Those who know me know me or have lived with me know I have a slight addiction to cookbooks. I blame it on my job. Every afternoon I walk through the BYU Bookstore to go home... and I walk right next to the Bargain book area... and the first things I see are the bargain cookbooks. I accidently bought 6 in one month and then Andy told me I was no longer allowed to buy cookbooks (so I just didn't tell him when I bought a new cookbook after that). Luckily, when I had gotten tired of looking at all the pretty pictures in those books and reading all the interesting tidbits (really... you thought I bought cookbooks just for cooking?) I got married... and got lots of free cookbooks (especially dessert cookbooks) and life was happy once again. I've almost forgotten what all cookbooks I have (like the time I was frantically looking for a good pancake/waffle recipe completely forgetting that I have a whole cookbook DEDICATED to pancakes/muffins/waffles!!). But... I now get to add one more to my collection.
I won a raffle on Goodreads for a free copy of the upcoming "Pioneer Woman Cookbook." For those of you who don't follow any recipe/food blogs religiously (umm... I follow three and two of them are in my links) Pioneer Woman is the originator of a lot of the recipes circulating around. I've never really looked at her site, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited about winning the book! Because A) who doesn't love winning something and B) I get a new cookbook.
Every day I spend the day wondering if this is the day when the book will show up at my apartment... If I'll get to spend the night curled up with my new cookbook looking at all the pretty pictures (I firmly believe that cookbooks are just picture books for grown-ups) and then deciding which recipes to try out.
Moral of the story: Goodreads is amazing! Lots of new authors give away copies of books in order to get some good reviews of their books going, so it's a great way to try to pick up a few new books! Also, if you're ever in doubt as to what sort of present you should get me, a cookbook is a very good option... especially if it has lots of pretty pictures or it's written by Martha Stewart, Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa anyone?), or some other fabulous chef.
P.S. I've also updated the look of my blog a little. What do you think?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Feminism is often seen as a dirty word in society today--especially inside the Church. Inside the Church, feminists or even just women who don't have a desire to get married and become stay-at-home moms immediately are often looked down on as someone who obviously doesn't know the plan of salvation--even though we all know it should be a question answered by the woman, her husband (if she has one), and the Lord. Even in Provo, a city full of people dedicated to the pursuit of high education, I've gotten my share of comments from people who don't understand why I'm choosing to pursue a master's degree right now and why I'm not having children right away since I'm only 2 months away from my B.A.
Even I had been asking myself these questions. Since this is the first semester I've been married and in school, this is the first time I've had the ability to completely control how clean my apartment is and be able to make the food I want when I want it (don't worry, I do let my husband make some decisions when it comes to food). Unfortunately, because of school I haven't been able to do those things the way I'd like. I don't have the time to do a lot of the things I'd like to do. Because of this, I've found myself asking why I care so much about getting an M.L.S. now and Ph.D. sometime in the future. My husband and I could just as easily use the money we have saved up for my tuition to make up for my not working so I could be a full-time homemaker and begin having children.
This book reminded me why that's not the path I've chosen, and why we as women need to resist being told we need to fit in that role to be the perfect woman. I have friends who have chosen that role (and there's nothing wrong with choosing it), but it should be something that is an individual choice and not something that anyone feels compelled into. Before reading this book I knew it kind of started the Women's Movement in the 60s and 70s and assumed that it was a man-hating, anti-children, pro-career manifesto. After reading this book, I can say that it is not at all that way! I wish there was a condensed version for women (and men) who aren't interested in all the theoretical stuff (aka... lots of Freud) but still included all the information about the "problem with no name" as Friedan names the depression that many housewives faced at the time (and continue to face now). Although some of it is a bit extreme, I found it refreshingly honest.
And this book isn't saying that being a homemaker is bad--being a housewife is, but being a homemaker isn't. Friedan argues that every woman needs to have a creative outlet not tied to the home. Whether that be a part-time or full-time job, innovative community service, or continual education every woman should have something meaningful to engage her mind throughout her life. That is what feminism is all about. It's not about saying that one image of womanhood should be privileged over another or that every woman needs to do it all. It's saying that every woman deserves to be seen as a whole woman with interests outside of being a mother or hoping to be a mother.
Society however, cannot see things in those moderate terms. In my English class we were talking about a recent study on CNN stating that homemakers are now happier than women who work. I believe it's because women who work feel the need to do it all, keep a perfect house, make a gourmet meal every night, be involved in their children's lives, and be involved in the community. These are all worthy things to be doing, but it leads to someone who is completely burned out. As women and as a society, we need to demand the rights to be allowed to be imperfect people, but individual humans with interests in many different things first and foremost.
Even I had been asking myself these questions. Since this is the first semester I've been married and in school, this is the first time I've had the ability to completely control how clean my apartment is and be able to make the food I want when I want it (don't worry, I do let my husband make some decisions when it comes to food). Unfortunately, because of school I haven't been able to do those things the way I'd like. I don't have the time to do a lot of the things I'd like to do. Because of this, I've found myself asking why I care so much about getting an M.L.S. now and Ph.D. sometime in the future. My husband and I could just as easily use the money we have saved up for my tuition to make up for my not working so I could be a full-time homemaker and begin having children.
This book reminded me why that's not the path I've chosen, and why we as women need to resist being told we need to fit in that role to be the perfect woman. I have friends who have chosen that role (and there's nothing wrong with choosing it), but it should be something that is an individual choice and not something that anyone feels compelled into. Before reading this book I knew it kind of started the Women's Movement in the 60s and 70s and assumed that it was a man-hating, anti-children, pro-career manifesto. After reading this book, I can say that it is not at all that way! I wish there was a condensed version for women (and men) who aren't interested in all the theoretical stuff (aka... lots of Freud) but still included all the information about the "problem with no name" as Friedan names the depression that many housewives faced at the time (and continue to face now). Although some of it is a bit extreme, I found it refreshingly honest.
And this book isn't saying that being a homemaker is bad--being a housewife is, but being a homemaker isn't. Friedan argues that every woman needs to have a creative outlet not tied to the home. Whether that be a part-time or full-time job, innovative community service, or continual education every woman should have something meaningful to engage her mind throughout her life. That is what feminism is all about. It's not about saying that one image of womanhood should be privileged over another or that every woman needs to do it all. It's saying that every woman deserves to be seen as a whole woman with interests outside of being a mother or hoping to be a mother.
Society however, cannot see things in those moderate terms. In my English class we were talking about a recent study on CNN stating that homemakers are now happier than women who work. I believe it's because women who work feel the need to do it all, keep a perfect house, make a gourmet meal every night, be involved in their children's lives, and be involved in the community. These are all worthy things to be doing, but it leads to someone who is completely burned out. As women and as a society, we need to demand the rights to be allowed to be imperfect people, but individual humans with interests in many different things first and foremost.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Readicide by Kelly Gallagher
So, I've been doing a lot of reading lately... and a lot of very good reading, but unfortunately I've been doing so much reading that I haven't had much time to write about it (and since I seriously doubt that anyone actually reads this as a way to find good books I can't really justify spending much time updating this). That being said... I just finished a book that changed my life... seriously. Readicide by Kelly Gallagher should be required reading for anyone dealing with children and teenagers and education. As a college student planning on being a school librarian, I found many things in there to help me help teachers cultivate more avid readers.
At the same time that it made me think about the future and store away this knowledge, it also made me think about my reading habits right now. In the last 5 weeks I've read approximately 5,000 pages. While I love everything I've been reading, I don't have time to do anything but read. I spend every minute when I can't be reading thinking about how I'm going to squeeze in a few more minutes of reading so that maybe, just maybe, I can get ahead. Because of this, I rarely remember the details of what I read. When it comes to class discussions, I contribute a lot less than I have in the past. I don't even have the time I need to write the papers I will ultimately be graded on.
This book made me realize that there are some fundamentally simple things I could do to increase my reading comprehension. 1)Take notes in the text. Underline or highlight passages that move me. Stick flags next to these passages so that in class when we're talking about things I can point to specific instances instead of just talking about generalities. 2) Read slow enough to think about what I'm reading or take a few minutes at the end of a chapter or reading section to stop and think about what I've read instead of just rushing off to the next assignment. In these two things, any type of reading experience can be improved--scripture study, reading a text book, reading a newspaper. Any type of reading you do will be improved by thinking it through and working at it.
Often in psychology you are required to look back at your life to identify what has led you to act/feel/behave the way you currently do. If you are one of the countless human beings who does not classify himself as a reader, you should read this book. Think about whether or not the problems Gallagher defines are what has turned you off to reading. And then take a step towards becoming a reader and an informed citizen. Read a book. Read a newspaper or a blog. It doesn't matter what you read, just read something--and then tomorrow read a little more.
P.S. In case you're wondering what other books I've been reading lately I'll give you a quick list of the must reads: The March, Plot Against America, The Book Thief, Chalice, Deerskin, and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.
At the same time that it made me think about the future and store away this knowledge, it also made me think about my reading habits right now. In the last 5 weeks I've read approximately 5,000 pages. While I love everything I've been reading, I don't have time to do anything but read. I spend every minute when I can't be reading thinking about how I'm going to squeeze in a few more minutes of reading so that maybe, just maybe, I can get ahead. Because of this, I rarely remember the details of what I read. When it comes to class discussions, I contribute a lot less than I have in the past. I don't even have the time I need to write the papers I will ultimately be graded on.
This book made me realize that there are some fundamentally simple things I could do to increase my reading comprehension. 1)Take notes in the text. Underline or highlight passages that move me. Stick flags next to these passages so that in class when we're talking about things I can point to specific instances instead of just talking about generalities. 2) Read slow enough to think about what I'm reading or take a few minutes at the end of a chapter or reading section to stop and think about what I've read instead of just rushing off to the next assignment. In these two things, any type of reading experience can be improved--scripture study, reading a text book, reading a newspaper. Any type of reading you do will be improved by thinking it through and working at it.
Often in psychology you are required to look back at your life to identify what has led you to act/feel/behave the way you currently do. If you are one of the countless human beings who does not classify himself as a reader, you should read this book. Think about whether or not the problems Gallagher defines are what has turned you off to reading. And then take a step towards becoming a reader and an informed citizen. Read a book. Read a newspaper or a blog. It doesn't matter what you read, just read something--and then tomorrow read a little more.
P.S. In case you're wondering what other books I've been reading lately I'll give you a quick list of the must reads: The March, Plot Against America, The Book Thief, Chalice, Deerskin, and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.
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