Let The Games Begin!
Another year, another PopSugar Reading Challenge!
So far, I'm off to a solid start. Seeing as this challenge is the first for me since BookIt! Reading Club and the beckoning reward of a free personal pan pizza each month from the Hut, I feel a little rusty to the whole thing, but I figure the best way to stay accountable is by doing a monthly recap of my progress. I know I'm not alone in this regard, so it should come as no surprise to readers.
I saw nowhere that said I had to go through these challenge prompts in any particular order, so I've been checking them off somewhat randomly. Without further ado ...
Book #1: A book written by a comedian
I have read my fair share of books by comedians before, most recently Amy Poehler's Yes Please . I've also read Tina Fey's Bossypants and skimmed (but am yet to finish) both Rachel Dratch's Girl Walks into a Bar and Sarah Silverman's Bedwetter . There are countless others, but these are the ones of recent memory.
I wanted to go a little astray with this challenge and choose something that fits the prompt, but not in such an obvious way. However, I didn't want to wander so far that I hated the book and didn't want to complete the challenge, especially not on this first book.
Total disclosure: I love Parks and Recreation . That show brings me joy, but also taught me that being bright doesn't always mean being one-hundred percent confident. The show's protagonist, bubbly workaholic feminist Leslie Knope, a role performed authentically and spiritedly by Amy Poehler, made me realize that I am more like her than even I care to admit. For example, when Leslie gets that big promotion, she's terrified. What should be a moment of joy and triumph is actually a cause for panic. As someone who succumbs to anxiety more frequently than one should, I get that feeling.
Anyway, I love that show dearly and none of that digression matters one iota, other than the fact that any Parks and Rec fan knows that there's never been a character quite like Ron Swanson. I mean, he's the head of a government department with a strictly libertarian attitude toward government as a whole. The actor who portrays Ron is Nick Offerman and, after watching his stand-up on Netflix, American Ham , I figured Nick more than qualified as a comedian. He sure has given me quite a few hearty chuckles and his potty-mouthed serenading also provides a tickle. In fact, Nick decided to take to stand-up to spread his views, particularly the notion of paddling your own canoe.
That's why my first book for this challenge was Paddle Your Own Canoe , by Nick Offerman. Tired of being misconstrued as identical to his Parks and Rec character, Offerman espouses his central values via his book. Sure, the essence of the Ron Swanson character is subtly present and obviously imbued with a little bit of Nick, such as his love of red meat, his carpentry skills, and his belief in self-sufficiency with a toolbox in hand. In the end, Paddle Your Own Canoe is Nick's uniquely whittled tale. By combining his life lessons with a walk through his own experiences from childhood to the Hollywood Hills, Paddle Your Own Canoe is an interesting way to show both a man's values alongside where he came from.
Sure, it's not going to radically change your life, unless you're into woodworking or Chicago theatre productions, but it is an interesting glimpse at how the other half live, and I don't just mean the rich and famous. I enjoyed it a lot and loved seeing those points of convergence between Nick and Ron just as much as those elements of Nick that distinguished himself from that incorrigible Ron Swanson!
Book #2: A New York Times bestseller
This was an easy pick. I use my library frequently and this book fell right into my hands the second I needed something for this prompt. I read her first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? , and enjoyed it. It was a fun read, a light and fluffy one, and I devoured it in a couple of days, so when I received the follow-up, I was more than pleased.
I expected Mindy Kaling's Why Not Me? to be more of the same. What I received had that same signature style, but with the maturity gathered from a woman in her thirties. The book spoke more from the heart than ever before. I was touched at moments, empowered at others, and almost cried when I read the list of terrifying thoughts that keep Mindy up at night. I have held some of those same thoughts in the seconds before drifting off to sleep, the kind she describes as the thoughts that soak your sheets with sweat, and Mindy humanizes herself here. I don't think I'm alone in wondering the same thoughts as her, thoughts like whether or not you'll forget the sound of a parent's voice after they've passed away.
Mindy also takes a moment to address how far she's come, how she knows she has lucked out to a certain extent, but that the luck would have run out if she didn't apply a strong work ethic to the tasks placed in front of her. She knows that she started off as a ball of nervous energy, certain that she was in the wrong place and that she wasn't up to snuff. Mindy Kaling is neither Kelly Kapoor nor Mindy Lahiri. She realized that the only way you can feel like you deserve something is to earn it. It's okay to want more for yourself, but you have to be willing to put the hard work in to get it.
In summation, Mindy returns to the idea that, no matter what walk of life, we are all human and we're always going to feel a little bit like a fraud. That's because we're all works in progress, or a "Mindy Project", if you will. So take a step in the right direction.
Book #3: A book from the library
This challenge prompt encouraged me to go the extra mile. I didn't just borrow this book from the library; I use my library religiously, so in my particular case, this prompt didn't feel like quite enough to constitute a "challenge" in the strictest sense of the word. To boost this particular challenge, I decided to get a book through an interlibrary loan, thus enlisting two libraries: my local library who submitted the request and the library who owns the book and is lending it to me. Yes, I realize the irony that I chose a book that basically spits in the face of libraries albeit the spitting is done in friendly jest. I chose Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America .
I know, I know -- two Parks and Rec books in one month! I brazenly provided a buffer of a single book. For that, I can only say that I can safely say that this will be the last book written by a cast member from said TV program. (Although, I have been eyeing up both Modern Romance and Gumption ...)
How could I not read this book, though, after that extra effort? I won't make any more apologies. After all, what other book starts with a full-page dedication, the kind you'd expect the character Leslie Knope to write, that thanks "every living creature in the universe except turtles, whom I find condescending"? That is some Pawneean wisdom there. Viewers of the show subscribed to the town's craziness as much as its inhabitants and witnessed the detail that went into the town. You already know about J.J.'s Diner. You already know about the Sweetums factory, "Pawnee's answer t Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, minus the orange dwarves and child abuse." Don't forget the Wamapoke Casino, Li'l Sebastian Memorial, and Kernston's Rubber Nipple Factory!
Yes, Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America offers a proper tour of this town, a love letter to fans of the show who have immersed themselves so much in every episode that the setting itself feels real. You'll taste the local flavour and love the warts-and-all world described therein.
Perhaps growing up in a small town added to my appreciation. I get the pride a community can have in something as simple and unimpressive as a stop sign. I may not be a citizen of that little fissure-laden pin on the Indiana state map, but I see the beauty of a town that is "first in friendship, fourth in obesity." I'm from that place.
Book #4: A self-improvement book
Picking a self-improvement book was a little tricky. I wasn't about to reach a book on how men were from Mars or how to get over my divorce -- none of that applied to me and certainly didn't interest me. I was debating on whether I wanted to know what colour my parachute was.
Then, epiphany hit. Bear with me, folks, because, of this challenge so far, this book has had the most impact.
Let's go back to 2015. Late in the year, I watched Australian actor Damon Gameau's popular documentary film, That Sugar Film . I was so entranced by what I learned that I immediately wanted to take action. I began researching sugar like a mad child and, finally, made the call. For December 2015 and January 2016, I reduced my sugar consumption to the absolute minimum. That's right; all through Christmas, I was sugar-free. Don't cry for me yet, Argentina; I ate my fair share of vegan chips made from ground blue corn. My significant other went along on the ride with me and we found that the body and the mind really does change. In my experience, it's not so radical as described because your body gradually adjusts and it seems almost imperceptible. Yes, seeing a birthday cake on a TV screen still makes me drool for a second or two, but I honestly wouldn't want a slice if it was offered. I've poured fruit juice and soda for others and smelled its aroma as the fruitiness dispersed into the air or the fizz spritzed out the lid as the bubbles popped on the surface... and I felt nothing. Not at first, but with time, sugar lost its hold on me, the grasp weakening with every sip of water and, occasionally, Perrier. I handed After Eights to my mother and, still, with my self-proclaimed weakness to that delicious dairy delight, I moved past it unscathed. Instead, I eat meat and cheese guilt-free and feel happier for it.
I did that because of a movie. Naturally, curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to know more to improve my well-being. That's why I sought out Damon Gameau's That Sugar Book , which Damon proclaims is a companion guide to reinforce and supplement the information provided by the film. It's true that there is a great deal of overlap, but I still benefited from the additional tidbits here and there. In fact, I wished I had read it earlier because the third part of the book (the book is divided into four sections: the experiment; the science; the recovery; and , for those struggling in the kitchen, some recipes) would have guided me better out of the sugar cesspool. Once you make the decision to reduce or remove added and refined sugars from your diet, the "how" is still a serious hurdle. My significant other slept through half of the first weekend, going through withdrawal from the caffeine-sugar combo he was used to chugging back three or four times a day. It's hard as hell to do it, but it is so worth it. As the author Damon Gameau himself writes, "Many would argue that they eat sugar all the time and they are fine, but how many of them have experienced what they are like without sugar? I suspect very few, given how early we begin our consumption and how prevalent sugar is in our food supply." That's one of the most startling realizations about the experiment Gameau underwent. He never permitted himself to consume ice cream or candy or soda or chocolate bars or any of that stuff we instantly know is bad for us. No, he ate the average daily amount of sugar consumed by Australians through allegedly healthy food, like cereal or juice or low-fat yogurt. I advocate everyone who cares about living to read That Sugar Book. That may sound hyperbolic, but if you want to actually avoid killing yourself slowly and damaging your precious body (you only get one!), it is essential to know how food works. For those who want the abridged, bite-size, Coles-Notes version, then absolutely watch the film instead.
And it's not just your weight, if that's what you're thinking. Your body is taking a beating, sure, but sugar is an addictive substance that messes up your appetite, your brain, your liver (Oh, how it screws with your poor liver!), your blood, and your youthful looks. It puts a dent in your body's defence system.
If you're waiting for the world to change, you're going to be waiting awhile. As Mahatma Gandhi said, you have to be the change you want to see in the world. Companies who care about profits have worked on finding that "bliss point" where you keep coming back; it's really no different than cigarettes. (In fact, fifteen percent of a cigarette is sugar.) Big businesses fight nutritional scientists and their research and will pull funding if they don't get the answer they want. If you've been under the belief that somehow boxed cereal is part of a complete breakfast or that soda is okay in moderation, then this book will explain how it's virtually impossible to drink soda in moderation. One look at what dentists call "Mountain Dew mouth" should point you in the right direction.
We need to get together and opt out. As nutritionist David Wolfe once said, "None of us is as smart as all of us." Every person in my life had an eyeroll or a snarky remark when I said I was cutting out the sugar. Some got furious. I can't imagine how my eating habits affect them in the slightest, but they were nonetheless frustrated with me. Damon addresses this phenomenon in his book, but not his film. I wish I had known, so I could prepare for the backlash. My significant other thankfully jumped on board, so I wasn't alone. In That Sugar Book, Gameau writes, "People may scoff now if you remove sugar but it is only because they don't understand. And remember that sugar is very addictive so some people will not go down without a fight. They will defend their addiction to the end because it is like a friend or a lover to them." I don't want sugar to be my lover.
I understand trepidation. I was scared, too, but you're stronger than you know. If you're really hesitant but still want to do something, then at least cut the sugary drinks. Just stop consuming soft drinks; fruit juices; energy drinks; flavoured waters; flavoured waters (FYI: squeezing lemon into water does not count as flavoured water); sports drinks; flavoured milks; and tea, coffee, or lattes with sugar. If you want to go further, then I recommend the book. Eating every two hours during that detox is a great tip I learned long after the fact, so while the movie is the starting point, the book shows the path to take.
Don't say goodbye to your treats because sugar is not a reward; it's a punishment. Say hello to a better life in every conceivable way. I don't know about you, but if a "treat" was going to increase my chances of cancer, kidney failure, and Alzheimer's, I'd say no thank you.
