Quotables #1: On Love and Growing Up

Hi all and welcome to a new feature I'm trying out on the blog - Quotables!  Authors have an amazing ability to put together words that perfectly capture our feelings or make us think.  I was inspired to create a feature to highlight some of my favorite quotes from recent reads and why they speak to me!

Why it speaks to me: Dark Matter is a sci-fi novel, but it's also a love story.  Sometimes I sit and think about how my husband and I met and all the events that had to take place first so that moment could happen.  If either us had made a different decision at any point in our life, our paths might never have crossed.  Of all the people in the world and all the things that could have happened, we met each other, and this quote perfectly describes that for me.

Why it speaks to me: I love this quote because it talks about how there is no time limit on love.  A year together or 50 years together, we will always want more time with the one we love.

Why it speaks to me: I think a lot of people my age can relate to this one.  Thirty always kind of seemed like this magic number, the age at which we think we'll have everything on track that we want - career, marriage, family, whatever.  But once you actually reach 30, you realize it's just an arbitrary number.

  

Which of these quotes is your favorite?  Can you relate to any of them?

2017 Backlist Reader Challenge: February Roundup

I'm making pretty good progress on my titles for the 2017 Backlist Reader Challenge.  Here are my mini-reviews for February!

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2014)

Lauren and Ryan decide to take a year off from their marriage to decide if they can salvage their relationship.

I love stories about marriage and relationships, because they make me think about my own life.  I was immediately drawn into this novel because Lauren and Ryan met at the age of 19 in college, which is when and how I met my husband, as well. 

The book mainly focuses on Lauren's journey; we see snippets of Ryan's through draft emails he has written to Lauren.  I liked Lauren as a main character, but I think I liked the supporting characters around her more.  We got to know her family really well, and they show Lauren that marriage is not the only type of relationship out there.

Like Reid's Forever, Interrupted, this story brings up a lot of thought-provoking issues.  When you've vowed to love someone forever, what happens if you fall out of love?  How hard should you try to get it back?  Is it inevitable that romance will fade over the years?  Why are we sometimes so afraid to ask our partners, the person we share everything with, for what we really want or need?

The story is very readable, honest, and relatable.  It's more contemplative than action-filled, so sometimes it felt a bit slow, but overall I really enjoyed it!  4 stars

                                                                                                                                                      

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (2008)

Book 4 in the Inspector Gamache series, in which Inspector Gamache and his wife vacation at an inn, along with a family there for a reunion.  Gamache is drawn into the family when someone is found dead.

This installment of the series is a little different in that it takes place outside of Three Pines, but no worries - a couple of Three Pines residents end up being part of the family coming together for the reunion.

Penny's writing is, as always, cozy, comforting, and warm (even though it's a murder mystery).  The murder almost seemed secondary to me in this one, with the focus more on a character study of the family and their drama.  There were no likable members of this family; they purposely say and do things to hurt one another.

We also got to know Gamache a bit better.  I love his relationship with his wife and their banter.  Penny worked in information about Gamache's past, particularly his parents, which was interesting but also felt a tiny bit shoe-horned.

The murder "how" was quite ingenious, although the "why" was a bit weak.  Looking forward to the next installment!  4 stars

                                                                                                                      

The End of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, A Widow's New Life by Stephanie Madoff Mack (2011)

A memoir by the daughter-in-law of Bernie Madoff, telling her side of the story of finding out about Madoff's Ponzi scheme and the family's reaction, including her husband Mark's suicide.

Mack gives an intimate look at how the Madoff family imploded after Bernie was arrested and convicted.  It was difficult to read how Bernie's sons' lives were ruined, even though they had nothing to do with their father's crimes, but what was worse was how their family was torn apart at a time when they could have come together as victims of the deceit.  Even their mother was no longer welcome in Stephanie's home, because of how she seemingly chose her husband over her children.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel the sympathy for Stephanie that I think she was seeking when she wrote this book.  It is devastating that she lost her husband and their children lost their father.  However, she often came across as self-centered and spoiled.  At times she seemed to focus too much on how Bernie's crimes personally affected her, instead of how her husband was coping with the betrayal.  She claims they had a perfect life before the scandal, but there were obviously big issues in their life, including a difficult relationship with Mark's ex-wife.  Stephanie talks about other family members in the book, but includes details which I felt were unnecessary and hurtful.  Also, her constant references to every little thing she was buying when she should have been carefully watching her money was off-putting.  3 stars.

Review: Forever, Interrupted

Forever, Interrupted
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published July 9, 2013

Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year's Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn't expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they've eloped.

Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met and who doesn't even know Elsie exists.

Interweaving Elsie and Ben's charmed romance with Elsie and Susan's healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there's more than one way to find a happy ending. - from Goodreads

I read Forever, Interrupted as part of the 2017 Backlist Reader Challenge; I know I said last month that I was going to do mini-reviews, but I loved this one so much, I wanted to do a full review.  I'd never heard of Taylor Jenkins Reid before I started blogging, and her name started popping up on tons of other blogs.  I wanted to give her books a try, and I was not disappointed with my first read!

Forever, Interrupted tells the story of Ben and Elsie, whose whirlwind romance is cut short when Ben is killed just days after their wedding.  Ben leaves behind Elsie and his mother, Susan, who have never even met but will somehow have to co-exist.

I loved Elsie as a character - she's such a relatable woman.  Before she meets Ben, her idea of a fun Saturday night is watching tv, reading, and eating pizza (pretty much my life).  She's just a regular girl living her life, and then she meets Ben.  Their relationship is kinda insta-lovey, but it works here.  It's grounded in reality - they spend a lot of time together, they have important conversations, they tell each other things they haven't told other people.  Just a few months after they meet, they've eloped.  I appreciate that the author didn't make their relationship perfect.  Although they are obviously happy and in love, they still fight and have issues; it made it much more believable.

