Books in Review
Follow me on Facebook & Twitter!
Since I’ve been on a reading kick lately, I wanted to share what books I’ve been into and what I thought of them. Not that you care what I think, but sometimes it’s helpful to hear other peoples’ opinions when choosing your next book. Obviously, these are my own thoughts and you may disagree and that’s fine. I think we’re grown ups and we can still be friends even if we have differing views on what constitutes a “good” book. Here goes…
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. This is the same author that wrote Gone Girl, which was made into a movie that I actually thought depicted the novel quite well. Dark Places was a book that kept me reading, but like the title says, it’s dark in many places. I love a good psych thriller (i.e. James Patterson) and this definitely fit the bill. Be advised, it’s not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of bad language and at some points too many graphic details. So if those things are not your cup of tea this book is definitely NOT for you. It’s a story about a girl whose whole family was killed by her brother when she was just a little girl. As she gets older she starts to question if he actually did it. The story goes back and forth from past to present day in order to lead up to the night her family was killed. It was so disturbing that when I finished it I was just kind of glad it was over. I couldn’t endure any more of it. So, as a review goes, I’m not sure I recommend this one. It definitely keeps your attention, but the toll it takes on your psyche might be the trade off.
After reading a dark novel, I was ready for something light hearted. Insert Tina Fey’s Bossy Pants here. I love a book that evokes emotion, but it’s rare that I find a book that actually makes me laugh out loud. Lots of funny books make me smile or think, “that’s funny”, but it’s few and far between that I find myself laughing to the point of tears. There were several moments when my husband would look over at me like I had 3 heads because I was hee-haw laughing. Bossy Pants is a memoir of sorts about Fey’s life and how she got to where she is today. So much humor is only funny when it’s heard because we need to be able to hear the inflection of the voice or see the person’s facial expressions. Fey is a master at creating humor and sarcasm with nothing more than words on a page. She reminds me that boys aren’t the only ones that can be funny. Her self-deprecation and childlike honesty are part of her charm that reels you in from the first page. Again, if bad language bothers you this is not the book for you. But if you want an easy read that is sure to make you giggle, read this book. It will not disappoint. After reading this I also want to get her bestie, Amy Poehler’s book. So much funny.
Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton is one that I had heard about and I liked reading her blog (www.momastery.com) so I thought I’d give it a read. The book is chopped up into short chapters which I’m pretty sure are a compilation of blog posts. So if you’ve read her blog for a long time this may seem like a repeat of something you’ve already read. But since I hadn’t been reading her blog for very long it was all new information to me. This book challenged me more than any book has in a long time. It made me think and question certain things I have believed for a long time. I’m not sure I agree with her on everything and that’s ok. I can still think she’s amazing and not agree with everything she says. Something she did teach me was to quit judging and start loving… everybody. Instead of getting so caught up in how other people are living their lives and whether their doing it right or wrong, maybe I should just be worried about how I could best show love to them. Because, let’s be honest, I’m not always right and who says I’m doing life the best? I’m pretty certain I’m not. We’re all just doing the best we can. And everybody’s best looks different because God made us different. So I love that in everything, Melton was always pushing me to love hard and show grace often. And my most favorite quote of hers was, and is, “We can do hard things”. This is everything. So much encouragement and so much hope in these 5 words. Do I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly yes! I now feel like I want to give her a hug. Is that weird?
So that’s it for now, friends. I’ll try and make this a quarterly thing if you enjoy it. Right now I’m reading Anne Lamott and ya’ll she doesn’t write words, she paints them. She may be a little eccentric and colorful but those are the kind of people that make writing an art form. Clearly I will never be this good of a writer because I wasn’t tortured enough as child. Darn you, parents, for giving me a good childhood. Until next time…
-Courtney
Can’t get enough? Click here! I’ll send these to your inbox.