On My Shelf: Vegan Books

There are an immense amount of vegan resources available today, with different ones being the best for different people, but here are my favorites:

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone: This book outlines the reasons for becoming vegan, as well as outlines a three step process for becoming vegan, from flirt to superstar.

Vegan for Life by Jack Norris and Virginia Messina and Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis: Knowing the reasons for your veganism is important, but knowing the nutrition to being vegan successfully is just as important and these are great resources.

Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero: This is my fancy pants cookbook, considering I'm not too fancy. The enchiladas and bread pudding are favorites.

Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz: My go-to cookbook for everyday cooking with quick and simple recipe utilizing easy to find ingredients.

What are your favorite vegan books?

Check me out being lazy over at Laziest Vegans in the World!

Ten things that make me happy: Books!

So, I can't believe I haven't done a list of ten books that make me happy. I love reading and have books jammed in pretty much every available space in my apartment. As such, I am going to list off ten of these that make me happy. Please bear in mind that 'happy' is pretty subjective since well-written, horribly depressing books can make me happy, just not in the flowers and sunshine sense.

1. The Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis: This guy has been a favorite since my childhood, and it's my favorite of the series. There's plenty of action as Caspian and crew sail from island to island in search of missing Narnian lords, but all that really matters to me is that this book is heavy on Reepicheep.
2. Little Brother by Cory Doctrow: To be fair, I don't know if 'happy' is the correct word for how this book makes me feel. Slightly paranoid yet energized might be a better term. This is the story of a dystopian United States set in the near future (as in, about a year from now) that hits close to home and is terrifying in how easily it could happen. Completely absorbing and available to read for free (legally) here.
3. Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero: This is my go-to cookbook for pretty much everything: for when I want to impress, for when I want meals for the week, for when I'm planning Thanksgiving. Even better, the first part of the book gives you all the basic knowledge you need for running a kitchen, from stocking the pantry to how to roast vegetables and cook different grains. Best of all, cooking delicious food makes me feel like a legit grown-up.
4. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer: Don't judge me. I didn't say that this list was limited to well-written books. I am a total sucker for the Twilight series and Eclipse is my favorite, due to the amount of pages dedicated to fleshing out the stories of Jasper and Rosalie.
5. Princess to the Rescue by Barbara Cartland: My Uncle Art gave me this book a few weeks after I was born and I'm so happy I still have it in my possession. Beautifully illustrated, it tells the story of a princess who is seeking an elixir to cure her mother's illness. Though there is a handsome prince in there, his involvement with the princess's success is minimal. Everything else that happens in the story is due to the princess being intelligent and driven. Also, it is a pop-up book.
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: This series of letters is full of genius and heart-break. I cannot say enough good things about this book, it's one of those pieces that you read with a highlighter nearby so that you can mark all the best lines. It's finally being made into a movie, and it will have an amazing soundtrack, thanks to the main character's love of mix tapes. 
7. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury: I know the idea of an evil carnival sounds corny, but Ray Bradbury makes it so fantastic, especially since the most horrifying aspect of the carnival coming to town is that people must come face to face with their fears and with their dark side. I first read this book in sixth grade and have re-read it countless times since then.
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle: Such a classic. Meg's father disappears due to some ill-planned tesseracts and she goes after him, along with her little brother, Charles Wallace, and the dreamboat Calvin O'Keefe. Intensely fantastic, this is a book that I will decide to read a chapter of and find myself reading the whole thing in one sitting.
9. Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin: This was one of my greatest Christmas presents ever. I'm sure my mom deduced that I wanted it from the hours I spent staring at it at Barnes and Noble. Full of gorgeous photographs of Kevyn's best work, this is purely a book of make-up artistry at it's very finest. From beginners in the world of make-up to those who are used to the daily routine, there is always something to learn here. It is both stunning and inspiring to look through, and the reason I started listening to Tori Amos (that makes sense if you've read it).
10. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo: This is probably the most depressing book on this list. However, it is also incredibly powerful. The story of a maimed soldier who cannot communicate with those taking care of him, it allows the soldier to truly reflect on himself as a person and on the very nature of war itself. The soldier never gives himself a nationality, but this book still got Trumbo blacklisted from Hollywood. In any case, this is an extremely powerful novel.

I know there are so many more amazing books out there- what am I missing? What are your favorites?

Summer Reading List

Inspired by my friend over at See Mary Teach, I have decided to compile my personal reading goals for the summer. I'm sharing this mainly so that I have some accountability in fulfilling this reading list, as the entire world could now potentially know about it.

Non-Fiction:

If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell
How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Shakespeare and Co by Stanley Wells
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson, Ernie Colon

Fiction:

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Not Quite What I Was Planning by Authors Famous and Obscure
The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I'd like to see more graphic novels and zines on that list. Any suggestions?