Short on time, but want to read?

This is a post of a different color.  Time spent wisely is a good deal in my book, so here are some reads that are definitely worth the effort.  Three books about major life changes, which I've recently undergone, since deciding to be home with my kids:

1. Bitter is the New Black, by Jen Lancaster

What happens when a young professional gets laid off from her big, corporate career?  Her husband gets laid off, too.  A memoir of how a seemingly terrible event turned her entire life in a new and better direction. Her language can be crude, but I love that she is an active participant in her own life - she is willing to make changes, change direction and roll with the punches. 


(At the unemployment office) “With my most winning Miss America-style grin, I reply, “What I’m sayin’ is I’m completely overqualified for every position I’ve come across so far. What I’m askin’ is do you have any job listings that don’t suck?”

2.  A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Another memoir. A young man tragically loses both his parents to cancer.  He is forced into a parent role for his young brother.  I love Dave Eggers' language.  The book can be very sad, you can sense that he is mourning his parents and the immediate end of his own youth.  His cadence really speaks to me - it's like modern beat generation.  


"I am emboldened by youth, unfettered and hopeful, though inextricably tied to the past and future by my beautiful brother, who is part of both."



3.  In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
I'm not really a fan of chick lit and I would argue vehemently that neither Bitter (#1 on my list), nor ANY book by Jennifer Weiner falls into this category.  This protagonist of this book is a corporate-type who slowly comes into her and realizes there is more to life than work.  The book is way more evocative than the movie.  


"Rose eventually managed to fill three shopping bags with things she didn't need, with anything that caught her eye and gave her even a second's hope that her life -- that she herself -- could be repaired.""