Books Via Ashley

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo Synopsis It's a self-help book about how to clean your home once and for all. Review This is a non-fiction, self-help book.  My mother was quite tidy; she always kept our house very neat and couldn't abide clutter. I recognized many of her habits while reading this book. Basically, the method is such: Tidy in one go. Discard everything that doesn't "spark joy". Organize everything in one place. Put things back where they belong, and get rid of stuff things you accumulate daily. It sounds very simple, and she goes through step-by-step telling you in which order to discard things (clothes first, always), tips for doing so, etc. She even talks about how to store things: Fold your clothes a certain way, don't stack things, etc. What I liked best about this book was that there was an overarching emotional impact that physically cleaning your house has, and she addressed this throughout the b...

Many apologies for the lack of posts recently. I've been ill and had a few other things going on. But never fear! I've still been reading plenty of books and have many new reviews on the way! The schedule won't be as frequent, but I have plenty of things I want to share with all of you!

Walk On Earth A Stranger - Rae Carson Synopsis Leah Westfall has a gift: she can find gold. When her parents are murdered, she joins the migration west to California. Disguised as a boy, she makes the perilous journey across the continental United States, learning what it means to trust and have friends, and also learning more of who she wants to be. Review This was a really good book. I was expecting a bit more magic, but what I got was more Western. And I didn't mind at all.  I enjoyed reading about the trek west in the California gold rush in 1849. As someone who grew up in California and learned about this as part of my history in school, and also as someone whose ancestors were pioneers and made the same trek, it made me feel connected to the book and the characters. The plot was good, fast-paced, and pulled me in. A couple of times it was like EVERYTHING happened all at once. But I know that pioneer treks were hard and dangerous and people endured everything des...