I have been a massive fan of Jennifer Weiner since 2004 when I first discovered her amazing books. Back then, flipping open a copy of Good in Bed, I was basically discovering chick lit for the first time. It seemed like the chick lit genre as a whole was taking women’s literature by storm back then with cute, sassy covers and cute, sassy heroines doing cute, sassy things. Weiner, I quickly noted, was a master at this genre that a lot of other authors frankly lend a bad name to. I’ve always felt Weiner’s books were a step above the rest and I’m glad to report that as this genre has grown and evolved, Weiner’s books are still some of my favorites.

I recently finished reading one of her newer novels, Then Came You which tells the story of “[how four very different women's lives intertwine in unexpected ways]. Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation.”

Like most of Jennifer Weiner’s books, Then Came You managed to tell a lot of different stories about a lot of different things that all tie back to each other in a messy but fantastic package. By having four characters telling their sides to an interlacing story, you really get a full picture of this slightly atypical story of becoming a parent, coming of age and discovering yourself. I also liked that the story felt very realistic even when unexpected things are happening. Her characters were very fleshed out making all of them easy to relate to even if at first you felt like you wouldn’t like them at all.

Though I wasn’t entirely thrilled with the ending, which felt a bit too rushed and then neatly packed back up – on the whole this was a really great story and definitely not your typical chick lit novel! I really enjoyed this book and continue to be one of Jennifer Weiner’s biggest fans.

What are you reading right now? 

This month my book club discussed These is my Words by Nancy E. Turner which tells the amazing story of Sarah Agnes Prine, written in diary form. Here’s a description of the book from goodreads.com:

“Inspired by the author’s original family memoirs, this absorbing story introduces us to the questing, indomitable Sarah Prine, one of the most memorable women ever to survive and prevail in the Arizona Territory of the late 1800s. As a child, a fiery young woman, and finally a caring mother, Sarah forges a life as full and as fascinating as our deepest needs, our most secret hopes and our grandest dreams. She rides Indian-style and shoots with deadly aim, greedily devours a treasure trove of leatherbound books, downs fire, flood, Comanche raids and other mortal perils with the unique courage that forged the character of the American West.

Rich in authentic details of daily life and etched with striking character portraits of very different pioneer families, this action-packed novel is also the story of a powerful, enduring love between Sarah and the dashing cavalry officer Captain Jack Elliot. Neither the vast distances traveled nor the harsh and killing terrains could quench the passion between them, and the loss and loneliness both suffer only strengthen their need for each other.”

One of the first things I noticed about this book was a description on the book cover comparing the love story in the book to Gone With the Wind, which happens to be my favorite book. So right off the bat, it had pretty big shoes to fill. The second thing I noticed was that, especially in the beginning, the book is written with a heavy dialect and poor grammar, because the narrator and main character is uneducated and the book is written in journal form. This made the book a little difficult to get into initially, mixed with a very action driven pioneer / Oregon Trail beginning with a lot of descriptions of their life on the road which was very hard but not always interesting.

But around page 50 or so, things start to pick up and you start to realize how awesome Sarah Prine is – and as her character develops and matures, so does the writing style and plot. It gradually fades from torturous life on the road and Indian raids to a coming of age love story with the rich backdrop of life in the 1800′s in the Arizona territories. And I was hooked.

I really loved this book. Though it was a bit slow to get into initially, this story really sucked me in once it got going. I loved the great attention to detail that the author gave to the story – leaving no stone unturned, she clearly did a lot of research for this story and it shows. I loved all the little facts and details of life in the 1800′s and the gradual coming of age of the main character was fascinating to read – and the love story. Oh, lord – it was good.

One drawback to this book is that it is very sad and tragic at a lot of points. Sarah does not lead an easy life and she faces more than her fair share of hardships. I cried a lot reading this book – but I laughed a lot, too, and overall it was not a deal breaker for me the way some other heavy books have been in the past. I was able to keep reading and as the characters overcame their hardships, I overcame the experience of reading about them. The book maintained a hopeful, fighting to overcome tone that was uplifting and inspiring. I definitely recommend this one.

My book club is discussing One for the Money by Janet Evanovich this month, the first book in the wildly popular Stephanie Plum series which is being made into a movie (finally) at the end of the month, starring Katherine Heigl.

Here’s a description of the book from Goodreads.com:

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash–fast–but times are tough, and soon she’s forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie’s bail bonding company. She’s got no experience. But that doesn’t matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father’s Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water–wanted for murder.

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn’t. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she’ll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight–and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

The Plum books are a favorite guilty pleasure of mine. I’ve been reading them for years and always enjoy sinking my teeth into the newest edition, though for the past couple of years I’ve had a harder time keeping up. I think I’m three books behind now, mostly because my list of books I want to read keeps getting more and more intimidating.

Anyway, I was thrilled when my book club voted for this book because having already read it, I was pretty sure I could breeze through a re-reading and that it would give me more time to get through other books, too. Plus any opportunity to debate the Ranger vs Morelli thing is a-okay by me (who needs Edward or Jacob when you can have either of these fine men?). But I was a little worried about how re-reading this book would go. Would I be able to get into it? What if, much like trying to reread The Babysitters Club books, I enjoyed it less this time around?

