My March reviews include a pretty lukewarm review and the warmest review to date! Contrast is good. In life and in bookshelves.
For the Hallmark channel lovers: Fixie Farr is too nice for her own good. She solves other peoples’ problems with little thanks in return. That is, until an earnest man at a coffee shop insists on paying her back with a series of IOU’s.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The main character lacks self-respect and is a stark contrast to the selfish, unlikable supporting characters. I Owe You One is a modern-day Cinderella story. Evil siblings? Check. Missing parental figures? Check. Prince Charming in a suit of armor? Not quite…but a fitted three-piece suit? Check. Unfortunately, the stories been told and the characters fell flat. I would have appreciated more nuance and depth to the characters to get my brain turning. The shallow plot left little to the imagination leaving the 400+ pages hard to justify.
2/5 mugs
For the people-watchers, the stargazers and everyone in between: I absolutely adore this author’s Instagram account. I have been a fan for years, and I was so excited to attend the kick-off for her virtual book-tour. Needless to say, my hopes were high for her second book release. I pre-ordered it a month in advance, and I never pre-order anything.
I wove My Inner Sky into the sweetest part of my nighttime ritual. I’d light a candle, and curl up with the book during Golden Hour, a West facing window and the Santa Cruz Mountains were my backdrop. Each section of her book is dedicated to a different time of day, and so it felt especially appropriate. It was cozy in all the right places, thought provoking and funny in others. I imagined catching up with an old friend and not needing to glance up at the clock. As easy as it would’ve been to get lost in her stories till the wee hours of the morning I had to limit how far to read ahead. I savored every last drop.
Her readers are taken along a journey through her solo travels, her battle with a rare disease that temporarily paralyzed her while in a foreign country, heartbreaks, and her biggest love affair of all- New York City. All of which are part of her emotional and physical healing journey (not to mention her trippy experience with ayahuasca deep in the Redwood forest). Her vivid storytelling adds color and life into every page.
If I could equate this book into a pie chart it would be equal parts whimsy, heart, loss of connection and reconnection with more magic sprinkled in than any book I can remember reading as a child. If you follow her Instagram account, you’ll see her signature illustrations pop up throughout. I think younger Amanda would’ve appreciated them too.
It’s as though this woman has lived multiple lives in her thirty something years on this planet. I’m not just referring to where planes have taken her or the time she spent in hospital beds and then relearning how to walk. Or even the immense skill she developed as a New York Times Best Selling author. The thing I’m most drawn by is her ability to view the world with such empathy and presence and the way she can articulate them in such a poetic way. She puts herself in the “path of magic.” She’ll write about the most delicious sandwich at a bodega, her subway rides through the city and the migration of birds that stops her in her tracks. They’ll make you want to stop too. Instead of wanting to let the world harden me up I rather nurture my sensitive heart. Celebrate it. Her book is a celebration of big feelings- even the ones that are uncomfortable or seemingly mundane.
Please order one for yourself and another for someone who could use a hug and extra good company. It’s best when shared.
5/5 mugs
The Wobbly Table Blog 