Now, can someone please help me off this soapbox? I have some reading to do.
So far, I'm off to a solid start. Seeing as this challenge is the first for me since BookIt! Reading Club and the beckoning reward of a free personal pan pizza each month from the Hut, I feel a little rusty to the whole thing, but I figure the best way to stay accountable is by doing a monthly recap of my progress. I know I'm not alone in this regard, so it should come as no surprise to readers.
I saw nowhere that said I had to go through these challenge prompts in any particular order, so I've been checking them off somewhat randomly. Without further ado ...
Book #1: A book written by a comedian
I have read my fair share of books by comedians before, most recently Amy Poehler's Yes Please . I've also read Tina Fey's Bossypants and skimmed (but am yet to finish) both Rachel Dratch's Girl Walks into a Bar and Sarah Silverman's Bedwetter . There are countless others, but these are the ones of recent memory.
I wanted to go a little astray with this challenge and choose something that fits the prompt, but not in such an obvious way. However, I didn't want to wander so far that I hated the book and didn't want to complete the challenge, especially not on this first book.
Total disclosure: I love Parks and Recreation . That show brings me joy, but also taught me that being bright doesn't always mean being one-hundred percent confident. The show's protagonist, bubbly workaholic feminist Leslie Knope, a role performed authentically and spiritedly by Amy Poehler, made me realize that I am more like her than even I care to admit. For example, when Leslie gets that big promotion, she's terrified. What should be a moment of joy and triumph is actually a cause for panic. As someone who succumbs to anxiety more frequently than one should, I get that feeling.
Anyway, I love that show dearly and none of that digression matters one iota, other than the fact that any Parks and Rec fan knows that there's never been a character quite like Ron Swanson. I mean, he's the head of a government department with a strictly libertarian attitude toward government as a whole. The actor who portrays Ron is Nick Offerman and, after watching his stand-up on Netflix, American Ham , I figured Nick more than qualified as a comedian. He sure has given me quite a few hearty chuckles and his potty-mouthed serenading also provides a tickle. In fact, Nick decided to take to stand-up to spread his views, particularly the notion of paddling your own canoe.
That's why my first book for this challenge was Paddle Your Own Canoe , by Nick Offerman. Tired of being misconstrued as identical to his Parks and Rec character, Offerman espouses his central values via his book. Sure, the essence of the Ron Swanson character is subtly present and obviously imbued with a little bit of Nick, such as his love of red meat, his carpentry skills, and his belief in self-sufficiency with a toolbox in hand. In the end, Paddle Your Own Canoe is Nick's uniquely whittled tale. By combining his life lessons with a walk through his own experiences from childhood to the Hollywood Hills, Paddle Your Own Canoe is an interesting way to show both a man's values alongside where he came from.
Sure, it's not going to radically change your life, unless you're into woodworking or Chicago theatre productions, but it is an interesting glimpse at how the other half live, and I don't just mean the rich and famous. I enjoyed it a lot and loved seeing those points of convergence between Nick and Ron just as much as those elements of Nick that distinguished himself from that incorrigible Ron Swanson!
Book #2: A New York Times bestseller
This was an easy pick. I use my library frequently and this book fell right into my hands the second I needed something for this prompt. I read her first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? , and enjoyed it. It was a fun read, a light and fluffy one, and I devoured it in a couple of days, so when I received the follow-up, I was more than pleased.
I expected Mindy Kaling's Why Not Me? to be more of the same. What I received had that same signature style, but with the maturity gathered from a woman in her thirties. The book spoke more from the heart than ever before. I was touched at moments, empowered at others, and almost cried when I read the list of terrifying thoughts that keep Mindy up at night. I have held some of those same thoughts in the seconds before drifting off to sleep, the kind she describes as the thoughts that soak your sheets with sweat, and Mindy humanizes herself here. I don't think I'm alone in wondering the same thoughts as her, thoughts like whether or not you'll forget the sound of a parent's voice after they've passed away.
