Book Notes: In a Heartbeat

Sharing the power of cheerful giving

by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy with Sally Jenkins

My mom recommended this book to me. She's been listening to audiobooks in the car and we both share a fondness for memoir/biography. Having seen the movie, The Blind Side, I was especially interested. Honestly, I opened the book first to the meeting Sandra Bullock, then read from there to the end, then started back at the beginning. I find myself increasingly starting at the end of books, wanting to make sure that it will hold my interest. As a fellow blogger says, I think I have child-induced adult-onset attention deficit. I don't seem to be able to focus on anything for very long after getting interrupted every 5 minutes for 8 years now. But I have faith that it will pass and my attention will return from wherever it went. As proof, I finished two books in the last two days!! This is monumental for me since all of last year I only read one book. Maybe it was two and I forgot to post about one. But three so far this year is a huge improvement, and feels like a return to my true library-loving self. Now back to the actual point of this post... (see what I mean about my attention?)

This book was very enjoyable. I liked all the different view points, although at times I'd lose track of who was speaking. It was fun to get a peek into a different lifestyle than my own, although I have to say that Leigh Anne's philosophy of no-kitchen-no-cooking really spoke to me. I thought I was the only person who would be happy if I never cooked again, although my reasons are different than hers (a little OCD about cleanliness. She wraps the counters in saran wrap if she does have to cook.) I have decided that I dread cooking because of my poor sense of timing, the chaos, and the small chances of success.

It was good of them to be so open about their family's strengths and weaknesses. Some of the things that worked for them would not fly in my family as we have different temperaments, but I liked switching views for a while.

Favorite Quotes:

She (Leigh Anne) was either going to solve all the world's problems - or just take over the world.

Leigh Anne loves to show people things they've never seen before. Like the ocean. Taking a child to see the sea for the first time is one of her favorite things to do.