Well, ten days later or so and I can say – these books are worth re-reading. One for the Money was every bit as good this time around as the first and the plot was just hazy enough in my mind that it was easy to re-read and not feel like a walking spoiler alert. I even forgot most of the details of the end of this one it turns out! And I’m so glad to have brushed up on the story now before seeing the movie so that I can expertly critique it!

Some thoughts:

When I first heard that Katherine Heigl was playing Stephanie I was a little bit skeptical. She simply isn’t how I pictured Stephanie Plum, even with her hair dyed. But I re-read the book while picturing Katie as the main role and I have to say, it works. I think she’ll pull it off really well.

I think we can all agree that the Plum books are a light read – they aren’t classically well written and some of the snootier book critics probably wouldn’t give them the time of day. I thought about this a lot, too, while reading it – what is it about these books that appeals so much?

These are not the best written books of all time, but I think they are cleverly written – with witty dialogue and loveable (if at times dense) characters that you’ll want to root for. I’ve always liked Stephanie Plum because I feel I can relate to her normality – she’s not extraordinary or blessed with super powers or years of training, which I guess makes me feel like I could find myself in her situation – like I could be a bounty hunter, too! Though I’ll skip the spandex shorts and baggy t-shirts, thanks!

I also think these books are a great light mystery – they are suspenseful but they aren’t going to keep me awake at night checking all the locks on my windows. They are only half predictable in that you might gather the idea of what’s going on and whodunnit, but you probably won’t get the whole picture before Evanovich wants you to. So you can feel clever without feeling bored.

These books may not be for everyone – I think Prose readers might not be into it in particular, but I’m definitely more in love with the series than ever and really looking forward to finally seeing it on the big screen!

If you find yourself constantly saying “no” to a million little frivolous things that your child asks you for (or worse, saying “yes” but wishing you wouldn’t) – if you have to nag your children to pick up their toys and belongings and treat them with respect constantly – if it seems like your children have no appreciation for hard work or earning the things they want or you feel they have become instant gratification junkies who feel entitled to anything they can dream of – then this book I’m reviewing may be just up your alley!

Richard and Linda Eyre are the proud parents of nine children – they have truly seen it all and they have become parenting experts and the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Teaching Your Children Values as well as authors of numerous other books on parenting. Their newest book, The Entitlement Trap aims to help parents “raise responsible children in an age of instant gratification and avoid the entitlement trap.”

Here’s a description of this book from goodreads.com:

Parents complain about children growing up without responsibility—and then dole out huge hassle-free allowances. Linda and Richard Eyre’s The Entitlement Trap is designed to bridge that logical chasm by instituting a family economy that will teach self-sufficiency instead of self-gratification. Initially your kids might groan that this system is demeaning, but according to the authors, they might thank you later. Think of it as an investment.

My husband and I often complain about the sense of entitlement that we see in young kids and even our peers – the instant gratification cycle is a vicious one that truthfully we battle with in our own lives, never mind our parenting lives. America in particular has created a society where it is easy to have the things we want without really working for it – and it’s easy to feel jealous or disgruntled at the idea of waiting to get something you really want, even when you know that you should be working hard for the things you own!

But what example are we setting for our children and are our parenting practices setting them up for a responsible future or are we unknowingly adding to the problem by doting on them too much? I honestly wasn’t sure so this book was very intriguing to me.

The basic idea of this book is to create a family banking system where your children (starting at about the age of 8) begin to truly work for the allowance money that they earn – in a way that has them keep track of the work they are doing and either reap the rewards of their efforts or suffer the consequences of their idleness or forgetfulness. The big emphasis here is that the kids learn to keep track of their chores themselves and understand what their work earns – how many chores they need to do to afford the video game or new pair of jeans they want. Parents should encourage kids but try not to interfere or hold their hand through the process.

I like this concept a lot and although my kids are still too young to really implement something like this with them, I do see it as being a good (common sense improved upon) idea – if we can teach our kids to manage their money at a young age while the stakes are small, then they will be better prepared for when the stakes are larger. And as a fringe benefit, the Eyre’s have found children seem to appreciate the things they have earned far more than the things they are  given!

I also really liked their “Gunny Bag” idea to help kids learn to pick up their things so that the Gunny Bag doesn’t come out and eat all their favorite toys! This sounds like a fun idea for younger children that I am thinking about trying out with my kids.

That said, concerning the actual process of reading this book – I will admit that I found the book tedious and repetitive at times. I think this is true for most non-fiction as repetition does help to drive home important concepts and nonfiction is bound to be drier than fiction for sure – they do have a lot of testimonials and personal anecdotes to lighten up the book, but even these became rather lengthy after awhile. Basically, I think the book could have been shorter than it was while still getting across all their best ideas – but I am glad to have read it for the useful ideas and information that I found.

I’d recommend this to parents of kids between 8-16 who are looking for a way to better teach said kids responsibility and real life monetary skills.