Truly Madly Guilty is the story of three couples: Oliver and Erika, Vid and Tiffany, and Sam and Clementine. Their lives are connected as neighbors and friends of friends but they become totally connected one afternoon at a barbecue. "This is a story that begins with a barbecue" says Clementine on the first page (first line actually) of the book.
The problem is that you don't learn what really happens at the BBQ until about half-way through the book. Until then, you are (or at least I was) frantically reading and turning pages as fast as possible to find out what happens. Each chapter leaves you with a cliffhanger and since the chapters are told in an alternating way it's several chapters later before you find out what happens after each little cliffhanger. Moriarty is very good at creating suspense.
With that being said, when you are finally told what happened at the BBQ, it's very hard to read. I did put the book down for a while and almost dreaded going back to it. The second half of the book, then, details everyone's attempts to reconcile what happened at the BBQ and to put their shattered lives back together.
And just when you think the entire book has resolved it all and everyone will be ok, chapter 83 comes along and rocks your world all over again, adding a sad new twist to the story that you thought was basically over. Moriarty is also good at making your mouth drop open in disbelief.
I have yet to read a book by Liane Moriarty that I didn't love. If you want a page turner, read this one. Oh, and then go learn CPR.
Happy reading!
-Dodie
Friday, July 29, 2016
#26 and #27: Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again by Rob Buyea
My friend Meghan read these books and loved them. No wonder why--she's a fifth grade teacher and the story hits close to home as Mr. Terupt is a fifth grade teacher. Because of Mr. Terupt is Buyea's first novel. After teaching for several years, he turned to writing full time and while I can only imagine what a great teacher he was, he's truly found his calling with writing novels. I'm not the only one who agrees...the first book in this trilogy (Saving Mr. Terupt is the last one but I haven't read it because it isn't being delivered to my house until late August, but just know that there is a third book) won seven state awards and was named an E.B. White Read Aloud Honor Book. I feel certain that my friend Meghan's fifth graders will be hearing this book this year! I wonder if she will let me come listen...
What makes these books truly unique (aside from the plot...but I am not going to spoil that one) is Mr. Terupt himself, a character created from the first person accounts we get from each of his students told in alternating chapters. Mr. Terupt never gets a chapter of his own to tell his story in either books (Mr. Terupt Falls Again chronicles the students' sixth grade year and I have been told that Saving Mr. Terupt is about seventh grade) but yet we get to know him intimately through the eyes of his students. As a teacher myself, this was eye-opening--to see what the children in our classes see on a daily basis, to hear what they think about, wonder about. These books are amazing.
Now, I won't lie. I got mad at Lexie in the first book and didm't want to keep reading, but was urged to and am glad that I did. I also got upset with the plot in book one (there's a tragedy) and didn't pick up the book for an entire day (true story) before I was again urged to keep reading and I am glad that I did.
Mr friend Meghan said that she'd happily read a book about eighth grade, one about ninth grade, and so on and so on. So, I thought I'd put this out there. Just in case Mr. Buyea ever reads this. You never know. Authors have read and commented on my blogs before, so it could happen. I'm right there with her. So, Mr. Buyea...if you write them, we will read them! :)
Happy reading!
-Dodie
What makes these books truly unique (aside from the plot...but I am not going to spoil that one) is Mr. Terupt himself, a character created from the first person accounts we get from each of his students told in alternating chapters. Mr. Terupt never gets a chapter of his own to tell his story in either books (Mr. Terupt Falls Again chronicles the students' sixth grade year and I have been told that Saving Mr. Terupt is about seventh grade) but yet we get to know him intimately through the eyes of his students. As a teacher myself, this was eye-opening--to see what the children in our classes see on a daily basis, to hear what they think about, wonder about. These books are amazing.
Now, I won't lie. I got mad at Lexie in the first book and didm't want to keep reading, but was urged to and am glad that I did. I also got upset with the plot in book one (there's a tragedy) and didn't pick up the book for an entire day (true story) before I was again urged to keep reading and I am glad that I did.
