I really enjoy the content but could have used this more in my 20s. I felt she had good questions to make you think and reflect as well as good actionable advice.

I loved hearing more about her history and culture. 

 I'm sure this would have been better in Japanese which sadly I can't read. this was a nice easy YA read. like the translator says - who doesn't love a talking cat? 

this was a really interesting story. I thought it was told well and written with care and consideration for the subject. I wish we had more insights into the psychology and the why, but I also know that is personal and kept for the hermit alone. I still thought this was well rounded without loose ends.

this was a short read which I liked. I'm not sure I'd say easy because it took me a bit to get into it. I did find it eerie but it felt like it hopped too quickly to the next scene. I also felt like the ending needed a bit more explanation (prior to the epilogue).

also the relationships were so weird and I am not sure what the point of them was for being weird. but that was really a turn off and also confusing for me to remember how everyone was related and their age based on their interactions.

this was fine. an easy read. I didn't love the internal monologues, especially Evan's pov. but it's not to say it wasn't accurate or truthful. Just not for me. 

I had to push through this book. as someone who loves food, cooking, and of course "the bear" I thought I'd enjoy this. I feel like the beginning when you learn about the farms, ingredients, and how the dish came to be so much is ignored or glossed over. they do not compare how the small farm is different from the CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation aka large animal farm) down the street. or what about the farmers who are treated terribly at the average gig? clearly most restaurants don't operate as the one featured and I wish that was discussed more. (although maybe this wasn't the point of the book.)

some of these issues and other more serious topics are sprinkled throughout. a sentence here or there. but more concentrated at the end around social issues of the individual workers.

learning the workers' backstories is very interesting, and possibly my favorite part, but not always told in a writing style I enjoy. I did also enjoy the portion on menu creation.

I will also not I am someone who does not eat meat and there are some graphic animal scenes. however I did find the author hypocritical in the slaughterhouse moment. 

this book clearly was not written for me. and I know others who enjoyed this. so I wont say it's terrible but it's not for me.

this was pretty good. I read another book by this author I really enjoyed so I thought I'd try this. I would say I'm am ambivert so not looking for my year of yes necessarily. but it did have good tips for scary social situations and making friends as an adult. very enjoyable writing. 

 a lot of people talked about how sad this was and I put it off for a long time because of it. while it is sad I wasn't brought to tears like others. the writing is good and the beginning is very easy to read however the second half does drag similar to circe. 

 I enjoyed this. I thought it was honest and an easy read despite heavy concepts. she did a great job describing the complexities. 

 meh this was just ok to me. the idea of writing a memoir with meals or recipes for each significant phase of your life is really appealing. I liked learning about Italian culture.

but his taste is a bit too simple for me. there were also a few graphic animal slaughter moments that were unecessary to me and uncomfortable. which I think was the point. but it felt a bit too glorified for me.