I used to be an avid reader, preferring books to television and everything else.  However, I’ve found as I get older and more exhausted with less free time, sadly I am not reading as much as my free time is allocated for other things.  I do go to the library regularly though, and I am a big nerd about reserving books online.  Sometimes I get a book suggestion for the NY Times bestseller list and sometimes from elsewhere. 

I had reserved Emily Giffin’s Heart of the Matter but I don’t even remember where it was suggested to me.  I can tell you I love a book when the first page hooks me (like this did), and despite my mania and distracted life, I want to keep reading every moment I can.

It wasn’t my usual read…….about relationships, adultery, etc as I prefer thrillers (Dean Koontz, Harlan Coben, etc) but the writing was stellar and that hooked me.  I don’t want to completely bore you but in some parts the writing was so crafty that I earmarked paragraphs to reread. 

Here’s one where the main character is in Target (hello relatable!) and another mother has made smug comment …

I flash a fake smile of my own, refraining from telling her what I’m really thinking: that it’s an unwise karmic move to go around feeling superior to other mothers. Because, before she knows it, her little angel could become a tattooed teenager hiding joints in her designer handbag and doling out blowjobs in the backseat of her BMW.

Awesome.

This was another excerpt that I liked…

…all women compare lives.  We are aware of whose husband works more, who helps more around the house, who makes more money, who is having more sex.  We compare out children, taking note of who is sleeping through the night, eating their vegetables, minding their manners, getting into the right schools.  We know who keeps the best house, throws the best parties, cooks the best meals, has the best tennis game.  We know who among us is the smartest, has the fewest lines around her eyes, has the best figure–whether naturally or artificially.  We are aware of who works full-time, who stays at home with the kids, who manages to do it all and make it look easy, who shops and lunches while the nanny does it all.  We digest it all and then discuss it with our friends.  Comparing and then confiding; it is what women do.

Can you relate to that?  I think it’s spot on and anyone who says it is not is in denial. 

When we moved several months ago, I vowed to myself to try to stay pleasant but detached as I was already aware of cliques and gossip.  I think it’s going okay.

Anyway I enjoyed this book a lot.  I really wish I could write like her.  

 Anyone reading anything great these days?

Tags: books, Emily Giffin, Heart of the Matter