August Book Club - Between The Lines

Thanks for joining Mrs. Jones and I for our monthly book club!  We are both so happy when we see that you read along and linked up with us.  :-)  Remember to vote for our September book in the upper left corner!  We'll be making the announcement on Monday. 

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
I love Jodi Picoult!  She has written some truly heart wrenching books.  This...was not one of them.  It was a great freshman effort by her daughter, with the backing of Jodi.

I like the book.  It was an entertaining and quick read!  It's interesting to think of the characters in a book as actors playing a role over and over again as each person reads a book. But it wasn't what I had expected.  I knew going into this that Between the Lines was a YA book.  However, I didn't expect that it would feel so targeted to a pre-teen audience. 

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to them/ do they remind you of people you know?
This book is set going back and forth between a fairytale, so there's an a lot that you really shouldn't believe is "real".  I think that all girls feel the teen angst that Delilah does - it's just part of growing up.  It's easy to identify with feeling like an outsider or "uncool".

3. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
I hate to say this...but I really didn't like the end.  I won't spoil it for you, but the prospect of releasing Oliver from the book should not happen like that.  Even though they don't spell it out - I think the ending would have been heartbreaking and unfair to another character.

4. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
I just want to know what else she's working on.  I can't wait to read her next book, and I'd probably read her daughter's next book too...just to see if she's as talented as her mom.

5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? If so, how/why?
There really isn't much character evolution through the book.  The characters stay true to themselves from start to finish.  I wish that there had been some character growth, it might have made certain parts more engaging.

Updates, Bullet Points and Whatnot...

I'm hauling out the bullet points...hang on, it's going to be a random post!

• Meadow is getting better!  She's still on an assortment of meds, but I'm weaning off the pain pills.  Fingers crossed - she continues to get better and we don't have to battle the IVDD monster again for a long, long time.
• Are mushrooms growing in your yard?  They are in mine!  Brady found one last Thursday and got really sick really quickly.  We went to our regular vet, who diagnosed him with mushroom toxicity and made me rush him to the emergency vet.  Lots of tests, pukies and a large vet bill later - I brought him home.  The boy is back to normal, just has a few more days of meds to protect his liver and kidneys from any residual side effects. {See...I knew fungus was bad!!}
• Please tell me that I'm not the only one that can't wait until the election is over.  People are getting NASTY on Twitter and FaceBook!  I respect people's opinions...just wish that certain people thought before they spoke. Know where your candidate stands on issues that are important to you before you start the virtual mudslinging.  Or better yet - PLAY NICE!  Neither candidate is perfect.  You choose the one that you think will screw up the country the least... In related news - if you don't vote on election day, I don't want to hear you bitch for the next four years.
• I've started trying to plan my fall TV viewing schedule.  Yikes, my TV/DVR is going to hate me!
• Someone please remind me that leaving my knitting down where the twin terrors (aka Brady and Paisley) can reach it is a dumb idea.  :-)  I've only started the same cowl four times now!
• My brother is winging his way down to Atlanta to see one of his Army buddies.  I'm so happy he's getting to go away for the weekend...but a little jealous.  I love his friend and wish I could see him (and his new puppy) too.
• Time to start choosing September's book club selection.  The poll is in the top left corner... Vote please!  Oh, and if you read this month's book, link up with Mrs. Jones and I tomorrow!
• Lack of responsiveness seems to be spreading like wildfire lately.  I have a handful of people that I keep following up with and they don't seem to like to respond to emails and/or voicemail.  How frustrating!  Has anyone else been experiencing this?!

OK...if you've made it to the end, you deserve a puppy picture! {Yep, these were already shared on Instagram, but you forgive me, right?!}

Paisley is learning how to drink from a straw.  Seriously.  Meadow does it all the time and is teaching her... Don't come to my house and think your drink is safe.

 

Brady, Paisley and Beckett are waiting for my parents to walk in the door.  Sure, they look calm...but this was taken about 30 seconds before they started barking and full-body wagging!

Suggest A Book!

