Melanie Shankle

I highly suspect that the author and I are not kindred spirits. She seems like a person who has a way of seeing the world with hope and humor, but she's not my people, and I suspect I wouldn't be hers. So, part of the low score is due to fit.

However, part is also because as far as memoirs go, this one is mediocre. It feels like a random assortment of stories without any system as to why these stories were the ones she chose to include. Although I have not read her blog, the book is clearly in the genre of blogs that were turned into books without significantly changing things.

So all-in-all, not my preferred reading choice.… (altro)

Funny, witty, and heartwarming. Shankle takes on the lessons of life with hilarious anecdotes peppered with 80s references - remember Gunne Sax and jelly shoes, Swatch and home perms? Each chapter has a theme and focus with a "brighter side" take-away that is typically the good kind of common sense advice you hear from your most trusted friend. For example, in her chapter on Comparison and Competition, she notes that these things "cease to be healthy when they do nothing but make you feel like what you have isn't enough." There are some biblical examples in each chapter too and most were a good fit for the point Shankle was trying to drive home. Her own personal examples of being a wife, mother, community member, and working woman ring more true in her authenticity and willingness to look less-than-perfect. Mostly her goal is to restore some joy and kindness to our daily lives and our interactions with each other and this hits the mark.… (altro)