Thursday, Jan 7, 2010

6 On My Bookshelf: Mini Reviews

I’ve got to start of 2010 fresh… caught up… and inspired.  These 5 books I finished in 2009 in the midst of school and I just haven’t had the opportunity to give them a fair review.  But, I wanted to share a little bit about each one and give you my rating for each.  Here goes…

After reading Julie Buxbaum’s After You, I really wanted to read two books: The Opposite of Love and The Secret Garden.  This is a FANTASTIC book about change, love and loss.  Emily breaks up with her boyfriend out of an inner fear deep within herself.  She keeps her self emotionally distant from many in her life.  As she faces family difficulties and a perverted boss, she begins to unravel her heart.  She realizes what she’s lost in breaking up with her boyfriend and hopes to find a way back, if possible.

I am sure that this classic has been read by many, if not most, of you.  I may just be the last person alive to read it.  For $3.95 at Amazon.com, you can almost not pass up the opportunity to pick it up if you haven’t read it.  This is a story about magic as well as the story of mind over matter.  This book is a children’s book and would be an excellent choice for you to read to your little one.  However, be prepared to try to imitate the accents in the dialogue!  I liked it, but did not love this classic.

Being a huge fan of The Glass Castle, my friend Lisa thought that I’d also enjoy this memoir.  If you ever think that your mother is bad, you should read this book.  Mary’s life with her sister is one in which causes me to ponder how she endured it.  I came to love her father and sister and prayed for their safety.  If you like memoir’s you’ll love this award winning bestseller.

My brother loves reading political books, history books, and intellectual humor books.  He loved Freakonomics and found it to be “hysterical.”  He very much looked forward to this sequel, however he didn’t love it as much as the first.  He lent it to me for reading and I read it rather quickly.  It’s an interesting book with many facts.  The part that I liked most was the section on Global Cooling; the theory there is plausible.  Overall, I liked the book but I find it best to be a “bathroom reader.”

This rather short novel is an honest story about a woman’s reinvention while hearing the thoughts of the animals around her.  After suffering a break-up with her boyfriend, she finds solace in her pets.  Maryanne quits her job and finds an entirely new life and new voice.  I adored this story and completely related with Maryanne.   Calling all animal lovers!

I am a die-hard fan of Jen Lancaster’s.  When I read Such A Pretty Fat, I felt as if I met my long-lost sister.  Jen is absolutely hysterical.  This memoir takes me back through my youth as Jen and I are just about the same age.  Although, I must admit that I never loved the Izod shirts and plaid nearly as much as she did.  Perhaps she was more “preppy” and I was more “New Romantic/Madonna.”  I enjoyed this memoir and appreciated the walk down memory lane, yet my favorite Jen Lancaster book remains Such A Pretty Fat.

FTC Disclosure:  I purchased The Opposite of Love.  The Liar’s Clubwas loaned to me by a friend.  SuperFreakonomics was a hand-me-down from my brother.  Pretty In Plaid was a purchase of mine.  A Year of Cats & Dogs was provided to me by the publisher for review.  Clicking on the either the photo of the book cover will bring you to my Amazon Affiliate page.  No purchases are necessary.

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