#44: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I absolutely loved this book, a combination of historical fiction, romance, and mystery.  And, I love it's lesson, or what I think to be it's lesson.  I guess that's the beauty of a well written book.  It becomes what you want it to be.

The Girl You Left Behind is told in two parts.  Part One is Sophie's story, told in 1916 in occupied France.  Part Two is Liv's story, told in London 2006.  The beauty of the story is not their individual stories, although they are unbelievable in their own rights, but in how the two stories become one.  It's brilliant, really.  "The Girl You Left Behind" is the name of a painting Sophie's husband, Edouard Lefevre, painted of her.  It hangs in their hotel, which eventually gets taken over by the Germans in WW1, and it is this painting that becomes the true main character of this novel.  However, one can quickly figure out that The Girl You Left Behind also refers to Sophie herself, as her husband goes off to war, and Liv, whose husband dies suddenly one night only a few years into their marriage.  These two amazing women tell their stories as they desperately attempt to move on after being left behind by their husbands.  The truly amazing part, the part I will not divulge here, is how their stories become intertwined and eventually become one. 

As with all really great books that I read, I feel smarter after finishing this book and I feel as though I have been reminded of what life is really all about.  It's not the money you have, or where you live, or what you wear, or even what you believe.  Life is about your family and about the love you have for your family and the lengths you will go to to keep your family intact. 

This book is superb.  I highly recommend it. 
Happy reading!
-Dodie

#43 The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarity

What would you do if you stumbled across a letter written to you by your husband, to be opened upon his death?  Would you read it?  What would you do if you stumbled across the very same letter, but your husband was still alive? 

And thus begins The Husband's Secret and my new love for all books by Liane Moriarity.  I am going to search out any others by her and stash them away for Christmas Break and Spring Break, if they last that long!  Her books are perfect vacation reads! 

I won't give away any details about this book because it is positively too good and I don't want to ruin anything about this delicious tale.  However, I will share this one thought that I have about The Husband's Secret. The book opens with the story of Pandora's box.  It is a great reminder of how we, as humans, are curious souls, and we often bring trouble on ourselves as we attempt to quench our curiosity.  Then, once we discover things about our lives, our families lives, or even our friend's lives, we are often suddenly faced with having to forgive and then we are angry about forgiving.  But, the irony to me is that this Forgiveness is something that we might not even have had to give if we had just kept the box closed in the first place.  Don't borrow trouble.  Keep the box closed.  But, it seems to me, after reflecting on the end of this amazing novel, that forgiveness is something we must give no matter what.  Or else, it will eat away at you and will possibly cause more harm than you ever imagined.

Are you now very curious about this book?  I hope so! Pick this one up and read it.  It's too good not to!

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#42: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

I made the mistake of reading this book on the plane ride home from Orlando last weekend.  To the very polite twenty-something sitting next to me by the window, I must apologize for crying like a fool as I read the ending to this book.  With not the first tissue in my purse, either.  What an idiot I am.  Who reads any Nicholas Sparks book without tissues? 

I must admit that I am a hit or miss Nicholas Sparks fan.  I love some of his books, and I mean LOVE, and others I have taken out of my permanent collection.  The Longest Ride is going into the permanent collection (once I get it back from my mother-in-law who borrowed it from me).  The Longest Ride is right up there with The Walk and The Notebook and I am praying long and hard that this one becomes a movie.  I will be the first in line on opening night.

The book tells the stories of Ira and Ruth and Sophia and Luke, alternating between the two.  Ira is an older man, in his seventies.  He has crashed his car and while he waits, freezing in the snow, for help, trapped inside his car, he begins a long conversation with his wife, Ruth, who passes away years before.  It is through these conversations that we hear their beautiful love story.  Meanwhile, on and off the campus of Wake Forest University, we meet Sophia and Luke.  Sophia is an art history major; Luke is a professional bull rider, whose paths cross and are never the same again.  Like only Nicholas Sparks can, he manages to weave these two individual stories into one brilliant story that I know will touch your heart. 

I will not say anything more except this...(for those of you who have read this book already, you will know what I mean.  For those of you who haven't, I hope I spark your curiosity enough so that you will pick up this treasure and devour it (with tissues!)) Ira...I totally understand. And, I would've bought the painting, too.  First off, right away.  It truly was the treasure. 

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#41: Dream It! Do It! My Half-Century Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms by Marty Sklaar

What self-respecting Disney fanatic could NOT read a book by Marty Sklaar, which details his 54 (yes 54) years as a Disney Imagineer?  I was so excited to read this book, but so very sad that I wasn't able to be at WDW in September 12 and 13 when he was there signing copies.  Now, that would've been way cool! 

For my readers out there, if you have any interest in Disney at all, you should read Marty's book. It details some of the coolest stories in Disney history and made me love the company even more. It also made me sad that Walt is gone.  If you are not a Disney fan, but you have an interest in developing leadership skills or want to read about an organization that is skilled in creating an amazing work ethic amongst its employees, you could read this book and learn a lot. 

I will be honest and admit that I skipped the chapters on Euro-Disney and Disneyland Tokyo.  I was just not interested in reading about the parks I had not been to.  I also skipped a lot of Marty's lists of people who did this and that and were written about as though they were interviewing for a new job.  But, the stories were super cool, as were his pictures. 

