The Big Bucket List Book: 133 Experiences of a Lifetime
author: Gin Sander
publisher: Sourcebooks
soft cover: 231 pages
"foodie" read: No, but there are some fun experience ideas for the foodies including a whole section titled "Thrill Your Taste Buds: Food and Wine"!
teaser (from back cover): Everyone has a daunting "bucket list" of things to complete before they die. The problem? We spend too much time creating lists of wat we want to achieve instead of just doing it.
The Big Bucket List Book will transform the way you look at the world and the power you have to achieve your dreams. In this charming and practical collection, Gin Sander offers 133 fresh ideas for infusing your life with a bit of glamour, adventure, and style for every budget and adventure level.
We all have different ideas about what makes a life well-lived, but many agree that interaction and new experiences play a huge part in feeling "complete". That's what this new book by Gin Sander is all about—living life to its fullest. Sander isn't telling us how to achieve happiness in life in The Big Bucket List Book, but she is throwing out 133 ideas and scenarios to inspire us along the way.
The book is divided into chapters, each with a different focus or intent. They are:
- Galas, Parties, And Get-Togethers: Marvelous WAys to Mix, Mingle, and Meet New Friends
- Thrill Your Taste Buds: Food and Wine Experiences
- Make Your Mark: Irresistibly Fun DIY Activities and Skills
- Life Is Learning: Must-Know New Skills
- Create And Inspire: Art, Film, Theater, and More
- Giving Back: Make Your Mark
- Off The Beaten Path: One-Of-A-Kind Travel Experiences
- Epic Experiences
- Glamorous Goals And Getaways
Each of those sections include simple, doable-for-most-who-want ideas, as well as some more lofty goals. Some are inexpensive while some require a trust fund (or good saving or money management skills). We're all different, so while not every idea appealed to me, I found plenty of ideas that I wanted to put into action...and inspiration to start my own little notebook of must-do activities and lifetime goals and dreams (aka my own bucket list).
As far as the physical aspects of this book go, I love its size (about 7" x 5"), rounded corners, and simplicity. The paper is thick and practically beggining for you to scribble your own notes in the margins. The chapters are a good way to organize thoughts and make your own sensible notes within, each "experience" offering up at least one online resource to further inspire you or help you map out your plan. One thing I would have to to have seen included in the book are a few photographs or illustrations, of which there are none.
The publisher let me choose one experience to excerpt and share with you today. Although not all of my own bucket list items are food-related, it's a good guess that the majority of them include some sort of foodie-lean...as does the experience I chose to share from The Big Bucket List Book today. It's a simple one. One that doesn't cost much and can be done at your own convenience. It involves food, a notebook, and an appetite for history and tradition—all things that appeal to me.
Excerpt: Follow the Pie Rules of Conduct
So, I like pie. My theory is that the best pie is found in little roadside cafes and diners around this vast country. I keep a pie journal as I travel, making notes and keeping info on various pie places I've found. Hot tip: if you are ever in Donnelly, Idaho, make haste to Flight of Fancy Bakery, a combination pie shop and air charter service. The. Best. Anywhere. Over the years I've developed what I like to call the Pie Rules of Conduct. Some of the rules are that I have to sit at the counter when I order pie, have a cup of black coffee along with it, and chat up the waitress who serves me. Ask about her life, ask about her town, her kids. Yes, it is always a woman who brings the pie.
By eating a piece of homemade pie in an unfamiliar town on what might be an unfamiliar road, I get the chance to meet interesting people and hear about lives different from my own. Get out there and talk to strangers—a piece of pie could be the makings of a delicious afternoon. Maybe cupcakes motivate you to hit the road. Or great barbecue. Would the search for the best grilled cheese sandwich in your state send you out the door? Think of a dish you love and get out there.
By eating a piece of homemade pie in an unfamiliar town on what might be an unfamiliar road, I get the chance to meet interesting people and hear about lives different from my own. Get out there and talk to strangers—a piece of pie could be the makings of a delicious afternoon. Maybe cupcakes motivate you to hit the road. Or great barbecue. Would the search for the best grilled cheese sandwich in your state send you out the door? Think of a dish you love and get out there.
-text copyright ©2016 by Gin Sander; printed with permission of Sourcebooks.
a few more bucket list experiences from this book that appeal to me: Share Your Birthday With Someone Famous | Cook Your Way Through a Cookbook | Start a Journal—And Stick to It | Down In Front! Host Your Own Themed Movie Night | Tour Literary and Book Towns | A Castle Of One's Own | Sample Delicious Port in Portugal | Get a Producer Credit in a Documentary
about the author: Jennifer "Gin" Sander is the New York Times bestselling author of many popular lifestyle books. A former senior editor and chief book developer for Prima Publishing, her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, People, the Boston Globe, and USA Today, and she has appeared on Fox & Friends, C-SPAN's Book TV, NBC, and more. She lives near Sacramento, California.
I received a complimentary copy of this book; all thoughts stated in this post are my own.
