The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

Author: Gretchen Rubin

Genre: Nonfiction, Healthy-living

Summary: (from Good reads)  Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference. 

Rating: Very good

Why I Like It: I listen to Her podcast, "Happier” which I really enjoy! I got this book – Listened to audio which I think is the best way to read it & use the book as a reference. On the podcast it’s Gretchen & her sister talking, they share about their families, give encouraging ways to be happy.

Other: I suggest maybe you could listen to the podcast first & see if you’d be interested in the book.

Reviewer: Patsy

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Title: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Author: Gail Honeyman
Genre: fiction
Summary: (from Goodreads)
"No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one."

Rating: A new favorite!
Why I Like It: 
 I loved this book. You go along with Eleanor as she works through her struggles, grows in understanding herself, and grows in building healthy relationships. While at times it was hard to read, the humor throughout the book really helped. Also, throughout the book the love and care of people helping her really energized me in loving my neighbor.

A quote that captured what I liked about the book, "I smiled at her. Twice in one day, to be the recipient of thanks and warm regard! I would never have suspected that small deeds could elicit such genuine, generous responses. I felt a little glow inside-not a blaze, more like a small, steady candle."
The book in some ways reminded me of "The Rosie Project" and in some ways reminded me of "Language of Flowers". But really it was completely it's own wonderful book.
Other: It is going to be made into a movie
Reviewer: Brigette

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

Title: The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion Author: Fannie Flagg Genre: Fiction with half the story told during WW2 Summary: (From Amazon)
"Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother’s past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.

Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family’s filling station. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

Fabulous, fun-filled, spanning decades and generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America’s twentieth-century story, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is another irresistible novel by the remarkable Fannie Flagg."

Rating: A new Favorite!   
Why I Like It: I found this book really funny. Also, I really enjoyed learning a different side of history of WWII. Also, it is very easy to read.

Other: This has a character that is also in the book "Welcome to the World Baby Girl" but each book can stand alone.
Reviewer: Brigette

Jim Henson: The Biography

Title: Jim Henson: The Biography

Author: Brian Jay Jones

Genre: Biography

Summary: (Part of a summary from Amazon) This extraordinary biography—written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family—covers the full arc of Henson’s all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in America, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives, Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson’s contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten-year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson’s non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth—as well as fascinating misfires like Henson’s dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub.

An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture—and continues to beguile audiences worldwide.
Rating: Excellent

Why I Like It: Easy to listen to &entertaining.  So interesting, especially because I really didn’t know much about Jim Henson. But my children grew up with the muppets, sesame street, etc. being a big part of their lives.

Other: Audio, this is what made this book so excellent – listening to the narrator, Kirby Heyborne, who has a wide range of voices, dialects & characters.

Reviewer: Patsy

Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White

Title: Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White

Author: Melissa Sweet

Genre: nonfiction, biography, young readers

Summary: From Goodreads:

“SOME PIG,” Charlotte the spider’s praise for Wilbur, is just one fondly remembered snippet from E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. In Some Writer!, the two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell his story, from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1985. Budding young writers will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and children’s book author who loved words his whole life. This authorized tribute is the first fully illustrated biography of E. B. White and includes an afterword by Martha White, E. B. White's granddaughter.

Rating: Excellent!

Why I Like It: This book is at the house where Rich & I are vacationing, So, I picked it up & read it. Such a delightful & easy read! Loved the illustrations & how it was all put together. Learned a lot about E.B. White & I want to read more of his writings.

Other: Actually read the book (wasn’t audio). Best this way since it has so many illustrations & photos.

Reviewer: Patsy

Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him

Title: Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him

Author: Luis Carlos Montalván, Bret Witter (Writer)

Genre: nonfiction, memoirs, dogs

Summary: From Goodreads:

A heartwarming dog story like no other: Tuesday, a lovable golden retriever, changes a former soldier's life forever.
A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalván never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from combat, however, his physical wounds and crippling post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll. He wondered if he would ever recover.
Then Luis met Tuesday, a sensitive golden retriever trained to assist the disabled. Tuesday had lived among prisoners and at a home for troubled boys, and he found it difficult to trust in or connect with a human being--until Luis.
Until Tuesday is the story of how two wounded warriors, who had given so much and suffered the consequences, found salvation in each other. It is a story about war and peace, injury and recovery, psychological wounds and spiritual restoration. But more than that, it is a story about the love between a man and dog, and how, together, they healed each other's souls. (less)

Rating: Very Good!

Why I Like It: I didn’t know much about service dogs & post-traumatic stress disorder. So amazing & interesting!

Other: Audio - Luis Carlos Montalván, author

Reviewer: Patsy

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

Title: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

Author: Piper Kerman
Genre: nonfiction                

Summary:  “With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before.  But that past has caught up with her.  Convicted and sentenced to 15 months at an infamous federal correctional facility the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now an inmate.  From her lst strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior & arbitrary rules.  She meets women from all walks of life. 

Rating: Very good

Why I Like It:  Although author is writing from her personal experience the book is more about the other people she encounters and the whole prison experience.  She shows respect for other prisoners and learns from both bad and good events.  Interesting look at the prison system.  Realistic, not stereotypes you see on TV shows.

Reviewer: Kathy 

The Nightengale

Title: The Nightingale
Author: Kristin Hannah
Genre: historical fiction

Summary: From Amazon: With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France―a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.
 
Rating: Great
Why I Like It:  It's hard to say I 'liked' this book about the Nazi occupation of France. I liked the characters...the sisters and their family, and the integrity they had in the face of unimaginable hardship. It will be interesting to see the movie when it comes out.
 
Other: audiobook
Reviewer: Avery

Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms

Title: Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms

Author: Erin Benzakein

Genre: gardening

Summary: From Amazon: From Erin Benzakein, a leader in the locaflor farm-to-centerpiece movement and owner of internationally renowned Floret Flower Farm, Cut Flower Garden is equal parts instruction and inspiration—a book overflowing with lush photography of magnificent flowers and breathtaking arrangements organized by season. This beautiful guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging gorgeous blooms year-round gives readers vital tools to nurture a stunning flower garden and use their blossoms to create showstopping arrangements. With irresistible photos of Erin's flower farm that showcase exquisite blooms, tips for growing in a variety of spaces and climates as well as step-by-step instructions for lavish garlands, airy centerpieces, and romantic floral décor for every season, Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden informs and entices gardeners of all skill levels.

Rating: Very Good

Why I Like It: A few years ago, a friend from California sent me a couple dozen dahlia tubers. (Her brother owned a dahlia business out there) So, thus, my sudden interest in dahlias! This book caught my attention because of the beautiful pictures & instructions for growing, not only dahlias, but many varieties of flowers. I got this book from my library about a year ago, renewed it all year – now I have to return it! But I’ll get it out again soon.

Reviewer: Patsy

WE BAND OF ANGELS

Title: WE BAND OF ANGELS

Author: Elizabeth Norman Genre:  Historical Non-fiction, World War 2

Summary: “From diaries, letters and interviews with aging survivors, author has filled in a vital but missing chapter in the history of WWII: the heroism of women. Bombing raids. Malaria, Starvation. Capture. Survival. Here is the little-known story of the Army & Navy nurses caught in the brutal retreat of U.S. Forces from Manila to Bataan to Corregidor, and eventually a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.”

Rating: Very good

Why I Like It: Very interesting with a lot of personal stories. Told from perspective of the women who had not been trained for and never expected to be in such a brutal situation. How they handled it and persevered.

Added note from Kathy’s email message to me (Patsy): Seems like I've been reading a lot of wartime books lately, but they've been interesting and very educational.  Mom would have been in the Pacific when some of this took place. 

Reviewer: Kathy