Book Review – Bird by Bird

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life is essentially a lecture-style writing class in book form. Lamott recounts moments from her own writing experience as well as her personal life and puts them into bite-sized suggestions for how be a writer – or, rather, how to stay a writer.

Book 21 was one of those books I just felt like I should probably read once I heard about it. At one point, someone told that if I wanted to be a writer, I had to be a reader. I didn’t like reading, but I forced myself to get into it. Now, I’m a reader, and I think I still want to be a writer, but I have to remind myself that some times. Book 21 was, for me, a reminder.

Book 21:
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by Anne Lamott

Genre:
Language/Writing, Nonfiction, Memoir

Published:
September 1995

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life is essentially a lecture-style writing class in book form. Lamott recounts moments from her own writing experience as well as her personal life and puts them into bite-sized suggestions for how be a writer – or, rather, how to stay a writer.

Favorite Quote(s):

“The issue now is how to take care of one another. Some of us are interested in any light you might be able to shed on this, and we will pay a great deal extra if you can make us laugh about it. For some of us, good books and beautiful writing are the ultimate solace, even more comforting than exquisite food…”

“Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again.”

– Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None noted.

Pages:
237

My Overall Rating:
4 – While I was expecting this book to be more memoir-like, it was much heavier on the instructions on writing. Initially, I struggled with this. But about halfway through, I realized how beautiful it was that someone could write a book about craft that was so inspiring. When I removed the vibe that the book is only about writing, my rating jumped up. In Bird by Bird, Lamott is saying, “You probably have a craft. And you should do it. And it will be hard. But we’re called to create. Go. Create.”

That is a beautiful message. While I love to write, myself, I think this underlying message is important for everyone to hear. Plus, it helps that Lamott weaves in funny stories/experiences and a few that tug on your heartstrings, too.

Book Review – The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project is about genetics Professor Don Tillman’s search for the perfect wife. Through research/questionnaires/careful evaluation, Don believes he can find everything he’s looking for in a woman, but his project is thrown off course when Rosie enters his life, setting him down the path of a genetics project that takes up his time and transforms his world.

Little Free Library find on my part, this next book was our June book club pick. I didn’t know much going into it other than the fact that it’s going to be a movie at some point this year. I can’t say the book disappointed me – it just surprised me.

Book 20:
The Rosie Project
by Graeme Simsion

Genre:
Contemporary, Fiction, Romance

Published:
May 2013

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, The Rosie Project is about genetics Professor Don Tillman’s search for the perfect wife. Through research/questionnaires/careful evaluation, Don believes he can find everything he’s looking for in a woman, but his project is thrown off course when Rosie enters his life, setting him down the path of a genetics project that takes up his time and transforms his world.

Favorite Quote(s):

“I asked you here tonight because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

– Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None yet.

Pages:
329

My Overall Rating:
3.5 – This was a tough book for me to rate. When I first got started, it was so similar to How Not to Die Alone, that I couldn’t keep the plots/characters straight. My rating could very well be affected by the fact that I read those two books so close together. However, reading these two books so close together showed me that these types of books are really less creative than I’d hope they would be.

Oddball character has a plan. Oddball character is stuck in his/her ways. Oddball character is pushed out of his/her plan and his/her ways when he meets a wildcard of the opposite sex. While the relationship with wildcard character is initially project-based, it eventually disrupts everything oddball thought he/she wanted and changes his/her life for the better, making him/her fall in love with wildcard.

It was the same for How Not to Die Alone and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I’m disappointed in myself for liking them all so much (haha), BUT, I would also note that their ratings have gone done with each one. 5 stars for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, 4 for How Not to Die Alone, 3.5 for The Rosie Project. Sorry Graeme.

I still love oddball characters. I think I just need to see them in a different plot for me to love their stories, too. Each one of the three books I mentioned above are highly worth the read – they were all fun, funny, cute and easy to get hooked on – I just can’t recommend them back-to-back.

Book Review – How Not to Die Alone

How Not to Die Alone is about Andrew, a man who spends his working hours searching for the next of kin of those who die alone. While securing his career, Andrew slipped a little white lie into his interview, claiming he had a wife and children. Years later, his lie still in tact, things escalate when he befriends his new co-worker, Peggy. For the first time, Andrew lets someone in and needs to decide what to do. Should he tell Peggy the truth, cutting down the web of lies he’s built and risking his reputation and job? Or should he keep up his lie, living alone, but secure in said web?

My May Book of the Month pick was probably my favorite line of novel. I love an oddball character, and I knew this one would deliver because it was compared to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, which I loved. I quickly picked this book from the five available books, and dove in as soon as I finished my next book. (Plus, this book pushed me over the edge to BFF status with BOTM. How? I’m not certain, but now I’ll get free books and such so I will take it!)

Book 19:
How Not to Die Alone
by Richard Roper

Genre:
Contemporary, Fiction

Published:
May 2019

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, How Not to Die Alone is about Andrew, a man who spends his working hours searching for the next of kin of those who die alone. While securing his career, Andrew slipped a little white lie into his interview, claiming he had a wife and children. Years later, his lie still in tact, things escalate when he befriends his new co-worker, Peggy. For the first time, Andrew lets someone in and needs to decide what to do. Should he tell Peggy the truth, cutting down the web of lies he’s built and risking his reputation and job? Or should he keep up his lie, living alone, but secure in said web?

Favorite Quote(s):
None – which is weird for me. There were entire scenes I wish I could put in here, but no actual quotes I wanted to keep record of.

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None yet.

Pages:
321

My Overall Rating:
4 – For a debut novel, this was top notch. I laughed, I cried, I snuck pages in here and there to keep learning what happened. As previously mentioned, I love oddball characters, and I especially loved Andrew. Though I can’t say I related to him myself, he seemed so relatable. I could feel the awkwardness in his conversations. I could see the loneliness in his apartment. I could basically read his thoughts before he spoke them. His character was on point, and the plot, while nothing super crazy, still kept me on edge the whole way through.

This was such a fun read, and I’m glad I picked it. Had it tugged a little harder at my emotions, I might have given it a 5.

(Two) Down

One last post on this year’s March for Babies (though you can still donate to this year!).

While I didn’t meet my personal goal of $2000 this year, I went into Walk day at $1655, which felt pretty good! Plus, our team went in with $4060 – over $1000 more than our goal of $3000! That kept us at a proud, third place finish overall.

Hi friends,

One last post on this year’s March for Babies (though you can still donate to this year!).

Saturday was a beautiful day. Just like last year, it was so inspiring to see so many families in one place whose lives have been affected by March of Dimes in some way. We take solace in knowing we’re not the only ones, and we celebrate the success we’ve had because of the work of March of Dimes.

While I didn’t meet my personal goal of $2000 this year, I went into Walk day at $1655, which felt pretty good! Plus, our team went in with $4060 – over $1000 more than our goal of $3000! That kept us at a proud, third place finish overall (second in family teams).

One last big thank you to the following people who helped us do this!
Grandpa and Grandma Grasmeyer
Grandpa and Grandma Merritt
Aunt Jenna and Uncle Josh
Becky and Ryan Grasmeyer
Aunt Sharon and Uncle George
Mark and Heather Swierenga
Dan and Claire Larabel
Bill and Emily Madsen
Tyler and Tessa DeNooyer
Alesha and Jeremy Schut
Betsy and Eli Cromwell
Kimberly Reich
Autumn Bollman
Sarah and Josh Stuitje
Sarah Potter
Dale Waite
Lauren Edwards
Sue Snow
Anne Jansingh
Vicki DeKoning
Susan Whichard Babin

Two walks down, many to come!

Book Review – Watching You

Watching You is about the people of Melville Heights, an English neighborhood with wealth, charm and secrets. When neighbors lives begin to intermingle, the secrets begin to come out, the tension begins to thicken and the drama begins to unfold. Who knows whom? Who loves whom? Who’s spying on whom? Who will murder whom?

When book club picked a mystery/thriller/suspense, I left not planning on reading it. I don’t like having additional reasons to be scared of people, and sometimes stories like these give me that, so I try to avoid them. However, I’m a team player, and decided to read the book after all…

Book 18:
Watching You
by Lisa Jewell

Genre:
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Published:
December 2018

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Watching You is about the people of Melville Heights, an English neighborhood with wealth, charm and secrets. When neighbors lives begin to intermingle, the secrets begin to come out, the tension begins to thicken and the drama begins to unfold. Who knows whom? Who loves whom? Who’s spying on whom? And who will murder whom?

Favorite Quote(s):

“Babies did that to you: they pinned you down in the moment at precisely the same time as hurtling you into the future and hitching you back to the past.”

– Lisa Jewell, Watching You

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None yet.

Pages:
320

My Overall Rating:
3 – I was obviously skeptical from the start – I wasn’t even going to read this at first. However, I was unimpressed with the actual mystery of this story. It felt, largely, like contemporary fiction until the second half, and by the time the climax was happening I already knew the conclusion. Though this is not my type of book, I do appreciate when this genre is done well. I would have liked to see some better hints/twists/turns earlier on in the story. I would have liked for the conclusion to have been deeper.

It was a fine story with fine writing, but for me, I just didn’t think Jewell did the genre well.

(Two) Days

We’re just two days away from March Two (not the date – the March for Babies)! We’re not going to reach our goal of two thousand dollars this year, and though I’m bummed, I think I’m ok with it…

We’re just two days away from March Two (not the date – the March for Babies)! We’re not going to reach our goal of two thousand dollars this year, and though I’m bummed, I think I’m ok with it.

I can understand that the farther you get from your situation (in our case, Oaklee’s start), the less the people around you see it as a dire situation. Kevin and I are lucky to be able to see past Oaklee’s start most days and just enjoy living life with our (almost) two year old. It’s been a wild ride over these past two years, but we’re finally sailing smoother seas. 

I can only hope that by the time we have baby number two, we will only ever have smooth seas, we won’t spend a day in the NICU, and maybe… maybe our heart for the March of Dimes will one day fade, two (oops). 

But for this year, thank you to those of you who’ve chosen to invest again in an organization that means so much to us:
Grandpa and Grandma Grasmeyer
Grandpa and Grandma Merritt
Aunt Jenna and Uncle Josh
Becky and Ryan Grasmeyer
Aunt Sharon and Uncle George
Mark and Heather Swierenga
Dan and Claire Larabel
Bill and Emily Madsen
Alesha and Jeremy Schut
Betsy and Eli Cromwell
Kimberly Reich
Sarah and Josh Stuitje
Sarah Potter
Dale Waite
Lauren Edwards
Sue Snow
Anne Jansingh
Vicki DeKoning
Susan Whichard Babin