#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

#32: Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate

Dandelion Summer was another book I picked up during a leisurely shopping trip to Barnes and Noble with my girls and a good friend.  It sounded interesting, was a bargain table book, and the price was too good to pass up for a book that sounded promising.  And, one of my favorite authors (Kristin Hannah) gave a favorable comment on the back cover, so Dandelion Summer came home with me. 

What a great choice!  This story has the most unusual storyline with the most unlikely characters, it's hard not to love it and to remember every detail of the plot.  J. Norm  (a retired space engineer who recently lost his wife and needs a bit of help around his house) and Ephiphany (a high school girl from the wrong side of life) are thrown together in Dandelion Summer when J. Norm's daughter, Deborah, hires Epie to cook for J. Norm a couple times a week.  They not only become friends, but they learn from each other, grow because of each other, and end up helping each other discover their families.  In J. Norm's case, his real family.  There is a bit of a mystery in the plot, as well, which helps to keep the story moving forward, and this mystery is created in such a way that it's hard not to be sucked in and to back J. Norm and Epie as they make bad choices (like Epie driving without a license) in order to find out the truth behind J. Norm's dreams and memories. 

The story is told in my favorite way--the first chapter is told by J. Norm, the second by Epie, and they alternate through the end of the book.  I love this technique as you get the first person perspective from both characters as well as being able to get to know each character more deeply.  It's hard not to love each character, too.  J. Norm is exactly as you'd expect: retired, extremely intelligent, wealthy, set in his ways, and doesn't want anyone to bother him. He is busy trying to figure out the meaning behind some random dreams and memories and can't be bothered to eat, or to remember that he can't walk up and down the stairs.  Epie is a smart, bi-racial high school girl who just wants to still be at her old school where people believed in her and where she actually had some friends.  She finds a friend in J. Norm, and he in her.  It's an unlikely friendship, but it works.  By the end of the book, their friendship has developed into more of a familial relationship and it's so touching, I dare you not to need some tissues!  There are other characters in the book besides these two, and you get to know them through the eyes of Epie and J. Norm, but these two are definitely my favorites!

As I read, I found myself thinking that Rob, my amazing husband, was going to turn out like J. Norm.  I don't know if he will ever have to live without me, but if he should, I imagine that he will take to someone fussing over him about as well as J. Norm.  Rob doesn't like to have to ask for help, he wants to do things his way, and if he ever gets to a point in his life where he can't climb stairs because of a heart condition, he might as well just not be alive at all.  It will devastate him not to be independent.  I can see him hoping to find his own version of Epie, someone who will stand guard and will signal him when one of our girls comes by to check on him, so that he's in his chair with no signs of not following directions anywhere near.  But, I also thought of Rob as J. Norm's chapters progressed and I got to know him and understand him better.  Rob is the father of two girls, and while he is an amazing father, he is also the primary provider for our family.  (I know that I work, but it's hard to support a family of 4 on a teacher's salary) Because of his work, he is away from home often.  He travels, works weekends, and most days isn't home until around 6:00.  As a result, homework is done before he gets home, the stories of the day have been told, and the girls are winding down, or are not even home because of sports and other school commitments.  I think Rob often feels as though he wishes he could be more to the girls than a taxi/ATM.  J. Norm felt the same way and these feelings of his come through in his chapters.  J. Norm ends up writing a letter to his daugther that appears a little past the middle of the story that brought me to tears.  The letter makes it clear that J. Norm is a very sensitive man, who wishes he could've been more to his daughter.  In this letter he gives her advice from the point of view of a father.  I was touched by the wisdom of the letter, but also by how much of it my own husband actually does.  It makes me realize that he is teaching our girls some valuable lessons about their value and place in this world and I am so very grateful for this.  Mothers are necessary, but fathers can teach girls so much that mothers never could.    I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man who has so many great things to teach my girls.   I won't ruin the ending of the book, because it is just a fabulous way to end this moving story, but J. Norm shows more of his kind and giving spirit to Epie at the end of the book.  Again, I thought of Rob, someone who isn't afraid to share his wealth and knowledge with those who need it, and imagined that if given the chance, he would do for someone exactly as J. Norm did for Epie. In fact, I know he would.

I treasure Dandelion Summer and am again reminded that some of the best books can be found not on the main shelf front and center, but at little lower and to the left.  Don't assume that because books are on the bargain table that they are cast offs that are no good and not worth your time. 

My next real book has come again from the sale table at BN.  It's another book about South Carolina.  I enjoyed CeeCee so much that I can't wait to get back to SC in my mind and meet some more interesting characters. 

Happy reading, everyone!
:)  Dodie

#31: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

I went shopping several weeks ago with a good friend and ended up buying 5 books that day.  Two were from the clearance table at Barnes and Noble.  Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was one of them.  The other (Dandelion Summer) I am reading now and am loving as much as I loved CeeCee.  I guess it goes to show that sometimes you can find real treasures for very little money in the bargain bin!  It also proves that some of the best books are NOT the ones that everyone is currently reading and that we should all take a chance on authors whose names we might not recognize immediately.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a glorious book that I hope everyone will read.  It's truly a feel good book that will have you laughing out loud, smiling as you turn the pages, and wanting to be a better person.  The characters are created in such as way that you wish you were their neighbors.  For those of you who loved the characters in The Help, but may not have liked the racial issues that dominated the book because it was often heavy, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is the book for you! 

CeeCee is a twelve year old girl who suddenly finds herself leaving her home and moving to Savannah, Georgia.  The book details one year in her life and is truly an inspirational book in so many ways.  I did notice, it was hard not to, that there are only 2 men in the entire book, and they are not created in a favorable light.  This book is clearly about the complicated relationships that exist amongst women, but these relationships are explored in a such a fun, playful way that it's hard to not admit that, as a woman, you just might be guilty of some of the crazy behavior, too! 

I almost wish that I had saved this book for my trip to the beach in two weeks, because it is the sort of book that you could easily read and completely enjoy while you sunbathed on the beach.  But, I just got an email a couple of days ago that Emily Giffin (who wrote Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Babyproof, just to name three) has a new book coming out just a few days before we leave for the beach.  I can't wait to sit back in my beach chair and read that one, so I am glad CeeCee is done and hopefully Dandelion Summer will be finished by then, too.  Besides, I still have those other 4 books that I bought with my friend to read!  I'm sure they will all end up in my beach bag! 

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

P.S. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt will be on my top 10 list this year.  I truly loved it and know that you will, too.  I dare you not to laugh out loud and for those of you who read it...enjoy the flying slugs and the little fight at the end!  Hysterical!