Book: Eat, Pray, Love

Elizabeth Gilbert
Biography
Penguin / 2007
Quality Paperback / 352 Pages

A transformational journey through Italy, India, and Bali searching for pleasure and devotion—the massive bestseller from the author of The Signature of All Things
This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whomBooklist calls “Anne Lamott’s hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister”) is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

I picked this book up because well because Raj on Big Bang Theory said it changed his life

What I liked the Most?  the imagery Elizabeth painted at every turn

What I liked the Least? the roller coaster

Review: This book took me on a roller-coaster ride. I can't decide if I love or hate, maybe both. LOL. To me it appeared that every few pages I'd swing from this is delightfully witty to OMG this is the most horribly self-absorbed person to ever set foot on the earth. Then right back to a chuckle & this is soooo freaking perfect.

My major stressor with dealing with this book, is that she appeared to have a wonderful life & never gave a true reason as to why she was on the freaking bathroom floor sobbing her life away. Just a simple, we'd grown apart would have sufficed, but she only says that she felt guilty. Guilty over what? I understand you want some privacy, but jeepers - you decided to write this book, so you should be aware that people reading it crave answers.

There were beautiful pieces to this story, and to be honest, this is going to be one of those truly individual reads. I enjoyed it (most of the time), but even with that, I had to put the book down several times so that I could get my head back together to continue to read.


Recommended to: read it for yourself - that way you can make up your mind

Best Quote: “Tis' better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly.”

Book: 51-50 The Magical Adventures of a Single Life

Kristen McGuiness
Autobiography
Soft Skull Press / 2010
Quality Paperback / 320 Pages

That was the social experiment Kristen McGuiness-single, living in LA, and entering her thirties-embarked upon. Was she destined to be a sober secretary eating ice-cream sandwiches alone at night? She was determined not to be and decided that if the perfect guy wasn't going to walk into her life, she'd find him herself. Told in a poignant, witty, and engaging style that blends the dating life with a sense of spirituality and pathos, 51/50 is an uproarious adventure that will inspire others to follow Kristen's courageous search for love.

I picked this book up because when I was going through my separation/divorce – just never read

What I liked the Most? The style of writing

What I liked the Least? Some of the flash backs were a little intense

Review: This book isn't so much about the men she dates as it is about her getting to a place where she can deal with her issues and be ready for a long term relationship and I loved it. I was totally into the whole honesty aspect.

Recommended to: Fans of autobilogical style books

Best Quote: “That’s the thing, baby girl, God knows what the chessboard looks like. You don’t know why the rook isn’t being moved yet, Only God knows it’s to protect the queen.”