Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One by Rapahelle Giordano

I saw this little paperback at B&N a month or so ago and thought it looked like a fun little book to read. And it was! It took me longer to read it, even thought it's just over 200 pages. I finally picked it back up a few days ago and spent some time finishing it. Silly as it may sound, I think I needed to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate the message.

Camille is 38, a married woman with a young son, living and working in Paris. She's unhappy with her career, her relationships with her husband and son are strained, and she's at the end of her rope. A broken down car during a rainstorm changes her life in ways she just could never imagine. 

Camille takes shelter in a nearby home, and while waiting for help, begins talking to Claude, who tells her he's a routinologist and if she agrees to follow his instructions, he can help her change her life for the better. With nothing to lose, Camille agrees, and begins her journey to happiness by following Claude's directions. 

Camille's journey to self-awareness and making positive changes is a bit bumpy, but as she follows Claude's advice, she begins to realize that everything she's working on is starting to have positive impacts on her life. Clearing all the clutter from her home is one step to being able to think clearly and breathe deeply. Working on her relationships with her husband and son are others. Building her self confidence by focusing on the great things about herself, and not "feeding the rats" of self-doubt, fear, and the part of her that likes to complain. Being confident in her own skin. Claude's approach to each lesson is little bit different each time, but each lesson is valuable and helps Camille move along her path towards enlightenment, happiness, and success in her work and home environments. 

This is a feel-good self-help book wrapped up in a novel, and it's perfect for anyone who needs a little boost in self-confidence, or someone who is stuck and needs a little kick in the butt to get moving. The author even has a little dictionary at the back of the book with all the routinologist terms and definitions handy for you to use in your life. This novel is translated from French, and is a huge hit in Europe. Buy it, read it, and gift it to your sisters, your Mom, and your friends. 

Rating: 4/6 for an empowering, fun novel about making positive changes and the magic that will flow from them. It's true: the more good vibes you put out, the more you get back. The Universe is pretty cool that way. 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One by Rapahelle Giordano

I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin

My friend Mad loaned me her copy of this novel, otherwise I would have missed it completely.  It took me awhile to get around to reading it, but it is a quick read once you start.  It is funny, sad, and captures the stress of trying to take care of an aging parent while still attempting to have a life.

Tig Monahan is a woman in the middle of a whole lot of change.  Her job as a therapist is ending, her boyfriend Pete is moving to Hawaii and expects Tig to come along with him; her mother Hallie is suffering from dementia and has just been moved to a nursing home.  Tig is unhappy, and the world is moving way too fast for her to cope. 

It's especially hard for Tig to reconcile the woman her mother is now with the woman she used to be.  A successful veterinarian with her own practice; a single mother bringing up two girls after her husband's unexpected death.  A take charge, no fear kind of lady.  But that's all gone now; Hallie is lost in her memories and sometimes can't even recognize Tig.  Wendy, Tig's older sister, lives away from her sister and mother, but comes home unexpectedly with a surprise:  she's very pregnant and a bit lost herself.  Giving birth to Clementine, Wendy can't cope at all with a colicky baby, postpartum depression, and her feelings of inadequacy.  She takes off, leaving Tig to take care of Clementine and Hallie.  Garvin perfectly captures the hardships of being a sandwich generation adult; coping with elderly parents and children and trying to have a life of your own.

 It's a huge juggling act, and Tig struggles.  Her relationship with Pete is still up in the air, but there's Alec, a cute widower who's mother is a sassy resident at the nursing home. There's also her stint as a radio show host for a call in therapy show.  It's growing in popularity, but Tig feels like a fraud.  

I enjoyed this novel; there were certainly parts that had me teary-eyed and nodding my head in agreement.  My experience with my mother, who had dementia and health issues that lead to her death in December 2015 had some similarities to Tig's experience.  It is heartbreaking to realize the parent you knew is no longer the person in front of you; that they sometimes don't recognize you, and revert back to people and places that are far back in time.  There were many times I left my Mom's apartment in tears.  Taking care of a parent is a huge struggle, and it can create issues between siblings you never thought would ever happen.  It forces you to look at life differently, and think about your own mortality.  

I liked Tig; she annoyed me occasionally, but overall I could understand her motives.  It seems when your life is chaotic, the most change happens and propels you forward whether you're ready or not.  That certainly happens to Tig.  I also enjoyed seeing the change in her relationship with Wendy from one of anger and resentment to one of friendship and solidarity.  Tig has a rocky road, but plenty of people around her who support her and push her forward.  

Rating:  4/6 for an entertaining, touching, and wise look at life's beginnings and endings and all the stuff in between.  

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin