Review: Fifteen Minutes of Shame

Summary: What happens when America’s favorite TV dating expert finds out on national television that her husband is cheating? Darby Vaughn’s fifteen minutes of fame quickly spins into fifteen minutes of shame: Not only is the most humiliating moment of her life splashed across every supermarket tabloid and celebrity gossip show, but her reputation as America’s love guru is shot. To make matters worse, her fans are turning on her, her book sales have tanked and her love life is fodder for late night television. If Darby breaks her own zero-tolerance policy for cheaters and takes her philandering husband back, her career will be over. But if she sticks to her own rules, she’ll lose the only man she’s ever loved. - lisadaily.com

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME by Lisa Daily is chick lit at its best! I have a huge stack of books that I need to read, but I was really in the mood for something fun so I decided to read it. I thought it was a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants an entertaining read!

The book arrived with some promotional materials that were just as cute as the book. A glossy magazine-like brochure called BUZZ was filled with "buzz" about the author, the book, the reviews, etc. It was almost as fun to read as the book.

I loved the character of Darby, and my heart went out to her right away when she found out her husband was going back to his ex-wife (while she was being interviewed on the Today Show.) I had so much fun following her ups and downs as she figured out how to resolve her problems. I found myself rooting for her against her husband and his ex-wife; and I thought her dedication to his children was so admirable. She's just a great, likable character!

One of my favorite parts of the book were the quotations at the beginning of each chapter. The character of Darby was a relationship expert, so the author tied in Darby's advice from various books and speeches to what was occurring in each chapter. I thought this technique was very telling about how easy it it to give advice, but how difficult it can be to follow!

As funny as this book was, I also thought it was kind of sad! I didn't go so far as the cry, but the last few chapters definitely touched me. Even though the ending was kind of predictable, I still enjoyed it (and it was actually the ending I wanted.)

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME will be available on March 25th. Lisa Daily's website is fantastic; and if you think you might be interested in the book, you should definitely take a look. Right now, you can get the first two chapters e-mailed to you so you can get a sneak preview before you buy it. There are also discussion questions available for your book club. I'm thinking about asking my book club if they'd like a change of pace from our "normal" selections and try something a little more fun for the summer!

Review: Secondhand World

Summary: Isadora Myung Hee Sohn—Isa—has just spent ninety-five days in a pediatric burn unit in Albany, New York, recovering from the fire that burned her house and killed her parents. Moving back in time, Secondhand World casts a devastating spell, revealing the circumstances that led to the fire. Growing up the daughter of Korean-born parents, Isa is bullied by American classmates and barely noticed at home. Seeking the company of another outsider, Isa falls in love with Hero, an albino boy. But what starts out as a small teenage rebellion sets in motion a series of events and revelations Isa never could have foreseen. - anchor books

I received SECONDHAND WORLD by Katherine Min in the mail a few weeks ago, and I thought it looked like a book that I would really enjoy. I read a few reviews about the book and they were very, very good. In fact, the book was even a finalist for the PEN/Bingham Prize. After reading the book in less than 24 hours, I'd have to say that it was amazing!

It sounds funny to be talking about the cover after completing such a beautiful piece of fiction, but the cover is just perfect. I loved the girl and the flowers and it drew me in right away. After reading the book, I appreciated the cover even more. I don't want to give too much away, but I found the young girl and her hair extremely symbolic.

This book starts out a little mysterious because Isa is recovering in the burn unit of a hospital after a fire that kills both her parents. The reader isn't actually sure how the fire started, and the book goes back in time to reveal the events that led to the fire. The book is really more of a coming-of-age story about Isa, a girl with Korean parents, who doesn't feel that she fits in anywhere (especially her home and school.)

I was deeply touched by Isa's story -- she had more heartbreak in her young life than many people do in a lifetime. I loved seeing how her character developed and matured throughout the book. Isa, with all of her flaws and fears, was such a "real" character to me. I have a feeling that she will remain in my thoughts for quite awhile even after I've finished the book.

Ms. Min is an incredibly gifted writer! I know I'm not going to do justice to her writing style, but her prose is almost lyrical. She made me understand Isa's insecurities and feel her pain. I also found that there is a great deal of symbolism in this book. Ms. Min also did an amazing job of weaving with the themes throughout the story.

Trust me on this one -- this is a perfect book club selection! There are lots of discussion questions available for this book, but I'm sure your group could even think of a few more. I also found some ideas for suggested reading if you enjoyed this book.

Lucky Me and a Another Giveaway for You

It's been a really good week for me as far as books go! On Sunday night, I received an e-mail from Heather Summerhayes Cariou. She asked me if I would like to read and review her book SIXTYFIVE ROSES. Of course, I jumped at the chance! I had read the review on the hidden side of the leaf and thought it looked like an incredible book.

Then on Monday morning, I heard from My Friend Amy that I won a copy of A SOLDIER'S FAMILY! I also received IMMORTAL in the mail that day -- I won this book from Iliana at Bookgirl's Nightstand last week. Then on Monday night, I heard from MJ Rose, author of THE REINCARNATIONIST, asking if I'd like to read a copy of her book. She graciously offered to do an author chat with my book club and even an interview on my blog. You will definitely be hearing more about this in the near future.

On Tuesday morning, I got an e-mail saying that I was a winner of a mousepad in the Penguin Classics Giveaway. It's not a book, but I'll take it! Then, the UPS man delivered a package with two more books -- THE KNITTING CIRCLE and THE MEANING OF NIGHT!

Wednesday started out the same way. The FedEx guy brought me FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME by Lisa Daily. It looks like a cute Chick Lit book! Then a few hours later, the UPS guy brings and ARC of NOW YOU SEE HIM by Eli Gottlieb. The book actually came out a few months ago, and I've had it on my TBR list! Yippee!!

At this point, I'm beginning to feel a little panicked about how I'm ever going to read this many books! Of course, it's a good panicky feeling! All I can say is WOW -- I feel so incredibly lucky right now. Should I be playing the lottery?

Because I've had such an amazing week, I'd like to share my good luck with you ! I have an extra copy of THE WOMAN WHO IS ALWAYS TAN AND HAS A FLAT STOMACH AND OTHER ANNOYING PEOPLE by Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry. You can read my review here. If you are interested in winning this book, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post --please include your e-mail so I can let contact you if you win. Want to double your chances? Mention this contest on your blog, and post a link back here! The contest will run until Sunday, March 16th at 11:59 pm EST. I will anounce the winner on Monday morning.

March 2008 Book Club Meeting and April Selection

Last night, the Preschool Moms Book Club met to discuss THE DARKEST CHILD by Delores Phillips. We met for almost four hours which is definitely a record for us. I'd like to say that we discussed the book for the entire time, but of course we didn't. We started out discussing the book; however, we ended up talking about our children which then led to lots of other stuff!

We all agreed that it was a terrific book and a great book club pick! One member of our book club actually chose this book when she read about it in the 2008 Reading Group Choices guide. While the subject matter was at times very disturbing, we felt that the author told an intriguing story. There were lots of issues to disucss such as racial tension, integration, and child abuse. We did have a few minor criticisms of the writing style, but we all felt it didn't hinder our enjoyment of the book one bit. We used the discussion questions in the back of the paperback book to get our discussion flowing (not that we needed much help with this book.)

Summary: Rozelle Quinn is so fair-skinned that she can pass for white. Yet everyone in her small Georgia town knows. Rozelle's ten children (by ten different daddies) are mostly light, too. They sleep on the floor in her drafty, rickety three-room shack and live in fear of her moods and temper. But they are all vital to her. They occupy the only world she rules and controls. They multiply her power in an otherwise cruel and uncaring universe.
Rozelle favors her light-skinned kids, but insists that they all love and obey her unquestioningly. Tangy Mae, thirteen, is her brightest but darkest-complected child. Tangy wants desperately to continue with her education. Shockingly, the highest court in the land has just ruled that Negroes may go to school with whites. Her mother, however, has other plans.

Rozelle wants her daughter to work, cleaning houses for whites, like she does, and accompany her to the "Farmhouse," where Rozelle earns extra money bedding men. Tangy Mae, she's decided, is of age. - soho press

Our April selection is THE BOOK OF BRIGHT IDEAS by Sandra Kring. I'm pretty excited about this choice because the last few books we have read have been kind of downers. I have a lot of books on my plate right now, so it's good for me that this is an "easier" read.

Summary: Wisconsin, 1961. Evelyn “Button” Peters is nine the summer Winnalee and her fiery-spirited older sister, Freeda, blow into her small town–and from the moment she sees them, Button knows this will be a summer unlike any other. Much to her mother’s dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mother’s ashes and a tome she calls “The Book of Bright Ideas.” It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. And when a devastating secret is suddenly revealed, dividing loyalties and uprooting lives, no one–from Winnalee and her sister to Button and her family–will ever be the same. - bantam dell

Review: The Woman Who is Always Tan...

Summary: The overprotective PTA mom who needs to be resuscitated after she finds out her son's been fed a hotdog....The couple who sends out the annual holiday letter about how their little Timmy invented an alternative to fossil fuels—while the rest of us are still struggling to replace the lint catcher in our dryer.