Mr friend Meghan said that she'd happily read a book about eighth grade, one about ninth grade, and so on and so on. So, I thought I'd put this out there. Just in case Mr. Buyea ever reads this. You never know. Authors have read and commented on my blogs before, so it could happen. I'm right there with her. So, Mr. Buyea...if you write them, we will read them! :)
Happy reading!
-Dodie
#25: The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler
The Beginner's Goodbye is the sweetest, saddest tale of Aaron and Dorothy, husband and wife. Aaron and Dorothy have the most unique spousal relationship I have known or read about and it seems to work for them. Until it doesn't. Not because of any scandal, but because of a tragedy, the result of which leaves Aaron alone. The story that ensues is Aaron's story as he tries to make sense of his life with his beloved Dorothy gone.
This book hits on my greatest fear in life--Rob leaving me suddenly, with no time for goodbyes or telling him how much I love him and care for him--as well as my second fear--being forced to live without him. In such a sweet and touching way, Aaron realizes both of these fears and he does what I could only hope that I might if I were ever faced with such tragedy. What I love most is that Aaron does it all his own way and on his own time table. He mourns and grieves and eventually he moves on and lives again (of course, he was very young and should've moved on and love again).
I adore the title of the book and should you ever choose to read this wonderful novel, you will learn it's significance then. I won't spoil it for you today!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
This book hits on my greatest fear in life--Rob leaving me suddenly, with no time for goodbyes or telling him how much I love him and care for him--as well as my second fear--being forced to live without him. In such a sweet and touching way, Aaron realizes both of these fears and he does what I could only hope that I might if I were ever faced with such tragedy. What I love most is that Aaron does it all his own way and on his own time table. He mourns and grieves and eventually he moves on and lives again (of course, he was very young and should've moved on and love again).
I adore the title of the book and should you ever choose to read this wonderful novel, you will learn it's significance then. I won't spoil it for you today!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
#24: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Glass Castle should be on your reading list. It is the story of Jeannette Walls and her unique family, written by Walls herself. It is unlike anything I have ever read before and certainly lends itself to support the old adage "Truth is stranger than fiction." I grew up in a household that few of my friends could completely comprehend and while this book often reminded me of my often bizarre childhood/teenage years, Walls' life outshines mine for sure. And I am OK with that.
While Walls is roughly the same age as me, we grew up in a different time. Had the things that had happened to her happened today, after the burns she suffered at age three cooking her own hot dogs because her mother couldn't be bothered, CPS would've stepped in so fast there would not have been a chapter three. But life was different then and so there is a chapter four and lots more weird, sad, touching, heart-warming, and dangerous things keep on happening in the life of Walls and her siblings and her parents.
This is an amazing memoir and I am so glad that I read it. It reminds me that children are resilient, they are determined, they can forge their own paths despite the ones their parents take, and beyond all else it let me know once and for all that my family is not the craziest one out there! Phew!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
While Walls is roughly the same age as me, we grew up in a different time. Had the things that had happened to her happened today, after the burns she suffered at age three cooking her own hot dogs because her mother couldn't be bothered, CPS would've stepped in so fast there would not have been a chapter three. But life was different then and so there is a chapter four and lots more weird, sad, touching, heart-warming, and dangerous things keep on happening in the life of Walls and her siblings and her parents.
This is an amazing memoir and I am so glad that I read it. It reminds me that children are resilient, they are determined, they can forge their own paths despite the ones their parents take, and beyond all else it let me know once and for all that my family is not the craziest one out there! Phew!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
Thursday, July 7, 2016
#23: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
Ok. So...I read about this novel in some publication (newspaper, magazine, can't really recall) and thought it sounded clever so I ordered it. It then sat on my shelf (Thank you, Outlander obsession) until a friend suggested that I read it, so now that I am between Outlander books, I picked it up and read it. And I am sadly disappointed.
A reviewer (Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault) is quoted on the inside cover:
This heartwarming story is the answer for those who loved The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Book lovers will applaud Sara and her love of books. Book clubs will delight in this delightful caper through book-loving middle American. Read this and smile!
Sigh...Where do I begin?
1. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is in a league of it's own. Although I was excited to read this comparison and thought for sure I'd like Broken Wheel because of this connection. The two stories are nothing alike. Nothing.
