#44: The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

The Perfect Hope is the final book in The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy by Nora Roberts and it was a perfect ending to this delightful series of stories.

I often find myself pushing my Nora Roberts books to the side to read other books like The Hobbit and Casual Vacancy.  Then, when I finally pick one up, I am reminded that just because Roberts writes Romance books, it doesn't make her writing or her stories any less important, or any less interesting.  In fact, I fnd that I enjoy her books more than some of those books that my english professors from college would do cartwheels over.  Are they easy to read?  Yes.  And I think for that reason alone, many ladies pick them up and read them.  They tell a good story, they leave you feeling good in the end, and they are quick reads.  It took me weeks to read Casual Vacancy.  It took me three days to read The Perfect Hope.  And, not just because it was easy to read, but because I couldn't stop.  I wanted to know what was going to happen next with Hope.  I was laughing out loud at Ryder, and I was intrigued by Lizzie, the ghost. It was an all-around good read.

Now, about Lizzie.  I have to admit that when I read the first book in this series, I was laughing at how ridiculous Lizzie and the idea of a ghost living in the Inn was.  But, Lizzie appears in all three books and her love story is told alongside Clare's, Avery's, and Hope's.  By the end of the last book, I was so glad that Lizzie had been included and I did not find it at all strange or bizarre.  I loved it! 

I was sad to reach the end of this series, but lucky for me, I had another Nora Roberts book (two, actually) on my bedside table.  I happily reached for it and did not worry about it just being a romance novel.  I just readied myself for another good read and Nora Roberts did not disappoint! 

Happy Reading!
:) Dodie

#43: Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

I certainly feel as though I have tackled one tough book after another with #42 and now #43.  As if The Hobbit wasn't hard enough to get through (it wasn't hard to read, just long and descriptive and you had to read every single word carefully in order to keep up and understand), let's try Casual Vacancy.  I get tired just thinking back about what it took to read this book.

Casual Vacancy is written by JK Rowling, who wrote the amazing, life changing Harry Potter series.  (If you have not read the Harry Potter books, stop reading this blog and go tackle those books first.) As a lover of Harry, I was intrigued to read Rowling's newest book, wondering how her writing would be when she's not writing about Hogwarts and Harry.  Well, I can say without hesitation that she's a brilliant writer, but Casual Vacancy is no Harry Potter.

First off, within the first two pages of the book, a main character dies in such a way that you are left with your mouth wide open fearing headaches.  Then, Rowling spends the next 250 or so pages describing a heard of characters like no other characters you've ever read about in your life.  These characters are described in such vivid detail that you can see them in your mind, you can hear them, you know their thoughts, you can see what they are wearing...I still can, even weeks after reading this book (I finished it about two weeks ago, but am just now getting around to blogging about it.).  While the character development is brilliant, it made me crazy that it took her 250 pages to finally finish crafting the 20 some-odd characters that were swimming around the pages of this book, and in my head.  However, I kept reading knowing that eventually something would happen (oh, and it did) but I have to admit that it tested my patience.

So, after those 250 pages, the characters, who when you first read about them are introduced as separate individuals, begin to come together to create an elaborate and intricate, and rather riveting, plot.  The plot of the book, if I can summarize 500 pages in a sentence, is how one English town fills the vacancy on their parish council that was left open when Barry Fairbrother dies (on page 1 of the book).  It seems simple enough, but Casual Vacancy is anything but simple. 

Aside from the masterfully crafted characters, Rowling is skilled like no other in weaving together their lives to create a story that will make you think.  Once the actual story begins, you are forced to confront true politics, and not just politics on a grand scale (as in those we all dealt with during our recent Presidential election), but politics in a small town.    What people will do to get what they want is a bit scary, if you ask me.  What goes on behind the scenes, which as readers we are privy to, is even scarier. 

But, the one part of this story that truly frightened me the most, and I wonder how many other parents of teenagers who read Casual Vacancy feel the same, was how the teenagers in the story ruined the lives of their parents.  All with the click of a mouse.  I am now very much aware of how much more my children know about technology than I do, and how they can use this knowledge for either good or evil.  I am hoping for good, but I certainly do plan to watch my step around my girls.  I knew teenagers could make your life miserable, but the lengths these teenagers go to to retaliate against their parents is quite scary.   Very scary, in fact. 

So, was Casual Vacancy worth my time (and lugging around a huge book)?  Yes. The characters alone are worth the read, and stick with them.  Once you get past the first 250 pages, you are set for a great, although often disturbing, story.   It's not Harry Potter, but really, who expected it to be?  But, it is JK Rowling, one of the world's most fabulous writers.  For that reason alone, you should read Casual Vacancy.

Happy Reading!
:) Dodie

#42: The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

I have two months to read 1o books.  Sadly, it doesn't appear as though I am going to meet my goal his year.  Oh well.  

