the kind diet

I was really inspired by "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone - so many good arguments for eating a plant-based diet, both for personal health and to save the planet. I bought a bunch of weird ingredients and made some recipes. They have been good, even my husband likes them. I guess I am still stuck on the issue of eating so much processed soy foods like Vegenaise and soy cheese. Michael Pollan says eat real food, not fakey food products. Plus I think soy can mess up your hormones if you eat it a lot. So I am perplexed. Certainly, reducing my intake of dairy would benefit my health. I eat quesadillas for snacks several times a week. I did feel different after a vegan meal. I felt very light and floaty. Anyway, it's a good book.

"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead is a real delight, a YA book set in the NYC of the late '70s. I like the gritty atmosphere of the homeless and a strange sandwich shopkeeper - these are kids with a lot of automony and brushes with a great variety of people.

"Someone Will Be With You Shortly" by Lisa Kogan is a bunch of essays on modern life - she's quite funny and manages to savage Republicans quite frequently. Erma Bombeck meets Rachel Maddow. I chuckled at several stories.