MiMi's Summer Reading List

It's summer time! Okay, summer is coming, anyway. That means I have compiled a list of summer reads.

Don't expect anything too inspiring though...summer is my time to read FLUFF. Trash. Worthless drivel. Whatever you call it, I call it fun!!

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I've saved all of my favorite authors for summer! Okay, maybe I just have been a really slow reader lately and haven't gotten my ass in gear to catch up on the latest in my favorite series'. Whatever.

Also, the 50 Shades books are pure crap I hear, but I wanna jump on the bandwagon because everyone else is reading them. And, yes, I WOULD jump off a bridge if my friends did.

Of course the last book is the one we are reading for our book club! Yay!

What are you reading?

Connie's Summer Reading List

ONE MORE WEEK!

 My kid will out of school next Thursday and then we'll be enjoying our 77 days of summer break!

 Much of this will be spent at the pool since I've conquered my fear of my swimming suit by wearing a dress over it. I will be sipping cold drinks and reading to my hearts contentment.

 Here is my 2012 Summer Reading List!

  Jeneration X: One Reluctant Adult's Attempt to Unarrest Her Arrested Development; Or, Why It's Never Too Late for Her Dumb Ass to Learn Why Froot Loops Are Not for Dinner by Jen Lancaster  DONE!

The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship by Lisa Verge Higgins

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson  DONE

celebraTORI: Unleashing Your Inner Party Planner to Entertain Friends and Family by Tori Spelling DONE!

The Last Letter from Your Lover: A Novel by Jojo Moyes

Joy For Beginners by Erica Bauermeister

Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook  DONE

Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears by Pema Chodron  DONE

White Girl Problems by Babe Walker I DON'T THINK I CAN FINISH. :(

EDITED to Add:

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.: A Novel by Nichole Bernier
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Wiener  DONE

What are you reading this summer?

Are we friends on Good Reads?

Have you joined the Book Club?

Something About Bloom

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir

There is something about Kelle Hampton.

She has it all.  Striking good looks, a beautiful family, an inviting home in a warm and sunny place and the mothering qualities that I long to possess.

As a long time reader of her blog, I was not at all surprised to see how she handled this life changing event.  She's the kind of Mom that every child deserves.  Attentive, creative and fun!

But more than that...she's got an amazing heart and her littles are so lucky to have her.

As you can tell.....I adored this book.

I didn't think that Kelle could possible inspire me more, but she has. Her outlook on life and even the grief she experienced when Nella was born with Down Syndrome....is real and honest.

I think this book is a must read for anyone that wants to be inspired and lifted up.

It's a love story of highest order. 

Summer 2012 Book Pick

Hey Ladies!!

We've picked our book for this summer...we wanted something fun, funny, light and perfect for summer.

Who is a great "go to" author for all of those qualities?

Jen Lancaster, holla!

This is her latest book...

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Visit The Young and The Relentless for a chance to win a free copy!

So let's have a great summer with a lot of laughs!

Also, in a few days we will each be letting you all in on our summer reading picks. You can get ideas and share yours!

What Are You Reading This Summer?

Mimi and I will announcing another book club selection soon!

There are just 19 days until the last day of school and that has me thinking about summer books!

I love reading by the pool or on the patio and I usually try to read at least 10 books.

Have you made your Summer Reading List?  I need some great suggestions.

MiMi's Review - 150 Pounds

Did you all think we forgot? Cuz we totally did not forget to do our reviews. **ahemmaybeidid**

Anyway. Review of 150 Pounds. Seems like it's been forever since I read it!

But the thought I have in my head is that I didn't really like it that much. How rude, right?

It was about bloggers. And about weight issues. Seems like it would be right up this fat blogger's alley, huh?

I mean, it has such a pretty cover! What. Are you saying I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover or by the awesome looking pastries on it? Whatever.

Basically this book was a quick read and I didn't feel like it really went too deep into the whole question of "to be fat or not fat" issue.

One character, Alexis, was touting healthy lifestyle, almost to the point of unhealthy. The other was embracing her body at 250 pounds.

I was confused how the heavy girl, Shoshanna, could have been vegetarian and still be so heavy, until I remembered that I could eat Ding Dongs and Ho-Hos all day and never touch meat but still be fat.

Alexis was a complete bitch...dang near the entire book, in my opinion. I mean, she goes through a major transformation in her life, with having a baby, a sick friend and finding her husband, so she does soften, but her character is never really likable which made it hard to ever root for her even when she was going through some crap that the reader was probably supposed to sympathize with her while she dealt with it.

Shoshanna was a fun character, but you know the need for authors to wrap things up with a nice pretty bow. Of course she lost weight. Of course. It just could not be that she stayed heavy and lived a great life.

The part where she inherited an old house and apple orchard was weird...and it helped to try to explain her childhood and what made her her, but it still seemed disjointed to me.

I dunno. Did you all read it? What did you think?

I'm totally stealing a page from Connie's book and rating this by pounds. Remember she rated the last one with awkward hugs?

Anyway. I give this book 2 cupcakes. Cuz 2 isn't bad but wouldn't we all like to eat a dozen?

 

April 2012 ~ Bloom

I've been a reader of Kelle Hampton's blog for a long time. Enjoying The Small Things inspired me in all areas of my life.

Our April 2012 book selection is Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir by Kelle Hampton.

 From Amazon....

 Love me. Love me. I'm not what you expected, but oh, please love me. That was the most defining moment of my life.


That was the beginning of my story.


 From the outside looking in, Kelle Hampton had the perfect life: a beautiful two-year-old daughter, a loving husband, a thriving photography career, and great friends. When she learned she was pregnant with her second child, she and her husband, Brett, were ecstatic. Her pregnancy went smoothly and the ultrasounds showed a beautiful, healthy, high-kicking baby girl.


 But when her new daughter was placed in her arms in the delivery room, Kelle knew instantly that something was wrong. Nella looked different than her two-year-old sister, Lainey, had at birth. As she watched friends and family celebrate with champagne toasts and endless photographs, a terrified Kelle was certain that Nella had Down syndrome—a fear her pediatrician soon confirmed. Yet gradually Kelle's fear and pain were vanquished by joy, as she embraced the realization that she had been chosen to experience an extraordinary and special gift.


 With lyrical prose and gorgeous full-color photography, Bloom takes readers on a wondrous journey through Nella's first year of life—a gripping, hilarious, and intensely poignant trip of transformation in which a mother learns that perfection comes in all different shapes. It is a story about embracing life and really living it, of being fearless and accepting difference, of going beyond constricting definitions of beauty, and of the awesome power of perspective. As Kelle writes, "There is us. Our Family. We will embrace this beauty and make something of it. We will hold our precious gift and know that we are lucky."


Visit The Young and The Relentless for a chance to win a copy!