It did take me the better part of a month to read The Hobbit.  I thought that I had made it through my entire English career without ever having to read that book.  Well,  apparently, unless I wanted to be left at home when the movie came to theatres, my husband expected me to read The Hobbit.  

So, I did.  It was slow reading filled with elaborate descriptions that I could not skim or I would be lost (this happened only a few times before I learned my lesson), action packed battle scenes, and some laugh out loud humor from Mr. Bilbo Baggins, himself.  I truly wondered if I was ever going to finish the book, but hurricane Sandy gave me two days at home that I did not expect, so I was able to finish it yesterday.  And, it appears that I will be able to go to see the movie in December when it comes out, with my hubby who admitted after I started reading The Hobbit that he didn't think he had ever actually read it.  So, the book is now on his bedside table just waiting to be opened again.  

Bilbo's tale was a good one.  Very fantastical.  I think Emily would like it, with it's flying dragon, rescue eagles, fairies, dwarves, gobblins,  and magical rings that make you disappear.  I have not read any of The Lord of the Rings books but I loved the movies.  But, you won't see me going back to read them, either.  The fantasy genre is just not for me.  It's tiring work to read these sorts of books.  They are the sorts of books that I have always said that I am not smart enough to read.  Well, I read one.  That's enough for one lifetime.  I am happy to watch the movie version of these sorts of books.

Now, am I glad that I read it, stretched my brain, and read outside of my reading comfort zone?  Yes.  Do I feel a bit more wise and well-read?  Yes.  But I am still stopping here.

My next book is J.K. Rowling's newest book and I am so excited about it.  Hopefully I will be done before Christmas, but since it's over 500 pages, it's hard to tell.

Happy Reading, everyone!
:). Dodie

#41 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I bought The Perks of Being a Wallflower because I never thought I was actually going to be able to see the movie (starring Emma Watson and I love her!) and then I suddenly found myself having a date night on Saturday and going to see the movie.  Oh well.  Some of my favorite books were read after I saw the movie (Charlie St. Cloud, Confessions of a Shopaholic).  But not this one.  While I wouldn't say that I loved the book, I will say that I loved the movie.

The movie version left me in tears.  I was totally engrossed and emotionally invested in the movie.  I ached for Charlie as he searched for that one friend, that one friend who would give him a chance, the one friend who would make him feel as though he belonged.  I left the theatre and prayed for my own daughters, praying that they both would always have just one friend who accepted them for who they are.  Life can truly be painful without a friend. I rejoiced at the end of the movie, as hope took over and made me smile. 

Then, I read the book.  There are a few plot differences, which shouldn't be surprising, as the movie version of a book is rarely the same.  But, the biggest difference for me, and the one that is making me write this blog as I am, is that while the movie made Charlie seem endearing and just shy and wallflowerish, the book made him seem socially backwards and a little annoying. This made me angry, actually, because Charlie's character in the movie is so sweet.  He's so loving and such a good guy, a guy who just wants a friend and who isn't afraid to be alone, but would just prefer to walk through life with a buddy. 

I can't even say if I'm glad that I read the book.  I think, honestly, that I am a bit disappointed in it.  It's hard for me to think of the possiblity of loving a character in a movie, but being irritated by the same character in the original book.  I just think it's strange. 

So, I guess the short version of this story is that I would recommend the movie.  Skip the book. 

Did I just type that? 

Happy viewing.  Eat some popcorn for me.

Off to begin The Hobbit. 
:) Dodie

#40: Daring to Dream by Nora Roberts

Daring to Dream is the first in a trilogy of books by Nora Roberts.  And, even though the books have beautiful new covers and I haven't ever seen them in bookstores before, they are not new books.  Even so, I loved the first one and can't wait to read the others (I have purchased the other two and they are on my bookshelf, but I have promised my husband that I will read The Hobbit first).

Daring to Dream is a book that actually tells a good story and I was so excited to read a lovestory with a new, innovative plot that was unpredictable. The characters were like no others that I had read about (and when you read as much as I do that's saying something!) and I was excited to read their stories.  Margo and Josh are the main characters in Daring to Dream, even though we also meet Margo's mom, Ann, Josh's parents and sister, Laura, and a friend of the family, Kate throughout the course of the booko.  Margo, Laura, and Kate are best friends and grew up together.  The book even begins with a scene when the girls are young, which really helps to set the stage and the tone of the book.  And, even though this is Margo and Josh's story, we get to know a bit about Laura and Kate in the book, too.

Nora Roberts writes loves stories so I knew that ultimately I was going to be reading a love story, but it was not a trashy love story, nor was it a predictable story.  I can't wait to read the next book (Holding the Dream) in the series.  But, alas, The Hobbit is calling my name. 

