For the record, I've been enthralled by the great Rachael Ray for years.  I loved the woman before the talkshow and at the start of 30 Minute Meals.  Anyways, that's really not that relevant to this story...  I chose to read/purchase one of Valerie Bertinelli's books because I have seen her on Rachael Ray's talk show and loved her.  She was such a great guest on Rachael's show, and I was now totally inspired by her fitness goals.  It only seemed right to get her book.

Finding It: And Finally Satisfying My Hunger for Life by Valerie Bertinelli
Wow is Valerie right... So many people think that weight loss is the journey.  But really, maintaining a lifestyle is the journey.  It would seem to me, that weight loss is then end of one chapter -- not the beginning of a new one.  Val discusses in her book how she thought losing the excess weight was going to be the hard part.  After than, what could she possibly need to do?  It turns out, that this is the true journey.  It's the journey to finding out the parts of yourself that you have been hiding over the years, and it's the journey to molding your new self.

At the start of every chapter, Valerie includes a few "Notes to Myself."  I thought that instead of chronicling everything that she said, I would pick out a few of those notes and explain how they make me feel.

I can already feel the holiday stress.  Remember it takes two to make an argument.  So bite your tongue and work on patience and compromise.  It's easier than waiting for everyone else to realize they were wrong and need to apologize -- ha!

I love this quote.  I think that this is something so relevant to me.  I get frustrated at holidays because somehow most of my family believes pretty similarly.  They are generally pretty conservative.  I'm not sure what happened to me along the way (high school, college, friends etc...) but I believe more liberally than most of my family.  I actually would rather think that I like to be fair.  I live my life somewhat conservatively, but I believe pretty liberally.  I want to have some sort of understanding that everyone deserves an opinion and a choice.  This can sometimes frustrate a girl living with a family of conservatives.  I'm sure they sometimes think I'm out of my mind too!  But it takes two to argue and we all need to step back and enjoy the time with my family.

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." --Theodore Suess Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

What a beautiful statement.  One thing that I've started to really appreciate, is Valerie's intentions to speak out.  She first wanted to share her journey to weight loss, but it became so much more.  Valerie was sharing about the emotions that caused weight gain.  As she continues to maintain her new lifestyle, I can only imagine how difficult it is.  I'm only speculating, but I would assume that there are people who criticize her for telling the world so much about her life and her struggles.  I think that although she was overweight, and probably considered obese at her heaviest, some people would suggest that there are people worse off than her.  Plus she has that "Star Tells All" stigma attached--unfairly, I might add.  I'm glad that those people didn't stop her from sharing her journey.  Because I don't mind... so I must matter :)

Remember, you are not trying to lose weight or maintain the weight you've lost so much as you're trying to continue to improve the way you think about your body and therefore yourself, since you are your body.  Make that connection.

I think that this sums up the journey that Valerie is talking about throughout the entire book.  Improve the person that you are, the rest will come consequently.  All I really have to say, "AMEN!"  I love this book.

It's inspirational, funny, anecdotal and honest.  There's nothing more I need to say!

There are people in the world that others wish they could emulate. There are the big ones like Mother Teresa and Gandhi, but then there are also the little ones. For instance, when I was 10, I really wanted to be Marie Osmond. The woman had eight siblings, she was an actress and she could sing very well. When most kids were sleeping in until their parents insisted that they be awake for at least half of the natural daylight hours, I would set my alarm for 7:50 in the morning to watch the Donny and Marie Show every day in the summer. It may have been 1995 or 1996, but I dusted off my dad's old turntable and pulled out my mother's old vinyl records so that I could listen to "Paper Roses" over and over again until my parents threatened to use the record as a Frisbee for our dog.

The above is an excerpt from a nonfiction piece that I wrote on people that helped me sculpt myself into the person I wanted to be.  Marie was an influence in my life that helped me mold my life for a number of reasons.  Having this book in my hands was a long time coming.  I love Marie Osmond A LOT.  And after my thought provoking and deep experience reading Maureen McCormick's book, I needed a pick me up.  My number four pick in this journey was a no brainer!


Might As Well Laugh About It Now:
Marie Osmond has that squeaky Osmond image.  I think that although this book exposes some of those imperfect moments that Marie has experienced in her life, Marie still lives up to the "good-girl" image.  She is still a good and Godly person.  She maintains her faith and grounded in family throughout all of the crazy Osmond family fame.  All the other biographies are about the recovery from the character that the person is known for and the mistakes that they made.  I feel like Marie's book is different because she didn't totally play a character.  Her actual name was attached to the characters and work that she did. 

Her trademark sense of humor and light tone is evident in her writing.  She can take a serious situation and change the mood in a heartbeat.  This is clearly something that she does in her every day life.  Everyone who watches tv may remember that little moment on Dancing with the Stars when Marie fainted on live television--after which she recovered with a slight bow to the crowd!  It is this kind of action that makes Marie who she is.  If you want a nice story that ends with a good laugh, read the chapter titled "I'd rather play the toilet."  Haha... still make me laugh every time!

Interesting points in her story were recounts of some of the struggles.  Although a grounded Osmond, Marie was not immune to hardship.  Feeling less than perfect in the beauty department is something most girls experience at one time or another.  Being on a television show and hearing that you should lose some weight is one thing, but to overhear someone calling you the fat sister when you are quite young must be even more devastating.  Bouts with anorexia, bulimia and emotional eating are some of the most serious matters that Marie covers in her book.  It saddens me that beautiful young girls like Marie must face societies imperfections, but it is even worse that these young women only know dangerous ways to take matters into their own hands. 

One last thing, the way that Marie listens to the voice within her is truly gorgeous.  She may not always understand what the voice is asking her to do, but over and over again she sees that it pays off to listen.  Her children are safe from a fire and her integrity has not been compromised.  I would hope that more people would be able to do the same... but then again Marie has had a lifetime of learning how to hear the proper voice.  Others might need some "training" in what the voice within them sounds like.

Osmond and Marie Osmond fans will love this book... but I think that so many others will enjoy a somewhat light-hearted story of a beautful woman.  She has learned so much along the way and can now share that journey.  Plus the stories involving her mom, Olive Osmond, truly show the goodness that humans can share with one another.

Ok... I have a definite confession to make... this part two blog is going to be a little hard to write.  I lent my copy of Maureen's book out to my aunt.  She grew up with the Brady's and was interested based on some of my review.  Anyways, I thought I was just going to write this post in a snap.  It would be simple... but then I'm at Barnes and Noble getting ONIB books #6 and #7.  Maureen McCormick's lovely face is staring up at me from the table in the front... luckily, I was able to muster up a touch of self-control and refrain from buying a second copy of the book.  However, not having the book makes it hard for me to write exactly what I want to say, but here goes!


Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice:
Maureen's struggle with drugs is a little bit shocking.  I'm not shocked so much that she used drugs or drank, but I was really surprised that she was such a heavy user.  The nickname "the hoover" is probably not one of her most proud.  I think that I gained respect for Maureen as a person and an actor when I learned of this.  I was under the impression that Maureen was a goody-goody.  Her intense use of cocaine reminded me that she is just a person trying to live her life.  She was coping with the situation at hand.  Clearly, her life spun out of control when she felt that loved the coke more than she loved any person.

In part two of her book, Maureen recounts some of those experiences she had working while high and the desperate situations she put herself in to remain high.  This part of her journey culminates in one quote that I love:

I was teetering on the edge, totally crazed--and about to crash.

I think that in some form, most people have this feeling at one time or another.  I don't suggest that all people have this experience as literally as Maureen, but it should be familiar to most.  As this is something that is pretty universal, I think the story is more about how Maureen handled and recovered from this feeling of being at rock bottom.  The idea that people hit the lowest of lows is interesting to me and this quote helps explain why.  It's as though you finally feel like you have hit the bottom, but it turns out that there is still room for you to fall further down the edge of a cliff.  The story of a saving yourself right before you crash is always really beautiful.  Generally, most people who pull themselves out of a pit talk about someone who helped them.  But in the end, I believe that they helped themselves.  They wanted to be saved; they wanted the help to conquer their demons. 

Most people would think that since Maureen conquered the six year battle with cocaine that her life has been much better since.  Although that is not entirely untrue, Maureen's admission to living with adult depression is also something that I see as courageous and  brave.  She continued to struggle even as her life was put back together.  There were other older demons that she needed to battle before she could be in a much better place.  Getting her depression under control and sharing her life's story with her daughter Natalie is one of the last pieces.  I commend her on sharing this with more than just her daughter. 

I loved this book (obviously) and am so glad that Maureen felt the desire to share it with the world.  She is inspirational on so many different levels and has conquered so much.  The words on the page provide a quick read with great feeling beneath.  I can't wait to get my copy back!

I'll admit it... I used to watch Maureen on that show with the country music.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, the show was SO awesome that I can't remember what that show was called.  On that show Maureen McCormick did spark my interest because there Marcia Brady sat chain smoking with Bobby Brown.  I loved it!  The good girl breaking out of her entertainment-made-mold to live in reality.  Then I saw her on the Rachael Ray Show.  She was a little annoying, but I was still interested.  Her book was on the really cheap table at Barnes & Noble when I went and picked up some other books; I had a gift card with enough money to add that book to the pile.  Thus, the story of how I chose to read Maureen's book.

