The Kindness of Strangers

I'm not really sure where to begin with this one. I liked the book and I recommend the book, but I have to be careful here. One of the themes involves coping with and recovering from tragedy. One family is in the process of recovering from a father's death, while another family is hiding a deep, dark secret that will forcefully impact the first family. The mothers of each family are best friends, except mother #1 doesn't have a clue about mother #2's secret.  So how well does mother #1 know mother #2? It turns out not well at all!

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but I do want to warn any potential readers to proceed with caution. The subject matter doesn't produce warm and fuzzies, and at times it can be pretty unbearable. However, the writer did an AMAZING job capturing the essence of this subject. She is a middle school English teacher from Ohio. Her words will put you right there in each scene with the characters. You will love some and detest others. If you're like me, you might even find yourself crying loud, heavy sobs on your sunny deck while tears and snot stream down your face. (Luckily no neighbors popped over!)You will want to put your arm around the little boy, Jordan, and tell him you will make everything okay again. You will be more attuned to the signs and symptoms. And you'll probably pray for the safety of all children, for always.

Good luck. Feel free to pop back and share your response/reaction if you decide to read it.

For the Love of Pete

I grew up listening to the exasperated phrase, "For Pete's sake", but never "For the love of Pete" until one day during a morning meeting. I thought, What a cute saying!, and started using it. Then, almost a year later I happened upon this book in a library sale and picked it up for 50 cents. The cover is totally cute - a purple and white VW Beetle with a daisy on the hood - and obviously the price was right. I figured that the worst case would be it turned out to be a dud and I could pass it on to someone else who might enjoy it. It turned out to be pretty good. The writing was so-so  - how can I get paid to be a proof-reader??? - and some dialogue exchanges weren't completely believable. BUT the action-packed plot had me turning pages quickly. This is a fun, quick read that you could finish in one beach day sitting/laying. Check it out! What have you got to lose...for the love of Pete?!  :)

Wabi Sabi Love

by Arielle Ford

The full title of this book is actually Wabi Sabi Love: The Ancient Art of Finding Perfect Love in Imperfect Relationships 

According to Ford, Wabi Sabi is Japanese for  finding beauty in imperfection (I realize this is probably a loose translation). Ford maintains that this phrase, or idea, can be used to improve the relationships in one's life. For example, how one chooses to see things informs how they appear to him/her. For example, if a person focuses on what irritates him or her about a friend or partner, then they will view the relationship negatively. However, if a person chooses to view another person's differences in a positive light, that relationship will become better. Ford concludes that having differences is inevitable, but what matters most is how we manage the differences. She provides several different exercises throughout the book to help a person go from "annoyed" to "enjoyed", as well as how to more effectively communicate with friends and partners. I think this book could be useful to anyone who wishes to improve the relationships in their life.

A powerful quote included in the book is one by Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet and theologian: "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

Summer People

by Elin Hilderbrand    

I really like reading novels by Elin Hilderbrand (see previous posts for The Island and The Blue Bistro).
How does she pronounce her name, by the way? Is it like Ellen or is it with a long 'e' like Eelin?


Anyway, I found this book at the used book store and thought it would make a really good summer beach read (even if the closest 'beach' to me is Lake Ontario!) While I started reading it on the beach, I finished it in my bed, but the bulk of it was read on my deck with a cold drink in hand. This book (and others written by Hilderbrand) is set in Nantucket and all I REALLY want to do right now is go to Nantucket!! (My good friend is vacationing there right now and I am insanely jealous!) One day when I hit it big with my own novel I will buy a house in Nantucket and live out my summers there....oh, a girl can dream!

To the book....I had a difficult time getting into this one - maybe because there were teenagers involved? - but once I did I really struggled to put it down. Hilderband hit on some real issues facing this family - the death of a spouse, father and friend; teenagers and sexual responsibility; acceptance; forgiveness; family secrets; the past; and the question of how to move on after tragedy. The characters were so perfectly woven together, even their quirks seemed to bind them together by the end of the novel. It affirmed the beliefs that life does not stop for tragedy, and sometimes pain is necessary for growth. This was not a happy, feel-good story, but it does have a happy ending with good closure (as long as you read the Epilogue).

Happy reading!

When She Woke

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

This book was recommended to me by our local librarian - is that when you know you're a frequent flier? The story is a modernized version of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

**Spoilers beyond this point, so proceed with caution, although I will not give away too much**

Hannah Payne (symbolic since she experiences various sorts of pain throughout the book) has an affair (hated this part of the plot - why is there always an affair? Are humans REALLY that weak and incapable of respecting the sanctity of love?) with Reverend Aiden Dale (!!!), who acts as national minister (no more separation of church and state, folks) and is married to Alyssa. During the affair, Hannah gets pregnant and rather than tell Aiden she decides to abort the baby, which is illegal. Through a strangely arranged meeting, Hannah's abortion occurs on dinosaur sheets in a dark apartment by a man named Raphael. She is picked up by police soon after and tried for her crime - murder. And thus begins the life of Hannah as a Red. And that's when the story gets good! (or at least better?)

