Munchies, Music & Mental Health

I am not one of those people who buy birthday gifts super-early. You know the ones - they shop throughout the year and whenever they see something that is perfect for a friend or family member, they buy it and stow it away for 6 months until the actual occasion.  Nuh-uh. I clue in a couple of weeks before and look for something then.

I made an exception recently, however, because I did happen to stumble upon that perfect thing that I knew a friend of mine would love. Although I bought it for my friend, once I got it home and flipped through it, I fell in love with it for ME too, and went back and bought one for myself later.

This item is the cookbook pictured above - it's titled "Musicians, Memories & Morsels" and it was compiled by Halifax musician and music executive, Lana Grant. Not only does the book have super-cute retro graphics, yummy recipes contributed by some of the most well-known and loved Maritime musicians, but it is also a fundraiser for mental health charities.

Mental health is an issue that is close to the hearts of most, me included. I don't like to talk about it, but I struggled with depression in high school and actually attempted suicide. I still struggle with anxiety issues and people close to me also suffer from similar disorders as well as more serious ones, such as schizophrenia. I know what it's like to want help but not know how to ask for it. I know what it's like to feel alone and isolated, or like there is something "wrong" with you.

I feel like there is more and more dialogue around these issues every year and people are becoming more open to talking about it, but in general these issues do not get the attention they deserve. Many, like me, are reluctant to discuss their issues or reach out for help and even if they wish to reach out, they are unsure where to go. Overall, mental health is still considered an awkward, dark and "touchy" issue.

But this book is the opposite of that -  it is colorful, fun and creative. I like that. I applaud Lana's niece for sharing her story about living with bi-polar disorder, and I applaud Lana for putting together this book to honor that and to raise much-needed awareness and funds in a bright and open way.

I just love the names of the sections - so creative!

I haven't cooked anything from the book yet, but I hope to very soon. I can't wait! I also can't wait for my friend to open hers - I just KNOW she will love it, too!

Even if you don't care about supporting local charities, I would encourage you to run out and pick up this book as well (it's available at Chapters!!). Even if you don't care about supporting local music, you will at least appreciate the book for it's easy and tasty recipes! And, heck, even if you don't care about tasty food, it will give you something pretty to look at, and who can argue with that.

But I know none of you are so low that you don't care about helping people in your community - that's one of the great things about Halifax - people here care about each other. This book is proof of that.

Aviatrix

I was perusing a gift shop in North Conway, NH back at the beginning of August, and as I am often wont to do I wandered into the book section, intrigued by the variety of titles...

Is anyone else really attracted to books by their covers?? Ok, ok, I know we're not supposed to do that, but I can't help it! If a book has a cool cover, it just pulls me in - makes me pick it up and read the back. I buy books all the time just based on the cover and the description on the back only and my instincts usually do not fail me.

Anyway, this one book in particular pulled me in - I did buy it, and am I ever glad I did:

I had never heard of Beryl Markham before, which shocked me, considering what a fabulously adventurous and public life she had. She was the first woman to fly cross the Atlantic solo non-stop, and east-to-west, which at that time was considered the "hard" way because of winds (Amelia Earhart may have been the first woman to cross the Atlantic period, but she did not actually fly the plane - didn't know that either!). In this flight, she also became the first person to make it from England to North America non-stop east-to-west.

Fun fact: On her cross-Atlantic flight, she actually crash-landed in a bog in a place called Baleine Cove, Cape Breton. She spent some time there and in Halifax (my hometown!) while her plane was repaired, before moving on to New York City, where she was greeted by thousands of people celebrating her record. The Nova Scotia government even contributed money to a brass replica of her plane, commissioned by the RAF for the 50th anniversary of her flight. Who knew when I picked up that random book in that random store in NH that I would find a connection between my home and an important historical event!

She worked as a bush and medical pilot for years in South Africa, where she was raised, often making dangerous flights on her own in extremely remote areas. She also became a noted and respected horse trainer in Kenya and trained/competed well into her 70's. And this at a time when women were not generally allowed to have careers, let alone "adventurous" "dangerous" and "male" ones like the ones she chose.

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She was married three times, and had many scandalous love affairs, including a long-standing one with Prince Henry (brother of the eventual King George VI, aka Colin Firth). It was widely believed that the Prince was the father of her son, although this was never proven. Another of her lovers was Denys Finch-Hatton (aka, Robert Redford) and they were actually in a relationship at the time of his death in a plane accident.

