The One That I Want Discussion

I do so hope I wasn't the only one who read this, because it will be sad to talk to myself. However, I came up with some questions while I was reading. And I had a few others that I knew sounded really good but then I forgot to write them down and I forgot them. Whoops. Blog fail.

Some of these questions don't necessarily require you to have read the book to throw in your 2 cents and I don't think I revealed tooo much to spoil it completely for you!

1. Do You think CJ leaves Westlake?

2. What do you think of the 'clarity' Ashley gave Tilly?

(Okay, I must say that the clarity thing had me rolling my eyes sooo much about this book. To me it was silly and preposterous and was a major problem I had with the book. Otherwise I enjoyed it. But I do know that there had to be some reason for Tilly to see what was happening, but I think the story could have gone another way. Just not big on 'clarity' or psychics or any of that.)

3. Do you choose to only see the positive and ignore all the bad? Do you solve other people's problems like Tilly?

(I am such a pessimist. Completely a see the bad never the good. I like solving other people's problems and usually can find positives for them. Just not myself!)

4. What do you think Tilly's future holds for her?

5. Can Tilly forgive her father for all of his transgressions? Including, the incident that Darcy walked in on?

(This is something that I would really have liked to see happen at the end of the book. Did she or didn't she? Old Tilly hands down would have, but new Tilly may or may not and I find that authentic and real and probably keeping her away would be a good idea!)

And here are a few questions from author Allison Winn Scotch's site.

6. If you could be given the power to see into the future like Tilly is, would you use it? What positive or negative effects could this have in the scope of your life?

7. Tilly and her sisters have complicated, tangled relationships. Do you think you can ever separate who you are from who your family has helped shape you to be?

(In the last year or so I have really started to notice that I act different around my family. I revert back to my youth and act in a manner that I did back then. Is it to keep the same facade up with them? Or is to keep myself safe from the judging? If I act like I don't care or I'm silly it won't matter that I am a huge loser and failure in life? Who knows. But I think the way we act around the people we have known the longest is quite interested and complicated. )

8. Many of Tilly’s happiest moments are set in her past. How does this influence her assessment of the present? Do you look back fondly on high school or is it a memory that you’ve long outgrown?

9. Tilly rediscovers long-abandoned aspirations and learns that even aiming toward small goals can change your life. What are your small but important goals that you’d like to achieve within the next year?

(I would love to have a job that I like. I would like to find some direction and determine what I want to do/what I should do / what will make me happy.)

10. Tilly discovers that destiny is only partially pre-determined, that life is a mix of fate and what you exert over fate. Do you believe in destiny or is life totally within our control?

Oh and a plug for Allison's blog because I saw she had a post today about maiden name v. married name and I know some of you (Kelly and myself) have struggled with this!

And don't forget to suggest a book for next month!! Poll will be up on the sidebar tomorrow!

Every Last One

The following post is the not the post I thought I was going to write yesterday. Yesterday, I was floating around in my pool thinking.. this sure is beautiful writing but we need a little something more. Quindlen does an excellent job of introducing the characters and their flaws, slowly releasing new details and uncovering secrets of the Latham family and of the narrator, Mary Beth Latham the mother. However, it was getting a little ho-hum and I was a little perturbed that I had already deduced in my head what ws going to happen. (Random factoid of me, I will read a books description when I decide if I will read it again and then never again. So by the time I read it, I have no idea what I am supposed to be reading.)

Then I moved from the pool to the tiki bar as the boys played video games in the late afternoon sun. The book moved into the climax the thing everything I had read was building for. When the reviews say it is breathtaking, they are not lying.

I then had to move to the hammock so the boys would not tease me for crying at a silly book. A book they kept trying to read the back cover of loudly and in annoying voices. Mary Beth truly endures one of the hardest things a woman/wife/parent ever faces and you (the reader) are taken on the journey with her. You cry for her. You want to scream for her. You want to shake her. You feel for her.

Sure, there are spots in the book where you want someone to scream and say YES you are partly to blame. You should have seen the signs. You should have stood up for your daughter. You should have been more firm. But at the end of the day, you never really know how your actions are going to affect the lives around you. Just as the butterfly wings in Mexico beating may cause the wind to blow on your face many miles away, the things you do or don't may affect your future forever and ever.

I think one of my favorite parts about this book is that the characters have real flaws. You recognize the every day flaws they have that you have, that your siblings have and it makes it a very believable story even when you are wondering how anyone could have ignored so many warning signs. Wonder how some could be so cavalier with sleeping pills and when their teenagers come and go. But you know, that is life. It's what happens and you can't over worry and you can't over protect. What will happen, will no matter how many ways you protect yourself from it.

"All that tread the globe are but handful to the tribes that slumber in its bosom." - William Cullen Bryant

Beautiful real characters and a beautifully told story.

I received a copy of this ARC from Crazy Book Tours. All opinions are my own.

