Every woman needs a group of women to be her confidantes, best buddies, cheerleaders, help and support. In "The Indepence Club" five women have exactly that. A group of women that understand their individual, single situations and are there to support each other. Maxine is 62 years old and doesn't ever want to be married again, but her gentleman friend thinks differently. Tina was freed from years of abuse when her husband died. Can she put her past behind and love again? Evie thinks she hates the woman that stole her husband from her. Rosalva thinks that she knows what she wants, and it has nothing to do with Willard Oakman. Bernice thinks that one should never marry again, but ends up with the biggest secret of them all.
I love books about women and their groups. This is a fun read, full of romance, friendship, overcoming obstacles, and teaching the rest of us to be there for each other. We learn that it doesn't matter our different ages - we can all be what another needs. I love Rachel Ann Nunes books, and this one certainly does not disappoint.
This book is by the same author of "The Parenting Breakthrough", my all-time favorite parenting book. I knew that if "The Parenting Breakthrough" was good, this one would be too. I wasn't wrong. What a great book for strengthening marriages! Merrilee Boyack has a gift for stating common sense ideas, practical advice, while being amusing and light hearted. It is great in the fact that it doesn't come across pompous and condescending but instead, she presents things in such a way that you know she realizes the problems that can occur in marriages and has been there herself.
This book teaches many concepts - one is that understanding men can lead to happier marriages. Another chapter focuses on following do's and don't's of being a wife and how to be more fun to live with. I particularly liked how she talks about how important it is to not spend time 'husband-bashing'. I know a lot of women that start complaining about husbands the moment they get together - and the author points out that this can be damaging. This is an upbeat book that reminds the reader about how great marriage can be and how to improve on what you have. I think it's absolutely great and I have highly recommended it to all my friends.
It all started with a cake. Annabelle Pleasanton needs a cake, (not just any cake, a Portuguese cake from a particular bakery) to keep her boss happy and hopefully smooth over past incidents. But the cake brings more than she's bargained for: a cute new guy in her life, a promotion at work, and competition among old acquaintances.
This book really is laugh-out-loud funny! My son kept asking me why I was laughing, because I just couldn't keep it in! (I do read alot, but very rarely ever laugh). It is my ideal romance. Girl meets boy. Girl likes boy. Girl makes fool of herself while trying to appear cool for boy. This book was written by a woman who truly understands the insecurites that girls can have, with appreciation for a good clothing sale. It was a wonderful book and great entertainment for a girl of any age.
Have you ever wondered just what happened to the Brother of Jared's stones? In this book, archaeologist Mathilda Howard stumbles across stories of stones that shine by themselves over and over again. Each mention that is made, she is more intrigued. From the Tibetan monk, to a mountain in China, and a lost city in Brazil, she is following a mystery that will mean more to her than knowledge of artifacts.
I love it when a book gets me excited to learn about new subjects! I finished this book with a whole new appreciation of the Book of Mormon and desire to learn more about ancient civilizations. I was fascinated by the new pieces of information that I learned about the Book of Mormon that once again testify of its truth. For example, the colophon that is mentioned by the author in relation to the Book of Mormon is something that I have never heard of before. But when she describes it, it makes sense. And how would a young man from New York with limited education know anything about it? I loved this book. I loved the premise, the idea, it was easy to read and it was totally original.
For some reason, I've always been fascinated by stories from the older generations. I find it amazing how much times have changed and how much we take for granted. There are a lot of wonderful things to learn from our elders, those who have had a whole lifetime of experiences. "Hard Won Wisdom" has excerpt after excerpt of solid, strong advice from those who lived or are living to be 80, 90, and even 100. The authors obtained this advice from many different people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. They talk about so many different aspects of life from starting married life and helping one another to dealing with the death of a spouse or loved one and how to deal with regrets in life.
One of the things I loved about this book was that each piece of advice listed was not more than a page long, so I could sit down and read just one if that's all I had time for, or I could read many of the entries in a row. One thing this book did for me was to cause me to reflect on what I'm currently doing in my life. It made me think about what I will look back on when I am in the twilight of my life. What did I accomplish? Who did I affect? What legacy did I leave?
"Of Infinite Worth" is the perfect gift to give a mother when you just want to show her that you're thinking of her. Take it to the people you visit teach, give it as a Mother's Day gift or a birthday gift, take it to someone who could use some encouragement or cheering up, get it as a gift for a brand new mother. There are so many ways you could use this book to bring a smile to someone's face.
"Of Infinite Worth" is a small book, which makes for very fast reading, but it's a real gem, especially for busy mothers who don't have a lot of time to read. Each chapter is written by a different accomplished author. The list includes: Anita Stansfield, Kerry Blair, Sariah S. Wilson, Lynn C. Jaynes, Marilynne Todd Linford, and Joni Hilton. Each of these sisters share essays about motherhood and what it means to them. It is uplifting and inspiring. I know after reading it, I felt less alone in my chaotic life as a mother of young children.
Really, all I have to say is, this is the newest Anita Stansfield book. From that statement you could probably figure out a few different things. One, that this book is a part of a series, which happens to be called the Barrington Family Saga - her newest series and this is Volume One. It is set in England in 1838 on an English estate. Two, you could also figure out that it is a romance. And it is. A very good one. It does have a few more intimate details than most of her books, but is done very tastefully with a beautiful explanation in the Foreword at the beginning of the book. The third thing you could figure out from my previous statement is, it's addicting. Most of Anita Stansfield's books grab you from the beginning and don't let go. That would be the same with this one. I was swept into it from the first paragraph and I have to say - it is really good.
I do feel that I should give a brief warning. This book does contain some adult subject matter. I state this so that readers know that this is a book geared more toward adults and maybe late teenagers.
This is a fabulous book! Now, if you read my reviews, you know that I don't use the word 'fabulous' very often. Let me explain. "Yearbook" is written from the point of view of eight or nine different people over the course of one high school year. Those people include LDS students, students who are not LDS, teachers, and even a grandmother. Through one chapter at a time, one person at a time, we learn about each of these lives and the other lives they touch.
This is a very different kind of book than anything I've ever read before. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it, but once involved, I couldn't put it down. At the end of the author information, it states that "Yearbook" is the author's first book. My feeling is, if this is her first book, I really can't wait for the second one!! Now back to the word 'fabulous'. As I read this book I was vividly reminded of my own high school years. One year, my best friend and I were really into certain phrases and words that we used over and over. 'Fabulous' was one of our words. I hope you enjoy this book!
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