2. Perhaps I should not put stock in a reviewer who uses "delight" and "delightful" in the same sentence. My 9th grade daughter even knows better than to do that. English 101 people. Come on.
3. Yes...Sara loved books. Sara loved books so much because it was easier to read than live. Her books and her love of reading was shared with her friend Amy, the Broken Wheel townie who she leaves Sweeden to visit, only to find her DOA. Seriously. But, I don't applaud Sara's love of books. If she was doing something fabulous with her love of books, yes, I'd applaud. But she hides from the world because of her books. Even when she opens the bookstore, she doesn't do what she could do to make her town love to read. Which leads me to...
4. Book-loving middle America? Hardly. Sara opens a bookstore and no one reads the books. Well...one or two people do, but Sara hardly inspires the town to read. She inspires the gossips to come out and check out her store but she only sells 2-3 books a day. This town doesn't read! At all! Ok...John reads Bridget Jones' Diary. And finds it to be hilarious. Which I find to be hilarious, but one man does not a town make.
5. I did like the story. I like Sara and Tom and I think the use of Amy's letters is clever but I think the novel as a whole fails in it's attempt to be a book about a book lover who inspires others to read books.
I'd also like to say that the laundry list of characters in the novel was hard to keep straight in my head because there was nothing about each character that made me remember him/her. Except Josh and Caroline. They are my favorites and I'd read a book about just them. Maybe Bivald can explore this for her second novel.
As with any book, I think readers should make their own decisions about books and whether or not to read them. Just because I didn't love it, doesn't mean you won't. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind. Maybe I was so in love with A.J. Fikry that even Shakespeare wouldn't have compared in my mind. Of course, it may also be true that Bivald's first attempt at writing didn't produce the desired results. Bottom line, Reader, you be the judge. This is just my opinion and you are entitled to yours!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
A reviewer (Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault) is quoted on the inside cover:
This heartwarming story is the answer for those who loved The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Book lovers will applaud Sara and her love of books. Book clubs will delight in this delightful caper through book-loving middle American. Read this and smile!
Sigh...Where do I begin?
1. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is in a league of it's own. Although I was excited to read this comparison and thought for sure I'd like Broken Wheel because of this connection. The two stories are nothing alike. Nothing.
2. Perhaps I should not put stock in a reviewer who uses "delight" and "delightful" in the same sentence. My 9th grade daughter even knows better than to do that. English 101 people. Come on.
3. Yes...Sara loved books. Sara loved books so much because it was easier to read than live. Her books and her love of reading was shared with her friend Amy, the Broken Wheel townie who she leaves Sweeden to visit, only to find her DOA. Seriously. But, I don't applaud Sara's love of books. If she was doing something fabulous with her love of books, yes, I'd applaud. But she hides from the world because of her books. Even when she opens the bookstore, she doesn't do what she could do to make her town love to read. Which leads me to...
4. Book-loving middle America? Hardly. Sara opens a bookstore and no one reads the books. Well...one or two people do, but Sara hardly inspires the town to read. She inspires the gossips to come out and check out her store but she only sells 2-3 books a day. This town doesn't read! At all! Ok...John reads Bridget Jones' Diary. And finds it to be hilarious. Which I find to be hilarious, but one man does not a town make.
5. I did like the story. I like Sara and Tom and I think the use of Amy's letters is clever but I think the novel as a whole fails in it's attempt to be a book about a book lover who inspires others to read books.
I'd also like to say that the laundry list of characters in the novel was hard to keep straight in my head because there was nothing about each character that made me remember him/her. Except Josh and Caroline. They are my favorites and I'd read a book about just them. Maybe Bivald can explore this for her second novel.
As with any book, I think readers should make their own decisions about books and whether or not to read them. Just because I didn't love it, doesn't mean you won't. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind. Maybe I was so in love with A.J. Fikry that even Shakespeare wouldn't have compared in my mind. Of course, it may also be true that Bivald's first attempt at writing didn't produce the desired results. Bottom line, Reader, you be the judge. This is just my opinion and you are entitled to yours!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
#22: First Comes Love by Emily Giffin
I love reading books by Emily Giffin. I just love her characters and her stories and I look forward to her publishing dates because of it.
