Day: 14
I know I say this every year but I truly am so very grateful for books. I believe the above statement whole-heartily. What a joy and a gift reading is in my life. It is an escape, a pleasure, a way to relax, a way to deal with stress, and a way to visit other places, and briefly live other lives. I couldn't live without books. People who don't read are missing out on one of the most amazing sensory experiences the world has to offer. How dull life must be if the only life you ever experience is just your own?
I have books that I have read that the characters are as real to me as my own family. I think about them,wonder about them, and long for them. There are books that I have read that have taken me to places that I don't want to leave. There are books that I have read where the writing was so beautiful that even just reading the first sentence brought me to tears. I am beyond grateful for reading, books, authors, libraries, and imagination. I believe that having a vivid imagination and being a voracious reader goes hand in hand...and makes for the most interesting people. :) I could talk books all day long with certain people, and when I am with them, and doing just that I am in HEAVEN!! Thank goodness my husband is one of those people!! I think it would be very difficult to be married to a non-reader. I just don't think I could do it. Seriously. Tyler was a non-reader when I met him and it caused issues in our dating life. Thank goodness he converted!! All it took was a few good books to get him hooked. On one of our most joyous road trips (our latest trip to Boise) we talked about a particular series of books for a good 4 hours. I am not even kidding!!
Here are some of my latest book reviews:
1.) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I loved this book and thought that it was a fun read. I am a Rainbow Rowell fan through and through. I love her writing. I love her YA writing and her adult fiction. That is saying something because I am generally not a fan of YA lit. I think it takes tremendous talent to be able to write well in both genres and to connect with both audiences.
From Goodreads:
Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile, and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
The dialogue is hands down my favorite part of any Rainbow Rowell book. This book's dialogue doesn't disappoint. It is smart, witty, and quirky...just like her characters...which are always my second favorite aspect of her books. Levi?! Come on!! How could you not love him? And poor insecure, nerdy, fanfic writing, introverted Cath? So sweet. So awkward. You root for her and cringe for her. I thought that it was a great story about going off to college, finding yourself, and all the while dealing with some complicated family dynamics. It made for an engaging and poignant story. I also enjoyed learning about the whole new world (to me) of fanfiction. Wow. Who knew? I found that whole world fascinating. There are definitely a series or two of books that I could be all fan-girly about! But the many excerpts from Cath's fanfic of Simon Snow...yeah not so much. It got a little old. But, all in all, I enjoyed the book. I laughed. I cringed. I cheered her on towards independence. I really enjoyed this layered coming-of-age story.
My Rating: Excellent
2.) Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Another Rainbow Rowell you say? Why, yes. Have you read her books yet? You should. This is her latest, It is regular fiction...not YA.
From Goodreads:
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point. Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her. When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything. That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .Is that what she’s supposed to do?Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
I loved this book. The story is kind of sad and melancholy in a way, but it is also incredibly thought- provoking. Especially for someone who is in the thick of marriage and raising a family like I am. To think back to those days in college...to those days when Tyler and I were dating and everything was fresh and everything was possible... made the book even better. I just couldn't help putting myself into Georgie's position and wondering what I would say to "college Tyler" if I had the opportunity. I loved thinking about relationships and how they change and evolve over the years.I loved the complexity of the characters...just like people in real life. We have many layers and many sides. It was interesting to get to know both college-age and married-adult Georgie and Neal simultaneously. How often are you rooting for a couple 14 years into their marriage and who are also just meeting for the first time? I loved the marriage analysis...and the reminder of why we fall in love with our spouses in the first place... which sometimes can get lost in the everyday aspects of building careers, raising children, and paying the mortgage. I thought this was a great book about what often happens to a marriage once you are past the early stages and into the thick of it. Marriage is a beautiful thing despite its ups and downs and twists and turns. I thought Rowell did an admiral job of reminding us of that. I just ignored the plausibility of a magic phone. :) This would be a great book for a book club to discuss.
My Rating: Excellent
3.) Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
If you are a Lauren Graham fan then you will love this book. I am and I did. The main character Franny Banks, in my mind, is Lauren Graham. She looks like her and sounds like her to me. It was a funny and fast read.
From Goodreads:
Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates-Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material-and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works. Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet. Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.
The world of the struggling actor is not something that I have any experience with ...nor would want to...but I found the whole back drop of the acting world and New York City fascinating. This book is definitely chicklit, but smart and funny chicklit. I am sure the book is partly autobiographical. We usually write what we know. Since Franny and Lauren were both struggling actors during the same time period I would say that that is a fair assumption. It just made the book more charming. I liked Franny. I liked being inside her head and experiencing her world. I thought this book had heart and humor. The filofax doodles had me laughing out loud. Fun debut novel for Lauren Graham.
My Rating: Good
4.) Georgia Cooking from an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood
| Yep, I enjoy reading cookbooks...especially ones that have family stories and family pictures that go along with the recipes and cookbooks give you a sense of time, history, place, and family traditions. This book does that and, in that respect, it is charming. It is also a very basic cookbook...very basic. There are recipes for vegetables cooked in butter and seasoned with salt and pepper. That basic. This book would be great for a beginner cook...or a Trisha Yearwood fan. So while there was only about one recipe in the book that I want to try...the Butterscotch Pie...I did enjoy reading about Trisha's family and their traditions. My Rating: Okay...too basic and a little too bland for my cooking tastes. |
I read Killing Kennedy and absolutely enjoyed it. I also really liked Killing Lincoln. Maybe it didn't have as much glamour and mystery as Killing Kennedy but it was still interesting and compelling, if not as fast-paced and riveting. Great read about the Lincoln assassination. I found it quite interesting.
