Last week, I mentioned how much I dislike self-help books. That wasn’t entirely fair to Geneen Roth, whose Lost and Found I was finishing up at the time. Roth only writes in the self-help genre, churning out books to assist individuals looking to improve their lot in life. Thanks Geneen, so kind of you. She’s the author of Women Food and God, which hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 2010. Evidentally, Roth has experienced considerable strife with her body image over the years … [Read more...]
Book review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I’d heard good things about John Green, though I’d never previously read one of his novels nor visited his YouTube site, Vlogbrothers. When the opportunity arose to review his new book, The Fault in Our Stars, I jumped at the chance. (I didn’t jump. I’m not sure I even moved from the chair where I was sitting – but I did fill out a little form, marking ‘yes’ in the oval next to “Do you want to read this book?”) Moving on… Let me be honest: I liked the title. I vaguely remember reading … [Read more...]
“The Lorax”, the trees, and a radical liberal agenda
I went to the premiere of “The Lorax” two weekends ago and watched my girls go giddy standing ten feet from Taylor Swift. Was it weird that I was much more excited to be standing five feet from Zac Efron? And then Betty White received the biggest applause as the credits rolled. Yes, they fed us tasty morsels before the film and treated us to popcorn during. There was an orange carpet instead of red and colorful truffula trees everywhere. The French macaroon I had for dessert was delicious. … [Read more...]
Wednesday: the Oscars, Meryl, and my back
While my Daily Cup of Jo followers may not count in the millions just yet, you’re a loyal bunch and so, every now and then, I feel like I owe you an apology and an excuse for being away. In the matter of today, I also wanted to defend myself against critics who wonder why I’m just now getting around to writing about the Oscars. I have a bad back. Like Lady Gaga, I was born this way and occasionally my spine gets tired of holding me up straight. Such was the case Monday morning, so after a … [Read more...]
Book review: The Rules of Inheritance
Claire Bidwell Smith’s memoir is not about wealth unless you consider yourself rich for having both your parents still alive. Hers is a story of loss, of the many stages of grief, of finding one’s way in the world without a tour guide. Bidwell Smith was just fourteen, an only child, when her mother and father learned they had cancer, colon and prostate respectively, within months of each other. They were older parents – her mother was forty when she had her daughter; her father was already in … [Read more...]
Book review: The Weird Sisters
Eleanor Brown’s The Weird Sisters was a New York Times bestseller when it came out in hardcover last year. I know that because it says so on the cover of the oh-so-soft edition I read last week. Good for Eleanor because the novel, about three sisters coming back to their parents’ home in a small Midwestern college town, was her debut. Do you like Shakespeare? Have you read the Bard? Great writer, he, though at times tirelessly baffling. Quoting him randomly is as annoying as correcting a … [Read more...]