Me Before You

I had seen the movie years ago, so it was time to read the book.  Everyone knows the 

BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER!

This book explores life pf a 30-something year-old-man after a tragic debilitating accident. He falls in love with his new caretaker, a 26 year old young woman who is settling for a life that is less than what she had dreamt of, our of fear.  Sadly, the man has already made the difficult decision to end his life against his parent's wishes who hire the young woman for a 6 month contract leading up to the end of their son's life.  

As a human being, I can understand why a person wouldn't want to go on if he were confined to a wheelchair and had to rely on others to do every single thing for him.  Being a prisoner in your own body would be so incredibly depressing.  As a mother, I cannot imagine my child being the person in the wheelchair and trying to support them in the decision to end their life.  As a woman, I cannot stand the thought of being told, "I love you, but you are not enough."

Every person has their opinions on euthanasia.  Is it right or wrong?  We put our dogs to sleep when they are suffering, but we attach our fellow human beings to machines that eat and breath for them.  We medicate our elderly with a plethora of pills to keep them alive long after quality of life is history.  I do not presume to know the answer, but these are all questions that are worth exploring.  This book does not sugar-coat.  It is raw and real, and I enjoyed it.  

Now, I think I need to watch the movie again!!!

UNHOLY NIGHT by Grahame-Smith

     I have to admit, I was sort of afraid to read this one.  I mean, historic-fiction is amazing... but we are talking about the Bible here.  I believe the Bible and was seriously thinking this book might be in some way be a bit blasphemous!
     I am happy to report that it was not, and I absolutely LOVED the book.  Basically Balthazar is a thief who pretends to be a wiseman when he escapes from Herod's prison and certain death.  Upon stumbling upon the Baby Jesus and his mom and dad, he has no choice but to help them escape when first born boys around them are being killed right and left.  I guess even a hardened criminal has a heart!  During this non-stop race to stay alive, Balthasar crosses paths with Pontius Pilate and John the Baptist.  It truly is the greatest story NEVER told, and the ending... REALLY GREAT.
    5 stars for this one.  I LOVED it and cannot wait to discuss it at our December book club party!!!

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Mare Barrow's blood is red, but her world is one ruled by those with silver blood who also have supernatural abilities.  Somehow Mare ends up in the palace only to discover she has powers of her own.  Not knowing what to do after Mare, a simple red's powers are publicly on display, the King decides to hide her skills.  He forces Mare to pretend she is  a long lost silver princess finally returned to her rightly home.  She is betrothed to the King's youngest son living her own lie in a palace of many lies.  To complicate matters, Mare joins the Scarlett Guard, an elite group brave enough to rebel against the silvers and the noble families unfair rule over the reds.  It's not long before Mare is way in over her head!

This book is the first of four, and guess what?  THEY ARE ALL on my audible account!  I can't wait for book #2.  Book number one surprised me... I'm not sure if it's because I listened to most of this book from behind the wheel as I was working or if I'm loosing my book predicting abilities.  Either way, I was shocked, and I like it when a book can do that.  5 stars for this one.

I want a Great Aunt Sadie!

I adore old people and have for as long as I can recall.  They have stories to tell, but I think often times they are seen as wrinkly people who have always been wrinkly and worn-out having never living a life other than that.  I totally loved that TWENTIES GIRL makes the reader stop and think about just that.  Great Aunt Sadie is 105 years old and has lost something very important to her.  She wants it back, but there is one tiny little problem... Great Aunt Sadie is dead!  That doesn't stop her though.  She perseveres and discovers her great niece Laura can see and hear her!  What follows is a wild ride of Sadie living vicariously through Laura and along the way teaching her how to really live.  Sadie's philosophy... "Darling, when things go wrong in live, this is what you do--- lift your chin, put on a ravishing smile, mix yourself a little cocktail and out you go."  I love Great Aunt Sadie!

Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty --- NOT

     NOT your ordinary fairy tale for sure, but amazing!  The first two books take place on earth after the 4th World War.  We meet a charming Prince, a cyborg mechanic named Cinder, her droid with a faulty personality chip and Cinder's evil stepmother and her two step-sisters who all live in China... the Common Wealth.  The second book introduces us to Scarlett who is French, a Queen-made mutant named wolf, a cyber-genious named Cress who is a prisoner in a satellite forced to do the Queen's biding and a rogue yet handsome and charming thief and pilot.  The third book takes place in Luna... yes, that would be the moon and people (lunars) live.  Unfortunately they are ruled by the evil Queen Lavana who is stepmother to the sweet, beautiful and mentally ill young lunar named Winter. 

