Book Review- “Lift”

My cousin gave me this book – “Lift” by Kelly Corrigan – a while ago, and I just got around to reading it.  I actually read it one night when I couldn’t sleep, in about an hour.  Kelly is writing a memoir to her young kids about their younger years, and she is incredibly detailed and honest in her accounts.  I love her style of writing, which actually reminds me quite a bit of my cousins, who is going to be getting her PhD in writing.  This book made me laugh out loud and shed a few tears, which most great books do.  I love how she doesn’t sugar coat parenthood in this book, but she doesn’t make it seem horrible either.  She also doesn’t paint herself to be this perfect mother, which makes the book very relatable.  I’m sure parents, particularly mothers, would enjoy this book, but I think even someone without kids would find this book enlightening and entertaining also.
You can buy it here.
(Photo from Amazon.com)

Book Review–Twenties Girl

“Twenties Girl” is a fairly typical Sophie Kinsella book.  She writes pretty light-hearted, fun reads, and I enjoy her books.  Sometimes it makes me anxious reading Kinsella’s books because I really connect with the characters and they get themselves in such awkward situations.  I find myself with a knot in my stomach, at times, when reading her books.  But I love the characters she writes about, so I keep coming back for more.
This book is about a girl who is connected with the ghost of her great-aunt.  It kept me interested throughout the entire book and it was a quick, easy read, that I didn’t want to put down.  I would definitely recommend this book if you’re up for an entertaining and enjoyable read.

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Book Review–Winter Garden

I just finished reading “Winter Garden” by Kristin Hannah.  My friend, Rachie, is an avid reader and she’s read a bunch of Kristin Hannah’s books and recommended it to me.  I read it without having any idea of what it was about.

This book is pretty intense, to say the least.  It’s a book that made me want to go hug my daughter and husband while I read it and I cried more than once while reading it.  That probably had a little to do with my situation with my husband going to a warzone soon.

This book has two stories interwoven throughout it, which is neat.  One takes place during present day, one takes place in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia during WWII.  I absolutely love historical fiction, and I love that the historical part of this book was written from a woman’s point of view.

I would definitely recommend this book.  It isn’t exactly an uplifting story, but I think it’s a story that needs to be told because I feel that, while it is a fictitious story, there is more than a little truth to it.  It was an exhilarating and emotional read, and I didn’t want to put the book down.

Thanks, Rach, for the great recommendation!

Book Review–Simply from Scratch

I love reading.  I’ve always loved reading, but since having Abbie, I don’t read nearly as much as I’d like to.  Actually I read every night before bed, but most nights I only get a page or 2 read before I zonk out, so it usually takes me weeks to read one book.

I’ve never felt compelled to review a book on my blog.  (And I’ve been writing on this for almost 3 years now.)  However, “Simply from Scratch” by Alicia Bessette was such a good read that I wanted to tell you all about it!

I picked this book up randomly, on my way out of the library.  I already had 2-3 books from my usual authors, but I saw this on display on a shelf near the checkout so I just grabbed it.  And then I read it before all the other books I’d picked up, and I LOVED it!

It’s about a girl, Zell, who lost her husband a year prior to the story starting.  She lives, with her beloved Greyhound, next door to a single dad and his 9 year old daughter.  The story tells how Zell deals with the emotions of being a widow, and the friendship that forms between her and her neighbors.

You’d think that a book with such a somber subject as dealing with the death of a loved one would be a “heavy” read, but this book was just the opposite.  Alicia Bessette does an amazing job of portraying real emotions, but also keeping it a fun and exciting read.  Zell’s sense of humor kept me laughing throughout the entire book.

So to all my book-loving, blog reading friends, I’d highly recommend you check out “Simply from Scratch” by Alicia Bessette.  I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.