How to Be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis

   I saw a post on the A Wuthering Heights Facebook page about this book. I skipped over it at first, but went back to check it out later when I was up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. I was immediately intrigued and bought the book so I could start right away. 

   Samantha Ellis takes us through her life via the books she has read. It was beautiful and I immediately felt as if she and we're friends having a discussion about books. This memoir is for book lovers. Travel along through familiar favorites and discover new reads--books you've never heard of and ones you've put off, for whatever reason, that are calling your name again. Ellis delves into our favorite characters and identifies why they're our favorite, but then leads us in questioning whether or not they should be. 

I enjoyed the book up until the last chapter. It seemed like a sudden slip off a cliff and into a void. Maybe I just wanted more, but we were rolling along, having a fine time and suddenly it was goodbye and I was confused because I thought things were going well. I hadn't been prepared for this ending. 

If you are a book lover, especially if you have read classic female characters with a passion that has almost seemed scary, you need this book. You will walk away with a new friend to introduce at next month's book talk.