    The way the author Marissa Meyer weaves this story together is incredible; no moon rock is left unturned!  Why is Cinder a Cyborg?  Where did the awful disease Letimosis come from? Why does Iko, Cinder droid, have personality like... well, a person?  Why is the Queen so afraid of "shells"?  Is Wolf good or bad?  What does the Queen want with Scarlett's gran who is a sweet farmer lady?  Why does Cress seek out Cinder?  Does Thorne have the capability of love and heroics?  Why won't Winter use her gift?  Why is Jason loyal to the Queen?  So many questions... but each one will be answered!  Cinder, Cress & Winter are three truly amazing books.  Read them, and you will see!

Oh, I forgot... FAIREST and a collection of short stories follows.

I haven't read them, but I will!

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

     Ove is a grumpy old man, but I couldn't help but love him... I mean truly LOVE him.  It is rare that I connect with a character like I did with Ove, but I found myself understanding him and wanting to know more and more about him.  As Ove goes about his highly structured life day in and day out holding true to his staunch principles and strict routines.  Ove has a short fuse, and people in the neighborhood call him "the bitter neighbor from hell."  Ove points out he's not bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time!
     Of course, there is more to Ove than meets the eye which is so often true.  His is story filled with love and laughter and too much sadness for Ove to bear.  As Ove plans his demise a chatty young couple with two young daughters accidentally flatter Ove's mailbox as they are moving in to the house next door.  What ensues is a  seriously funny heartwarming tale of unkempt frozen cats, unexpected friendships and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul.
     This story made me feel GOOD, and it made me cry... which is truly unheard of when it comes to books!  WOW is all I can say!!!

November 2015 - This is not a test!

Finally got to dress up like a zombie!!!  At least Tara, Tara's mom and Kaylie and I did!  Denise dressed in clothes she found in the dram department of the school we were all trapped in (by zombies, don't ya know) and Hannah, Patty and Ashley were eaten by us zombies for being boring!  We didn't love the book but it doesn't matter b/c we loved the party!

The Parties Continue!

It's been a while, but it's time to REVIVE THE BLOG!  We named our book club party group:
THE BLOOMING LADIES BOOK CLUB (thanks to Sherry Bolen) ---
"The Bloomers" for short!
We've read so many books and partied hardy so many times since I last visited the blog. 
Here's a list:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ~ 2013
The Book Thief ~2014
The Great Gatsby ~2014
The Fault in Our Stars ~2014
Gone Girl ~2014
Dorothy Must Die ~2014
Unbroken ~2014
The Girl on the Train ~2015
All the Truth that's in Me ~2015
The Husband's Secret ~2015
The Magician's Elephant ~2015
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ~2015
The Tale of Despereaux ~2015

We're all currently reading BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, and I am in planning mode for our party right now. 

Remember, as a member of the blog, YOU are ALL authors meaning YOU can all post... so go for it!  Post about the books we're reading.  Post about the books YOU are reading... cute photos, movie trailers books turned into movies, book ideas, etc, etc, etc. 

So happy to call Mrs. Terri Broome my friend and now author!  Her book The Ordinary Road is awe-inspiring, and her relationship with the creator of the universe inspires me to "press on" in my journey of surrender to HIM.  What an awesome book club party.  What a wonderful bunch of ladies.  So happy Pop read the book and was our honorary man visitor!

The Glass Castle... Finally!

After delaying this book club party for practically the entire summer, we came together as a group of "bag ladies" and feasted as we discussed this Memoir of Jeannette Walls.  It is hard to believe that she and her siblings lived through the poverty and neglect they endured.  This book was EXCELLENT.  Best of all, there is a movie coming in 2015!

Book Club Changes!

Book Club Party no longer for teens... but for adult ladies and a few of our older teen girls when appropriate.  The first of the "new book club" party group was not without some drama, but we got through it and had a wonderful time discussing Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball which had many underlying themes and to top it off was simply a cute Christmas story. Our party, of course, involved food from the book provided by all... a couple favorites was Kaye's Spaghetti Meatloaf and Stacy's ice cream floats.  I was impressed that everyone knew so many of the answers to my questions, and the discussion was enlightening.  Our party ended with a Dirty Santa book exchange.  WHAT FUN!

Ani, Shelley, Sarah, Kaye, Julie, Tam, Rene'e & Stacy!
Thanks for taking the photograph, Clowee!

Ladies Book Club... food makes the party!