Mindy also takes a moment to address how far she's come, how she knows she has lucked out to a certain extent, but that the luck would have run out if she didn't apply a strong work ethic to the tasks placed in front of her. She knows that she started off as a ball of nervous energy, certain that she was in the wrong place and that she wasn't up to snuff. Mindy Kaling is neither Kelly Kapoor nor Mindy Lahiri. She realized that the only way you can feel like you deserve something is to earn it. It's okay to want more for yourself, but you have to be willing to put the hard work in to get it.
In summation, Mindy returns to the idea that, no matter what walk of life, we are all human and we're always going to feel a little bit like a fraud. That's because we're all works in progress, or a "Mindy Project", if you will. So take a step in the right direction.
Book #3: A book from the library
This challenge prompt encouraged me to go the extra mile. I didn't just borrow this book from the library; I use my library religiously, so in my particular case, this prompt didn't feel like quite enough to constitute a "challenge" in the strictest sense of the word. To boost this particular challenge, I decided to get a book through an interlibrary loan, thus enlisting two libraries: my local library who submitted the request and the library who owns the book and is lending it to me. Yes, I realize the irony that I chose a book that basically spits in the face of libraries albeit the spitting is done in friendly jest. I chose Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America .
I know, I know -- two Parks and Rec books in one month! I brazenly provided a buffer of a single book. For that, I can only say that I can safely say that this will be the last book written by a cast member from said TV program. (Although, I have been eyeing up both Modern Romance and Gumption ...)
How could I not read this book, though, after that extra effort? I won't make any more apologies. After all, what other book starts with a full-page dedication, the kind you'd expect the character Leslie Knope to write, that thanks "every living creature in the universe except turtles, whom I find condescending"? That is some Pawneean wisdom there. Viewers of the show subscribed to the town's craziness as much as its inhabitants and witnessed the detail that went into the town. You already know about J.J.'s Diner. You already know about the Sweetums factory, "Pawnee's answer t Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, minus the orange dwarves and child abuse." Don't forget the Wamapoke Casino, Li'l Sebastian Memorial, and Kernston's Rubber Nipple Factory!
Yes, Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America offers a proper tour of this town, a love letter to fans of the show who have immersed themselves so much in every episode that the setting itself feels real. You'll taste the local flavour and love the warts-and-all world described therein.
Perhaps growing up in a small town added to my appreciation. I get the pride a community can have in something as simple and unimpressive as a stop sign. I may not be a citizen of that little fissure-laden pin on the Indiana state map, but I see the beauty of a town that is "first in friendship, fourth in obesity." I'm from that place.
Book #4: A self-improvement book
Picking a self-improvement book was a little tricky. I wasn't about to reach a book on how men were from Mars or how to get over my divorce -- none of that applied to me and certainly didn't interest me. I was debating on whether I wanted to know what colour my parachute was.
Then, epiphany hit. Bear with me, folks, because, of this challenge so far, this book has had the most impact.
Let's go back to 2015. Late in the year, I watched Australian actor Damon Gameau's popular documentary film, That Sugar Film . I was so entranced by what I learned that I immediately wanted to take action. I began researching sugar like a mad child and, finally, made the call. For December 2015 and January 2016, I reduced my sugar consumption to the absolute minimum. That's right; all through Christmas, I was sugar-free. Don't cry for me yet, Argentina; I ate my fair share of vegan chips made from ground blue corn. My significant other went along on the ride with me and we found that the body and the mind really does change. In my experience, it's not so radical as described because your body gradually adjusts and it seems almost imperceptible. Yes, seeing a birthday cake on a TV screen still makes me drool for a second or two, but I honestly wouldn't want a slice if it was offered. I've poured fruit juice and soda for others and smelled its aroma as the fruitiness dispersed into the air or the fizz spritzed out the lid as the bubbles popped on the surface... and I felt nothing. Not at first, but with time, sugar lost its hold on me, the grasp weakening with every sip of water and, occasionally, Perrier. I handed After Eights to my mother and, still, with my self-proclaimed weakness to that delicious dairy delight, I moved past it unscathed. Instead, I eat meat and cheese guilt-free and feel happier for it.
