Review: Coming Clean: A Memoir

Coming Clean: A Memoir by Kimberly Rae Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed this book about the author's upbringing living with hoarder parents. I guess we all have things that our parents do that drive us crazy repeatedly, but in this case, she literally has to live with their filth ongoing. It was also interesting from the standpoint that I'm a mix of minimalism and cluttered, so I could understand where her dad was coming from in feeling somewhat soothed by having his information surrounding him. The difference is that I eventually have a point at which I cannot tolerate it any more and will completely clean everything and I cannot stand for shared spaces, such as the kitchen and living room to have clutter. It's also interesting to hear how someone can be frustrated and loving to their parents at the same time. Her parents seem to take their lifestyle just as a thing that's somehow happened to them and don't seem to notice they've created this lifestyle. In fact, it doesn't seem like the dad even realizes there's anything wrong with it. Regardless of whether you grew up in a spotless house like mine, or a completely messy house like the author's there are themes that will likely strike a chord with you.



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Review: The Year of Magical Thinking

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I'm not sure why I've been reading books about death, but somehow I've been finding myself reading about 2 things: women who are left single while pregnant and those who are left single by their husband's death. I suppose this could show a fear of abandonment, but since I'm already single, it seems an odd trend to say the least. "The Year of Magical Thinking" is along the lines of widowhood, not pregnancy. It's about Joan Didion's year following her husband's death.

While I've never had anyone really close to me die, I can still understand some of the obsession she goes through in this process after losing someone. She begins methodically going over every last moment and every conversation looking for a way to change the reality that has already happened. If she could just understand how her husband died of a heart attack, perhaps she could prevent it-never mind the fact that it's already happened.

She also goes through the pain of trying to move on, but feeling guilty if she is enjoying herself. It's a natural feeling, and yet, does her not enjoying life bring her deceased husband any closer to feeling joy once again?

If you've ever wondered what it's like to lose someone after a long marriage, this is probably one of the few books that tries to show exactly the things being thought without trying to give a happy ending or a false sense of everything happens for the best. This isn't to say it's a depressing book-it wasn't. It was a fast read that gives a glimpse into the odd way we try to deal with death, even when we act like everything is as it always was.



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Review: The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I had been wanting to read this book for a while, so when a friend of mine offered to lend it to me, I jumped at the chance. I was curious how it would go, since I've been reading Gretchen's blog for a few years and, while I love the idea of the blog, had never been as inspired as I thought I should be. The book was exactly the same. While it's inspirational in a way (I love the idea of becoming more "me" and doing things I like to do instead of things I think I should want to do), I also think that many of her ideas were fairly similar and the ideas weren't that far outside the box. It also really bothered me that she would not attempt meditation, even though people kept repeatedly telling her it was the No. 1 thing for them in being happy. Granted, I realize it's HER project and not mine, it just seems like she wasn't THAT willing to try new things in order to reach her goal. Many of the things she did was just increase something she already did, such as be more polite. I've hear her new book, "Happier at Home" got better ratings than the first, so I'm still undecided on whether to give it a chance. I'd love to hear if anyone did their own happiness project, especially if they went a little more "outside the box."



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Review: Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'll be real honest. I bought this book because I read a tweet that was talking about how great it was. When I began to read, I wasn't so sure. The beginning felt very shallow, but over time I grew to like it (not love it, but like it).

This book, aimed at teens is the story of a girl who fell into popularity just before middle school and, while she wasn't a super-terrible person, she wasn't willing to step out of her box and be nice, or even pay attention to, people outside of her four-person popular group (except for her shallow boyfriend, who just wanted to get into her pants).

The story starts out with the main character, Sam, who dies in the first scene in a car wreck. But the weird thing is, she wakes up the next day only to find herself at the beginning of the day she relived before her death. Much like Ground Hog Day, her day keeps starting over, allowing Sam to try things a little different each time--sometimes for the better and sometimes for the best.

Will Sam ever become a better person and makes things right or will she spin out of control with the power she has at knowing she will likely just wake up again to relive the same day?

Overall, I liked the idea and think it was well-written. I just had a hard time liking some of the main characters very much, although the minor characters will pull at your heart strings as you see them suffering in the typical high school popular/unpopular scene.



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Review: All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane

All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book brought me back to Austen and I am so thankful for that.

The author is a professor in California, and goes on a trip through Latin America to host Austen book clubs and see how they resonate in different cultures. It's fun to hear of the people she meets along the way, who are very different from one another but are still open to sharing time and meals with her. She also finds love along the way. In some parts, it dragged a bit, but still I learned a lot about the different cultures through her travels and remembered the things I love about Austen's books: the relationships, the personalities, the slow themes that weave through her novels that can still be seen in families today.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen or of traveling new countries, you'll find a friend in "All Roads Lead to Austen."



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Review: Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



After beginning "All Roads Lead to Austen," I was reminded of my love for Jane Austen novels when I was a preteen and teen leading me to pick up the book a reread it before even finishing the book that led me to it (which I am now almost done with).
What I learned from my rereading was that this classic, while lacking any real action, is still able to keep me reading from beginning to end without wanting to move onto anything else.
In its characters, I could see family members, friends and others.
The theme, of course, is what the title implies, spouting the major characteristics which keeps our hero and heroine apart for much of the novel.
Mr. Darcy's reservedness and his pride misjudges Elizabeth right away. And his snubbing her followed by a quiet, observed personality makes her assume that his pride is such that he is cruel and uncaring and judges carelessly.
Throughout the novel they misjudge one another, all the while a bit of matchmaking with Elizabeth's sisters moves one drama to another of the ways of marriage, especially in those days, but even relating to today's society in that making a good match can be factored on many things—false charms, real riches, character, one's place in society, relations and any number of things people deem important or unimportant in a spouse.
While a seemingly simple story, with a few surprises, this novel has inspired many 'copy cat' books, including "Bridget Jones' Diary" and "Clueless."
I now want to obsessively dive deeper into any and all things related to Jane Austen and shall be caught up in the obsession for a while perhaps.



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Review: Who Could That Be At This Hour?

Who Could That Be At This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had never read a Lemony Snicket book before, but was intrigued when a friend showed it to me at a Halloween party last night. The questions on the back cover were interesting and she said it was a quick read and I could borrow it. Less than a day later, I have finished it and can say I enjoyed the cleverness of the book and hope to finish the series when it comes out. While written for youth, I enjoyed the book and its way of introducing large words—known and unknown to myself and defining them without having it disrupt the flow of the book. The accompanying illustrations were done well and complemented the book well. If you aren't familiar with the series either, it is a mystery series with the main character Snicket, who chose the worst chaperone available on purpose. Snicket finds himself with a sleuth who is bad at her job, but is able to spend his time looking for answers to puzzles himself. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew books.



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