This was definitely not a feel good book... There are two friends, one of them from a sad childhood with an alcoholic mother. The other, had perfect parents and the perfect family. Two friends, one of them popular and cool, the other a social outcast. Upon meeting, they become inseperable. They grow up together but it seems as though they are always in competition with one another. The shy, socially awkward one, silently hopes she can be like her social butterfly bestie. In the end, it seems as though no one wins. I cried through most of the book and when I put it down, I couldn't help but wonder, who the author related to. Was it the shy, awkward girl, with no friends? Or the popular kind of slutty girl, with a damaged past? Either way, it was a well writen book, that brought up a lot of old feelings. |
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![]() The term "Old-Fashioned" comes to mind when reading this book. It has a very Christian and traditional way of looking at marriage. Which, wasn't offensive for me to read, since those are the views I share within my own marriage but I can see how this book isn't for everyone. I've felt for a long time, that there was something odd about me. Maybe I'm a little too feminine? Maybe I'm a little strange for loving the fact that I married a soldier and respecting him so much for the dangerous job he loves doing? Reading this book made me feel comfortable and happy, reminding me I'm not the only woman in history to feel the desires of my heart. Regardless, it was an interesting read, to see how differently men and women think and how they seem to perfectly compliment one another. I would even go as far as to recommend this book to men, to help them understand the women in their lives. I believe what the author said about all women wanting to feel desired and loved. Little girls, including myself, play dress up in order to feel beautiful. I can't tell you how many times, during our most recent military ball, heard other women exclaim how gorgeous their friends looked in their dresses. Again, this book is a Christian based book, but I felt as though it helped me understand my inner-Emma a little better. I feel it sad that some women try so hard to hide their desires... How could a man know to pursue a woman if she didn't explain that it was one of her deepest, most basic needs? Society tells women that we don't "need" a man but does that mean it's not okay to want one? One of my favorite authors is Nora Roberts. Her writing is intriguing without being pretentious and I admire that. I am always drawn to her books because of the brightly colored covers and unique titles.
This trilogy surrounds an old decrepit building, the three brothers who work to restore it and the three women who fall in love with them. However, it's also full of mystery, drama and of course, a ghostly love story... Happy Reading! The same author of Firefly Lane, writes this story of forgiveness and redemption. This tale begins with twins, a boy and a girl who blessed their family and those around them. When tragedy strikes their home, the matriarch needs to search her heart, mend, heal and become the woman her family needs her to be.
Due to my great love for the Pacific Northwest, I found myself imagining this story taking place on Vashon Island. Only a quick ferry ride away from the artsy Downtown Seattle, Vashon seems like the perfect scene to reflect the small town feel, the wooded roads, the heavy rains, the beach house and even the town described in the beginning. I often felt a pang of injustice whilst reading this book. I tend to side with the underdog in stories and in life and even though I understood that some of the story needed to happen, just for the sake of a good story. I felt as though the main character was selfish, angry and mean-hearted. It didn't seem fair to me, not even remotely and I even considered putting it down entirely at one point. Maybe it's that I am too far removed from the life of the main character, I never really liked her overbearing personality, her OCD or her tendency to control all of the situations around her. She was not likable in my opinion, which made this book difficult to finish. I feel as though authors should have equal time spent on sad moments as well as happy moments. While reading, I kept waiting for the happy ones, the forgiveness, the redemption etc. However, it didn't come until the very end and by that point I wanted to burn the book and main character. I felt sorry for her son, her grandchild and the child's mother... My hope is that someone else finds this book a little better of a read than I did. The Tall Man written by Chloe Hooper
This book definitely falls under the suspense/thriller category and prepare yourself not to sleep for a few days! I loved it, with all of its twists and turns, it kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending was not expected and I love books which have plots that aren’t predictable. The setting for the book is a fictitious town, where children keep going missing. An astonishing number of kids kidnapped at the very beginning of the book and the locals blame it on someone they have labeled the Tall Man. I imagine this book would’ve been a great pick for the fall, when the leaves begin to change and the evenings are cold. What a great time to read! This book will be available for free in the library! ~Emma Recently two friends of mine got into a heated discussion about the effects of books on our children. Specifically fiction books that contain outdated information. For the better part of two hours, I listened to them go back and forth until finally, voices were raised and I stepped (verbally) to suggest we agree to disagree and leave it at that... I am interested now, to find more opinions on the matter. Here are the two views...
Books with outdated information are harmful to children who are just stepping out and learning about our world. We've come leaps and bounds since the 1950's and no child should regress back to a time of governmental fear and racism. False information is a slippery slope when young minds are so malleable. Outdated books, which contain outdated or false information should be destroyed. I can understand this view to a point, however, destroyed? That reminds me of being in High School when we learned about what the Nazi's did to the Jews. I can see how parents may not want their children learning certain words or learning a particular viewpoint. However, I believe that if parents don't want their children reading/ learning about certain topics, the parents should monitor their reading material. The second half to this argument and I think the topic I tend to lean towards, is that all books are beneficial in some way. Destroying them doesn't help solve a problem, it only seems to create more. So, now I want to know what you think... "No two persons ever read the same book."
– Edmund Wilson Do you ever feel like there is simply too much life and not enough time in a day? That's how things have been going for me lately... We recently received chicks on our mini farm and soon there after, we received ducklings! With school, work and family, our lives have been pretty busy. Do not fear, we are so close to finishing the library and our HOPE is that it will be up this weekend. Wouldn't that be awesome?? We have some structural issues after our first one fell over, so we couldn't leave it the way it was. This is new territory for us, so please bear with us! We love having the support of our community and we hope to see you all for our Library Gala ;-)
"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand."
– Neil Gaiman Somedays just seem better than others. Let’s face it, on those rainy mornings when the room seems colder and your bed feels like God himself made it, no one wants to get up and be productive! Sometimes those days can turn wonderful! I call stormy, foggy, or dreary days “Snuggle-Book Days”. Those are the days I’m glad I didn’t procrastinate, or I DO procrastinate, so that I enjoy my crappy day. I hurry and get some yoga pants and a huge sweater on. I curl up in my double papasan chair with a cup of something hot but not before I grab the two most important ingredients of Snuggle-Book Day; a dog and a good book. Animals make life happier and so do books.
Today was started out as a Snuggle-Book day and quickly became a lovely afternoon. I was feeling pretty gutsy so I posted online that we needed children’s books for the library. Not only did our Facebook get some more likes, which was awesome, but a lady commented and offered us 20 BOOKS! I am so happy right now because of her generosity and kindness. There were other ladies who also commented and offered to look through their own personal collections for donations as well. I couldn’t be happier right now. What a marvelous day! |
AuthorFor years I've wanted a Free Little Library of my very own and now, its finally happening! Follow us as we construct our building and meet new friends! Archives
June 2016
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