More books...

Finished a couple more books, so it's time for a quick review.

"Extraordinary Ordinary People" by Condoleeza Rice  (+4.5)
I hadn't read any reviews of this book, so I kind of expected it to be a bit of a political memoir.  (I obviously hadn't seen the cover either, since it has pictures of her and her parents on the front.)  This is actually a touching tribute to Rice's parents and the sacrifices they made so she could excel.  Her parents were both highly motivated about education and made many sacrifices for Rice to have academic opportunities.  She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950's, so there were lots of hurdles to overcome.  I didn't necessarily 100% agree with her parents philosophy that they would go into debt so that she could have every opportunity.  But I also haven't had all the hurdles to get over that they did in a racially charged south during the height of the equal rights movement.  Rice was blessed with incredibly loving parents who were totally intune to her gifts and talents.  And they raised a talented, brilliant and accomplished daughter.  It was a great book!

"The Pioneer Woman, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" by Ree Drummond (+4.0)
I love the Pioneer Woman, I enjoy her blog (http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/).  This is her love story with her husband, Marlboro Man (as she lovingly calls him).  It was a full 319 pages of PW's one-liners and romance style writing.  Honestly, it was a bit much at times.  But it is clean and cute and sweet.  I started to rate it lower than a 4.0 because it was a bit sappy...but I read it in a few days, so it obviously kept my interest.  So, if you're looking for a no-brainer, easy read that will make you smile, I'd highly recommend it.