**The following is part one of my thoughts on Maureen's book... it is definitely going to take more than one post...

Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice:
So I read the book in just over a 24 hour period.  I've been reading Wicked for a year, and I finish this book in a snap.  Let me just say, I am far more surprised than any of you.  I can't believe how riveting the woman's life really is.  Just as a quick note, as I was reading, I recalled a piece from Tracey Gold's autobiography.  She struggled with eating disorders and said that any girl who struggles with an eating disorder should refrain from reading books about the subject because it may play a role in a relapse.  That should be a note with Maureen's book.  She is really open and honest.  It's truly beautiful -- but addicts beware: she recounts many experiences with cocaine.  She doesn't sugar-coat by any means, but be prepared.

There were so many places in this book that I gained respect for the actress.  Seeing her on talkshows and hearing about the feuds and other tabloid stories paint her in an interesting light.  She really is haunted by Marcia Brady--which is understandable on some level.  People related to her character as children and grew up with her.  This forms a special and strange bond between their reality and her fantasy.  The stories that the tabloids tell don't look at her as the person she is today but as the real life Marcia Brady.

As a child, I never really appreciated the Brady Bunch.  I didn't care for the show because it was old and had that weird color that scared me (yeah, I was a weird kid...).  But knowing a little bit more about Maureen, the Brady kids and the adults on the show, I am curious and want the DVDs.  I love that in this real-life-story the actual Brady's don't emulate their characters.  Underage drinking, drugs and homosexuality... hard to believe that these issues plagued the Brady's and 30 years later we still struggle with them.

When discussing Kristin Chenoweth's book, I mentioned that Kristin had a unique take on her story because she wasn't trying to teach me a lesson.  I definitely had the feeling that Maureen did not set out to teach a lesson about not starting cocaine and how to turn your life around after hitting rock bottom.  It felt more genuine.  She was sharing this journey of how it took her decades to come in to her own person.  She struggled through so many things because she had been Marcia or seen as someone else.  She needed to come to terms with what it meant for her to be Maureen.

This is where my reflection ends today... but in the next day or two I will post another entry on this same book.  I loved it so much and learned so much that it only seemed fair to give it two posts.  The next post will be more specific to some of the themes in the book.

xoJLG

This book took me a LONG time to read.  I started it sometime in the summer of 2009 when I learned the movie was coming out.  I really like to read the book before I see the movie even though I am always sorely disappointed by the film versions.  I finally finished the novel; well, sort of.  I definitely cheated because I could not bring myself to actually finish.  With the last 100-150 pages I skipped a huge chunk, checked the internet for a basic idea and then skimmed for some good dialogue.  Some of you might think that this doesn't count towards one of my 50, but I am going to count it.  I read over half of it legitimately and should get some points for actually finishing the torturous thing.

The Time Traveler's Wife:
If you hadn't guessed... I didn't like this book.  I was extremely disappointed.  Normally, if I struggle through a book when I finish I have this great sense of accomplishment and appreciation for the beauty of the literature.  This book left me feeling like I had wasted my time.  I didn't end up watching the movie, which was my ultimate goal.  I just felt that the beautiful themes that were represented in the book didn't meet my expectations.  The idea that there most couples or soul-mates share a spectacular attraction and often have many common interests that suffer from some sort of disjointedness is a really beautiful subject to explore.

Similar to that topic, there are many amazing aspects of life that are explored in this story.  The concept of freewill has always been complicated and often rooted in a religious context.  By taking away some of the freewill of the characters it's interesting to think about what ways people experience the lack of freewill in their own lives.  I think about how expectations from family, friends and my peers lead me to pursue particular paths.  Although they don't literally tell me which road to take, my surrounding community does expect me to act in a particular way.  The idea that a child can be anything they want when they grow up isn't totally true.  I wanted to do lots of theater when I was younger and try my hand as a professional actor.  I never acted on these passions because of what others would say.  In some way, the community I was a part of was holding my freewill captive.

There are these fabulous themes to the story, but I didn't feel that these were represented that well in the story.  I don't recommend this to readers unless they really liked the movie.  I think you of all people might have a chance to love it.

For my first book, I decided to read a biography by one of my all time favorite entertainers.  Before this book, I have followed Kristin Chenoweth through You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Wicked.  I listened to the soundtracks and her other music religiously for years.  I watched and bookmarked pretty much every interview that Kristin did on YouTube.  So, when I saw her book in paperback, I knew that I had to read it.  This is my first of the many book reviews to come in my personal 50 ONIB Books Challenge.

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages:
I've loved Kristin for a long time, and I was really interested in learning about Kristin's writing style and her her life in general.  As a future English teacher, let's touch on Kristin's writing first...
When you start reading this, be aware that her writing style is truly unique.  There are periodic interjections in the present by some of her friends and some crazy jumps from subject to subject.  This writing style has truly impressed me.  I not only respect that Kristin has written down her thoughts in a very beautiful way, but she didn't take the easy route.  Some people's lives are best told in chronological order, and some people do it chronologically because it is easier.  Kristin flows from one topic to another like we are in a general conversation with her.  I have to say, after I understood her personal craft, I loved this aspect of her writing.

