Tuesday, March 8, 2016

What's Sara Reading? March Edition


Happy March, everyone! Are you freaking out over how fast March came 'round? What the what? I feel like I say that every time a new month starts, but I digress...

This month, my reading roundup is going live earlier than usual because I am changing things up a bit - OK a lot. I've been debating whether or not I even wanted to keep posting about what I am reading altogether but then I realized that it's just HOW I shared my reading adventures that sort of fell flat for me. This is boring!!!

So consider this my last "What's Sara Reading?" edition that consists of just snapshots of each book followed by a blurb. It's time to evolve this puppy into something better. Starting this month, I will be posting one book at a time, perhaps just a few and not every single read, and pair it with an outfit inspired by the tale or the cover design, much like Kristina has been kicking butt doing over at Eccentric Owl. Imitation is the best form of flattery and all that junk, right?

Kristina and I are also cooking up some joint reading projects so stay tuned for that! Think of it as a virtual book club - only made better with STYLE! To start, we're both reading The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. Join us if you're interested and let us know if you put a review on your blog!



Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Yep, another Jim Gaffigan book! What can I say? I loved "Food: A Love Story" and had to have more. I read them out of order but it doesn't matter since "Dad is Fat" is more about Jim's tales of fatherhood to his 5 kids. I will say it had some bits that are also in "Food: a Love Story" and that was kind of annoying. I mean, if you're gonna write a second book, why would you include parts of your first? They weren't big parts - just a few lines of a joke. I get that it's worth repeating since they're funny bits and I expect that parts of his books are pulled from his stand-up, but it was a little weird to see bits from his second book in his first book. That means when writing the second book, he used material from his first. Ahh! Jim! Why!? That aside, I loved this one as well. He's just funny. I love how much he loves his wife and admires her. It was a great read overall, even though I have 0 children to his brood of 5.


American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis
I read this in one sitting. It's a book of short stories so it's expected to be a somewhat easier read. I was also on a plane from Seattle to Boston, so...yeah. All that aside, I loved it! Some stories were brief and instructional (of course, in a snarky way) and others were quirky and comical. A few were a bit dark and others were light and breezy. In all, I liked the variety. There was 1 or 2 that I skimmed through but I really enjoyed most of them. A few of my favorites included one about a man called The Fitter who could magically pair you to your perfectly fitted bra by just looking at you, a story composed of email exchanges between the tenants of an apartment building who share a common hallway and cannot see eye to eye on the design of their shared space, and a creepy tale of a writer who agrees on a novel sponsorship from Tampax that goes horribly wrong and out of control. Trust me, you have to experience it for yourself. I had a couple favorite quotes from the compilation and will leave you with them: "Just because it's gorgeous outside doesn't mean you have to go outside" along with: "Just because you can fit into something tight doesn't mean that you belong in it." Two very different words of wisdom but both so very true!


Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
At first, I wondered why I was going to put myself through this book - it's a book about a girl who loses her husband only a week or so after they are married! Ugh! Why inflict such sadness on myself? I have read a book Reid before and liked her style so that might be why. I am glad I did, though! Sure it was heart wrenching to read about Elsie's heartbreak but luckily, every other chapter was a flashback so there was some relief. I liked that - it allowed readers to follow how Elsie and Ben came to be. I expected a cliche "oh the love of my life is gone" story but it developed beautifully into something quite special and I enjoyed it very much. I loved Elsie and all the little things she learned about herself as she picked up the pieces of her life.


Grace & Style by Grace Helbig
Oh GOOOODDDD it pains me to write this little blurb. I love Grace Helbig. I love her and quirkiness so much. I watch her YouTube channel religiously and laugh along with her on Snapchat daily. I loved her first book, Grace's Guide, tremendously, and didn't hesitate to order Grace & Style because of that. It just...fell flat for me. And it kills to me say that! I think it's also a book that reads better as a tangible book and not digitally. She often includes a lot of pictures and cute design elements that I think are just lost on a Kindle. Though full of her quirky humor, Grace & Style kind of border lined on annoying and redundant for me. I often skimmed through bits. AND I HATED EVERY SECOND OF IT BECAUSE I LOVE HER SO MUCH! I liked the concept at heart - she is making fun of the silly "rules" and "guidelines" of the fashion world that we all take so seriously - but I don't know. I just don't KNOW!