Books 2012: Leaving the Comfort Cafe

Leaving the Comfort Cafe by Dawn DeAnna Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story was beautifully written and often surprised with vivid imagery and great wisdom spoken from the lips or minds of the characters. In general, it was a lovely story with a relatively unique and interesting plot-line. It is an interesting mix of quirky, small-town relationships and deeper family ties, the process of forgiveness, growing and falling in love.

"In the South, Tradition never dies, You can choke it and poison it and cuss at it all you like - but it never really dies." (location 158)

"You said even rejection was a celebration because it was just the universe's way of telling me it was one place where I didn't belong, a way of honing me in on the right path, even though I may know nothing about it at the time." (location 526)

"Don't think you're better than anyone else, ever, just because of what you do. What we do is just seconds to pass the time and buy the bread. Nothing more." (location 1735)

"Well you need to use the fancy soaps, wear fancy underwear, dance naked in your living room when no one's looking - ah hell, dance naked in your living room when people are looking. We wonder why God doesn't make our dreams come true, and God wonders why we never use the fancy soaps. You think He's going to give us something special when we don't know how to use what we've got?" (location 2052)

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A few other notes:

This was my 'transition' book. Transition from reading about RVing and how to live life. Transition from living in South Korea to the USA. Transition from airport-to-airport. Transition from job-to-job. It was meant to be simply, simple and easy and not too thought-provoking. I'm thankful it occasionally provoked thoughts, but mostly it let me escape and transition, exactly what I was looking for.  

Books 2012 and Home Organization

I get a daily email filled with a large handful of free Kindle books - generally they're just free for the day. I'm a sucker for these free books and therefore have a ton of books on my Kindle, which honestly, I love.

I'm not a horribly unorganized person, however I generally think I could do a little more to get things in order. So, whenever 'Pixel of Ink' sends me an email offering free books on home organization, I go ahead and click, add to my Kindle.

Fast-forward months and months. We are moving back into an old space but with some new things (including the kitchen counter) and hoping to do so in an organized, minimalist fashion. My books on home organization seem to be simply perfect considering everything is in boxes and I have extra time to think about and prepare spaces to be organized in the most efficient manner possible.

So, I've read two home organization books and here is what I've come to conclude:

How to Declutter Your Home and Your Life; Minimalist Concepts to Help You Start Organizing Today by Martha Sinclair
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Although the book's focus is home de-cluttering, I felt that the majority of advice was rather common sense. I recognize that everyone is in a different stage of how to organize their home, regardless, I was hoping there would be some tips and pointers that would really stand out as innovative and creative ways to make the best of my space.

I did find some of the passages about minimalist living quite poignant, but didn't so much need the persuasion or beginning steps of living an organized life.

"Minimalism is the pragmatic belief in valuing a few chosen items in your life, and choosing to prioritize these ahead of unnecessary things. In essence, minimalism is the opposite of greedy materialism, and focuses on need and read value in order to lead a happy life instead of filling your time with things and false importance." (pg. 22/Location 138)

"Being a minimalist does not mean that your home has to be a place of deprivation." (pg. 25/Location 159).

"Always keep in mind the core of minimalism - function, need and passion. If your home reflects what you are passionate about, you will be able to better explore these passions and yourself." (pg. 25/Location 160)

View all my reviews Kitchen Organization Made Easy: Creative Kitchen Storage and Pantry Storage Solutions by Sherrie Le Masurier
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Similar to other home organization book I read recently, there just wasn't enough new and insightful ways to organize a kitchen presented in this book, I blame it on Pinterest. Regardless, the tips presented are generally simple and have all the aspects of being entirely beneficial to kitchen organization, especially for folks who may just be starting out on the organization path.

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