I love Emily Giffin's books. I haven't read one that I didn't love. The One and Only is no different. Except that I am fairly certain it is my favorite of all of her books. I adored this one. The people next to me at the pool today who watched me cry while I finished the book probably wondered what I was reading. I was reading an amazing love story and one which I recommend to anyone who loves a good love story, who loves football, or who loves both. Any anyone from Texas. They'd love this book just on principal. Maybe that's why I love it so much! :)
The One and Only is the story of Shea Risgby and Coach Clive Carr. Shea is a bit obsessed with both football, particularly Walker Football, and Coach Carr, her best friend's father and the head coach for Walker's football team. She knows every date, fact, and figure about Walker football and has, at age 33, not brought herself to leave the town of Walker because she loves it so very much. As the story opens the Carr family, including Shea and her mother, are mourning the loss of Coach's wife. Lucy, Shea's best friend, is trying to figure out life without her mother and Shea is doing her best to be there for her friend. It doesn't take long, however, to realize that what once was probably a school-girl crush on Coach has developed into much more for Shea. She hangs on his every word, values his opinion, and truly thinks he is the most important person in the entire world. They have a common bond in the game of football and most people to see their close relationship as solely based on the game. She would never want to cross a line with the man who was like a father to her growing up but she soon senses, now that his wife is gone, that perhaps he feels the same about her.
Regardless, knowing that she shouldn't love him, she tries her best to forge relationships that are a bit more appropriate. First with Miller, who no one likes, and second with Ryan James, Walker alum and quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Dating the DC quarterback opens up a life for Shea that her friends and family love. Shea is sometimes impressed with Ryan's life but is more taken with who he really is and that he could really love her, after being married for a short time to someone as opposite as Shea as night and day. And just when things appear to be going well with Ryan and Shea and she's thinking that she could love him and not Coach, something crazy happens which makes Shea doubt her relationship with Ryan. I'll leave the details of the story to Giffin, who is way more skilled in telling the story than me.
In addition to the love story, let's add in an NCAA scandal side story that forces Shea to question everything she's ever thought about the game of football and every person associated with the game. As she searches for the truth, Shea is forced to admit that even the great Coach Carr might not be as squeaky clean as she once thought.
So, what made me cry at the pool today? At a certain point in the story, Coach Carr and Shea seem to be headed towards a real relationship. Ryan is out of the picture, they have admitted mutual feelings for each other and have agreed to take things slowly as they develop this new relationship, Coach Carr being the first to admit that he never expected to love anyone other than his wife. Only Lucy stands in their way. And she stands firm. And it made me cry.
I totally understand that Lucy finds it to be a bit strange, that her best friend and her father could have feelings for each other, but it's not so strange when you realize how much these two have in common and how for both of them football is life. I guess what made me the saddest today was the thought that a family could be so tough on each other. Don't you want your family to be happy? Even when it's not necessarily what you'd have wanted or expected? If you truly love them, you will want them to be happy and you won't issue ultimatums. Or give them unfair choices.
While I won't tell you how the story ends (what fun would that be?), I will tell you that the ending had me quietly sobbing at the pool. It's a beautiful story. Touchingly beautiful.
I want this one to become a movie. I'd go to see it AND I'd buy it on DVD. It's just that great.
Read this one. And don't be surprised when you see this book on my list of favorites for the year. It's just that great!
Happy reading!
:) Dodie
Monday, June 23, 2014
#29: Walking on Water by Richard Paul Evans
Walking on Water is the fifth and final book in The Walk series by Richard Paul Evans. I remember reading the first book like it was yesterday. Rob and I had gone to The Greenbrier and I devoured the book one afternoon. I've never been so happy to have access to the internet so that I could download the second book onto my Nook and continue reading. Imagine how upset I was to find out that I had to wait a full year to read the third book. And then another year for the fourth and another before the fifth was ready. I understand that it takes time to write a phenomenal book, but for someone like me, it took a lot of patience to wait for each book release.
In this fifth installment, Alan's story comes to a close as he makes his final trek across the country from Seattle, ending in Key West. What I find to be interesting in this novel is that the book is half over before Alan ever resumes his walk. Instead, he returns home when his dad lands himself in the hospital after a heart attack. During Alan's time at home, he spends much of every day with his father playing chess as his dad tries to recover. Each evening, when he goes back to his dad's house to sleep and shower, Alan reads a family history that his dad has written--a fatherly attempt at getting Alan to understand who he is and why he is really walking. After reading his family's story, and watching the piles of goodies from women in love with his dad on the front porch grow and grow, Alan realizes that his dad is more and was more than he ever knew. And that perhaps they are more similar than he ever imagined.
