Mackenzie Carose

As The Page Turns: November Edition

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Mysteries mixed with some non-fiction reads; let’s get to it! 🙂

What She Found by Robert Dugoni

This is the latest book in the Detective Tracy Crosswhite series, and it was such a good mystery in and of itself, but I didn’t like how one part of the case involving the actions of another detective, did not get resolved. It wasn’t a cliffhanger per se in the normal workings of that word, it was just… unresolved. Other than that, this series is still brilliant and worth all the reads!

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

You know me and my British mysteries! I can’t not read them 🙂 The Marlow Murder Club revolves around a trio of women who are strangers but eventually come together to solve a string of murders taking over their village of Marlow. It was just okay, nothing to write home about. It felt like it was trying to be a bit like The Thursday Club Murders in having a geriatric woman lead the way in solving the murders and having secrets in her past that get uncovered. That being said, it certainly didn’t put me off Thorogood’s books and I will be reading the next one in the series when it becomes available at my library.

Things That Matter by Joshua Becker

Joshua Becker runs the popular blog Becoming Minimalist and has written several books regarding the topic of minimalism which I have read. I find his books easy to digest and I really enjoyed this book. My favorite chapter in the book had to do with the concept of fear and why we are afraid to do the big things that will make our lives better. He had a lot of great quotes but one I wanted to share here was this: “When your fear of not achieving your purposes is greater than your fear of trying, you’ll begin to overcome the distraction of fear”.

Still: Slow Home by Natalie Walton

Absolutely beautiful coffee table style book showcasing people around the world making the choice to live an intentional and slow life. The photographs in this book were just stunning. Very inspirational and apparently many people thought so; it took a few months for my turn to read this from the library, the queue was so long!

That’s it for me! Looking forward to next month and the last book round-up for the year 🙂

Minimalism Is Not…

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Minimalism is not devoid of life although many purport it to be. Many see minimalism as stark white rooms, no furniture, or if you do, it is just a random chair in the corner or something. One cup, one plate, one pair of pants, etc… and anything else you own could probably just fit into a backpack. Minimalists are without humor and like everything to be modern: their clothing, their architecture, their music, even the authors of the books that they supposedly don’t buy.

Real fun people to be around, right?

That’s the thing about minimalists though, is that we are all different and there is no correct formula to adhere to. There are minimalists that live in tiny houses and some that live in a four-bedroom house. Some minimalists love the color blue, and their living room is painted that exact perfect shade of robin’s egg while others prefer an accent wall in their bedroom of the sweetest buttercup yellow. Some minimalists even own, and I hate to tell you this but, but some of them even own more than one plate. Shocking, I know.

See, the thing about minimalism is that it just gets you from point A to point B. Get rid of what doesn’t matter in your life to make room for what does. Tired of picking up all the things and spending your weekends cleaning when you could be out with friends enjoying a bike ride? Yup, I’ve been there. I like things tidy, but I also hate constantly picking up stuff. I don’t always want to be tidying when there are other things I want to do. Minimalism helps me with that. By having less clutter, less stuff, it is less for me to manage, to take care of. I can spend that time with my daughters which is much more important. Taking care of all the clutter? Not so much.

Minimalism is not a droll existence, living life to the least extent possible. I spend time with my family which I enjoy. I watch films, I read books, I try new restaurants, I go for walks. I love to bake, and I love listening to music. I love the holidays and I enjoy learning and traveling to new places. Minimalism reminds me of what I value and what I place importance on, and it is not collecting and housing things. I enjoy home decor as much as the next enthusiast, but I know when my space is decorated enough and to just let it be. I don’t need to keep up with the latest decor trends because I am content with what I have. Contentment is key with anything. If you are always looking for the next best thing, you will never be satisfied. Striving in and of itself can be quite exhausting.

Minimalism is not about aesthetics, and it is not about living someone else’s life. It is about living your life however that may be, whichever way that be, without all the extraneous stuff holding you back. Consider what is essential and what is necessary and also consider what is superfluous and nonessential and make adjustments accordingly.

Essentialism, intentionalism, minimalism. They are all branches from the same tree.

Living a life that you value.

As The Page Turns: October Edition

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New month of book reviews 🙂 Let’s get to it!

Disconnected by Emma Gannon

I actually meant to add this to last month’s book round-up but completely forgot. The subtitle to this book is “How to Stay Human in an Online World” and Gannon shows how to do just that. I have really been interested this year, in how we use social media to connect with each other but also how social media leaves us feeling awful at times and we wonder why we even use it. The influencing and advertising culture is at an all-time high and people are starting to feel the effects of it all and are unhappy. I found this book so interesting, and I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Minimalista by Shira Gill

It is marketed as a step-by-step guide to a better home, wardrobe, and life, but it is so much more than that. This book really helps you to understand why we hold on to things and shows you really and truly how much easier your life will be if you have a place for everything. Life moves so much smoother when you know exactly where your keys are when you need to leave each morning. Little things like that and so much more are in this book, and I just loved it.

The Vanishing Type by Ellery Adams

I have really been into cozy mysteries this year which used to not be my thing. I think I have been drawn to them because the real world is so awful at times, I think I need an escape. The Vanishing Type is the latest book in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series and I absolutely loved it 🙂

Village Affairs and Trick of the Mind by Cassandra Chan

Same series, two different books, two different reviews. Village Affairs was just okay. I figured out who did it and then had to slog through most of the book until the denouement which was a let-down as far as mysteries go. Trick of the Mind however was so, so good and I literally stopped everything I was doing, just so I could finish it and find out who the culprit was. Definitely night and day regarding these books but I enjoy this series which revolves around Scotland Yard Detective Jack Gibbons, so much.

That’s it from me! Anything interesting you have read lately? Let me know 🙂