We Are Moving!

This is just a quick post to say that this website "Real Mom. Real Reviews." is moving over here. 

Thanks for the support for Real Mom. Real Reviews. and I'll see you on the other side.

Grown-Up Pose: A Review

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited and thrilled to receive an advance copy of the Grown-Up Pose because I have to admit that I am always looking for Asian representation in mainstream culture and I have never read a book where the protagonist is of Indian descent.

The main character, Anu, is conflicted about who she is and how her identity has always been dictated by the expectations of her culture and of her parents. She had always done the “right thing” in her parents’ eyes. But does doing the right thing often mean at the expense of personal happiness? Shouldn’t doing the right thing mean we should be happy with our choices?

Anu, in her search for self, falls into the many pits and traps that some women may find themselves in after doing everything that society expects of them: get married, have children, keep an organized home, volunteer at your child's school, and support your husband. Thinking she had ticked off everything on the "grown-up list", she wonders why she continues to feel like she's still got some growing up to do.

Unhappy, she tells her husband to leave the house, impulsively buys a yoga studio that needs a lot of TLC, flees everything to go to London, and gets into all sorts of cringe-worthy date mistakes as she jumps on the Tinder train and swipes wrong (or right). As someone who's always got her life in control, she tries new things she's never tried before as she lets go of some of that self-control and ends up making a big fool of her grown-up self.

Set in progressive Vancouver, I was intrigued to read about a new locale, as well as the range of characters presented in the story. I was most entertained by Anu's parents whose easy repartee provided some comic relief and the introductory text messages at the beginning of each chapter were entertaining. I can see some of the generational and cultural gaps in the way they talk and the way they navigate new technology to communicate with the younger generation. I thought that was clever in portraying how the old is trying to adapt to the new. And yet, certain values are still kept sacred by the older generation: family, education, and community. It's amusing to also see how Anu interacts with those younger than she, like Imogen, whom she likes as a person but she still grapples to understand.

Finally, it all comes down to the whole theory of "having to lose yourself in order to find yourself". How does Anu come out from her identity search? Does she lose her family, her beloved daughter, and the first man she had ever kissed all in the name of personal happiness and self-understanding?

There are many good points in the book though it was hard to root for Anu. Perhaps, as a mother myself, it was a hard sell for me to see her as a loving mother because of her actions, and really, the lack of "airtime" for Kanika. There were many characters, issues introduced in the book that, though relevant, seemed disjointed. They did not necessarily gel which seemed to affect the cohesiveness of the story.

Overall, the book is for those who are young enough to understand some of the social mores of today's generations. This book is also for those old enough to understand the importance of learning from your mistakes and, hopefully, not make the same mistakes again. Tough choices have to be made, but sometimes, you just have to suck it up and make the best of your situation especially when there are other people involved. Because, unfortunately, that's what being a grown-up is all about.

The book is available on March 24. If you are intrigued by how it all ends for Anu, you can purchase a copy here.

Cookbooks for Non-cooks

Unfortunately, I am not much of a cook. I didn't grow up watching my mom cook because she didn't. When we had cooking and baking class in high school, I was content to let someone else take over the spatula while I took over the sponge and dish soap or even the broom. 

But coming to America meant I had to cook my own meals and with the appearance of children, I had to cook kid-friendly healthy meals. AND with my mom staying with us during the school year, it meant I had to also balance my meals to accommodate her tastes.

What a conundrum! So although I can read the instructions in a cookbook very well, some of the cooking terms just fly over my head and when instructions include statements like "cook until done", you know that spells disaster as you can end up with something overcooked or undercooked. As a non-cook, I couldn't know for sure when the cooking is "done".

Thankfully, I watch the Food Network, and I was introduced to Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman. I don't cook with a TV in front of me, but I can cook with a book in front of me. I can cook if there are step-by-step pictures showing me exactly how something should look so I'll know if I am doing the right thing.

This is Ree Drummond's chow mein recipe. I added shrimp as my protein.

Enter the Pioneer Woman's cookbooks! I am forever indebted to her patience in taking step-by-step photo instructions for her recipes. With these, I can tell if I am doing the right thing or not. I feel more confident when I compare what's in my pan to the pictures in her books. 

Another aspect of her cookbooks that I like is that she will say how long something takes to cook. This eliminates the ambiguity of "cook till done" and if you still doubt yourself even after looking at the pictures, you can use the handy-dandy timer to make sure you're cooking according to specifications.

Some of our favorite recipes come from her books. Of all her cookbooks, I refer to her Come and Get It! and Dinnertime editions the most. We love the slow cooker recipes, the stir-fry vegetables, chow mein, as well as the beautiful roasted vegetables recipes. See, I told you I am trying to cook healthier foods for the kids and the Guama. 

I've tried a gazillion cookbooks. Others were just too wordy or just too vague. In this case, the Pioneer Woman's are just right for this by-the-book cook!

If you haven't heard, her new cookbook is out. Check them out here.


Any purchases made through my site will help with the costs of maintaining The Mama Travels website. Thank you in advance!

Exile by Shannon Messenger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am always on the hunt for good Middle-Grade books. I've been disappointed with some of the recent ones in the market, but so far, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the series so far. Getting into it late in the game, I get to read the books in sequence thereby eliminating the need to try to recall what happened in the last book.

Exile is noted for its quick action (shorter chapters), mystery, and suspense, complete with all the middle-age drama of innocent puppy love and peer rivalry. I love the wholesome-ness of the book so far and I am hoping it stays this way till the more recent releases.

As a testament to the series, the first book in this series was published in 2012, and when I requested it from the local library, there was still a queue for it. Same thing for this book. I had to wait for my turn before it became available. Looking forward to Book #3.

View all my reviews