Firefly Lane is a book about two friends, they meet when they are fourteen their friendship never ends. TullyandKate (as they become known to everyone at school) do everything together. Tully is the rebel, beautiful and wild, while Kate is the bookworm with a good head on her shoulders. In a twist of fate, TullyandKate get arrested for underage drinking and Kate's parents adopt Tully. They do everything together, go to college get a job at the same TV broadcasting station and everything is looking up. Until Kate finally decides she doesn't want the dream they have chosen. In fact, it was always TULLY'S dream, never hers. She wants a family, white picket fence with a minivan and the all the cliches. Tully will never settle down, she'll never marry and she'll always be the life of the party. But what happens when Tully finds herself 40 years old and alone... Parties only make her tired, booze doesn't sit well anymore and Kate is living the good life with her husband and three kids. Will they always be "forever friends" or are they just too different?
Ok... so first off.. This book was WAY too long. It took me over two weeks to read and I just kept having a hard time. But for some reason.. everytime I put it down out of frustration, I ended up picking it up again! It was great in the beginning and so intriguing. A book many women will easily relate to as it follows two best friends from the age of 14 to well past their 40s. I often found myself frustrated with Tully's selfish ways and relating to Kate's "don't mind me" attitude. Kate often held her tongue out of love for her forever friend and ended up getting pushed aside so Tully could shine. But in the end, it all made sense and it made me realize that there is a REASON why I'm like Kate, and that it's ok. I cried so much in the last few chapters becuase of something I never saw coming.. and it all made it worth those several paragraphs I scanned over out of frustration. It's well written, and Hannah doesn't leave a detail of their lives out. So while that can get a little frustrating.. it makes you so much closer with the girls and so worth it.
My challenge was a DRASTIC failure.. COMPLETELY epic. I was way too stressed and pushed for time that I didn't get any reading done! And of course I chose the HARDEST two books of my stack to start with so it made it worse. I couldn't read Elegance of the Hedgehog.. I ADORE french movies and thought that a french book would be wonderful... but I've realized that what makes a french movie is the cinematography.. and I'm afraid I can't get that from a french book because I'm too busy trying to understand everything to get an images formed!! So then I turned to "Firefly Lane:" (the review is next) and it was so long that it literally took me two weeks to read... And I'm a girl who normally finishes books in 1-3 days.. So add all that and then the fact that for the last two weeks I've not had internet access at my new place (and won't for awhile) and it all fell apart. I now live in the small town I grew up in and there are only three places that has wireless internet (free). The Public Library, the local Subway, and Zanders- a hip ice cream parlor that is WAY too cool for such a small town so it is entirely worshipped and you ALWAYS find people here. Many thanks to the owners for giving us lowly college students a cool place to hang, eat good food, and use FREE internet! So here I sit at Zanders now, eating delicious broccoli cauliflower pasta salad, sipping home-brewed sweet tea (no syrup here!) and trying desperately to catch up. So even though I have absolutely NO followers.. (small pity party. ok I'm done) I'm going to keep it up. We all need something regular in our lives, I think that starting with something small will help me out. I'm going to keep doing book reviews, and I have another blog of randomness I'm going to quit neglecting. Thanks to all of you who DO stop in and read (my numbers are low but NOT non-existent!) and feel free to Follow me! (hint hint... lol)
Lexi Smart is having the time of her life... Not. Come on, really. Hanging out in the rain, snockered beyond belief, denied a bonus at work, father's funeral in the morning and stood up by her boyfriend Loser Dave AGAIN.. why would she be having the time of her life? So it makes total sense that she would slip and hit her head only to wake up three years later. Well, not technically. You see.. she hasn't been in a coma for three years, but she was in a car accident three years later and when she comes to in the hospital she has lost three years of her memory. Great.
Then things start to look up, she sees her reflection in the mirror and instead of a snaggletooth, frizzy haired, chubby 25-year-old; She is a gleamy smile, sleek haired, skinny minny 27-year-old. Oh and she has a huge diamond ring on her left hand and her husband is as hott as an Armani model and carries a (real!) Louis Vuitton purse and she is the big boss of the department that she was only a junior sales rep for three years earlier. If only everything would last like it is, slowly Lexi discovers that she doesn't have any of her old friends anymore because she's a bitch-boss-from-hell. She also realizes that she doesn't love her fairytale husband and to top it off she is having an affair!
This book was great: well-written, entertaining characters, wonderful (if not cheesy) plot. I was pulled in from the very beginning and laughed quite a bit. I love the relationships that Lexi has and tries to form as she tries to piece her life back together. The further along we go, the more it's revealed that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. And it's frustrating to watch Lexi fight against her lover, Jon, when it's so obvious she should be with him! Wonderful book, quick read.. Definitely suggest it!!
Leigh, Emmy, and Adriana are best friends about to turn thirty. Emmy has her life all figured out, Leigh's is on the right track, and Adriana has not a care in the world. That is until Emmy's boyfriend of five years runs off with the twenty-year-old personal trainer SHE paid for. Then begins a year long challenge for the girls: Emmy will start the Tour de Whore '08, Adriana will become a fiancee to some lucky man, and Leigh will make some kind of large change to her life. They all have one year to do this.
Emmy's Tour de Whore '08 means she must sleep with one man for each continent. She has North America down.. six more to go. But can the serial monogamist really have carefree, no-strings-attached sex with six different men? And Adriana.. can she truly settle down with just ONE man? Leigh's life is so organized and planned... how will she deal with a major life change?
This book was kind of slow in the beginning. It was good from the start.. but I was beginning to wonder when it would be different from any other chick lit. I've never read "The Devil Wears Prada" or "27 Dresses" but I loved both of the movies so I went for "Chasing Harry Winston" instead..
After I got through the first three chapters things started picking up a bit. I found Leigh somewhat irritating and pretty much skimmed through the sections with her in it. She was so dull and whiny that I couldn't take much of her story. She did get better towards the end, but I feel I was jaded by her and could't quite enjoy her at all. Adriana was fun, but annoying in that perfect, "I'm so beautiful," cocky attitude. Emmy was all over delightful and I had so much sympathy for her because I could relate to her wants and needs the most. Overall, this book was great: cute, funny, and makes you appreciate the special bond between girlfriends. I'd suggest it definately for a light and fun read!
So yesterday I went to the library to pick up a book hold, and while I was expecting three books.. I had NINE! Not to mention.. I have 8 currently checked out... Oh geez.
So here is my challenge. I am relocating back to my hometown area by the end of the month. I have 15 books that I am attempting to read before I move. This email is an update to let you know what's ahead. Wish me luck, and talk to you soon!!!
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Mariel Barbery
Any Minute by Joyce Meyer
A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Pink: Shades of Style Book One by Marilynn Griffith
The Riverhaven area is home to an Amish community set in Ohio of 1855. Rachel Brenneman is a young widow living in the home her late husband built and she refuses to leave it. One night in November two strangers almost beat down her door. Rachel is afraid to answer the door, being a young woman with only her sister there that night, but the men are persistant until she opens the door. "We are a friend of friends, ma'am. My captain is hurt. We need help" Rachel opens the door to find a large black man holding up a white man who looks to be dead. Behind them is a large dog. The rules of the Plain People don't allow Rachel to welcome these strangers into her home because she is a woman alone and because the Plain are supposed to stay away from worldy outsiders. Rachel cannot bring herself to allow the man to die on her doorstep in the cold so she tells Asa, the colored man, to bring the captain into her spare bedroom and sends her little sister, Fannie, for their mother and brother and then to fetch the doctor. Little does Rachel know that not only has she opened her door to two potentially dangerous strangers, but she has opened her door to the outside world and her heart to forgiveness.
This was a wonderful book. It was quite a challenge for me to read for a couple of reasons: 1. I don't believe in organized religion..it's not for me. And we all know that the Amish people are VERY much for organized religion. 2. I grew up in a small town and there were quite a few Amish people around, while I knew of their ways.. I'd never had their life explained to me in the way this book does. BJ Hoff does a wonderful job of putting you into their world without forcing ideas or being prejudiced. Amazingly I was able to relate to Rachel in many ways.. she has been through a lot, including the terrible, violent death of her beloved husband, and she struggles with the ways of her world and life.
The book has a lot of Amish culture and it even lets us inside a little bit on the Undergroud Railroad. I would have never guess that Amish were involved just because of thier way of life, but this book proved me wrong. I also loved the relationships between the people in this book, my favorite relationship being the one between Doctor Sebastion and Captain Gant. Their relationship is a lot like the one I often saw onscreen between Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, especially in the Grumpy Old Men movies. Rachel's struggle to forgive the death of her husband was very real, and in the end very rewarding. This is a new series by BJ Hoff, although I've never read her Mountain Song Legacy, but I'm looking forward to finding book two of The Riverhaven Years and reading it soon!!
Slyvia Likens was a normal teenage girl, living in Indianapolis, IN with her mother and little sister. Her father and mother were separated temporarily but they got back together so that they could travel with the fair as carnies. They Likens girls had just met a family full of children that was supervised by their mother, Gertrude Baniszewski. The Likens' spoke with Ms. Baniszweski and agree that she would board their two daughters for $20 a week.
