I Wish I Could Go There- a Top Ten List

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Posted on October 14, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely ladies over there give us book bloggers wonderful and fun topics to create our lists! Check out what others have posted by going over there!

http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com

This week’s topic is –

Top Ten Places I would love to visit from Books (real or fictional)

1. New Orleans- from almost every Anne Rice book.

2. Rivendell- to hang out at the last homely house with Elrond

3. Hogwarts from the HP series

4. Paris, 1920s- Fitzgerald

5. Pemberley- from Pride & Prejudice

6. Hobbiton from The Lord of the Rings

7. Tara Plantation from Gone With the Wind

8. Italy- really Naples, from Eat, Pray, Love

9. The South of France from Tender is the Night

Where do you wish you could visit?

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain- a review

Bookish (& Not So Bookish) Thoughts

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Posted on October 9, 2014

Bookish & Not So Bookish Thoughts

is a weekly meme hosted by Christine over at Bookishly Boisterous, where we post things that are on our minds. Head over there and check it out!

1. Fall is in full swing here and the temps are dropping! Last night it went down to 45 degrees by my home. We had our first fire-and first pot of soup (potato cheddar) on Sunday and I am loving it! Here is what the yard is looking like-

2. I am trying to keep myself motivated to exercise everyday, but it is getting harder. I am doing hot yoga and running, but I am definitely in need of some inspiration. Or some uppers.

3. I went to see Gone Girl on Saturday. Loved the movie- more on that later. We went to one of those AMC theaters that have the barcolounger seats-big comfy armchairs that recline. The theater was packed-mid afternoon- with all these reclining people with their vats of soda and popcorn, and it reminded me of the

movie Wall-E a little too much.

4. Gone Girl– great movie, but knowing what happened takes a little away from it.

5. Neil Patrick Harris as Desi- totally creepy. It killed Doogie Howser forever in my mind.

6. My daughter has joined the Model Congress club at school and has to write a bill for the Homeland Security committee. Suggestions?

Ebola? Immigration?

7. I loved AHS’s last season Coven- not planning to watch the new one called Freak. Not even once.

8. My library had its semi annual Book Sale on Saturday, and I came home with about 10 books. Now I can’t decide what to read. Seriously. I need a good recommendations.

9. It is so beautiful out, that I am stopping here, and taking my dog out for a walk. Have a great day!!

First Impressions by Charlie Lovett- a review

Bookish (& Not So Bookish) Thoughts

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Posted on October 2, 2014

Bookish & Not So Bookish Thoughts

is a weekly meme hosted by Christine over at Bookishly Boisterous, where we post things that are on our minds. Head over there and check it out!

It has been SO long since I participated in this awesome meme hosted by Christine! I am so excited to be able to join in again!!

1. I just finished (as in an hour ago) the gargantuan Under The Dome by Stephen King- 1,072 pages long. I picked it up on Tuesday, got to about page 175 and thought about putting it down. I am so tired of reading right now, but WOW! So here are a few thoughts I have about the book.

2. Stephen King is awesome. That being said- how does he imagine ALL the characters he outs in his books? I thought The Stand was filled to the brim, but Dome might actually have more.

3. While I loved it, I did have one complaint- Jim Rennie. I know he is supposed to be the bad guy, but he was totally awful. Many of King’s “villains” have something good about them- John Torrence did love Danny, but Rennie was just bad, very bad.

4. I actually watched 2 or three episodes of the TV show last summer before I lost interest, but just from that I am thinking that the show is a bit different front the book. If any of you have seen/read both, tell me how they compare.

5. I have read the following by King- The Shining, The Stand, The Green Mile, Bag of Bones, The Long Walk, 11/22/63, Salem’s Lot, Different Seasons, Mr. Mercedes, Doctor Sleep.

What should I read next?

Was also thinking of trying Joe Hill- any recommendation?

6. I don’t know why, but these past few months I have loved my reading, but writing reviews-or actually even trying to write any posts at all, has been so daunting. Has anyone else gone through this? Any advice?

7. I can’t wait for fall sports to be over at my kids’ high school. The schedule kills me. They leave at 6:30am and get home 12 hours later- if there isn’t a game- then who knows when.

8. Just watched the last episode of How I Met Your Mother with the family- I know we are slow. Man, my kids were pissed!! I knew what was coming, but really? You spend 8 years introducing the character, only to kill her off? Not good.

