Recent Reads

16. Chicken with Plums
I am a fan of the author and loved her Persepolis books, so was looking forward to this really short (84 pages) graphic biography. 

The setting is Tehran in the late 1950s, and the main character is the author's great-uncle Nasser Ali Khan, a celebrated musician. The story starts with the discovery that his beloved tar is broken and the fruitless search to find a replacement. He just cannot play beautifully any more, and depressed he takes to his bed to await death. The story of this man and his loves, losses, and despair unfolds in flashbacks, and we spent the week at this death bed watching his family try to persuade him to live. 

I loved the art. It is expressive and the black and coloring adds the perfect moody setting. I did not however love the story telling. It did not feel intimate, even though the content certainly is. There is a barrier to falling into this story. Maybe because the author was not sharing her personal experience, but that of a relative. That distance shows. Rating: 2 stars.

17. A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book: 95 Inspiring Ideas for Photographing Your Friends, Your World, and Yourself
I am not sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand it is eye candy - so colorful and fun to flip through. On the other hand the writing is a little too juvenile and breathless for my taste. To be fair, the authors did warn me in the introduction that they couldn't help using all those exclamation points. They were that excited. Sigh.

This is not a technical photography book. You will not learn how to use you camera, but if you are completely new to photography, this does have some good ideas. The chapters are broken out as:

* Capture your favorite people
* Add backdrops and props
* Use beautiful lighting
* Get creative
* Get inspired
* Capture yourself
* Challenge yourself
* Show off your photos 

This was like flipping through a personal scrapbook, albeit with really good photos, and some text. I am not the right audience for this book, but is is a quick read with lots of color and sefies. Instagram on! Rating: 2 stars.

18. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
I am a fan of the author and her work so am really conflicted about how to review this book. 

On the plus side, the message of the book and the research that backs up that message can be life changing. I have listened to various talks the author has done, including her TED talks, and whole heartedly agree with her thesis: "Daring greatly is not about winning or losing. It's about courage. In a world where scarcity and shame dominate and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It's even dangerous at times. And, without question, putting ourselves out there means there's far greater risk of feeling hurt." But it is worth it. There was a lot of nodding while I read and highlighted portions of this book.

On the other hand, I found the book repetitive and not well structured. It almost felt like the author was stretching the material out to book length, when maybe a long essay would have been more effective.

That being said, I do recommend getting acquainted with her important work. Rating: 3 stars.