Books & Life.

First, a quick update on Grandma – tests yesterday determined that the source of her internal bleeding was an ulcer, and that the bleeding had stopped. She’ll stay in the hospital for another day or two to get rest and recuperate, and then she’ll go home. We are so thankful. Thank you for all your prayers and kind comments!

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I’ve been on a bit of a reading kick lately. I have always loved to read, but I seem to go in spurts where I read a lot of books… or stick to reading Facebook and Twitter before bed. Anyway, a few days ago I finished a book that I loved so much I had to share it with you!

Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations About Food and Money, by Geneen Roth.

Geneen Roth is the author of a number of books about the psychology behind emotional eating and relationships with food, but this is the first of her books that I’ve read. In it, she describes the transformation of her and her husband’s lives after they their entire life savings was stolen by Bernie Madoff.

The Amazon description says it better than I can:

Geneen Roth, who received big kudos from Oprah for her messaging on eating disorders and spirituality, is back this spring with Lost and Found, a new book that explores how emotional issues with money mirror those with food and dieting.When Geneen Roth and her husband lost their life savings, Roth joined the millions of Americans dealing with financial turbulence, uncertainty, and abrupt reversals in their expectations. The resulting shock was the catalyst for her to explore, in workshops and in her own life, how women’s habits and behaviors around money-as with food-can lead to exactly the situations they most want to avoid.Roth identified her own unconscious choices-binge shopping followed by periods of budgetary self-deprivation, “treating” herself in ways that ultimately failed to sustain, and using money as a substitute for love-among others. As she examined the deep sources of these habits, she faced the hard truth about where her “self-protective” financial decisions had led. As in all her books, Roth relates her personal experience with irreverent humor and hard- won wisdom. Here, she offers provocative and radical strategies for transforming how we feel and behave about the resources that should, and ultimately can, sustain and support our lives.

Like I said, I loved this book. I found it really insightful and it made me think a lot about my own issues with food and money and how they might be connected. I’m anxious to read the rest of Roth’s books, particularly “Women Food and God” and “When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair.” (I actually don’t know anything about that second one, but with a title like that it’s got to be a winner.)

What have you been reading lately? Anything you recommend?

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Girls’ Night

Am I the only one who gets Hanna Montana stuck in her head when I see that phrase? “It’s a girls’ night, I’m alright, without you…” Sing it with me now.

*ahem*

Tonight (or last night, by the time you’re reading this), I did something I hadn’t done in a long, long time. I went to dinner with my girlfriends. Seriously I can’t remember the last time I did that! It was nothing fancy – just Max & Erma’s and half of us (including me) had a kid tagging along, but still. It was so nice to just sit around and talking, laughing, gossiping and of course eating with women I enjoy so much.

I felt so refreshed afterwards that I made a pact with myself to do it more often – and what do you know, I’m going to have the chance to do it again this coming Monday! And you’re all invited!

Jenny & I are hosting a One2One member meet up at the Dayton Mall Barnes & Noble this Monday, May 23. The fun starts at 6:15 in the cafe, where we’ll hang out with each other and have a private meet-and-greet with Kaira Rouda, author of Here, Home, Hope. After the meet-and-greet, we’ll listen to Kaira talk about her life and her novel, and then she’ll be doing a book signing.

Written with a bouncy sense of humor, this lighthearted novel delights the reader while delving into serious issues such as eating disorders and addictions, typical problems of middle-class America. Rouda will touch readers who can relate to the frustration of being sidelined on the field of life, never allowed to play and always needed behind the bleachers, until finally experiencing the joy of participation.

I can’t wait to read it!

And I also can’t wait to hang out (and drink coffee and eat cake pops – courtesy of the One2One Network) with Jenny, our friends, and Dayton-area Mommin’ It Up readers!

If you need a girls’ night, please join us at the Dayton Mall Barnes & Noble at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, May 23!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want to Read

I have totally gotten out of the swing of reading, and it’s time for me to get back to it! I’ve got a running list of books I want to read (I started the list on evernote but now I’m thinking pinterest might be the best way to keep track. Or maybe, you know, with a pen and paper.)

Here are a few that are on my list – but I want to add more so please leave recommendations in the comments! (and in case you were wondering, no these are not affiliate links, because I am too lazy to do all that on the off chance I might earn 11 cents that I would then have to split with Jenny.)

Also, if these books are crap, don’t blame me – I haven’t read them yet but they look good.

Without further ado…

1. If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster. I love all of Jen Lancaster’s books (as you might remember, Jenny humiliated me and I met her a couple years ago). This one is a novel, though, which confuses me because all the others are memoirs. But I’m sure it will still be hilarious!

2. Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Reg Keeland. I actually started listening to this a year or so ago, but I found that I couldn’t pay enough attention to it while I was out running to understand the plot. I need to give it another shot, though, with a real actual book, because I hear it’s a fantastic trilogy.

3. Bossypants by Tina Fey. Because it’s a book by Tina Fey.

4. Every Last One by Anna Quindlen.

5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I actually own a couple of the books in this series, but I haven’t gotten around to reading them yet. Everyone I know raves about them, though, so I need to get started on them!

6. Transition by Chaz Bono. Because this stuff fascinates me (and Emilie).

7. The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman. Actually it sounds like that book was made for Jenny – it contains her favorite subject!

8. The Love Goddess’ Cooking School.

9. The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes. I love Marian Keyes but I haven’t read this one (at least I don’t think I have!).

10. Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane. Even the title is funny.

So what else ya got for me? What’s on your summer reading list?

(BTW if Sweet Valley Confidential isn’t on your list, it SHOULD BE.)

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For more Top Ten Tuesday, check out Oh Amanda!

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