Happy Monday!  The lovely Mrs. Jones and I will have a poll up in the next few days for September's book club selection.  If you have any ideas/suggestions on what we should read in September, please let us know!

Quick reminder - this month we are reading:

There's still time to read and link up with us this Friday!

Book Club & 3 on Thursday

Howdy!  It's that time again... Mrs. Jones and I are announcing the August book club selection.  We promise (or I promise on behalf of both of us) that we'll be more organized next month and you all will have more time to vote on the book.  Please email one of us or leave us a comment if you have any book suggestions.

This month, we'll be reading:

A few of you rather astute lovelies noticed that there wasn't a 3 on Thursday post last week.  Last week the topic was "should we keep this linky going".  My post didn't go up as scheduled...and quite frankly - I forgot about it.

Which means, I'm asking you now.  Do you enjoy 3 on Thursday?  Do you always skip it when Andrea and I post it?  We both really enjoy it - but we only want to continue if you do too, and if you'd consider joining in the fun from time to time.  Until we make real decision, we'll be taking a hiatus for a few weeks.

July Book Club - Friendship Bread

Thanks to all you lovely readers that are back after the June book club hiatus!  To make this month even more special - this is the first book with my fabulous, gorgeous, super sweet co-host Mrs. Jones.  If you aren't already reading her blog - you SHOULD be!

An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.

One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.

When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.

In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
I really liked the book.  Honestly, I read the prologue and didn't see exactly how it fit in with the book until the epilogue.  When it did "click" for me, I cried. All of the main characters were women that I could see myself being friends with.

Darien Gee has a great writing style that is easy to follow despite the intertwining story lines and numerous details about each of the main (and peripheral) characters.  It was easy to engage with this book!

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to them/ do they remind you of people you know?
Most of these characters were very believable.  I don't know many people that haven't had to deal with some sort of personal tragedy...or find them self in a new place looking to start over...or just need to determine what comes next in life.  It's easy to relate to one, if not all of the main characters on some level.

3. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
I did like the end.  I'm a sucker for a happy ending - and all the characters find a happy ending in one way or the other.  I do have a few little things that I wish would have been changed or revealed - like a town article to reveal who the real originator of the friendship bread mix was - or seeing Julia repair all three of her broken relationships.

4. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
I want to know if the bag of batter that spawned her book idea is still living on in perpetuity...or if she finally pawned off all the batter!

5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? If so, how/why?
All of the characters that are introduced in the book evolve.  Heck, the whole town changes because of this friendship bread batter.  It was great seeing each of the main characters deal with their problems, grow together as a group and come out the other side as better people.

Did you read along?  Link up and tell Mrs. Jones & I what you thought!

May Book Club - Before Ever After

Rumor has it, that I wasn't the only one that read this month's book.  *Fingers crossed*, that's true.  I know that so many of you read - and I WANT to make this book club work.  Below is a list for the June book.  Please give me initial feedback and I'll put a poll up to make our way to a final choice.
If you did read this month's book and are linking up, I officially love you.  Seriously!

Three years after her husband Max's death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max; same smile, same eyes, same age, same adorable bump in his nose; he could be Max's long-lost relation. He introduces himself as Paolo, an Italian editor of American coffee table books, and shows Shelley some childhood photos. Paolo tells her that the man in the photos, the bearded man who Paolo says is his grandfather though he never seems to age, is Max. Her Max. And he is alive and well.

As outrageous as Paolo's claims seem; how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn't he looked her up? Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down; if it is really Max and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max's stories of bloody Parisian barricades, medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her "happily ever after." And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
I got about 50 pages into the book and had a few moments of "Oh, crap.  How do I get out of reading the rest of this book?!" Something about it just didn't click for me at first. But, I pressed on.  The more I read, the more I liked it.  By the end of the book, I was quite emotionally engaged with the character of the main plot and sub-plots. I genuinely wanted to know what came AFTER the author's chosen end to the book.

I will say that this book led me to think a bit on immortality and reincarnation.  Is it something that I would willingly choose? Would I want my family, friends, etc to know that I'm still alive as they age/die/lose their health or mental faculties? How many lifetimes would it take before I got it "right"?

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to them/ do they remind you of people you know?
Shelley and Paolo seemed quite real and believable.  Shelley's grief at certain points was palpable.  Max (in all his incarnations) was funny, sweet, entertaining and quite fascinating. These characters don't remind me of people I know in real life...however, I've met some real characters while traveling and I can just imagine running into this crew!

3. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
As a romantic, I did enjoy the ending. Shelley never wanted to be immortal - she just wanted her happily ever after with Max.  I can understand that.

4. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
I'm a history buff and could easily wander through Europe like they did, all willy nilly.  I'd like to know what stories though history sparked this novel.  Did the characters of Shelley and Max come first - or did the history come first and the characters just kind of showed up?

5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? If so, how/why?
This is the hardest question to answer.  Max doesn't change per se...but we learn all the lives he led before this. The parts of history that made him "Max". Getting to wander through his different identities was enjoyable and when added together made for quite an interesting man.

June book suggestions:
Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow
The First Day of the Rest of My Life by Cathy Lamb
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
How I Planned Your Wedding by Susan and Elizabeth Wiggs
The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse Book 12) by Charlaine Harris
Friendship Bread by Darien Gee

May Book Club Book

Have you linked up your review of our April book - The Next Always?  You should!  I want to know what you thought of it!
Now, it's time for our May book.  Drumroll please......

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto.  I've heard that this is not your ordinary love story.  I can't wait to read it!

April Book Club - The Next Always

It's book club time! I love that people are reading and talking about the same book as me.  :-)  This month we read:

Meet the Montgomery brothers – Beckett, Ryder, and Owen – as they bring an intimate bed-and-breakfast to life in their hometown.

The historic hotel in Boonsboro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, the changing of hands, and even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major face lift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett’s social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there’s another project he’s got his eye on: the girl he’s been waiting to kiss since he was sixteen…

I have to say that I love Nora Roberts.  She is such a great writer, and continues to come up with stories that are engaging and believable (well, mostly!).

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
I really enjoyed the book.  In classic Nora Roberts style, she set up characters for the whole trilogy in the beginning of this book.  It took a few minutes to get everyone straight - there are just so many people in this book! The only thing I didn't REALLY like about the book was that I couldn't tell who's point of view the story was coming from at times.  Most books have a few narrators but this one had many.

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to them/ do they remind you of people you know?
I can certainly relate to the loving, teasing relationship that you see with the two sets of brothers - Beckett, Owen & Ryder and Liam, Harry & Murphy, as well as the concept of going home to recoup/start over after losing your husband to the war.  The only character that I struggled to find believable was Sam.  His infatuation with Clare went from a little uncomfortable to scary VERY quickly. I will say that while others might not appreciate the small part the ghost played in the story - I did!

3. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
I enjoyed the story from start to finish.  You have to know that with Nora Roberts that you're going to get a happy ending.  I do wish that the book had set up the next one in the series a little - well, maybe just to indicate which woman (Avery or Hope) Owen and Ryder are going to be matched with. 

4. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
I would ask her where she finds the inspiration for her books!

5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? If so, how/why?
I do like that you see the evolution of Beckett's love for Clare.  From the beginning, you know that he's been in love with her since she was 15.  The book really showed the change from loving who she used to be to who she is now. 

Link up and tell me what you thought!

Brain Dump

Ladies, it's my first time back in school in a LONG time.  I've let a few things drop and I apologize!
First... This week's "3 on Thursday" question is: Sometimes it's fun to envision packing up and moving to a new city/state.  Where are three places that you'd consider living?

Second... If you participated in the Flip Flop Swap, please link up your post.  We all want to see those pretty flops!

Third... This Friday is Book Club!  I hope everyone is almost done with "The Next Always" by Nora Roberts.

Fourth...I totally slacked (again, I'm very very sorry) and didn't give you all a long list for the May Book Club selection.  In the top left is the monthly poll.  I recycled our runner up books from the past few months.

