Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

What I’ve Been Reading

April 9, 2012

Yes, I am the Crazy Book Lady remember? And, not only that, but I’m also Frugal Mom too. What do we get if we add them together? The Crazy Frugal Book Lady Mom! Oh yeah baby, that’s me all right. SO, here are the frugal book finds I’ve found this year and it also serves to let you know what I’ve been reading as well.

1. Amish Peace and Amish Values For Your Family by Suzanne Woods Fisher – I have finished both of these and they were very good (and easy) reads. I may go back and re-read, however, because she has questions at the end of each “chapter” which help lead the reader into a deeper investigation in their life and see if there are changes they could make for a simpler more meaningful life. Those are worth investigating! Price? I bought the bargain books at $5.20 each!

2. Wear This Toss That by Amy Goodman – I may have said before, but if I haven’t, I loved What Not To Wear with Stacy London and Clinton Kelly. However, I’ve not been able to watch it for the last 3 years since we downgraded our Dish and haven’t re-upgraded it again. BUT I’ll save that post for another day (What Not To Wear that is). So, when I saw this book pretty much doing the same thing I couldn’t resist! She uses visual cues – like showing a picture of a good blouse and a bad blouse – to let you know what to keep in your closet (or buy at the store) and what to toss and why. I also like her little “age alert”(s) because there are certain things a woman of a certain age shouldn’t wear anymore and I do fit some of those rules now. It’s not just clothes but shoes, bags, skin care, and makeup too. Bonus? My girls love looking at it too :-). Price? Again, a bargain price of $10.80!

3. Menopause Sucks by Joanne Kimes and Elaine Ambrose – Couldn’t resist simply because of the title :-). It is a good informational book on the Change O’Life, but there is a good dose of humor throughout as well. Let’s face it ladies, it’s what we need at this point in our lives! I’m not into tomes on the subject, just good basic info and this fits the bill. I’m not done reading it yet, but so far I’m loving it! Price? Bargain price of $5.18.

4. The Winter of Our Disconnect by Susan Maushart – Does the title sound familiar? It’s a play on Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck, however she was actually inspired by Walden (Thoreau). Maushart decided to disconnect herself and her kids from technology for six months and this is a diary of sorts of how she did it and what happened during that time. I’ve only read the first chapter or two so far (up to the point where she is cutting the power to the tech toys) so I can’t really review it. However, I do like the idea of a tech diet and am trying to keep it minimalized these days. She also throws in some interesting statistics on modern connectivity and how much time the average child (and adults) spends on these devices. I’m hoping to get back to it this month. Price? Well, I got a super bargain on this one as the bargain price kept going down until I snagged it for $3.32!! Woot!

5. Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki – I read this book (took it out of the library) in 2010 and loved it. I was hoping to get it for myself, but forgot about it. Until I saw it at Amazon at a bargain price and then I snatched it up in a heartbeat! This is the true story of a real geisha in Japan. Iwasaki was also the most popular and highly paid geisha of her time (1960’s). She tells how she came to be at the geisha house and all the training she had in classical Japanese arts (dance and music) to be a geisha. It is a fascinating read and to be honest, I’d recommend it before I’d recommend Memoirs of A Geisha which has more untruth in it than truth. And that’s also why Mineko Iwasaki wrote this book, because she had helped Arthur Golden on Memoirs and then he twisted the facts to Hollywoodize it. So, read this first if you want to know what a real geisha’s life is about – or was about. It’s getting to be a lost art and it always makes me sad when cultural things start passing into obscurity. Price? Bargain price of $5.78!

6. The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays by Maika Drucker – No we’re not Jewish, but I had originally taken this book out of the library at Christmas time to read to the kids about Hanukkah. It is a beautiful book in word and picture that tells of all the holy days of the Jewish faith. I read about Passover last week and it served to strengthen my own faith as I read about the Seder. So, this is a good book for Jews and Gentiles alike and even if you don’t have kids. I know we’ll be referring to it throughout the year. Price? Bargain Price of $6.80!

So there you have it – my frugal book finds so far this year! Do I ever pay full price for books? Yes I do when it’s a book I really want (or need as in the case of books for school) and there is no bargain price, but I generally try to find used or bargains first. Here’s to being a Crazy Frugal Book Lady Mom!

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» What I’ve Been Reading » Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

What I’ve Been Reading

April 9, 2012

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