Books I Read in July & Big Pottery Update!

Before we get into the book reviews, of which there are only three, I wanted to take a moment to share some pretty big news that has been a long time in the making (I mean, literally. Like maybe over a year). In February 2020, I started an Instagram account for the pottery I was making, @crystalfallspottery. I didn't think much of it, other than posting my very beginner pieces, and trying to connect with other potters that I could learn from and bounce ideas off of. Fast forward to a year and a half later, and I've gotten a pretty happy following that I am actively working on growing (paid promotions, who am I?). While I've appreciated family and friends offering to buy some of my work, I still feel relatively sheepish about selling items. A lot of things people commission from me add a ton of pressure, and that sort of sucks the creative process out of the room.

In the year and a half that I've been doing pottery, I've obviously amassed quite the inventory of pieces, and I can't keep everything, so I decided to create and launch my own website dedicated specifically to it. I'm excited about this because it's a space for makers: I intend to have a guest maker on my site for a 6-12mo slot at all times to give them a platform they didn't have to spend time or money creating, and hopefully take away some of the stresses I've experienced trying to sell my work exclusively on social media. My website will officially launch on Thursday, August 19 at 12PM EST/9AM PST at www.crystalfallspottery.com. I hope that you at least pop in and visit it, no purchases required, and let me know what you think. Is it easy to navigate? Is it pretty to look at? How was your overall experience? And, if you buy something, was it easy from start to finish? If you do purchase something, you can get free shipping on any order over $50 with the code FREESHIP50. Thanks for helping make this hobby a celebration of creativity.

Now, on to the book reviews!

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Beach Reads, Favorites, Young Adult

Review: What a fun, heart-felt book. This made me laugh out loud, made me cry, made me remember all too well what being in high school was like, and made me grateful for the people in my life. Definitely the feel-good book I didn't expect, and probably one of my favorites this year. Francesca was so relatable, and I loved the way Marchetta wrote her and all the other characters. Nothing over-the-top or unreachable. I felt like I knew these people in high school, which made them easy to love when reading this book.

I don't have much else to say about it other than I really enjoyed it, it was easy to read, and I would 100% read this again the future. Also, I feel the need to shout out archive.org, a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. Thanks to them, I was able to read this book for free. My library didn't carry this, and it was nice to find a place online where I could safely and easily read this (although, now I think I might have to purchase it so I can have it in my collection forever).

Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Comedy, Memoir-Biography

Review: I went back and forth with this book - it was equal parts cleansing, and equal parts the worst version of myself on Twitter. What I mean by that is, she spent a lot of time talking about internet trolls, and I understand why in relation to the points she was making, but I got the point fairly quicker than her writing about it. I tend to ramble on about things that bother me on Twitter, but I'm sure everyone who follows me is over it quicker than I am. I'm sure this was a release, but also a terrifying, brave memoir for her to write, so I don't want to take away from those feelings of writing down, in your own book, a fraction of the nasty things people said about you on the internet. I understand it, and having that mirrored back to me was slightly painful to read.

It was cathartic in the ways she explained how fat people like myself think about navigating through a "mostly normal" world where people look at you with judgmental thoughts on your body that are unwarranted and unnecessary. It was mind-opening in the themes she talked about and how she talked about them. There are a lot of important things written in this book that I think more people need to sit with, and she writes about them in approachable, fun ways. I'm not a fan of footnotes in general, but toward the end of the book, I found them endearing. I was also appreciative of her perspective and overall message to care more about the humanity in people. We're all going through some shit, so let's remember that before we dole out opinions or comments that, unless they're lifting someone up and being truly helpful (if asked to be helpful), no one really cares about hearing. It also, at its core, begs you to ask yourself why you care about things? If someone is fat and that bothers you, WHY? If someone is gay and you think it's wrong to the point of wanting to hurt someone with your words or actions, WHY? Most of the time, it calls for some serious self-reflection, which shouldn't be brushed under the rug.

This was a light-but-not-light book that I really appreciated.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Book Club, Memoir-Biography, Self-Help

Review: I went into this book *wanting* to hate it, and ended up finishing it with a more positive attitude.

Is it similar to other self-help books written by privileged white women? Yes.

Does it resound with the Rachel Hollises and other similar genres? Yes.

Does it have an agenda and, therefore, sometimes terrible metaphors/analogies/far reaches in order to make their points? Sometimes a little too "Look at this selfless or good thing I did"? Yes, yes.

However, what I appreciated about this book that I felt others like it didn't have were moments that plainly said: you know yourself. You know who you are. Listen to that.

None of the, "work harder. Get a maid and a nanny so you can keep being a #girlboss." But more of the, "Get back to that person who listens to her SELF. Lead with love. Listen to others with empathy and compassion. Hesitate to put yourself or anyone else in a box - who needs labels and socially constructed constraints on who you are?"

I also appreciated her takes on religion, and on parenting. I appreciated the ways she framed disciplining her children. I don't have children of my own, but I would like to be a compassionate parent, if/when the day comes. And the insights she provided, the ways she approached disciplinary styles, were nice to read.

I *hated* the repetition of the cheetah phrase. I came to sort of loathe the "you can do hard things" statement, but only because I immediately recognized them as the themes/her brand, and I didn't really buy the cheetah story in the very beginning of the book. But, I do respect and believe that any one of us can do the hard things we find intimidating, challenging, or scary.

Overall, didn't hate it. Would I recommend it? Meh. Maybe? I left having a deeper respect for Abby Wambach though, and now I kind of want to read her biography! Lol.