I am still getting settled in Nashville and vigorously searching for a new job. (If you have any leads, please let me know!) In the meantime, I’m also reading Dan Miller’s 48 Days to the Work you Love. I’m hoping to glean some tips from that and will review it when I’m finished. Have a great week!
No, don’t panic. The blog isn’t moving; I am. Will and I have one week and a day before we move back down south to Tennessee. You probably won’t see any more posts from me until we’re all settled in our new home. As I write this, I’m sitting amongst several empty boxes waiting to be filled. Needless to say, I’m not going to have time to read and post reviews for a few days. So…I’ll be “seeing” you soon!
Bear with me; this is my first official book review for the blog.
I saw the movie version of this book (mainly because I adore Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn) and found it touching, funny, and entertaining. I was hoping the book would be the same. I was not disappointed.
The book is told from Carmen’s perspective and opens with her voice. She explains how the girls came to be more sisters than best friends. Their mothers were in a Lamaze class together before they were born, the moms bonded, and all four girls were born within days of each other in the month of September. Hence, they call themselves the Septembers. Their mothers drifted apart after a few years, but Tibby, Carmen, Lena, and Bridget became closer and closer.
One day while browsing through a thrift shop, Carmen comes across a pair of blue jeans. They’re nothing special–just cheap. Carmen buys the pants, takes them home, and thinks nothing more about them. She even contemplates throwing them away but something keeps her from doing it. Tibby notices the pants in Carmen’s room, and the girls’ interest is piqued. One by one, they try on the pants. Magically, the jeans fit every girl in just the right way despite their different heights, weights, and shapes. A plan begins to take shape.
This will be the first summer the girls spend apart. Lena will be visiting her grandparents in Greece with her sister. Carmen is going to visit her father in South Carolina. Bridget has signed up for a summer soccer camp in Mexico. And Tibby is spending the summer at home working at Wallman’s and making a documentary (much to her dismay). The girls hatch a plot. They’ll share the pants all summer, and the pants will make their way to each girl twice. They start with Lena. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants chronicles each girl’s summer. Along the way, each discovers something new about herself.
While Ann Brashares is clearly a young adult fiction author, it speaks volumes that this book made it to the New York Times bestseller list. Targeted toward teenage girls, much in the same style as the Harry Potter books, adults can enjoy these books just as much. They’re mind candy: an easy read for a Saturday afternoon. It is a series, and this is merely the first book. I, for one, will continue to read them.
I’ve decided to go the route of a book review blog. I’m excited about this as I simply LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read. (Can you feel the love?) This will give more focus to my writing as well as a purpose. And for you guys, I hope I’m able to steer you toward some great reading.
Please keep in mind that I am a chick. As such, from time to time, you may see reviews of chick lit, romance novels, or various other forms of “girly” writing. Bear with me. I do read other things. For instance, my current “to read” list includes the following:
I’d like to point out that while I will be reading some books new to the bestseller and publisher lists, I also enjoy discovering books that have been out a while but I haven’t had an opportunity to read yet. I imagine there’ll be quite a few of those.
Now, the Suze Orman book is completely out of character for me. I’m a Dave Ramsey fan through and through. But, as a good friend of mine said recently, it’s best to “know thy enemy.” Seriously, I’m not a Suze fan mainly because I think she talks about the FICO score way too much, advises women to have their own separate funds in a marriage, and her voice is literally like nails on a chalkboard to my sensitive ears.
I’m also a fan of travelogues if couldn’t tell by the above list. I have several more books on my “to read” list, but I won’t spoil all the fun at once. My first book review will be The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. Yes, it’s a book for teenage girls, but once in a while, a girl just needs a good “mind candy” kind of book, ya know?
I hope you enjoy the new format of the blog, and happy reading!
I’m making some changes around here (as you can see by the new theme), and I’m still working on a new name for my blog along with a new theme. I’m open to suggestions anytime you want to leave a comment. I do want more input before I make a final decision…