Readers will encounter these familiar characters in Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry's laugh-out-loud compendium THE WOMAN WHO IS ALWAYS TAN AND HAS A FLAT STOMACH. No one is off limits as Allison and Perry take on soccer moms, video dads, rabid gardeners, and "perfect" couples in this collection of short, sardonic essays. Everyday moms and dads will laugh out loud and sigh with relief at these blisteringly funny send-ups of the most annoying over-achievers around! - hatchette book group usa

THE WOMAN WHO IS ALWAYS TAN AND HAS A FLAT STOMACH: and Other Annoying People by Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry is a pretty funny book. I wasn't sure that I was going to like it because I don't read a lot of humor, but I found myself chuckling at quite a few of the essays. I even found myself laughing out loud at many of the essay titles. For example: "The Woman Who Has a Better Way to do Everything (Like Make Jell-O) and Wants You to Know It," "The Husband Who Doesn't Notice When His Wife Redecorates the Living and Dining Rooms," and "The Husband Who Has a Cold but Believes It's Malaria" were especially amusing to me.

There are 50 essays in this book mainly poking fun at perfect people; however, there are some stories about other annoying types of people too. A few of the chapters almost seemed as if I could have written them. There is one called "The Husband Who Spends Thirty Minutes Taking a Picture of Jasmine at Disney World" that was a little too close to home for me. Another chapter that cracked me up was the one called "The Woman Who Puts All her Photographs into an Album the Same Day She Gets Them Back." From someone who has boxes (and baggies) of photos all over her basement, this one hit a nerve! "The Couple Who Write the Holiday Letter Telling You How Their Little Timmy Came Up with an Alternative to Fossil Fuels" was also a cute story. I don't know about you, but we definitely look forward to a few of our friends' Christmas letters.

I have no doubt that everyone will find at least a few essays that they can relate to, especially if you are a mom. We all know those "perfect" moms that surround us and make us look bad. You know the ones that handknit their children's clothes, or the ones that bring so much to school parties that they have to rent a U-haul, or the ones who have scrapbooks so large that they need piano movers to carry then downstairs, or the ones who have their Christmas cards, shopping and decorating done before Thanksgiving. I could keep going on, but I think you get the idea!!!

I would love to meet or even talk with Ms. Allison and Ms. Perry because I'm sure they would be very entertaining. They originally self-published this book in 2005, and it won two awards in the categories of humor and best title from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Besides writing this book, they give speeches to women's organizations and business across the county.

THE WOMAN WHO IS ALWAYS TAN AND HAS A FLAT STOMACH was just released by Grand Central Publishing on March 6th. If this book sounds like something you'd enjoy reading, check back here in a few days. I have an extra copy and I will be running a giveaway very soon!

Vera Bradley Magazine

I am a huge Vera Bradley Fan! I love her purses and I am always tempted to buy another one every time a new pattern comes out. Recently Vera Bradley has come out with a quarterly magazine that I've been mysteriously receiving in the mail (evidently, if you spend enough money on her purses, you get the magazine for free.) This month I was thrilled to find that there is a feature on starting a Mother Daughter Book Club. I was so excited to find this article on something so near and dear to my heart. What was even more special is that the book club they are featuring is for girls around the same age as my daughter (late elementary school age.)

The article gives instructions on how to start your own club. There is also a listing of some junior book club favorites to help you pick some selections. In addition, the writer walks you through on how to conduct a meeting; and the tips are actually helpful for running any type of book club meeting. My favorite part of the article, though, is the recipes and crafts they provide to tie-in with the book.

The book they feature is STUART LITTLE by E.B. White. They suggest serving mini hamburgers and sparkling lemonade (recipes provided) in addition to other mouse-sized snacks. The craft is absolutely adorable -- a mouse bookmark made of ribbon and felt. Right now, my mother daughter book club doesn't have STUART LITTLE on our immediate reading list; but I want to add this book to our list so I use these cute ideas! I was hoping that we could eventually make some crafts or snacks that relate to the book, so maybe this will give me the jump-start I need.

The Vera Bradley Magazine is available where Vera Bradley bags and accessories are sold for $4-- some of our local Hallmark Stores carry them. It's a really great article so you might want to check it out.

Hello - You Won!

We have a winner in the CARPOOL DIEM giveaway..................Karin! Here's my methodology for picking the winner. I took each comment and then assigned a number to each name. If someone posted the contest on their blog, they received an additional number. Then, I went to random.org and let it do it's magic. Congratulations Karin, and I hope you enjoy the book.