That's when the trouble began...
In this book based on true events and written with proof used in a courtroom, the reader follows Slyvia Likens in her vicious torturing until her death a couple months later. A fellow co-worker suggested this book, because he went to school with Slyvia Likens back in 1965, when they were both 16. It is a devastating event that happened and it happened not far from where I work in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Baniszewski family along with many other children in the neighborhood torture Slyvia to the point of death and when asked in court why they did it.. they're responses are all the same "Because Gertie told me to". Keep in mind that the oldest of these children is 21, the next oldest is 18 and the youngest is 12. The author of the book compares Gertrude Baniszewski to Charles Manson except with children. She is an ill woman, both physically and mentally, but she manages to control these children just by asking hem to do something for her. It is a gruesome book, but one that everyone needs to read. The book itself is very well written despite the fact that it's all facts taken from court scripts and evidence, but Dean manages to keep it flowing. It's hard to understand why someone would do what they did to Slyvia, but she deserves for her story to be heard.
In Elie Wiesel's personal nightmare, he lost his sisters, mother, freedom, and pride all in one day. Then he stood and watched as Nazi soldiers threw infants into the air like clay pigeons and shot them out of the sky. He was stripped of his life, belongings, religion and name; just to be given a number.
"Night" is a horrifying narrative of his life as a child victim of the Holocaust. At just twelve years old, Wiesel and his family were ripped from their homes and forced onto a train. He and his father were seperated from his mother and sister, a fellow victim told them to lie about their ages to prevent seperation or death, and they were deposited into Birkenau and later on, Auschwitz..
Throughout this book, the reader follow's Wiesel's terrible journey that is filled with grief, fear, confusion, and sometimes hate. Often Wiesel questions his faith and God, wondering how He could ever allow something like this to happen. Very graphic and descriptive, not recommended for younger readers.
Only one way to describe this book: Devastating. My friend suggested I read this book so I did. But while it was a very slim book with only about 150 pages, it took me a couple days to read it. This book is written from Wiesel's point of view as he suffers through what hardly any of us will ever be able to understand. His writing is not shy, and is VERY graphic. There were moments I had to put this book down because of the tears and could not pick it back up till the next day. Be prepared. This is definately in the Top Five.
Clary is fifteen and has just discovered that she isn't exactly normal. She is at a club with her best friend Simon when she sees a group of teens brandishing knives and other weapons at another teen. She tells Simon to get the security guards and races off to save the teen in trouble. Only when Simon returns with the guards, neither he nor the guards can see these teens and Clary KNOWS they are standing right there!
Then begins a long-winded story about how Clary is special and belongs with the Shadowhunters in a world that we don't know exists. As more and more characters are introuduced, nothing is explained. All we know is that Clary's mother has been kidnapped, Clary MIGHT be the daughter of the Shadow World's sworn enemy, and she has a destiny of some sort.
Honestly? I only read this book because a friend said it was like the Twilight books. It tooke me THREE WEEKS to read this book. It is no where near as good as the Twlight series and is way too long. Also, the characters are extremely un-relateable and 2D. The only interesting person in the book was Jace, and the main charcter Clary was as annoying as she was boring. Not a book I would suggest to anyone, but if you're out of current books to read.. Give it a shot if you want. I know that I won't be reading Book Two or Book Three...
Captivated: Morgana Donovan is a witch. At least that's what she has her self BELIEVING according to screenwriter Nash Kirkland. A horror flick kind of man, Nash is constantly seeking out "eccentric" individuals to study for his latest on-screen characters. When he hears about Morgana he couldn't help but find her. Not only was he shocked at her beauty (because every one knows witches are ugly), but he quickly found himself falling under her spell. Can Morgana prove this stubborn skeptic wrong? Or will Nash believe it's all because she put him under a spell?
Entranced: Sebastian Donovan has had the gift of Sight since he can remember. At times, it can be a burden, but it has also given him the ability to help others by joining up with police forces and sometimes the FBI when they need him. Mel Sutherland is a private investigator, trying to take her place in the tight-knit police world. But when a close friend's tiny baby is snatched right out of their back yard, she has to team up with Sebastion. A true cynic, Mel doesn't believe a word he says and is convinced that he is conning her friend with his "gift of Sight". It's not until he starts to prove her wrong (and steal her heart) that she realizes he might not be lying. Will Mel give in to him?
Personally, I liked Captivated much better than Entranced. I love Nora Roberts, but she does write the kind of novels that can come off as cheesy and always predictable. Captivated was entertaining and at times funny, but I knew what was going to happen before it did and there weren't a lot of twists. Entranced had a good mystery line to it, it was less predictable.. but I felt that Mel's character was a little flat. If you enjoy Nora Roberts, this is another great one of hers.. but definately not the best.