I think I might love Dean Koontz

Talk about intense suspense! After reading 2.5 of his books, I am deeming Mr. Koontz a total genius! I love the supernatural aspects to the stories I've read so far. There is a definite GOOD vs. EXTREMELY EVIL in the 2.5 books I've read. I think I might just read all his books! So, far I've checked off THE FACE, ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN and almost done with THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR!

The Seeds of Wither by Lauren DeStefano

The Seeds of Wither was short story written between WITHER and FEVER. Thankfully it didn't take me long to read it, because it was really pretty pointless. There was no new information. The story was told from the perspective of the very first first wife, Rose.

The Mark of the Golden Dragon by L.A. Meyer

The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Jewel of the East, Vexation of the West, and Pearl of the South China Sea (Bloody Jack Adventures)
Mary "Bloody Jacky" Faber is one of the best book character's I've ever met! L.A. Meyer has created a funny, smart, brave girl in Mary Faber. This book was #9, and I'm patiently waiting on book #10 that's coming in October. READ THEM ALL. READ THEM IN ORDER!

ENTWINED book club party... highlights!

Our small group of black-wearing mourners had big fun as we celebrated behind covered windows one of my favorite books of 2011... ENTWINED by Heather Dixon. Four teams battled for great prizes such hankerchiefs, a spoon, a pen, a potatoe and an orange! The competition was fierce as groups filled out a difficult crossword puzzle, answered challenging questions, discussed deep issues relating to the book, named kids A-L using a theme of their choice and perfected a curtsey to present to the Queen of Book Club... me!

We then feasted on a meager meal (because the roya family is poor, afterall) of potatoe soup, rolls and sweets. After filling our bellies we played a game from the book where we stood in a circle and passed one person around adding to the story the first person started. The stories got very crazy really quickly! Lastly, we made up rules for partying just like the book outlined rules for mourning. I hope all you book clubbers remember the rules for an excellent week of partying...

* Dancing everyday

* Smiles non-stop

* Open the windows to let the sun in

* BYOB (I think Pop added this one)

* No bad news allowed / no watching news

* Summon your housekeeper and chef

* No strenuous exercising

* Eat lots of doughnuts and do not count calories!

It was a really great party, but I leave you with a few more activities you can do on your own as you continue to celebrate this exceptional book all about FAMILY!

~ Write a letter basically begging someone for whatever you want... just like Lord Teddie did when he begged the King for Clover's hand in marriage.

~ Girls, make a list of KINGLY qualities for the man you will one day marry!

~ Boys, make a list of QUEENLY qualities for the woman you will one day marry!

Lastly, we can't forget who attended the ROYAL book club party for Entwined!
The Royal Dishwasher / Darbey
The Royal Scrubber of All things dirty / Kaye
The Royal Clutter-Buster and Nag / Tamara
The Royal Photographer, piano player and mac & cheese-maker / Shelley
The Royal Food Consumer / Renee
The Royal Awesome Amazing Abracadabra girl / Clowee
The Royal Declarer of Daily Cute cloud formations / Ani
The Royal Scratch and Sniffer and guest seducer / Joshy
The Royal Causer of Giggling / Nikkita
The Royal Gets-Enough-Sleep-for-Everyone / Regan
The Royal Go-Getter and Dishwasher / Frank
The Royal Finder-of-the-hairbrush-every-morning-of-my-life / Kaylie
The Royal Sofa-sitter and book club observer / Pop

FEVER by Lauren Destefano is out!!!

FEVER which is the sequel to WITHER one of our recent books is out!!! I couldn't resist buying it for $11.88 at Sams last night! I read the reviews, and it got really good ones but we should expect dark days ahead for Rhine and Gabriel. This isn't a happy book from what I understand!

The Pawn by Steven James

Not really my kinda book, but I got a new Kindle at Christmas and it was free! This book is about an environmental criminologist (who knew there was such a thing) who used geospatial technology (Huh?) to analyze the time and space in which crimes take place. Using tons of stuff that I frankly don't care about and don't understand, said environmental criminologist (BOWERS is the name) can pinpoint clues to solve tough cases. He's called to the mountains of North Carolina (I'm sure glad this was fictional---whew!) to help solve a gruesome murder and finds himself in the middle of a war between not one but TWO serial killers. Crazy, huh? Anyway, I didn't dislike this book but I didn't really enjoy it either. I would love to see it in movie form though! 3 stars for the first book in the Patrick Bowers Files Series. I won't be reading book two.

