Books of 2017

It's time for my favourite post  OF. THE. YEAAARRRR!

If you weren't aware: I am in love with reading and I try to read at least one book per month over the course of the year. I also love getting book recommendations and seeing what other people are reading (seriously, I follow people on Instagram who only Instagram books and their bookshelves @sweptawaybybooks and @bookmarauder are my favourite. Even if I never read any of the same books I still love their posts!) The last two years I've shared all of the books I've read and this year is no exception so buckle up!

I like to read about 15 books a year but that didn't quiet happen this year. Thinking back on the books I read this year I initially thought it wasn't a great year as far as finds go, but then looking at each title I realized I've found a new favourite author, a couple new favourite genres, and there have been quite a few amazing reads.

So without further adieu here are my 2017 reads:

Girl in the Woods: A Memoir- Aspin Matis

I have a really great habit of making my first book of the year a really great one. Girl in the Woods was no exception. This book came from my obsession with the Pacific Crest Trail after seeing Wild a few years ago. I seriously hope I could hike it one day! I originally grabbed this book based on the cover alone and then after reading the back I knew I had to get it. Aspin Matis was raped on her  second night in college. She eventually dropped out after dealing with the psychological and physical trauma of the event and decided that to heal she needed to walk the Pacific Crest Trail alone and with the minimal amount of gear. Her story is such an amazing tale of dealing with trauma, searching for independence (after being someone who was over cared for and over protected her whole life by her mother) and healing in the face of all of those things. I loved every bit of this book.

Everything, Everything- Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything was one of the flops for me. It definitely wasn't a bad book in any sense, it just wasn't written for me. It was geared towards a much younger audience (not that I'm above YA novels- holla at yah girl Hunger Games and Fault in Our Stars!) I just found it a bit predictable and a bit childish. The characters were very 2D if you know what I mean. If you know any 12 year olds though I'm sure they'd gobble this up.

A Wrinkle in Time- Madeline L'Engle

Speaking of books that weren't written for me: A Wrinkle in Time definitely did not have a 25 year old woman in mind when it was written. Fair enough. I had heard good things about it though and I figured I would still find it entertaining. I honestly just found it a bit boring. Maybe I'll like the movie that's coming out soon though!

The Dinner- Herman Koch

The Dinner was a good read! Definitely not a new forever favourite but I liked it. The Dinner takes place in a restaurant in Amsterdam over dinner with a husband and wife, his brother and sister-in-law. They come to discuss something their sons have done. I won't give you much else because I don't want to ruin it but it was a very interesting, slow burner. It gave me a twinge of anxiety throughout the whole novel and was a very cool look into relationships and their complexities.

The Psychopath Test- Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson is my new favourite author and his genre of commentary on society and psychology is a new favourite as well (as you can see there's another Jon Ronson on this list AND I listened to his podcast The Butterfly Effect in two days. It's basically like he was about to write a new book and made it a podcast instead.) In the psychopath test Jon starts by exploring what psychopaths are and where/how they present in our society. It's seriously fascinating. My favourite thing about Jon Ronson's writing is how organically he stumbles on to his subjects and then he let's his curiosity lead the way. He leads an amazing life by simply following these stories wherever they take him.

Working Stiff: 2 Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner- Judy Melenik 

My read last year of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematorium led me to delve further into the world of what happens to bodies after death. This book DID NOT disappoint. Judy Melenik was a NYC Medical Examiner for two years. A lot of her cases were murder and crime cases and it was the coolest to see how much they can determine from autopsies. They can basically break down how you died second by second and even blow by blow. Interestingly enough her biggest piece of advice was to never smoke cigarettes and always wear a seatbelt. Check and check. Judy was two months into her work as a NYC Medical Examiner on September 11, 2001. It's not something we think about but Medical Examiners had to work countless, tireless shifts after September 11th to help identify bodies and even and more commonly: body parts. The amazing work they did during that time left me in awe. Seriously, read this book.

