Women on Top

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace

Lynn Povich

Memoir/History

I saw this book on the shelf at the library, figured it might be interesting, and slipped it into my bag. I’m so glad I did.

The Good Girls Revolt is about, well, the title pretty much explains it all. Few women worked at Newsweek in the 1960s, and the ones that did started to notice they were not advancing in the company the way the men were. So they got together, found a lawyer, and sued. Of course, things did not go smoothly and it took years for any kind of change to occur. Lynn Povich was one of these women, so she tells the story from the inside.

Even if you’re not a so-called “feminist” or into newspaper writing, this book will still suck you in. Ms. Povich is a great writer and she makes a compelling case for why sexism in the workplace had to change and how she and her colleagues brought about that change. I would recommend this book for everyone, men and women alike.

Dating Sucks

Clearly, I Didn’t Think This Through: The Story of One Tall Girl's Impulsive, Ill-Conceived, and Borderline Irresponsible Life Decisions

Anna Goldfarb

Memoir

Oh my Lord, this book is hilarious. Anna Goldfarb is a female Michael Ian Black.

Ms. Goldfarb is a thirty-three year old freelance writer who lives with her parents and cannot for the life of her find a good man. She describes all the horrible dates she’s been on and how humilating living at home again is. 

I can relate to the premise of this book more than I care to admit, which could be why I loved it so much. Ms. Goldfarb has a great sense of humor and I laughed out loud a lot while reading. It’s a short read, too, and easy to pick up and put down.

I would recommend this book to everyone because we can all relate to bad dates and relationships.

That's Showbiz

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures

Emma Straub

Fiction

Another book that I wanted to like more than I actually did. It’s gotten such rave reviews, too. Oh, well.

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures is the story of Elsa Emerson, who grows up in a small town in Wisconsin. Her parents run the local playhouse and eventually Elsa realizes she’s meant to be an actress. She marries a fellow actor at the playhouse and they move to Hollywood to become stars. After snagging a few bit parts, she finally meets the head of a studio who suggests she change her name and they’ll sign her. Once she becomes Laura Lamont, she rises to fame, but must also struggle with her romantic life and staying connected to the family she left behind in Wisconsin.

While Ms. Straub is an excellent writer, something about this book was off for me. I wish I could put my finger on why I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. Maybe because I just felt so disconnected from Elsa/Laura. Some of her actions didn’t make any sense and the book skips so many important events that by the time I reached the end, I still didn’t feel like I really knew her at all. 

If you like tales of struggling starlets, you’ll probably enjoy Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures.

Right Here (Departed)

All Gone: A Memoir of My Mother’s Dementia, With Refreshments

Alex Witchel

Memoir

For those of you who don’t get the title of this post, it’s named after a song by Brandy. It’s a great song, too: if you’ve never heard it, go listen to it. Seriously, do it.

All Gone is writer Alex Witchel’s loving tribute to her mother who is suffering from dementia. Ms. Witchel goes back and forth between present day and the past, describing her life with her mom before she was diagnosed and life with her now. There’s a lot of talk of food, which surprised me, but then I thought about it and realized isn’t that the way a lot of us bond with our family members? The parts where her mom is slipping away from her are the most poignant. Ms. Witchel is a great writer, so this book is a quick read. My only complaint is that I figured the book would end with her mother’s death, but it just kind of petered out instead (not that I want Ms. Witchel’s mother to die, it just would’ve made a more powerful ending).

If you’ve ever had to take care of a parent with dementia or just love great writing, you’ll like All Gone.

Not for Me

It's time for another round of Why I Didn't Read/Like This Book.

The Next Door Boys
Jolene B. Perry
Fiction

I should've known by the description that this was a religious book but I ignored my instincts and picked it up, anyway. Stupid me. A girl who's just finished cancer treatments starts her first semester at BYU and all the boys fall in love with her (I lasted approximately two chapters before skipping to the end to see which boy was her "soul mate".) This book was boring and there were lots of God, Jesus, and Bible shout-outs. Not for me.

Shine Shine Shine
Lydia Netzer
Fiction

This book is told in omniscient third person, which annoyed me right away. Plus, it was boring. I have no idea why, when the subject matter is so interesting. A man who goes up in space returns home to find his family in tatters and has to put the pieces back together. I only made it three chapters in before I gave up. Sad, because it got such great reviews, too. But it was not for me.

Peanut Butter Sweets
Pamela Bennett
Cookbook

What's this? In a shocking first for Three Library Cards, I'm reviewing a cookbook (don't worry, it's only because I didn't have any other crappy books in my stacks to pick on). Normally, it doesn't take a lot for a cookbook to win me over, but I was not at all happy with this one. Most of the recipes are exceptionally lame and either have no imagination to them or sound totally unappetizing. I love peanut butter as much as the next person, but this cookbook was not for me.

Gone with the Wind

Low Pressure

Sandra Brown

Fiction

Sandra Brown is another romance author I used to love who suddenly turned to more suspense/mystery style novels. So disappointing, but what can you do? I still pick up her new books on occasion, and this was one of those times.

Low Pressure is the story of Bellamy, a Texas woman who has written a best-selling novel based on the horrific murder of her sister, Susan, during a tornado many years ago. A lot of people are upset about this book, people who have secrets to hide and want them to stay that way. One of these people is Dent, Susan’s boyfriend at the time of her death. As Dent and Bellamy bond over their screwed-up lives, she gets closer and closer to finding out the real reason she’s blocked most of that fateful day out of her mind.

As I’ve stated many times, I’m not a big fan of mysteries. But Ms. Brown is a good writer and sucked me in with lots of twists and turns, making me extremely curious as to who was responsible for Susan’s death. I’ll admit it, too, the twist of who did it surprised and pleased me. My only complaint would be how many scenes were just two people talking and remembering. I wanted more action. But when the main thrust of your story happened almost twenty years ago, that’s a little hard to avoid.

If you’re a Sandra Brown or murder mystery fan, you’ll like this book.