That's What She Read

Have you ever had that one book that seemed to haunt you, saying "read me, please!" Well this is that book. It's been following me around for a couple of years now, and it started when my boss recommended it and kept telling me about it. And then, thanks to the Literary Junkies Book Club, I heard even more people recommend it.  So this holiday, I've dove in.   From the back cover:  The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant

            I wish I had enough words to describe this book to you. I'll just start with giving it this rating:   From GoodReads.com: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.   ******************** Let

Goodreads.com Description:  Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill. When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny My Rating: (Break Down of Cup Rating System Here) I really enjoyed this book. I considered my glass half full because the book was an easy

There isn't anything in the entertainment category that I love more than reading.  Give me a blanket, a comfy couch, silence and book and I am good. Granted, if my house is totally silent, there must have been an apocalypse, but still. Getting off track here but I have a little funeral for nap time. I think it's time I finally come to the realization that my kids will no longer nap in the afternoons. Major Sad Face. Ok, so back to my happy place. Reading. But you know the next best thing? Movies. And even better, movie trailers. I love them. I love them so much that I have to give Christina from Easily Entertained a shout out for her awesome collection on winter movies. Go check it out!  Anyhooters, so imagine my utter glee a couple weeks ago when I discovered that  they make movie like trailers for BOOKS. It's like my too favorite things got together and made a love child and then cuddled afterwards. So here are some book trailers from

Hey Franndss!  I am really excited to tell you about this next book! From Goodreads: After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there a

The Diviners by Libba Bray How COOL is this? A trailer for a book!  I die. I love movie trailers, as in I watch them like most people watch full episodes of sitcoms on Netflix. Join my addiction at Rotten Tomatoes . Why watch a whole movie when  someone has already put the best parts in a 4 minute montage?? As you can probs tell, this book is a super natural mystery. Normally, it's not my go to genre but with Halloweenie coming up, I thought it would be a fun mix up. I also listened to this on audiobook which I am glad I did because the voices really added to the creepiness of the book. The synopsis is this: It's the 1920s and 16 year old Evie O'Neill is busy causing trouble with her spicy attitude and constant addiction to stirring up trouble and getting attention. She's a super cute character who spouts of the funniest 20s-ish sayings through out the book, like "everything's jake, that's just the berries! and I'm po

Last night I finished  And it was really good!  I'd give it a go it you like historical fiction. It's based on non fictional characters who survived the Titanic.  Tess Collins is a servant girl who dreams of one day being a famous clothing designer and seamstress. The book opens with her impulsively quitting her job as a maid and finds herself on the dock that is boarding passengers on the Titanic. Fate leads her to literally bump into Lucille Duff Gordon, a world renown fashion designer who is boarding the ship. Lady Duff Gordon has just lost her personal servant and agrees to let Tess have the ticket and become her maid.  I loved Tess' character right away and wanted to hate Lady Duff Gordon because she's a snotty pretentious type that is rude to her hubby and very entitled. But she has soft moments too and it's hard not to like her when she has tender moments of compassion towards Tess. You can see their bound changing as the book proceeds, s

Time for an update! Tigers in Red Weather was a bust. We didn't even talk about it at book club. This month's bookclub was fun, our hostess had a bonfire and we sat around outside. Though we didn't talk about the book, we did cover a list of other worthy topics, like Sex (morning vs. night) Kids and toothpaste Our moms Getting pregnant Banana Cream Pie Corn yields (lots of farmers' wives in the group) So as you can clearly see, it was a great night, even though we didn't talk about the book.  Tigers in Red Weather was a mess of under developed stories lines.  I felt like none of the ideas ever got the full attention they deserved. A tennis match was written with more description and detail than a young girl and boy finding a dead body. It was weird. I didn't finish it. I tried to find the ending by Googling it but all I could find was that the ending was crazy. (so sounds like a fitting ending to a crazily boring book) One part I

Short and Sweet: What She's Reading Now For Book Club: Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann 2 women in the 1950s, struggling in their roles as housewives and mothers. Lots of descriptions about the fashion and lifestyle of that era, which I love. Lots of love, relationships, struggles. Good so far!  Average 3.5 star rating on Good Reads. In the car:  Heartbroken By Lisa Unger Description: Heartbroken  is a tense, mesmerizing novel about the limits of dysfunctional families, of an island haunted by dark memories and restless ghosts, and of the all-too-real demons we must battle.  Wonderfully suspenseful, exquisitely crafted, and written with raw, emotional power, this is Lisa Unger at her very best. Average 3.5 rating on Good Reads. Next Up: Another Piece of My  Heart By: Jane Green From Good Reads:  From the New York Times bestselling author of JEMIMA J, and THE BEACH HOUSE, comes Jane Green’s most emotional and powerful novel yet: a story th