Sadly, Alan's father does not leave the hospital (sorry to have ruined this for you, but Alan would never have resumed his walk otherwise). But it is because of this loss that Alan resumes and completes the final leg of his walk. During this time, time in the hospital with his dad and time walking, he does some serious soul searching and realizes what he wants out of life. But, as often happens in life, by the time we know what we want, what we want is no longer available. So, Alan continue to walk.
Since I spoiled one major event, I will keep the ending to myself. But suffice to say that I was fairly surprised by the end and how quickly things came to pass, but was relieved to find an epilogue that allowed me to catch a tiny glimpse into everyone's life, post walk.
The Walk series was fantastic and I am so glad to have read it, even thought it took years to get to the final book. Each and every book forced to to think about my priorities and the love I have for Rob and my family. Sadly, it also made me think about what I would do if I lost Rob. After reading and finishing five books, I still don't have that answer. I can only hope and pray that it's a question I never need answered.
If you haven't already, read this series. The good news is that the series is written and you can read all five in a row if you want. No waiting!
Happy reading!
:) Dodie
In this fifth installment, Alan's story comes to a close as he makes his final trek across the country from Seattle, ending in Key West. What I find to be interesting in this novel is that the book is half over before Alan ever resumes his walk. Instead, he returns home when his dad lands himself in the hospital after a heart attack. During Alan's time at home, he spends much of every day with his father playing chess as his dad tries to recover. Each evening, when he goes back to his dad's house to sleep and shower, Alan reads a family history that his dad has written--a fatherly attempt at getting Alan to understand who he is and why he is really walking. After reading his family's story, and watching the piles of goodies from women in love with his dad on the front porch grow and grow, Alan realizes that his dad is more and was more than he ever knew. And that perhaps they are more similar than he ever imagined.
Sadly, Alan's father does not leave the hospital (sorry to have ruined this for you, but Alan would never have resumed his walk otherwise). But it is because of this loss that Alan resumes and completes the final leg of his walk. During this time, time in the hospital with his dad and time walking, he does some serious soul searching and realizes what he wants out of life. But, as often happens in life, by the time we know what we want, what we want is no longer available. So, Alan continue to walk.
Since I spoiled one major event, I will keep the ending to myself. But suffice to say that I was fairly surprised by the end and how quickly things came to pass, but was relieved to find an epilogue that allowed me to catch a tiny glimpse into everyone's life, post walk.
The Walk series was fantastic and I am so glad to have read it, even thought it took years to get to the final book. Each and every book forced to to think about my priorities and the love I have for Rob and my family. Sadly, it also made me think about what I would do if I lost Rob. After reading and finishing five books, I still don't have that answer. I can only hope and pray that it's a question I never need answered.
If you haven't already, read this series. The good news is that the series is written and you can read all five in a row if you want. No waiting!
Happy reading!
:) Dodie
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
#28 The Summer of Us by Holly Chamberlain
The Summer of Us has been on my shelf for two years. I have passed it over many times as I searched for a new read but finally picked it up last weekend when I was packing up my books in preparations for our move. The cover caught my eye, as it did when I bought it. My husband laughed when I told him that I bought the book because there is a floral bag on the cover that I'd like to find in real life and buy. Those of you who know me aren't the least bit surprised by that fact.
The Summer of Us was the perfect book for me to read this past week, the final week of school. It's a week filled with long days and longer nights as you try to wrap up a year of learning, and for me this year's last week brings packing up 19 years of teaching, which is no easy task along with packing up 12 years in a house. Good grief! So, to read a book that made me laugh out loud was exactly what I needed.
In The Summer of Us, three unlikely ladies (Gincy, Clare, and Danielle) in their late twenties meet and become friends while renting a beach house for the summer. The chapters are told by alternating characters and these three ladies are so different and their stories are so intriguing that it's easy to keep everyone straight and all of the details in check. I loved reading their stories and was sad when the book was over.
