OCTOBER 2019 :: ON MY SHELF

Hello and welcome back from my extended summer break. :)
READING
2008 was a milestone year for me. I studied abroad (SFS Turks and Caicos) and lived on the Cape for the first time (WHOI Summer Student program). I turned 21, made incredible friends, and started my senior year of college. In the middle of the summer, I took out a book from the Woods Hole Library that always stuck with me. (Fun fact - the Cape's library system is called CLAMS - Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing. I obviously love this and take full advantage of this). 
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So bear with me now, because this book has since taken out new meaning culturally since then; but it was Eat, Pray, Love. Maybe because I read it at such a formative time. Maybe I was just looking for a light-hearted beach read. But I devoured that book like you wouldn't believe - I took pages of my notes, I wrote in my journal, and before the end of the book, ended an unhappy relationship that I hadn't had the courage to otherwise.

At a friends' encouragement I picked the book up again, and I keep saying WOW out loud. Like, is the way I view spirituality more impacted by this book than I thought? Is that where I came up with the idea for XYZ? To be fair, not all of the book has aged well - and hopefully I've grown some - so there are a couple cringey moments. But I'm enjoying the re-read, and will enjoy watching Julia Roberts in the film again. I vagutely recall loving how Julia-Elizabeth dressed. I'm also on the waitlist for Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, City of Girls. Next month!

​LISTENING
Okay, let's just lean all the way into 2008 here. (It was a happy year, okay?) The fall, Taylor Swift released her album Fearless - and I was over. it. Way too country for my pop-punk ways. Fast forward to 2019 and within two days of its release, I had memorized every single song off her new Lover album. I love everything this girl has become and I will sing her music loudly and with abandon.
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PODCASTING
This is a two-for-one deal here  - a podcast-book combo. In fact, a book so good I checked it out via CLAMS (ha) and then immediately proceeded to buy it online because I knew I needed a personal copy. Meet Rebel Talent. I heard about the book on a recent episode of NPR's Hidden Brain, You 2.0: Rebel with a Cause. Shankar's guest, Francesca Gino, talked about visiting Massimo Botturo's restaurant to learn how he successfully broke the rules of the restaurant industry to earn his Michelin stars - without being formally trained, no less. 
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(Side note - now this is a three-for-one. I learned about Massimo on Season 1, Episode 1 of the Netflix series Chef's Table - I hardly ever watch TV but this show gives me hope for a beautiful world and the celebration of food and culture.)

Francesca was engaging and turned her research and data collection into pure inspiration. The book is well written too, weaving between different narratives and timelines while also being educational. It's a great book for someone who colors outside the lines, and wants to further develop their entrepreneurial, curious nature.
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Start with the Podcast, then read the book, and finish with the episode of Chef's Table while booking your flight to Italy.

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