Rated of 5
by Evie L. (EauClaire, wi) lots of candles plenty of cake by Anna Quindlen
This is a memoir to treasure and read again because it has so much "common sense" to it. Since we are about the same age, I certainly could relate to the problems and challenges she has encountered in her 60 years. She writes like she is speaking personally to me and I almost felt like "answering back".. Great book that I will share with friends.
Rated of 5
by Patti F. (Stony Brook, New York) Anna Quindlen's best yet...
In "lots of candles, plenty of cake" Anna Quindlen is writing about my life and I trust the lives of many more baby boomers. For me, this is her best yet. Anna and I are close in age and the experiences she explores in this book are those that parallel those of my own and my contemporaries, which makes the writing that much richer and meaningful. I found myself cheering out loud or agreeing with a particular statement, writing comments in the margin. She writes about love and loss and how we are shaped by our experiences, moving forward from the age of sixty and beyond. She talks about the importance of girlfriends as we age, about hoping to to have those vivid memories to relish, and wanting to walk through the house of her own life until life is done. Isn't that what we all want? Any new book by Anna Quindlen is a treat, but this one is especially lovely.
Rated of 5
by Christine E. (Royal Oak, MI) Like a good wine, we get better with age
The best books are ones that leave you thinking. This is the case with Anna Quindlen's memoir. She reflects on the important events of her life and the times in which she lived. I got me thinking about what important events that were responsible for shaping my life and the decisions that I have made along the way.
Rated of 5
by Sue J. (Wauwatosa, WI) Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
I loved this book! I had never read anything by Anna Quindlan before this book. Her shared observations on life are witty, honest and relevant. I recognized myself in many of her experiences and caught myself thinking someone else feel the same way I do. I highly recommended it.
Rated of 5
by Linda A. (Palo Alto, CA) A Book for the Journey
There are many things with which I identify in Quindlen's musings about family, girlfriends, relationships, control, solitude, loss. Some observations are humorous...attributing Kevin Bacon, the good news is that the eyes and the face go at the same time so you can't see how you look. Others more pithy...old is where you haven't gotten yet.
Everyone has a perspective on aging, but I can't help wondering what Quindlen's (not quite 60) will be when she's 75.
Rated of 5
by Jill S. (Chicago, IL) Candid, Insightful and REAL
As a Boomer, reading Anne Quindlen’s book reminds me of curling up on the living room couch with a close friend who really “gets” me and listening to her wry observations on life.
And oh wow, DOES Quindlen ever get it! Her essays are insightful, perceptive, poignant and wise as she addresses so much of our shared Boomer experiences: marriage and kids, the importance of girlfriends, expectations and let-downs, aging and premonitions of mortality. The insights into a unique generation of women who grew up with one set of expectations and then lived through a societal bait-and-switch is often pitch perfect. For those who are not Boomers, the book is an excellent guide to the road ahead.
Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story...
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From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years...
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Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part...
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Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate(Jun 12 2013) Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position...
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of 5
by Evie L. (EauClaire, wi) 
of 5
by Christine E. (Royal Oak, MI) 
