Sparkly Green Earrings

Sparkly Green Earrings

by Melanie Shankle

Genre:  Memoir

Pages:  240

Published:  2/8/13 by Tyndale House

Format:  ebook

My rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars







I enjoyed this little book. I liked reading Melanie Shankle's thoughts about motherhood and life. She made me laugh. She made me nod my head in agreement and say, "That's exactly how I feel!" Her honesty and humor were fun to read.

So why only 3.5 stars? I don't know. Something just didn't work for me in this book. I can see how her blog (which I have never read, but am planning to start reading) would be enjoyable to read. The short, somewhat random chapters told in stream of consciousness form would work great as blog posts. But I think her style of writing is better fit for a blog and not a book. The book just didn't flow for me, and it was hard to tell what her purpose/point in writing the book was. Sometimes it read like a memoir of her first years of motherhood. Other times it seemed to be trying to teach something or make a point. But the flow between real life stories and devotional points just didn't quite work for me.

So while I enjoyed the book, I think I would have just enjoyed reading her blog more.

The Husband's Secret

The Husband's Secret

by Liane Moriarty

Genre:  Fiction/Chick Lit

Pages:  416

Published:  7/30/13 by Penguin Group

Format:  book (Advanced Reader's Copy)

My rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy of this book for review through Library Thing.

The Husband's Secret tells the story of three women, whose seemingly independent lives become intertwined as the story unfolds. Tess is back at home living with her mother, after she discovers that her husband is having an affair. Rachel is an elderly woman who has spent years grieving over the death of her murdered daughter. Cecilia is a busy mom who appears to have it "all together" but everything changes when she discovers a secret letter written by her husband.

I enjoyed reading Moriarty's previous book, What Alice Forgot, so I was excited to get the chance to read her latest book. I did enjoy this story as well. I think the plot and characters were interesting, and the moral dilemma that it poses was intriguing. It's hard to imagine what I would do if I found myself in the shoes of the characters in this story.

It was a little hard to get started reading this book, as each chapter switches to a different woman's story. I read it in short spurts at first, and I kept forgetting who was who.

At times, I felt like this book would have worked as a soap opera or a Lifetime movie, as it is a bit dramatic and contrived. But it was never too over the top cheesy or emotional. That is one thing that I like about Moriarty's writing. She writes chick lit, and her stories are light and not too deep. But they also don't feel dumbed down. There is still a realness about her writing that keeps me from rolling my eyes while reading (as can be the case with other books in the chick lit genre).

This was a good summer read, and I would definitely be willing to continue reading whatever other books Liane Moriarty writes in the future.

I'm back!

Dear Too Fond of Books blog,

I am so sorry for abandoning you the past six weeks.  We moved to a new house and spent three weeks homeless and traveling.  In the midst of all that craziness, I haven't been writing reviews or blogging much.

But I have still been reading books!!  I'm planning to catch up with my reviews and get back to regular posts here.

To anyone who might still be reading this little blog, I'm back!!

Emily