I am a huge Disney fan.  That's no big secret.  But, after reading this book, I am a Disney supporter.  They've got a good thing going inside their industry.  Now...how do I become a part of it?

Happy reading, everyone!
:)Dodie

#40: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

What would you do if you went to the gym one morning, fell off of a bike, hit your head, woke up in a hospital, and had forgotten the last ten years of your life?  You did not remember the birth and life of your three kids, and wouldn't know them if they walked right up to you, you did not remember separating from your husband or the name of your new boyfriend, nor did you remember the death of your best friend.  It was all wiped away.  What would you do?  Well...this is exactly what happened to Alice Love in What Alice Forgot, a book that has touched my heart and my mind and has really caused me to think long and hard about life.  Again.

I don't want to summarize the book for you, because I think it would spoil the plot and I don't like to do that.  But I do feel compelled to comment on how horrible I felt as I read about Alice waking up at the hospital.  She was scared to death that she has lost her baby, as the last memory she had was of being pregnant.  She desperately wanted to speak to her husband because she knew he, the love of her life, could make it all better.  Imagine, then, when he was mean to her, using short, curt, bitter words because they did not love each other anymore.   She just didn't remember.  She didn't remember being distanced from her sister, either.  Her life, in 10 short years, had changed dramatically.  With a bump on the head, she was actually given an amazing gift.  She could re-write her life...provided that her memories did not return.  She could turn things around, just by being who she used to be.  Because she did not know how to be anything else.

My heart ached for her as she tried to remember what made her husband hate her, and she him.  My heart ached as she realized that her sister was hurting and she couldn't remember why.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I longed to learn why her life had turned out the way it had and I prayed that her memory would stay gone forever.  Alice Love was a kind and gentle person without her memories.  From what I can tell, I don't think I would've like the Alice who remembered. 

As I read this book, I felt so very grateful.  I felt grateful for my family and my husband and for my life.  And yet, I found myself disliking parts of Alice's life that I find myself, at 41, now wanting desperately--to be thin with the help of a personal trainer, to quit working so I can focus more on me, to buy a bigger house.  And it made me stop and think.  Why do I want these things?  What about taking time to enjoy life and your family and your friends?  Maybe those are the priorities I should focus on. 

The sad thing is, I had decided to do just that.  After my trips to London and Bermuda this summer, I had change my mind about life.  There's more to life than Short Pump and I wanted my children to discover just that.  I realized after these trips that a great big house would be lovely, but I really didn't want to be tied down by a large mortgage.  And, I just hoped and prayed that I'd develop an aversion to all food and miraculously lose a ton of weight.  :)  But, then we all went back to school and those external forces that tend to bring me down (people) came flooding right back--the stay at home moms, the friends building new houses, the neighbors that run and are so toned and fit--and have muddled my thinking again, because I have let them.  UGH. 

So, I think that instead of loaning out What Alice Forgot as I typically do when I am done with a book, I will place this book in a spot where I can see it daily.  Where it can remind me that my family is number one and the rest of it is just fluff.  I need to focus on them and our lives together.  Just as Alice did as she tried to remember why everything was so mixed up.

So, if you want to read this book, which I would highly recommend, you are going to need to get your own copy. 

Hope you find one!
:) Dodie

#39: War Brides by Lois Battle

I am not a history buff and I am not typically a fan of historical fiction.  I have, however, read some very cool historical fiction recently and War Brides is one of those amazing books that makes me wish I knew more about WW2. It also makes me want to run out and buy more books by Lois Battle (which I plan to do shortly).

War Brides is set at the end of WW2 and it tells the stories of three Australian ladies who fall in love with Americans they met during the war and move to the States at the conclusion of the war.  While fiction, their stories are compelling, heart-warming, and often heart-breaking, as you read their attempts to assimilate into American society and post-war culture.  This was a true page turner and there was never, in 437 pages, a dull moment.  I felt a bit like I was reading a WW2 soap-opera  as I read alternating chapters, each told by one of the three main characters: Sheila, Gaynor, and Dawn.  Each of these ladies is as different from the other as could possibly be.  Their lifestyles, their love interests, their values, their desires...and this, in my opinion, largely contributes to the fresh story line and the page-turning quality of the novel as a whole.

For those of you who are book club members, I would strongly encourage you to read this with your book club.  These ladies and their actions could spark some lively discussions--especially Gaynor.

I can't recommend this one highly enough.  Read it.  You will love it.  I promise!

Happy reading,
:)Dodie

#38 My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher

What would you do if you found out that your husband had secretly been seeing other women...three, in fact, over the course of your marriage?  You'd probably leave him, or make him leave you. 

So, then, what would you do if you found out he was dying?  Would you forgive and forget?  Would you go back? 

That's what Lucy has to decide after she finds out that her husband, Artie, is dying.  She does end up going home (sorry...that really doesn't spoil too much) and makes the craziest decision I think any woman could make.  She calls Artie's other "sweethearts" and invites them to take a turn on Artie's deathbed--to share in taking care of him while he dies since they had the pleasure of enjoying him while he was alive. 

Brilliant. 

But, personally, I think the plan backfires a bit.  Because while Lucy assumes she will dislike these women, she ends up creating a new family with them, and allowing them to comfort her when she needs a family most.  

I adored this book.  Its a quick read but a touching one.  I can't even begin to tell you which character I liked the most.  They are all quirky and lovable and unforgettable. 

Read this one.  It's worth your time. 
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie