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Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous! by Rory Freedman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from the library knowing it was more about eating organically, than about losing weight.  If you are/were one of the people who bought this book as a weight loss guide, you may be/may have been a bit disappointed.

This book is written in an in-your-face manner with some strong language thrown in to try to be funny. A lot of the information is quoted from over 226 sources and most of the information I have heard before from the movie Food Inc. If you're looking for a weight loss program, this book is not that. The authors are guiding you to be a vegetarian so you can put healthier foods into your body and lose weight.  There is nothing wrong with striving to eat healthier and more whole foods.  I'm not sure that borderline scare tactics are the route to getting people to eating this way, but they make many valid points such as: animal cruelty, factory farming, chemical additives, refined sugar, the effects of caffeine and alcohol on your body.

The book kept my interest (I finished it in a day and a half) and is probably the most entertaining 'diet' book I've ever read, but really I don't think I could survive on the meal plans they list in the back.  I am definitely trying to eat healthier (food prices are a big factor in eating healthier) and will try to incorporate some of their ideas (more fruit in the morning, less dairy) into my diet.



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Book Review: Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin


Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous! by Rory Freedman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from the library knowing it was more about eating organically, than about losing weight.  If you are/were one of the people who bought this book as a weight loss guide, you may be/may have been a bit disappointed.

This book is written in an in-your-face manner with some strong language thrown in to try to be funny. A lot of the information is quoted from over 226 sources and most of the information I have heard before from the movie Food Inc. If you're looking for a weight loss program, this book is not that. The authors are guiding you to be a vegetarian so you can put healthier foods into your body and lose weight.  There is nothing wrong with striving to eat healthier and more whole foods.  I'm not sure that borderline scare tactics are the route to getting people to eating this way, but they make many valid points such as: animal cruelty, factory farming, chemical additives, refined sugar, the effects of caffeine and alcohol on your body.

The book kept my interest (I finished it in a day and a half) and is probably the most entertaining 'diet' book I've ever read, but really I don't think I could survive on the meal plans they list in the back.  I am definitely trying to eat healthier (food prices are a big factor in eating healthier) and will try to incorporate some of their ideas (more fruit in the morning, less dairy) into my diet.



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Posted at 9:29 AM  |  by Lisa E.

So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate ReadingSo Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found this book on Goodreads, my public library had it, so I borrowed it.  I read some of the reviews and although many were negative, I decided I would give it a shot, as my opinion of a book doesn't always agree with reviews I have read.  With this book, I probably should have listened to the reviews.

Things I liked and could relate to about this book:

How her husband doesn't read books.  My husband is the same way.  He looks forward to reading the newspaper every day and sometimes magazines, but in the 18 years that I've known him, he's maybe read two books from front to back.

I agree with her in that choosing a particular book at a certain time in your life is how I usually choose what I will read next.

I agree with her in that I don't like to jump on the bandwagon with reading a book that is suddenly in the limelight and "everyone else" is reading it NOW.  (Think '50 Shades Of Gray', which I still haven't read.)  I like to read what I want to read, not what society is telling me is popular now.

I like the 'idea' of reading 1 book a week for a year.  I know I would not be able to do this.  How she can take time out to read, lose sleep and still hold down a full time job and raise her eight year old son? She's got some extraordinary energy to do all she does.  I do not have that kind of energy and would never try to read an 800+ page book in a week.  Not to mention, where is the time spent with family and her husband?  Were these things she sacrificed in order to write this book?

Things I disliked and could not relate to:

Double-booking.  I've never done this mainly because I like to concentrate on one book at a time and feel that if I concentrate on only one book I will finish with it sooner and be able to move onto another book sooner.

Most of the books she read and/or wrote about I'd never heard of and really have no desire to read.  There was a sentence on page 66 of the book that really spoke to me about what she thinks of the kinds of books I like (chick lit.)  Here it is:
"How could somebody I like have liked that book?  Needless to say, their friendship sputtered out faster than the plot of a Luanne Rice novel."  When I read that I literally gasped out loud, my eyes grew wide and I felt like saying "How dare she bash an author I enjoy!"  This one sentence in the book set the tone for the rest of the book for me.
I did want to finish reading the book to see what else she had to say, but I knew after that sentence that she probably wouldn't be writing anything positive about authors that I enjoy.

Another reviewer of this book said "And her constantly reminding me that she was in an interracial marriage, or that her husband worked for SNL, was getting rather tedious. Make your point, and then move on, please."  I totally agree with this statement.  She also touted how her mother and sister held jobs in the literary world.

