Three Quickie Book Reviews

Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
Another Jen Lancaster masterpiece! I laughed out loud on several occasions and she also inspired me at the same time. It was a very real look at losing weight with plenty of hysterical anecdotes thrown in for good measure. Quintessential Jen--I can't wait for her next book... but will it be young adult fiction or another memoir? Check out Jennsylvania.com for more about the book and Jen's amazingly clever (and only a tad cynical) take on life. A total must-read. *****


The Life Before Her Eyes by Laura Kasischke
This book was overall... confusing. It switched back and forth between the present and the past but without much notice. I felt like I knew early on that the girl and the woman were the same person, but they never actually really said that was the case for sure. I read it very quickly and it was filled with intricate description but I can't say that I enjoyed it much. However, I am excited to see the movie starring Evan Rachel Wood and Uma Thurman [click here to watch the trailer] because I think that the story will be easier to follow with visual representations rather than trying to dissect the vague characters of the book. **

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
I heard about this book of essays from Jen Lancaster's blog (see Such a Pretty Fat, above) and was excited to see it on the Buy One, Get One 1/2 Off table at Border's. I was slow to get into it but once I did, I found her writing to be just the right amount of snarky, and the essays were actually very entertaining. I especially loved the essay about her name. Sometimes I found myself thinking "did this really happen to her?" but you know what? I bet it did. ****