Day 01 – Blog Challenge – Dreams & Ambitions

Welcome to Day 01 of #BookReviewBlogChallenge. Today’s prompt is “Dreams & Ambitions”.

Before I begin, thank you to everyone who participated already and commented on the welcome post. So many amazing books, they all made me smile and added a sparkle to my day! Special shout-outs to:

  • Isabella for the stunning book cover for Sarah Maas book, and
  • Camilla for choosing the cheerful Matilda by Quentin Blake

For today’s challenge, I am going with a memoir that really should be made into a movie! 🙂 This book is a perfect muse for the “Dreams & Ambitions” theme, as I would love to be as bold and vivacious as Iris and look back at life (at 60+) with the same joy and wonder, and minimal regrets! 

  • Title – Iris Apfel accidental icon
  • SubTitle – Musings of a Geriatric Starlet
  • Author – Iris Apfel

This book is an autobiography and memoir of the vivacious and brilliant Iris Apfel. The author is an American businesswoman, interior designer, and 98-year old fashion icon! The book is filled with many interesting thoughts and stunning photographs of a life well-lived.

REVIEW SCORE = 5/5 *****

Thoughts on this Book:

Iris Apfel - day 01 #BookReviewBlogChallenge for prompt Dreams & Ambitions

For those who have never heard of this amazing personality, let me start by saying that the author’s list of accomplishments is more numerous than her birthday candles next year! Some highlights from her life, which most impressed me, are as follows:

  • Pioneer reporter
  • Interior designer and decorator for the White House, for 9 different US Presidents! Whoa!
  • She has her own line of cosmetics with the global brand M.A.C, and she modeled it too! Probably the oldest model to ever do so!
  • Fashion icon – with 1.4M followers on Instagram!
  • Her designs are displayed at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (MOMA), one of the most prestigious temples for anyone in the art and creative industry.
  • She even has a Barbie doll designed after her!

The book itself has infectious joie de vivre and pearls of wisdom you would hear from a loving and extremely “cool” grandmother. Naysayers will point out that she was fortunate to be born into a rich, business family. I will remind them that in the 1940s, US had limited rights for women, so it is still inspiring to see the trailblazing paths the author has tread!

The best takeaways I divined from the book is that Iris Apfel was never scared of failing or looking stupid (something we all suffer from!). Instead of choosing the safe mundane path, she chose to create her own amazing life and leverage all the opportunities life offered to her!

I loved the entire book, but my favorite chapters are:

  • Love and Marriage
  • Your Smartphone is not Your Brain
  • How to Live to be 200

If you like fashion or want an espresso shot of creativity, then read the book! If you like vivid colors or just want to start your day, read this book! If you want to try something new, then read this book!

Just try it once, you will love it for sure!

Similar Works:

  • Books – “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis. “Why Not Me” by Mindy Kaling.
  • TV Series – Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. The heroine in this series is as vibrant as the author.
  • Genres – Memoir, Motivation, fashion design.

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23 Comments, RSS

    • Ann
      April 18, 2020 at

      Oh wow! Lovely choice of book and hobby! Don’t know many folks who pursue riding and equestrian hobbies.

    • Ann
      April 18, 2020 at

      Thanks Camilla for the kind words. Great choice with the book – Mayim has an inspiring career, and certainly broke many norms!

  4. Isabella
    April 18, 2020 at

    Thanks so much for the shoutout! For the prompt today, I chose THE OPPOSITE OF FATE: MEMORIES OF A WRITING LIFE by Amy Tan. In this stellar novel, Tan illuminates her love of writing, and makes me reflect on my own. It is my dream to become a writer, so that is why I chose this novel.

    https://isabellareviewsonline.wordpress.com/blog-2/

    • Ann
      April 18, 2020 at

      Thanks for your entry today, Isabella! Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about Amy Tan, mostly the Joy Club so it’s almost an omen that you chose this book. A friend even gifted me a copy of Amy’s Tan “Saving Fish from Drowning”, so definitely going to take a look!

    • Ann
      April 18, 2020 at

      I love Dorie Clark, especially her ideas on monetizing the same content to create multiple streams of income! Excellent choice! I have not read this book, but will surely check it out.

    • Ann
      April 19, 2020 at

      Hi unidragon,

      Frankenstein is an amazing choice! Perfect fit for the theme!! (Virtual claps!)

      Thanks for the kind words about the review format. I find this template helps me be concise and collect my thoughts quite well! ?

      • Unidragonfrag
        April 21, 2020 at

        Yah! Thanks ? yeah, I really need to think of some sorta format so my reviews aren’t just all over the place (or maybe just accept the chaos?) We’ll see!

    • Ann
      April 19, 2020 at

      I’ve not read Julia Whelan, but love books by Nicholas Sparks. Your review is excellent so will be sure to look up this title.
      Great match for the theme!

    • Ann
      April 20, 2020 at

      Great choice, Rosie! I would never believed that a mall could be a setting for an entire book, it sounds riveting and matches the theme from a very unique perspective!

    • Ann
      April 23, 2020 at

      Radical self love seems like a great concept to follow, especially during this forced quarantine period! Definitely matches the theme!

    • Ann
      May 10, 2020 at

      Sounds like Macbeth and Helen of Troy, combined! Wow!

      Medieval stories like these are interesting because we often realize that human emotions and responses are the same even though centuries might be different!!

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