NY Challenge

I finished my book for the New York Challenge!  I read The Spare Wife by Alex Witchel.  I bought the book for $1 at the Penguin-Putnam warehouse sale. **If you have never been to one of their sales, you are missing out!  You can walk in with $100 and walk out with 95+ books!... almost my entire classroom library is built once a year at the Kirkwood branch sale!** 

The Spare Wife is about a rich widow living in New York and enjoying a fast life.  She is best friends with all the wives- helping them plan parties, having lunch, and shopping.  On the flip side, she is also best friends with all the husbands- going to sporting events, talking politics, and playing golf.  Ponce Morris is stunning- yet no one sees her as a threat.  She doesn't want children, she hates marriage, and no one seems good enough for her.  But as everyone lets their guard down around her, one girl becomes obsessed.

Babette Steele is an assistant at one of Ponce's best friends place of work.  Babette meets Ponce at a fabulous dinner party and falls in love with her- she wants to be Ponce.  However, Ponce doesn't have the time of day to show some young girl the ropes of the City.  Unfortunately for Ponce, Babette quickly turns her love of Ponce into an obsessive cut throat hatred.  Babette is out for blood.

Ponce has something to hide.  Her perfect life has one really big lie, and Babette is about to leak it to the world.  Everyone let their guard down and befriended Ponce.  Wives let their husbands go out for drinks with Ponce.  Did they all lead their husbands down a path of temptation?  Only Babette knows the truth, and she is about to throw a wrench in this tight circle of friends.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I found it to be a brainless read (and I mean that in a positive light!).  The Spare Wife was interesting and fast paced - just like life in the City.  It also threw me for a loop- I really wasn't too quick to figure all the pieces out.  The novel showed both the lavish side of New York and the dark side.  Life in the fast lane is scary- money cannot buy happiness.  New York has always been a great backdrop for fun reading... but Witchel didn't hesitate to show the reality of New York too.

I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a light read that isn't all fluff!

Now... on to the next one..

As some of you may know, April is National Poetry Month!  In honor of poetry, Jill at FizzyThoughts has made the New York April Mini-Challenge quite challenging!  She pushed us to write a poem about New York!  I love love love cinquains, so here goes:

City

Dangerous, Glamourous

Living, Loving, Learning

This is New York

Metro

Hope you have a splendid night!... I will be back soon with more reviews (and updates- I'm moving!)

write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow

American Therapy

While on vacation in St Maarten I brought along this book.  American Therapy: The Rise of Psychotherapy in the United States by Jonathan Engel was not exactly what I expected.  I enjoyed the book, but wouldn't be quick to re-read it or to recommend it to friends.  I originally bought the book a few months ago and it had been collecting dust on my bookshelf.  What drew me in was the title and cover.  Yes, I judged this book by its cover.  I did read the back, and of course that made me want it even more.  The book is mainly about the history and (like the title suggests) the rise of therapy.  It is divded into neat little chapters that discuss the main points in psychotherapy.  There is also quite a bit of Freud-bashing as well.

While this book is extremely informative, it isn't for the casual reader.  Engel does give plenty of background information, but it is still hard to wade through.  I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who isn't interested in, or currently working in, the field of therapy/psychology/pharmacology.  I only enjoyed it becuase of my background-- Joe looked it over some and thought it was dry and boring.  Unfortunately, I have to agree on some level with that statement also.  It was really dry, and at times kind of boring.  Lots of facts and figures to get through before really getting into the heart of psychotherapy and its rise.  It is an educational book, so if you're interested in the field, it may be a good fit.

Not a book that draws you in and keeps you hooked, but a decent book regardless.  Well written and informative, it reads more like a textbook than a leisure read.  Just don't bring it on vacation like I did... it isn't a "relax on the beach with a fruity beverage in your hand" type of book!

write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow

Where, oh where has that little bird gone?

Im back!  Back from a beautiful, tropical vacation!  Joe & I took a break from it all and went to St Maarten.

We had an amazing time... we spent the majority of our time lounging on the beaches and wandering the island.  St Maarten is super small... 31 square miles I believe.  We drove the entire island and walked around quit a bit also.  The Butterfly Farm that we visited while there was also really interesting.  If I can figure out how to upload videos on blogger, I will post some of the Butterfly Farm- it was very neat!

While we were there, I read 2 books.  I read Crazy School and American Therapy: The Rise of Psychotherapy in the United States.  I loved loved loved Crazy School.. didn't care for American Therapy so much.  I will post reviews within the next few days on both Crazy School and American Therapy... along with The Secret Life of Bees and The September Society.  Be on the look out for some heavy updating, posting, reviewing, and visiting my fellow bloggers!

See you soon!

write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow