Category: Reviews

Atomic Habits

Mary Ann

If you recall, last year I wrote a blog about the six books that have most influenced my life. This is a feature in the magazine, The Week, where they ask famous writers what 6 books influenced them.   However, I only had 4.   Well, lo and behold, I just found Number 5! 

Atomic Habits by James Clear is my Number 5.  Insert fireworks!! It has appeared on several non-fiction best books and people began mentioning Clear’s work on podcasts or in news article. It was published in 2018 and has been on the New York Times Bestseller list for 260 weeks – 5 years!  How did I miss this?  Better late than never!

 Since Covid, I have done a non-fiction book club with my friend, Lisa, so we added Atomic Habits to our list of books.  We have a healthy pile of to-read books, but we decided to move it to the front of the line. This was our first book of 2025, and we were both totally in love with it.  

Not only does this book tell you how to break a bad habit but also how to start a new habit.  Some of his suggestions you have heard before.  However, it is how James Clear presents his ideas.  The book is very well-organized.  There are four laws that are fundamental to his program – Make it Obvious, Make it Attractive, Make it Easy, and Make it Satisfying. For each of these laws, he gives relatable examples and provides you with small techniques and tools to build, stop, or change a habit.  At the end of each chapter, there is a concise bulleted summary of the chapter’s focus, and at the end of each section, there is a chart that builds throughout the book with clear steps to stop a bad habit or begin a good one.  Everything Clear presents is rooted in scientific studies.  From tiny steps, great things happen. 

Personally, I gained a better understanding of why I do what I do.  For most of my life, I have been preparing to do something. For example, I say I want to write a book.  I read.  I attend classes.  I learn. I attend workshops.  I join writing groups.  It is prep, prep, prep!  James Clear calls this being in motion, and that has been what I have been doing for many, many years.  I just needed to write – just do it!   That is why writing the Silver Sage Sisters blogs has been such a blessing to me.  I have deadlines.  I must write.  Why did it take me 70 years to figure this out?  What was I waiting for?  Especially at the time of life.  

Atomic Habits is one of those books that you want to keep close by to refer to.  It is funny that both Lisa and I both decided to do this as we completed the book.  However, I found a podcast on Atomic Habits – Cheat Sheet that has nice discussions on the materials presented in the book.  The pod cast run about 10 to 25 minutes.  There are two seasons.  This is an easy way to review the laws and is a short pep talk to keep you going with better habits.  I also checked out James Clear’s website – atomichabits.com.  It is full of all kinds of ideas and products.  You can sign up for his free weekly newsletter, 3-2-1 Thursday.  It is short and sweet giving you 3 ideas from James Clear, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question for you.  Check it out.  It is excellent!

I have given Atomic Habits to several people, and I think it will be my go-to gift for future graduations and the like.  What a gift for young people!  It echoes for me The 7 Habits of Effective People by Steven Covey.  Both are timeless and can change your life.  

I was first introduced to Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surêté du Québec a couple of years ago when my book club read The Madness of Crowds.  A different kind of murder mystery, the story was set in the Canadian town of Three Pines.  The Chief Inspector is knowledgeable while kind and caring. He sees what others do not. He reasons, never jumping to unfounded conclusions.

I learned at that time that Penny had written a series with the characters Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, his second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and another trusted team member Inspector Isabelle Lacoste. Residents of Three Pines were introduced in the first book and continue to be characters in subsequent books.

A few weeks ago one of the ladies in my book club suggested reading The Grey Wolf, a new book by Louise Penny. I did not have a clue what it was about but trusted my new friend’s opinion, so I picked up the book after our meeting at our local Barnes and Noble. I was delighted when I started reading and found familiar “friends” on the pages. Upon finishing the book, I decided to start reading the series from the beginning.

I hadn’t yet acted on the decision to read the entire series. However, I made it to a hotel without a book. Luckily, a lovely outdoor mall was nearby, and I noticed a Barnes and Noble there. This would be the perfect time to dig in from the beginning! So I went to inquire about the first book in the series.  That night I began reading the book. (I read in bed; it helps me relax and fall asleep easier). Within two days I had read the entire book, Still Life. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  While a murder mystery, it is “light” reading. The characters are inimitable and engaging, each with his or her unique personality.

On the Gamache Series website, Louise Penny writes: “These books are murder mysteries, but they’re not about murder. They’re about love and belonging, about loyalty and choices. And the courage to be good.” I think this is much of the reason I enjoy the books.

Penny is a good writer. The stories are easy to read. I find it fascinating to read the clues along with the investigative team and try to figure out who the culprit was.  While each book can be read stand alone, I am enjoying solving murder mysteries along with Chief Inspector Gamache and his team … and the people of Three Pines.

I encourage you to check out Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache / Three Pines books if you enjoy catching clues and solving puzzles. And following the lives of quirky individuals whom you begin to include in your list of friends.

With more than one hundred cookbooks on my bookshelf, one would think I don’t need another. Yet after a trip to the great southwest my cousin was compelled to provide me with one we had seen in Taos. Seed to Plate; Soil to Sky by Lois Ellen Frank contains modern plant-based recipes using Native American ingredients. Chef Walter Whitewater is the culinary adviser.

Linda, my cousin, and I have traveled together for over fifteen years. We consider ourselves foodies. Although she is not a vegetarian, she does appreciate vegetables, having grown up on a farm where her mother had an extensive garden. She is the one who selects where we eat when we travel. She studies menus, looking for those that have at least two options for me while also offering dishes that sound good to her. Over the years, I can’t think of more than one or two places that turned out to be less than delish.

One of the great things about living in America is the diversity of cuisine available due to the melting pot we are. Interestingly, many of the dishes we eat today come from other cultures. Although the cuisine is readily available in restaurants, the ingredients are available year-around in grocery stores.

Melissa K. Nelson of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa states “very few know and understand the Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and deep kinship relationships that Indigenous Peoples historically had and still have today for these ‘life sustainers’.” The cookbook serves not only as a source of recipes to use with The Magic Eight but offers insights into the use and development of these sustainable culinary sources.

“The Magic Eight were given to the world by Native Peoples of the Americas.” The book is divided into chapters, eight of which focus on one of the primary ingredients: corn, beans, squash, chile, tomato, potato, vanilla, and cacao.

You are probably thinking, you eat these ingredients frequently. Absolutely! You are probably also thinking “I don’t care for squash!” Yet what is better than a yummy pumpkin pie in the fall or a grilled zucchini with lemon herb dressing? Some ingredients are so familiar that we take them for granted. And that is a steppingstone for expanding our palates. Calabacitas, for example, is a traditional stir fry with roasted green chiles, zucchini, yellow summer squash, onion, and corn. Easy to make and yummy to eat. And you are eating squash!

When I first tried sweet potato and black beans I was shocked at the delightful mix of flavors. Now sweet potato and black bean tacos or enchiladas are “go-to’s” when I want a quick, nutritious meal. I always have tortillas on hand, but with this cookbook, I could make my own!

I could go on and on about the recipes in Seed to Plate; Soil to Sky. Some are easy. Some are a bit more challenging.  All the ones I have tried have been delicious.  I’m still making my way through the recipes.

Admittedly, mine rarely look as pristine as the gorgeous full color pictures of ingredients and finished dishes, but they aren’t bad.  If you are looking to better understand Native American culture while trying new week-night dishes, give this book a nod. I’m guessing you will be inspired!

ᎠᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎠᎵᏍᏓᏴᎲᏍᎬ (Happy Eating in Cherokee)!

