Unstoppable In Stilettos: A Book Review and Giveaway

The winner of the Laws of Attraction giveaway is #4. Julie, send me your snail mail so I can get this to you.

I have loved mysteries starting with my Nancy Drew days, then I moved on to Agatha Christie & think I've owned most of them at one time or another.

I don't know who my favorite author is now, but I tend to like the fluffy ones that involve food, cats, knitting or all of the above. I use them as sleeping pills...

Posted by: Julie M | October 11, 2010 at 10:19 AM

I was scheduled to do this book review today and I didn’t receive the book until Wednesday, so I was a little worried. But, the up side to subbing in middle and high schools is that daily prep period—when you have nothing to prep you can read—and so, I did. Through lunch and prep on Friday and then when I got home.

I am not generally a big self-help person, but I really enjoyed this outside-the-box, practical and positive memoir/advice book.

To start with, Lauren Ruotolo is definitely the kind of person you can imagine meeting at a party and being taken with—she exudes a spirit of fun. She’s up front about her physical difficulties and the obstacles those difficulties have presented in her life. BUT, she views obstacles as something to be overcome—and her indomitable spirit lets her do that; it also encouraged her to share how she does it.

I think this would be an excellent graduation book for any young woman and a great choice for someone that might be struggling with a sense of self (which pretty much covers all teenagers).

It’s not a weighty tome, and the tone is decidedly breezy, but the messages, and the anecdotes she chooses to illustrate them, are compelling.

My favorite chapter is the one called, Pay your Dues. Yes! I say; recognize that we all need to pay our dues. But Lauren says it better than I do, so listen to her instead.

What piece of life advice do you give when asked? Leave me a comment and I’ll pick a winner next week.

 

Thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to review this book.

Comments

[unmitigated me]

Choose your attitude! If you opt for negativity, life can really suck. And a short story that brought me to tears: When I returned to college for my teaching degree, a prof recommended me for a small scholarship from a women's center in Ann Arbor. The woman who was the speaker at the awards ceremony shared a laundry list of her accomplishments, even though at the same time she was internally wondering why she had been asked to speak. She had to look in the mirror and tell herself, "I am a success," until she believed it. What woman HASN'T had that experience. It actually made me weep. She told us to "Shine out loud!" If we don't do it for ourselves, who else will?

[Lisa Munley]

Whew!! That was a close call. So sorry the book went out late but I'm glad you were able to read it so quickly and that you enjoyed it. I think I forgot to tell you that you can give one away to a reader! Whoops, I'm sorry! Feel free to do that if you'd like (US/Canada only, no PO Boxes) and send me your winner's info at the end.

Thank you so much!

[Jenn @ Juggling Life]

Great! I was going to give mine away, but now I can do the giveaway and keep a copy.
Jenn

[green girl in wisconsin]

What a great book for young women breaking into the world on their own!
I always tell people "When God shuts a door he opens a window." Hearing "No" means other opportunities are knocking.

[Meg]

Oh what a lovely book! I may have to get my sister that book.

Life is a choice. While we may try to control so much outside of ourselves, we truly can only control ourselves. Our attitudes, our reactions, etc. are all up to us. As I come to accept this, it makes me feel empowered in myself.

Thanks for the review! Take care!

[Baby Favorite]

I always remind people to think positively. I truly believe it not only affects certain outcomes in life but also how we see things.

[MIME]

Wow, this sounds like a book my 18 yo daughter should read. She's definately a glass half-empty sort of kid and hasn't found her inner power yet. Thanks for the review.

[busy bee suz]

This sounds like a good book for my oldest.
I think having a positive attitude in life is key to being happy.

[The Girl Next Door]

My #1 advice is: communication is the key to everything, good job, good friendships, good relationships, personal happiness. If you can communicate clearly and openly, life will be so much better. And I learned this the HARD way living with someone for 20 years who refused to communicate.

[Jamie]

My favorite advice (passed down from Dad) is "In five years, will this still be a big deal?" And in most situations . . . it just won't.

[Jocelyn]

I do okay with parenting advice, 'tho I never dish it out unsolicited. But when new moms look at me with desperation in their eyes, I have a little speech that begins with "It gets better" and then progresses into details of how the first three months of the baby's life suck; the second three months still suck but occasionally yield smiles; the six-month age marks a "maybe I can do this after all" period, followed by 9 months of age, whereupon there are glimmers of "being a parent might actually be something I want to do after all," and then at a year, there is a feeling of "sometimes this is fun, and I no longer feel like jamming a pencil into my eye."