In the Library Reviews - Rene Gutteridge Reviews



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Reviewed Titles Boo Hiss My Life as a Doormat (in Three Acts)	Rene Gutteridge Reviews Added February 9, 2006 My Life as a Doormat (in Three Acts) Author: Rene Gutteridge Publisher: WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers Available At: Bookstores Everywhere Publishing Date: March 7, 2006 Genre: Romance: Inspirational Format: Trade Paperback Price: $14.99 ISBN: 1-5955-4084-9 Author Email/Website: www.renegutteridge.com Reviewer: Joyce Handzo Rating: 9 Gargoyles Leah Townsend is a doormat and she has the scuff marks to prove it. How did the life of this peppy people-pleaser turn out this way? Let's just say it would take an entire book to explain. Luckily, Rene Gutteridge has written that book, and it's full of hilarity, spirituality and a hefty dose of reality! Readers will love the character of Leah because she's so...well... nice. She's a one-hit-wonder playwright, dating a boring intellectual guy, and lying to her father about being a Democrat. If all of that didn't make sense, that's okay. It didn't make sense to Leah either until she started attending a conflict resolution class. For a woman who didn't even have the word 'conflict' in her working vocabulary, she is suddenly thrust into scenarios where she had to assert herself in appropriate ways. This was a major challenge for Leah, but along the way she discovers some spiritual truths that provide her with motivation. Rene Gutteridge has taken a slice of life and spiced it with some fun and faith! Every reader will understand the feeling of being a doormat, but Leah certainly takes things to new heights. Slowly, but steadily, her decisions lead her to point where she must speak up or regret the consequences for the rest of her life. There is a delightful sense of despair and urgency in these pages as Leah struggles to declare her true feelings. The romantic angle is bittersweet and a bit off balance, but the ending is perfect! The author has built the story around the framework of a play, and scatters some stage directions at the start of each chapter. Leah's work on her own play enters into the novel with a unique face off between herself and her fictional character, Jodie. Yet, it's the subtle spiritual message that steers the story. While this aspect of the book was soft and gentle, its overall emphasis will make a powerful impact with readers. Bravo, Rene Gutteridge! Return to top of page. Added November 1, 2005 Boo Hiss Author: Rene Gutteridge Publisher: WaterBrook Press Available At: Bookstores Everywhere Publishing Date: September 20, 2005 Genre: Fiction: Christian Format: Trade Paperback Price: $12.99 ISBN: 1400071437 Author Email/Website: www.renegutteridge.com Reviewer: Sherri Myers Rating: 8.5 Gargoyles Skary, Indiana, was a quaint, low-key little town before the soccer field, specialty coffee shop, and cell phone store popped up virtually overnight. Soccer mom Katelyn Downey is determined to turn Skary into a cool, exciting X-burb instead of the sleepy, slow-paced hamlet it currently is. But is this one-woman-bulldozer-on-hyper-drive ready for the opposition she's going to encounter from the citizens of Skary? Meanwhile, Wolfe Boone is having writer's block and Melb is going to have a baby. Poor Ainsley is tired of catering to her every whim, and thinks she's losing her mind. Oh, and don't forget Dustin's announcement that his two-headed boa is loose somewhere in Skary and likes dark places. Will the strange snake hunter find him, or will one of the residents find it hiding in their home instead? BOO HISS is the third book in Rene Gutteridge's Boo trilogy, and while being able to be read as a stand-alone, in order to get the most enjoyment from it, I suggest reading BOO and BOO WHO first. Each book has basically the same characters and the series progresses from their introduction in BOO to their endearment to the reader in BOO WHO to the fond farewells to them in BOO HISS. I have thoroughly enjoyed this fun, quirky cast of characters and Ms. Gutteridge's sense of humor, and hope to read more of her faith-filled novels in the future. Return to top of page. This page was last updated on January 1, 2008 This page and all its contents are Copyright© 2002-2008 In the Library Reviews and the individual reviewers. Except where noted, all graphics are Copyright© Eos Development and are used with permission. All book covers are Copyright© their respective publishers and are used with permission. The In the Library Reviews logo is Copyright© 2002 by In the Library Reviews/Sharyn McGinty. Site maintained by In the Library Reviews.