Finding It by Valerie Bertinelli

I got this audiobook on sale at Border's going out of business sale.  I read Valerie's first book Losing It and enjoyed it, so why not try this one?

Two things I learned from this book:

1. Almost all women struggle with body issues and we are very similar in this struggle.

2. Celebrities live a very different life.

In one sense listening to Valerie's book was like listening to myself or my best friend complain about weight frustrations.  On the other hand, she has Jillian Michael's trainer whipping her in to shape and her job was pretty much to get in shape for this commercial, so she had a lot more time than the everyday person has to devote to it.  She says she didn't and complains about her lack of time, but I doubt she understands what a "normal" person's life is like just how I don't understand what a "celebrity's" life is like.

But I do love how she focuses on how hard maintenance is and why it is important.  I'm glad she doesn't make it seem easy.  I'm glad to know she has a lot of the same struggles we all face.  Overall I enjoyed it.  It wasn't life changing or anything, but it was enjoyable.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Mommywood by Tori Spelling

I got Mommywood by Tori Spelling on CD at the Border's going out of business sale for like $3!  I am loving some audio-books right now. And to get one for that cheap was awesome!  I listened to it on my way to and from the beach Labor Day weekend and it made the drive just fly by!

I liked Tori's first book Storitelling.  This one was ok, but not as good as the first one in my opinion.  Tori just basically tells stories from her life as a (semi)famous mom.  There are some funny stories in there like the one about Liam pooping at the pool and her making a big mess while changing his diaper or how she got invited to P-Diddy's twin's birthday party and she totally got their age wrong. 

Tori is completely out of touch with reality and completely wrapped up in Hollywood life and this book solidifies that.  As much as she says she would like to be normal, she is completely fooling herself.  She talks about having to leave a $300 stroller (that she got for free) in a parking garage because she could not get it to fold up.  Seriously?  Who does that?

She is completely self-centered.  (But aren't we all at times?) She talks about her relationship with her mom a lot and how everything with her mom turned in to a competition and how she doesn't want to repeat that with Stella.  She is going to really have to work at that before Stella gets any older because I can so see her doing the same thing. 

Speaking of the relationship with her mom, she tries to act like the lack of relationship there is all her mom's fault.  She obviously has not forgiven her mom for a lot of things and continues to talk bad about her in her books.  I can't imagine the hurt she has caused her mom.  Obviously her mom isn't completely innocent in the whole situation either, but Tori needs to realize that neither is she.

I like Tori.  I really do.  I think she is witty and funny and it feels like she could be one of your best girl friends.  She is a good story telller too.  We all have our flaws and she is not immune to that.  But at times during this book you just wanted to say "Really girl?  you have no idea what the real world is like.  Take off your fame-goggles and get a grip."

I give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Mystically Wired by Ken Wilson

Sometime last year I heard about this site called Book Sneeze.  If you are a blogger and interested in Christian literature, this is a great site.  You get a book for free in exchange for a review.

The first book I selected was Mystically Wired by Ken Wilson.  I picked this book because as you know if you read my blog, I have a really hard time praying out loud.  Even just praying in general.  Maybe this book could help?

It took me a long time to get through this book.  I just could not get into it.  It wasn't engaging.  It didn't capture my attention.  And I found myself reading whole paragraphs and then thinking "Wait, what did I just read?"  I ended up skimming most of it.

In Part 1 of the book, he talks about how we are all wired to talk to and crave a connection with God.  I believe that.  Most people I know even if they aren't religious or have any kind of defined "faith" have probably talked to God in their mind before.  I didn't agree with everything the author said, but I do agree that we are all wired to have a connection to God.

In Part 2 of the book, the author goes in to "Exploring New Realms in Prayer".  This was more practial advice and guidance towards deepening your relationship with God and enhancing your prayer life, but I still found it difficult to get in to. 

I was disappointed with the book overall, just because I found it so difficult to get in to.

I give it 2 out of 5 stars.

