Bookworm Week Giveaway #4: Permission Slips CLOSED

When it comes to being a "domestic engineer", I have high - possibly unreal - expectations of myself. I strive for perfection and when I make an honest mistake, I feel guilty. When I feed Nate frozen chicken nuggets instead of a homemade meal, I feel bad. When I take a nap instead of working out, I feel lazy. When I eat the brownie that's calling my name, I look at my thighs and feel sick. There are days I feel I can't do anything right. I rarely make it through a day without feeling a touch of remorse over something that has happened.

So, when I found the opportunity on the PR Place to review Sherri Sheppard's new book, Permission Slips, I thought it would really speak to me and make me feel less ashamed of my imperfections.

Covering topics such as "It's Jesus or Jail," "Marriage, the Hard Way," "Children: The Gift You Can't Give Back," and "All the Things I Don't Know...And All the Things I Definitely Do," stand-up comedienne, actress, and ABC's The View co-host Sherri Shepherd comically chronicles her struggles to keep up with the many roles-professional, wife, mother, daughter, and friend-that women must play in today's world. Sherri urges women to pursue their most important dreams and to never give up, but also let's readers know that it's okay to give themselves "permission slips" when things don't always work out the way they want them to. As her many fans know, Sherri is never hesitant to speak from the heart, and her bubbly personality shines through in this delightful autobiography.

I must say that I'm not a regular viewer of The View so I was unfamiliar with Sherri Sheppard prior to reading this book. But after reading the first few chapters, I knew she was someone I wanted to tune in and watch.

I found her autobiography to be sassy, genuine and funny. It was as if we were new BFF's and she was sharing her deepest, darkest, most intimate secrets with me. Her "girl, let me tell you..." attitude was refreshing and down-to-earth. As Sherri reflects on her past, she shares little tidbits of advice and grants you "permission slips" that allow you to learn from her mistakes. Some of my favorites are "bloom where you're planted and start small", "hark back to your dorky roots" and "you don't know you can do something difficult until you do it because its in the doing that you find your strength."

There were many points in the book that made me laugh out loud. Like when she said that having a toddler makes you celibate by default. Sad but true! Or that sex calms the savage beast. It sure does in my house! Her tell-it-like-it-is approach may rub some the wrong way but I found it to be personable, allowing me to connect to the material. There were also heartwarming stories in the book, such as her infertility, subsequent IVF and the birth of her premature son - some of which I could relate to. I found it amazing the things that she has gone through in her life and yet she still has a sense of humor about it all.

I didn't always agree with Sherri and I think at times, she was a little hard on men. For example, she states that men are "mistakes waiting to be made". Sure, it's good for a laugh and I'm sure we've all had a similar experience a time or two (or more!). But her sweeping generalizations about men were a tad unfair, in my opinion. However, I'm not divorced so if I were, I may feel differently! Like the best friendships, even though we didn't always see eye-to-eye, we could agree to disagree and still get along.

I should also note that Sherri incorporates much of her faith and spirituality into her writing so if you're not a Christian or you don't believe in God, this may not be your cup of tea.

Bottom line: I would definitely recommend Permission Slips to any woman who needs to cut herself some slack. Sherri encourages you to chase your dreams and celebrate shortcomings as lessons learned. She stresses that it is not only inevitable that you'll make mistakes, but that everything will be okay. We all need a girlfriend like that to have our backs.

BUY IT: You can find Permission Slips on Amazon.com or at most major book retailers.

WIN IT: Hachette Book Group is giving away 5 copies of this book to 5 lucky readers!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): If you could write a permission slip for a mistake you've made, what would it be? Remember to leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile or if you are not a blogger!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count!

1.) Follow my blog or subscribe via reader or email. Comment telling me which method you chose. If you already follow or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry)

2.) Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this contest. Just leave me a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry)

3.) Add my button to your blog and comment with a link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

4.) Enter any of my other current giveaways and leave a comment telling me which one(s) you entered. (1 entry each)

Giveaway will end on November 14, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. and Canadian addresses only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I was offered this review and giveaway opportunity due to my membership at the Product Review Place. I was sent a hardcover copy of this book from Anna at Hachette Book Group to facilitate my candid review. I was not compensated in any other manner for this post. The opinions expressed in this post are purely mine. You may have a different experience upon reading this book.