Into the Wild- Jon Krakauer

I picked up Into the Wild while in Alaska (it was very fitting). It just felt right to be reading Chris McCandles' story while staring into the wilderness that killed him. It gave me such an understanding about why he would actually want to have lived in the Alaskan wilderness, and such a respect for such rugged and unforgiving terrain. Novels about man (and woman) vs wild are some of my new favourites.

Turning Stones: My Days and Nights with Children at Risk- Marc Parent

This book was a no brainer for me: hello, this is what I want to do with my life. Marc Parent was a social worked in New York City and he shared all of his stories, good and bad, in his novel. It was an incredibly heart breaking and even terrifying read. There were times when Marc could do nothing to help these children, and times when they didn't want him to, and times when he didn't do enough. It was a really important read for me and one I keep in my mind as I continue to pursue a career in the social work field.

It Was Me All Along: A Memoir- Andie Mitchell

This. Book. Guys. It was about something so simple as one woman's struggle with weightloss and about so much more as well. I felt like Andie Mitchell was my friend the whole time and she was telling me this story that was so difficult and so triumphant at the same time. I don't usually read memoirs about weight loss but I'm so glad I read hers. It was something I could definitely relate to and her struggles were #real. I adore Andie Mitchell and besides that she is a seriously amazing writer. Get it girl!

In a Dark, Dark Wood- Ruth Ware

This was another throwaway read for me. I picked it up in Florida and it was the simple beach read I thought it would be. A lot of books have come out post Gone Girl that basically throw a female lead in, give you some sort of murder mystery and send you on your way. This was no exception. Interesting enough but pretty predictable.

So You've Been Publicly Shamed- Jon Ronson

This book was read in a 72 hour period. It was so great. Another example of Jon stumbling on to an interesting topic and following it wherever it may take him. Seriously, check him out. 'Nuff said.

When Jeff Comes Home- Catherine Atkins

This was a book I had on my shelf forever but picked it up. It's YA and I had read it when I was a lot younger. I picked it up out of nostalgia. This is about a boy who is kidnapped, held for two years and released. I love these kinds of stories (Room is one of my favourite books). That being said, it was a pretty crap version of Room. Same-ish story but with a lot less information and a lot less believable (Hello! He got dropped off by his kidnapper and NEVER went to the hospital for examination and only talked to the cops like 2 days later). I know it's a YA novel so I'm trying to give it some grace. It was a lot more about him dealing with the trauma of the kidnapping and abuse but if you're looking for a book along these lines I would recommend Room or even a true version of it: A Stolen Life: A Memior- Jaycee Dugard)

Those Who Fight Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI- Robert K. Ressler and Tom Shachtman

I've been obsessed with criminal profiling ever since I read a book about serial killers in the 8th grade (guys, watching CSI every day after school really did a number on me). The story was basically that a man had murdered someone and just through criminal profiling they knew the man was white, lived in the area and what he would generally look like. They began knocking on doors and happened to knock on the killers door and he immediately confessed. I just love that there's such a correlation between who people are and what they do- even when it comes to committing crimes).  This book is basically Mindhunter (which is amazing btw, go watch it) and I've listened to so many true crime podcasts and things that everything I'm reading is so familiar to me that I keep thinking "wait, I know this. Where did I hear this first?" But hey, still pretty great.

I've also listened to a couple of audio books this year (a first for me!)

The Magnolia Story- Chip and Joanna Gaines

You guys, I am a fixer upper fan for life. I am pretty devastated that it's over (not to be dramatic or anything!) I listened to this book when I was giving up tv for a week earlier this year. It's such a sweet read. I liked hearing Chip and Joanna's backstory and how they came to live this amazing life that they're now living. My favourite thing overall was just how kind they seemed. The way they live their life and treat people is definitely admirable.

Wild- Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed is amazing. She basically obliterated her life (cheated on her devoted husband, began using heroin) in the wake of the death of her mother. To take her life back she spent months walking the Pacific Crest Trail. The entire story is heartbreaking and inspiring and messy and beautiful. Her relationship with her Mom brought me to tears on so many occasions and I was in awe of her strength throughout. I loved this book.

IT- Stephen King

When we got stuck driving all the way home from Florida unexpectedly this year I decided to download IT. I had just seen the movie and sometimes after seeing a movie I get an itch to get all the little details that get left out. I'm not currently done it yet, and won't be for a long time (hello 44 hr read time) but I'm enjoying it and I'm getting glimpses into the kids all grown up. So cool!

I hope you enjoyed this years reads! I'm going to follow up with a post of my reading goals for 2018 so stay tuned!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Bibliophile

Mother Daughter Weekend in the Mountains

Last weekend was just what I needed! After a busy busy year I've been needing a weekend of relaxation and that's just what I got! My sister was turning 29 (better you than me, sister) and my Mom wanted to celebrate while also getting in some quality Mother/Daughter time so we all packed up to go to Blue Mountain for the weekend.

We headed to Blue Mountain to go to their amazing spa, La Scandinave. There's no snow on the mountain yet this season so it was the perfect time to go. Still cold and wintery but not as busy as it would be peak season. Also, we don't ski...or snowboard...or even try to leave the house during winter time so it's good we weren't getting in the way of true snow worshipers.

We headed to Blue Mountain Friday morning after picking up all the fixings to make a delicious charcuterie board, oh and wine too of course.

We had a great hotel room right in the village so we wasted no time dropping our stuff in our room and heading to the shops. We looked around and grabbed some lunch (along with sangrias of course).

Later in the night we headed to La Scandinave. I've heard tons about this spa but it surpassed everything I was hoping for. It's so luxurious! Oh and seeing it all decorated for Christmas was so beautiful too.

We got there at 5pm and immediately got into our bathing suits and some big robes! We headed out to the baths and took time floating in the hot baths (no cold plunges for me thank you!) and the eucalyptus steam room and saunas. We still had more time until the main event (our massages) so we went inside and had tea in the cafe. It was so fun to be sitting around in robes and basically just lounging our lives away. The massage was so great! I used to HATE massages but now I LOVE them. It's the best way to destress and spend some quiet time (even if your mom does book you in for a couples massage with your sister).

After the massages we headed to our room to finally enjoy our charcutterie, some wine and Christmas movies before heading to bed.

The next day we were excited to head into Collingwood to explore the shops. We grabbed breakfast at a cute little restaurant in town and then popped in and out of some of the amazing little stores they have.

After exploring my mom and sister were ready for a nap (old lady status) and I was ready to hit the gym. I was so impressed with our hotel gym! There were free towels (sorry this is exciting for me but you have to pay for them at my gym), free earphones, and even chilled towels in a little fridge. It was such a good way to work off all the wine we'd been drinking and continue my relaxation weekend.

I came back from the gym to this:

Straight up old bird.

We went out for drinks at an Irish pub that night and then out for dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant.

It was a great weekend with my Mom and sister and such a relaxing way to spend some girl time! We're going to need to make this a yearly event, if only so I can get a mind blowing massage once a year...oh and to use that freaking gym again!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Pampered Princess

Around This House

For the first time in about six months life is beginning to slow down. I know that sounds dramatic but since May we have had something going on every single weekend. We either have some kind of event, or we're spending time with our friends, or I'm working my other job, or a combination of all three. It's all been great things but I am dang tired.

Looking back on all of that though, I'm seeing that it's been a seriously amazing year. We crossed so many things off our bucket lists when we went to Vancouver and Alaska and bungee jumped while we were there. We went to a magical little treehouse for Jordan's birthday. We completely neglected sleep to make the world's quickest trip to Missouri to visit some beloved friends. I went away for a girl's weekend and was in a wedding. We went on our first trip with Jordan's family to Florida. We got some amazing new tenants and said goodbye to a couple of seriously missed ones. We also repainted the entire rental unit and did lots of updates upstairs and downstairs which meant I finally got the kitchen I'd been dreaming of. All of that makes me find it so hard to believe we've fit that all into one year.

Now that it's all starting to slow down I'm grateful for all that we've done and I'm also grateful for the quiet moments we've stepped into as well.

It's getting mighty cozy over at our house and we're taking advantage of our free time to snuggle on the couch basically 24/7.

Here's what things have been looking like around this house:

<< I've never been more in love with a slab of concrete as I am with my front step >>

<< It may be super dark in the mornings now but it sure it pretty>>

<< Oh my beloved kitchen! My butchers block counter tops and subway tile make me smile. Also we FINALLY got a dishwasher this year and man oh man my life is changed. I am a free woman and Jordan and I are like "well what do we argue about now?!" *Just kidding- kind of* >>

<< I got a new rug this weekend and I'm still not over it. 

My living room is finally becoming a place I actually want to spend time. We used to have a GIANT faux leather sectional that bad boy Peter had basically ripped to shreds. Now we have a perfectly sized couch and I have come to claim this as my new reading space>>

<< I wasn't kidding. This is my new favourite place to end my night.

Side note: murder books and podcasts are my not-so-guilty pleasure >>

<< Oh and the Christmas decorating has begun. Next up: the tree! >>

<< Everything is infinitely more cozy with a cat.

LOOK AT HIS ANGEL BABY FACE! >>

I love this blue house of ours.

Bonus: here is the best picture of Peter that has ever been taken. Almost makes me forget what a little devil baby he is. 

Until next time!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Cozy Curator 

My Earnest Attempt at Clean Living

Recently I've been working on integrating more eco-friendly and sustainable practices into my life. I'm working on cutting down the plastic I use and am making a concerted effort to be more conscious of the waste I create on a daily basis.

My family and I recently went on a quick trip to Missouri. When I was a kid my family lived in Missouri for four years for my Dads job and during that time we became close with a family that we still visit today. While we lived in Missouri they took us in, gave us a community and they've come to feel like our own family now. They have a farm where they've raised chickens, grow grapes, raise cattle and everything in between over the years. They currently have two cattle, a vineyard of grapes and a big pear tree. We fed the cows, picked grapes off the vine and pears off their tree. Throughout they kept re-iterating their hate of chemicals either when it came to pesticides, or in raising their cattle. This is something I already knew I really appreciated and loved.

One day we came onto the topic of makeup and talked about all the chemicals in something as simple as the baby wipes I said I use to take my makeup off. My first reaction was "you should see the makeup I put on my face, the baby wipes are the least of my worries." Later, I reflected on the discussion and thought "why don't I care about that?" I know I don't want chemicals in my food but why am I okay with slathering chemicals into my pores?

The first reason I know I've been reluctant to delve into the world of chemical free makeup is the price. Most clean makeups are double the price. I've also found them to often be less effective and harder to find.

I stumbled upon an app called ThinkDirty. You can search for any makeup or household product and see where it rates on a scale of 0-10, 10 being the worst for you.

I typed a few of my commonly used products in and wasn't necessarily surprised that they were made of chemicals but the word carcinogen was not very welcome to my eyes.

I decided I would try replacing items as I go and see how that works for me. Instead of spending tons of money at once I could work to find clean products and switch them out with my old ones as I needed them.

As it happened I was in need of some new lotion and some new deodorant. I went to the drug store and spent some time searching some brands in my ThinkDirty App. I liked Honest Brand and Burts Bees the best and will be trying more of their products in the future but for the day I picked up the Honest Brand lotion.

The next thing I needed was deodorant and I had no idea where to start with that. All I could see were the common chemical-filled brands I'd become accustomed to. I went to the grocery store next and ventured into their health beauty section and found the Green Beaver Company deodorant.

So far I'm enjoying the Honest body lotion. It's definitely not oily and seems to offer good coverage for a small amount of lotion. I also like how it's for my face and body so I'm not buying multiple different lotions. The Green Beaver deodorant was a good first purchase but I'll probably consider trying some other brands in the future. I love the scent and maybe I'm just used to the protection of the chemical-laden deodorants from the drug store but it's definitely not great for all day protection. I may just need to change my routine and bring the deodorant with me in my purse instead of expecting it to work all day like my old deodorant. I'm liking it so far though and enjoy knowing I'm not leaching aluminum into my body through my arm pits.

My next buys that I'm interested in are going to be the Physicians Formula makeup. I'm excited to try their mascara and they have great scores on the ThinkDirty app. One thing to remember though is that just because one product has good scores on ThinkDirty does not mean that all products from that brand will. Look up each product to get the most accurate information.

I also wanted to give you a quick update on my attempts at living plastic-free. My favourite purchase by far has been my re-usable produce bags!

I bring them to the market and to the grocery store. It's nice not having to search for the produce bag dispensers and I don't have a huge pile of plastic bags to get rid of once I unload my groceries.

Second runner up: my reusable produce tote

I just love the look of it and love bringing it to the market or loading my groceries in it.

I haven't used my bamboo silverware or stainless steel straws much but I also don't do a ton of eating out where I don't have access to a set of silverware. I know I want to bring them on my trip to Hawaii next year when we'll be driving the road to Hana and eating from stands on the way. One thing I REALLY want to get into the habit of is bringing my re-usable coffee cup with me and actually using it.

Other things on my sustainable Wishlist:

<< Reusable Ziploc Bags >>

We have Tupperware but I'm a big sucker for Ziploc bags. They're just so much more compact.

<< Beeswax Wrap >>

Beeswax wrap is an alternative to plastic wrap. The wrap applies itself to whatever you need to wrap with just the heat of your hands. It's washable and re-usable. I'd love to give it a try.

So far I'm enjoying my attempt at living a cleaner, less wasteful existence. I'm still learning and going through a lot of trial and error but it's been fun so far!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Sustainable Student

Florida and Irma and Driving OH MY!

Earlier this month Jordan's family and I headed down South to the lovely city of Sarasota, Florida to take a vacation together and soak up some of the Florida heat after a wildly disappointing Canadian summer. 

We hopped on our plane from Toronto with the forecast calling for rain all week but that couldn't get us down! When we walked out of the airport in Sarasota the heat hit us like a wall and we all got excited to get out in the sun whenever the weather would let us. It actually ended up being a beautiful week. We had rain two times for about a half hour each. We spent the week baking by the pool, shopping, and eating. All the best vacation activities.

Because it was so hot I quickly worked to master my dutch braiding skills. Look how straight that part is, you guys. I mean, that's pure art. This hairstyle was a necessity for making it through any day of 35 degree humidity.

Another way we kept cool was by shopping for hours on end. Every time I'm in Florida I go to Target a minimum of 5 times to look at their dollar section, wander through their clothing department, and pickup another pack of Justin's Peanut Butter Cups that I convince myself I'm going to bring home but eat instead and have to go back the next day to restock. 

And we got lots of great new duds:

<<  New clothes, who dis?

Things to note about this picture:

I look a million miles long and that's my main motivation for posting it

Jordan looks like a tiny and very uncomfortable hobbit, which I love

Jordan's mom photobombing the picture, which I also love >>

We started our trip with a nightmarish visit to Steak n' Shake which broke my soul in half because we love Steak n' Shake and we were introducing it to Jordan's family. Our visit included a waitress who we suspected was quite high, staff fighting over who would have to take our table, a complete lack of chili in the entire restaurant (we come to Steak n' Shake for the chili fries y'all), and a very good story. It still tasted deliciously bad for you.

Most of the week was spent hanging out by the pool, reading my books, and hopping in and out of the water trying to get a tan, while also trying not to sweat to death. We also took lots of long walks and spent basically every day trying to see a gator in the pond.

We also went to a hibachi restaurant which was the highlight of my eating experiences. 

My favourite part of the hibachi night were the collectable cups that Jordan and I paid extra for so we could take them home. I've never loved a cup more than my buddha:

See those faces? Those are the faces of a group of people who don't know that their flight is getting cancelled tomorrow morning.

So, we were very unaware of the fact that we were flying into hurricane season when we booked our flights to Florida. This is mostly because we live in Southern Ontario where nothing ever happens and everyone is happy that the idea that a tornado, or a monsoon, or an earthquake belong in other parts of the world,  unless you fly to said part of the world.

All week the weather reports stated that Hurricane Irma would be coming up the East coast of Florida starting on Saturday evening and hitting around the middle of Florida's East coast on Sunday morning. We were happy because Sarasota is in the middle of Florida's West coast and we had a flight scheduled for Saturday morning. 

