In My Mailbox: June Edition

This the second edition of In My Mailbox, a meme hosted by The Modge Podge Bookshelf.

Turns out, I’m way busier without a full-time job.

Since I no longer plan to be at my cubicle for eight hours a day, I have to keep busy. So I schedule time for my freelance gigs. I call up people I’ve always wanted to meet for coffee. I schedule that weekend trip to Niagara Falls. Oh, and my friend gets tickets to Power Ball and can’t go.

And then I realize my schedule is pretty full. But it’s the freakin’ Power Ball. So I go.

But I what I meant to say is: there are way too many books to read and so little time. Here’s what made the shortlist:

          

A Glittering Chaos by Lisa de Nikolits
I’m part of the blog tour for A Glittering Chaos, a steamy yet creepy romance thriller. Stay tuned for the review and author interview.

Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
I recently decided that I want to go back to healthcare PR and an expert in the field recommended I read this one. In case you missed it, I heard Lam and other Chinese-Canadian authors speak at a fundraiser last month.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
This is probably the most talked about book right now — maybe just behind Dan Brown’s new book. I need to read this before some well-meaning book blogger ruins it for me with spoilers. (It’s all your fault)

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
I’ve always been interested in The Emperor of All Maladies but was afraid to touch it because it deals with cancer. The very prospect of thinking very hard about cancer makes me emotional.

I learned today that Mukherjee confronts the issue of cancer research funding. If you ever did a run for cancer, biked for cancer, donated for cancer, slapped a gator for cancer, you should ask where your money went and how it’s making a difference. On that note, maybe I can put my emotions aside.

Photo credits: theselby.com

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Yoga in (and around) Toronto

Aspirations: headstands and personal yacht

If you’re a fan of yoga or would like to try yoga — I highly recommend the Passport for Prana. For a nominal fee, you get to try a free class at yoga studios across your city. The fee is based on your location and it’s available in large cities across Canada, US and strangely enough, Brisbane, Australia.

I paid $30 for my Toronto Passport to Prana and have been to eight different studios. Considering a single class can cost up to $20, this is the only affordable to find your favourite studio.

Here’s my impression of three very different studios:

Bikram Yoga Bloor – Toronto
Class: Bikram Yoga

Impression: The very first time I tried yoga was at a Bikram studio in NYC and it wasn’t fun. It was much better this time around simply because I knew what to expect and have practiced yoga for a while. However, the experience was very similar. Blazing hot room and an instructor yelling at you to “PUSH IT”.

If you’re looking to lose weight, Bikram will probably bring you results the fastest — just be ready to bleed sweat for it. I find Bikram takes the zen out of yoga. My friend called this experience “Hell and Brimstone Yoga”.

Result: I won’t return to this studio because despite the Yelp reviews, it still smelled funky to me.

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Hot Yoga Markham – Markham
Class: Hot Yoga

Impression: This is actually my home studio. I love this place because it’s always spotless. It’s never okay for a yoga studio to be even a little dirty because you a) have to be barefoot and b) have to lie on the ground.

Result: This remains my favourite studio! I’ve tried many of the instructors and my favourites are Nash, Jovita and Julia. If you’re a beginner, start with Julia and practice close to the door for less heat.

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Stratusphere Yoga – Vaughan
Class: Stratusphere Yoga

Impression: Stratusphere was opened by WWE wrestler Trish Stratus and like everything else in Vaughan, the studio looks like it’s on steroids. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful and spotless studio but it’s also MASSIVE.

I took the Sunday Stratusphere class taught by Rebecca and I loved it. It’s basically yoga with weights — which is great because you do some weights and then stretch and relax with yoga moves.

Result: I would love to attend another Stratusphere class. At a costly $20 a class, I don’t think I can make it a regular thing but you do get what you pay for.

As a final tip, you should purchase Passport to Prana with a friend and make it a mission to meet up at a new studio every month. This is healthier than stuffing your face with food every time you meet up. Whatever greasy, hipster brunch you pick up after is nobody’s business.

Photo credit: blogto.com, blogto.com

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Waiting on Wednesday: Belle Cora

This is my ninth edition of Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly event held by Breaking the Spine.

Broken Penguins is coming up to its second blogiversary in August and after so many reviews, I have finally narrowed down what I love to read. This may sound crazy to you that I’ve gone this long without knowing but I’ve never really, really narrowed it down. I choose most books based on fantastic reviews, beautiful covers and well-written summaries.

But turns out, I almost always enjoy historical American fiction. Early America was a freak show of sorts and it’s nice to see how North American culture began to take shape. I love the moral complexities of a time period where greed and desperation weren’t strange bedfellows. Add in a society of heavy moral policing and voila, I’ll read it cover to cover.

This also reflects some of the amazing historical American fiction I’ve read recently: Sutton (to be reviewed!), Parlor Games, The Virgin Cure, The Sisters Brothers and let’s not forget The American Heiress.

I want to add one more to the list. Belle Cora by Philip Margulies sounds fantastic. It’s set to be released in January 2014:

Based loosely on the life of the 19th-century prostitute of the same name, the book is written in the form of a two-volume memoir by one of San Francisco’s richest and most revered dowagers. In it, the heroine tells the story of her moral fall and material rise over the course of the century, carrying her from the farms, mills, drawing rooms (and bedrooms) of New York to the California gold rush.

Photo credits: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com

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Meg Wolitzer visits in the rain

Last Wednesday, I visited the Toronto Reference Library on a dark and stormy evening to meet the one and only Meg Wolitzer. Thanks for visiting us in the rain, Meg!

Meg is author of The Wife, The Ten-Year-Nap and most recently, The Interestings. She joked that her secret to success was beginning all her titles with “The”.

I sat waaay in the back and barely caught a glimpse of her. It was my fault really. I showed up super late because I insisted on walking in the rain — mostly because it was so gross and humid on the subway.

But Meg is so witty, so entertaining that I enjoyed hearing her speak from the abyss. I did finally get to meet her when she signed my copy of The Interestings! I am currently half way through the book and I love it.

Here are a few of her most memorable quotes from the event — trust me, there were many:

On Happiness: “The happiest people are involved in a lot of projects. It gives them something in the future to work towards.”

On Women Taking TIme Off to Raise Children (subject of The Ten-Year-Nap): “A corporation is not a person. It does not love you.”

On Bad Reviews: “People say you can’t believe the bad reviews but if you can’t believe the bad reviews, you can’t believe the good ones either.”

On Writing: “You start off writing War and Peace but it eventually becomes War and then it becomes Woah.”

On Talent (in relation to The Interestings): “So much about talent is about luck… Life isn’t even. Some families have money.”

She also told a fantastic story about her “Nora Ephron moment”. Apparently, she was eating dinner with Nora and couple other writers while candied walnuts were all the rage. Everyone orders the salad with candied walnuts but Nora orders salad with double the candied walnuts. Lesson learned: ask for what you want.

Nora Ephron in her home office

Photo credits: theatlanticwire.com, piliprud.blogspot.com, dailymail.co.uk

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