Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity.
I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books.
A thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been “super married” to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids.
My first book – How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!)
I have tried a podcast – it’s still on Apple and Google Podcasts – but writing is where my heart is.
My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit.
I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me and pushes me to be my best, even if it is outside of my cushiony comfort zone. I have a village of friends that nourish me, mentally, and spiritually.
Welcome to my thoughts. Sit down. Stay a while. Enjoy a cup of coffee!
Happy Saturday! What are your plans for this hot, sunny summer day? Have you read Will Ferguson’s books? This one was written with his brother Ian, and it is a hilarious look that what it means to be Canadian. Ferguson uses the same style as his funny Beauty Tips From Moosejaw and Beyond Belfast. Ferguson is famed in Canada for making hilarious observations about Canadians from the outsider’s perspective. ⠀
It seems like a good day to sit in front of a fan, with an iced coffee and a book 😉 ⠀
You guys!!!! Seriously??? Over 3000 followers??? I cannot believe it! I am having so much flipping fun getting to know you, and learning about you all! Holy Hannah, there are some awesome people on Instagram!!
As you might be aware, last week my kids announced @andreareads_2018 as the winner of our 3000 follower giveaway. And so where do we go from here?? Well, we could not resist challenging you all to help us get to the next major milestone – 5,000 followers! Whaatttttt??? And to thank you for that, we will be hosting our 3rd giveaway. Not even kidding!
So – if you would like to be entered into this fun, book-based prize giveaway, all you need to do is:⠀
1 – FOLLOW @kalidesautelsreads (current followers – you’re in luck! You have already completed Step 1!!)⠀
2 – LIKE ☝️this post!!! ⠀
3 – TAG 3 friends (or 3 acquaintances… or 3 random series of letters after an @ symbol… I leave that up to you!)⠀
That’s it! That’s all there is to it! Thank you sooooo much for your engagement and I am super excited for this giveaway!!!⠀
This past weekend, we were super excited to be sent a copy of Real Life Dinners by Rachel Hollis, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, entrepreneur, mom, wife, speaker and overall awesome human, from our friends at St Martin’s Press in New York. In order to review a cookbook, it is necessary to cook from the cookbook, and luckily for me, my entire family participates in Sunday meal prep, thereby providing the perfect opportunity to test out not one, not two, not even three recipes, but rather a whole week’s worth of recipes.
We selected:
Italian Dressing Grilled Chicken
Baked Ravioli
Hawaiian Chicken
Tex-Mex Fiesta Rice
Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry
Each of these were recipes that Dave and I were confident the kids would enjoy, and would be easy to bulk buy, as we are continuing with our Low Waste Lifestyle. With the choices above, we had Meatless Monday covered (Ravioli), three days worth of chicken, allowing us to buy club packs of tenders, and Tex-Mex Fiesta Rice, as an outlier, for Taco Tuesday.
The best thing about Real Life Dinners is that each meal is easy to prepare and family-friendly. Not once did my kids complain about the food that we were preparing, nor did they turn their noses up at the idea of eating any of Rachel’s dishes. (And when you have two kids, there is usually something that at least one of them won’t eat!!)
Overall, I would highly recommend Rachel Hollis’ cookbook, Real Life Dinners, because they are actually designed for exactly that. If you suffer from food intolerance, or are working on an unique lifestyle (such as we), the recipes are easily adapted – for example, the recipes are non-vegetarian, but the proteins could be exchanged for plant-based proteins, and the carbs could be replaced with gluten-free options, such as rice or quinoa pasta.
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When I am reviewing a cookbook, the only way to truly review it is to try the recipes… so this is the 3rd day of Green smoothies from @bewellbykelly’s Body Love Book, and I’m not gonna lie, I don’t hate them! My kids and my husband love the Strawberry Shortcake smoothie, and for the first time in my life, I am actually enjoying green smoothies!
What if Jane Austen’s heroines had been imagined in a less prudish time? What if the Georgian Period has not restricted women to chaste creatures of delicate virtue? What if the love stories we adore from Austen’s clever mind had been conjured now? What if, god forbid, there was sex in Pride and Prejudice?? Arielle Eckstut contemplates these, and imagines daring sex scenes for our most beloved of Jane Austen’s heroines in Pride and Promiscuity: The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen. A deliciously funny addition to the Austen fans collection, this slim volume is definitely worth reading. (2001)
Nugget of truth from @msrachelhollis today! Someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business. This has always been my belief and reading it in Girl, Wash your Face was an awesome reminder of thIs simple, and life changing truth. Don’t listen to the gossip, just do ya thang!!!
Dress rehearsal for our #armyofsass show… backstage waiting calls for some new reading! After listening to her #daispodcast with @msrachelhollis, I had to pick up a copy of @bewellbykelly #KellyLeveque’s book. I’m excited for her take on a healthy, balanced lifestyle and how I can incorporate this into my life.
Empowering people, especially women is central to my core beliefs, so when my friend asked if I would be interested in volunteering for the Vancouver chapter of @leanincanada, I was really excited to do so. So here I am, on a sunny Thursday night, greeting women from all professions as they meet to network and learn the art of negotiation from #CarrieGalliston.
Getting into @andizeis’ We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrl to Covergirl, The Buying and Selling of A Political Movement. A lot of people think of feminism as a defining moment of social change, and in many ways, it is. It is an accumulation of social changes with a goal of intersection gender equality. That said, within the realm of Feminism there exist many instances of change. What defined one as a feminist in 1875 is no longer an open enough concept today. What bell hooks sought in her feminist teachings and writings may not be what we see today in the pop culture brand of feminism sold to us at the Disney Store through re-aligning harmful princess tropes into a message of strength and feminism. I am looking forward to Ms. Zeisler’s analysis of the transformation of a political movement to a way to schill more corporate products to young women.
Kali J Desautels 