Reading First Comes Love was no different for me. I was elated to get the emails from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. I was excited to pre-order the book (and was even more excited to learn that I saved money with Amazon's pre-order price guarantee) and was so happy that the book reading Gods smiled down on me and I finished one book the same day Giffin's book arrived in my mailbox. I happily parked myself on my favorite part of the sofa and devoured First Comes Love in a little over a day. I felt more like I was watching a movie than reading it book. Each word flowed into the next so smoothly. Reading this book was certainly not work.
The first chapter sent me reeling in despair but then I settled into the stories of Josie and Meredith, sisters who are more different than night and day. Told in alternating chapters, we get the current stories of these sisters as they try to make the most of the lives they have. Both are unhappy but one (Josie) is trying hard to find happiness while the other (Meredith) just sort of feels like she has to deal with the life she has and not complain about it.
I'd like to tell you that in the end both end up happy and both get what they want from life, but I am fairly certain there was no real end to this story. I mean, the book ended. The pages ran out, but I am pretty sure the stories of Josie and Meredith have just begun. Fans of Emily Giffin will recall Something Borrowed, followed by Something Blue, a sequel of sorts. I am so hoping that First Comes Love will be followed by "Then Comes Marriage," because I NEED to know what happens to these characters. NEED. TO. KNOW.
You will love this story. Trust me. You will. But maybe do yourself a favor and wait and read it in about a year and a half. It takes Giffin about two years to write/publish a book so by then she might be close to publishing the next book and you can read one and then go straight into the other. And if I find out that this book is stand alone, I will be emailing Giffin for some answers. Because she left this one hanging with a lot of unanswered questions.
Happy reading!
-Dodie
Reading First Comes Love was no different for me. I was elated to get the emails from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. I was excited to pre-order the book (and was even more excited to learn that I saved money with Amazon's pre-order price guarantee) and was so happy that the book reading Gods smiled down on me and I finished one book the same day Giffin's book arrived in my mailbox. I happily parked myself on my favorite part of the sofa and devoured First Comes Love in a little over a day. I felt more like I was watching a movie than reading it book. Each word flowed into the next so smoothly. Reading this book was certainly not work.
The first chapter sent me reeling in despair but then I settled into the stories of Josie and Meredith, sisters who are more different than night and day. Told in alternating chapters, we get the current stories of these sisters as they try to make the most of the lives they have. Both are unhappy but one (Josie) is trying hard to find happiness while the other (Meredith) just sort of feels like she has to deal with the life she has and not complain about it.
I'd like to tell you that in the end both end up happy and both get what they want from life, but I am fairly certain there was no real end to this story. I mean, the book ended. The pages ran out, but I am pretty sure the stories of Josie and Meredith have just begun. Fans of Emily Giffin will recall Something Borrowed, followed by Something Blue, a sequel of sorts. I am so hoping that First Comes Love will be followed by "Then Comes Marriage," because I NEED to know what happens to these characters. NEED. TO. KNOW.
You will love this story. Trust me. You will. But maybe do yourself a favor and wait and read it in about a year and a half. It takes Giffin about two years to write/publish a book so by then she might be close to publishing the next book and you can read one and then go straight into the other. And if I find out that this book is stand alone, I will be emailing Giffin for some answers. Because she left this one hanging with a lot of unanswered questions.
Happy reading!
-Dodie
#21: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is the seven day story of the death of Samantha Kingston, a terrifyingly realistic high school senior.
As I read this book, I wondered if it would be a good thing to let my girls read. I ultimately decided that talking to them about the events of the book was a better choice. Not surprisingly, I heard that many girls at their high school behaved like Sam. I warned them that they better not be two of them. If so, I was not going to be happy!
Sam begins her story as a very popular, nothing can touch me, I have it all, high school senior on her favorite day of the year: Cupid Day, the day when she and her friends can prove just how popular they are by the number of Cupid Day roses they receive (the bigger your bouquet, the more popular you are). During this first day, I found myself loathing Sam and her three besties: Lindsay, Ally, and Elody. They are the sort of girls I spent 4 years of high school trying to avoid at all costs. They are the girls I see now at the pool with my own girls and we move away from. They are not nice girls. They are the girls I warn my daughters to not become because eventually what goes around comes around.
Now in this particular story, Sam dies in a car accident. Let me be frank and say that in no way do I think that this is what Sam deserves. This is simply the plot of this particular story. There is a slight plot twist: at the end of chapter one, after Sam hears metal crunching and glass breaking and she blacks out, she wakes up at the start of Cupid Day and repeats her day, like Groundhog Day for teenagers. There are seven chapters in the story--one for each day that Sam repeats Cupid Day. During her repeats she wonders if she can re-write history, maybe change her behavior and live in the end. Through a lot of self-reflection and a lot of self-discovery, Sam discovers what should've happened the night of Cupid Day and is able to finally live out her true destiny.
I will be honest and will tell you that, as a mother of two teenaged girls, this book terrified. The thought of smart, beautiful girls behaving like Sam and her friends is truly terrifying. I can only hope that this book will serve as a warning for what might happen should anyone choose this path for their lives.
Read this one with caution.
-Dodie
As I read this book, I wondered if it would be a good thing to let my girls read. I ultimately decided that talking to them about the events of the book was a better choice. Not surprisingly, I heard that many girls at their high school behaved like Sam. I warned them that they better not be two of them. If so, I was not going to be happy!
Sam begins her story as a very popular, nothing can touch me, I have it all, high school senior on her favorite day of the year: Cupid Day, the day when she and her friends can prove just how popular they are by the number of Cupid Day roses they receive (the bigger your bouquet, the more popular you are). During this first day, I found myself loathing Sam and her three besties: Lindsay, Ally, and Elody. They are the sort of girls I spent 4 years of high school trying to avoid at all costs. They are the girls I see now at the pool with my own girls and we move away from. They are not nice girls. They are the girls I warn my daughters to not become because eventually what goes around comes around.
Now in this particular story, Sam dies in a car accident. Let me be frank and say that in no way do I think that this is what Sam deserves. This is simply the plot of this particular story. There is a slight plot twist: at the end of chapter one, after Sam hears metal crunching and glass breaking and she blacks out, she wakes up at the start of Cupid Day and repeats her day, like Groundhog Day for teenagers. There are seven chapters in the story--one for each day that Sam repeats Cupid Day. During her repeats she wonders if she can re-write history, maybe change her behavior and live in the end. Through a lot of self-reflection and a lot of self-discovery, Sam discovers what should've happened the night of Cupid Day and is able to finally live out her true destiny.
I will be honest and will tell you that, as a mother of two teenaged girls, this book terrified. The thought of smart, beautiful girls behaving like Sam and her friends is truly terrifying. I can only hope that this book will serve as a warning for what might happen should anyone choose this path for their lives.
Read this one with caution.
-Dodie
#20: The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore
I loved this story! Loved! And because I can't say it any better, I am going to quote Julia Glass, author of Three Junes and The Widower's Tale:
"What a delight and a privilege it is to be among the earliest readers of this breathtaking debut. The supremely gifted, supremely entertaining, and supremely big-hearted Edward Kelsey Moore has conjured up the story of an entire community and, at its sparkling center, a trio of memorable heroines. How I long to have Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean on speed dial!"
I would also like to say that should I ever start seeing Eleanor Roosevelt as I go about my daily business, I'm calling for help! (Readers you will have to read this delicious book to find out what I mean by this!)
This is a wonderful read! Pick it up and be delighted!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
"What a delight and a privilege it is to be among the earliest readers of this breathtaking debut. The supremely gifted, supremely entertaining, and supremely big-hearted Edward Kelsey Moore has conjured up the story of an entire community and, at its sparkling center, a trio of memorable heroines. How I long to have Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean on speed dial!"
I would also like to say that should I ever start seeing Eleanor Roosevelt as I go about my daily business, I'm calling for help! (Readers you will have to read this delicious book to find out what I mean by this!)
This is a wonderful read! Pick it up and be delighted!
Happy reading!
-Dodie
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