Sloppy Firsts

I started this book at the beach and finished it up today while a storm raged outside. The main character, Jessica Darling, is the same age as me, but this book is set during our sophomore year. I will go ahead and say I wish I had read this when I was in high school. I identified with Jessica in so many ways. The feelings that she describes related to Marcus Flutie, one of the leading male characters, remind me of the feelings for my high school crush. I cringed with her during the embarrassing moments, felt sad with her, felt unbelievably hopeful that her life would be great. The book was late '90s at their best. I wish I had my Delia's and Girlfriends catalogs again to really immerse myself in the times. It was a great time in life and I am so glad this book was here to take me back there. I want to pass it along to someone, but I don't know who. The book is slightly sexually explicit and there is a lot of cursing, so I can't really give it to one of my kids, but I don't know if my friends want to reflect on high school. Maybe a friend I'm having lunch with tomorrow will want to read it.

Verdict: Generation Y, read this book. You know you miss high school. Go back for a couple hours.

Love Letters: Perfect Strangers

I read this book in a couple of hours. I bought it because I thought it would be a good book to share with a kid of mine who has gotten herself into some sticky situations sharing letters with people she does know. I did end up giving it to her.

The book was highly predictable. It had the same basic plot as any teen romance. The girl has a problem. There are two guys who are main characters in her life. She has to make a decision that will land her love. Blah, blah, blah. It was a fun read, but nothing I plan on reading again.

Bottom line: If you have two hours to spare and you need to get away for a bit, read this book. Then again, if you have two hours and you want to read a cookbook, go bicycling, or garden, do that instead.

The Dress Lodger

I have tried to read this book for several years. I would start it and then put it down. This happened multiple times, but finally, on my vacation, I decided I was going to finish this book. I read and read, one the beach, on the balcony, in bed, but finally, I finished the book. It was a strange book, a book about a prostitute and a physician who harvested dead bodies, all in the midst of a cholera outbreak. The book reminded me of The French Lieutenant's Woman. I didn't enjoy that book very much, but I was able to see the enjoyment of The Dress Lodger. It was an emotional book, and it seemed to allow the reader to be omnipotent and observant. I saw all these hidden elements, repeated thematic symbols, the rat, the eye, the blue, all of which put me back in graduate school and inspired me. I was ready to write a paper about what I read, though I don't think I really will. I think this book is one that should be read, but pace yourself. It takes a while.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I found this book at a Goodwill on my way to a relaxing weekend. I read it in a few hours as I listened to the waves crash on the beach. It was fun and easy and cute. I really liked seeing the character evolve and I do plan on passing this on to a kid I work with. It is accessible to a weak reader and it is entertaining. I even developed a game with a kid of mine based on the cheese touch that is fun to play in the pool. It is basically tag, but we can yell "Cheese Touch" loudly instead of "tag." I highly recommend this book.

Knee Deep in Paradise by Brett Butler

I think I have to preface this post with the fact that I am currently working as a substance abuse counselor. Reading this book was a chore, but after I started reading, I didn't want to stop. It detailed her tortured childhood and her struggle with alcoholism. She straightened out when she started working the program (AA). I feel like she started writing the book as an assignment while she was in treatment. I have heard the story many times, so I was not shocked or even engaged with her story.

I was incredibly shocked by how smart Brett seems. She has a writing style that is more reflective of someone much smarter than I thought she would be. Read it if you're not a substance abuse counselor, but if you are, steer clear. You've heard it before. It is not unique.

Dead in the Family

I really liked the last lines of the book - something like "I was with family. I was with blood." This book was the last one for a while, as far as I know. I thought it was a fun book, but I am glad to have a break from the series. As you know, from reading my posts, I have been reading about the incidents in Bon Temps for the last several months. I like the books well enough, but I am ready to read about something else, excited I have the chance to read something new.

In the book, Sookie and Eric are still together. There is trouble in the pack and there is still trouble in the ranks of the vampires. Nothing is coming to a resolution, so I see this series stretching out a bit longer than it needs to. I'll keep reading, though.

Stop Dressing your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank and Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom

I finished this book several weeks ago. I think the great thing about Celia Rivenbark's books is that you can read a little bit at a time. It is easy to read for five minutes, have a laugh, and then go on. When you come back, you have those few moments. Though I don't relate with this book as much as her previous book, mostly because she focuses so heavily on her child, I did find it funny and clever. I like what I read. I plan to read her other book and I hope to find more books that I can read in the five minutes between patients or when I am not with my animals at home.

My recommendation: Read this book for a dose of humor instead of eating your chocolates and taking that wind down.