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#39: The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber

Last year in August, I was devastated as I read Debbie Macomber's last ever Cedar Cove book.  I was not alone.  Readers world-wide sent letters and emails because they were so sad that the series was over.  In response, Macomber created a spin-off series, using some of her favorite characters from Cedar Cove but going in a different direction.  The Inn at Rose Harbor is the first book in this new series. 

I excitedly bought the book on release day and then it sat on my night table for weeks, as release day happened to coincide with my girls return home from their grandparents and my return to school.  I just finished the book this past Sunday.  It took me almost a month to read a book that should've taken me two days.  Work is interfering with my reading plans again!  At this rate, I'll never read 52 books this year!  Oh well. 

So, here are my thoughts about this new series.  First, I love the love story between Jo Marie and her husband.  But, love is never easy and simple so while I love the love story, I do not love the result.  Second, I love hearing bits and pieces from the Cedar Cove residents that I have learned to love over the years (but so far it's not enough to make me completely happy).  Third, and most importantly, I am not sure if I can read book after book about Jo Marie and the people who visit her Bed and Breakfast.  They all make me sad.

The premise of the book is that Jo Marie opens the Inn to help her heal (I won't tell you why she's healing) and that the people who come to her inn need to heal, too.  The first two characters, Abby and Josh, and their stories are just so sad that I found myself not anxious to read the book because I knew it was going to make me sad.  Obviously, the stories do not end in a sad way, but after reading the book it occurred to me that each book in the series was going to follow the same pattern (and Jo Marie alludes to this in the last chapter so I am not making this idea up) and that reading the same sort of book over and over again was going to bother and bore me.  I think I will give the series one more chance, but if the next book (to be released next August) follows the same pattern, I might have to call it quits.

My next book is the first in a new Nora Roberts trilogy.  It's been on my night table since Sunday and I havent' read the first page.  Looks like my reading days might be over...

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

Catching Up...Books #33 through #38

For those of you who actually keep up with my blog, it clearly seems as though I haven’t been reading much.  The truth is, I have been reading lots, just not blogging.  It’s been hard for me to find time to actually sit in front of the computer and blog because we have been so busy this summer, which is a good thing.  And, as I said when I started reading this year, reading is not my life, just something I do to enjoy life.  With that being said, I am finally getting around to blogging about the last SIX (yes, SIX) books I have read in July and to this point in August.  Some I liked more than others, but all were worth my time in their own right.  You can decide for yourself. 

*****

 Table for Five by Susan Wiggs

As I read this book, I got the distinct impression that I had read the book before.  I checked my blog and even the journal I kept with the books I had read the year before I started blogging (which would take me back three years) and I could not ever find a record of reading it.   So, I kept reading knowing that if I had actually read it, it had been so long ago that it wouldn’t hurt to read it again. 

The story is a good one and very reminiscent of the fairly recent movie, “Life as We Know It.”  Lily and Sean, two people who are as different as night and day, are suddenly thrown into the role of parents as they care for their best friend and brother’s three children.  The evolution of this “family” is a touching and sweet story that left me crying at times and laughing at others.

It also reminded me, once again, that Rob and I have got to make a will.  Leaving the care of your children up to the will of others is not a good idea.  It can get very messy and should not be a decision made by anyone other than the parents.   

*****

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

I loved this book. I. Loved. This. Book.

I actually picked this book up because when I turned it over and read the back cover, Beth Hoffman, author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt (a book that I LOVED!), had been quoted and her comment enticed me into buying the book and reading it.  It was a very good decision. 

Set in Mullaby, North Carolina, we are introduced to Emily (a teenage girl who has recently come to live with her grandfather) her grandfather (a gentle giant), Julia (the cake baker who leaves the window cracked ever so slightly when she bakes and you’ll sob when you discover why she does this), and a long list of other characters who are both memorable and endearing.  The mystery of the Mullaby Lights propels the story forward and links all of the characters together in a very interesting (yet maybe a bit far-fetched) way. 

This story spoke to me as both a daughter and a mother.  The parallel stories of Emily and Julia kept me turning the pages and kept me close to a box of tissues.  I actually read this book last month and I still get teary thinking of the story.  The last chapter truly did me in and I know that it will touch your heart as it touched mine. 

The Girl Who Chased the Moon is right up there with Cee Cee Honeycutt in my opinion.  It’s a great story.  Pick it up and read it.  It will touch your heart.  And make you hungry for cake! 

*****

Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

I have waited for this book for a long time.  Emily Giffin doesn’t write a lot of books, but the ones she does craft are done so well that you’ll wait years for her to turn out another one.  Where We Belong has become my favorite of hers (and I seriously loved Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof).

Where We Belong is written in my favorite way: the two main characters (Marian and Kirby) alternate chapters, telling the story in first person.  I love that!  You get to know the characters so deeply this way.  I just love books written like this. 

