MWF SEEKING BFF by RACHEL BERTSCHE

MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New BFF is about Rachel's search for a new best friend. She had many friends when she lived in New York, friends she had known for years. But as many people do, she graduated from college and followed her heart to be with her future husband. Living in Chicago, she had many casual friends, but no one she knew as well as she should like. No friends who knew exactly what she was thinking, or who would drop everything for her. Rachel researched a lot about friendships and their importance in life. She throws in these tidbits as she describes how she came to decide that she would go on 52 'friend dates' in an effort to find a new best friend.

How does she find friends to 'date?' Many of them were acquaintances she had met around town, some were friends of friends, others were blind dates. It really is not as easy as it was back in our school years. Some dates went better than others. She judged potential friends based on their common interests and if the conversation ever turned to television and movies. Some dates were awkward as the conversations went no where, others went well, but the friend was just too busy to truly connect.

I found this to be an interesting read because I feel like I can relate to the author. I'm at the same age and although I did not move, most of my friends moved away. I wouldn't even know where to begin to try looking for a new BFF. I'm certainly not brave enough to try what she did, but I did learn ways to meet people that don't seem weird or creepy. Overall it was entertaining and I learned a lot about the importance of friendships and overall well-being.

IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? by MINDY KALING

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and other concerns) is a collection of essays written by the adorable and honest Mindy Kaling. (Kelly from The Office) If you are looking for something spicy and scandalous, this is not your book. Mindy talks about happy and innocuous issues like weight, fashion, and friendships. She is a big fan of monogamy and not a fan of one-night stands... Chelsea Handler fans may not be amused. Instead, Mindy talks about her journey to Hollywood and the people who helped her get there. It's an interesting look at how to become a comedy writer/actress in Hollywood without changing yourself. It was not laugh out loud funny like Tina Fey's Bossypants, but it was cute-funny and lighthearted.

DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC by CANDACE MILLARD

Destiny of the Republic interweaves the stories of Charles Guiteau, James Garfield, and Alexander Graham Bell. Charles Guiteau's life story is quite fascinating and it is very clear that the man who would kill Garfield was insane.
James Garfield's story is very American for that time. He grew up poor, but was able to make a name for himself. He never aspired to be President, and reluctantly took the position. He hoped to make changes to the spoils system, but never had the chance.
Bell's story is included as he worked desperately to invent something that could detect the bullet in Garfield's back. He had an interesting history working with the deaf.
Millard is an expert at crafting nonfiction in a way that appeals to the reader. She chooses lesser known historical events and brings them to light by revealing all the characters involved. It was very hard to put down this book, wondering what would happen next. She also does this exceptionally well in The River of Doubt.
I would recommend this to anyone that is a nonfiction reader, especially of history.

ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME by BETH HARBISON

Erin has a job she usually enjoys as an events coordinator at a fancy resort. She has been dating her boyfriend Rick for exactly one year when he shows up in a limousine to take her out to celebrate. Exhausted from her long day of dealing with a bratty 15 yr old, she wearily goes to dinner and suddenly realizes that Rick is on his knee and asking her to marry him. The first thought that goes through her head is "nate" Who is Nate? Nate is introduced in the alternating chapters that tell about her teenage years. Nate was her first love. Like any teenage romance, they had their ups and downs and eventually they broke up when Erin seemed to get bored with him. Both of them were devastated, but went their separate ways and didn't contact each other. Though she had dated many guys since Nate, he was still the one she thought of when she was with Rick. Eventually Erin happens to run into Nate, and what she finds out will change her life.

I was expecting a lighthearted chick-lit book but this was much deeper. The sex scenes aren't terribly graphic, but they are described. I would recommend this book for fans of Allison Winn Scotch and Jennifer Weiner

DEATH BY THE DOZEN by JENN MCKINLAY

Death by The Dozen continues the story of the owners of Fairy Tale Cupcakes, Melanie, Angie, and Tate. Melanie is the main character and sleuth. She is dating Angie's brother Joe. Angie is her cupcake baking partner who dates a famous rock star, while Tate provides the financial backing (and is secretly in love with Angie). In this entry in the series, Melanie and Angie enter a contest at the local food festival. They are competing with other chefs from the area including their arch rival, Olivia. Each day of the competition, a mystery ingredient is revealed and they must make something delicious from it. The ingredients are odd, but things go well for the duo. That is, until one of the judges is murdered and someone tries to poison Mel and Angie. Of course Mel begins to investigate, with a little help from Uncle Stan.
This is another stellar entry into the series. A couple new characters are introduced and some tension arises within relationships. The recipes are little more 'out there' because of the odd ingredients, but would be fun to try. McKinlay has kept my interest and I look forward to the next Cupcake Bakery Mystery.

HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY by AUDREY NIFFENEGER

Wanting to read a spooky book for our October discussion, I chose Her Fearful Symmetry for book club. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, up to a certain point. The author's writing is amazing. Her words flow nicely and gave a real spooky and peculiar vibe to the book. She introduces us to two sets of characters, one is a group of people who live near a cemetery in London. The other is a family living in Illinois, consisting of a mother and father and twin 20yr old girls, Julia and Valentina. The twins are quite odd and are very close. They still dress alike and tend to do the same things everyday. However, neither of them has successfully ventured out into the real world.
Their estranged aunt Elspeth, (mother's twin sister) died and willed them her flat in the the apartment building in London, provided that they live their for a year and do not allow their parents to visit it. Also living in the building was her lover Robert and a man with severe OCD, Martin.
When the twins arrive, they were expected to be escorted around town by Robert, but he is very shy and tends to just stalk them from a distance. They befriend Martin and try to get him to break out of his shell, as he has not left his flat in many months. The most interesting part of the story is Elspeth's ghost who is gaining energy to try and 'haunt' the twins, or at least get them or Robert to notice her. As she gains strength and learns how to manipulate objects, the story takes a turn for the weird. It also gets quite a bit convoluted as readers' learn that the characters are hiding some pretty big secrets.
I enjoyed the story up until Elspeth becomes interactive. At that point, it become strange and I had to go back and read through some parts a few times to understand what was going on, and who was who. Everyone in the book club agreed, but we really enjoyed the author's writing style. If you are appreciative of good writing and an odd story, then this would be the book for you.

The Big Scrum

The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football details an important time in football history.
Miller describes how Theodore Roosevelt grew up as a sickly child, but one who would do anything to overcome his ailments. Thus, he became a solid athlete and sports enthusiast, though he never really played football. At Harvard, Teddy was a fan of the game, which looked quite a bit different than it does today. The sport resembled a more violent version of rugby. No equipment was worn, and the ball only moved forward in kicks. As the sport grew in popularity, so did the injuries and deaths of its players. This caused great concern among many people. One such person was Harvard president Charles Eliot, who want to outright ban football. He was not alone. Many schools banned the sport.
If you read The Big Scrum, you'll find out how Teddy was able to gain support for football and eventually help transition it into the game it is today.