I did that because of a movie. Naturally, curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to know more to improve my well-being. That's why I sought out Damon Gameau's That Sugar Book , which Damon proclaims is a companion guide to reinforce and supplement the information provided by the film. It's true that there is a great deal of overlap, but I still benefited from the additional tidbits here and there. In fact, I wished I had read it earlier because the third part of the book (the book is divided into four sections: the experiment; the science; the recovery; and , for those struggling in the kitchen, some recipes) would have guided me better out of the sugar cesspool. Once you make the decision to reduce or remove added and refined sugars from your diet, the "how" is still a serious hurdle. My significant other slept through half of the first weekend, going through withdrawal from the caffeine-sugar combo he was used to chugging back three or four times a day. It's hard as hell to do it, but it is so worth it. As the author Damon Gameau himself writes, "Many would argue that they eat sugar all the time and they are fine, but how many of them have experienced what they are like without sugar? I suspect very few, given how early we begin our consumption and how prevalent sugar is in our food supply." That's one of the most startling realizations about the experiment Gameau underwent. He never permitted himself to consume ice cream or candy or soda or chocolate bars or any of that stuff we instantly know is bad for us. No, he ate the average daily amount of sugar consumed by Australians through allegedly healthy food, like cereal or juice or low-fat yogurt. I advocate everyone who cares about living to read That Sugar Book. That may sound hyperbolic, but if you want to actually avoid killing yourself slowly and damaging your precious body (you only get one!), it is essential to know how food works. For those who want the abridged, bite-size, Coles-Notes version, then absolutely watch the film instead.
And it's not just your weight, if that's what you're thinking. Your body is taking a beating, sure, but sugar is an addictive substance that messes up your appetite, your brain, your liver (Oh, how it screws with your poor liver!), your blood, and your youthful looks. It puts a dent in your body's defence system.
If you're waiting for the world to change, you're going to be waiting awhile. As Mahatma Gandhi said, you have to be the change you want to see in the world. Companies who care about profits have worked on finding that "bliss point" where you keep coming back; it's really no different than cigarettes. (In fact, fifteen percent of a cigarette is sugar.) Big businesses fight nutritional scientists and their research and will pull funding if they don't get the answer they want. If you've been under the belief that somehow boxed cereal is part of a complete breakfast or that soda is okay in moderation, then this book will explain how it's virtually impossible to drink soda in moderation. One look at what dentists call "Mountain Dew mouth" should point you in the right direction.
We need to get together and opt out. As nutritionist David Wolfe once said, "None of us is as smart as all of us." Every person in my life had an eyeroll or a snarky remark when I said I was cutting out the sugar. Some got furious. I can't imagine how my eating habits affect them in the slightest, but they were nonetheless frustrated with me. Damon addresses this phenomenon in his book, but not his film. I wish I had known, so I could prepare for the backlash. My significant other thankfully jumped on board, so I wasn't alone. In That Sugar Book, Gameau writes, "People may scoff now if you remove sugar but it is only because they don't understand. And remember that sugar is very addictive so some people will not go down without a fight. They will defend their addiction to the end because it is like a friend or a lover to them." I don't want sugar to be my lover.
I understand trepidation. I was scared, too, but you're stronger than you know. If you're really hesitant but still want to do something, then at least cut the sugary drinks. Just stop consuming soft drinks; fruit juices; energy drinks; flavoured waters; flavoured waters (FYI: squeezing lemon into water does not count as flavoured water); sports drinks; flavoured milks; and tea, coffee, or lattes with sugar. If you want to go further, then I recommend the book. Eating every two hours during that detox is a great tip I learned long after the fact, so while the movie is the starting point, the book shows the path to take.
Don't say goodbye to your treats because sugar is not a reward; it's a punishment. Say hello to a better life in every conceivable way. I don't know about you, but if a "treat" was going to increase my chances of cancer, kidney failure, and Alzheimer's, I'd say no thank you.
Now, can someone please help me off this soapbox? I have some reading to do.
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