Book Review: Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes

A memoir of a love affair with France (and a man there) that INCLUDES recipes?!  This book was quite literally made for me.  Elizabeth Bard describes how she fell in love with Gwendal and his bohême lifestyle, all while discovering the beautiful outdoor markets and quaint bistros of Paris. As Bard acclimates to her new home…

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Book Review: Men Explain Things to Me

Two book reviews in a row?!  Whaaaat.  I’m feeling so erudite.  Honestly, though, this book really made me think.  It’s probably the most academic book I’ve read in a while and definitely the most feminist.  I picked it up because I found the title funny and assumed it would be a humorous take on the…

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Reading List: Xmas Vacation

Whether it’s a trip or a staycation, sometimes you want to hole up with a stack of books.  Here, I’ll provide themed lists so you can stock up and get to reading! Even if you have to work during the week between Christmas and New Years, I’m guessing it’s pretty slow.  That means there’s plenty…

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Book Review: Primates of Park Avenue

Wednesday Martin’s memoir about life as an Upper East Side mommy made waves across Manhattan and the nation.  She was an inhabitant of the trendy West Village until she and her husband decided to make the pilgrimage uptown to raise their son, where it is more conservative and label conscious.  Martin feels utterly out of place and…

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Book Review: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Mumbai is a city of immense wealth as well as supreme poverty.  Just next to the airport, around the corner from gleaming luxury hotels sits the Annawadi slum.  Here, families squat on the land owned by the airport and make lives with much less than we would ever think possible.  Though their homes could be…

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Book Review: Yes Please

My very observant boyfriend noticed how disappointed I was when Amy Poehler’s new book was stolen from me during a white elephant gift exchange.  He must have told Santa because just a couple weeks later, I received the very book for our own Chrismukkah gift swap.  The holidays may be over, but if somebody is…

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Book Review: Not That Kind of Girl

I am a big fan of the show “Girls” and its accurate portrayal of life for early 20-somethings in New York so it stands to reason that I would enjoy this collection of personal essays by its creator, Lena Dunham. Dunham is comfortable with the uncomfortable.  All the things I would never talk about (therapy, bad…

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Book Review: Freakonomics

My sister in law has been referencing “Freakonomics” for years and even incorporates some of its chapters in her classroom.  I finally decided to read for myself what makes the [somewhat boring] subject of economics so interesting and found it more enlightening than much of what I read as part of my college curriculum. Levitt…

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Book Review: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

I was feeling a little homesick so recently I opened up my copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  I’m not sure if it cured my homesickness or just made me yearn for my beautiful and unique hometown more than ever.  Either way, it’s a great read. John Berendt’s work of non-fiction…

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Book Review: Tough Jews

The mafia is a rarely discussed piece of Jewish history, one that is overshadowed by major events like the Holocaust or minor events like “my son, the doc-tah”.  When most people think of Jews, they think of the stereotypes.  The smartypants.  The weaklings.  But guess what: in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, it was a…

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