#60 Read 50 books

One down, 49 to go.
A few weeks ago, I begrudgingly started this book. I say begrudgingly because when I first scanned the short write-up on amazon.com, I thought Oh God. A book about some bitter divorcee's journey to self-discovery and enlightenment.

I tend to find books like this too self-indulgent and flowery for my tastes. I'm sure it's cathartic for the writer to dive headfirst into their own little world and wallow in it for a good while - I'm guilty of the same thing every now and then, as I'm sure most people are. But I don't necessarily care to wade my way through someone else's fluff. There was also obviously going to be a strong religious element to the book, which I automatically (and prejudicially, I'll admit) equate with being preach-y. (Confession: I have a bit of emotional baggage where preach-y religious types are concerned.) No, thank you.

When my book club selected it for our next discussion, however, I was forced to pick it up. And, honestly, I'm so thankful that I did. I absolutely love it! What's funny is that I was on the phone with my sister last week, and she interupted herself to tell me Oh my God. I'm reading this great book. You have got to check it out. So my sister and I (...and Oprah ...and half of the U.S.) can whole-heartedly recommend it.

There is no preaching or holier-than-thou undertones to this book. There is some self-indulgence, but always tempered with an honest, self-depricating sense of humor. The best word I can think of for this work is 'inspiring'. I won't give away the entire book, but it follows the author as she splits up one year of her life amongst 3 different countries as she's trying to find balance. She basically rides out a premature mid-life crisis in the most amazing, adventurous way possible. I'm more than a little jealous...

Read it! You won't be sorry.

Now I'm on to Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen. I'm actually already halfway through the book because I had started it while waiting my turn to check out Eat, Pray, Love. This one's a goody too, and surprisingly, along the same lines.