Book Review - Melissa Pimentel's Love by the Book

Sometimes, my pleasure reading leans towards the light and fluffy, especially while on summer vacations. 

PLOT - Twenty-eight year old, American expat, Lauren Cunningham, is living the single life in London. She decides to embark on a love experiment. She will spend every month of the next year, trying a different dating technique from various self-help love books. What advice will work best? Should she pursue men or let them come to her? Slutty or virginal, which has more appeal? Will this swirl of conflicting advice help or hurt her ultimate goal of finding love?

LIKE- Love by the Book is 100% typical chick-lit. This isn't a negative, but it helps to have that expectation going in. I knew what I was in for and I enjoyed Pimentel's story for what it is; light entertainment. Pimentel has created a likable heroine in Lauren and it's easy to join along in her dating adventure. I like the setting of London, as it added another layer of dating conflict for Lauren. I have a British husband, and I can attest to the cultural differences that arise. This dynamic made for a engaging read. 

DISLIKE - Unfortunately, the gimmick begins to grow old mid-way through the story. I think the resolve could have been in giving more weight to Lauren's non-dating life, creating a better balance in the story. By the middle of the book, it seems like she is just going through the motions of this experiment, checking off boxes and men, with each passing month. It's less fun as the story progresses. Also, the various love experiments are unequally entertaining. 

RECOMMEND - Possibly. Overall, I enjoyed Love by the Book. It was a quick read that made me smile. However, I have the feeling that I will quickly forget about having read Pimentel's novel. Enjoyable and light-hearted, but not a stand-out in the genre. 

Book Review- Emily Wierenga's Making it Home

Thank you to Baker Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Emily Wierenga's Making it Home, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Emily Wierenga is struggling. She is married to a devoted husband, and is mother to two young, healthy, happy boys. Her mother has recently become a cancer survivor, and Wierenga herself overcame multiple bouts of anorexia. Despite her blessings, which she is quick to acknowledge, she still struggles with her perceived need to be perfect. She struggles to find the balance between taking care of her family, and taking care of her own needs, which include her dreams of becoming a published author. 

LIKE- Wierenga has a big heart and she pours it out on the page. Occasionally, this leads to passages that lean towards the melodramatic, but to put a positive spin on it, I think Wierenga is just a very emotional person. She wears her heart on her sleeve.

As a fellow perfectionist, I could identify with some of Wierenga's internal struggles. I felt a pit in my stomach, and felt the familiar, when I read about her meltdowns over control problems. Her imperfections and struggles make this a complex memoir.

A few stand-out sections of the book, are when Wierenga and her husband foster two boys, bringing their household to four boys under the age of five. Yikes! There is a real sense of kindness in the Wierenga family, even when they are admitting to their fears and problems. My favorite part of the book was Wierenga's trip to Africa, a country where she spent time as a child. This is a life altering trip for her, and this section is gut wrenching.

Simply put, I liked Wierenga's honesty and openness.

DISLIKE- I requested this book from Netgalley and based on the description, this was not the story that I was expecting. A huge component of Wierenga's memoir deals with her wrestling with questions involving her faith and living a Christ-filled life.  I'm not religious, but I don't necessarily mind reading stories with a religious bent. Wierenga is Christian, and this is key to every aspect of how she lives her life, which is highly important to the truth in her memoir. It couldn't have been downplayed or eliminated. She talks about it on nearly every page of this book, and for me, it got tedious. I felt a disconnect. If the synopsis had mentioned this aspect of her memoir, I would not have likely requested it.

That said, if you're devoutly Christian, this book might really resonate with you. I can think of several friends that I would recommend Making it Home to. I had never heard of Wierenga prior to reading her memoir, but after the fact, I've discovered that she is a prominent Christian writer, and I think that I might have friends who have heard of her. 

RECOMMEND- Depends. I enjoyed Making it Home on many levels, and I'm glad to have been introduced to Wierenga. However, I think that both her overt sentimentality and strong Christian views, could be off-putting to some readers. She may have a specific, rather than a broad, audience for her writing. 

Book Review- Lori Ostlund's After the Parade

Thank You to Scribner for providing me with an advanced copy of Lori Ostlund's novel, After the Parade, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Forty year old Aaron Englund is filled with regret and uncertainty. He has left his long time partner, Walter, and moved across the country to start a new life in San Francisco. As he tries to adjust to his life in a new city, he begins to rehash the events of his childhood, including an abusive father and abandonment by his mother. If he is ever to be happy in his present, he must make peace with his past.

LIKE- After the Parade is a beautifully written and deeply affecting story. It's also incredibly unexpected. It goes directions that I could never have anticipated, starting at the beginning of the story, but continuing until the end. This isn't a story of shocking twists in the way of a thriller ( which it is not), but more a story that is surprising because it's unexpected. These surprises were often very dark, but sometimes poignant and delightful. There is a running theme of secrets, specifically the private, internal lives that all people lead. Can you ever really know what another person is thinking or anticipate their behavior? 

Ostlund reminded me of one of my favorite writers, John Irving. It's the way that both Ostlund and Irving take a rather ordinary character's life and make it extraordinary. After the Parade is an examination of Aaron's life, trying to determine the events that shaped him into the man he is at forty, however, the story is quite an epic journey. I don't require a lovable or relatable protagonist, but Aaron is both of these. He isn't perfect, but he is a guy who you would want to have as a friend. He is essentially a very decent and kind person, who been through a really rough life. His good nature is a beacon of light during the dark moments that fill After the Parade.

Beyond Aaron, Ostlund populates her story with an unforgettable cast of secondary characters. Most memorable are Bernice, an obese cook who through a shocking backstory reveals her abandoned dreams of college, and a cantakerous dwarf named Clarence. It's these minor characters and their stories, who probably have a greater impact on shaping Aaron, than he even realizes. They certainly made a big impression on me. 

DISLIKE- Absolutely nothing. I found Ostlund's novel so affecting, that as soon as I finished it, I found her on Twitter and wrote her a note. 

RECOMMEND- Yes, yes yes! The story and writing are beautiful and powerful. After the Parade is a must read and I don't doubt that Ostlund will find her novel winning awards. It's that good.