Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey: Margaret Powell

My Husband always seems to manage to surprise me at Christmas, with something I love and didn't know that I was missing or needed and this year wasn't an exception. In my pile of books from him this year was this one and a memories about the Lady that inspired Downton Abbey.

This book is written by Powell who grew up in a family that was always growing and parents who would barely make ends meet to survive. As early as she could Powell was sent to work and ended up going into service as a kitchen maid. It funny to see how she choose what part of service to go into based on assignments. She didn't like sewing so she went into the kitchen so she didn't have to do repairs on things. Then she talks about her experience in service; what she learned and how she was treated differently from other servants and the "THEM" of the house. As well as how her position changed between households and moving from Kitchen Maid to Cook and how they had an effect on how she was treated.

During the time period that she served and the different situations that she served in. There was a change in serving, how people were treated, and how people acted/reacted to servants.

I enjoyed reading this book. I really do like reading about other peoples lives, autobiographies and biographies. But, I am very picky as I may have mentioned before in that I like hearing stories and ways I can relate to the person, beyond just a facts kind of list. They meet this person, worked on this item, etc. This was relatable to me. There was some of the I worked for these type of people who had these ideas or ways of doing things while this happened, but then it would go back to how it related to her personally and experiences more than just facts. This is what really appeals to me. I would suggest this to others who enjoy biographies and I can see how it inspired what it did, 3 stars.

Helping Baby Sleep: The Science and Practice of Gentle Bedtime Parenting: Anni Gethin and Beth Macgregor

So, I know that this is a bit different then my usual reviews. But, I do read other types of books. Plus, I am not sure if I talked about it here yet, but I am 8.5 month pregnant right now. So, I am reading some parenting books and such to try and get ready for one of the biggest challenges of my life. I ordered a few books from the library and this was a place I started.

This book started out with why they suggest the version that they do and research they have again the opposite of what they suggest. What it seemed to come down to me is that the crying it out idea, letting babies just self sooth can cause issues for the kids later in life, and how hard it can really be for parents and children mentally. Then on how parents really need to be there for kids, listen and follow the clues the kids offer to you and what the clues are. Then different things that have worked for them and that they suggest or other things you can try.

There are some ideas that I will keep in mind from this book. But, it didn't really have a system to try, but that you should be sure to listen to your child and gave you kind of directions to go in. I think if I do run into specific obstacles this is something that you could go back to that would be helpful.

I did find myself feel at time in reading this, with wow there are a lot of things a parent can do that messes my kid up, which were more scary then reassuring so we shall see how that goes. I am glad I read it, but it just reminded me that I need to keep learning, especially when it comes to children there is always more to learn about.

I don't know if I would necessarily suggest this book and seek it out again, but am glad I read it and did glean some insight from it. 2.5 stars and I usually just round up, so 3.

When It Happens to You: Molly Ringwald

A collection of short stories that remind me a bit of Love Actually. Greta and Phillip are college sweethearts that have a daughter Charlotte. Greta is desperate for more, but she is not sure so much about Phillip anymore. They fall apart as a couple. The rest of the books follow people that float in and out of their lives over the next year as they try to figure out what they want and are, separated, apart or together. Each builds on their own and stands as a short story on their own, but you like seeing the familiar characters as they past through touching the others lives.

i enjoyed this book and the characters. I was frustrated by their actions at times, ways I couldn't relate to them. But, yet I still found myself looking for them in each of the next story. Wanting to know more. Wanting to be able to fill in the the blanks that were missing between stories or what was going to happen to each of them next. I even wanted to know more about the characters that weren't main characters, ones that just happened to be a supporting characters in one of the stories, that were just mentioned off hand in other stories. It all just let me wanting to know more about each of the characters.

I would give this book 4 stars in that I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down. I wanted to keep devouring the next story, but it did leave you wanting more with the holes that were left in the characters.  It makes you think. I am actually still processing it, as I just finished this book. But, I guess it comes down to I would say that Ringwald is someone to watch if she comes out with more books and an author's who's work is worth picking up.

Unmasking Maya: Libby Mercer

Maya has left behind her past in NYC and is trying to make it in the art world of San Francisco. Part of leaving behind the scandal that haunts her she changes her name and mediums from fashion to art working with textiles in the art world. Getting a commission for an installation at a tech company in the Silicone Valley area. Derek Whitley, the CEO of the company, doesn't seem to like her work. Yet, he commissions Maya to do the work, and she is determined to make something that he will like, even if she doesn't understand his unemotional, robotic, workaholic ways.

As Maya and Derek work together and are thrown together with events around the commission they start to learn more about each other and breakdown the walls that each of them have built. But, as secrets are reveled will it bring them together or will to many secrets tear them apart.