In November of 1987, Dan Dye found Gracie tripping over her feet and struggling to get his attention. For an albino, deaf Great Dane, Gracie was unfortunately not the most attractive or desirable dog ever.. but she was the most amazing.
Dan and Mark had a lot of trouble raising Gracie. Being deaf, she had to learn sign language commands and being albino meant her sight wasn't that great. Being a Great Dane with both of these disabilities hindered her but she never fails to live each day with grace and love. However, the most inspiring disability was Gracie's sensitive stomach. Gracie couldn't eat a lot of things, she had many allergies and most of the dog food they bought for her still gave her trouble. Finally the vet suggested that they bake for her. Yes. BAKE. See, dogs can eat a lot of baked goods you just want to stay away from things like salt, garlic, sugar, and chocolate. Dan started to bake for Gracie and that's what started it all. Well that, and the dog bone-shaped cookie cutter they received for Christmas.
In 1989, Dan and Mark started the chain Three Dog Bakery: a bakery for dogs! And it was all because of Gracie. Gracie and her two sisters, Sarah and Dottie, were the bakery's mascots and Official Taste Testers. With stores all over America (Hong Kong, Japan and some in Canada too!), the Three Dog Bakery is greatly adored by thousands of dogs and their people. All because of Gracie.
This book will make you laugh hard and it will make you cry even harder. Gracie goes through so much in her life, but all she ever does is show us how to handle it all with charm and grace. It's amazing what dogs can do, but even more amazing when they teach us how to be a better person. If you were to pick up any of these books I review.. This is in the Top Five of MUST. Please, please, PLEASE take the time to read this and you won't regret it.
In this book Maya Angelou relives events that have happened in the 80 years of her life, and reveals to you what she has learned from them. Whenever I read Maya Angelou I'm always lost in her words and beautiful poetic flow. I also borrowed the Audiobook from the library and to hear this amazing woman speak of her life lessons in her regal voice made it sink in so much more. She talks on several different items and it's amazing what she has taken from every person she's ever met.
I can't talk much more about this book without giving away all the best parts! There is nothing about this book that I can complain about. Angelou never fails to deliver and in this book she delivers a message as well: life is nothing unless you take something away from every situation. Maya Angelou is able to look at every mistake as a lesson and does her best to never regret any of them. This is the beginning and probably my favorite part because even in this book Angelou is always teaching us that no matter what we are all equal and important:
"I gave birth to one child, a son, but I have thousands of daughters. You are Black and White, Jewish and Muslim, Asian and Spanish-speaking, Native American and Aleut. You are fat and thin and pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered, and I am speaking to you all. Here is my offering to you"
Jane is a little girl that's living a lonely life with a mother that's never there. So like most little children, she creates and imaginary friend. Michael is her only friend, and is a handsome, charming, and funny man that never leaves her feeling alone. Every Sunday Jane's mother takes her to look at jewelry at Tiffany's and they always stop to get ice cream afterwards. Jane's mother, a Broadway producer, is always too busy so they never stay long, but it's still a tradition that little Jane adores because it's the only time she spends with her mother. Sadly, on Jane's ninth birthday, Michael has to go "to where Imaginary Friends go" and tells Jane she'll never seen him again. He comforts her by telling her she will forget him, so there will be no sorrow in her loss.
Fast forward about twenty-five years, Jane is still trying to get close to her mother. A successful playwright, Jane shouldn't want for anything. However, she's still as lonely as ever and every day her mother becomes more and more overbearing. Then she sees a man that looks just like Michael....
An amazing, beautiful story. I had never read any James Patterson books before this but the title and tag line reeled me in so fast that I bought it the moment I found it. It was completely different from anything that I have ever read, and I found myself relating to Jane so much. While she and I have very different lives, I was able to understand how lonely she was and that all she craved was someone who cared for her. I can't say much more without giving anything away.. but it's a definate must-read and one that will leave you longing for the connections that Jane craves as well.
It is well-known that pets can have a huge impact on your happiness and well-being. Dewey the Library Cat, proves it. In this biography/autobiography, Vicky Myron opens p a world of wonder for any and all animal lovers. I call this book a biography/autobiography because it is set with the main focus on Dewey and his amazing ability to touch even the toughest of farmers living in the hard times of an economic decline in a small town Iowa farming community. However, Vicky Myron also allows us insight to her life as well. Hers is a life that has seen much hardship and grief.
