Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, September 2016

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Pages: Hardcover, 272 pages

Rating: 4/5 pages

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out—three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times bestseller list—her husband revealed his infidelity and she was forced to realize that nothing was as it seemed. A recovering alcoholic and bulimic, Glennon found that rock bottom was a familiar place. In the midst of crisis, she knew to hold on to what she discovered in recovery: that her deepest pain has always held within it an invitation to a richer life.

Love Warrior is the story of one marriage, but it is also the story of the healing that is possible for any of us when we refuse to settle for good enough and begin to face pain and love head-on. This astonishing memoir reveals how our ideals of masculinity and femininity can make it impossible for a man and a woman to truly know one another - and it captures the beauty that unfolds when one couple commits to unlearning everything they’ve been taught so that they can finally, after thirteen years of marriage, fall in love.

Review:

Before I begin, I have to tell you that I don't read the book synopsis of any book before diving in. I like the surprise element so before I began Love Warrior, all I knew was that it was a memoir (non-fiction) and because that is my least favourite genre, I was not anticipating enjoying it... not only that, but I may have even harboured thoughts about skipping it entirely and if it wasn't the Paper & Glam Book Club book for February, I would have likely done that. However, by the second or third page of the book, I was HOOKED and it turned out to be an amazing story of a woman who went through so much before she was able to love herself.

While most of what Glennon goes through from her adolescence through to her adulthood are things that I have never personally dealt with (bulimia, alcoholism, drug abuse, infidelity), I have suffered many similar things to different degrees so I felt very vulnerable reading her story and relating to so much of it. I loved how candid she was while telling her story and that there really was no hiding from her issues. She laid everything out on the table and basically said, "Take me as I am" because that was, indeed, who she was.

Again, because I don't read the synopsis before diving in, I didn't realize that there was a spiritual aspect to this book and I was so grateful as I read about Glennon's love for God. I was moved to (near) tears as she realized just how much God loved her and that no matter what she does in her life, she will always be loved... she will find her eternal home with unending love. It was so heartwarming.

Overall, if you have, or even if you haven't, felt the pressure that society puts on us to be perfect but realized that perfection is unattainable so felt like you were failing at life, this is a book that you must read. I feel that so many people would benefit from Glennon's story about becoming a Love Warrior. You don't have to be religious or spiritual to enjoy this story... you just have to love yourself or have a deep desire to learn to love yourself!

Paper & Glam Book Club | Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, September 2016

Genre: Non-Fiction, Lifestyle

Pages: Paperback, 352 pages

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary (chapters.indigo.ca):

She’s the creator and producer of some of the most groundbreaking and audacious shows on television today. Her iconic characters live boldly and speak their minds. So who would suspect that Shonda Rhimes is an introvert? That she hired a publicist so she could public appearances? That she suffered panic attacks before media interviews?

With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. And then, over Thanksgiving dinner, her sister muttered something that was both a wake up and a call to arms Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her.

Review:

Let me start this review by saying that I am a die-hard 'Grey's Anatomy' fan and have seen every show at least twice so when I saw that Shonda Rhimes book was up first for my book club, I was excited to pick it up.

At first, this book was everything I was hoping it would be... funny, interesting and very easy to read. Turns out that pre- "Year of Yes" Shonda is very similar to myself and I was able to easily identify with many of the situations she found herself in, and dreading. I loved reading along as she worked her way around her fears and tackled many of them head-on and proved that, even when it seems hard and/or scary, putting yourself out there is worth it in the long run.

Where I feel the book fell short and, for me, moved from 5-star territory down to 3.5-star, was after that year was up. Whether it was that the book was too long or the chapters feeling like they belonged in another book, I can't for sure say why my feelings started to change. The voice of Shonda just seemed to go from a relatable person to someone that I found myself not really liking... she came across a little obnoxious and a little to entitled (yes, I know she's the Queen of Tv, but you know what I mean). I'm overjoyed that she found her happy but... I just had a bitter taste in my mouth as I finished reading.

Overall, it was definitely a worthwhile read but just fell a little flat at the end and I honestly feel like it could have been so much more.

Bookish Resolutions for 2017

WOW, it's officially 2017 and if you are anything like me, that means it's time to start some goals/resolutions for the upcoming year.  While I have health and happiness/family goals, what I am going to share with you today are my bookish goal for 2017.

1. Goodreads Reading Challenge - It's been a couple of years now that I have been doing the Goodreads Reading Challenge and I always set my goal to 25 books because I don't want to overwhelm myself... we spend a good amount of the summer on the ball field.  However, this year, I will be increasing that total to 35 books.  A nice, attainable goal!  You can follow along with my progress by becoming a follower/friend on Goodreads.
2. Paper & Glam Book Club - I have done a dedicated post on the Paper & Glam Book Club so I encourage you to read that (here) but quickly, I will be joining everyone in reading each of the monthly book picks and partaking in the group chat.
3. Fiction/Non-Fiction/Classic Ratio - I think this should have been my #1 resolution because I honestly think it will be the most challenging.  I am a die-hard fiction fan... more so adult fiction but I also enjoy reading young adult stories... basically, any and all fiction is my jam.  In 2017, I would like to incorporate more of the other genres into my reading because I feel like I am missing out on some amazing stories because my mind is narrow and limited.  While I intend to try for one non-fiction and one classic a month, I may switch that up as I go along so stay tuned... I will definitely keep this updated.  Thankfully, the Paper & Glam Book Club crossed over with this resolution a little as the book list for the year includes both of these genres... YAY!
4. Book-Buying Ban - This will be a short lived goal but I would like to read ALL of the books on my bookshelf at home.  Basically, those books that I have already spent money on adding to my personal library, that still need to be read.  I purchased them for some reason so let's knock this off!  I will still be able to borrow books from the library but nothing will be purchased (unless through gift cards, etc) until the shelf is empty!

So there you have it, my 2017 New Year Bookish Goals!  I will do an update quarterly to let you all know how the goals are going.

Paper & Glam Book Club | 2017

As we are in the last month of 2016, it's time to start thinking of plans for the new year and as I have decided that reading will be my new, born-again, passion, I thought joining a book club would be a fantastic idea.   While I love to socialize, I am still, what I would classify as an introvert (with an A-type personality... does that even exist?) so I prefer the online type of community as opposed to an actual meeting, at someones house with real people.  With all that in mind, I decided to join the Paper & Glam Book Club run by Lisamarie (YouTube/Goodreads).

Thankfully, Lisamarie makes it super easy to see if you will be interested in the club's book picks by releasing a dedicated video, showcasing each of the books.

What I love about her list for 2017 is that it is a good mix of fiction, non-fiction and classics.  Being a huge fan of fiction, I think that this will be the perfect way for me to get into reading more non-fiction and even pick up some of the classics... I always want to but just never seem to 'find the time'.

So, if you are interested in joining a book club for the upcoming year, but weren't sure where to go, consider the Paper & Glam Book Club... we can read together and discuss books online!

Paper & Glam Book Club Goodreads page: here
Paper & Glam YouTube channel: here
Paper & Glam Facebook page: here

While you clicking links, add me as a friend on Goodreads as well... click here!