Although I've never seen an episode of TLC'S reality show, The Little Couple, I was intrigued to read married couple, Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein's autobiography of living with dwarfism. Thank you to Howard Books for an advanced copy of Life is Short ( No Pun Intended) in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- In their autobiography, Life is Short (No Pun Intended), Jennifer Arnold M.D. and Bill Klein alternate chapters describing their life with skeletal dysplasia, also known as dwarfism. The book has a heavy emphasis on their childhood and college years, when both endured many important surgeries and even saw the same doctors, although they did not know each other. Arnold excelled academically and went on to become a pediatric doctor and educator. Klein found success in business. The two met when they were in their thirties via an internet dating site for Little People and they quickly fell in love. The last chapters of their book, involve the start of their reality show and the international adoptions of their two children, Will and Zoey.

LIKE- It's impossible to read Life is Short (No Pun Intended) and not be inspired. In addition to the daily difficulties of living in a world geared towards normal sized people, both Arnold and Klein have faced bullying and harassment. Quite honestly, I was shocked by death threats left on their car and not only the ignorance, but cruelty that they have faced. I was most amazing at the volume of surgeries that they had to endure in childhood. Arnold had twenty-two surgeries and she often spent her summer breaks in hospitals and in casts. Yet, she still managed to graduate at the top of her class and become a doctor. They both have such an upbeat, positive, can-do attitude, that it really points to the great job that their parents did in raising them.

There is a big emphasis on living your life to the fullest and that just because you might be limited physically, it doesn't mean that your overall quality of life is diminished, it's just different. I think that anyone could be reminded of this perspective.

It was interesting to hear about their journey to adopt internationally. They have two children with a different form of dwarfism than they both have, a daughter from India and a son from Nepal. Although their children, especially their daughter, were in desperate situations, the adoption process was still very slow and frustrating.

DISLIKE- My dislikes are minor and they don't take away from my overall enjoyment. I felt like the writing lacked finesse, making me think that Arnold and Klein probably didn't use a ghost writer. This is okay and actually kind of refreshing as it felt authentic, but it also meant that occasionally the pacing was slow or clunky.

I wish they had given a little more behind the scenes of being part of a reality show and how they navigate day-to-day challenges due to their size. We get a taste of the challenges, with Klein having his vehicle fitted to drive by hand or how they fitted their new home with lower shelves and sinks, still though, I was hoping for more in this area.

RECOMMEND- Yes! Arnold and Klein are incredibly positive people and they have a fascinating life to share. Having read Life is Short (No Pun Intended), I'm inclined to check out their show.

While perusing NetGalley, I came across Hannah Brencher's memoir, If You Find This Letter and my gut told me that this might be a special book. I think it may have been a twinge of nostalgia for my high school/college years in the mid-90's, when I was a voracious letter writer. I still have an enormous box filled with letters from friends and family all over the world. I treasure them. Thank you to Howard Books for the advanced copy of Brencher's memoir.

PLOT - After finishing college, Hannah Brencher moves to New York to spend a year volunteering for a non-profit. Although she has a strong support system of family and friends, Brencher feels lost and lonely in New York City. Throughout her life, she has been bolstered through letters of support from her loved ones. Brencher was the girl in college who always had something other than a bill or junk mail in her post box.

One day, while riding the subway, Brencher sees a woman who seemed as lonely as Brencher fells. Rather than approaching this seemingly kindred spirit, Brencher grabbed her notebook and started to write the woman a letter. A love letter, to boost her moral and to show her that someone, even if it's a stranger, cared. So engrossed in her letter writing, Brencher failed to notice that the woman had exited the train. Undeterred, Brencher got the idea to just leave the letter out in the world for whoever might find it and she didn't stop with a single letter, she started writing them and leaving them all over the city.

The letter idea shifted when Brencher posted about it on her blog and mentioned that she would write a letter to anyone who requested one. Not expecting to get many request, she was shocked when they started pouring in. The letter idea took off like wildfire and prompted other people to write their own letters.

In her memoir, Brencher writes about her own doubts with the letter project and in general with her life. She struggles with her spirituality and the death of a close friend. She is deeply affected by some of the stories that she is learning about the recipients of her letters.

LIKE - Brencher has a great idea with the letters and is clearly affecting the lives of many people. She has an infectious positive attitude and she is a big dreamer who really is working to pass along her message of love and kindness. It's going to sound cheesy to some people, but personally, I think the world could use more people like Brencher. I really liked the parts of her memoir where she showed the stories of recipients of the letters, in particular her high school friends. I cried when she lost her friend to cancer. It was heartbreaking. There are many passages in the book that made me paused, because I found them to be quite profound. I love Brencher's relationship with her mother, in particular the section regarding her mother's birthday party. I finished the book feeling very grateful and appreciative for the people in my own life.

DISLIKE - As much as I enjoyed, If You Find This Letter, I struggled with much of Brencher's personality on the page. I think it's because she's young and now that I'm in my late-thirties, I don't relate to being that age anymore. It seemed like everything in her life was a total drama or that she was always on the verge of a breakdown. This would have been okay in segments, but it was difficult to sustain for an entire book. I'm not religious and I don't mind reading about faith, however it was overpowering. I think it could be ( maybe it is?) labeled as a "Christian" book. I understand the importance of her faith and God in her life and having it be a big part of her themes, but it was too much. In general, many of the ideas that she puts forth are solid and meaningful. but then she mentions the same thing in a variety of ways, which lesses the impact. I felt like I was being beat over the head with the same message.

RECOMMEND - Yes. Even if you are not compelled to read her memoir, I would recommend looking up Brencher and checking out her website. She is doing good work! I'd recommend this book to a younger crowed, late teens- early twenties. Brencher's troubles would probably be very relatable to this age group and she could be an inspiration. This is not to say that an older crowd wouldn't enjoy it, but they may find some of the same issues that I did.

NOTE - If her letter idea continues to pick up steam or morphs into something else amazing, I'd love to read a book by her when she is a little older, maybe in ten years, when she has a different perspective.