Fifth...I've almost settled on a new blog name.  It will either be "Weiner Tales/Tails" or "Isn't Life Weinderful".  Any feedback is appreciated!

Last... Look at my little Meadow.  She loves to climb into the laundry basket.  :-)

Announcements!!!! (Book Club/Flip Flop Swap/Something NEW!)

Happy April!!  I have a few fun (I think!) announcements:

The fabulous Andrea and I have teamed up to bring you "3 on Thursday".  This will be a weekly linky that features a fun question each week.  To make life easier - we'll announce the question ahead of time  and host the linky on Thursday.   I'll get the button code up here ASAP - Andrea is on the ball and you can see it on her sidebar already.  :-)




This week's question is:
With the recent MegaMillions hoopla, there's been a lot of dreaming about what we'd do with all that money. What are three things on your "if I won the lottery" list?

Start thinking!  I'll be interested to see your list on Thursday!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Thanks to everyone that voted on our April book club book!  It will be (by a landslide, I might add!):

Have any books you'd recommend?  Let me know, so I can include it on the list for May!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

And...it's time for my 2nd Annual Flip Flop Swap!

A few rules:
You have a week to sign-up. (aka - your deadline is midnight on Monday, April 9
The flip-flops should be in the $10-$20 range (excluding shipping)
You don't need to be a blogger to participate. If you aren't a blogger, leave your email address in the comment.

Your swap buddy will be announced on Wednesday, April 11th.
Everyone should ship their swap buddy a package by Monday, April 16th, and I'm asking everyone to link up their swap reveal on Monday, April 23th.

March Book Club - Disengaged

Reminder: Please vote on the April book club selection! The poll closes on Sunday.
Our first book club book was Disengaged by Beth Orsoff.

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
I did like the book!  It was a fun read that had likable characters (mostly) and would be the kind of romantic comedy that I'd likely watch in movie format. I really enjoyed the airport exchange between Alison and Michael.  It had me briefly guessing if the author was going to go in a direction that I hadn't anticipated.

2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to them/ do they remind you of people you know?
The characters do seem fairly real.  I can relate to Alison - it would be strange not to have a little conflict while planning a wedding & possibly second guess decisions that you're making.  Claire, Brittney, Jax and Michael are also real, believable characters.  Sylvia and Brad had a relationship that I can see in mother/son combos that I know.  I mean, a lot of moms are controlling... but not many to that extent.  I would hope that I don't know anybody in real life that defiles a blow up doll the way Brad does.  Or at least, I hope I never find out about it!

3. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
I was happy with the ending.  It was what I had been rooting for since the beginning!  However, I do with that more detail had been given and it felt slightly less rushed.

4. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
I would like to know where the inspiration for the book came from and if any of the characters were modeled after people she knows in real life.

5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? If so, how/why?
I don't really think that the characters change per se, but it does take a while to see all the facets of their personalities.

What do you think about Disengaged?  Link up* and share!


* I'm trying a different linky tool that what I use for Tuesdays At The Table, any feedback on it is appreciated!

A Dose of Random...

Sorry that my post lacks direction today.  I have lots of little things that would be a waste to post on their own.  Bring on the bullet points!

• Friday night a had an amazing girls night with some of my favorite ladies.  We did a little shopping (if you follow me on Twitter, you saw the adorable sparkly pink headband I picked up at Charming Charlie), had dinner at Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar & Grill", and saw Hunger Games!
• For our viewing pleasure, we saw Hunger Games via Lux level.  The comfy seats, drinks and prime viewing spots are worth the ticket price. 
• And... because there are five of us that went, I ended up being the girl NOT sitting next to one of her besties.  Which is totally fine!  What I hadn't anticipated is having to sit next to a guy who proceeded to drink FOUR beers and then beer belch at me through the movie.  *gag*  And that says nothing of the running commentary he had going.
• You may notice the April book poll in the top left corner.  Please vote!  The poll will be open through April 1, and the book will be announced on April 2nd.
• A huge THANK YOU to those of you who gave book suggestions.  They'll be showing up on the long list rotation soon.  :-) Please keep the book titles coming!
• Quick reminder to please link up your posts about our March book - Disengaged on Friday.
• I planted my peach tree!  I love it already.  I bet it doesn't bloom for a few years, but that's OK.  I do think she needs a name.  Any suggestions?
• The lovely Andrea and I will have a little something fun to share with you all soon. We're both really excited about it!
• The second annual flip flop swap is coming soon!  It's a great way to celebrate the warm weather and find a new bloggy friend.  :-)