I hadn't read a book on my ipad/kindle recently. So, I am not sure if this is related to that vs being a physical book, but once I got started on this book I just couldn't put it down and  wanted to keep reading. The book started with Maya having a secret that she kept even from the reader and it seems to take us the reader the whole time to kind of earn Maya's trust and find out all the secrets. Same with Derek, you feel like there is something more that Maya needs to find out and it takes us most of the plot to figure it out.

Something I did notice is that things in this book seemed to move really fast in terms of relationships/friendships. But, that worked here, I could appreciate how  it moved at a pace that worked for the characters.

I was a little concerned about this book since the description made it seem like a cliche romance, but I didn't find it that way at all. The characters were developed well and believable, in I didn't feel they became cliches. That I personally really appreciated and made it easier for me to recommend this book to others. I would give this book 4 Stars and suggest it to anyone looking for a quick fun read. I was advised it is being released soon and you should got check it out. Link is

I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for a review, but the summary and opinions are my own.

The Runaway Princess: Hester Browne

Amy's parents back in the country are haunted by skeletons in their closest from their past and Amy feels she has to protect them even though all she wants to do is move on. Making sure to go home for holidays Amy spends most of her time in London, where she is trying to make her own way. With a successful Gardening business and a flatmate who keeps her on the edge of social circle Amy is happy with where she is at. A party crasher at one Jo's, of her roommate, parties sets things off though.

Leo's idea of fun is not really chasing down and fixing the issues that his playboy brother causes. But, one evening cleaning up Rolph's mess he meets Amy. Sparks fly between the prince Leo and Amy the gardener. But, one of the reasons Leo likes Amy is that she is a normal girl and has a basically normal life. But will that fit into the mold that his family and their royal lineage will expect and accept.

Thrust into the spot light for the Love that she has found Amy and Leo have to come to terms with what they want and expectations that others hold for them. While continuing to protect what they love and want for themselves and each other.

I had been in a bit of a reading slump. Once I opened this book and got a little ways into it that was over. I got to the point where I couldn't put this book down. I just wanted to keep going. Things were being alluded to that you didn't know what was really going on and you just had to keep going to figure it out. I felt for Amy and the emotions that she was going through. I felt like I could relate to her more than any of the other character and a few times I wished that I could get inside one of the other characters, but that is just me wanting to know more.

I would highly recommend this book, like I do most of Browne's book. The characters are well built and relatable. They have things together enough that you don't think they are idiots, but accident prone/character flawed enough that they are relatable. I would give this book 4 stars in it really kept my interest and is defiantly one of my favorites of the year.

Waxed: Robert Rave

Carolina, is the oldest sister in her family and is determined to do better for herself then what they had growing up. She now owns and runs Impresario the waxing saloon to use in NYC for the high society ladies and socialites.  With her OCD taking over her life she feels caught between what she has built for herself and a part of her past that has come back to haunt her.

Anna, is separated from her husband after a bit of an identity crisis with one of her children. To continue to make ends meet Anna goes back to work for her sister at the salon. Stuck with the jobs that no one wants Anna is thrown back into having to prove herself again. While entering a new world of society that she is just being introduced too.

Sofia is the youngest of the sisters. A newly wed, who loves her domestic life, but her husband is starting to not be home very often and seems to have better things to do then be around for Sofia. When a new client invites her to go out and start hitting the club scene with them then things start to get even more complicated at home.

The three sisters all work together at the waxing salon and in supporting each other and in pushing each others boundaries too. They all work to improve themselves and their own situations even with how much it hurts to change.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick read for me. I personally didn't think like I learned anything or that the I personally got vested in any of the characters, but it wasn't a bad plot. It flew quickly and was enjoyable, but I personally didn't get much more than that out of the book.

I would suggest this book to others who like books like this with a little peek into another how other parts of society live. I would give it 3 stars as an enjoyable read, but not one to go back to over and over.

The Happiness Project: Gretchen Rubin

    Again, late to the game here. This was published a few years ago and has gained momentum since though I know a lot of people who are just reading it now, so maybe not to far behind the curve. Besides, I can now go put and buy a used copy for a little less and still have it to refer to (this copy was from the library).

    Gretchen has a realization moment on the bus that life is just passing by and it's not that she is unhappy, but she could be happier.  She points out that she is not depressed, just that she could be happier. I actually appreciated that , in there are those (me at times) who really are depressed and you may needed help (prescriptions or something else) and that is a real illness. But, beyond depression we could all work on elements to just be happier with our lives. So, she made a list of things she wanted to work in goals to achieve and took a year to work on those items.

    Each chapter follows a month and what she worked on that month. She has commandments that she tries to remember as she works on her goals and figure out what she wants for herself.