She thinks it's OK to ditch a bad book before it's over.  I've always had a difficult time doing this.  I almost did decide to stop reading her book after the stab she gave to Luanne Rice books, but I decided to hear her out.

She's not a fan of non-fiction and I was also surprised that she didn't read any biographies in her 52 weeks of reading.  None that I remember her mentioning anyway.


It was interesting to read about someone else's reading habits.  I just didn't relate to her as I thought I would and that disappointed me.


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Book Review: So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson


So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate ReadingSo Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found this book on Goodreads, my public library had it, so I borrowed it.  I read some of the reviews and although many were negative, I decided I would give it a shot, as my opinion of a book doesn't always agree with reviews I have read.  With this book, I probably should have listened to the reviews.

Things I liked and could relate to about this book:

How her husband doesn't read books.  My husband is the same way.  He looks forward to reading the newspaper every day and sometimes magazines, but in the 18 years that I've known him, he's maybe read two books from front to back.

I agree with her in that choosing a particular book at a certain time in your life is how I usually choose what I will read next.

I agree with her in that I don't like to jump on the bandwagon with reading a book that is suddenly in the limelight and "everyone else" is reading it NOW.  (Think '50 Shades Of Gray', which I still haven't read.)  I like to read what I want to read, not what society is telling me is popular now.

I like the 'idea' of reading 1 book a week for a year.  I know I would not be able to do this.  How she can take time out to read, lose sleep and still hold down a full time job and raise her eight year old son? She's got some extraordinary energy to do all she does.  I do not have that kind of energy and would never try to read an 800+ page book in a week.  Not to mention, where is the time spent with family and her husband?  Were these things she sacrificed in order to write this book?

Things I disliked and could not relate to:

Double-booking.  I've never done this mainly because I like to concentrate on one book at a time and feel that if I concentrate on only one book I will finish with it sooner and be able to move onto another book sooner.

Most of the books she read and/or wrote about I'd never heard of and really have no desire to read.  There was a sentence on page 66 of the book that really spoke to me about what she thinks of the kinds of books I like (chick lit.)  Here it is:
"How could somebody I like have liked that book?  Needless to say, their friendship sputtered out faster than the plot of a Luanne Rice novel."  When I read that I literally gasped out loud, my eyes grew wide and I felt like saying "How dare she bash an author I enjoy!"  This one sentence in the book set the tone for the rest of the book for me.
I did want to finish reading the book to see what else she had to say, but I knew after that sentence that she probably wouldn't be writing anything positive about authors that I enjoy.

Another reviewer of this book said "And her constantly reminding me that she was in an interracial marriage, or that her husband worked for SNL, was getting rather tedious. Make your point, and then move on, please."  I totally agree with this statement.  She also touted how her mother and sister held jobs in the literary world.

She thinks it's OK to ditch a bad book before it's over.  I've always had a difficult time doing this.  I almost did decide to stop reading her book after the stab she gave to Luanne Rice books, but I decided to hear her out.

She's not a fan of non-fiction and I was also surprised that she didn't read any biographies in her 52 weeks of reading.  None that I remember her mentioning anyway.


It was interesting to read about someone else's reading habits.  I just didn't relate to her as I thought I would and that disappointed me.


View all my reviews

Posted at 8:01 PM  |  by Lisa E.

Snowfall At Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, #4)Snowfall At Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is mainly about Sophie Bellamy, Daisy and Max Bellamy's mother.  She's been an absentee mother for most of her children's lives.  She chose her career as an international lawyer over her family.   She finds herself in a hostage situation and survives.  After coming through this terrifying time she decides to move to Avalon, NY where her children and ex-husband reside.  She unexpectedly finds herself falling for the local veterinarian, Noah Shepherd, who is much younger than she is.

I did not like Sophie Bellamy's character from what I knew about her from the previous books in this series.  This book turned her from a career-driven powerhouse lawyer into a caring, loving, present mother.  Although I have respect for the position she held as an international lawyer and all that she gave up to pursue that career, it was refreshing to watch her evolve into a mother-figure and ever-present in her children's lives.


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Book Review: Snowfall At Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs


Snowfall At Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, #4)Snowfall At Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is mainly about Sophie Bellamy, Daisy and Max Bellamy's mother.  She's been an absentee mother for most of her children's lives.  She chose her career as an international lawyer over her family.   She finds herself in a hostage situation and survives.  After coming through this terrifying time she decides to move to Avalon, NY where her children and ex-husband reside.  She unexpectedly finds herself falling for the local veterinarian, Noah Shepherd, who is much younger than she is.

I did not like Sophie Bellamy's character from what I knew about her from the previous books in this series.  This book turned her from a career-driven powerhouse lawyer into a caring, loving, present mother.  Although I have respect for the position she held as an international lawyer and all that she gave up to pursue that career, it was refreshing to watch her evolve into a mother-figure and ever-present in her children's lives.


View all my reviews

Posted at 8:49 PM  |  by Lisa E.

This is an interesting article. I'm usually the one taking the photos, so there aren't as many pictures of me as there should be. I know a lot of the time it's because I'm not pleased with my weight. However, I want my children to look back and have photos of us together. When you have the time, read this article and the comments people are leaving. Comment on this post here if you feel you have something to say about this topic. Maybe we can start taking more pictures with ourselves in them and that could help motivate us to get healthier?  It's time to STOP looking the other way and face ourselves. We are who we are and if we need improvement we are the only ones who can make that change. But for the time being, don't stop taking yourself out of the picture. Friends and family need you in the photos too!


Intentionally Keeping Yourself OUT Of Photos


This is an interesting article. I'm usually the one taking the photos, so there aren't as many pictures of me as there should be. I know a lot of the time it's because I'm not pleased with my weight. However, I want my children to look back and have photos of us together. When you have the time, read this article and the comments people are leaving. Comment on this post here if you feel you have something to say about this topic. Maybe we can start taking more pictures with ourselves in them and that could help motivate us to get healthier?  It's time to STOP looking the other way and face ourselves. We are who we are and if we need improvement we are the only ones who can make that change. But for the time being, don't stop taking yourself out of the picture. Friends and family need you in the photos too!


Posted at 10:03 AM  |  by Lisa E.

Dockside (Lakeshore Chronicles #3)Dockside by Susan Wiggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dockside is the third book in Lakeshore Chronicles series by Susan Wiggs.
The story continues as it follows Greg Bellamy, the new owner of the Inn At Willow Lake, and Nina Romno, the town of Avalon's former mayor.

Greg and Nina briefly know each other, as they both grew up in Avalon.  They never were in the same circle of friends, as he is from the distinguished Bellamy family, and she one of the many Romano children, daughter of a local teacher.

The story finds Nina wanting to purchase the Inn At Willow Lake, but then she finds out Greg Bellamy has beat her to it.  She is very upset about this, as her dream has been to be owner/operator of the inn aver since she worked there as a young girl.

The book also finds Greg's daughter, Daisy, pregnant and trying to decide whether or not to inform the father of her baby that he is about to be a father.  Daisy confides in Nina and this upsets Greg.

There are many flashbacks from Nina and Greg in this book.  They all pertain to the different occasions they've run into one another in their younger years.  The back and forth between the now and then is basically both Greg and Nina trying to figure out where and if they should be in one another's life.

After awhile I just wanted Greg and Nina to sort out their feelings and decide whether or not they wanted to be romantically involved with each other of not!  I'm hoping the next book in this series has a better story line than this book did.  My favorite book so far in this series has been Book 1, Summer At Willow Lake.


View all my reviews

Book Review: Dockside by Susan Wiggs


Dockside (Lakeshore Chronicles #3)Dockside by Susan Wiggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dockside is the third book in Lakeshore Chronicles series by Susan Wiggs.
The story continues as it follows Greg Bellamy, the new owner of the Inn At Willow Lake, and Nina Romno, the town of Avalon's former mayor.

Greg and Nina briefly know each other, as they both grew up in Avalon.  They never were in the same circle of friends, as he is from the distinguished Bellamy family, and she one of the many Romano children, daughter of a local teacher.

The story finds Nina wanting to purchase the Inn At Willow Lake, but then she finds out Greg Bellamy has beat her to it.  She is very upset about this, as her dream has been to be owner/operator of the inn aver since she worked there as a young girl.

The book also finds Greg's daughter, Daisy, pregnant and trying to decide whether or not to inform the father of her baby that he is about to be a father.  Daisy confides in Nina and this upsets Greg.

There are many flashbacks from Nina and Greg in this book.  They all pertain to the different occasions they've run into one another in their younger years.  The back and forth between the now and then is basically both Greg and Nina trying to figure out where and if they should be in one another's life.

After awhile I just wanted Greg and Nina to sort out their feelings and decide whether or not they wanted to be romantically involved with each other of not!  I'm hoping the next book in this series has a better story line than this book did.  My favorite book so far in this series has been Book 1, Summer At Willow Lake.


View all my reviews

Posted at 12:18 PM  |  by Lisa E.

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