to take a break and check my Tumblr while I waited for something to cook. My mom gave this to me a couple Christmases ago (you heard me), and I’m still discovering new recipes out of it. I can’t recommend it enough.

3. My New Roots
The pictures in this book are stunning. It felt full of light and the seasonal recipes were a fun way to remember that nature takes care of variety for us. Some of the recipes had a few more ingredients than I usually use, but for the most part they are straight forward. I saved quite a few recipes to whip up sometime soon.

4. Superfood Smoothies
I wanted to love this book. I really did. But I just couldn’t. It was a great introduction to a lot of new ingredients and it definitely encouraged me to open my mind at least a tiny bit about what I can put in my smoothies. But a lot of the recipes just didn’t suit my taste. Totally worth a perusal regardless of how you feel about vegetables in a smoothie.

5. The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon
I do wish these recipes had fewer ingredients and overall less sugar, but I do love me some bowls. I really enjoyed seeing so many different takes on one of my staples. Bonus, the photos are gorgeous.

6. The Homemade Pantry
Sometimes you just need to step up your snack game and kick the packaged stuff to the curb. I’ve written about this one before, but I think it’s worth mentioning again. If you want to get a little more in tune with what you are eating and you love snacks, this one is for you. It’s also great if you are hoping to be zero waste (or just have fewer chip bags in your trash).

Is anyone else hungry now?

More Books: You can see all of my recommendations here.

I haven’t stopped talking or thinking about Skin Cleanse: The Simple, All-Natural Program for Clear, Calm, Happy Skin since I started reading it a few weeks ago. I have long been looking to my diet to clear my skin and help me heal, but never quite like this.

While Skin Cleanse focuses on curing skin aliments with what you put in your body and on it, I took so much more than that from it.

Skin Cleanse Takeaways

Food heals.
What we eat matters. Before you ‘duh!’ me, hear me out. From the macronutrients we live off of to the micronutrients that feed our cells, each thing we eat and the things it’s made out of make a difference. We so often break down our foods into “carbs,” “fruits and vegetables,” “fats,” and “proteins,” but do we ever stop to consider how much vitamin D we are eating or what sources of folate we added to our diet today? After reading Skin Cleanse I am much more aware of the micronutrients I need and finding whole food sources to get them.

Less is more.
Whether it’s what I slather on my skin and hair or eat, less is almost always better. Simple ingredients and routines will do just as well, if not better, than the 10 step morning skin regimen.

Variety matters.
It’s so easy for me to fall into eating the same things every day. Toast or oatmeal for breakfast. Carb-rich leftovers for lunch. Rice and vegetables for dinner. The same foods rotate through my week constantly depending on the season. Same goes for skin. What works in the winter might not be what’s best in the summer.

Your body knows what it wants.
Adina Grigore really hit this point hard, and I appreciated it. Your body knows what it needs. It’s up to us to pay attention and figure it out.

Listen more closely.
Stop being in denial. It’s so easy to ignore what our bodies tell us, but if we actually take the time to listen we can take control of our health. I am a firm believer that we have the tools we need to improve our health, we just have to tap into our bodies’ feedback.

You’re in control.
From acne to lingering fatigue to frequent headaches, what’s happening to our bodies can feel completely, overwhelmingly, out of control. The frustration can be extreme, as can the feeling of helplessness. Endless trips to specialists and prodding tests often lead to fewer answers and more confusion in my experience. Every time I end up in and out of the doctor’s office I am reminded that no one knows my body like I do. While I may not be able to tell you the exact chemical reaction or cellular function of what’s happening in my body, I can certainly tell you how I feel and what seems to make it better or worse.

And that knowledge is powerful! I am so thankful every time one of my doctors tells me how I can improve my health. Whether it’s tips on things to avoid or eat or a not so subtle reminder to relax and reduce my stress, sometimes we need to be reminded that so much of our health and wellness is within our control.