My Rating: Good
6.) The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith
Myquillyn Smith is a home decor blogger called the Nester. I am not a regular reader of her blog but I have clicked over and read it a few times. I saw this book on several friends Goodreads list and thought that I would give it a read. Nothing earth-shatteringly new and exciting in the world of home decor but I loved the message of the book...which is gratitude for what you have and not waiting for life to be perfect to enjoy it.
Goodreads: Perfection is overrated. Popular blogger and self-taught decorator Myquillyn Smith (The Nester) is all about embracing reality---especially when it comes to decorating a home bursting with boys, pets, and all the unpredictable messes of life. In The Nesting Place, Myquillyn shares the secrets of decorating for real people---and it has nothing to do with creating a flawless look to wow your guests. It has everything to do with embracing the natural imperfection and chaos of daily living.
During the time this book was written, Myquillyn had been living in a rental house for years...and still was a popular design blogger. Not your usual lifestyle and home decor blogger. She talks a lot about contentment and enjoying the home that you are in even if it isn't your dream house and how important it is to make a house a home.
pg 69 - "If I want my home to be a place of contentment, I'll practice gratitude in my home. I'll say out loud things in my home that I'm thankful for instead of dwelling on what I think is missing."
I love the idea of making your house a beautiful, cozy, home regardless of what your current circumstances are and the reminder that what you have...despite it's flaws...would be a dream home to someone else in the world. We take so much for granted and I truly appreciated the reminder. I agreed with what she said about God being a creator and lover of beauty and that creating beauty around us, in our homes and for our family, is a good thing to do even if it is just a simple vase of flowers from our yard or rearranging our furniture. So many people get caught up in the comparison trap and I truly enjoyed the author's sentiments about simplicity and finding beauty in the everyday. Myquillyn's book is more about homemaking...rather than home decorating.
Myquillyn said:“I’ve finally figured out that almost no one is living in their dream house. And I don’t know anyone whose life has gone exactly like they would have planned. You make the best choices you can at the time with the information you have, and then you deal with the consequences, and that’s the part where your life happens.”
I don't live in my dream house right now but I do live in a house that I love and that I have tried to make a place of love, comfort, joy, and beauty. It is a cozy retreat from the world and a place my family and I look forward to coming home to. In her book, Myquillyn said that her dream growing up was to have a family, live in a little white house, have a garden, and roses, and laughing children running around. I was blessed to realize that I have all of that right now. It was wonderful reminder of all that I have been blessed with...especially as Thanksgiving approaches.
My Rating: Good. (Much more than just decorator eye candy. Full of great insights about gratitude and contentment.)
7.) I Brake for Yard Sales by Lara Spencer
I was hoping that this would be a fun book about a kindred spirit...another lover of yard sales, estate sales, repurposing, and restyling diamonds in the rough. I was hoping for a spark of inspiration and instead I was just annoyed and irritated.
From Goodreads;
Good Morning America correspondent Lara Spencer is a self-confessed frugalista with a passion for shopping at yard sales, thrift shops, and estate sales, and for decorating her home and friends’ homes with her fabulous finds. In I Brake for Yard Sales, Lara shares her secrets for bargain hunting, and tells you where to shop, what to look for, how to pay for it, how to restore it, and finally, where to put it in your house.
The book just didn't do it for me and that really surprised me since you would think that I would be all over this book and it's subject matter. It was unrealistic...too pretentious...and I hate to say it but condescending. I was irritated with the author's tone throughout the book and finished it feeling uninspired.
My Rating: Avoid it
8.) Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde by Jennie Garth
I somehow stumbled upon this fluff after reading Killing Lincoln and needed something to decompress. The book cover is so misleading and annoying. It makes the book out to be this salacious tell-all and I was embarrassed to be seen reading it. The actual book was not at all salacious, or gossipy, and not that full of deep thoughts either. It is simply the story of Jennie Garth's rise to fame and some of her ups and downs.
From Goodreads:
From her sudden rise to fame as a golden-haired teen beauty, to recently redefining herself as a single working mother to three growing girls, Jennie Garth has defied the odds and thrived in a town that can be more than a little tough on its blondes.
When will I learn my lesson? Every single time I read Hollywood memoirs I dislike them. By the time I'm done reading them I usually dislike the person writing the book too. I sort of feel the same way about this book. It was kind of interesting to learn about Jennie Garth and how she got her big break...but not really. It was kind of interesting to hear a few behind the scenes stories about Beverly Hills 90210...but not really. It was kind of interesting to read about her family, divorce, and her Dancing with the Stars experience...but again...not really. Maybe I would have liked this book more if she were a little more real and unguarded. The book was completely superficial. No digging deep into who she is as a person, what makes her tick, or what she has learned. The lack of depth made it a rather dull read for me. The good news is that this book isn't trashy or vindictive. The bad news is that it is boring.
My Rating: Boring
I have more book reviews that I could write, but that will have to do for now. So yeah... I am grateful for books and the ride that they take me on. Sometimes exciting and thrilling, sometimes deep and introspective, sometimes sad and scary, and occasionally dull. Whichever way the journey ends I am always grateful for the journey.
