I have been reading 3 books concurrently for the past couple of weeks and I finished the last leg of the tripod last night. Wooohoooo!

And here are the 3 books:

1. Adventure Divas - Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine

2. The Between Boyfriend Book

3. Julie and Julia - 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, & Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living

I call them women books because they are written by/for/of women.

I guess I loved them equally though in distinctively different ways. One thing they share in common is that they all have changed my approach to life slightly from before I read them – and that, my friend, is the best thing that reading book can do for you.

So, let’s cut to the chase and let me tell you more about these books, in the order of my finishing them.

Of all 3 books, this one is by far the most serious (dry) book. I came to know it through the Book Review section of NY Times many a Saturday ago. It’s about how a former journalist (in a feminist magazine), in order to pursue her dreams, started a TV production company with her mom and shot documentaries of divas throughout the world. (The first 4 documentaries that she shot have been aired on PBS – unfortunately I haven’t come across any.) This book pairs her endeavors on initiating and following-through her “Diva” project with her travel-show host work (as a means to bring additional income to her “diva” project). I enjoyed reading this book, for the most part because I was inspired by Holly’s courage and perseverance to “step out of her comfort zone” (sorry for the cliché!) to devote herself to something she believes in. The book gets preachy from time to time. Luckily she has included her gigs on being the “talent” (host) on the odd travel shows – or I could have been bored out of finishing it by all her sermons on “divadom”.

Check out the website of the diva project.

Okay, I knew this doesn’t sound too good on my part but I have to tell you that I bought this book because it’s on sale. It turned out to be not bad at all. It’s written by one of the writers on Sex and the City and it’s made up of little witty funny observatories such as those written by Carrie Bradshaw (of course). It does get repetitive after a while but overall it’s light, fluffy and very entertaining. At the end of one piece, the writer, after being defeated yet again by the hardships of pinning down a fruitful relationship, muses:

“I wondered if maybe that’s what I needed to do – have faith, and risk having nothing for a while.”

It strikes a chord with me. To have faith and to fear not.

This is my favorite of the three. I forget when/where I first heard of it. But one day I saw it in a bookstore and I was hooked after I read the first page. Julie the writer was a secretary in a government agency, she hated her job and she yearned to do something with her life that’s worthwhile. (The book is non-fiction btw.) So she started her Julie/Julia project that entails her cooking her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking (500+ recipes) in one year and at the mean time chronicling her progress on a blog. (This all happened in 2002, the stone age of blogging.) She survived the project though it was not easy. She came out of the year almost phoenix-like. Her project/blog, over the course of that year, became a phenomenon, and she’s showered with attention from major media (TV, radio, newspaper etc.) and got a book deal (yes, this book indeed) at the end. (Fairy tale, eh? ;) )

Julie is foul-mouthed, short-tempered but un-pretentious. And she’s funny! I probably wouldn’t eat anything she cooks - not because I think she cooks lousy but for the lack of hygiene in her kitchen ; ). (At one time, she had maggots!! multiplying in her kitchen!) I envy her resilience, her level-headedness and the unconditional support she got from her family and friends though they didn’t necessarily always understand why she’s doing the project. 

Check out THE blog of the Julie/Julia project.

(p.s. I remember checking out the reviews of this book on Amazon and some people criticize her for being too whiny too bitchy etc. She does bitch a lot – but that’s her way of coping. What matters is that she sticks to the uncharted course she set for her and she comes out a winner.)

I guess the revelation of reading these books is that it’s important to figure out what to do with one’s life. And it’s even more important to go through with your dream/belief, rain or shine, and keep the faith along the way. For THAT, is what life is all about.