I found this story of BM's life fascinating - Mary S. Lovell writes with such detail and such respect for her subject, while also being honest about her flaws. Her research is clearly impeccable. She even got to meet Beryl in the mid-80's, spending several weeks with her talking and going through her personal papers and photographs. What a wonderful opportunity. This book was written before I was even born and my only reservation about that is that I never got to meet BM myself! It sounds like she would have been a sparkling dinner companion, as my mother would say.

There are so many wonderfully quirky and dynamic people that are hidden in the anals of world history and it's a shame more people do not know about them. This particularly applies to women I suppose because their achievements were not always afforded the same attention as those of men. I loved this book so much that I read Lovell's bio of Amelia Earhart immediately after (yet another notorious aviatrix, but one with a very different life and character).
 

Here's a tip from me to you - pick up a bio of someone you have never heard of the first chance you get and read it. You never know what you will learn or what they will inspire you to do.
 

What did Beryl and her author inspire ME to do? Well, try and track down THIS gem, for one! Anyone know where I could find it?? Wish me luck!

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Boat-hitching

Since I moved into a new apartment a couple of months ago, which is across the street from a very cool Library, I have made a commitment to start borrowing books instead of buying them (at least part of the time). I recently figured out how to borrow e-books and download them onto my Kobo e-reader - cool, huh?

I love books and I love new books, but buying them can be hard on the wallet if you go through them quickly like I do (I read on the bus every day - to work and home - so I sometimes can finish a book in a week's commute. A new book every week? Yeah, not in the budget).

On my very first trip to the Library after making this commitment, I found a little gem in the travel book section that has become one of my new favourites - Adrift in Caledonia:

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I had never heard of Nick Thorpe before so I wasn't sure when I picked it off the shelf if I would like his writing, but the story certainly sounded 'up my alley'. It turns out I did enjoy his writing - very much so - and the story more than I even thought I would. Basically, Nick is an Englishman living in Glasgow, Scotland and he decides to take a trip around the entire country (2,500 miles!) entirely by hitching rides on boats (hence "boat-hitching"). And hitch rides he does - he travels on everything from rowboats, submarines, fishing boats, ferries and kayaks - every kind of boat you can imagine really, on every kind of waterway you can picture (I had no idea that Scotland has an entire system of canals!). Although some sections of his trip were pre-planned, most of the time he literally (and bravely) has to walk up to people he doesn't know and 'bum' rides. He has to completely rely on the kindness and open-mindedness of yachters, rowers, fishermen, and sailors to complete his trip, and he even has to help crew some of the vessels. Fortunately for him, this allows him to pick up snippets of their 'stories', and the personalities and experiences of these people are what gives the book its real heart.

This book not only fed my wanderlusty soul with the whimsy and romance of a long-distance trip, but it also instilled in me a newfound respect for people who make their living on the water (NOT a cushy existence in most cases). As someone who has lived their entire life next door to the ocean, I understand the pull that the water enacts. There is something simultaneously magical and scary about being on the water - it has a kind of mystical power and beauty that is very exciting, although you know it could turn ugly on a dime. It's hard to explain if you are not someone who has grown up by the ocean, but I definitely get it.

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I have some Scottish heritage and have always wanted to visit this country, but before reading this book I would never have thought of exploring it by boat. I hope I get to have a seafaring adventure in the home of my ancestors someday like Nick did, but in the meantime I was able to do so vicariously thanks to this wonderful book.

If you like books about sailing, boating, travel and/or journeys than you should read this one. If I can find it at the Library, I think I'll read his other story Eight Men and a Duck (a voyage to Easter Island in a reed boat?! That is just crazy enough to be awesome!).

His latest book Urban Warrior sounds great too. Sigh, so many books, so little time.

Have you read a book recently that really spoke to you? What are your favourite type of books to read? Do you prefer to buy or borrow books?

When you take a path, the path takes you

Found here

"Being a Canadian in Europe is a lot like being Welsh in North America: no one really cares. It's not that they hold it against you. If anything, they have a vaguely positive image, a sort of benign lack of interest, as it were. 'Canadian? That's terrific.'" - Beyond Belfast

This is my most recent read. I really enjoy reading travel books, but I was particularly attracted to this one because it involved a walking trip (walking/hiking are major hobbies of mine) and the author is Canadian. His writing style sounded similar to Bill Bryson (my favourite), which only added to the appeal.