I can’t give you too many details about Marian and Kirby because it really will spoil the story, but I guarantee you that you will love both of these ladies.  Marian is a 36 year old television producer.  Kirby is an 18 year old who is trying to find her place in the world and is trying to figure out what comes next for her in life.  Marian has spent her entire life hiding a secret that I can’t imagine being able to hide from anyone, much less everyone, but when Kirby appears, her secret becomes a lot more difficult to hide. 

As a mother of two girls, this book was heart wrenching at times.  I read this book in a day and a half on the beach and found myself crying in my beach chair, glad that I don’t wear contacts to the beach because they would’ve been all dried out from the tears.  The book was a quick read and a memorable one.  The characters are hard to forget.  Their lives are hard to forget. 

Before reading the book, I read that Emily Giffin thinks that Kirby might be her favorite of the characters she’s written about.  I might feel the same way.  She’s a really cool 18 year old.  I wish I had only been that mature and intelligent at 18. 

Anyway, if you liked Emily Giffin’s other books, I feel certain you will love Where We Belong. 

*****

The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson

No one recommended this book to me and I’ve never read anything else by Koomson (in fact, I had never even heard of her until I picked up this book). I took a chance on a book one day in Target and I was glad that I did.  This book was fascinating.  Truly.  I was glued to every page and could not turn them fast enough.

The Ice Cream Girls, Poppy and Serena, are telling their separate yet intertwined stories in a series of flashbacks.  The chapters alternate between the two girls, as they tell their present day stories, as well as recount their memories.  Through these memories, we get to meet “Sir” or “Him” depending on which girl is telling the story.  Sir/Him makes me scared to death to send my girls off to high school, but I guess I have to put faith in our local public school system and pray that my girls will never have such a teacher EVER.  We also meet Poppy’s parents and Serena’s family and through these characters we are able to understand both the teenage and adult versions of these two ladies. 

Because this is a murder mystery, I will leave the amazing details in the book and not post them here to spoil the story for any potential reader.  But, I will say this.  I never saw the ending coming.  I never had any idea about what really happened.  It was rather brilliant, actually.  And totally unexpected.  You’ll have to read it for yourself to understand, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

I will give this one word of caution about this book.  Don’t start reading it if you don’t have much reading time to devote to the book.  You will want to keep reading as the story unfolds and if you can’t, I can only imagine that you might get frustrated.  I started this book after finishing Where We Belong at the beach and finished it on the airplane to Las Vegas.  It was perfect to have long, uninterrupted periods of time, like beach time, or time crossing the country in an airplane, to devote to reading this book.  It was a great read.  Not always easy to read, but truly fascinating. 

*****

Big Sky Country and Big Sky Mountain by Linda Lael Miller

These two books are the first two of a trilogy written by Miller.  The third is scheduled to be released in January.  I typically save these “cowboy” books, as my husband calls them, for my beach bag because they are simple reads with easy to remember characters and a fairly light plot.  Well, I was right about the books, but this year they were read on the place to and from Las Vegas.  I was grateful for them as the turbulence was a bit bumpy and I could read and distract myself from my fear of dying in flight. 

Anyway, the first book, Big Sky Country, was centered around Slade (totally a cowboy name) and Joslyn.  As the story progresses, along with learning about both Slade and Joslyn, we meet the townspeople of Parable, Montana.  They are generally kind, good-hearted people.  The kind of folks you want to have for neighbors.  It’s these sort of people who have made me want to move to a small town.  If I could only get my family on board! Slade and Joslyn’s story is a good one, although I have to admit, it’s fairly predictable, if you have read other books by Miller, or any other cowboy books at all. 

Big Sky Mountain was my favorite of the two. In this book, we get to know Joslyn’s best friend Kendra and Slade’s brother Hutch.  But, my favorite characters were four year old Madison and Opal, Joslyn’s older friend who is a cook and who we actually met in the first book but get to know better in the second one.  I’d like Opal to come take care of my house.  It would sparkle in no time and I’d have some great family dinners!  Yum! 

I have to say that I am anxiously awaiting January to read the final book in the trilogy as I know it will wrap up the story with Kendra and Hutch as it begins a new story with characters we’ve already met.  I’m going to take a guess and say that the main characters of this last book will be Tara (the New Yorker turned chicken farmer) and Boone (who is a widower with two small boys).  I guess I’ll know in January.

Anyway, if you like cowboy books, or light romances, you can’t go wrong with these first two Big Sky books. 

So, there you have them.  The last six books I read this summer.  I spent today blogging and catching up because tomorrow Debbie Macomber’s newest series debuts with The Inn at Rose Harbor and I can’t wait to read it!  I still have 5 books on my night table, but I am reading Macomber’s new book first.  It might take a while as school has already started for me, but I’m going to savor every word, knowing that I am going to have to wait a full year for the next Rose Harbor book to be unveiled! 

Happy reading everyone!

J Dodie