I also loved Chamberlain's style of writing. So much, in fact, that I have downloaded three of her others books to take with me on my upcoming vacation. I look forward to more feel-good, laugh-out-loud stories this summer!
This one's a good one!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
The Summer of Us was the perfect book for me to read this past week, the final week of school. It's a week filled with long days and longer nights as you try to wrap up a year of learning, and for me this year's last week brings packing up 19 years of teaching, which is no easy task along with packing up 12 years in a house. Good grief! So, to read a book that made me laugh out loud was exactly what I needed.
In The Summer of Us, three unlikely ladies (Gincy, Clare, and Danielle) in their late twenties meet and become friends while renting a beach house for the summer. The chapters are told by alternating characters and these three ladies are so different and their stories are so intriguing that it's easy to keep everyone straight and all of the details in check. I loved reading their stories and was sad when the book was over.
I also loved Chamberlain's style of writing. So much, in fact, that I have downloaded three of her others books to take with me on my upcoming vacation. I look forward to more feel-good, laugh-out-loud stories this summer!
This one's a good one!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Thursday, June 5, 2014
#27: Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
Call the Midwife was recommended to me by a friend who seems to know the sort of books I like to read and she was spot on about this one. While I know PBS has turned this book into a series, I had no knowledge of either the book or the series until my friend passed this book along. It has been a gem of a read and a blessing at a time in my life when my stress level has been very high. Leave it to a book to remind me that, despite stress, my life is good.
Call the Midwife is a memoir written by Jennifer Worth, who apparently was a young (22 years old) midwife in the slums of East End London in the 1950's. Her tales remind me of something my teacher friends and I often say about things that children say, parents say, or events around the school: "You can't make this stuff up." I feel certain Worth felt the same way and was able to create a magnificent book about her experiences. I am intrigued to watch the PBS series, but since I have yet to even watch Season 1 of Downton Abbey, I bet the likelihood of me actually watching the show is slim.
What I loved most about this book is that each chapter, or series of 2-3 chapters, tells the story of one delivery, or of one Sister, or of one interesting soul Worth encountered as a midwife. The result is that while it took me a month to read the entire book, I was able to read a few pages at a time and feel as though I accomplished something. I have been trying to take a recertification class, pack up 19 years of school things, and 12 years of a house for four over the past month in anticipation of the end of school, and my career, and an impending move. Finding time to read something other than chapters in my Children's Lit textbook has been hard. So, it was nice to read 5-6 pages at a time and feel as though I was keeping up with the story while reading something memorable and worthwhile.
Worth's time as a midwife was not glamorous, but she changed lives. Her working conditions were not ideal, the people she worked with were not always ideal patients, yet she did her job every day believing in her work, and being proud of the work she did. Her work ethic is something we could all learn from. It's something that seems to be missing from the modern world. But, I'll close this post before I step up on that soapbox!
This is a great read! Thanks, Marcie, for the recommendation!
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Call the Midwife is a memoir written by Jennifer Worth, who apparently was a young (22 years old) midwife in the slums of East End London in the 1950's. Her tales remind me of something my teacher friends and I often say about things that children say, parents say, or events around the school: "You can't make this stuff up." I feel certain Worth felt the same way and was able to create a magnificent book about her experiences. I am intrigued to watch the PBS series, but since I have yet to even watch Season 1 of Downton Abbey, I bet the likelihood of me actually watching the show is slim.
What I loved most about this book is that each chapter, or series of 2-3 chapters, tells the story of one delivery, or of one Sister, or of one interesting soul Worth encountered as a midwife. The result is that while it took me a month to read the entire book, I was able to read a few pages at a time and feel as though I accomplished something. I have been trying to take a recertification class, pack up 19 years of school things, and 12 years of a house for four over the past month in anticipation of the end of school, and my career, and an impending move. Finding time to read something other than chapters in my Children's Lit textbook has been hard. So, it was nice to read 5-6 pages at a time and feel as though I was keeping up with the story while reading something memorable and worthwhile.
Worth's time as a midwife was not glamorous, but she changed lives. Her working conditions were not ideal, the people she worked with were not always ideal patients, yet she did her job every day believing in her work, and being proud of the work she did. Her work ethic is something we could all learn from. It's something that seems to be missing from the modern world. But, I'll close this post before I step up on that soapbox!
This is a great read! Thanks, Marcie, for the recommendation!
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
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