Life definitely offers lots of twists, turns and unpredictable surprises. There are plenty of cliche things that can be said to that end, but ultimately, your days are what you make them. I can safely say that I find myself at a period in my life that I would not have predicted, and certainly didn’t plan for, but I’m trying to make lemonade. They say when it rains, it pours, and I’m just waiting for my rainbow at the end. I’ve been told that everything will be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, it’s not the end. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Nothing tragic is going on here, there is just a lot going on! I can’t seem to catch my breath before something else comes up. So all things considered, and all cliches aside, I’m just looking forward to a little quiet time to kick back, relax and read a little more.
Book # 29, The Time of My Life, Cecelia Ahern
Rating: 3- It was a good book
Synopsis: When the mail starts piling up, you can’t ignore it forever! Especially when the letters are an invitation from your life, requesting a meeting face-to-face. Lucy Silchester would avoid the notes forever, except that her family has signed off on the meeting and has also been receiving letters from her life on her behalf. Lucy would hide forever, in her tiny studio apartment with her hermaphroditic cat and grungy carpets eating microwave pot-pies, if she could. She wasn’t always this way, but since her boyfriend Blake ended their 5 year relationship and agree to tell people that it was Lucy who left him, she has been caught in a downward spiral of lies that she pulls over herself like a down comforter to shut everyone out.
When Lucy does finally take a meeting with her life, she finds him repulsive and annoying. Maybe because he is so brutally honest with her. He calls her out on all of her lies, makes her feel uncomfortable in her hideaway of a home and forces her to face her behavior of the last few years that has been holding her back from happiness. Life’s little interferences send Lucy down a path of revelation, first for herself and then of all of the lies she’s told. When she finally get down to the whole truth and nothing but the truth, she finds that nothing is different. That is, no one who loves her treats her any differently, and she had no cause to lie to them in the first place. All of the pieces of her life fall into place thanks to all of her Life’s coaching.
My Impressions: This was a cute story with an interesting concept. What if your life was an actual physical being that you were responsible for making happy and keeping healthy. In return, your life would intervene at extremes to save you from yourself. As a philosophical concept, I liked the premise. As a story, I found it entertaining, if not a little slow, and maybe a little sad. Of course like all good chick-lit, there is a predictable happy ending, leaving you feeling good about Lucy’s life, and maybe your own. And I think maybe I would like someone with my best interests and a little insight to step in and take over for me every now and then!
Why you should read it: It was a good, light read! Perfect for sitting outside with a glass of wine and enjoying the sunshine. I know I say this a lot, but it could easily be a chick flick with a good bit of reality suspension.
Read if you liked: Bridget Jones’ Diary (Helen Fielding), The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
Book #29 in the bag!
“The best candy shop a child can be left alone in, is the library” ― Maya Angelou
A Book In The Bag 