Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Book Review - Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch

So I have decided that I'm going to start doing book reviews. Here's my first.


Synopsis:

Southern housewife Linwood Breedlove Scott was happily content in her comfortable, complacent thirty-year marriage, but when her husband cleans out their bank accounts and runs off with a stripper, her life takes a hilarious, yet touching, right turn into reality. With no place to go but home, she's forced back to her insular hometown and the "eccentric" family she escaped by marrying at nineteen: her senile father, her loving-yet-controlling mother, her long-suffering aunt, her crazy uncle, and her good-for-nothing brother. But despite her newly dependent situation and her family's genteel insanity, Lin begins to stand on her own two feet and wake up to the joys-and perils-of life as a single woman. And she also learns surprising lessons about her family: that things aren't always what they seem, and that the power of love governs even the most dysfunctional of relationships. This joy-filled, moving, and wise-cracking novel delivers a portrait of Southern life, Southern families, and self-discovery that readers will never forget. (courtesy of http://www.haywoodsmith.net/queenbee.html)

I found this book courtesy of some random browsing at the library. I admit, I judged the book by the cover. I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't able to relate to the main character's situation, but I was able to relate to her. She was a refreshingly honest character. I had thought this would be a 15 minute a night book. Instead, I read through the whole thing in 2 evenings. I'm a pretty avid popular fiction reader, and I can usually determine the direction of the story pretty early. I found myself anticipating a certain direction, and then being quite surprised when that didn't come true. Sometimes this annoys me (seems like the author is purposely being misleading), but I didn't mind it here. Because it made sense. She wasn't doing anything out of character or storyline. I will definitely be reading Haywood Smith's other books. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

i am having a bad day

well the stress has shown itself.

i was supposed to get my ingrown toenail removed today. i called and made an appointment and said that I wanted them to take care of it that day, so she made sure to schedule enough time. well apparently, my doctor missed the point, because she said that she couldn't do it today. couldn't really give me a reason. she said it is because it was infected, but it isn't infected right now. there is no swelling or puss today. there was a few days ago, but i cleaned it out. so now i have to deal with this stupid ingrown toenail until after we move. on top of that, my blood pressure is high. it has been under control for the last year primarily because i was losing weight. well i gained about 5ish pounds in the last few weeks, and i'm incredibly stressed right now, so no surprise, my blood pressure was up. so now i have to go get these stupid tests, and she wants to talk about getting back on medicine. when i tried to explain that it was stress related, she didn't really respond, and still wants me to get some blood work done. so now on top of every thing else, i need to lose a chunk of weight before june 7 (my next appointment), and get my blood pressure under control.

i have had a blinding headache since I woke up. i had a nasty customer on the phone who proceeded to rip me a new one, and i haven't been able to stop crying since. i am having a bad day.