A Few Book Reviews {Perfect for National Introverts Week}

Hey guys! So did you know this week is National Introverts Week? I didn't until I saw an article pop up earlier today. Apparently World Introvert Day was back in January, but I seem to have missed that this year. 😉

I believe I am in good company with many other introverts here on Steem. I think that is one of the reasons why I have enjoyed this sphere more so than many others because no one gets upset with you if you need a few days away. Whereas on other sites if I don't post for a day or two I automatically lose "followers". I enjoy making friends and connecting with people, but I also need plenty of alone time to recharge. This is especially true with working in a field where I have to be "on" a lot when interacting with clients. I can only be around people (even online) for so long before needing some real quiet time on my own.

One of my favorite ways to spend my quiet time is by reading a book. No music or television in the background to distract me. Maybe a warm beverage at hand and a cozy blanket if I really want to pamper myself. I switch up what genre I am reading depending upon my mood. I will always love Stephen King as one of my first favorites, but also really enjoy John Irving, Ken Follett, Anne Rice, and countless others. I try to hit classic literature every now and then, but I'm definitely not above some popular current reads (some are definitely better than others). Often I have to read nutrition and fitness books or articles to keep on top of the trends in my field, but do also read food and cooking-related books for pleasure.

That's where my first two books I'll share today fit in. Both by Bee Wilson, I finally jumped into "Consider the Fork" after having it on my Kindle for a few years and my mom loaned me "First Bite" after she enjoyed the book. After reading both of these selections, I may have to check out some of her other works, as well.

Though it took me a while to get into CTK, it ended up catching my interest when I started the second time around. The book chronicles different advancements in cooking and how the new technologies impacted what we eat and how we eat it. It was really interesting to go back and really look at how different things that we take for granted now were such huge leaps back then. Everything from cooking over a fire, to different metals used for pots and pans, and of course how the fork came into vogue as a utensil. The history aspect was really intriguing, and of course I really enjoyed the cooking focus. Even now it is amazing to see some of the modernist approaches to food like molecular gastronomy and all of the nifty gadgets you can now find in kitchen stores. I think anyone who really has a love for cooking and enjoys history will find some joy in reading this book.

My mother picked up FB as the grandmother of a picky little toddler. She is trying to do her part to make sure my niece is well-fed (though she's not above spoiling her in any number of ways, haha). I actually found this one interesting right from the start. Though there are some similar themes, this book is more about how we develop our likes and dislikes when it comes to food. She really lays down a lot of research which basically points to much of our eating choices stemming from early exposure and how the people around us eat. Family is so influential, but then greater culture really has a huge role, as well. Some of it makes me angry--like trends in obesity as "kid" food that is pumped full of sugar, fat, and chemicals is marketed to children, but then how many adults still eat like they are children as a result. It is also sad to see some of the research on how girls and adult women have a much higher likelihood of viewing food as something "forbidden" and how men are groomed to think salads are "girl" food. She has a whole section on disordered eating. Many of you may have noticed in our current culture that while not everyone has an eating disorder, so many of us have disordered attitudes and habits towards food and eating.

Though there are definitely some low points, the overall message is that despite our current attitudes and early exposures, it is never too late to change and form a much healthier relationship with the fuel that we put in our bodies. As someone who works with people to try to do just that, I found many great points and ideas to take with me going forward. I highly recommend this book if you find the psychology of eating interesting. It is one I might just read again to take some notes the second time around!

Last, but definitely not least, I can't leave out a quick plug for the @steemfiction first compilation Voices in the Darkness: Tales from the Steem Blockchain. I saw a few of my pals from @steemitbloggers had stories in the book, so I downloaded it from Amazon to add it to my collection! It was a great read, but also just fun to support some of my fellow Steemians on such a cool project. Of course I did a review on Amazon for them, but here is what I wrote:

I was more than happy to pop on to download a copy of this book once I saw a number of my favorite Steem bloggers had written stories in the collection. As much as I enjoy reading blogs, my first love is to have a book (or Kindle) in hand to totally dive in to a story with no distractions or multiple tabs open on my computer screen! As someone who grew up reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz, I tend to enjoy tales of the supernatural. This collection of stories did not disappoint! I purchased the book on a Sunday and finished reading the last selection by Thursday. It had been a while since I had read a compilation like this with different authors, so I had forgotten how fun it could be to jump from style to style in one book. Each author brought his or her own characters and plot line, but it was also interesting to see certain similar themes carried over in a few of the pieces, as well. I don't want to give too much away about specific stories, but you'll find everything from ghosts to super human powers to collective consciousness throughout the collection. And though you might be expecting darkness, there is quite a bit of light...

They have a paperback edition out now, as well. Definitely check it out. I know I am excited to see what stories will be shared in the next round! Bravo on a job well done ladies and gents!

Well, now I need to find some other reading material, so any suggestions are welcome. Shout out to all my other introverts this week, too. Make sure you get a little of that alone time, in whatever form you crave. We need to keep our tanks full if we want to be able to continue to give of ourselves to others, so never feel ashamed of needing some time out!

Happy reading my friends!

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