Search This Blog
April Reviews Link-Up
May Reviews Link-Up
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (7)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Monday, January 21, 2013
Finishing and Following Through: How One Woman Changed Her Life By Doing Just That (You Can, Too!)
8:06 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Every January, a new crop of weight loss books pops up. Some promise do-it-quick diets, others fast, fat-blasting exercises—all assure would-be "losers" that they can be skinny, without spending too much time, money or energy. Uh huh. Finished Being Fat, a new inspirational memoir by Betsy Schow, isn't like that. Yes, it's about a 30-year-old woman who loses 75 pounds in a year. Yes, it chronicles her journey from couch potato to marathon runner. But, no, it's not a how-to book. It's not a diet book. It's a book about changing your life through hard work, determination and a staunch refusal to give up on a goal—no matter what.
As a chubby child, Schow endured ridicule from her peers, pressure from her parents and loathing from herself. She tried every diet in the book. Nothing worked—at least not for long. By the time she reached 30, Schow was still overweight, still depressed, still convinced that a worthless person like her shouldn't even bother trying because she would never succeed. She simply was not a finisher. She was someone who talked big, planned big and failed big. Following through just wasn't in her DNA, apparently.
Then, Schow had an epiphany: what if she did finish something? Like, say, a marathon? Determined to prove she could do the impossible, the stay-at-home mom got off the couch and started training. Replacing negative self-talk with positive affirmations, she kept running through inclement weather, injury, exhaustion, and every other kind of roadblock. But as the marathon date approached, Schow balked—could she really, truly cross the finish line? Run 26 miles? Impossible. Or was it?
While Schow's regimen seemed a little extreme to me, I still found her story inspirational and motivating. She writes with warmth, humor, and a down-to-Earth sensibility that will speak to anyone who's ever dreamed of doing the impossible. Her advice on finishing is spot-on. While I enjoyed just about everything about Finished Being Fat, the poor copy editing drove me nuts. Typos always jolt me out of a narrative, spoiling the experience for me. Overall, though, I found the book both compelling and convincing.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for nothing offensive, just themes more suitable for teens/adults
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Finished Being Fat from the generous folks at Cedar Fort. Thank you!
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
What’s Not Mine By Nora Decter1 hour ago
-
Bookish Quote of the Day!!3 hours ago
-
Daily Prompt 19 April Friday5 hours ago
-
-
43. The Mystery of Locked Rooms10 hours ago
-
2024 Reading Firsts13 hours ago
-
Sunday Post13 hours ago
-
-
The Gathering by C.J. Tudor14 hours ago
-
FO Friday: Nathair Mitts16 hours ago
-
-
-
An Inconvenient Letter by Julie Wright21 hours ago
-
-
The Garden Girls Excerpt + Giveaway23 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Reading as a retreat from reality2 days ago
-
-
-
Novel Love Story5 days ago
-
-
Invisible Woman by Katia Lief1 week ago
-
Reading Recap March 20241 week ago
-
Waiting on Wednesday - Think Twice2 weeks ago
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up2 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?6 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra9 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ▼ 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
There's nothing like typos to rip you out of a story but this one does sound pretty inspirational.
ReplyDelete