Something Borrowed

With all this hype over Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (yes, I shamelessly read all 3 books in one weekend - NOT my proudest life moment), names of suggested actors to play Christian Grey have popped up all over the Internet. In this flurry of names, there was one that I did not recognize - Colin Egglesfield. After some fast searching, I discovered he played the role of Dex in the film version of Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I had seen the film awhile ago, but borrowed it from the library to refresh my memory. Oh yes, I thought, that is Christian Grey. I was entertained by the movie, but thought I should read the book, too. So, off to the library I went and two days later I finished reading. Which brings me to the actual purpose of this entry:

I enjoyed the movie MUCH more than I enjoyed the book. This is rare for me because I am almost always disappointed in the movie version of a book. Neither Rachel nor Dex struck me as likable characters in the book. Rachel exhibited low self-worth and extreme neediness to be loved by Dex because she believed he would make her life complete and bring her the happiness she's always wanted, and Dex was an arrogant, spineless jerk that took advantage of Rachel's crush. Darcy was the only character that seemed to be consistent in both the book and the movie: center of attention, completely self-absorbed, and competitive (although, I hate when they cast characters that don't fit the physical description of the book - Darcy had dark hair in the book, just like Dex, and she was supposed to be show-stopping beautiful). I liked how the movie eliminated Hillary's characters because, to be honest, she wasn't very memorable. I wish Emily Giffin had cut Hillary and left Ethan as Rachel's confidante, conscience, and advisor. In the movie Ethan had a wit to him that added an element of humor to the scandalous affair taking place between Rachel and Dex, but he couldn't fulfill this role as a distant party living in London in the book.  I am most certainly not a proponent of lying, cheating, and scandalous affairs, so I wouldn't say that I loved the story. However, I think Giffin hit on a topic that is quite prevalent today. I did feel bad for Darcy throughout the affair between Dex and Rachel, until it was revealed that Darcy was also cheating on Dex. I think this was the only redeeming quality of the entire snafu, and it allowed Rachel and Dex to be together without guilt looming over their relationship. As for the friendship between Rachel and Darcy, I didn't really see how they maintained a friendship to that point. Although, that relationship was clearly the reason Rachel had been unable to find happiness - she was constantly doting over, appeasing, and answering Darcy's every beck and call. That relationship really needed to change (in this case, end) in order for Rachel to grow a backbone and live her own life and for Darcy to become more self-reliant instead of relying on Rachel for all of life's decisions.

So, there you have it.

Explosive Eighteen

I haven't read very many of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, but I have enjoyed the ones I've read. This one was especially hilarious! It's rare to read a book where I'm laughing out loud on almost every other page. These characters and the situations they get themselves into are unbelievably funny. It's an easy, entertaining couch read - perfect for a snowy Sunday! Recommended!!

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I began reading this book, but the desciption piqued my interest. It was one of the first library downloads I added to my new kindle. The story (because it is not a true autobiography) is very detailed and captivating, although it is a long book (I've been reading it for weeks and my kindle tells me I have only read 52% so far!).

My husband and I used to watch the TLC show "Little People, Big World" and absolutely LOVED it! This book also focuses on the life of a particular little person, Lavinia Warren Bump, from the late 1800s. What especially captivates me is the character of P.T. Barnum, showman and owner of the American Museum (and later creator of the circus), and his relationship with General Tom Thumb, a.k.a Charles S. Stratton, and Lavinia "Vinnie" Warren. The author, Melanie Benjamin, really brings these historical characters to life in this novel, which is well crafted and written in a style that makes the reader appreciate her use of words. I am grateful to be reading this on my Kindle Touch because every page contains at least one word that needs to be defined. I am hoping my vocabulary will improve as a result!

If history interests you, particularly the time of the civil war, then I believe you may enjoy reading this book. It certainly has given me a new appreciation for little people trying to live in a big world.

Boundaries: When to say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life

Well, let's face it. We all come in contact with people who would love to take control of our lives. They want us to be certain places at certain times, they expect us to behave in certain ways, they expect us to understand them, to cater to them, to do favors for them, and the list goes on and on. It can be exhausting trying to please the people in our lives. The boss wants us to chair a committee, lead a project, take on an extra duty. He asks, we feel obligated, we say yes even though we really don't want to do it. We are afraid to say no. Why?

This book suggests that we are all exposed to behavioral patterns from an early age that shape our beliefs and thoughts. We take those with us into adulthood, even if they don't serve us. As a result we become anxious, stressed, depressed, ultimately feeling that we have no control over our own lives. So what to do?

Learn when to say yes and how to say no. Similar to how we build fences to define and protect our property/yards, it's beneficial to learn how to protect our lives and personal space by establishing boundaries for those we come in contact with, otherwise we risk becoming doormats and stretching ourselves so thin that we may feel we lose sight of who we are as individuals. It's ok to say no and still maintain personal relationships. Actually, personal relationships can be enriched by establishing boundaries because it allows us room to grow individually, which in turn helps us to deepen and strengthen our relationships because we have more to give (since we're not giving all of us to everyone that demands/expects it) to those that we choose to share our life with. It's empowering to be able to choose who gets our time.

Overall, this book gets just an 'okay' vote from me. It is laden with biblical references that seem forced and often irrelevant. Connections were unclear or non-existent. In my opinion, the book would have been better if the biblical references were removed. So, if/when reading, focus on the deeper content.