    I personally enjoyed this book. I got it from the library and I am thinking of getting my own copy to mark up. I know there is some controversies about this book, many people have seem to have a problem with the authors personal life background and how she shouldn't be having issues with all the other stuff she has. Personally, I try not to judge books by the authors background. I enjoyed what was a written here and how I could relate to it. But, I am in my late 20's so maybe, it is something that I can relate to better than people at other parts of their lives.

    I personally found this book made me think. It made me think how I could use or how I react in some of the same situations and how my own situations are different. It stopped and made me think and I enjoyed that. I am going to keep thinking on things that I read here and may go back to review.

    This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it and would give it 4 stars.  Plus it seems fitting to post this the day after Thanksgiving.

The Shopping Swap: Erin Brady (Novella)

Margaret Andrews is ready for some changes in her relationship. So, she buys some lingerie, makes dinner, and plans to subdue her commitment phobia boyfriend, Richard, into marriage. But, when she gets home she discovers that she doesn't have a bag with lingerie, but a house coat instead.
In trying to get her correct bag back she runs into Benjamin Sanders, who had been trying to get a house coat as a present for his Grandmother. Maggie and Ben strike up a conversation and become friends. With Richard being busier and busier at work temptation comes into play with this new friendship and Maggie might have some decisions to make that are harder then she thought.

I really enjoyed reading about Maggie and the internal struggle that she was going through in this plot. I do think that part of it just scratched the surface of the depth of the issues that she was dealing with and choices she had to make. But, that works for this novella in the short format. It did leave me wanting to know a little more about what was going on with the character which I actually appreciate here. Through out the plot Maggie felt real to me and not like a flat character that things just worked for. She had the emotional reaction to situations and conflict about them that you as a reader feel like you might respond or how a real person would react to situations.

I would suggest this novella to others and I think that others who enjoy this genre would enjoy this Novella. I would give it 4 stars in that I could relate to the characters. Also, I was kind of in a rut where I was having a hard time reading and found this really easy to get through and I enjoyed going back to it.

I was provided a copy of this Novella by Erin, and the review is posted at her request. The thoughts and opinions are mine though.

Where We Belong: Emily Giffin

Marian appears to have it all together. Living in NYC with her own TV show and a relationship that she is happy with. One evening after a rare fight with her boyfriend she comes home to find Kirby on her door step.
Kirby adopted has never really felt like she fit in with her family. At 18 she takes the opportunity to learn who her birth Mother is. Without telling her family, she leaves to find the family where maybe she belongs. But, things aren't always as easy as they might seem they could be at 18.

The story show the effects each of the women have on each other. Learning about themselves and each other as secrets and memories that have been pushed away have to be revisited.  Each of them learning and growing from each other.

The back story of Marian's past and what lead to Kirby is woven in with the story and Marian and Kirby getting to know each other and try to figure out where they fit into each other lives and really where they want to go with their own lives now.

The chapters her alternate in voices from Marian to Kirby's, with sections woven in of Marian at 18. The information is given to the reader as we need it and the characters remember, having the reader piece the present and past together and see how they relate to each other.

I enjoyed reading about Mariam and Kirby. Seeing them learn about theme selves as they got to know each other. I would give this book 3 stars as it was enjoyable. It is not my favorite Giffin book though. The characters were there and their was some depth to them, but I personally didn't feel connected to them, so the plot didn't speak to me as much as many of Giffin's other books do. I would still suggest it to other and think that if you had experience like these characters you might be enjoy the book more than I did. But, even without the emotional connection it is worth a read.

Ten Girls To Watch: Charity Shumway

Dawn is determined to make it in NYC and not go back to the small town that she left. Even if it means writing lawn care columns that she paid by the word to make ends meet. At a party that she is invited to by her ex boyfriend, that she can't seem to stop seeing and can't help but kind of like her his new girlfriend, she manages to land a job with Charm magazine working on their 10th anniversary of "Ten Girls to Watch" contest. It is short term gig, but she spends the next few months following up on each of the winners from the past ten years. She is just assigned to get basic info, but Dawn can't just find out contact and what they are doing now. She finds the women opening up her and learning from each of them. She is still trying to work out her personal life, but she is learning so much from these women maybe they are starting to effect her personal life. Maybe, she needs to follow the examples that she is seeing around her and accept what she wants.

I really felt like I could relate to Dawn. She made choices and faced with some personal things in her life that I could relate to. She was built to be real and would start to grow, but would come across more obstacles that would put her back and she would have to accept and/or learn from.

There were moments were I wish that we had been able to read more of Dawns writings. Have seen some of the profiles she was writing I think could have really helped or expanded the plot, more than just the short paragraphs at the start of chapters.

Overall I would give this book three stars in that the main character was really relatable. But, you couldn't get behind other characters besides the main one, even though she was really relatable. The plot was well developed and well wrapped up, though leaving you wanting just a little more about the characters. I would read more by Charity and would defiantly recommend this book to others.