Print Blog
Email a FriendPosted by Robyn Lee on Monday, Feb 20, 2012 11:10 AM (EDT):
Oh my goodness! Thank you Daria. I will definitely check it out.
(and I love the cover!)
Attention Single Girls!
New "Survival Guide" is worth checking out.
Posted by DariaSockey in Family on Monday, February 20, 2012 5:44 AM
Just hours after reading Danielle’s shout out to Robyn Lee I received a book that we’ll want to get Robyn’s opinion on. And I’ll be sending it to my (single) oldest daughter for her opinion as well. In the meantime, I can tell you that The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years by Emily Stimpson has a lot going for it. For those who judge books by their covers—need I say more? This one’s adorable. So are the cute line drawings heading off each chapter and decorating many a sidebar.
Now for the contents. Author Stimpson deals honestly with the problems single women face, from the dwindling pool of available Catholic men who value either chastity or sacramental marriage, to the discouraging remarks made by well-meaning married friends, to the ways single women can beat themselves into self-pitying pulps if they aren’t careful. At the same time, her constant return to an optimistic, positive outlook is sure to motivate readers to avoid the perpetual pity party. Best of all, Emily gets the reader laughing, again and again. For instance:
“Let’s just say being single long enough to be considered an expert on the topic was never one of my life’s goals.”
“There’s something both ironic and a bit unseemly about a single woman giving advice on dating. Even in my own head a snarky voice keeps repeating, ‘Cause it’s worked out so well for you, hasn’t it?’ Nevertheless, after having done a brief survey of books and articles about dating currently on the market, I have concluded that if child brides and celibate priests can give advice about dating, so can unmarried women.”
Then there’s Emily’s choices for best dvd entertainment after a break-up. Eschewing chick flicks, Emily thinks that any of the eight seasons of “24” is far more therapeutic: “Terrorists, nuclear explosions, and nobody’s relationship ever works out. Who could ask for more?” Alternatively, watch BBC’s knitting, middle aged sleuth Miss Marple, who “somehow manages to make spinsterhood look like a cheery proposition.”
These quotes alone make me want to run down to Steubenville, a bottle of the author’s favorite 2005 Bordeaux in hand, bang on her door, and just have a good gab together. And this former child bride promises, not a peep about how having a husband and children cuts into one’s freedom. But I might ask her advice about my 30 year old daughter, the gorgeous ballroom dancing teacher who still isn’t married…
Comments
Page 1 of 1 pages
Posted by Emily Stimpson on Monday, Feb 20, 2012 9:27 PM (EDT):
Thanks for the kind words, Daria. And you’re welcome to plop down by my fire anytime, wine or no wine!
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give Faith And Family Magazine permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.
