Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

My Review:
It was an OK book. It had a few funny parts to it and a few emotional ones. I haven't read a book in a while and figured I would dive into an easy read. It definitely served it's purpose. Definitely a chick lit book. NO BOYS ALLOWED! It would be a good read for a new mom or a mom-to-be, just so she knows that her feelings are not crazy and she is not alone in the process. Child rearing can be very trying at times and it is somehow nice to know that you are not crazy with your thoughts.

Professional Review:
A Hollywood actress, an organized event planner, a chef, and a television reporter all have one thing in common: motherhood. Each woman is affected by this dramatic and life changing event in very different yet equally compelling ways in Jennifer Weiner's third novel, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES. To refer to Weiner's work as Chick Lit is similar to calling Todd English a fast food restaurant owner. What both of these talented individuals have in common is the ability to create wonderful pieces of work that are sometimes taken for granted because they reach such a wide audience and make it look effortless.

Weiner's first book, GOOD IN BED, received rave reviews and is now being developed into a series for HBO. It was immediately followed by IN HER SHOES, which has already been turned into a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine. How does Weiner create such wonderful fiction time and again? She pulls her readers into the world she has created and allows them to experience this world for themselves. She gives her characters difficult struggles and flaws. Weiner writes so vividly and creates such real human emotion through her words that she makes her readers truly care about the lives of her characters.

LITTLE EARTHQUAKES introduces us to four women who meet at a yoga class for expectant mothers. Becky is a chef who has an extremely loving relationship with her husband and an interfering mother-in-law who insists on trying to change everything about her. Kelly is an overachieving event planner who had a poor childhood and has since become intent on giving her own child a better life. Unfortunately, her newly unemployed husband isn't living up to her ideals. Ayinde, a beautiful television reporter who is married to a professional athlete, has her life turned upside down because of her husband's act of indiscretion. Finally there is Lia, a somewhat mysterious character who hides a heartbreaking secret involving her own brief experience of motherhood while bonding with the new mothers. Each of these women must struggle with the challenges of being new moms while at the same time balancing all of the other areas in their lives. They realize that becoming a new mother changes one's sense of self and one's relationships with others.

What is so wonderful about Weiner's work is that she gives her characters undying hope, no matter how unfortunate their circumstances may be. Through her characters' faith and persistence she creates happy endings that often can be difficult to find in fiction today.

In LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, Weiner explores the power of love and self-acceptance in overcoming life's obstacles. Her characters confront harshness and unhappiness with humor and self-confidence. They experience success without changing the essence of who they are and without subjugating their beliefs. Weiner has written a touching novel with wonderful characters and honest lessons about living a less than perfect life. Once again she has outdone herself and invites her readers to enter a world they may not have experienced otherwise. LITTLE EARTHQUAKES explores motherhood, friendship, marriage, loss, devastation, forgiveness and love. This is women's fiction at its best.

The Art of Racing in the rain by Garth Stein

Go Enzo! Go Enzo! Go, Go Enzo!
I give it 5 bookmarks. Read it today!

Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger

This is definitely a chick lit book and a breeze to flip through. A fun story line and a creative twist ending that put it all together. A little excitement, a little drama... What more can a girl ask for?
I give it 3 bookmarks.

Lucky by Alice Sebold

What a book! I don't know how to start the conversation on this one. What a downer from the start? What a fight to the finish line? That girl has some balls! Go get him! What a cocky jerk that puke was!
That is what was running through my mind with this one. It is a memoir that starts with a young virgin woman who is brutally raped by a man. I don't think 'man' is the correct word. I meant to say 'monster'. What that guy did to her was horrible and outrageous and completely beyond belief. She came back with a cape and smashed him in court. Good for you Alice! That is a battle that many women out there are scared to do and you did it for them. And to turn around and have her roommate get raped on her bed shortly thereafter. What! Where is the humanity in this world?
This book got 4.5 bookmarks from me.

C'est La Vie: An American Woman Begins a New Life in Paris and--Voila!--Becomes Almost French by Suzy Gershman

OK, so I have been reading a lot lately. It is what I do when it is cold and dreary outside. I hibernate and read. This book was pretty good. I liked the story line and the writing was pretty fluid. I love anything french (french fries, french toast, french kissing...) Of the subject- sorry! The gal in the book loses her husband unexpectedly and decides to do her lifelong dream and travel to France and live with the french. How great would that be. It is one of the places I have longed to travel to as well. Someday I'll get my Christmas in Paris. I give it 3.5 bookmarks.

Book Review: Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

I wasn't too impressed by the book. I have read some other books by Kinsella in the past and the Shopaholic series was much better. Maybe the premise of this book scared me a little. This girl wakes up in the hospital to find that 3 years of her life have been taken from her by a bad case of amnesia. She was now married, having an affair with a guy that her new husband works with, her long time friends hate her, and she finds that she is very successful in her career. At first she is pretty impressed by the handsome husband and her great digs, but finds that there is loneliness and heartache behind the perfect facade. The ending was a little soft and should have tied up the story line a little better. I don't know what I would do if I woke up in the hospital to find that 3 years of my life was gone. The loss of control on my memories would probably drive me crazy. She was a little gullible in trusting the wrong people in her life for the needed answers. I probably would do the same thing. That's a little scary...

Book Review: One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

Candace Bushnell is the author of the popular Sex in the City book. I haven't read that book or watched the TV series. Maybe sometime soon...
The book was a little dense and had a few gaps in the story line. There were quite a few character lines that crossed and needed to come together a little better. The premise of the book was a popular apartment building in New York and the story of the occupants. She tied the past and present together pretty well and the characters seemed to be lifelike. Nothing too extreme. It was almost as if I could pick a person in real life that was one of the characters in the book. The mix of characters was pretty good too. The different ages, occupations, economic statuses seemed to flow pretty well. You find yourself liking some of them and want to hang out, but there are always some others that are drab and/or you hate them with a vengeance. The head of the board was a little weird. She was married to her husband for 20 years and didn't want anything to do with the poor guy. Why be married? And she was OK with him being with another woman who would blog about their escapades? I wonder if she would have left him if he hadn't wrote that hit book. The little mystery with the necklace was a nice addition. I kind of felt bad for Billy. He had good intentions, but the luck of money was not his. I wonder what happened to his mom.

The Black Dahlia

I would give this book 4.5 stars (out of 5). It was well written and I would recommend this book to all readers. The story line is a little twisted and not normally something I would pick up to read. I'm glad I dove in and made myself read it. I haven't seen the movie yet and have it on my queue of those to watch now.

January Book Selection

My January read was Heartburn. The book was an OK read. Went pretty quick for me and it was a little enjoyable. I didn't feel like I connected with the character too much and I think that the author could have done a little bit more with the story line and character structure. If you are looking for an afternoon read in the sun, here's your book. If you are looking for a book to change your life, look elsewhere. I give it 2.5 stars out of 5.

The Black Dahlia

This book is a little out of my norm to read. It is set in the 40's and features a band of cops who are looking for a murderer of a tortured woman. The writing style is a little jumpy and the language of these cops to each other makes my skin crawl sometimes. I feel pretty offended sometimes when reading it and want to throw my book at them for being so ignorant. Then I have to remind myself that we live in a different time and place and this world has changed. It is a good book so far (half way through). Pick it sometime. I will try the movie after I finish the book to let you know which is better. Most times it's the book that's better. I just wonder how they are going to portray some of the characters in the movie. It's always interesting to see if they would pick the same people (actors) that you would have picked.