The 6 Husbands Every Wife Should Have

 ”You’re not the person I married– you changed!”  “I’m not the one who changed, you did!”  Too often these words are spoken with dismay by couples experiencing strained marital relationships. But according to Dr. Steven Craig, author of The 6 Husbands Every Wife Should Have, “marriages don’t fail when people change; they fail when people don’t change.”

In this book Dr. Craig, a therapist, corporate coach, and host of popular Detroit radio show, discusses the six stages of marriage that he believes every couple faces and how as we change and adapt to our roles in each of these stages, we grow into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with one another. His goal is to reveal how individuals should approach marriage and to share specific methods to facilitate the changes that both husband and wife must embrace within themselves in order to develop a growing, vibrant marriage.

Complete with a “Change Readiness Quiz” and plenty of anecdotal evidence from his years as a therapist, Dr. Craig easily convinces the reader that marrying Mr./Mrs. Right is far less important in a life-long commitment than the willingness of both spouses to become Mr./Mrs. Right.

Great, thoughtful, and easily absorbed read!

–Penny

A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks is an older book, but it is one of my favorites (by my favorite author: Nicholas Sparks!)  I have read this book and watched to movie more times than I can count.

The story line to A Walk To Remember follows: In 1958, Landon Carter is a teenager who spends most of his time hanging out with his friends and trying hard to ignore the impending responsibilities of adulthood. Then Landon gets roped into acting the lead in the Christmas play opposite the most renowned goody two-shoes in town: Jamie Sullivan. Against his best intentions and the taunts of his buddies, Landon finds himself falling for Jamie and learning some central lessons in life.

This is sure to bring a tear to the eye of readers. As the author suggests, “first you’ll smile, then you’ll cry”. You might also check out the movie of the same title, which was based off of this book.

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

Michael Lewis, author of a number of best-selling non-fiction titles including Liar’s Poker and Moneyball brings his character-driven, narrative voice to the topic of the 2008 crash of the U.S. stock market.  Now, I know next to nothing about stocks and bonds, short and long sales, and the like, but yet I was able to follow this unbelievable tale of smart people being hypnotised by the mistaken belief that the real estate market was impervious to failure.

Few understood, or were willing to admit the risks involved in the selling, and re-selling of bundles of lower- and middle-class Americans’ questionable mortgage debt.  At one point the author asks, “who in their right mind would take out a mortgage knowing that they would be unable to make even the first payment?” And then immediately reworks the question and asks, ”who in their right mind would lend to individuals  knowing that they would never be able to make the first payment?”  Lewis’ contention is that mortgage brokers were anxious to lend to anyone so that they might, in turn, sell the mortgages to the lucrative derivative markets.

The author introduces us to a handful of investors who perceived the inevitable and lived to become rich… very rich.  So why does it make me want to bury my little bit of cash in my back yard?

–Penny

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared, by Alice Ozma

Alice and her father, a beloved elementary school librarian, have shared a love of reading together since before she can remember.  One night, during Alice’s fourth grade year, she and her dad make a pact to read together every night for 100 consecutive nights.  While celebrating over pancakes upon reaching their goal, they decide to keep ”the Streak” going for as many nights as they possibly can.  Thus begins an evening ritual that last until Alice enters college– 3,218 nights!

Alice tells of her relationship with her somewhat eccentric father through the tales of shared books. From learning to ride a bike to their shared love of spiders and thunderstorms, this lighthearted, loving memoir of a girl and her father promises a great read!

–Penny

Ghost in the Wires

Kevin Mitnick subtitles his memoir, “My adventures as the world’s most wanted hacker.” From the age of 16, he was sought after by law enforcement officials as he became addicted to first phone phreaking and then computer hacking. But during all these escapades, he never damaged or destroyed the systems he invaded.

Kevin had a need and thirst for knowledge and the intrigue of “what makes things work” – from basic phone systems and reprogramming phones to use someone else’s number to make long distance calls to downloading full network operating systems, he always wanted to know how things worked.

As a master of social engineering, he posed as managers and officials looking for information on how to access the very systems that the people he fooled tried to protect. He investigated a hacking “friend” only to find that the friend was in fact an FBI agent who was investigating him. As a result of this discovery, Kevin “disappeared” as the FBI began an all out effort to track him down and ultimately arrest him.

This is the stuff that Hollywood blockbusters are made of — and proves that truth is often more exciting.

The Baby Planner

The next book I’m suggesting that you check out is The Baby Planner by Josie Brown. Katie Johnson is just that… a baby planner. She makes her living consulting with new moms on the newest must-have baby gadgets, the most socially acceptable playground groups, top notch baby care, and much more. For the new moms that use Katie’s baby planning services, she is also therapist, referee and best friend all rolled into one. There’s only one problem. Katie’s biological clock is ticking. The thirty-something year old is ready to be a mommy herself. Bring in anti-baby husband, Alex, who refuses to do more than “keep an open mind” about having a child. Translation: he doesn’t want kids.

This is a very easy read. A fun (and often funny) look at the world of new parenthood, baby planning, and the ups and downs of life.  Give it a shot!

The Choice

The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks, revolves around the implications of seemingly ordinary choices made by veterinarian Travis Parker and his new next-door neighbor Gabrielle Holland, a physician’s assistant.  After an unpromising first meeting, the two end up falling for each other. Already dating someone else, Gabby is faced with the dilemma of whether to stick with longtime boyfriend Kevin, or get involved with Travis. The book is split into two parts. The first part follows her decision-making process and its effects on Travis and Gabby’s lives. Part Two takes place 11 years later when Travis faces a life and death decision following a car accident.

This is a fairly quick read. As with most Nicholas Sparks’ books, this is a romance novel with real-life issues, decisions, and consequences mixed in. Nicholas Sparks is my favorite author, so of course I loved this book. If you enjoy romance-type books with a real-life grounding about them, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

Summer Rental

If you’re looking for a wonderful summer read, give Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews a try. I had not read any of her books previously, but I’ll be checking all of them out now!  I LOVED this book.  It’s a fun read. If you’ve ever thought about taking a getaway to the beach with a few of your closest friends and just getting away from it all, you’ll appreciate this book. The three main characters in the book, Ellis, Julia and Dorie, have been best friends since childhood. As they find themselves in their mid-thirties, each at a crossroads in life (and each with their own drama!), they decide that a trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks is just what they need. You’ll fall in love with the characters, enjoy a little suspense and romance, and take a trip to the beach without ever leaving your comfy chair!  I highly recommend this book. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Breaking the Rules

If you’ve never read Suzanne Brockmann novels, you should try one out!  I haven’t read too many of her books, but that will soon change. The latest I’ve read is one called Breaking the Rules. It has romance, action and suspense all rolled into one great read!  Navy Seal Izzy Zanella and his estranged wife, Eden Gillman, are set on saving her abused teenaged brother even if that means reconciling with each other to prove to a court that they can give him better care than anyone else. But just as their hearts begin to mend, the makeshift family gets caught up in saving another youth from a crime ring in Las Vegas and ends up with a group of dangerous men on their trail.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Beauty: a retelling of the story of Beauty & the beast

I’ve always loved fairy tales.  One of my favorite books growing up was a collection of folk and fairy tales from around the world.  So, I suppose it’s no surprise that when I found Beauty: a retelling of the story of Beauty & the beast, a children’s/YA novel by first-time Warren, Ohio author Robin McKinley, I decided to give it a try.  That was back in the early 1980s and since then I’ve probably reread it at least 3-4 times.  McKinley has a way of making her world completely believable and she has a way with words that totally draws me in to her character’s lives.   In McKinley’s version of the tale, Beauty (her real name is Honour) is the youngest of three daughters of a widowed merchant.  When his shipping business goes belly-up they must leave the city and venture inland to a country village where magic is still to be found.  Those who know the story can guess that she will meet up with The Beast and break the spell that binds him.  If you enjoy a well-written old-fashioned romance with a touch of magic, give this a try.  By the way, McKinley went on to write a Newbery Medal winner, The Hero and the Crown. I could have told you she was destined for greatness!

-Janet M