"On a cold January morning in 1988, Vicky Myron came into her beloved library and while warming up in the lounge with a fellow librarian, she heard an unusual sound coming from their book-drop. The two women inspected the large metal bin and found a tiny yellow kitten huddling behind books and shivering from the harshwinter wind coming through the slot. The pads on his tiny feet were frostbitten, he was so dirty they had originally thought his coat to be colored gray, and he was extremely emaciated. Vicky gave him a warm bath and wrapped him in a towel where this kitten did a miraculous thing... He laid in her arms like a baby and looked into her eyes and said Thank you. Not literally, of course, but Vicky just knew that was what he would have had he been able to. Then began a whirlwind of 20 years: the library board of trustees finally agreed to let him stay, and a contest held to name the tiny kitten dubbed him Dewey Readmore Books. In return, Dewey opened the community up and brought them closer together."
It was a time in Iowa that farmers couldn't afford their land and the weather was onlyhindering farming more and more. Generations of farms were being sold to large factories and plants and the families had to find new ways of supporting themselves. Vicky Myron did her part by researching job help information, ordering the latest books on job safety, resume building, and so on. She also managed to get a used computer for the community to come and build their resumes on. Most of the farmers that came into the library were reserved and broken, but Dewey always managed to get a smile out of them at least once. He was never pushy, and he was never needy.. but he would let them know that he was there and then be on his way to find someone else who needed his help.
Dewey's Job Description
1. Reducing stress for all humans who pay attention to him
2. Sitting by the door every morning at 9:00 am to greet the public as they enter the library
3. Sample all boxes that enter the library for security problems and comfort level
4. Attending all meetings in the Round Room as official library ambassador
5. Providing comic relief for staff and visitors whenever possible
6. Climbing in book bags and briefcases while patrons are studying or trying to receive papers underneath him
7. Generating free national and world-wide publicity for Spencer Public Library
(This entails sitting still for photographs, smiling for the camera and generally being cute)
8. Working towards status as being the world most finicky cat by refusing all but the most
expensive, delectable foods--- and even turning his nose up at those most of the time.
I absolutely ADORED this book.. Vicky Myron brings you into her world and describes Dewey's antics with such amazing ability that I felt as though I was standing right beside her. I honestly picked up this book just because of the cover but didn't expect much from it. I mean, really... it's a book... about a CAT. I love books and cats! Don't get me wrong, but I wasn't sure how a biography about one would be. Dewey was definitely more than a cat, he became a mascot to the town. Dewey was the one thing this town all had in common with each other and it brought them so much closer together in a time of need. He even touched the rest of the world.. people came from JAPAN to film him for a documentary! And while this book is a biography of Dewey, Vicky Myron also lets you into her life. She has been through so much: a divorce, a major illness, and trials that come with having a teenage daughter. When she thought that things were finally rock bottom, Dewey would "speak" to her and bring her back to reality. Dewey had a way of communicating and Vicky Myron allows us to feel it as well in her wonderful way with words. I would DEFINITELY suggest this to any reader and it is something that will touch your heart. I laughed out loud several times and I cried twice.... And emotional read and so hard to put down! I promise that this book will warm your heart! :)
First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking time to read my blog! I'm just starting out so you might have to bear with me while I get a cache of books to review. I've got a few ready to go, I'll get those wrote up and released as soon as possible!
Secondly, a little about me! I've only been a blogger since the first quarter of this year.. and I'm VERY new to it! I have a personal random blog for my own enjoyment, but I'm not very regular with it because I don't have a lot of personal randomness to share everyday since I'm pretty boring! :) However, I have been keeping up on a lot of other blogs and my favorites are all the book blogs out there! (Personal favorites being And Another Book Read... and anotherpageisused, check them out!) So I'm not trying to step on anyone's territory or out-do anyone. The blogs that I follow are WAY more advanced than I am and I don't think I could EVER top them! I just know that the more book blogs out there, the less likely it is for readers to not be able to find a review for the book they want to read! I know that I have read books that I've not found any reviews for so I thought I'd throw in my hat and help cover all the AMAZING books that are out there! I'll try to keep you updated on what I'm reading and what to expect and if you have any suggestions or request feel free to drop me a note! I love ANY and ALL feedback you can give me! And don't be afraid to give some constructive critiscism or debates if you feel the need. I feel that we can all be better than we are and there's nothing wrong with a good debate!
Thirdly, my book selection is broad and random. It ranges from teen to adult, romance to biography and I'm always up for new suggestions! If you have some feel free to let me know! A bare blog is a boring one!
Thanks for reading and ich werde in Berührung sein!! (ten points for translating or guesses on what language, and no cheating! Guesses are more fun!)
