Fluffy Book Club Book Review: The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Because I love to read I belong to a couple of different book clubs. I love getting together with other women and discussing literature and being introduced to genres that I normally would not just pick up without reason. However, with summer starting and schedules getting more hectic due to the fact that active and noisy children are now in my house 24/7 my reading time and attention span have diminished. It appears I am not alone. I texted a group of friends and asked if they would be interested in a casual book club. It became clear that we were all on the same page when one friend responded “Yes, but no Oprah Books. I don’t want to learn anything. And I may not finish the book, but I’ll come drink wine, hang, and talk about what I did read.” Hence - Fluffy Book Club was born.
Our selection was The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke. This book completely fit the bill, it was on the shorter side, only 304 pages, and was a fun read. The premise is that a woman gets jilted at her wedding and discovers that she can change events in her life with a few keystrokes by changing her Facebook status. Who hasn’t wished that to be true? But the thing I found the most interesting in this age of social media dependance is the examination of the blurred lines between real life and Facebook life. Of course the main character, Kate, goes through stages of wish granting: 1. Asking for the outrageous and delighting in the receiving. Wishing away your blowdryer for magic perfect hair? Sounds good to me. 2. Realizing that there are better things to wish for than the superficial. 3. Accepting that there are consequences to her wishes. 4. Recognizing that maybe it’s better to let life play out as it is supposed to. And there is that alternate love interest that falls into place as ultimately the better fit for her. However, I still could not get over her final reaction to the people that betrayed her. Maybe I’m just not that Zen. All in all, if you are looking for an easy beach read or a book to take on a plane, this is a good choice.