On occasion I need to change out the shelf paper for a cleaner, smoother base. Recently and by accident I ran across the most wonderful shelf liner. When I bought it, I was in a hurry and could not find shelf liner anywhere in the big box store. As I rounded the corner, I found some on an end-cap so grabbed a couple of rolls, which came in plastic containers, and off I went.

Opening the blister pack I noticed faint grid lines in the black surface. At first, I thought I had picked up a faulty liner. But to my surprise, the quarter-inch grids were designed to make measurements easier. Now let’s be real. It is difficult to cut straight lines that fit just right in any given shelf.

But … drum roll please! I realized I did not have to use scissors! I simply slid the liner into the shelf, folded it along one of the grid lines, and pulled. Yes, indeed! Just pulled along the line and had a perfectly neat edge.

This miracle product is called Zip-N-Fit, and it is made by a company we have all come to trust: Con-Tact.  I was so excited I went back for several more rolls!

The shelf liner comes in clear and can be used in the refrigerator. It also comes in gray and tan. I bought black, first. Regardless of the color, the shelf liner can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. So not only does it go on easily, it stays and cleans up easily.

Since I find myself continually organizing and cleaning, I’m excited to find a product that helps me do both in one fell swoop.

The Court of Thorns and Roses

Mary Ann 

At the end of each year, the powers that be make lists of the best – Movies, TV Shows, Books, and the like.  I always take screen shots or make list of the books that I would like to read. I am either going to make another pile of yet-to-read books or add them to my Kindle.

 At the end of 2023, a book kept appearing on various lists, The Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.  The synopsis always proclaimed it was about a fantasyland where humans and magical, immortal fairies live. It was filled with romance and adventure.  So as the winter of 2024 was approaching, I thought this was a good time to escape.  I loaded up the Kindle and began to read the first story in the series.  I was enchanted, reading all 5 books that took me many, many hours and thousands of pages to finish.  

The story takes place on the island continent of Prythian where seven kingdoms are ruled by High Fae Lords. The rulers have exceptional magical powers such as transformation from human to animal or winnowing that is like “Beam me up, Scottie “from Star Trek, or flying. The 5 volumes center around three human sisters Feyre, Elain, and Nesta Archeron and a cast of gorgeous, hunky fairies – Rhysand, Cassian, Tamlin, Azriel, and Lucien.  The women are all beautiful, brave, and powerful – no shrinking violets here.  The men are unearthly handsome and mighty warriors. If you combined Lord of the Rings and Bridgerton, you would have The Court of Thorns and Roses – lots of battles, monsters, male and female heroes, and lots of descriptive, lusty, lovemaking.  

If I were reading any of the books in the series, and I were riding the NYC subways, I would have missed my stop repeatedly.  The stories are so absorbing and so passionate that I was blushing in my living room as I read along.  There is passion in every part of the stories, so it was appropriate that lovemaking would be too.   This is why I entitled this blog – I am old but not dead!  It got my attention!

I am so happy to have found Sarah J. Maas’s books.  She is a masterful storyteller and has help to create the literary genre, Romantasy – a little bit of romance and a little bit of fantasy.  Maas describes people and places in incredible detail so you can envision her imaginary world.  She has a bit of Harry Potter in her with creative and clever ideas such as Memory Bottles or mental communication.  She engages the reader from the first page to the very last word on the last page.  Even though it takes a fair of amount of time to read a series, you miss the characters when you finish. Luckily, she has several other series to discover, and a sixth volume forThe Court of Thorns and Roses is on the horizon.  There were questions at the end of book 5 that needed answers, and they are on the way! Thank you, Sarah J. Maas, for sharing your remarkable talent with us.  

Notes:

There were a few things that I did notice that really do not affect the stories in any way but are noticeable. I read the books one after another rather than waiting a year between them so that may be why I did notice.  My friends who have read the stories a year or so apart did not notice

First, the names and places are exotic, and you don’t know how to pronounce them.  How exactly do you pronounce Amarntha or the Prythian?  Is the C a hard or soft C?  Where is the accent?   I give it a shot when I first meet the character and keep calling them whatever I come up with for them.  

Second, for fairies who can heal a broken bone in a few hours, they all have calloused hands.  I know it is because they are welding swords and such, but you would think their hands would heal quickly and be smooth to the touch.  

Third, anytime anyone gets upset, they throw up. Really, this is the go-to!  It got a little funny as I read it each time.  I would have thought some editor would have noticed.  

None of this takes away from the engaging stories.  Enjoy!

Mary Ann

When I bought the book Migration, I thought it was a book about the migration of the Arctic Terns, a nature book.  I like nature books, so I thought it would be right up my alley.  Well, about three pages into the book, I realized this was a fictional story about Arctic Terns and as it turns out, it was just the best mistake! 

Migration by Charlotte McConaghy is an international best-selling book about a young, flawed, and complicated woman named Franny Stone, who follows the migration of the Arctic Tern. It is the longest migration on earth from the Arctic to Antarctica and then back. This may be the last migration on the planet. The Earth is in terrible shape with nearly all animal populations on the verge of extinction.  Franny is on her own type of migration, an internal journey.  She too is on the verge of extinction, and the terns are her lifeline.  Travel with Franny on both of her journeys.  This is one of the few books that at the end of it I cried for pure joy!  Migration is going to be made into a movie. Claire Foy and Benedict Cumberbatch will play the leads. I am excited to see how the book will be adapted to film.

McConaghy’s second book, Once There Were Wolves, is set in the Scottish Highlands and follows scientist Inti Flynn who is trying to reintroduce wolves to Scotland.  Inti loves the wolves and is faced with challenges with the community as she follows her packs making new homes in the wilderness.  It is a story of love, sisterhood, mystery, and nature.  All elements for another best-selling book for McConaghy!  Apple TV+ is doing a limited series on Once There Were Wolves with Elizabeth Olsen as the lead. 

In March, Charlotte McConaghy’s new book, Wild Dark Shore, debuts.  It take place on an island near Antarctica that has the world’s seed bank.  I can’t wait to download it on my Kindle.  McConaghy’s books are full of complex, damaged characters in engaging stories that incorporates nature, wild places, and redemption and hope. She is an adept storyteller weaving character and place into unique stories that stay with you long after you are done reading, and isn’t that what makes a great book? 

One of the most popular storytellers of current times is James Patterson. My aunt loves to read his novels about the Women’s Murder Club, Alex Cross, Maximum Ride and others. Several people enjoy his biographies – stories about well-known figures in politics, entertainment, and even military, police and medical service heroes. Why would I write about violent mysteries smack dab in the middle of holidays season. [Yes, lots of traditions celebrate various holidays this time of year.]

Mr. Patterson has collaborated with writers such as Michael Crichton, Dolly Parton, and even Bill Clinton.  Recently, Mr. Patterson has paired with Tad Safran who writes for TV, film, podcasts, newspapers and books.

This season the gentlemen have produced a timely fantasy centered on the traditional carol of gifts for one’s true love. Many parodies are based on this 1780s song and this story may be considered one such parody, although …. Well, I don’t want to spoil the punch line. Or the story line for that matter. Suffice it to say, the 276-page paperback The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas is a delightful and easy read. It’s just what we need this time of year.

Take a break from decorating, grab a cup of hot tea, cocoa, or coffee with rich cream from the cows in your back yard, put your feet up (if you can find a place to sit) and enjoy the story of Henry, the professorial father who has lost Christmas after the passing of his beloved wife, and Will and Ella, their disappointed children who wish for happiness, good food, and laughter – and Christmas – in their home once again.

Enjoy the antics resulting in gifts from Ms. TrueLove as observed by Dean Grumpf, Dr. Fringe, and Marianna, not to mention the neighbors. If the finale doesn’t delight you, beware.  I may just send you gifts for twelve days.