9. Finished one series and started another- with hubby only-Breaking Bad. You really have to get through the first episode and push on, huh? That first one is crazy! But I am sure it gets better, right?

10. I can not wait to see Gone Girl! Probably won’t happen, since the last movie I saw was Catching Fire, but it still looks good!

Stop Giving me a Hard Time! a Top Ten List

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Posted on September 30, 2014

http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com

This week’s topic is –

Top Ten Books that were hard for me to read- pick your reason why-

I came up with a few different reasons and here they are-

KEPT THINKING OF THE MOVIE

10. The Princess Bride

9. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (The Shawshank Redemption)

8. The Body (Stand By Me)

DIDN’T LIKE THE CHARACTERS

7. The Shadow Year

6. The End of The Affair

5. The Dinner

SUBJECT MATTER

4. The Fault in Our Stars (kids with cancer)

3. Skipping A Beat (young husband dying)

2. The Invention of Wings (slavery)

SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME

1. The Shining

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas- a review

3 Comments

Posted on September 29, 2014

We are Not Ourselves

by Matthew Thomas

published by Simon & Schuster

August 2014

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Library Thing’s Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

I was very excited to receive an ARC of this novel through Library Thing’s Early Reviewers group, so I was actually surprised to find myself putting it aside- twice- to read other books. The writing was wonderful, but I just couldn’t keep reading about Eileen Tumulty. She reminded me of a great aunt I had- not my favorite person. When I finally decided to push through, about a third of the way through the book, Bam! I was hooked and finished it in two days. The summary of the novel is below, and I am going to let you go with that, because I had mixed feelings about the start of the book. Instead, let me tell you about the book as a whole. It was a wonderful, thought provoking story that will stay with me a long time. Without giving away too much, it shows you how amazing life can be. Hopefully, I will have many years to enjoy this author’s works.

Summary

Born in 1941, Eileen Tumulty is raised by her Irish immigrant parents in Woodside, Queens, in an apartment where the mood swings between heartbreak and hilarity, depending on whether guests are over and how much alcohol has been consumed.

When Eileen meets Ed Leary, a scientist whose bearing is nothing like those of the men she grew up with, she thinks she’s found the perfect partner to deliver her to the cosmopolitan world she longs to inhabit. They marry, and Eileen quickly discovers Ed doesn’t aspire to the same, ever bigger, stakes in the American Dream.

Eileen encourages her husband to want more: a better job, better friends, a better house, but as years pass it becomes clear that his growing reluctance is part of a deeper psychological shift. An inescapable darkness enters their lives, and Eileen and Ed and their son Connell try desperately to hold together a semblance of the reality they have known, and to preserve, against long odds, an idea they have cherished of the future.

Through the Learys, novelist Matthew Thomas charts the story of the American Century, particularly the promise of domestic bliss and economic prosperity that captured hearts and minds after WWII. The result is a riveting and affecting work of art; one that reminds us that life is more than a tally of victories and defeats, that we live to love and be loved, and that we should tell each other so before the moment slips away.

A few great quotes-

“There were places, she now saw, that contained more happiness than ordinary places did. Unless you knew that such places existed, you might be content to stay where you were.”

“The fact that they were there, that everything they owned wasn’t enough somehow, disturbed her, suggesting a bottomlessness to certain kinds of unhappiness.”

“So much of life was the peeling away of illusions.”

I can’t believe I’ve only read ONE! A Top Ten List

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Posted on September 16, 2014

http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com

Wow- this is my first Top Ten Tuesday in a long time-so excited to be back!

This week’s topic is-

Top Ten Authors I have only read 1 book by.

This is a little hard for me, since I usually try to read as much of an author that I have enjoyed as I can. I decided to look back on the book I have read, and list the authors that I am SURPRISED I have only read on book by. Here is the list

(I am a bit ashamed by some of this)

1. Charlotte Bronte- Jane Eyre

2. Virginia Wolf- A Room of One’s Own

3. Leo Tolstoy- Anna Karenina

4. Toni Morrison- Beloved

5. Margaret Mitchell- Gone With the Wind

6. Daphne du Maurier- Rebecca

7. Truman Capote- In Cold Blood

8, Harper Lee- To Kill a Mockingbird

9. Nathaniel Hawthorne- The Scarlet Letter

10. Edith Wharton- The Age of Innocence

Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Myers

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Posted on September 15, 2014

Accidents of Marriage

by Randy Susan Meyers

published by Atria Books

2014

I received this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

This is a very well written story of the ugliness of life. Maddy and Ben are married and raising three children in Boston. Maddy works full time as a social worker, while also raising the children. Ben is a public defender who worked long hours. He is also a very angry person, who regularly explodes at his wife and children. One day, Ben is running late when Maddy calls him for a ride after her car is towed. His anger and frustration grows so out of control on the ride into the city and his road rage leads to a devastating accident. Maddy suffers a serious brain injury and a very long recovery is in her future. The story then focuses on the aftermath of the accident and the impact it has on the whole family, especially Ben, Maddy, and their teenage daughter Emma. Ben fears he will be brought up on charges and does his best to convince himself and everyone around him that he was not at fault. Emma is left to care for her two younger siblings and Maddy is understandably frustrated at her slow and painful recovery.

While I was frustrated at times with the story, it was captivating. I felt terrible for Maddy, yet wondered why she would allow herself and her children to be continually abused emotionally by Ben. Emma had most of my sympathy, as the teenager who has way too much thrust on her all at once, without any adult guidance. This was a very good story of a dysfunctional family doing its best to heal. The author shows us how damaging words can really be.

Summary

Accidents of Marriage explores a topic rarely shown in fiction: the destruction left in the wake of spouse’s verbal fury. Ben never meant to hurt Maddy. He never imagined his recklessness would lead to tragedy.

Maddy is a social worker trying to balance her career and three children. Years ago, she fell in love with Ben, a public defender, drawn to his fiery passion, but now he’s lashing out at her during his periodic verbal furies. She vacillates between tiptoeing around him and asserting herself for the sake of their kids – which works to keep a fragile peace – until the rainy day when they’re together in the car and Ben’s volatile temper gets the best of him, leaving Maddy in the hospital fighting for her life.

Randy Susan Meyers takes us inside the hearts and minds of her characters, alternating among the perspectives of Maddy, Ben, and their fourteen-year-old daughter. Accidents of Marriage is a provocative and stunning novel that will resonate deeply with women from all walks of life, ultimately revealing the challenges of family, faith, and forgiveness.

The Children Act by Ian McEwan

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Posted on September 5, 2014

The Children Act

by Ian McEwan

published by Nan A. Talese

2014

I received this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

I am not sure why I wanted to read this book, other than the subject really interested me. I have strange feelings toward the author. I respect his talent immensely, but can not help but feel very bad after I read a book by him. Atonement, maybe his best known novel, is wonderfully written, but I can’t say I enjoyed it. I think I feel the same about this book. The part of the book that deals with law is fascinating, as is the main character Fiona, when she is dealing with a case, or thinking on others. It is her personal life that is a mess, and just gets messier. As the story unfolds, I cheer Fiona along. I sort of wish she would go all crazy on her idiot husband when he asks for an open marriage, but totally credit her for not breaking down and being all weepy- why cry your eyes out for a total jerk. I loved the case of the 17 year old Jehovah’s Witness, who is choosing to follow his religion rather than accept a blood transfusion that will save his life. As Fiona delves into the law behind this case- The Children Act- we see not only her intelligence, but also her humanity. Unfortunately, Mr. McEwan doesn’t like to wrap thing up in nice little packages, but prefers to show the harsh realities of life. Even the best characters have flaws, and they always come out. I would definitely recommend this book. It is a very well written story that left me feeling sad.

Summary

Fiona Maye is a High Court judge in London presiding over cases in family court. She is fiercely intelligent, well respected, and deeply immersed in the nuances of her particular field of law. Often the outcome of a case seems simple from the outside, the course of action to ensure a child’s welfare obvious. But the law requires more rigor than mere pragmatism, and Fiona is expert in considering the sensitivities of culture and religion when handing down her verdicts.
But Fiona’s professional success belies domestic strife. Her husband, Jack, asks her to consider an open marriage and, after an argument, moves out of their house. His departure leaves her adrift, wondering whether it was not love she had lost so much as a modern form of respectability; whether it was not contempt and ostracism she really fears. She decides to throw herself into her work, especially a complex case involving a seventeen-year-old boy whose parents will not permit a lifesaving blood transfusion because it conflicts with their beliefs as Jehovah’s Witnesses. But Jack doesn’t leave her thoughts, and the pressure to resolve the case—as well as her crumbling marriage—tests Fiona in ways that will keep readers thoroughly enthralled until the last stunning page.