Seriously, the flight flew by and I was wishing it would last longer so I could keep reading. And the dude next to me kept staring at me funny because I kept laughing OUT LOUD on the plane.

Here’s the deal- Diary of a Mad Fat Girl is the best book I’ve read in a long time. I laughed until I cried at several parts and was so sad when the book ended. It was a fast read because I simply couldn’t put the book down. I will keep this in my night stand to read again and again.

Diary of A Mad Fat Girl is about a girl, Ace Jones, who moved to Bugtussle, MS when she was a kid, moved off to college (at MISSISSIPPI STATE! see, another perk to the book!), and ended up back in Bugtussle teaching Art at the highschool. The story is about revealing the truth and shedding light on many circumstances like the truth about Chloe’s abusive, cheating husband,  what is really going on with Principal Catherine Hilliard, and even recognizing the truth about Ace’s love for Mason McKenzie.

Another reason I loved this book was because it was set in Northeast Mississippi and so I knew all of the towns she mentioned and routes they took to get here and there. I absolutely loved the thick southern accent the book had from start to finish. And she hit the nail on the head with the names in the book like Mason McKenzie, Ethan Allen, Gloria Peacock, Molly Belle, and the list goes on. Those southern names were absolutely perfect. After reading the book I was ready to pack up and move back to Mississippi!

Basically, if you couldn’t already tell, I adored this book. It was wonderful in so many hilarious ways. Run, don’t walk, to get this book!

And y’all, just as a side note- Stephanie McAfee, the author, self-published this book as an e-book on amazon first and it got on the New York Times best seller list! How amazing is that?! I can’t wait until her next book comes out!

Being one of three sisters, I totally related to this book. Though we have never gone to extremes like these sisters have, we are all so different and so much alike all at the same time. We may not talk every day, or even every week, but when things get hard and life takes us to unexpected places I always know that my sisters are who I can run to.

Summary from Penguin:

Three sisters have returned to their childhood home, reuniting the eccentric Andreas family. Here, books are a passion (there is no problem a library card can’t solve) and TV is something other people watch. Their father-a professor of Shakespeare who speaks almost exclusively in verse-named them after the Bard’s heroines. It’s a lot to live up to.

The sisters have a hard time communicating with their parents and their lovers, but especially with one another. What can the shy homebody eldest sister, the fast-living middle child, and the bohemian youngest sibling have in common? Only that none has found life to be what was expected; and now, faced with their parents’ frailty and their own personal disappointments, not even a book can solve what ails them…

I loved how this book was written, in 1st person plural. This part was the most brilliant in my opinion. I loved how Brown weaved in and out of each life without breaking too much. I loved how she introduced Shakespeare in it and included their love for literature.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends, especially for an easy read to take them away from having to think too hard. And although that sounds like a backhanded compliment, it isn’t. I love an easy read to take my mind away from the decisions and hardships of the day. That’s exactly why I loved this book so much- it moved me without my having to be burdened by it.

Join our conversation on this book at BlogHer Book Club.

And when I say that I had the privilege to read it, I mean it.

It was such a beautiful book that grasped my attention from the first page and kept it until the last page.

The Magic Room is a book about a real-life bridal boutique, Becker’s Bridal. The book captures the small town of Fowler, MI and the impact that Becker’s has on it. Zaslow tells the story of Becker’s beautifully. The Magic Room is a real place inside of Becker’s that is wall to wall mirrors with the perfect lighting. Every bride looks stunning in that room.

He tells the story of the brides who come into Becker’s beautifully as well. He tells the real-life stories of several brides and their journey to the Magic Room in Becker’s. Each story is wonderful, all with some heartaches and pain. You will cry and smile as you read the journey each family takes.

I loved that even though the book talked about the harsh statistics of failed marriages, it still clung to the hope and realization that marriage can and was meant to be a wonderful, lifelong thing. The book was positive about marriages even though the world has turned marriage into a game and even a joke at times.

Having two daughters myself, I got so teary eyed at times thinking about going dress shopping with them. I wonder if spunky, sometimes very tomboy-ish Rory will want something girlie or simple. I picture her laughing and cutting up the entire time we are there. And then I think of Ryder. I think of telling her heart story to the saleswomen. I think of how her scar looks now and wonder if we will even see it when she tries on her wedding dress- more than likely you will have to search very hard to see it or you won’t be able to see it at all.

I absolutely loved reading this book. It made me want to plan a vow renewal ceremony for Andy and I just so that I could do the whole “find the right dress” thing again.

Fun Fact: When I found THE DRESS, I was with my sister, Tasha, and I was just trying on “for fun”. We both knew it was the one immediately and my mom came the next day to see it. I loved that dress and wouldn’t change it for anything.

What was your dress shopping experience like? I’d love to hear your stories!

Go get a copy of The Magic Room- you won’t be disappointed!

Sea Change is a book about tragic lost and trying to find your way through it. The main character, Guy, suffers from a loss that all parents fear- the loss of a child. Throughout the book he is trying to find his way literally and figuratively through life aboard a ship at sea.

The solitude of the sea is his hiding place and healing place. He creates a fantasy world in his journal that takes you through what might have been if his daughter was still alive and his family was still together as a whole.

Jeremy Page brilliantly paints a descriptive picture throughout the entire book. The way he writes every detail makes it easy to imagine being in every scene of the novel.

That being said, it was not an easy read for me. I usually fly through books absorbing every detail. With Page’s book, Sea Change, it took me a long while to be able to get into it. There are times when the details are just exhausting to read. I picked this book up and put it down so many times before being able to finish it.

I would suggest this book to those who love something that isn’t just a day or two read, as most of the books I love are. It is a lovely book, just not an easy read.

**I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I was really excited about getting this DVD in and watching it with Rory. I can say that the mellow music and vibrant colors were great, but it was very hard to keep our attention. I love the message, but it would have been nice if it weren’t so slow throughout. There were a lot of long pauses after each “character” spoke.

If you have a child over the age of three I think it’d be a better fit. Overall, simply because of the stories, I’d recommend this DVD. I think it’d be especially great for church programs for children. Just a warning, though, it may be hard to keep the younger kids’ attentions!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Dr. Larry Crabb’s 66 Love Letters is the perfect book for new believers and long time Christians. Dr. Crabb takes you through the “66 Love Letters”, which are the 66 books of the Bible, as if God is specifically talking to you and explaining why He wrote each book of the Bible. Each chapter of the book is a different “love letter” and Dr. Crabb does a wonderful job breaking down the text of the specific book and relating it to our life today. He asks God questions about what He wants us to learn from each love letter and shows God’s “reply” or what he felt God was saying to him about each book.

Let’s face it- there are books in the Bible that seem like only the likes of Billy Graham would truly understand the meaning. All the lineage breakdowns in the Old Testament can be hard for anyone. This is exactly why 66 Love Letters is a wonderful book because it really breaks down each book and tells you in plain, every day language what God is really trying to teach. The book is very easy to read and very easy to understand. If anything, at times, its just a bit cheesy with the dialogue to me. I do highly recommend this book. I especially think it would be wonderful for new believers because it makes the Bible less daunting if you read this along with the books of the Bible.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”