Book Review: My {not so} Storybook Life

I just read a really great book! This book made me laugh out loud, numerous times. It also had me tearing up moments later. My {not so} Storybook Life is written by Elizabeth Owen, author of Mabel's House. If you haven't stopped by her lovely blog, you should bookmark and add to your feed reader right now. She is a beautiful person, inside and out. And, I feel pretty cool to be able to say that I know her, like in person know her. AND this amazing gal has published a gem of a book!

My {not so} Storybook Life, a book based on Elizabeth's life experiences, is a blend of Anne Taintor-style retro humor and classic literature stories. This book is fresh, hilarious and touching. The description on Amazon says that Elizabeth and Matt think of themselves as a modern-day Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, and that's pretty spot-on. I used to work with Liz's hilarious husband, Matt, and her tales about their adventures as a newlywed couple had me cracking up over and over again.

Right along with the humor is a story of a beautiful friendship between Liz and Angela. Angela was diagnosed with cancer at age 33 and the novel follows Elizabeth's journey as Angela's friend, supporting her and learning to really pray for her in the process. Liz learns meaningful lessons along the way and begins to realize that domestic perfection doesn't exist. Pink bathroom tiles, dusty baseboards and a man cave with a plastic budha are all part of what makes her house a home. After all, Martha Stewart isn't stopping by any time soon.

I could totally relate to Elizabeth's book. I, too, have struggled with wanting everything about my house to be 'perfect' - a sparkling and clean home, gourmet meals set on the table all while wearing a crisp apron and pearls. But, that's not reality, nor is it very fun. To steal a passage from the book's epilogue:

"There is much happiness in a successful dinner party, a lushly planted garden. and finding a free buffet table on the curb. But when the quest to transform our domestic realities into an unattainable level of perfection becomes a lifestyle, that's where we lose our joy. Domestic reality is salty and sweet, irritating and comforting, sad and funny. But above all, we have to learn to live without ladders to climb, without levels of perfection to attain, to throw away the shame that comes with perceived imperfections. In short, we need to allow ourselves to simply be blessed."

Well said, Liz. Well said. 

These are the reasons I can comfortably fall asleep every night with dust bunnies all over the house and a sink full of dirty dishes. I'd rather snuggle with the man I love than worry about that stuff night and day!

I also related to the difficult times Liz faced with Angela. Fear, sadness, guilt, worry... and struggling with her faith. It's those dark moments when God really meets you. She tells this story beautifully and I know Angela is thankful for this tribute, too.

What a wonderful book, Elizabeth! I encourage all of you to read it!

Summer Reading

There's just something about the heat of summer, and trips to the beach, that make me want to spend lots of my time with a good book.

Here's what I've enjoyed reading over the last couple of months:

The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

My sister recommended this book to me, and I loved it. I love the way it speaks about the meaning of food in the Chinese culture. It also made me hungry. A great book for foodies!!

The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks

This was one of my beach reads, and I finished it in a couple of days. Nicholas Sparks does not dissapoint, and this is one of my favorites of his that I've read. I hope this one will be made into a movie, too!

Eat Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert

I'll be honest, this was hard to start, and hard at the middle (on the second part of her journey, in India). But, it was so worth it to read the whole thing. I ended up loving the book! Stick with it if you're trying to get through it. And see the movie!

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

This is one of the most talked about books of summer. I'm hearing about it everywhere! It is one of the best books I've ever read. I stayed up until 2 am one morning to finish it because I just could not stop reading. Excellent! You must, must, must read this.

Little Bee, by Chris Cleave

This is the book I'm currently reading and I just got started. I'm about to do a lot of travel for work, so I should have this read quickly from all my down time on planes. 

What have you read lately that I should add to my list?

Summer Reading

Oh, how I love books.

There's just nuttin' like a good novel, especially one you can't put down! I think reading is so important and fun- like an adventure. gahh, doesn't that sound like a poster from your elementary school library?
And while I haven't always been an avid reader and haven't read near the amount of books I'd like to, I would love to share some faves with you...almost all of which have come as recommendations from my mom.


Read this. Just do it.
It is, quite possibly, one of my favorite books. Ever. Learn more about it here.



Great book! It's from the perspective of an autistic boy. Everyone should read this!


Nicholas Sparks. Oh, how I am a sucker for your stories.


This is an old member of Oprah's book club. And for good reason. Very thought provoking.


Nice classic summer read.
A baby is left on the front steps of a plantation. Sweet story of the events that unfold!


And then there's the books that became movies. Doesn't everyone know that the book is ALWAYS, 100% of the time, a zillion times better than the movie? If you like these films, read 'da book (if you haven't already)!


Yes, I am guilty of being a Twilight fan. So easy to read, sucks you right in (like my vampire reference?). I'm on team Edward, though I think Jacob is darn good lookin' on the big screen. New Moon comes out November 20 and I will be seeing it on opening night :) This is one book series I will read again, for sure.

I haven't gotten into the Harry Potter series yet. But, I think I'm long overdue to read those. What do you think? Should I?



