Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Book Review: Leaning Into The Curves



Every day this little old blog of mine gets
hit repeatedly from a certain google search.
Bucket list.
It has to do with this old post of mine.

It seems that everybody has a bucket list.
I know I do.
Funny that one thing I mentioned doing
in that old bucket list post
happened years ago at
The Rose Parade.
I asked a complete stranger for a ride
on the back of his Harley.
Fast Eddie was so sweet to me and graciously obliged.
is one of my fondest memories.
You have to just throw caution to the wind and enjoy life.

It is still on my bucket list to
ride across the country on a motorcycle,
stopping to see all the sites.
Funny that my husband's bucket list
has the same cross-country trip,
but his chosen choice of transportation is an RV.

Someday our dreams will have to be negotiated.
I know this.
That is why I loved this line from Hank
to his loving wife, Molly, in
"The answers I need are right here.
You and me together."
Negotiation isn't a chore
when you have each other.

The jist of the whole book for me was:
when you love someone,
you make it work,
no matter what.
You compromise,
you change,
and communicate,
and you overcome fears,
and choose to trust each other
and love your differences.
Now who can't use a book like that?
Leaning Into The Curves
felt like a real life love story.
That is much preferred by this realist,
over all that impossible romance rhetoric.

The authors, Anderson and Morris,
are obvious pros at this marriage thing.
While reading the book,
I found myself following along on my
own Honda Gold Wing,
touring with the Temple Riders Association,
on a wonderful adventure,
full of charming life-like characters.

It was an extra bonus
that I was also taken through
some marriage counseling, too.
The authors are not just wise
wives, mothers, and grandmothers,
obviously in touch with an array of life challenges,
but they are witty,
and very stealth with their flawless life coaching
through great story telling.
And I know you can all use some
bonus marriage counseling
and life coaching.

Reading this story
was like sitting at the feet
of a beloved grandmother,
where she is effortlessly telling her life stories,
and everything that she says
is exactly what I needed to hear.


Although there are some
disappointing "for Mormon eyes only" references,
I still think even Non-Mormons could
relate and be entertained.
(But what do I know about writing for a specific audience?)

It was a really light and fun read.
And funny. Did I mention funny?
And I am not just saying that because
they sent me a free copy to review.
I would give it a strong 4 stars.
I rarely give out a 5.
Like maybe 10 adult books in the whole universe.

So buy it.
This would be a great gift for
retired people,
best girl friends you love to walk with,
newly-married people,
motorcycle loving people,
adventurous people,
people with an irrational fear,
people who need to find a hobby,
or people who need to create a bucket list.

And if you are never going to read this book,
do one thing,
get back in touch with your bucket list.
Don't wait until you are retired to enjoy life a little.
I relearned that important truth in the pages of this book.

Oh, and they nailed the end.
I never love the end.
This one was great.
And I was happy for the closure,
which was somewhere between,
"they lived happily ever after"
and
"they loved each other all along".

7 comments:

ShEiLa said...

Sounds like I need to read this book. Isn't it amazing that everyone can relate to the 'bucket list' idea... there is always something you put off til tomorrow that you should be doing today... especially when you really want to do it.

ToOdLeS.

Jenny said...

I am adding it to my good reads list right now. Great Review!

Carroll said...

Yikes! I don't know how I missed your review. I've been trying to be so good about letting bloggers know how much Nancy and I appreciate their kind words.

I didn't hate what you wrote--I loved it! So fun to read, and the nice things you said made my day. (Actually I saw it first on Goodreads.)

Consider yourself duly acknowledged and praised! Many thanks from Nancy and me.

tiki_lady said...

You know if you click on anyone of the pictures of Nauvoo or all of them, they BLOW up BIG! no more straining eyes.

i'm not much of a reader for entertainment. I read for informational purposes only. I read HP because my daughter was in the first grade and wanted to start reading them. I heard they had wizardry? so I chose to read them first and got hooked. I read Twilight because of the same daughter 13 wanted to read these books. I heard of vampires and thought I should read first.
I do read church books but obviously they are so I can desperately help myself out and I since married I have only read two other books for "joy" because ladies at work were in a book club and kept talking about it. The Shack, HATED IT, and House of Glass. Liked it, it really helped me to be more grateful.

sherry said...

I was looking for a good book. Love your blogs.

Rita said...

This sounds like a book I absolutely need to read. Thanks for the great review. I will add it to my "to read" list straight away! :)

Marilyn said...

I JUST finished this and I 100% agree with your review!