Book Review: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty July 13, 2017 05:00

Becky and I are both big readers. We read spiritual books, fictions, non-fictions, young adult, you name it. As I mentioned in our last book review post (Bossypants by Tina Fey) I'm in a book club and recently read 'What Alice Forgot' by Liane Moriarty. I thought I'd share a brief review in case this particular book was on your waitlist. 

(I also just recently read Liane Moriarty's book Big Little Lies as well, which I'm sure many of you recognize.)

What is the book about?

The book begins with Alice waking up on the floor at the gym thinking she is 29 years old. It turns out she had fallen which caused her to misplace 10 years of her life. She is actually 39 and a lot of her life has changed. Using three different perspectives the book unfolds her journey to remember.

Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?

Yes. The best part for me was the self evaluation. The book made you look at your own life and ask questions.

At one point Alice's sister, Elizabeth, was thinking "how would I feel if I lost ten years of my memory, and what things, would surprise me, or please me, or upset me about how my life had turned out." It was almost ten years ago when I graduated college. There are so many decisions I've made in the last ten years that have and will shape my life forever. If I were my 20 year old self sitting across from the person I've become today, would I be happy with what I saw? I'm not sure. There are definitely aspects of my life that need work.

While Alice was in the process of remembering the last 10 years of her life all of her thoughts were in the perspective of a 29 year old. They were sometimes immature and naive, but sometimes the simplicity brought such clarity. It made me wonder if I would enjoy life more if I had some of the perspective I had 10 years ago on certain things. Sometimes I'm a bit too serious.

Stories of Elizabeth's struggles with infertility pull on your heart strings. The reality is that many women struggle with this. In the book you see many perspectives. It takes such strength.

You see love in all of it's many phases. Young love that is fresh and simple. Old love that has grown through experiences, the best and worst. I felt great encouragement from seeing all the different phases. Love doesn't look the same in every relationship.

There were so many other great situations that Alice and her loved ones run into that really make you just take a step back and reevaluate.

The book is a little long but I found it went by fast. My first thoughts when I finished were... that I need to be more grateful for life and the experiences that it brings and that I need to remember to slow down and enjoy it all.

Would you recommend this book?

Definitely. It so easy to relate it to your own life and growth.

What’s your favorite quotes from the book?

"They would think she was savoring the taste --, but she was actually savoring the whole morning, trying to catch it, pin it down, keep it safe before all those precious moments became yet another memory."

"It's just that sometimes I want to say to her, 'Darling, maybe you don't get to be a mother, but you still get to be a wife.'"

"They take their lives so seriously, these young people."

Have you read any good books lately that you would recommend? Or have you posted a review lately that you want to share? If so, leave a comment!

Book Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey June 8, 2017 05:00

Is anyone part of a book club? Well, I am. I know, nerd. I think the best part (following the great friends, food, and wine) is that I end up reading books I really like that I probably wouldn't of otherwise picked.

I recently read Bosspants by Tina Fey and thought I'd write a brief review.

(Side note, I use Goodreads to keep track of the books I want to read, very user friendly, and there is an app for your phone.)

I think Tina Fey did a great job with this book. Her goal was to just share her story. Essentially she hit the high and low points of her life. It isn't written like an autobiography where you get every little detail. She condensed it to 275 pages of just the good stuff. The book makes you feel like she is just sitting in front of you talking. Her voice and humor read perfectly. Instead of summarizing the plot I'll share with you a few thoughts and things I learned:

1. Tina Fey wrote Mean Girls. (I know I'm not the only one who loves this movie and had no idea Tina Fey wrote it.)
2. Tina Fey also doesn't understand why "blond" hair isn't called "yellow" hair. Why do we just get "brown" hair?
3. "An Irish Goodnight" is when you have guests over and you start screaming and throwing their coats down the stairs in order to get them to leave.
4. The three worst kinds of female behavior are: 1. saying "like" all the time, 2. leaving your baby in a dumpster, and 3. girl-on-girl sabotage.
5. What you should give your kids: "The gift of anxiety. The fear of getting in trouble. The knowledge that while you are loved, you are not above the law."
6. Tina Fey went to the University of Virginia.
7. Tina Fey and I both have had the pleasure of working at the YMCA.
8. Vendeteria. Think cafeteria with lots of vending machines.
9. If you are ever on a cruise ship and hear "bravo" said four times you are going down to your watery grave.
10. The most important rule of beauty is, "Who cares?"
11. "Only in comedy does an obedient white girl from the suburbs count as diversity." Tina Fey obviously doesn't know anything about structural engineering.
12. "It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don't like something, it is empirically not good."
13. America's most serious and pressing issue is Photoshop. "Photoshop is just like makeup. When it's done well it looks great, and when it's overdone you look like a crazy asshole."
14. Umm... I hope all the people in the chapter "Dear Internet" exist.
15. "If you want to see a great pilot, watch the first episode of Cheers."
16. Definition of blorft: "Completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum."
17. Tina Fey, I love you for including the line, "These are not the droids you're looking for", in your book.
18. I'm not the only one that doesn't get Hooters.
19. Oprah smells nice.
20. You can blame your farts on your baby.
21. Tina Fey doesn't have a driver's license.

I apologize for the long list, there were so many more that I earmarked. Let me reiterate here, her hilarious, edgy humor definitely comes out in her book. I recommend the read. Short, sweet, and funny. (Side note: my book club friends shared with me that Tina Fey reads her book on Audible and it is amazing.)

Anyone have any good books they've read recently that they'd like to recommend?