Blogcritics Category: Books: Women

Book Review: Three of the Best - The Modern Woman's Guide to Everything by Candace Lewis & Margaret O'Sullivan

Maggie Ball — Fri, 2 Jan 2009 18:58:17 EST

f you know someone who loves magazines, this is the perfect gift, as it�s more portable, and more pithy, and easier to refer to.
I have to admit upfront that I'm not big on self-help books. The advice that they tend to provide is too pat, and often a little shallow: like the kind of article you might read quickly for relaxation, and then forget instantly in a woman's magazine. That said, we can all use a bit of advice on how to improve ourselves. Besides, after a heady...

Book Review: The Price - My Rise and Fall As Natalia, New York's #1 Escort by Natalie McLennan

Lynda Lippin — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:56:28 EST

I was drawn in by The Price - the sex, the drugs, the cash, the luxury hotels, the celebrities, athletes, and generally wealthy men.
I don't think anybody missed the scandal when New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was caught using the high priced call girl service NY Confidential for his favorite call girl, Ashley Alexandra Dupre. Ultimately Jason Itzler and all of the principles of NY Confidential were arrested and the ring was broken, but before the bust the ride was...

Book Review: Two Weeks Under by Rivka Tadjer

Lynda Lippin — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:45:24 EST

This is a fast paced enjoyable yet scary commentary on our cultural obsession with weight.
Imagine a world where changing your physical body is easy. Want bigger perkier breasts? There is a pill for that. It may have a few side effects, but what doesn't? Want to feel better about yourself? Take Normal! Want to lose weight? Go into a medically induced two week coma and wake up 20 pounds lighter.Rivka Tadjer's Two Weeks...

Book Review: Stepping Into Sunlight by Sharon Hinck

Violet Nesdoly — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:39:39 EST

When even a trip to buy gas brings on a panic attack, it�s Penny�s Project to the rescue.
Penny Sullivan has always been a capable, good natured, roll-with-the-punches kind of mom who had enough energy to hold down the fort at home, volunteer in Bryan's classroom and pitch in with the church youth group. But the August afternoon she goes to the corner store for a Coke and sees an innocent couple get shot changes all that. Soon she can't...

Book Review: Someday My Prince Will Come - True Adventures of a Wannabe Princess by Jerramy Fine

Marilyn Braun — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:42:19 EST

Small town girl Jerramy Fine wants to be a princess. Turns out she's dead serious.
When I first heard about Someday my Prince Will Come I immediately thought it was fiction. How can someone realistically pursue their dream to become a princess? It seemed implausible. And to her credit, in James Frey style, Jerramy acknowledges that at the start. This is indeed a true story.I'll be honest, based on the premise of this book --...

Book Review: Tears of the Desert - A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir and Damien Lewis

Wisteria Leigh — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:23:31 EST

As a poignant and powerful memoir of survival in Darfur, Tears of the Desert is capable of producing empathetic tears.
Halima Bashir's memoir, written with assistance from Damien Lewis, a writer and reporter for the BBC, touched my soul so deeply that I couldn't sit back any longer. I have also read The Translator by Daoud Hari, another book about the Sudan I highly recommend. Both of these memoirs had me weeping and drained emotionally. How lucky for me...

Book Review: Wife Dressing - The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife by Anne Fogarty

Alyse Wax — Fri, 5 Dec 2008 02:51:41 EST

An old-fashioned guide to style. Some advice timeless; other advice very out-of-date.
Wife Dressing is a reprint of a 1959 book by fashion designer Anne Fogarty. It is a complete guide to wardrobe – everything from necessary pieces to breaking fashion rules to caring for your wardrobe. It is a little old-fashioned, but has some good tips and a lot of charm.One of the most useful chapters is “The Care and Feeding Of Your...

DVD Review: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

The Masked Movie Snobs — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 20:41:54 EST

Like your favorite pair of jeans, true friends are reliable, comfortable, and perfect even with all the flaws.
Written by Pollo MisteriosoThe title of this film immediately connotes “chick flick.” Not only does it seem to be a movie only about women, there is a magical element that refers to jeans that can travel. But there is something much more to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and it isn’t just that it is the sequel. This film is a...

Book Review: Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin

Violet Nesdoly — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 05:40:40 EST

Travel with three beautiful Swedish sisters to a time and place 100 years ago.
The only way 19-year-old Elin Carlson can make sure her sisters are safe from Uncle Sven is to keep them in sight every moment or move away from their Swedish farm. When Uncle Lars sends tickets, she knows moving to America is the solution. But how will she convince shy 16-year-old Sofia and willful 18-year-old Kirsten that leaving home is best...

Book Review: The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles

Lisa Solod Warren — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:54:10 EST

Frances de Pontes Peebles' first novel is a remarkable feat of research, industry, writing, and beauty.
Emilia and Luzia are orphaned teenage sisters living in the late 1920s in the interior of northern Brazil. It’s a simple life but not without some small luxuries—whitewashed walls on their small but several-roomed home, an outhouse with a wooden door out back, plenty to eat, and work for the two girls and the aunt who is raising...