Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000 by Pete Blackshaw

Subtitled: Running a business in today’s consumer-driven world.

I really enjoyed this book. Very eye-opening and engaging. The author makes relevant points about engaging with your customers via the Internet and the consumer generated media, that is really the norm these days.

It’s a small book, but packed full of useful and relevant tips and hints of how a company should respond to CGM and how to become a transparent organization. I’d recommend it to anyone in charge of marketing, public relations, customer service, or the director of an organization.

Here’s a link to the author’s blog. And a link to the book’s web site.

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

I really enjoyed this little YA novel and can’t wait to see the movie (have to wait for the video since I missed it in the theaters). This is definitely an older YA novel with some mature themes and language.

However, it’s a fun, quick read about how Nick & Norah spend an evening club hopping in New York City after Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for 5 minutes so he can avoid his ex. Just a quick story.

Classic Crave: Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dylan Sheldon

Lola has two main passions – acting and her favorite band Siddhartha. When the band announces it’s breaking up, Lola throws all her energy into convincing her mom to allow her and a friend to attend the concert and invite only party afterwards. She is also striving for the lead in the school play which her rival, Carla, has always gotten.

This was an extremely funny, laugh out loud book. Lola uses interesting turns of phrases and handles her social deep freeze with aplomb.

I watched the movie after reading this and it was OK – kept the basic plot, but things move quicker (of course) and the characters were not as well-developed. The book was definitely funnier.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

I read this because it was recommended by a friend. I enjoyed parts of it, but overall – not so much.

It’s narrated by 11 year old Reuben, who’s brother escapes from jail while on trial for killing 2 boys. Reuben’s father and sister (Swede – who is very similar to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird) travel the plains in search of Davy. Along the way they meet some interesting people and have some unusual occurrences (miracles if you will).

I’m probably not doing the book justice with this summary – it’s hard to describe the plot. The book is well-written and is quite literary with references to classic westerns, the Bible and other epics of American literature.

Classic Crave: Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani

I’m a big fan of the author’s Big Stone Gap series and I believe this was her first novel not set in Big Stone Gap.

The first chapter is set in present day, and so is the last; but the rest is a glimpse into Lucia’s life from 1950-1952 and what it’s like to be an Italian woman in Greenich Village from a large family.

Lucia is torn between her duty as a daughter and her desire to be a career woman (as a seamstress in B. Altmon’s custom department) and the expectations of a woman to settle down, cook, clean and raise children.

I thought this was extremely well-written and it reminded me of hearing about my grandmother’s young adulthood in New York City. The novel has good pacing, and some good twists in the storyline. It’s almost historical fiction. A very enjoyable read.

Classic Crave: Just One Look by Harlan Coben

When Grace picks up a newly developed roll of photos, there is a picture that doesn’t belong. It’s from 15 years ago. And of the five people in the photo, Grace doesn’t know four of them, but one looks like her husband Jack. When Jack sees the photo he denies it’s him, but that night he drives away. Not knowing why he left, Grace struggles to ask the unanswered questions brought by Jack’s disappearance. Who are the other people in the photo and what is their connection to the terrible riot 15 years ago that left Grace with a limp?

This is a fast paced novel, full of twists and turns. It has a large cast of characters but they tie together nicely. The police get a bad rap in this novel as they’re portrayed as useless. Coben’s writing style is different, but I like it.

What I Know Now edited by Ellyn Spragins

Subtitled: Letters to my younger self.

This was a book club pick and I actually had it on my shelf! (I hardly buy any books – hello? I work in a library). I had originally bought this book when I thought I’d participate in an online book discussion group but since I couldn’t ever get it together, this little book was sitting there waiting for me.

This is a quick, inspirational little book. About a page of biographical stuff about the person and then their letter. Lots of famous and successful women are included – some of my personal favorites and some I hadn’t heard of. This would make a great graduation present for a young woman (either for college or high school).

My one complaint – it ended too abruptly. I finished Trisha Yearwood’s letter and turned the page and then boom – nothing. I was let down there weren’t more letters to read. And reading this has made me want to write a letter to my younger self. Might be a good scrapbook page . . .

Love as a Way of Life by Gary Chapman

Subtitled: Seven Keys to Transforming Every Aspect of Your Life

Gary Chapman is well-known for writing The Five Love Languages which I read in August. This new book talks about what qualities a loving person demonstrates and how to become a loving person. Each chapter has questions for application at the end. This is an easy to read book and is quite thought provoking. It would be good for a church sermon series or a small group study.

Classic Crave: The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper

A coming of age for 34-year-old Joe who returns home upon his father’s major heart attack. Joe is a novelist and his first novel savaged everyone in his hometown and was made into a movie. Joe is estranged from his family and his book is not thought very highly of and various town residents harrass him. Joe hangs out with his friend Wayne, who is dying of AIDS, and in flashbacks re-lives the terrible events of his senior year of high school.

I thought this was very funny. It has a good plot and enough suspense about the events of Joe’s senior year to hold the reader’s interest. Also, it was interesting to see Joe’s reunions with his high school friends and interaction with his family.

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I read this based on a recommendation from a blog I read. The cover reads: “I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story.” This book is supposed to be a peek into life at the beginning of the 21st century and I believe the author achieves that. Various anecdotes and thoughts about life are filed alphabetically and they all make for an entertaining glimpse into her life.

It was a quick read and I enjoyed it. That’s really all I have to say. Well maybe not, I thought about AJ Jacob’s book The Know It All while reading this. Refer to my entry about his book for more. I was trying to do a comparison but it wasn’t really possible as both books have different goals. But the theme of encyclopedias resonated with me. I wonder what an encyclopedia of my life would look like.