I also loved Ben's mother, Susan.  I can understand her coldness at the beginning, but then she really comes around, because she and Elsie both loved Ben, and Susan is in the unfortunate position of also being a widow.  I loved her even more when we later learn how much she has helped Elsie despite her own secret feelings of intense grief.

The story moves back and forth between Ben and Elsie's relationship and the time after he has passed away.  I loved this approach because of how neatly the two stories fit together.  We immediately got to see connections that might have been lost had the story been told in a chronological manner.

The book brought up important questions about love and the length of relationships.  Is Elsie and Ben's relationship less important because they only knew each other for 6 months?  Should Elsie not be entitled to a long grieving period because she was only married for 9 days?  I don't think any of that matters - it's not about quantity, but quality.  Elsie and Ben probably felt more love and knew each other better than some people who have been together for years.  They really made the most of their time together.  And really, when you love someone, no amount of time is ever enough.

I did have a couple issues with this book.  First, I don't like to judge anyone's grieving process, because we all handle it differently, but Elsie could be quite mean at times, and I don't necessarily think it was fair, especially to her friend Ana.  Also, I don't agree with Ben not telling his mother about Elsie at all, even after they got married.  I realize it's the impetus for the story, but his reasons didn't make a whole lot of sense.  However, Elsie and Susan were able to overcome that and move forward together.

4 stars

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Never Let You Go

"Waiting on" Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Never Let You Go
Chevy Stevens
Expected publication date: March 14, 2017

Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband was sent to jail and she started over with a new life. Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her ex-husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she’s cut all ties. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought? - from Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday: Can't Win 'Em All

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  This week's topic is "books I loved less/more than I thought I would."  It's unfortunate, but we're not going to like every book we read.  Here's a list of books that I sadly did not love as much as I thought I would, including a few DNFs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

How I Use Pinterest for Blogging

I guess you could say I'm relatively new to Pinterest, having only been a member for a couple years or so.  I'm so glad I started using it after I got married - I can only imagine the stress it would have added trying to make our wedding Pinterest-worthy!  Anyway... in an effort to broaden my blog's horizons, I've started using Pinterest more and more for blogging.  First, I put a link to my blog on my Pinterest profile.  A link to my personal Pinterest page is on my blog homepage, and in addition to the typical recipe and fitness boards, visitors will also find boards specifically related to reading and blogging.

• I maintain a board of my blog posts.  I haven't been putting every post on Pinterest, but more those posts which I think other Pinners may be searching for, such as lists of various types of books.  Books for Downton Abbey fans, gift ideas for book lovers, best books of 2016 - things like that!

• I have a board dedicated to reading challenges I am or are considering participating in.  It's helpful to keep them all in one place, and visitors can find quick links to things like the current POPSUGAR reading challenge.

• I recently started a board for blogging resources.  Looking for ideas or inspiration for new posts?  I keep a board of posts written by other bloggers dedicated to this topic.  I love that there are so many bloggers out there with great ideas that they are willing to share with everyone!

• I keep a board of books I love to read again and again.  Visitors to this board can see some of my favorite books.

• It's where I keep my TBR!  I know a lot of readers use Goodreads to house their TBRs, but I find Pinterest to be more visually appealing for my list.  I put the release date in the description and can know at a quick glance if it's available yet or not.  This is by far my most popular board.  Admittedly, I don't have a ton of followers, but I get a pretty steady stream of re-pins from this board.

Is Pinterest an important blogging tool for you?  How do you use Pinterest?

Try It, You Might Like It #6: Science Fiction

"Try it, you might like it" - it's what someone says when they present you with some food you've never had before or your mom wants you to try on some clothes she picked out for you.  I'm using it here on the blog as inspiration to choose books in genres I don't normally read; to branch out from my reading comfort zones; and to maybe find some new favorites!

For this installment, I've chosen science fiction.  Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (2016) has been on my radar for a few months now, but I was hesitant to read it because it's labeled as science fiction.  I'm not a big science/math person, so I often just feel confused/frustrated/annoyed with books that have too much focus on those topics.  But, this book was also described as being a thriller and a love story, so I wanted to try it out.

“Are you happy with your life?”

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.  Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe. - from Goodreads

Guys, this was just... wow.  Even if you don't think you're a science fiction fan, I think you need to read this book.  Jason Dessen is a physics professor with a beloved wife and son.  After being abducted, he wakes up in a strange place surrounded by people who claim to know him - but he's never met them before.  He escapes to find that his home looks completely different, he isn't married to his wife, and his son doesn't exist.  Is he dreaming?  Does he have a brain tumor that has altered his perception of reality?  Is someone playing an elaborate hoax on him?

I don't want to talk too much more about the plot and spoil it, because finding out what truly is going on is really the essence of the book and just the most fantastic twist.  It does get a bit science-y, but even I could understand what the characters were talking about, and I loved it.  Every few chapters I would say to my husband, "Guess what's happening NOW?"  This book would be totally up his alley.

As I said before, this book is more than just science fiction - it's also a thriller that I could not stop reading.  I literally read this book in a few hours.  The short, staccato sentences kept the story moving, and I had to know what would happen next.  I loved Jason as a character - I felt invested in his journey, and I was rooting for him.  I was really impressed by his ability to remain mostly calm and really think through his situation and the next steps to take.

And then there's the love story - Jason and his wife have been married for years, and they have such a great relationship.  They really do seem to love each other more now than they did when they first met.  Finding his wife and son is Jason's top priority, and I just loved his focus.  Even when things seemed dire, his only thoughts are of them and how to get back to them.