Another month comes to a close, with four more books to cross off my “must read” list.

Week 1: Gunn’s Golden Rules by Tim Gunn

Tim Gunn was my favorite “character” on the original Project Runway. There is something about his proper, yet warm, personality that is incredibly appealing. And his memoir reflects this throughout.

Gunn artfully tells stories about his challenging childhood through successful adulthood by crafting them into themed chapters, each with sensible advice. (Long ago, I’d suggested this format to someone who was ghost-writing a memoir for a person who didn’t want to tell “the whole story.” This is proof that it works!) Tim bravely tells about his suicide attempt, coming out to his parents, love sadly lost, and his part in designing Project Runway.

Week 2: Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. It was hard not to get stuck on how a child nearly died because of poor health care.

Between his parents’ lack of urgency in getting the little boy the care he clearly needed and the doctors’ willingness to shrug off serious symptoms as nothing to worry about, it was hard as a parent to read.

As you may remember from all the hype when this book first came out, their young son nearly died from a ruptured appendix. Months later, the little guy starts talking about the out-of-body experience he had during the operation that ultimately saved his life. His description of heaven is certainly captivating, but considering his upbringing as a pastor’s son, it’s entirely plausible he may have simply soaked in the many lessons his parents preached on a daily basis.

Week 3: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor

No, not that Elizabeth Taylor.

This is one of the few times I would recommend the movie over the book. The latter has a melancholia that the movie manages to avoid.

In short, Mrs. Palfrey is newly widowed and needs somewhere to live out her last days. She chooses – sight unseen – an equally aging hotel, the Claremont. Her discomfort and loneliness is hard to take, and it’s a relief when she meets the young man whom she talks into pretending to be her grandson.

In the movie, their relationship is utterly charming. In the book it’s a bit more realistic.

Week 4: Goodness Mrs. Goose! by Miriam Clark Potter

This is a book grandson Cameron, 7, and I read together.

Even since he started calling me “Goose” instead of Grandma, we’ve made a point of seeking out geese, Cam and I. While sorting through some of my childhood books, Goodness Mrs. Goose! honked out at me. It’s a chapter book and Mrs. Goose never fails to cause us to shake our heads and ultimately laugh. She’s a silly goose, after all!

Goodness Mrs. Goose! is part of a series of children’s books, full of ridiculous challenges for Mrs. Goose and friends to figure out just in time for a happy ending.

Would you like to receive an email notice when there’s a new Too Much Brudders post? Sign up here: