My Summer Book Shelf

In the summer time when the kids are running through the sprinklers, I try to sneak away for a few minutes and melt into a good book. I've been on a spree of engaging, well written books, most of them memoirs. Here's what's on my summer book shelf.

If I could give this 6/5 stars, I would. It's brilliant. This memoir is charming, funny, and introspective. The author's style is enjoyable and the book reads much more like fiction than a biography. It's the tale of a terribly normal girl born into a family of hill billies and is even better than it sounds, or the first few chapters lead you to believe. The characters are endearing and the end left me cheering and wishing I hadn't read so fast.
This book is well written, reflective, cheeky, and a fun summer read. I heard the authors interview on NPR about her upcoming novel- about a stressed corporate gal turned laid-back, middle-of-nowhere Midwestern pie maker, and was enchanted.

I love stories where people ditch their prudent plans in exchange for a more satisfying, but irresponsibly uncertain, route. People that are simultaneously intelligent and reckless sometimes make the world go round. 

I also dig her spartan, minimalist lifestyle (the author ditched her belongings now currently lives in a historic home and pays $200/month rent.) I covet the lifestyle of people completely unoccupied with stuff- acquiring stuff, worrying about other peoples stuff, fixating on their stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff.

Just a few blocks from our old home, in the charming DeWitt, Michigan community, there is a sinfully tasty pie shop I fell in love with. It's the work of a baker who baked her way out of depression. She created a place to make memories and comfort food that was nostalgic. I visited her shop both on sad rainy days and blissfully happy days and her food was instant sunshine to my soul. When I read this book, I couldn't help but want to eat more pie, and be happy.
  
I'd rate it a 4/5, just because the excitement tapers off by the end.
 
4/5 stars- I love memoirs because they have soul. These days that's all I seem to want to read.  A memoir allows the author to tell about themselves while pointedly narrating an experience, teaching a complicated lesson, and asking big picture questions. 

 I saw this title on a recommended book list and checked it out not knowing what it was about. I read it and it generated more thoughts than I was expecting.  Since my grandmas passing last year I have spent time objectively thinking about grieving, and contemplating the meaning of relationship and their loss.

The award winning author talks about death, trying to grasp reality, and directing emotions. She tells a story of struggling with her husbands abrupt death and her daughters sudden life threatening illness. This book is NOT motivating but it IS profound. It's one of those books that seems so wise that you dog-ear the pages, even of the library's copy, (sorry librarians!) and promise you'll go back and write down quotes (which I didn't).

I wanted to love this book, I really did.

A few years ago when I first heard about Stephanie Nielsons story of her tragic plane accident, and her emotional and physical rebirth, I was absolutely stunned and inspired.

I camped out in front of my computer and read everything I could on her courageous story- I read her blog, I saw her mormon.org video, I watched news interviews, and even checked out a design book from our library of which she had contributed.

I am absolutely fascinated with Stephanie's story and very much motivated by her the grateful way she lives her life, her deliberate way of parenting, and her ability to overcome.

That said, her book was poorly written.
I can't seem to figure out how she can be so engaging on her blog, have such a heartening story to tell, and then produce a book that is well, . . .boring. Her writing style, tone and voice, reads much less like a cute mommy/design blogger and more like my great- grandmas family history account. Great story, but I just couldn't stomach the book.  Rating of 2.5/5 stars


3/5 stars-  Jodi Picoult is an amazing writer. Her books are always fast-paced and her characters are endearing. Her narrative skills still shine through here but this book lacks the engaging, amicable plot of her other best sellers.

 5/5 stars-
What's more exciting than spies? When it comes to action books this novel is as good as it comes, I devoured it. Great, meaty plot with a handsome CIA hero, just watch out for