Tag Archives: reviews

Committed

17 Mar

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I read Committed while my husband was home on R&R. So marriage was fresh in my brain, something I was physically living. Even though I live my marriage every day, I am a married person after all, I don’t live it physically as often as most. As a result, my perspective on marriage is drastically different than most. Certainly different than Elizabeth Gilbert’s.

I felt like this book was a history of marriage according to Gilbert with a few sprinklings of Gilbert’s “the audacity!” throughout. It wasn’t until the end of the book that her story came out full. Which is ok, it’s her non-fiction book and she can write it as she likes. I’m a story person. I want the dish and the relationship. I felt like Gilbert didn’t have a problem with marriage so much as relationships in general but in her mind and experience related all those bad things with marriage.
Gilbert did reconcile herself with institution of marriage. She got married again after all.

Anyway, back to the book. Not what I expected, but good. It really got me thinking about marriage through the ages and what marriage means to me. And maybe that’s what Gilbert wanted to do; make people think about what this whole marriage thing is all about.

Her writing, as always, was succinct and poetic. Good read.

Truth Next Exit

24 Feb

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by Michele M. Paiva came to my door via Pump Up Your Book and I’m very glad it did. As the title suggests, truth is the main focus of the book. But it also has elements of focusing on health and well being.

The thing I really liked about this devotional is that it didn’t string you along for answers. I’m not sure if that’s clear but what I mean is there weren’t the stock questions with the stock answers. The questions are really thought provoking and caused me to explore them further in my journal and in prayer.

Now as a special treat Michele M. Paiva took the time to answer a few questions for me:

What does your writing space look like?

I had a room built into my large den. I had collected an old door from a lawyers office that looks to be at least from the 40′s. I have old windows that were meant to be outside door/windows.. so when you go into the den, it looks like you are looking at an old store front! I have windows on the other wall, so I get a ton of light. I have an old kitchen table as my desk, book shelves and antique pieces surrounding me. I like to feel like I’ve stepped back in time. It also offers me seclusion which I so need when I write!

Is there anything you know now, as a published writer, that you wish that you knew when you were just starting?

That no one’s opinion really matters but yours, the editor and publisher. No external editor, no book group critiques, not your great aunt or best friend. Write from the heart and let it go from there. It’s a business not a self esteem pat on the back; treat it as such. Luckily I only toyed with other’s opinions for a very short time, and had confidence not to concern myself about what others thought. I think once you learn to stop looking outside of yourself THEN you are ready to jump in with two feet.

Has writing a devotional always been on your heart or did you find yourself writing it more out of necessity? (Meaning you wanted a devotion like the one you wrote but couldn’t find it anywhere.)

Hmmm that is hard. I think it is a bit of both. I couldn’t find anything like it through the years and, I always had it in my heart to help people from a more spiritual place.

Who did you dedicate this book to and why?

To my friend Denise, because she is someone who puts emphasis on truth.

Thank you so much Michele!

French Milk

11 Jan

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French Milk by Lucy Knisley is my first graphic novel. I am so inspired by this book. I am starting to get into art journaling. French Milk is Lucy’s journal of her trip to Paris with her mother for 5 weeks. It includes pictures and drawings and explinations. Plus Lucy is kind of a foodie like myself and documents what they eat the whole time, which I love. Some of the reason this book really hit home with me is because I love hearing people’s stories. What they did, what it looks like, what they were feeling. Knisley encompassed all of that.

I borrowed this book from the library, but am seriously thinking about buying this book so I can study her sketches and be inspired over and over.

This weekend over President’s day I’m going to Paris with Cecilia. After reading French Milk I’m even more excited for my trip. We plan on hitting all of the major tourist attractions one day and the Palace of Versailles the next. I’m not sure if this is true, but I heard that you can rent golf carts to drive around the grounds of Versailles. I hope it’s so. I hope it in my heart of hearts.

Juliet, Naked

24 Nov

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I was really excited when I saw this book in our little library. I’ve been wanting to read a Nick Hornby novel for sometime to see what all the fuss was about. I probably should have started with one of the greats: High Fidelity, Fever Pitch or About a Boy.

Quick synopsis: Duncan is obsessed with has been 80′s rock star Tucker Crowe and Annie, Duncan’s 15 year partner, likes Tucker Crowe as much as the next guy. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker Crowe, even calls himself a Crowologist. When an unfinished version of Tucker Crowe’s most famous album, Juliet, hits the market Duncan raves about it on his online Crowe community website. The problem is Annie thinks it’s crap and tells Duncan so in an excellently written review on the same website. Her review infuriates Duncan and gets a different reaction from recluse Tucker Crowe, an email.

Annie and Tucker begin corresponding without Duncan’s knowledge and Duncan starts canoodling without Annie’s knowledge. Then stuff really starts to get complicated…

Juliet, Naked was lukewarm for me. The main characters were excellent and flawed and real and just the kind of characters I love. But the secondary characters were so absent and flat it took away from the good dynamic of the main characters.

Even though this was a character driven book the plot was a major player as well. Hornby had a nice balance of plot and characters so I was invested to see what happened and to learn more about these people.

The thing that disappointed me most about this book was the ending. Don’t worry, no spoilers.

This book didn’t end so much as shrug its shoulders and stop telling me its story. Usually I love the open ended book. It’s one of the things that makes a book stay with me. I think about what could happen after. Juliet, Naked didn’t end. It just stopped. Disappointing because of the characters and plot that I thought were promising me so much.