Tag: BlogHer Book Club

You Have No Idea is the new memoir by Vanessa Williams, her mother Helen Williams & with Irene Zutell. While I knew who Vanessa Williams was & basic information on her past, I didn’t know much beyond what you probably know: how she was Miss America but lost the title due to a photo scandal, that she’d had some singing hits back in the day & that more recently she’d played characters on Ugly Betty & Desperate Housewives. I don’t watch either of those shows though, so I didn’t even know the details of the characters she played.

So when BlogHer Book Club, mentioned they were reviewing her new book, I jumped on it. I thought it’d be fun {pre}summer reading & knew her story would at least be pretty interesting how she’d managed to jump around the entertainment business & rise above the scandal that started her career. And interesting, her story definitely was.

At first I thought the way You Have No Idea was set up was kinda weird; almost random. You learn snippets, then later there’s probably a chapter devoted to that particular topic. And the chapters often flip back between being written by Vanessa & then Helen’s points of view. But once I got used it, I really liked that aspect. It was like you might get a preview of something & then you were looking forward to reading more {or at least that’s how it felt to me}.  I also really enjoyed the dual points of view. Hearing Helen’s take on the men in Vanessa’s life cracked me up. They’re thoughts of the death of Vanessa’s father were so sad.

I think if you enjoy memoirs in general, especially ones on celebrities, you’d definitely like reading You Have No Idea. If your interested in more info & others thoughts on the book, jump on over to BlogHer’s Now Reading: You Have No Idea to join the discussion.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood is the first of The Cahill Witch Chronicles series. Y’all know I love a good series {think Outlander, Hunger Games & even dare I say Twilight?!} & figured why not try reading this one.

Born Wicked is historical fiction set in New England in the late 1800s. But it took me a while to realize that. Based on clothing, diction & home descriptions, I gathered almost immediately that it wasn’t a modern day story. But then I was getting confused where & when the story was taking place. Finally, a couple chapters in, the author specifically states New England & mentions the witch trials of the 1780s being about 100 years before. I wish the clues in the novel had been more specific so I wouldn’t have been so confused for the first third of the book.

This is also one of the first witch books I’ve read in a very long time. I wasn’t sure about that part of the story, but I ended up enjoying the magic portions. I enjoyed reading about the sisters, Cate, Maura & Tess, from Cate’s view point. We were able to see the struggles of all three but I cared most about Cate. The stress of her raising her sisters after their mother’s death. The “love” triangle she finds herself in between her childhood, boy-next-door BFF & the bookkeeper-turned-gardener in her backyard. The sisters trying to fit into town society when they’re different & have been sheltered away.

At first, I truly didn’t think I’d like this book, but the more I got into it, the tougher I found it was to put it down. I’d recommend it for light reading & do look forward to the next story in the series!

You can learn more & join the discussion about Born Wicked at the BlogHer Book Club Born Wicked discussion page.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are all my own.

I finished Sere Prince Halverson’s first novel The Underside of Joy a few weeks ago. The title intrigued me, & I couldn’t hold off on reading it. Underside isn’t a word often used. The Underside of Joy? What would that be? The Underside of Joy, as per the novel {& me}, is what happens when your world as you know it falls apart & what happens as things are coming back together.

I’d pretty strongly recommend this book so I’m going to try to keep my review spoiler-proof. While I’ve never been divorced, a mother, nor a step-mother, I easily saw myself in the struggles & triumphs {no matter how small} of Ella Beane, the main character. I loved the children & the dog. I thought Sere’s character development was great. At different times, I wanted to shout out at Joe, Ella & Paige. The location, set in the North California, made me want to run off & go there just so I too could picnic in the woods by the water.

The end of The Underside of Joy was a bit predictable. I wasn’t shocked by it, but that’s not to say that I didn’t really enjoy the book. In fact, this is the first book I’ve recently read that I quickly passed on to a friend.

I’m looking forward to hearing what the other readers thought of this book & I know they’ll be a lot to talk about from it. To learn more about the author & join in on the discussion, visit BlogHer Book Club for The Underside of Joy.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are all my own.

My most recent BlogHer Book Club pick was Jeffrey Zaslow’s The Magic Room. I read the synopsis in my email & on the back of the book, & I thought I’d enjoy reading about Becker’s Bridal & the families & brides shopping there. That’s quite an understatement. I brought The Magic Room to work one day when I knew I’d be eating lunch alone. I cried just reading the introduction {like big crocodile tears} & had to close the book in fear of being “that girl” reading & crying alone.

I finished The Magic Room last night after reading while in the car with my parents Christmas Eve & while taking chill breaks this weekend. I loved it; I think non-fiction is a new favorite of mine. I loved how Jeffrey weaved individual brides’ stories along with the story of the Becker family. I loved how, just as he wanted, the love of daughters really shined through. If I’m ever in Michigan, I’ll have to make a stop in Fowler & see Shelley & maybe Alyssa at Becker’s. Any Michigan readers ever been there?!

I think The Magic Room is my favorite of the BlogHer Book Club books I’ve been sent to read. I’d recommend this to anyone who’s purchased a bridal gown, or to someone about to or dreaming about their wedding. I’d love for Dads to read it to see the bridal world & what makes that dress just so special from another Dad’s point of view.

This was a paid review from BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are all my own. You can join the discussion on BlogHer’s Now Reading The Magic Room.

I was about to type “I hadn’t read historical fiction much recently”, but I have. Although nothing this far back in history {probably since I read The Red Tent years ago}. The name Theodora was familiar to me ~ most likely from a flash back of a quick blip from a high school history book. I loved reading her story {albeit an amp’d up fictionalized version} in Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy {doesn’t that title just make you wanna hear more?!}.

As a dancer {although not a great one}, I remember taking classes & being pushed to try to get into the right positions & stay there. I never {thank God} experienced teachers or mentors or the harsh conditions, pain, & discipline like Theodora but that beginning performing part of her life drew me in.

I’ve traveled some, but nothing like the ways she did & what she experienced in those strange lands. The language Stella Duffy used brought those locations to life. I enjoyed the Christian theology discussed & hearing Theodora’s faith journey. The early law & how laws created or done away with during those times effected our laws is kind of mind blowing.

I finished this book Sunday night & was almost sad it was over. I liked it so much I wanted to read more. Hear more about Theodora’s wild life, to know what happened next. Instead, I’m excited to read & comment about this novel with others on the Theodora BlogHer Book Club discussion page.

This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.