Mini Book Review - Oct Edition

I've been on a nonfiction kick lately. Tried to read Angels & Demons and couldn't get past the obvious formula that makes it so similar to The DaVinci Code. Tried a few other fiction books and decided that my brain wasn't in the mood right now.

But there was one fiction book I did read that I forgot to report about earlier. Unpredictable by Eileen Cook was fun. It's fluffy chick lit but a good read. The main character, Sophie, is desperate to get her boyfriend back. In fact it appears that Sophie may be a couple sandwiches short of a picnic -- she' so shameless. She meets a university professor who studies psychics and soon Sophie is a fake psychic. I'll leave it at that so as not give away the plot. Sophie does eventually take hold of her rationale mind. If she remained all psycho, I might have given up on the book.

I'm reading more books about writing and writers. Susan Shapiro has written a number of books in both the memoir genre and writing guides. Only As Good As Your Word: Writing Lessons from My Favorite Literary Gurus is a broad perspective about the many writers who've influenced Shapiro. Shapiro has been fortunate to have befriended so many influential writers in her career. Makes me want to move to NYC and start networking. But for those of us outside of Manhattan, this book helps us learn from some of the best.

I also read one of Shapiro's memoirs, Lighting Up: How I Stopped Smoking, Drinking, and Everything Else I Love in Life Except Sex. She has the ability to take a serious subject (addiction) and give it heart and humor. Her lifelong love is cigarettes, and when she decides to break the habit she learns how one addiction is often swapped out for another. Dr. Winters, her not-so-conventional addiction specialist, starts her on the slow process of breaking each addiction. While I've never battled addiction, I could relate to the inner struggle to get one's mental house in order. Plus Shapiro is such an honest writer that I was drawn into her struggle and victories.

On a recent trip to the library I picked up a couple of books I may not have otherwise read. The first is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. Murakami is a novelist and a long distance runner. In this book he describes what motivates him to run and write. It's a quick read and provides insight into why people run marathons. I'm not a runner but could appreciate the discipline to both run and write.

A book I finished just last night was The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow. This is about eleven girls who grew up together in Ames, Iowa and maintained that friendship into their mid-40s. Their strong bond says a lot about the friendships women nurture throughout their lives. The Ames girls are ordinary in one respect but extraordinary in how they have been a constant support to each other. Smartly written and deeply touching, The Girls From Ames makes you want to contact your girlfriends and give them a big hug.