Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

Having  seen a few episodes of the HBO show “Girls” and having become aware of Lena Dunham’s rise in popular culture, I thought I’d check out her latest literary effort. I turned the final page very entertained. If you like analyzing other people’s problems, and hearing too much information on their various body parts and dating habits, you may be very entertained as well. Dunham pulls no punches in describing her  past and how it brought her to the positions she holds today in both Hollywood and in her personal life.  You’ll laugh and cringe as she takes you along on this journey.
I found the book an easy read, and one that keeps you turning the pages. I especially  enjoyed the advice she had received from her father and mother — quick lists that are very funny.  If you like “Girls” or Dunham herself, you will like this book.  Even as a guy in a girls’ world, this book held many interesting points for me; and, it left me wondering if the girls I dated so many years ago were as complex as Dunham has been in her young life.

A Promise Kept by Robin Hatcher

     After her marriage to an alcoholic husband ends in divorce, Allison moves to her deceased Aunt Emma's cabin in the mountains.  She is lonely and full of regrets but starts to make a new life for herself.  When she finds a wedding dress, pictures, and journals written by her aunt she uncovers many surprises of the struggles her aunt had and how they relate to her own. The life Emma lived
is woven through this book in separate chapters from Allison's. 
     I really enjoyed this Christian fiction book. Parts of the book are based on events in the author's own life.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I enjoyed this sweet, sad novel.  The story moves back and forth in time before and after the world is altered by a flu pandemic.  Five characters are connected by events before the pandemic and end up crossing paths again.  Station Eleven was a 2014 National Book Award finalist.

Problems with People: Stories by David Guterson

From the author of the best-selling novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, comes this short story collection exploring the everyday lives of ordinary people.  The ten stories delve into the yearnings of human desire to connect.  Paradise tells the meeting of two individuals navigating the dating scene by Match.com.  Tenant shows the alienation of a landlord's awkward encounter with his tenant.  Hush portrays the harsh reality of an old man dying of cancer and befriending a dog-walker.  Whether it is the misperception of a situation or due to one's belief, Guterson conveys a universal longing that we have to belong.  I empathize with the characters who are struggling with hardships and am reminded of what's most important in life.

nom nom paleo by Michell Tam & Henry Fong

This book clearly explains what a paleo diet is. Being a person who is interested in health and nutrition, I wanted to learn more about what is involved in this particular way of thinking. I love the idea that the use of fresh food is stressed. This special author presents her information in a joyous way that makes you want to try her delicious methods. The evolution of her own food journey helps the reader appreciate his/her own history of eating. The pictures are gorgeous and the instructions are clear.

Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

This historical fiction novel begins in the battlefields of France during World War I. One woman struggles to find out who she is after waking up wounded in a hospital tent, with no memory of her former life. She believes her name is Stella Bain, and that she knows how to drive an ambulance. Her uniform indicates she is a British nurse’s aid, but her speech is that of an American. She makes her way to London at the first chance she gets, feeling the key to retrieving her past lies there.

The characters in this book are interesting, and their actions combine with the details of place and the backdrop of war to give the reader a real sense of what life was like during that time period. We follow Stella on her journey through Europe and back to America as she regains her past, but with an uncertain future. It’s an intriguing tale about memory, love, relationships, and how the devastation of war affects it all.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory

Caitlin Doughty pulls back the curtain on the funeral and cremation industry in this first-person account of her apprenticeship at a crematorium.  From procedures, to politics, to religion, to the outright weird, Caitlin answers many of the “burning” questions that people have about mortal remains and their treatment.  She also makes a case for cremation and more natural forms of interment, citing embalming as environmentally toxic, overly expensive, and generally ineffective method of remains disposal.  Some gross parts and shocking truths would earn this book a “PG-13,” in the movie industry, so reader beware.  Still, a very interesting, recommended read.