We called Air Canada to see if we could move our flight to Thursday or Friday just to be safe but Air Canada only flies to Sarasota once and week and that was our flight. We called them every day and checked the website every day to see if our flight was still on and by Thursday it still was. We still made sure we kept a full tank of gas in our rental car and bought lots of non-perishable snack, filled up old water bottles with tap water (since there was NO water in any of the stores), and storm proofed the condo, just in case we got stuck. 

Friday morning Jordan and I were just about to head out for massages and I check the website and...the flight is cancelled. We had to still go to our massages or we'd be charged half the price of the massage as a cancellation fee. We threw my cell phone and computer at Jordan's family and ran out the door. I spent most of the massage relaxed and wondering if this meant I'd get some extra days off work while also battling the images of Hurricane Harvey in my head.

Jordan and I got back to the condo and his brother had been on the phone with Air Canada the whole time and hadn't found any viable options for us. We all sat down in the living room and talked through our options. We could stay in Sarasota, where the news was telling us the hurricane was going to hit us straight on now as the hurricane had changed course and was heading up the East coast, or we could take the rental car and get the hell out of dodge with everyone else. We were all worried about how bad the hurricane could be and even if it wasn't the domino effect of a hurricane could mean we could be stuck in Sarasota another week or more. We also all worried about leaving at a time when everyone else probably had the same idea. What if we got stuck on the highway when the hurricane hit? Or what if we ran out of gas because all the gas pumps were empty?

We all took a vote and agreed that this was the time to leave if we were going to. The gps said with traffic we should be out of Florida in about 4 hours and to Detroit in about 17 hours. We ran around madly finishing storm prepping the condo and cleaning as best we could and were in the car by noon on Friday. 

It was over 8 hours later when we crossed the border from Florida into Georgia. A drive that should usually take about 3 and a half hours took us 8 and a half. The traffic was awful and the countless fender benders along the highway weren't helping. I drove the first 8 hours and then Jordan took over. Another problem we had was that Jordan and I were the only ones who were signed as drivers on the rental car. We could add more people but we'd have to go to the rental car office and do that. No time for that so off we went, Jordan and I ready for hours of driving ahead of us.

Jordan took the next 5 hours of driving and handed the car over to me close to Atlanta. We drove through Atlanta at around 2 in the morning and it was pretty amazing. The highway was close to empty and wove through the city all lit up. It was beautiful.

Near Atlanta we tried to find a hotel to stay at since Jordan and I had yet to sleep at all. We called every hotel and motel along our way and every single one was full. We called a 3 star motel by the Atlanta airport and they offered us a room for one night for $700.00. Can you believe the gouging that was going on there? They actually ended up being full too but we wouldn't have considered paying that much for one night. Driving past the rest stops you could see it was FULL of cars that people were sleeping in. It was pretty bleak. We ultimately decided to drive on and Jordan and I would try our best to get as much shut eye between shifts as we could.

After an hour and a half nap I was back for another shift. At this point Jordan and I were doing two hour driving shifts. Sitting in the drivers seat for any longer was unbearable. My lower back was hurting and the time was crawling. From 5:30-7:30am I drove us through Kentucky and I was so lucky to get this shift because it was amazingly breathtaking. The highway wound through the Smoky Mountains and as the sun was coming up we reached the top of one of the mountains and looked down around us at what looked like lakes with little islands within them. It was actually a thick layer of fog with mountain peaks poking out. Kentucky is one place I definitely want to visit again.

By 3 in the afternoon we were pulling into Detroit where my Mom and Stepdad were waiting for all of us with their SUVs to take us all home. Seeing my Mom after all this was such a welcome sight and we were all glad to have a couple of well rested people take over the driving for the remaining four hours. 

Our trip was nothing if not an adventure. We got so lucky that we left when we did and watching CNN on Sunday from the comfort of our home made us all feel that we made the right choice.

Also, if I ever get fired from my job I could always go into a career in storm chasing.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown

Hurricane Survivor