Tag Archives: 2007 Releases
The Next Thing on my List
Title: The Next Thing on My List
Author: Jill Smolinski
Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books, Inc. 2007
Review/Summary: If you are looking for light-read with a good story, look no further than The Next Thing on My List.
Meet June Parker, single, in her mid-thirties, and the driver of the car that killed her passenger Marissa Jones. After the accident June discovers a list that Marissa made titled “20 Things to Do by My 25th Birthday”. In trying to figure out her own life, June decides to complete Melissa’s list for her. Some articles on the list, such as “go on a blind date” and “try boogie boarding” turn out to be total adventures. Other items, such as “run a 5K” and “pitch an idea at work” require more time and commitment. One of the most difficult challenges on the list is “change someone’s life”. As June becomes consumed with trying to change one life, she ends up changing several lives, including her own.
All in all, life shouldn’t be taken for granted. And yes, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort-zone to make something happen. This book is both inspirational and funny with characters you can relate to. After you finish reading it, you will want to start your own list.
Who will like this: Someone looking for a fun but thought provoking book. Someone interested in starting their own list!
If you like this, try this: If you’re into chick-lit, try anything by Elin Hilderbrand, who is known for her portrayal of women without being too fluffy, or “Bright Side of Disaster” by Katherine Center, a funny and light-hearted but still fulfilling book about love and losing it. If you like Jane Smolinski’s writing style, she has a number of other books both fiction and non-fiction.
If you’re interested in starting your own bucket list, there are a number of books out there about that on every subject- including a bucket list of books to read!
Recommended by: Sharyn, Circulation Assistant
If you think you’d like to read this, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to check if it’s available and place a hold! [Link will open in a new window]
Without a Map: A Memoir
Title: Without a Map: A Memoir
Author: Meredith Hall
Publisher: Beacon, April 2007
Summary: If you think you had problems as a teen, try finding yourself pregnant at 16, being disowned by your family, and shunned by everyone in your community. This memoir takes place in the 1960’s in a small New Hampshire town. Hall’s parents are divorced. She is sent away from her family, friends, and school to live with her father and stepmother where she is basically ostracized in an attempt to hide her pregnancy. She is forced to give up the baby and then spends her early adulthood wandering and longing for the baby she gave up and the parents who betrayed her.
She eventually reconnects with her son when he is a young adult, but it is bittersweet as he has been adopted by a family who lived in poverty and had abused him. Hall ultimately helps to care for her aging parents, offering them what they were never able to offer her. She is brutally honest in recalling her life. She takes responsibility for her mistakes. Hers is a story about hope, survival, and finding forgiveness.
Recommended by: Barbara, Head of Children’s Services