I've decided to share just a few things that I really enjoyed about this story.  I loved that Kristin's sense of humor was very visible.  One of my favorite interjections by her best friend Denny would be the story of Kristin's summer-long costume malfunction.  It's a cute anecdote and funny to think that all summer she was so uncomfortable.  It only took one quick suggestion from her best friend to expose her... well "blonde" moment.   I love that she owns that moment.  I feel like people often leave out those moments where they are not necessarily proud of their mishaps, but Kristin dives right in and exposes her little imperfections.

Similarly, I loved her little sayings.  They were cute and hilarious at the same time.  I loved when she mentioned that her mom once looked at her as though she had asked her to take out the oven and reinstall it upside down.  This little saying is not only cute, but if you think about it literally it totally gets her point of ridiculousness across.  I love that about her sayings.

One last thing I want to share about Kristin's book is that this type of autobiography or memoir is seemingly unique in that I did not feel like she was trying to teach me a lesson based on her experiences and past.  This absolutely felt more like Kristin was being completely real and just sharing stories of her life.  I learned that following my intuition with faith and hope can lead to dreams come true, but this was not a lesson forced on me.  I greatly appreciated this aspect.

Overall, Broadway fans and Sesame Street lovers alike will find this to be a beautiful and humorous piece of literature that they must read and share.  But those who have never encountered Kristin's work before will also come to love and enjoy her life and work through her words.

By the way... follow Kristin on twitter @KChenoweth

xoJLG

Ok... as for my lack of creativity, I've named my next challenge 50 Old, New and In-Between Books. The idea is that I will read 50 books, some classic (old), some modern (new) and everything that doesn't fit into classic or modern literature (in-between). I will read all 50 by September 1, 2010. I can say that I am currently finishing up book #5 at the moment. I have started posts for each of the first four books, but I need a little more time. I am putting up one post per book in the order that I read them. I will try to include my inspiration for reading the book and then my thoughts and feelings on some of the books contents. If for some reason I find it necessary to disclose some important information from the plot of a book that I think would be classified as a spoiler, I will note as so. Read along with me, read on your own, set your own goals, whatever you like. Be sure to leave comments whenever possible.

xoJLG

Sometimes it's hard to believe what makes the national headlines.  Two women that go on television without their makeup is the story that follows the giant oil mess...  hmmm... where are our priorities?

Regardless of the publicity, I do commend Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on the 86th hour of the Today Show.  I love to watch their first segments and sometimes even finish watching the show.  I really appreciated that they were willing to bare themselves to the world.  I was especially interested because when I look at my skin and some of the uneven coloring, I feel like I am a rare case.  This is because most people must cover up with foundation.  Looking at all of the ladies who participated in a makeup free day, it is clear that my problems are not uncommon.  It reminded me that when I compare myself to people on tv and other women that I know, I need to think about the ways in which myself and others choose to hide their insecurities.

Well, that's just a little food for thought I suppose... Two posts in the same night; do I get a prize?

Wow... a few years ago I said I would be back.  Not only did I totally lie about coming back to the world of blogging, but I also forgot about all those podcasts I once took part in.  Oops!

Well, I have no good excuse.  I was concentrating on college and didn't feel I had the time to keep up a good blog or podcast.  However, upon graduation, I think that maybe I will consider coming back to it all.  Instead of diving in to four or five podcasts and a blog, I think I'll start with the blog and consider podcasting again in the future.  For the record, I really miss the tvguide.com blogs and my podcasts.

As for what this blog is all about... if you were with me back in the  TV Guide days, I concentrated on writing about a lot of the different television shows I was watching.  I was truly an active participant in my entertainment.  This blog will likely continue to include some of that.  As the tv scene has changed, so will the shows I write about.  Instead of Gilmore Girls, I am all over Glee.  I have stopped watching Grey's Anatomy and moved to Private Practice.  Regardless, this blog will also cover more than television. 

The Old, The New and The In-Between (ONIB? Something to think about...) will also be covering the books that I'm reading.  I have recently been inspired by a friend's friend (complicated? yes.).  This summer, I am going to be an active reader.  In fact, I am thinking that by September 1, 2010 I will have read 50 books.  Yes, it does sound crazy.  It sounds like way too many, but as an aspiring middle school teacher, I will definitely be covering some of those middle school classics that I am unfamiliar with.  Plus, there will be many easy biographies intertwined with some classic literature.  In fact, there are two of those blogs that need to be written... more to come on that.

I'm sure there are other things that I will be covering in the future, but this is what I have so far.  If you have an idea for a name for my 50 book challenge, please send me some ideas.  So far, I'm thinking something with Lit, Summer, 50... I don't know.  I'll get back to you on that.