If you are interested in a good book on prayer, I really enjoyed A Praying Life by Paul Miller.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Specials (Uglies, Book 3) by Scott Westerfeld

I liked this series.  I really did.  But it took me forever to get through this book!  I wasn't as in love with the whole thing by this point I guess.  Or maybe I just don't like when Tally turns in to someone other than herself.

Basically this book picks up where book two left off.  But now Tally has been turned in to a Special.  And not just any Special, but one of the elite new Cutters within the Special Circumstances.  The Specials are enhanced even more than the Pretties to the point of looking harsh and cruel, but still beautiful.  The best part is all your physical abilities and senses are enhanced and optimized.  You are pretty much invincible.  And you are programmed to think you are better than everyone else.

Tally is teamed back up with her BFF or "frennimie" Shay.  They have wild adventures trying to stop the New Smoke and help her ex-lover Zane.  It's all very "icy" and "bubbly".

But part of me started to get annoyed with these books.  The main characters value being pretty above everything and think they are better than everyone and now they are cutting themselves to get "icy"??  Not the best example.  It all turns out with a good moral story in the end, but I don't know...I just didn't love them.  Something was off about the storyline to me.  They just didn't sit right with me in the end.

I give this one 3 out of 5 stars.

I'm going to stop my journey with these books here for now.  I have the last book Extras, but I need a break for now.

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

I listened to this one on CD driving to and from work every day.  I loved it!  It is the story of Carrie Bradshaw (of Sex and the City) when she was in high school.  Most of it is centered around boy drama, but it touches on her passion for writing and early struggles with that as well.

I loved all the stories and her drama with Donna Ladonna and her friends.  I even loved how they did the different voices of the characters.

Here is a synopsis fro the authors website:

The Carrie Diaries is the coming-of-age story of one of the most iconic characters of our generation.

Before Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small town girl who knew she wanted more. She’s ready for real life to start, but first she must navigate her senior year of high school. Up until now, Carrie and her friends have been inseparable. Then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture, and a friend’s betrayal makes her question everything.

With an unforgettable cast of characters, The Carrie Diaries is the story of how a regular girl learns to think for herself, and evolves into a sharp, insightful writer. Readers will learn about her family background, how she found her writing voice, and the indelible impression her early friendships and relationships left on her. Through adventures both audacious and poignant, we’ll see what brings Carrie to her beloved New York City, where her new life begins.

I think she has a follow-up book to this one called Summer and the City that I'm going to have to read now.

I've read all of Candace Bushnell's books and enjoyed them all so I highly recommend this one if you've read her other stuff and liked it.

I give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

This is the second book in The Uglies series.  This one was really annoying to read at first because of all the “pretty talk”.  Basically the pretties talk like stupid 18-year old valley girls.  “Like this is totally pretty-making and the book has the Crims trying to stay totally bubbly.”   

In this book you get to see the world of the pretties.  And it isn’t all pretty.  Of course I couldn't help but thinking how I would love to wake up beautiful every day with my biggest coneren being what I was going to wear to the party that night.  And having a closet I could just order whatever I wanted out of!

I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say once you finish the first book you will have to read this one and once you finish this one, you’ll want to see what happens in the third one.

I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

It took me a few chapters to really get in to this book, but once I did I was hooked.  Uglies is the story of a world sometime in the future where on your 16^th birthday everyone gets plastic surgery to become a “pretty”.  When you are a teenager, before you turn 16 and have the surgery you are known as an ugly.  Everyone on their 16^th birthday gets to turn into a supermodel, move in to “new pretty town”, and go to lavish parties and just enjoy being fabulous.

The main character Tally is getting ready to turn 16, but she starts to discover some things no one ever talks about.  Things the people in charge want to keep a secret.  Tally makes friends with a girl named Shay and she introduces her to a whole new world outside of the pretties.  But Tally is torn because she has always wanted to be a pretty so she gets put in a very bad position and may have to betray her friend.

This is the first book of a trilogy.  I am currently on the last book and can’t wait to see how it ends for Tally and her friends.  If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, you would probably enjoy these too as they have very similar themes.

I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.