LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell

Georgie and Neal might say their marriage is fine, but readers will see a lot of unspoken frustration and unaddressed issues in the foundation of their relationship. Then Georgie says she can't go on their family Christmas trip, and Neal takes their girls and goes without her. Neal says it's fine that she doesn't go, and Georgie is more than willing to believe him, but readers will know it's not that simple. Then Georgie tries to use her mom's old landline to call Neal at his mom's - and she gets Neal from their college days. Can they repair their relationship with one person in the present and the other in the past?

I found this engrossing. This is a couple in serious need of some counseling - or at least an honest conversation. Georgie's memories and her conversations with the Neal-from-the-past give some insight on how things got so bad. The question becomes will the landline calls to the past end up unravelling Georgie's life in the present? Some language.

4.5 out of 5 stars

WEDNESDAY: Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage By Rick Burgess and Bill Bussey

(I am reviewing this book for Thomas Nelson as a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger. I received a free copy of this book to read and review with no expectation of a positive review.)

Billing themselves as the "two sexiest fat men in America," Rick and Bubba take on the subject of marriage in this book of top 10 lists and family anecdotes and words of wisdom. They cover a variety of topics including marriage vows (what they really mean), the three sides to every story (hers, his and the truth) and money matters. ("No matter who the major breadwinner is, the money belongs to both of you. So do the bills.")

The lists in the chapters were my favorite parts - things like the Rules of Engagement, Top 10 Things NOT to Say on the Way to Your Honeymoon, and Rick and Bubba's Surefire Ways for Guys to Know She's the One (btw, I failed miserably on their scale and had to inform my husband that I was not "the One"). If you are looking for some serious commentary on marriage, this is not the book for you. I didn't walk away from it feeling like I had discovered any new insight into the hard work of marriage. But I don't know that I was their intended audience, either. It's possible that male readers, and the newly engaged and/or married might get more out of this than I did. If you see it and it sounds fun to you, check it out. I'm sure you will find something to chuckle about.