52 Books in 2019 July Update

I decided in January to make an ambitious list of 52 books I already have access to, in paper form or audio book and read them by the end of December 2019. At this rate, I probably won’t make it, but I have thus far read 12 books (and started many others) that I wouldn’t have otherwise read. I also joined my church’s book club (although I missed the last two meetings). This was such a great decision for me, as I’m feeling inspired, and connected with other people who love good books.

What have YOU been reading lately?

(BOLD means finished)

  1. The False Door by Brett King
  2. How to Fix a Broken Heart by Dr. Guy Winch (twice)
  3. White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
  4. Dead Certain by Adam Mitzner
  5. P.S. from Paris by Marc Levy
  6. Educated by Tara Westover
  7. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
  8. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  9. Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings
  10. The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson
  11. How to Fix a Broken Heart by Dr. Guy Winch (twice)
  12. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
  13. Haunting Charlie by Wendy Wang
  14. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman
  15. The Library Book by Susan Orlean
  16. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
  17. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
  18. The Covert Passive-Aggressive Narcissist by Debbie Mirza
  19. The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
  20. A Serial Killer’s Daughter by Kerri Rawson
  21. The Intuitive Eating Workbook by Evelyn Tribole MS, RDN & Elyse Resch, MS, RDN
  22. Money Making Mom by Crystal Paine
  23. Bone Music by Christopher Rice
  24. The Flux by Ferrett Steinmetz
  25. Rain Girl by Gabi Kreslehner
  26. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
  27. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
  28. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
  29. How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge by Clay Scroggins
  30. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk
  31. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
  32. Becoming by Michelle Obama
  33. Nonbinary. Memoirs of Gender and Identity
  34. No Walls and the Recurring Dream by Ani DiFranco
  35. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

52 Books in 2019

I’m going to start by making a list of books I already have access to, in paper form or audio book. I’m certain I will go “off list,” too.

(BOLD means finished)

  1. The False Door by Brett King
  2. How to Fix a Broken Heart by Dr. Guy Winch (twice)
  3. White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
  4. Dead Certain by Adam Mitzner
  5. P.S. from Paris by Marc Levy
  6. Educated by Tara Westover
  7. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
  8. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  9. Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings
  10. The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson
  11. How to Fix a Broken Heart by Dr. Guy Winch (twice)
  12. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
  13. The Intuitive Eating Workbook by Evelyn Tribole MS, RDN & Elyse Resch, MS, RDN
  14. Money Making Mom by Crystal Paine
  15. Bone Music by Christopher Rice
  16. The Flux by Ferrett Steinmetz
  17. Rain Girl by Gabi Kreslehner
  18. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
  19. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
  20. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
  21. How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge by Clay Scroggins
  22. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk
  23. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
  24. Becoming by Michelle Obama
  25. Nonbinary. Memoirs of Gender and Identity
  26. No Walls and the Recurring Dream by Ani DiFranco
  27. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
  28. The Library Book by Susan Orlean

My Goals for 2019

I finally took the plunge and upgraded this site to a business account. I have been waiting FOR YEARS to do this, and I realize there will never be that perfect time, or that magic angel whispering in my ear to do it now. I just have to DO IT! And so I am!

What are some of my personal goals for next year?

  • Read or listen to 52 books.
  • Save up 3 months of living costs in case of emergency.
  • Pay down our 2 car loans.
  • Set up a weekly and monthly newsletter with Tiny Letter.
  • Collect all of my haikus into one concise book to shop around.
  • Launch 1-2 online classes.
  • Record and market one music album and associated video components.
  • Host a monthly crafting experience.
  • Grow my TupperWare and essential oils businesses.
  • Create and maintain an inventory for my online jewelry store.

As you can see, I have more than a few things on my mind! But, I will be breaking them down into bite sized steps, and enjoying the experiences as I go.

Letting go…

Danielle LaPorte inspires me often.

Danielle-LaPorte-List-of-things-to-give-up-2

Click on the picture to read her list!

Here’s my list.

  • I give up the feeling that I’m not worthy. It’s done.

  • I give up the doubt and judgment I have towards myself, which keeps me frozen in fear.

  • I give up being dependent on other people.

  • I give up thinking that I am not enough. I am.

  • I give up waiting for other people to value me.

  • I give up feeling lonely when I am great company, and I have a lot of friends who love and care about me.

  • I give up sacrificing my needs for what I think are more noble causes.

  • I give up pushing people away when they get too close.

  • I give up waiting for validation.

  • I give up keeping quiet when I have something to say.

What do you give up? Let me know in the comments!

 

Cactus Pear

I tried three new-to-me fruits – cactus pear, pepino melon, and pomegranate.

Cactus pear is the fruit of the prickly pear, or Opuntia.  Also known as cactus fig and Indian fig, the plants grow all over the world in the proper climates.   It can be found in South America (mine was grown in Chile), Mexico, and desert climates in the United States.  It is also found in Southern France and Italy, Sicily, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and many other places.

I got my cactus pear at a grocery store (Wegmans!) and all of the prickly parts had been removed.  There are many warnings about touching these fruits without proper gloves, and taking care not to touch the fruit even if the spines have been removed.  They also have something called glochids, which you don’t want to mess with.

1280px-Opuntia_littoralis_var_vaseyi_4

Creative Commons from the Wiki page – Stan Shebs

The insides of the fruit are a deep red.  The meaty pulp is heavily speckled with seeds, which are extremely hard.  We removed the meat and then strained the seeds out of it.

The texture of the fruit seed to me to be quite similar to quava or mango – lots of liquid contained within the meat.  It was sweet and enjoyable (except for the prevalence of seeds!).  It also stained my fingers a slight pink from eating a tiny piece.

You know I love my health protein shakes these days!  Mom and I are going to add some fruit puree (minus seeds) to our shakes.

I would also love to try dyeing some fabric with the gorgeous red fruit.

Here are some recipes I’d like to try using cactus pear.

Tuna and Peas with Parmesan Cheese Sauce

tuna cheese peas

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons gluten-free corn-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch paprika
pasta of choice (I used a gluten-free corn-free spaghetti)
1 can of tuna
frozen peas

First, start the pasta according to directions on the package, using a fairly large pot. The pasta will take the longest to prepare.

Next, start the cheese sauce – melt butter in a medium sized pot on medium-high heat. Add in flour and whisk continuously for about a minute. Keep whisking while adding in the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, while continuing to whisk. Once at a boil, cook for about 2 minutes. Add in the parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika. Keep whisking! When your sauce is smooth and not lumpy, it is done.

Drain pasta when done, and put it back into the pot. When cheese sauce is ready, add it to the pasta. Also add the tuna and peas at this time. Stir over low to medium heat until peas are hot.

Serve and enjoy!

tuna cheese peas

Love, Cori!