Balance is key.
A clean diet is important. Enough is sleep is paramount. But making room for the things that bring you happiness and joy is vital. Skin Cleanse, while pushing me to eat better and take care of my body with better nutrition, also made me more aware of where things were out of balance in my life. Feeling guilty over eating a serving of ice cream isn’t healthy, but neither is binging on the entire pint.

Beauty products are hiding in your kitchen.
I can’t wait to dig into some of her recipes and slather myself in magical, homemade creations.

Doing it right.
Sure, there are things I hope to change, but there are also so many things I am doing right. Pat yourself on the back for eating healthy fats, getting enough sleep, and chugging water like a champ.

What I changed after reading Skin Cleanse

Wash my face with water.
I started washing my face in the morning with just water per Adina’s advice, and was surprised by how great it works. The queen of less, the constant advocate of ‘simple is better’ somehow completely forgot to think about how people washed their faces for thousands of years.

Try new foods and mix it up.
Most people would not describe me as ‘adventurous,’ but I am approaching what I eat with a greater sense of wonder and exploration. I’m looking forward to trying new foods and coming back to some of the things I’ve written off before. I also want to break my habit of always eating the same couple of things, but not at the expense of extra stress and time.

Food journal for two weeks
The word food journal makes my skin crawl, but what Adina outlines in Skin Cleanse is unlike any food journal I’ve read about before. There’s no measuring. There’s no calculating calories or serving sizes or macronutrients or grams. I tracked how I felt when I woke up and during the day. For her recommended two weeks I generally tracked the things I ate and how much water I drank. I didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know or have a hunch about, but putting in writing “I feel nauseated after eating dairy” is powerful. It’s a lot harder to justify eating a hunk of cheese when I know that in an hour I won’t feel well. Ditto for sugar jackpots.

I’m an experiment.
I get frustrated when I try “cure” after “cure” only to end up no better or worse. Instead of treating each new thing I try as an end all, be all, I’m going to take a cue from Tim Ferriss and treat myself like a walking experiment. I’m taking out the investment I often feel that this new thing has to make it better. I’m substituting amazement and curiosity instead of pressure and desperation.

No more denial.
This has two meanings for me. The first is ignoring my body’s feedback. My food journal was a great reminder of how often I eat things that don’t really nourish my body. It also opened my eyes to how frequently I eat things that I don’t really like or that don’t make me feel very well. Second, food should certainly nourish and heal, but it should also bring joy and contentment. Denying myself a cupcake because sugar is bad for my body and feeling like I am suffering or in a constant state of want isn’t good either.

Sugar awareness.
I know, I know, sugar is the devil’s work. Our bodies respond to it like cocaine. I hear you. While I will certainly curb my intake, I am not going on an anti-sugar crusade. A treat every once in a while is part of my balanced, healthy life. Sugar after every meal or even each day, less so.

All.the.vegetables.
The more vegetables, the more micronutrients. Count me in for more. I’m on a mission to massively increase my intake. I even put some spinach in a smoothie, despite being adamant that there should be a strong divide between fruits and vegetables. I also am swapping out my go-to snack of potato chips for crunchy veggies.

More:
My minimalist skincare routine
Safe and effective mineral sunscreens
My love of face oil

The books I read in April were inspiring. They left me feeling excited to make some changes in my life and they refueled my creative energy.

March on the other hand was a little different. It was a slow reading month for me. Life got busy and density of How to be Alive was like trying to run through water. I didn’t post anything last month because I barely finished two books. And I wasn’t jazzed up about them at the time.

March and April Reads

Let’s start with the ones I just can’t wait to tell you about.

Skin Cleanse
Well worthy of its own (upcoming) post, skin cleanse has motivated me like few other books have. And it’s not just me. I spent hours this week talking about it with friends and my family. I have made my own beauty products for a while now and I have long know about the harmful chemicals often put in cosmetics, but more than anything this book reminded me that what I eat is even more important than what I put on my skin. In an effort to heal faster and make my skin happier, I am launching a major fruit a vegetable focus after reading this book. More soon, but you should read it while you wait.