April Book List

I hope everyone is enjoying Disengaged!  It's time that we got going and picked our April book.  A very lovely lady pointed out to me that Disengaged was only available via e-reader.  I'm so sorry if anyone got excluded because of it. I promise to do a better job going forward of crosschecking the hardcopy vs. e-reader availability!
Below is my proposed "long list" of April books.  You'll see a few repeats from last month's list, as I got some good response to them and think that they should be up for consideration again.  PLEASE, send me your suggestions!  I love to read and can provide book lists until the cows come home...but I want this to be a fair process and you very likely have heard of books that I haven't! :-)

The Next Always by Nora Roberts
A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow
The First Day of the Rest of My Life by Cathy Lamb
The Year Everything Changed by Georgia Bockoven
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto
How I Planned Your Wedding by Susan and Elizabeth Wiggs
The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston

OK, now please - be vocal. Comment on what you like from the list...and don't like.  The books with the largest amount of positive feedback will move on the the short list/poll.  Any book that doesn't "win" for next month from that list but got positive feedback will cycle through again in the coming months.

Book Club "Check-in"

Howdy, book-clubbers!  We're now halfway (roughly) through our first book.  How are you all liking Disengaged?
And...we need to start thinking about choosing our April book.  I would very much like to include your suggestions for the group to vote on.  PLEASE email me any suggestions.  I would like to put a small list out to the group for feedback on Friday.

March Book Club Choice!

Thanks to everyone that voted on our first book club book!  By a very narrow margin (ahem...1 vote), it's been decided that we'll be reading:

Happy Reading!  As a reminder, below are our chosen book club questions.  You don't have to use all of them, but please choose at least three so we can be comparing the books on the same merits & provide a little continuity for the lovelies that read our posts.  :-)

1. Did you like the book? Why/why not?
2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to them/ do they remind you of people you know?
3. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
4. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? If so, how/why?

Also, please please please start emailing, commenting or tweeting me your book ideas for next month!

Book Club Questions

Alrighty, ladies! I took the three books from my initial list that got the most interest, and they are now a poll in the top left corner.  Please vote! The new book will be announced next Monday - March 5th.
I'm happy to recycle the book suggestion next month.  What I'd really like is for you to give me some book suggestions that I can keep on a spreadsheet and use as our "go to" list.  However you'd like to share your suggestions (comment, email, tweet) is wonderful. :-)

Now...we need to pick the questions we'll all use.  As I mentioned before, I think 3-5 questions would give everyone a little structure, but still give enough freedom to make each post our own.  If you don't agree, let me know!  I'm open to any and all feedback!

1. Did you like the book?  Why/why not?
2. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to them/ do they remind you of people you know?
3. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
4. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? If so, how/why?

So...anyone want to design a button for the book club?  Kidding.  Kind of.

Pick A Book. Any Book

People really want to be in a book club?  With me?!?!  Are you *sure*?
OK.  I guess we better get started on picking our first book.  :-)

I'm going to throw a few (alright.  more like ten) books out there varying between chic lit, pop fiction and the best seller list & see if any of them interest you.  Please give me suggestions, then once we get a good list, we can vote on which book to read first.

For your convenience, all the books I'm putting up for consideration have been linked to Amazon so you can read the blurbs before you tell me I'm brilliant (or horrifically stupid).

11/22/63 by Stephen King
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
The Next Always by Nora Roberts
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
Single in the City by Michele Gorman
Disengaged by Beth Orsoff

Whatcha think?