September 14th, 2011
August 2011 Book List
Okay, here it is. Everyone’s favorite post of the month (and the last one for awhile, because after we finish The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, we are going to tackle Anna Karenina with Reader Betsy). (And yes, we realize that we’re about 7 years late on The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing. Might as well read Into the Wild and The Year of Magical Thinking while we’re at it).
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, Edna Baker
Memoir of a standup comedian’s experience of dating in NYC as a Mormon. It’s pretty hilarious, and this Southern Christian girl could relate to her efforts of reconciling religion with dating. The story about how she tells a guy that she’s never seen snow so she can spend three hours in the car made us laugh so hard it hurt. It’s smart and funny, but the end is weak and shows her inexperience as a writer. Bottom Line: Worth the Wait, er Read
The Sixes, Kate White
You girls know that Kate White, Editor-in-Chief of Cosmo, is our favorite mystery writer. We’ve read everyone of them, and her latest, The Sixes, did not disappoint. Set at a college where the protagonist is a disgraced famous writer doing a guest stint, it’s probably not going to win a Pulitzer but it kept us up until 3am one night. Bottom Line: Better than Cosmo.
Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo
Sure, you have to give into the fact that they sell it at Publix and every Southern Baptist in America is doing it for their book club this fall, but it’s a sweet story. Bottom Line: It will make you cry (probably not as hysterically as Same Kind of Different as Me), and long for the days that childlike faith was easy.
The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, Melissa Bank
Not quite finished, so can’t speak to every bit of it, but it’s delightful. Written as a collection of short stories, it’s a coming of age story of book editor Jane living in NYC. A touch dark, quite witty, Jane will capture the heart of any girl that has ever wondered…”what does it all mean?” Bottom Line: A great catch!
And we’re off to finally earn the right to have Anna Karenina on our coffee table. Wish us luck.
5 Comments
September 14th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Elaney…I’m not gonna lie. I’m kind of impressed with myself. I’ve read two of your four.
September 14th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
nice! which ones?
September 15th, 2011 at 9:20 am
The Mormon Halloween dance one and Heaven is for Real. Really really liked them both. And…I told you I lurked around on your blog. Now you have proof!
September 15th, 2011 at 11:56 am
“Anna” is staring me in the face…and has been for 10 years. We can do it!
September 17th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
You’ll love Anna Karenina… it’s in my top five favorites of all time. After that, read The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It’s a French novel that’s tied to Anna in some pretty beautiful ways.
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