Meanwhile in San Francisco
I fell so hard for this book. I was giddy while reading it and feeling completely inspired to draw and create and explore what I’m capable of. Wendy MacNaughton spent time in the places she featured, and her immersive experience inspired me to be less afraid of talking to people and getting in there. You’ll want to pull out your water colors after this one. And explore the city a bit more.

Fates and Furies
I’m not sure this one was worth the hype. Maybe it’s that I’ve been in a bit of a non-fiction groove and this just didn’t fit in, but I didn’t love it. Overall, it was weird. I struggled to connect with the characters and their lives felt too unreal for me to get behind the stories. It was a strong “eh” for me.

How to be Alive
I was so stoked about this book for the first 50 pages. I had so many “yes!” moments. But overall it was dense. I started to feel like it was too repetitive, and I lost steam. Would I recommend it? I’m on the fence. I love the main principles and I learned some great things, but overall it was a bit of a struggle and I’m not sure I would suggest someone else do the same.

Here are some of the quotes that stood out to me the most:

“Thinking that careers and jobs are the only way to security and meaning and helping the world is another of those standard life approaches we need to move away from.”

“To not live in line with my values is the real sacrifice.”

“No one else’s path will fit your life.” Read it again. Really.

And the main purpose of the book: “Learning to trust and apply the principle of being guided by values, passions, and concerns in all manner of life decisions is the central theme of the book.”

How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
While I don’t have any plans for longterm travel right now, I really enjoyed imaging it and understanding how people make it happen. This was a helpful tool for me for planning future adventures. Worth a perusal – especially the specific sections for countries/areas you are interested in visiting.

The more I work on my computer, the more time I spend cruising the internet. It’s so easy to open 10 tabs in my five minute Pomodoro break. And then hoard them until my computer threatens to crash with every click of a mouse.

I’m working on cutting back on my over-abundant online reading. (A true media diet might need to be in order…) But in the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of the things I enjoyed this week. From new blogs I discovered (and binge read immediately), to podcast episodes, to things I’ve written in other place, there’s a little bit of everything.

Digital Digest

Choosing to Skip the Upgrade and Care for the Gadget You’ve Got
YESSSSSSS! I’m writing this on a four-year old computer after reading this article on my four-year old phone. I cried when my last computer died. The Apple store guy just didn’t get it. Love the one you’re with.

Skin Cleanse
I can’t get enough of this book. I’m only halfway through and I’m already eating better and paying more attention to how I feel. It also caused a massive cookbook binge from my local library. Must.Have.More.Vegetables.

Trash is for Tossers
This ignited a serious zero waste kick for me. I took jars to the store, guys. I bought nutritional yeast. I was that hippie. And I loved it! Fantastic blog.

Wonder Bars
I have been trying to desperately cut my sugar (and thus my inflammation), but I couldn’t kick the sweet tooth cravings. My mom made these bars years ago from an InStyle magazine, and I went in a desperate search across the desert of the internet to find them. Dark chocolate with a little healthy crunch. Wonder bars indeed.

Tim Farriss and Caroline Paul Podcast
Oh man. I’m super obsessed with Caroline and her partner Wendy MacNaughton right now. Likely a larger part of a different post soon, but in the meantime, you should listen to Tim talk to the total badass. She was in the SF Fire Department for years. She took up luging. Now she’s a gutsy writer.

Update: Forgot about the part where I said I would include links of some of my work from the week.

23 Organic Beauty Buys Under $15
I use hardly any beauty products myself, but I love to look at all of the things. I had a blast writing this one. Bonus! I discovered a great daily face sunscreen in the process (more coming soon).

8 Chic Sweatpants For Your Laziest Days
Written in sweats. Boom.