TLC Book Tours: Walking With Elephants

Walking With Elephants by Karen S. Bell

Suze Hall is at a crossroads.  Her nemesis at work, Wanda, has been promoted and is now her boss.  Her husband, Bob, is leaving her and their three kids for a six-month sabbatical down under.  Meanwhile, Suze has to reunite with an old boyfriend in order to save her job and her best friend, Marcia, is missing in action--playing footsie with some new boyfriend instead of lending a sympathetic ear! 

Walking with Elephants, is a light-hearted slice-of-life story that explres the modern dichotomy of a workplace that is filled with homemakers who still must cook, clean, carpool, and still make time to "create" the holidays.  But it is also filled with women who have the same drive as men, have no family responsibilities, and will do what ever it takes to get ahead."  --Blurb from the cover

Let's just address the elephant in the room (pun intended).  The cover is awful.  If I were browsing through the bookstore, there is no way I would pick this book up.  Even the title doesn't seem to go with the book, I understand where it came from but I spent the first 9 chapters wondering why it was given that title.

I have two other nitpicks about this book (sorry for being such a negative Nancy tonight).  First of all, I felt it was unnecessary to describe every outfit that Wanda wore.  It really distracted me from the story being told and was kind of pointless after the first time.  Also, I really did not like the parts of the book when Suze GAVE US HER FEELINGS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.  That annoys me. 


Shall I get to the positive now?  This book was actually quite enjoyable.  It was easy to read and get immersed in Suze's life.  She had typical complaints of a working mother and I enjoyed reading about all of her different hats.  I have to say that I didn't like her husband Bob, even though he was gone for most of the book.  I think Ms. Bell did a great job of making Suze a character that women can relate to, and that is what made me like her.  I found myself rooting for Suze and wanted her to keep her job.  I was so upset in the end when it seemed that Wanda had won.  


My favorite scene of the book was an impromptu girls night in, complete with wine, yummy food, and plenty of gossip.  Also, I loved Elliott - Suze's fabulous co-worker.  Ms. Bell did a great job in fleshing the characters out and they seemed like real people to me.  Overall, I think this is a delightful debut novel from Karen Bell.


Thanks to TLC Book Tours for including me in this tour.  Go here to see the other stops for the Walking With Elephants TLC Book Tour.

*TLC Book Tours provided me a copy of this book for review on this blog as part of their book tours program.

January 2011

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugton (January 1, 2011)
Great book to start off my year!  Also a great first book to read on my new Kindle :)  I like the idea of this story...how far would you go to protect your child?  It was a great story and I really admired Danielle for risking it all to protect her son.  However, I knew who the murderer was almost immediately.....it kind of disappointed me that I knew, but the reveal was fantastic.  I never would have imagined the reasons behind the killer.  Also, the ending?  Did that mean what I think it meant?  EEK!


Rescue by Anita Shreve (January 2, 2011)
This book was kind of a disappointment to me.  The flashbacks were good, but the present was not fleshed out.  I felt that we really didn't see Rowan's "downfall".  All I saw was a girl who got drunk twice....that's called being 17.  Yes, one of those times was horrible but I felt that Shreve could have given us a better build up to that event.  Not one of my favorites.


Goodbye, Friend:  Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet by 
Gary Kowalski (January 7, 2011)
Today was a hard day.  We had to put our 15 year old puppy, a member of our family, down.  Mooch Matilda was the best dog ever and it was such a heartbreaking week.  I was in such a depression all week thinking about today and haven't left my bed very much.  I knew I loved Mooch, she's been part of my life for more than half of it.  But when I knew we were going to lose her, the grief was staggering and unexpected.  It knocked me to my knees and this book really helped me to know that it isn't uncommon to feel this way.  RIP Mooch Matilda, I love you very much and I'll miss you so much.  "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."  - Anatole France


I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder (January 9, 2011)
Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder (January 9, 2011)
Far From You by Lisa Schroeder (January 9, 2011)
So clearly I've had a busy day reading Lisa Schroeder.  What can I say?  I was (am) depressed, and I needed to read depressing (yet somewhat uplifting stories).  The quickness of each book was an added bonus.  I loved these books and I have to say that Lisa Schroeder has found a new fan.                          


Leaving Home by Jodi Picoult (January 27, 2011)
I was so excited when Amazon started the Kindle Singles program.  The first story was really good, I thought the grief that they shared was so real.  The ending was strange though!  The middle story was a letter to her son as he went to college and I think it was my favorite.  It was all the advice that I wish I had gotten before going to college, and I actually I think I could use this advice now!  The last story was about a mother who took a vacation from her family, and I thought her struggles were very real.  Also, this was a nice way to tide me over until March when her new book is released.


These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf (January 28, 2011)
Ms. Gudenkauf is becoming one of my favorite authors!  I loved her first book, The Weight of Silence, and I loved this book.  I had an idea of the three characters being connected in some way, but I was shocked at how it all turned out!  I don't want to give too much away, but when the truth came out I was truly shocked and kind of scared.  Gudenkauf does a great job of building suspense and then throwing you for a loop!  Great book.


Morning Glory by Diana Peterfreund (January 29, 2011)
Easy book to read, fun but nothing spectacular.  I haven't seen the movie, so I can't compare.  I will definitely see the movie though because I love Rachel McAdams.  


Faithful Place by Tana French (January 30, 2011)
This was a great mystery.  Tana French always hooks me, and I had no idea what was coming.  Sometimes I got a little lost in the "Dublin speak" but it didn't take away from the story.

TLC Book Tours: Lonely by Emily White

Lonely:  Learning to Live With Solitude by Emily White

Despite having a demanding job, good friends, and a supportive family, Emily White spent many of her evenings and weekends alone at home, trying to understand why she felt so completely disconnected from everyone. In this insightful and soul-baring memoir, White recounts her struggle to comprehend and overcome her chronic loneliness, a debilitating condition that she contends deserves the same attention as depression and other mental difficulties. Interweaving her personal story with cutting-edge scientific research—as well as incredibly moving accounts offered by numerous lonely men and women—White provides a deep and thorough portrait of this increasingly common but too often ignored affliction. -- from TLC Book Tours

I was excited to receive this book because I live my life very isolated.  I'm extremely introverted and I don't socialize at all, even in my work setting.  I thought reading about Ms. White's struggles would help me.  As I read this book, I realized that I'm not lonely.  I'm alone but not lonely and I think there is a huge difference between the two that many don't realize.  This has nothing to do with the book, but I felt I should kind of elaborate on why I was drawn to this book initially.

I found the premise of loneliness versus depression to be a fascinating subject, however, I found the actual reading material a little dry.  Don't get me wrong, Emily White researched the heck out of loneliness and her writing is quite good.  However, much of this book read like a text-book and I was expecting more of her personal experiences with loneliness (more memoir and less text-book).

My complaints aside, I see the merit in this book as I've never really thought about chronic loneliness.  It just never entered my mind.  Ms. White did a great job researching, I cannot deny that.  My personal reading style may be different from yours, and I don't do well with studies and research.  My mind goes blank but that is a personal thing and not at all the fault of Ms. White.  I would be more interested to read her personal story without the research.  I think an online forum oh her site or blog would be great too.  It would give others a chance to share their story, and that is something I would love to read!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing this book to me as part of their program.  Check out Emily's website and her blog.  Here are the stops for the Lonely TLC Book Tour:

Tuesday, January 18, 2011:  The House of Seven Tails
Wednesday, January 19, 2011:  Sophisticated Dorkiness
Wednesday, January 26, 2011:  Silver & Grace
Friday, January 28, 2011:  BookNAround
Tuesday, February 1, 2011:  me!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011:  Lisa's Yarns
Monday, February 7, 2011:  Sara's Organized Chaos
Tuesday, February 8, 2011:  she reads and reads
Wednesday, February 9, 2011:  1330v
Thursday, February 10, 2011:  A Certain Bent Appeal

*TLC Book Tours provided a copy of this book for review on this blog as part of their TLC Book Tours Program.