#6: Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

If The Help is my #1 for 2011, then Brava, Valentine is going to be my #2.  This book is the sequel to Very Valentine, so I recommend reading that one first, if you have not already.  I began reading Trigiani's books years ago when she began her Big Stone Gap trilogy.  Rob grew up in Big Stone Gap and he still has some family there.  Trigiani herself is from Big Stone Gap.  Those stories are wonderful and very worthwhile reads, as are all of her subsequent books. Whenever she has a new book, I go out and spring for the hardcover.  They are so good that I just want to collect them all and proudly display them on my bookshelves.  Brava, Valentine is no different.  This love story is incredible and worth reading slowly, taking in every word between Valentine and Guianluca.  The love story they share extends into the exploration of the love shared and felt between friends and family and reminds us all of how fragile life and love can be.  You've got to grab it when you can and pray it never dies.  The one line of the book that has stuck with me since reading it, and is a line that I think about almost daily as I now quickly approach my 39th birthday (yuck),  loosely quoted is: What will you do with the second half of your life?  Personally, I'd like to make the most of it, but I am not yet sure what that means exactly.  I guess I'll keep reading, exploring life, and see where I end up.  You do the same.