Stacking the Shelves

I got these books from the library.

 

                                            

 From NetGalley:

 

                           

                                                       

Review. Sad Desk Salad by Jessica Grose

Title: Sad Desk Salad

Author: Jessica Grose

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pub Date: 10/2/2012










This story gives a comedic look at a girl who is a full-time blogger on a women's gossip website. Alex lives in New York with her boyfriend Peter. The chapters are coordinated with the days of the week, so we get to hang out with Alex for a week as she tries to find good stories for her boss Moira, who is always there to give Alex a good swift kick in the pants to get the best stories. Alex gets thrown into a whirlwind when she finds out about a hate blog that has her as the main target. Alex's craziness really drives the story. This book has mystery and a lot of scandal. I wouldn't mind seeing a TV show made from this book. This is a quick, entertaining read. If you like reading the gossip sites every once in a while or obsessively, then this book is for you.

Teaser Tuesday

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read

       • Open to a random page
      • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
      • Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

 My Teasers:

Hours later, as I try to fall asleep, I can smell the soft, buttery scent of the shortbread. The air currents have brought it up into the farthest corner of the house.

Pg. 31, The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

Review: Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie

 Title: Breaking the Rules

Author: Cat Lavoie

Publisher: Marching Ink, LLC

Pub date: 8/8/2012

Source: Marching Ink, LLC








 My review:

Roxy Rule is a chef at heart but she works as a personal assistant at a PR firm. She and Ollie have been best friends basically since birth, but it all changes after Ollie kisses her right before he leaves for London for a job promotion. Roxy’s sister Steffi comes to her pregnant with no place to go. Roxy’s friends Tali, Emma, and Andy are there to lend a listening ear or bottle of wine or both for Roxy. This book was bananas. It read like a soap opera meets Maury Povich with cooking in between. My first thought of Roxy was I want to go to her house and eat. I could just taste her cupcakes. This book had family, friendship, love quadrangles, and food. What more could you ask for in a book? This book is a fabulous and entertaining read.

Review: Where's the Nearest Day Spa? Renewing the Anxious Heart by Emily Smith

Title: Where's the Nearest Day Spa? Renewing the Anxious Heart

Author: Emily Smith

Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Pub Date: 7/1/2012










Summary from Goodreads & Amazon:

Where’s the Nearest Day Spa? Renewing the Anxious Heart offers a fresh perspective on worries and fears. Short, easy-to-read chapters—overflowing with humor and insightful Bible-based encouragement—will inspire a new outlook, as you begin to embrace the spiritual and emotional R&R that only the heavenly Father provides.

My thoughts/review:
   This book is full of great biblical advice on anxiety and worry. The advice is don't worry. This is great for nervous people that need a little reminder every now and then. It is a fast read with questions at the end of each chapter with space for notes to answer the questions. The beginning of chapter each is pretty funny. She ties in her spa experiences to the bible verses in each chapter. The colors of the book are calming with the light blues and flowers. This book would be great for a women's bible study group or solo bible study.

Review: Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

Title: Ten Girls to Watch

Author: Charity Shumway

Publish date: 7/31/2012

Publisher: Atria Books

Source: Netgalley








Summary from Goodreads:

A funny and uplifting debut novel about stumbling through the early years of adulthood while taking (or not taking) the advice of the women who've gone before you. Dawn West is trying to make her way in New York City. She’s got an ex-boyfriend she can’t quite stop seeing, a writing career that’s gotten about as far as penning an online lawn care advice column, and a small hometown in Oregon that’s her last recourse if she can’t make next month’s rent. So when Dawn lands a job tracking down the past winners of Charm magazine’s “Ten Girls to Watch” contest, she’s thrilled. Not only is she being paid to interview hundreds of fascinating women, but she’s also sharing office space with “Secret Agent Romance,” Charm’s resident dating columnist, and he just happens to be giving her butterflies. As Dawn gets to know the life stories of these former winners, she’ll discover that success, love, and friendship can be found in the most unexpected of places. And even more importantly, she’ll find that though those who have gone before us can be role models, ultimately, we each have to carve our own way.  Both an insightful look at the trajectory of female experience over the past fifty years and a witty coming of age story, Ten Girls to Watch introduces an unforgettable new voice in women’s fiction.

My review/thoughts:

            Dawn is a recent college graduate who gets a job at a prominent magazine, Charm, thanks to her ex-boyfriend. She's assigned the Ten Girls to Watch feature, hence the book's title. Dawn has a mentor friend, Helen, who is there to give her words of encouragement. Helen is the voice of reason. There are a lot of funny scenes with Dawn. Overall, the book was pretty good. It had plenty of inspiring women that helped Dawn to ask questions and learn about herself. This book was about self-discovery and empowerment.

Feature and Follow Friday!

Questions: Do your reading habits change based on you moods? Do you read a certain genre if you are feeling depressed or happy?

Sometimes when I'm depressed, I like to read funny books by Jennifer Lancaster or Celia Rivenbark, but I'd read those anytime. I'm not too particular. Reading just makes me feel good.