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Best Books of 2015

The only thing I regret about the books I read this year is that I didn't read more.  There are many fun memories and Netflix shows to blame for that, so I am not complaining. But if I had to name my favorites, here is my list:  Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff-   This was a doozie, and I know I am not the only person who was left moved by it- it's been at the top of all of the best reads for the year. Lotto and Matilde are a beautiful couple with their whole lives ahead of them and they're madly in love. Their story isn't anything out of the ordinary...they marry young and struggle as Lotto pursues his acting career, and later, his dream to become a playwright. First, you get Lotto's  point of view of their life and then, Matilde takes over the narrative and the shocker of the novel is that their versions of their life together are two completely different stories...and the reasons why are riveting .  Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - My runner up for

Book Round Up

Have you ever had a reading slump where you can't find that one book that holds your attention? That was me a couple of months ago and wouldn't you know, now all of the sudden there are so many books that I want to read, I can't keep up.  Here are the books that I will be tackling during the holidays and the words in the descriptions that made me add them to my list:  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara  "Heartbreak, brotherly love, human endurance."  This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison  "Part dysfunctional love story, part poignant exploration of the mother-daughter relationship plus an ill-conceived Alaskan cruise"  Sunday's on the Phone to Monday by Christine Reilly "The Middlesteins meets The Virgin Suicides, illuminating and whimsical" Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes  "Wildly candid,  poignant, intimate, and hilarious" The Pocket Wife by Susan

Book Review: Did You Ever Have A Family

Book Review: Did You Ever Have a Family I knew I was going to love this book. Almost like when you know without a shadow of a doubt that the gift under the Christmas tree is the exact gift you have been pining after for months but you have to wait to unwrap it. I saw this book in my "to-read" list for months and each time I saw it, a tingling started in the back of my brain in anticipation of reading it. I may have even prolonged reading it because I didn't want it to end, even before I had read the first page. The characters in this book live in a small town in  Connecticut. They are torn apart when a fire takes the lives of  several of their loved ones and suddenly, instead of the wedding they had all been planning for, they are planning funerals. In their own words, mothers, fathers, lovers, friends and acquaintances share their stories of the loved ones they have lost. By coincidence, some of the characters end up in a tiny little hotel thousa

Show Us Your Books

Show Us Your Books: October, with Steph and Jana:  Talk about your books, you ask? Well that's sure easy! Thanks Steph and Jana for having such a fun link up  and thanks to me, for FINALLY remembering to write a post for it. I seriously intend to recap the books I've read every month but I always forget and then face palm myself as soon as I see everyone else's posts. Seriously, this is the best way to add some great reads to your "to read" list so go check out the other bloggers' lists!  This past month I found some really good ones, especially considered I spent most of the weeks leading up to Halloween reading  "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" with R1. Which I can't say I minded one bit!  This doesn't really count since I just started it last night, but I wanted to share this beauty because I know I am going to love it:    Wildflower by Drew Barrymore I'm super excited that she put some of ther quirkiness o

Something I Never Thought I'd Say...

This picture is by far one of the my favorite serendipitous moments... How put together I am, drinking my morning coffee on a calm, quiet morning, sitting at my clean kitchen bar, reading a book and all of the sudden, I look down and notice that my coffee mug and book match... How perfect is that? Who am I kidding. We all know that I went searching for that exact mug in the cabinet and placed it perfectly next to my book and even held down the corner of the book because it was bent up and looked a little wonky. But dang it, is that not a cute as hello photo?  But I really did drink the coffee and I really did sit and read, so that counts.  Anyway... the point is, I read a book this week and wanted to share. Mostly because something has happened to me that has never, ever happened before. The book, Brooklyn by Colin Toibin , is short and sweet. I knew half way through that it was too short to be a really great saga, which is what I love. The story had potential t

Review: After You by JoJo Moyes

Let's talk about a really good book, okay?  And you know what's better than a really good book? TWO really good books.  There aren't that many great sequels in books. It's a lucky of draw, just like movies.  A couple years ago, I sat crying my eyes out while reading Me Before You by JoJo Moyes, After that, I obsessively read her others, The Last Letter from Your Lover , One Plus One  and The Girl You Left Behind  I LOVED Me Before You. It was such a compassionate, non-traditional love story. I love the stories where you don't think love is even possible but then suddenly, it's there, right in front of the character and you're as happy for them as you would be if you yourself had just found the love of your life.  After You was a little bit a curve ball, especially after the page turner of its precursor. I hated finding Louisa Clark so sad and broken at the start of the book, but I don't know why I expected any less. (I won'

What's On My Book Shelf

What is this, a new post? How in the world did this happen?  It's been 2 months since I've blogged..the longest gap I've ever had between posts in 3 years. What's been going on around here? Life stuff, I guess. Stuff that just require my full attention and finding the time to do even my favorite things has been few and far between. Moving into our dream house, work, work, work, kids starting school...it's a wonder I get anything done around here. I have manged to read a couple great books amidst the craziness, so I thought I would dive back into blogging with some recommendations of books I've read lately and what is up next on the reading list.  If you have read any of these, let me know what you think of them, I would love to read your thoughts!  Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner - I always answer Jennifer Weiner when asked who my favorite author is. Jennifer W is, in the words of Lena Dunham, "the voice of our generation." She just

Book Review: The Wednesday Group

The Wednesday Group This is the kind of book you'll want to read to feel better about whatever unfortunate event in life you may be facing. Because it could always be worse.  The Wednesday Group (named such because of the day of the week a group of women meet for a support group) has all the makings for a great saga.  These women's lives range from that of a high profile judge to a housewife but they all have something in common: sadness.  They are seeking the help of psychiatrist Catherine to cope with the fact that their husbands are self proclaimed sex addicts. Some are addicted to porn, others are addicted to casual sex and others may or may not be gay, but all are struggling to save their marriages.  How much unhappiness is too much? How many times can you go to bed crying? How long do you stay in a loveless marriage? These women are trying to discover just how much the heart can endure.  What I liked the most about the story is that all of

Lately, I've been reading...

Need a new book? Look no further because I've read some great books lately that I know you will love! (Plus one that you can probably skip, so you can save your time!)  Here's a quick summary of the books I've read lately:  Side Note: For a TON of great book round ups, check out Life According To Steph's Monthly Show Us Your Books  link up!) When I heard that Judy Blume was writing another book, the Margaret and Deenie inside me shouted with glee. This book didn't disappoint. There is much less talk about periods and teen angst but it still was a winner for me (my tastes have thankfully matured since the 1990s)  In the Unlikely Event is based on the true story of numerous plane crashes that plummeted in Blume's home town in the 1950s. Her story looks into how those events effected several different characters.  Her descriptions of the crashes, including news stories and police reports, as well as various characters' personal recoll

Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

What do I love about a great book?  I love the simplicity of a story that passionately needs to be told.  I think that happens anytime someone tackles a fictional novel about World War II.  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is one of those stories.  The Nightingale is a story about two sisters, Isabelle and Vianne, who are living in France in the late 1930s. Vianne, a mother and wife, quietly enjoys life in the French countryside with her husband and daughter. Her best friend Rachel is next door. They are charmed and happy. Isabelle is Vianne's spirited younger sister who has a history of getting expelled from various boarding schools. She's passionate, reckless and brave. With their mother gone and their father lost to alcoholism, the sisters have no family except for each other, but sadly, they are not close. But that was before the war.  Vianne finds herself alone after her husband leaves to fight for France. Soon, there's a German s