GO ... Read this Book

I read a lot.
Thanks to the 45 minute GO Train ride I take every day I get a wonderful chance to read all of the time. And, my tastes vary. Sometimes I'm in the mood for chic lit, sometimes for adventure, sometimes mystery, sometimes biographies. Sometimes I read the paper. Sometimes I read magazines.
But, reading each and every day is one of the greatest pleasures in my life. This can be good when I really enjoy a book, but it can also be bad when I'm a little too into a particular character and I realize I'm moody because a character is going through a tough time. (kind of like when I realized in university that as much as I loved Jann Arden, listening to her on the way to school was totally bringing me down!)
That's how into books I can get.
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Last week I bought the book Stuck in Downward Dog by Chantel Simmons.
I had an inkling it was going to be a good book because I went to the bookstore following a run. I was dressed completely in lululemon (something I don't generally do when I go book shopping) and was flushed from exercise. I knew what book I was getting - so I just popped in to find that particular book. When I went to pay for it the girl at the cash squealed "ohhh! You're wearing lulu. You are soooo going to love this book." ooookay. Actually, she was really nice and we had a nice chat about everything lululemon.
And, the next day I started reading.
I have to tell you, I LOVED this book.
The main character is a girl named Mara Brennan. She is 28, the age that both her mom and her sister had perfect years. And her life is anything but perfect. After a series of crappy events she sets out to make 28 a good year. The book follows her through the year (well, not the whole year).
I won't tell you more - because I hate it when people ruin a book for me. (but, if you want to read the whole background click here)
But, I will say this ... There were parts of this book where I could relate fully and completely to this character. Like, not just a little bit, but a ton. Her friends seem perfect, their lives seem to work perfectly. She has a sister who always seems to have it a little more put together. She struggles a lot.
Oh, and she loves eating junk food, struggles with her weight and goes on cucpake dates. (yummy!)
By the end of the book I wanted to hug her. I just fell in love with this lovingly imperfect character, and her story.
What I've realized over the past year (ironically, the year I was 28 - I just tunred 29) is that people like me for me - quirks and all. And, sometimes the stuff that I struggle with the most, the fact that I wear my heart on my sleeve, cry too much (and no, not always for "dramatic effect"), laugh too hard, don't take myself all that seriously, and about a million other things ... those are the things that make me who I am.
And, when I embrace those things - I am a better person.
Reading this book made me remember all of that. And, it also made me want to go do yoga ... and eat cupcakes :)
Really, when I finished reading the book, I kept reading and read through the credits because I just couldn't put it down. That good.
The other cool thing - the person who wrote it is a blogger. And, I actually heard about her book because I linked to her blog from someone else's. So, that's just pretty cool.
So ... Go out and read - and enjoy. Cause yes, it's that good!!!