Cinder

Cinder is the re-telling of the classic Cinderella, and I really loved it. It takes place in the futuristic New Beijing. Humans, androids and cyborgs live together on earth which is subject to a deadly plague with no cure. To make matters worse for Earthens, an evil Queen wants to wage war against them. Cinder is a cyborg and a great mechanic. Her stepmother hates her, but she befriends of all people the handsome Prince Kai when he comes to her with a broken android. Will Cinder go to the ball? Will Prince Kai save earth? Wille Kai like Cinder if he finds out she's cyborg?

This book is the 1st in The Lunar Chronicles with three more books in the making ---SCARLET, CRESS and WINTER. I would have rated the book 5 stars but had to give it a 4.5 because it does leave a few unanswered questions. I'm not sure if the 2nd book will answer those questions or if it is stand-alone. I'm definately reading SCARLET! A spin-off of Little Red Riding Hood. I can't resist!

Christmas Jars

Christmas Jars had sat in my library for at least several years when I picked it up in November of this year. I was searching for an easy to read book for my Christmas book club party, and I had found it. It was a novella, so it was short and it's simplistic nature was perfect for our down-to-earth Christmas book club. Party members met with wrapped books in hand, snacks to share and their very own Christmas Jars filled with coins saved since our last book club party. We had a great time unwrapping, exchanging (and stealing) books. We ate each others goodies and we even went Christmas Caroling. We only had the door slammed in our faces once! Bah-humbug to those neighbors! Hmph! But then we were back home for the real fun of combining all our change into one jar. We filled a LARGE pickle jar and a smaller jar. We counted and came only coins short of $147! Wow! What a gift we were going to make to a very special lady.

The fun happened the next day. It was rainy and cold when Kaye Roberts (my trusty partner in crime), Shelley, Darbey, Clowee and I went in search of the sweet little lady (let's call her Mrs. S) who lost her husband earlier this year. We took a long drive into the country and finally found (with the help of a gps) the home we thought was hers. I backed my car into the neighbors driveway. Kaye ventured to the door to ask if the house next door belonged to Mrs. S. It did! We were in business on a very wet and dreary day. Kaye and I leaned our chairs back so our heads would safely be behind the tinted glass of the back seats. Darbey put her hood up and took the biggest jar. Shelley was right behind her with the other jar. Clowee was safe and sound in the get-away car keeping their seats warn. Shelly and Darbey trudged through the slippery grass to the front porch as we nervously watched, but upon their arrival they found no stairs. Shelley puts her jar on the concrete porch and slid it ever so noisily toward the front door. Darbey reprimanded her in whispered irritation as only a 15 year old can do, before catapulting herself up onto the porch. She moved the jars closer to the door and then turned to the car and did her best sign language to illustrate, "no door bell." I took my fisted right hand and mimed knocking in the air and lipped the word "KNOCK" and quick as Santa Claus himself, that's exactly what Darbey did. She knocked three sharp knocks. Shelley turned before the last knock was knocked, Darbey jumped like a track star off that porch and the two of them rain through the grass like a couple of Christmas bandits. Kaye, Clowee and I laughed as we told the girls to hurry and get in the car. I tried not to think of the muddy mess that was now on my floor board carpets. The three girls in the back seat ducked down in their seats breathless, Kaye and I made sure we were down and back peeking only through the back windows, then......... we waited. It seemed for a moment Miss S. wasn't coming to the door. I was thinking about what we'd do next to make sure she received her gifts, but just as I was about to give up hope, Miss S opened her front door. Miss S. peered through the glass storm door FINALLY seeing the jars. She timidly walked out onto her porch bent down to the see words CHRISTMAS JAR... SOMONE LOVES YOU written with red marker on the biggest jar. Miss S. stood straight up, put a hand over her eye to shield the sun that wasn't out and surveyed the surrounding landscape right and then left and then right and then left again. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Miss S opened the storm door holding it that way with her behind, she then stooped down again lifting a jar in each hand... how she did this, I will never know because those jars were heavy. She disappeared into the house and within a moment came back to the front door, peeked out one last time hoping for a glimpse of anyone who might have left her with such a gift. With a small shrug and a simple smile she closed the door, and that was that. With tears in our eyes and goosebumps on our skin Kaye, Shelly, Darbey, Clowee and I had had the experience of a lifetime and rediscovered in a small way the true meaning of Christmas...giving.

Thanks to each and every person in our book club who helped by putting even one penny into our Christmas Jar. It wasn't about the amount, of course, it was all about the giving of your time, your energy, your spare change and your love, into a simple gift to a simple lady who has had a difficult year. You guys are AWESOME!