 Icelandic cafe decor. These are color coordinated books that look cool, but the books have been cut away about 3 inches from the spine so that they can be displayed. The bookshelves don't need to be full sized this way, but the books are unreadable.
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 The Existentialist's Survival Guide. Gordon Marino. 2018. The Existentialist's Survival Guide. Gordon Marino has compiled a book on existentialist writers that is being used in introductory college courses, one of which showed up on my kid's summer reading list. It caught my eye since the reading assignment is by Satre, which close followers of my personal history might recognize as the author of No Exit which played a prominent role in the early minutes and days of meeting Justin at that long along Meaning of Life Philosophy Camp…I digress to explain this unusual choice in books at this phase in my life. But, I really enjoyed revisiting the existentialists from my much older perspective. Marino, who has struggled with depression and explores philosophical study and exploration an alternative treatment. This has been on my mind a lot in the last years as I have watched a lot of folks close to me also wrangle with the issue of medication versus powering through versus changing ones perspective through various combinations of reflection, support, counseling, and friendships. I found the book enjoyable, intellectual in an unusual way in that it was also applicable to real life, and something that took me back to harked back to my college days, which tied in nicely with having a kid leaving for college next month. Definitely recommend.
 From Scratch. Tembi Locke. 2019. From Scratch. I highly recommend this memoir. I hadn't heard of this actress/author before, but she reads the book for audible and I was drawn in from the very beginning. A love story, a travel novel, and a parenting book, it is sweet without being trite. Bonus, the writing about food is way above average and really made me crave pasta with fresh ingredients for days after finishing it.
 Sarong Party Girls. Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan. 2016. Sarong Party Girls. This is a novel about young adult women hanging out in Singapore's clubbing scene. It was well written and a glimpse into a different world where finding a husband as a ticket to a different life. There are so many cringe moments where you cannot believe the choices the not-particularly-likable main character. Not recommended.
 Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Jeanette Winterson. 2011. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal. This is a memoir by the author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. It was raw and painful, but so good. Read Oranges first (if you haven't already), but then this is a definite recommend. *** Robin: LOVED Oranges... did you see bbc production of this? Amazing Me: No, I haven’t. But she talks about it in this book.  Lush. Lauren Dane. 2013. Lush. The final straw in my romance string, this was the worse of all of them. The plot was thin and strained. At least the women characters are professionals and have lives apart from the romantic relationships, but all of it just could not draw me into a believable world.
 Tart. Lauren Dane. 2012. Tart. As you can tell, I detoured from my typical non-fiction/fiction rotation to be on a romance kick. Somehow because I liked one, I just kept trying other ones, but alas, this one was a continuation of the downward spiral of these. A very explicit story about how the protagonist ends up in a triad, it just tried way, way, way too hard. Skip it.
 Practice Makes Perfect. Julie James. 2009. Practice Makes Perfect. Supposedly a "romance" that takes place in the midst of a law firm announcing partnerships. Light and not bad, it just doesn't really hold together all that well. Skip.
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AuthorI'll read anything a friend recommends & I love telling people what I think about it. Every year, I read 50 books recommended by 50 different friends. Welcome to My 50 Bookish Friends Blog. SearchCategories
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