Fabulous movie. Fabulous book. A ladies' favorite. Duh on this one :)


This is an older book that was made into a pretty sweet movie with Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd. Again, book is much better!


Ever see the movie Simon Birch from a while back? It was based off this excellent book. Another must read. John Irving is a great writer.


And here's my most recent to finish:


I loved this. Guys would like this a lot, too. Wonderful, spiritual story of a boy from India whose family operates a zoo. The family decides to move to Canada and sell the animals to other zoos. Mid route on a cargo ship across the Pacific with the animals, the ship sinks....leaving the boy alone on a life raft with a bengal tiger. Have I captured your interest yet?

And on to what I'm reading now... My Sister's Keeper.
I've only been reading it for 2-3 days and have almost finished.

This has been made into a movie that's being released this weekend. I'm sure it will be great, and will make me cry :)

If you like to read, please tell me about some of your favorites!!!!
Oh, and here's where I keep all posts about books.

Happy summer reading!

I triple dog dare ya...

As I mentioned briefly yesterday, the 'wives club plus one' has started a book club/bible study. Throughout the last year, we had all been going to a large bible study in Memphis for professional school wives. It was made up of mostly medical school wives that were older. It was a great way to meet people and to learn about what the coming years may be like.
But, it's on break for summer, and our group of friends felt like we would talk more openly in a small group setting at each others houses. Also, there are a few books relating to marriage out there that we were all thinking about reading. Thus, the 'wives club plus one' bible study was born.

The first book we've chosen is The Love Dare. There's a movie that's been made about it called Fireproof. I haven't seen it but we plan to watch it at the end of our study. Anywho, the book is a 40 day challenge for spouses with each day involving a new dare. So far, they've been things like: "for the entire day, be patient and say nothing negative to your spouse" or "do one unexpected gesture of kindness ." Seems pretty simple, right? I have skimmed a couple of pages later in the book and it looks like they are going to start to dig a little deeper and become more challenging.

Nonetheless, I'm already really enjoying it. All of us are going to do 5 dares each week and meet to talk about it. Ideally, the boys would come, too, but they're busy students #1 and #2, I'm not sure if we could talk them into coming to a group 'therapy' session.
During our time together, we're also planning to do some cooking, watch some favorite shows (American Idol! GO KRIS! You're awesome! ....okay, where was I.....), and just have quality girl time. We've already got the next book or two in mind, so I'm really looking forward to it and I think it's gonna be an awesome way to get into God's word AND have a positive influence on our marriages.

I may try to do a few updates on how the book is going, what some of our interesting dares are, what I'm doing to rise to the challenge, etc. I'll share with you what I did to be cute and sweet to Keith today :)



He went to school to study tonight, so before he came back I made him a special pitcher of extra sweet tea just for him and left it with a little note.

I used to do small things like this all the time when we dated, notes on the mirror, random greeting cards, etc. But, now that we live together it doesn't happen as often. So, I'm hoping that this book will encourage and motivate me to pick back up that type of stuff. After all, it is SO fun to leave surprises :)

5 Love Languages

Don't judge a book by its cover. Especially this one.


I know. It looks like a cheesy self-help relationship book that is only meant for people who are in a tough spot with their 'mate'. NOT SO! This is good stuff, people. I truly believe every person who is married, single, in a relationship, or just thinking about ever being in a relationship needs to buy this book and read it at least once.

A dear, sweet friend of mine named Kelsey Walker Hency recommended this delightful book to me about a year ago. She gave me the run down and I knew I was sold. So, here, I'll give a quick summary (in case you don't already know about this little gem):

This book is written by a Christian, Gary Chapman (a biblical marriage counselor). So, we're already off to a good start. The basic principle is that there are 5 love languages in which we give and receive love. Each of us has a language that we prefer to be "spoken to" in. These five are:

1. Words of Affirmation
   
2. Quality Time
3. Receiving Gifts
4. Acts of Service
5. Physical Touch

You wanna know more about each one? Buy the book, seriously! Or read a little more here.
But, what's interesting, and so very true, is that we all tend to demonstrate the language that we most want to receive ourselves, even if it is not how our spouse feels most loved. So, until you identify your love language and understand your spouse's, you may never quite be fully satisfied.

Keith and I read this before we got married and thought it was great. I loaned the book to someone and never got it back. So, I think it's time I re-purchase this little love guide.
It even has a little quiz in it (in case you need it) to help you determine your language. I knew mine right off the bat. Can you guess what it is?

Duh- it's words.

What I'm reading...

So, I've officially been sucked in. I read Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer, while on vacation (to see what all the hype was about) and loved it!! I'm had to buy New Moon while we were there and I'm already 3/4 of the way through it. They are quick, easy reads and keep you addicted! Now, I can't wait to see the movie that came out recently. Chances are, by the time the holidays are over, I'll have the whole series finished. But, I don't want it to end!



Recently, I also read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. My mother recommended this book to me. She is an avid reader and has a great library. This was excellent, just beautifully written. I'm starting to read more often now, so I'll try to post my latest good reads on here...in case anyone is looking for advice ;)