I was not disappointed!

The book documents the author's attempt to walk the entire "Ulster Way", which is (at the time he walked it anyway) the longest waymarked trail in the British Isles - 560 miles!

This book is very funny - Will Ferguson has a dry, sarcastic wit that I found really entertaining. On the other hand, many of his passages are quite poignant and emotional. His descriptions of the landscape are lovely:

"This sloppy trail skirted the edges of several small ponds among the trees, with cattails standing in their own reflections. In one pond, the sudden leap of a fish breaking the surface sent long, slow ripples circling outward; a perfect haiku moment."

He writes a lot about the civil unrest that has existed in Northern Ireland for decades, and how he experienced this first-hand as a visitor. He writes about countless clashes between Protestants and Catholics and the culture that has sprung up around this rivalry. I had no idea the issues were that complex so it certainly provided insight into the country and its people.

There is an underlying storyline regarding his grandfather, who emigrated from Belfast to North America as a young boy and was an orphan. Ferguson spends part of his trip tracking various branches of his family tree to try to unlock the mystery of where exactly his grandfather (and therefore, he) came from. I actually wish this personal part of the story was discussed more indepthly, but what was discussed added a nice dimension to the book and made it about more than a physical walk on a tangible trail.

This would be a really cool trip to do sometime! According to my research, the trail has changed a lot since Ferguson hiked it in early 2000 - the website calls it the "new" ulster way and sets the total length as 625 miles, split into "quality" sections and "link" sections for more manageable walking. I have always been a walker, but have gotten more into it since I started dating the boy because we both really like to hike together. That combined with the fact that I have always wanted to visit Ireland, and most likely have some family heritage there myself, means that I have added this trip to my list of "to-do's".

Who knows - maybe this time next year, I will be able to say I followed in my new favourite authors footsteps.

"May the winds o' the heather be lashin' the Mournes afore the devil shakes yer sausage"

Un-Happy Haulidays

Well, alas I did not win the Chronicle Books Home for the Haulidays contest I wrote about here, which means no free books for me or for anyone who commented. WAH!

However, twas not all in vain! Chronicle is offering we bloggers + our readers the following deal:

35% off + free shipping through December 16, 2011

Use this promo code at checkout: HAULIDAYS

Huzzah! So, you can still pick up some books and if not for free, at a reduced cost.

Thanks to everyone who commented! It was fun to search the site and make some picks (and daydream). Until next time...what are you waiting for?! Go read something!

If You Could Read My Mind, Love

I recently discovered a sweet company through one my favourite bloggers, Bakerella. For those of you who haven't heard of her, she's a "cake pop" maven! If you like baked goods and fun, easy recipes check out her blog ASAP!

Anyway, Chronicle Books (@ChronicleBooks) is the publisher of her cake pop book, and I stumbled upon their website through following her book tour. I'm hooked! They publish really fun, quirky, witty books with some of the coolest graphic cover art I've ever seen. I could spend hours perusing their site. I ordered this book for my mom for Christmas (she makes the best whoopie pies).

So, given how much I love this company, and the fact that I'm a huge book-worm, I was soooo excited to learn about their Happy Haulidays contest.

By blogging a list of Chronicle books (valued at up to $500!) I would love to see under my Christmas tree, I'm automatically entered to win said list! Better yet, anyone who comments on my post will win the list too! (ahem, hint hint)

It would be so amazing to win up to $500 in books - I wouldn't have to buy a book for two years! I mean, I love me some books, but they can be pricey and I'm one of those wierdos who likes NEW books and therefore frequents bookstores and Amazon.ca when I really should be visiting the library (oh hello, budget, haven't seen you in a while!). Feeding my habit can get pricey so needless to say, winning a huge stack of lovely books would be very much appreciated. If I won, I probably wouldn't leave my apartment for, oh, a month or two because I'd be too busy caressing all the cute covers and absorbing every whimsical word.

The only issue is there are so many books on the site that I'd love to read, it was hard to narrow it down (believe it or not the list below IS in fact a narrowed down list!). Don't say I didn't warn you ahead of time about the book greediness (what?! All they said was $500 limit, and I'm well within that! Don't judge me!). This means there are too many for me to write a little blurb about every single one, so photos (and short comments here and there) will have to suffice. Photos are better anyway because you can get an eyeful of the aforementioned gorgeous cover graphics! Behold the awesomeness (and pray to the book gods for me to win - draw is Dec 13th)! *remember to comment below if you want to be entered to win too!*


I am CONSTANTLY writing myself notes, so this would be very handy

Yes, Kerry, please help me 

Such a sweet story behind this one!

Meow!

Considering my financial sitch I'll be renting, oh, forever so new decor tips would be great!

BEAUTIFUL

I love to doodle and colour!

 

Frida Kahlo is one of my fav artists. I just read a novel that features her and really enjoyed it

Bahahaha. Oh cat lovers and their silliness

I really miss doing yoga, and lets be honest, we could all use a little "om" in our workday once in a while, am I right?

J'adore dips, and everyone loves the person that brings dip to the party!

Just something I wanna learn more about...

In conclusion, I'd just like to say that books are the shiz. Listen to Levar Burton kids, "take a look, it's in a book!"

Happy Reading!

Get Thee to Greece, Twenty-something!

I just finished reading an amazing book. I read a lot of books and I'm not very picky about such things so I usually enjoy them. But it's rare to find a book that gives one the feeling that the writer is speaking directly to you, as if you are sitting across from each other in a coffee shop having a chat, and that (eerily) their experiences, hopes, dreams, fears and thoughts directly mirror your own.

This is how I felt reading Traveling With Pomegranates, a non-fiction story co-written by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor. The story follows Ann and her mothers journeys together through Greece and France from 1998-2000. These were not only physical journeys for them, but also spiritual, both women being at a kind of crossroads in their lives - Sue, just turning fifty, entering menopause, and being faced with the inevitability of her own aging and death; Ann, fresh from college, rejected from graduate school and confused and disillusioned about the world and her place within it.

I have read Sue's books The Secret Life of Bees and the Mermaid Chair, and really enjoyed them, so her name is what first made me pick the book up (along with the dramatic, slightly haunting cover - I'm a very visual person) but once I read that this was a non-fiction travel-while-trying-to-figure-life-out story, I wanted to read it even more.

The main reason this story spoke to me is because of the close and complicated mother-daughter relationship at its centre. My mother and I have just such a relationship, and we also love to travel together, so I knew I could relate to it. Once I immersed myself into the story however, I began to hear the book speak to me, mainly through the passages written by Ann, as her struggle at that time is the struggle that I'm going through right now. I guess you could call it a "quarter-life crisis"; a kind of lost feeling in terms of who I am and what I'm meant to do. I have so many questions rolling around in my head concerning these issues that I can barely wrap my brain around them - like a jar full of frantic fireflies, chaotically darting all over with no set path, constantly bumping into each other and against the glass. At the time of her and her mother's travels, Ann was feeling this too. She was a few years younger than I am now, but the worries and questions are the same.

Through the travels that she and her mother take, and the impressions that these experiences leave her with, Ann slowly realizes her spiritual path - to become a writer. Even once she figures this out, the questions and insecurities still linger, mingled together with new ones, but a renewed sense of calm and purpose comes to her. I can only hope that with patience and travel on my part that I will find this too. Mainly it was nice to hear that I'm not alone, that she was in the same place and found her way.

I have tinkered here and there with the thought that I might be able to be a writer myself - this is something I've dabbled in my whole life, something I enjoy and feel good about my skills in, but have never really taken seriously. However, this introspective time in my life combined with the lessons learned about my inner self in the past year, have planted a seed in my brain. I still have millions of insecurities and a whole lot of trepidation inside regarding following this path but Ann's experience made me realize that some of this is normal, and sometimes, if you feel deep down that it's right, you just have to go for it. I'm certainly not going to turn around and publish a novel tomorrow, but it has inspired me to at least explore this side of me a bit further.

Aside from all of this philosophical and self-aborbed bull (from me, not the book), the book also made me want to go to Greece and France SO bad! Sue and Ann's beautiful words really capture the places they visited and were a pleasure to read. I love travel books except for the fact that they just make me want to go to all the places I read about, namely places that I don't have either the time OR money to visit (ironic, eh?).

PLEASE - anyone who is experiencing either a "quarter-life crisis" or a "mid-life crisis" - GO READ THIS BOOK! You may not have a spiritual breakthrough, but if nothing else the prose will make you smile and feel a little more secure about your life problems.

Oh, and the closing passage of the book contains my new favourite quote from Anais Nin, which I think is a great metaphor for one of the reasons I love writing: "We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection". Happy travels :)