The Next Thing on My List: A Novel

by Jill Smolinski

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307351297/ref=s9sims_c4_img1-rfc_p?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0CMX8GNZMN8F2TCASWWY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448801&pf_rd_i=507846

For the first time ever, I missed my flight while going to Florida on vacation over the 4th of July. Though an inconvenience, it gave me 4 extra hours in the airport to finish Water for Elephants. As per my usual, I didn't pack extra books along even though I knew that I would finish that book before the week was out. So, I took some time and went to the bookstore in the airport to find me some more books to read for the week. I looked for about a half hour and this book happened to catch my eye. Probably more because of the color of the cover more so than the title. And I'm so glad it did. Books like this one are bitter sweet for me. Even though I know that there are billions of books out there to be discovered and read, when I find a book such as this one that spoke to me so well and came into my hands at just the right time in my life I find myself being very concerned that I'll never find another book like it. I haven't created an entry for this yet, but when I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert two summers ago, I felt the same way.

I wanted a fun, girly book to read over vacation and this was definitely it. The premise of the book is a 30-something (34 year old I believe) female who was driving a 24 year old girl home from a Weight Watchers meeting when they got into a crash and the younger girl died. She found a piece of paper in the girl's wallet that had a list of things she wanted to do before she turned 25. The only two crossed off the list were losing 100 pounds and wearing sexy shoes (which is what the girl died wearing). Feeling guilty about ending this girl's life so prematurely, she set out to complete the list for her. There was a good deal of humor, love interests, friendship building and tough decisions (whether or not to adopt a baby) in the book that kept it interesting the whole way through.