September Book List

I know it looks like I spent my entire month reading, but most of these were fairly short.

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
Ryan and Steph gave this to me for my birthday. It was funny, but America (The Book) is better. As much as I love Colbert, he's not as funny on paper.

Everyone Else's Girl by Megan Crane
Well-written chick lit about a woman who reluctantly returns to her hometown to take care of her dad after an accident. The longer she's at home, the more her perceptions of family, friends, childhood and self get turned upside down. It was good.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
A prophecy foretells that the chosen bride of a fantasy kingdom's prince will come from a specific mountain town. So an academy is set up to turn the tomboyish girls into ladies worthy of the crown. Along the way there are a lot of revelations and surprises. It's much better than I'm describing it. :)

Beauty Confidential: The No-Preaching, No-Lies, Advice-You'll-Actually-Use Guide to Looking Your Best by Nadine Haobsh
A former beauty editor gives the kind of realistic advice that the title implies. She lets you know what products are most important, which ones you shouldn't waste money on, when you should start wearing night cream. Stuff like that. I enjoyed it!

Creating a Life: Professional Women and the Quest for Children by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
While researching a book about powerful career women, Hewlett discovered that none of the older, successful women she was interviewing had children - and none of them had planned or wanted it that way. So she set out to find how this "creeping non-choice" happened and how it can be prevented. This book is fascinating, upsetting, scary and motivating. What I found most interesting was the comparison between attitudes toward work and motherhood in Europe vs. America (no surprise: Europeans have a much better grasp on what's really important). The findings mostly focus on lawyers, doctors, executives and other Important People, but I think anyone with a long-term, serious job can relate. A very important book.

Finishing Touches by Deanna Kizis
A novel about what happens after one of three best friends dies in a car accident. The main character, one of the surviving friends, gets involved with the widower. A lot of history comes to the forefront and a lot of things don't turn out the way you'd expect. I liked it.

The Fold by An Na
A YA novel about an insecure teenage Asian girl whose aunt offers her plastic surgery on her eyelids. (Apparently this surgery is common among Asian women, but I'm not familiar with it.) She waffles for a hundred pages about whether or not to take the offer. Meanwhile, other dramatic family stuff happens. It was okay.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
If you don't know who Randy Pausch is, you can learn about him here. My MIL gave me this book for my birthday. It was very inspiring and positive, but, of course, sad.

Miss American Pie: A Diary of Love, Secrets and Growing Up in the 1970s by Margaret Sartor
A transcription of the author's teenage diaries. Maybe it's the fact that she and I both grew up Pentecostal in the South, but I laughed and related so much. In fact, if I looked through my own teenage journals, I'd probably find very similar stuff. A fun read if you enjoy the genre.

The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer BOOK OF THE MONTH
Em sent me this for my birthday - thank you!!! - and I think it's changed my life. It's not about being a good housewife, but about bringing art and creativity into your everyday life, in big and small ways, for your own benefit and others'. It's about setting the creative part of yourself free, instead of waiting for the perfect circumstances to express it. Very Madeleine L'Engle-ish. I LOVED IT. I am now on a mission to read everything else Edith Schaeffer wrote.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld
The final book in the Uglies series, which I love. This one isn't about Tally (although she makes an appearance), but about Aya, a girl who lives in a society ruled by reputation economy (i.e. fame is everything). If you liked the other books, you'll like this one.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
A YA novel about a girl with a really messed-up family. The writing was excellent and authentic, but it made me sad.

Books for September: 12
2008 year to date: 74

September Book List

I know it looks like I spent my entire month reading, but most of these were fairly short.

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
Ryan and Steph gave this to me for my birthday. It was funny, but America (The Book) is better. As much as I love Colbert, he's not as funny on paper.

Everyone Else's Girl by Megan Crane
Well-written chick lit about a woman who reluctantly returns to her hometown to take care of her dad after an accident. The longer she's at home, the more her perceptions of family, friends, childhood and self get turned upside down. It was good.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
A prophecy foretells that the chosen bride of a fantasy kingdom's prince will come from a specific mountain town. So an academy is set up to turn the tomboyish girls into ladies worthy of the crown. Along the way there are a lot of revelations and surprises. It's much better than I'm describing it. :)

Beauty Confidential: The No-Preaching, No-Lies, Advice-You'll-Actually-Use Guide to Looking Your Best by Nadine Haobsh
A former beauty editor gives the kind of realistic advice that the title implies. She lets you know what products are most important, which ones you shouldn't waste money on, when you should start wearing night cream. Stuff like that. I enjoyed it!

Creating a Life: Professional Women and the Quest for Children by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
While researching a book about powerful career women, Hewlett discovered that none of the older, successful women she was interviewing had children - and none of them had planned or wanted it that way. So she set out to find how this "creeping non-choice" happened and how it can be prevented. This book is fascinating, upsetting, scary and motivating. What I found most interesting was the comparison between attitudes toward work and motherhood in Europe vs. America (no surprise: Europeans have a much better grasp on what's really important). The findings mostly focus on lawyers, doctors, executives and other Important People, but I think anyone with a long-term, serious job can relate. A very important book.

Finishing Touches by Deanna Kizis
A novel about what happens after one of three best friends dies in a car accident. The main character, one of the surviving friends, gets involved with the widower. A lot of history comes to the forefront and a lot of things don't turn out the way you'd expect. I liked it.

The Fold by An Na
A YA novel about an insecure teenage Asian girl whose aunt offers her plastic surgery on her eyelids. (Apparently this surgery is common among Asian women, but I'm not familiar with it.) She waffles for a hundred pages about whether or not to take the offer. Meanwhile, other dramatic family stuff happens. It was okay.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
If you don't know who Randy Pausch is, you can learn about him here. My MIL gave me this book for my birthday. It was very inspiring and positive, but, of course, sad.

Miss American Pie: A Diary of Love, Secrets and Growing Up in the 1970s by Margaret Sartor
A transcription of the author's teenage diaries. Maybe it's the fact that she and I both grew up Pentecostal in the South, but I laughed and related so much. In fact, if I looked through my own teenage journals, I'd probably find very similar stuff. A fun read if you enjoy the genre.

The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer BOOK OF THE MONTH
Em sent me this for my birthday - thank you!!! - and I think it's changed my life. It's not about being a good housewife, but about bringing art and creativity into your everyday life, in big and small ways, for your own benefit and others'. It's about setting the creative part of yourself free, instead of waiting for the perfect circumstances to express it. Very Madeleine L'Engle-ish. I LOVED IT. I am now on a mission to read everything else Edith Schaeffer wrote.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld
The final book in the Uglies series, which I love. This one isn't about Tally (although she makes an appearance), but about Aya, a girl who lives in a society ruled by reputation economy (i.e. fame is everything). If you liked the other books, you'll like this one.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
A YA novel about a girl with a really messed-up family. The writing was excellent and authentic, but it made me sad.

Books for September: 12
2008 year to date: 74