January Book - Seriously...I'm Kidding

Lex's Review:
After religiously watching Ellen's show each day at 2 pm during my brief stint of unemployment, I was rather excited to read one of her books when Andy presented the idea. I went into it thinking that it would probably 1) make me laugh, and 2) be a whole lot of nothing mixed in with important somethings. Both were correct assumptions.

As I suspected, I found myself laughing out loud as Ellen told funny stories about completely random things. (If you like structure and books that flow, don't read this book. If you're looking for a comical point of view on serious things in life, this is probably something you'd like.) One of my favorite parts of her whole book was towards the beginning when she was talking about the beauty standards that our culture holds us to. In between jokes, she gives the reader a giant, fat gold nugget of truth. "Beauty is being comfortable with who you are." I couldn't agree more. I'd give Seriously...I'm Kidding 5 out of 5 stars for making me continuously laugh and for the many perfect one-liners.

Andy's Review:

I admire Ellen for her humor, incredible generosity, and for this prank on T-Swift. Her latest book incorporated her quick wit and comedic timing into easy writing (although, listening to her read it on audiobook is also an entertaining option). Being the kind of person that judges a book by its cover, I knew I'd love this number from the get go.

The topics read like a series of stand-up routines. Ellen hilariously covers everything from haikus to gift giving, interlaced with true snippets of applicable wisdom. I loved nearly everything she had to say, except maybe the bit about kale, because I refuse to eat anything leafy and bitter. I highly recommend adding this gem to your reading list--it'll have you laughing by the end of the first chapter.

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February's book is Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson.
 

"Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured and rejected three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain sooner rather than later and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart."