Monday, August 16, 2010

Hiatus & Book Reviews

Whew! I'm back.  I'm sorry for the blogging hiatus!  I've been visiting my family, doing wedding stuff, and hanging out at the beach with friends.  Last week Amanda, Erin, Lauren, and I went to the beach for Lauren's last hoorah in NC before heading off to pharmacy school in VA.  We had a blast in Myrtle Beach! It was so relaxing and fun!  I've been doing a lot of reading... get this, for fun!  Oh my gosh - I almost forgot what it was like to read for enjoyment.  Recently I've read these books...

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert was pretty good.  I honestly don't think it will make the best movie, but it does have some level of entertainment.  It's about Elizabeth "Liz" Gilbert, and her attempt to find herself after an unhappy marriage and messy divorce.  She spends a year in Italy, India, and Indonesia.  In each place she focuses on one thing - enjoying life, finding a disciplined spiritual life, and learning to love again respectively.  I think her spiritual journey can be a good example as far as dedication and discipline, but don't be fooled - it is not a religious piece.  Apparently there is a sequel, but I'm not interested enough to read it.  Maybe Julia Roberts can make the movie better than the book was... We can only hope.  I'd give it ★★.

Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz was great!  It is by far the best book that I've read recently.  Rebeca Seitz is a Christian author, and this book is about Tandy Sinclair, one of four adopted sisters.  Tandy is a lawyer in the big city, and during a break from work, she decides to visit her hometown.  She gets to spend time with her family, scrapbook with her sisters, and, in a twist of events, reconnect with her high school sweetheart.  It's such a sweet novel, I can't wait to read the sequel.  It gets ★★★★★!

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin was pretty good, too.  Two friends, Rachel and Darcy, have established a life in New York - a far cry from their childhood in Indiana.  Darcy is getting married to the perfect man, Dex.  Rachel, the maid of honor, met Dex in law school and introduced him to Darcy.  But, what happens when Dex & Rachel fall in love?  I'm not a fan of affairs, so this book did not exactly sit well with me.  It was a good read, however, and I'd give it ★★★★.

Something Blue by Emily Giffin is the follow up to Something Borrowed.  This novel follows Darcy's story as she makes a life-changing move to England, meets her dream man, falls in love with someone else, and changes her character... all while being pregnant.  It's worth the read, but I must warn you that it's hard to get in to the first half.  The end is rewarding and I think you'll like it - ★★★★.


Finally, Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin.  This novel is alright, though it further confirmed that I'm not that into Emily Giffin.  It's another affair-driven plot line.  Ellen has the perfect man, Andy, who also happens to be the brother of her best friend, Margot.  As her newlywed life quickly moves to talk of a southern country club home and children, she chases after an intense, passionate previous relationship with Leo.  Will she choose Leo, the past, and a life in New York, or her perfect husband, the south, and a life that she always wanted?  I thought this was predictable, and fell short of Giffin's earlier novels - ★★★.


Hope that you have found time to read for enjoyment this summer!! :)
laura ann

1 comment:

Patrice said...

I did not like Eat, Pray, Love at all. I just stopped about 1/3 of the way through. I kind of wanted to punch her in the face. I don't know why. Try The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It's so good and the best "just for fun" I've read in a LONG time. I promise you'll like it. Glad you had fun at the beach.