‘Book Review’ Articles at Sweetnicks, Page 2

Book Review: Lost and Found {Geneen Roth}

May 9, 2012 · Narrative

As Geneen Roth noted in her latest book, Lost and Found, James Grant once said, “Insofar as there is a lesson in history, it’s that human beings are not good with large sums of money, anything over $136.”

And ain’t that the truth? Just reference any “Lottery Winners Go Bankrupt” story that People magazine has run over their publication history. Or MC Hammer’s story after his U Can’t Touch This fame.

This newest book from the NY Times best-selling author goes into how she and her husband lost money with Bernie Madoff, to the tune of nearly a million dollars. But beyond any “woe is me” tale, it’s a candid, introspective and realistic look into her own personal relationship with money.

Not a self-help book, and not a tips-for-financial-success tome, rather, it’s a call to examine our own relationship with money, how spending is sometimes to fill a void or deficit in other areas of life, how and why we spend what we do, and how it can’t possibly fix holes without other work being done first. Given Roth’s own issues with food, it’s not that much of a leap.

The book is a quick read, albeit a much heavier topic than your average bring-to-the-beach title, and doesn’t pull any punches in terms of revealing personal details of Roth’s own financial troubles (both before the Madoff debacle, during, and after). That said, don’t read this book expecting a panacea for your own financial woes or answers to your questions. It is one woman’s story of money lost, hope gained, and the journey she took along the way, and she tells it (along with her other books on relationships with food, and the workshops she teaches) merely in an attempt to help others.

Have you read this book already? Then come over and join the discussion already underway over at BlogHer.

Hungry for more book reviews?
A Bad Case of Stripes
Fault in Our Stars
Diary of a Mad Fat Girl
The Rules of Inheritance
The Weird Sisters

This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

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Book Review: Fault in Our Stars

April 20, 2012 · BlogHer, Narrative

I have seriously been on a roll with books lately. This is the third one I’ve finished this month, and while it might not seem like alot, living with kids that don’t let me finish a thought or sentence, three books might as well be akin to a car ride with no bickering.

The latest selection from the BlogHer Book Club is Fault in Our Stars by New York Times bestselling author, John Green. An author and book I had never heard of before receiving it in the mail. I think that’s one of the best perks of the BlogHer Book Club; it’s a great way to discovered new (to me) authors or books I might not have otherwise read.

This one is not a beachy, breezy read. Centering around 16-year-old Hazel Lancaster, who has terminal thyroid cancer, it’s obviously a plot line thick with some heavy, somber tones. That being said, the story includes bits of wonder, laughter, love, and whimsy as we follow Hazel meeting (and falling for) Augustus at a kids-with-cancer support group that she attends.

The book is evenly paced and really well written. You’ll find yourself laughing and crying as you get pulled into their story. I loved the character development, and even though this is a “young adult” book, it doesn’t mean adults won’t derive pleasure from reading it as well.

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Book Review: The Rules of Inheritance

March 11, 2012 · BlogHer, Narrative

So we got home late last night from a movie, and I knew there was no way I could string enough words together to make sense in order to properly review this book. Late night writing, although I do it far too often, is never a good thing if it can be avoided. So here we are. Remember how I mentioned last month that I was shooting for reading three new books a month? One of the perks about occasionally reviewing a book for the kind folks at BlogHer (and the related BlogHer Book Club) is that I am exposed to titles I might have otherwise passed by. Or not even bothered to give a second glance at.

Such is the case with Claire Bidwell Smith’s The Rules of Inheritance. As I told Mystic tonight after we finished at at-home double feature, with one of the movies being fairly dark, “I like happy.” Those are the movies and books I tend to gravitate towards. Peppered with cooking stuffs, business books, non-fiction, biographies, and the like, the core of my selections is generally lighter. And surely much lighter than a book that is steeped in grief.

But I made it through. This memoir centers around Claire and how she deals with her parents being diagnosed with cancer within months of each other, and by her early 20s, they have both succumbed to the disease. The book follows Claire’s life as she immerses herself in many things (school, work, boys, cigarettes, and alcohol), anything and everything to dull the pain of having to deal with her impending grief. The wordsmithing throughout really makes you feel the emotions right along with her … sadness, despair … but then later, hope and promise as she begins to learn that facing her grief is the best way to deal with it. This is not your go-to book when packing your picnic bag or heading to the beach, but if you’re looking to curl up with something different, something that might suck you in and make you think about life a little harder than you want to, check it out.

To read more about The Rules of Inheritance and see what other BlogHer reviewers thought about it, check out the BlogHer Book Club page.

Disclosure: This review is part of the BlogHer Book Club program. I received a copy of the book and am compensated for my participation. However, all opinions are my own.