Review: Sara's Laughter

Title: Sara's Laughter
Author: Tom Milton
Length: 196 pages
Publisher: Nepperhan Press LLC
Genre: Fiction, Religious fiction
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:  
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Sara, a woman in her mid-thirties, is trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant. Her hope is kept alive by a dream in which she hears God tell her husband that she will have a baby. When something unexpected happens it looks as if her dream will come true, but when her plan is thwarted Sara discovers a side of her nature she never imagined.

My Review:  I received this book as an ARC from Goodreads. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. I will start by saying that I am not a Catholic and this book relies heavily on the basis of Catholic faith. I am also very aware of and active in the adoptive community which is also a subject depicted in this book, not in the best of lights. The two previously stated facts mean that I might not be the best person to review this book.

However with that said, I did not find this book an enjoyable read. This book hit on many serious topics none of which were properly fleshed out. The characters were two dimensional and very stereotypical. I found myself actively disliking all of the characters. The story jumped around in time in a way that was not logical to me. The writing also caused me to need to re-read many sentences because the author would put a comment in quotations as part of a conversation and then follow it with "but I didn't say that". I was very ready for this story to end and end it did in a very tidy, pretty little package that was very unfulfilling and unrealistic.

Review: Stiletto 911

Title: Stiletto 911: The Makeover Manifesto of a Career Woman
Authors: Vivian Valtas Schmidt, Sue Publicover
Length: 269 pages
Publisher: Glamour Press House
Genre: Self-help, Chick-lit, Fiction
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): “No matter how bad you’re feeling, you perk up when you have something to strut about — and in. But, while shoes are fun, stilettos represent a challenge. You can’t possibly slip on a pair of four-plus-inch stilettos for the first time and walk the walk without wobbling. Everyone starts in flats, because there’s no challenge to walking around in them — nor do you enjoy the feel of red-hot femininity and admiring glances. You have to work your way up, and the same is true in business: Inch by inch, we get taller. Our confidence rises. We will undoubtedly stumble —that’s called 'experience' — but we will never give up.”

Morgan Demarest is a twenty-three year old fashion diva who has a passion for shopping, stilettos, and indulgence. But her spree-filled life takes a life-altering turn when her fiery artist lover tosses Morgan and her precious designer wardrobe out of his Chicago loft. Having been raised by well-meaning parents who swooped in and saved the day on countless occasions, Morgan is distraught to find that safety net is now gone. As her self-centered world crumbles, Morgan is forced to take a hard look at her past, present, and future. She begins a surprising journey of self-discovery on the road to a new life — in the company of a 21st century Fairy Godmother who has her own set of rules.

This fable for today’s woman also features a series of 'footnotes' with advice, ideas, exercises, and the occasional kick in the big girl panties.

My Review:  This book sounded like it would be a fun read. I must admit that it was an easy read and it had some amusing moments and some of your typical self-help advice which everyone could use a reminder of now and then.

However the Fairy Godmother really irritated me. I don't think that there was any point where I liked her, which decidedly took away from the story. I also found that the timeline was a little hard to follow, i.e. had just one day past of a couple of months, and a few characters who commanded attention and weren't followed through with properly as the story progressed. Some of the advice given occasionally seemed to contradict, or be at odds with, other advice and the general intention of the book. Possibly a small or petty issue I had was some proof-reading errors and sentences that started with "and" and "but". These would not normally be a breaking point but along with the other issues I had they were noticeable.  In the end the story was summarily and tritely ended.

I hope that some people get some needed advice from this book and that I eventually get back into my stilettos. Unfortunately I would not recommend this book to my friends.