Don't forget to suggest a book for September's Group Read.

September Group Read Suggestions

I am going to do something new this month with our group read. At the end of the month when I post the discussion questions I will use the comment section to randomly pick a person to win a free copy of the October Group Read! So those of you who participate in the reading and discussion of whatever we pick for September have the opportunity to win October's book free! Also, for anyone who writes a guest post for the September Read will also get another 2 additional entries. So, participating in the September Read can get you a free book!

Books we have already read include...
The One That I Want
The Secret Garden
House Rules
American Wife Kelly's Guest Post Lisa's Guest Post
Firefly Lane
Middlesex
The Reader
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Awakening
Pride & Prejudice
I See You Everywhere

I will also suggest we pick something that has been out for awhile because it seems it is harder for everyone to get newer books! Banned Books Week is in September, so maybe we would want to read a book that has been banned? ALA site about banned books week Children's books that are continually challenged and the banned books site!

I will leave suggestions up until early Wednesday morning and then I will post the poll up til Friday!

My half-birthday is coming up..

So what better excuse to share what I would looove for my actual birthday?? Yeah, I kidd I kidd. Who am I kidding, you should totally get it for me for Christmas, because that is closer than my birthday and then I wouldn't have to wait so long! ;)

First, let me start with how MUCH I love uncommongoods.com it is one of my favorite sites to go on and just gawk at the things that I wish I could have, but sadly have to hope for 1 or 2 items every year at Christmas or my birthday. I think in the last 2 weeks alone I have recommended this site to a few different people who have admired my stuff I have from there or gifts that I have gotten others. Perhaps, they should hire me? ;)

The first thing that I noticed in their recent catalog were Multiblocks designed by Brad Singley. These blocks are even cooler than the blocks we grew up with. The nerd/teacher in me loves the measurement marks on them, the recycling of basswood leftover scraps and that they are made in my home state of Michigan! I don't even had a kid yet, and I want to play with them!

{source for picture here }

Uncommongoods.com says, "Basswood is a local, renewable wood that is sustainably grown and harvested on industry land in Michigan. Each set of blocks arrives in a recycled cotton storage bag made from 80% Ecotec(tm) (a blended cotton yarn produced from the excess fabric of newly made clothing) and 20% Bottle Bag(tm) (material made from 100% recycled soda bottles). "

For a set of 42 it is only $48

The wine lover in me NEEDS the Stackable Cork Wine Rack ! Not only is it 100% recyclable and fully biodegradable modular cork, BUT it comes with an expansion kit. If your wine stash grows so can your wine rack! (I totally need this!) It is sharp looking and looks very easy to put together. And it does match the homemade wine racks my hubby made for our downstairs, but it would be cute for upstairs!

{source for picture here }

Wine Rack = $38

Expansion Kit = $22

Reclaimed T-Shirt Scarf

This patchwork of unused reclaimed t-shirt scraps makes for a unique 100% cotton scarf. Talk about being hip and having a neat conversation starter! I don't own any cute scarfs and I think this one would be a sweet beginning of a collection! And it is only $25!

{picture source here }

This is just a small snippet of stuff that I could go on and on about. Seriously, I need a free pile of never-ending money! There are just soo many things on there that I want. You should check it out and I am sure you could find a gift for you or a friend or somebody that they'll love!



uncommongoods.com did not pay me, bribe me or ask me to share this stuff. It's just opinion about things I love!

Have a great weekend!

Dark Song - Gail Giles

Description: Mark said he heard the dark song when he creeped houses. The song the predator's heart sings when it hears the heart of the prey. I heard it now. Mark said it had always been in me. Lurking. Waiting for me to hear.

Ames is not the person she was a few months ago. Her father lost his job, and her family is crumbling apart. Now, all she has is Marc. Marc, who loves her more than anything. Marc, who owns a gun collection. And he'll stop at nothing--even using his guns--to get what he wants. Ames feels her parents have betrayed her with their lies and self-absorption, but is she prepared to make the ultimate betrayal against them?





Just like yesterday when I talked about Glass, this is a YA book that deals with real issues and isn't completely OMG HE IS SOOOO CUTE type of YA. GAG me with a spoon. '





The book starts out introducing us to Ames and her 'perfect' family Typical things in her family are spontaneous expensive trips, family game nights and everyone getting along. Her friends think they are freaky cuz what teen gets along with their family THAT well. While, I would agree with her friends somewhat, they are too dumb for me to want to agree with them. Typical private school floozies. Or just typical in how they are portrayed in books. Cuz I really don't have experience with private school floozies. If I did, I would suspect Ames friends would be them..





Anyway, her 'perfect' life is disrupted when her dad loses his job and her parents start fighting constantly and Ames finds out they are lying to her. In typical teenage fashion, she rebels. They fight. She does something stupid. They fight. They yell. Her dad turns to alcohol, her mom freaks out because she thought she left poverty behind. Her 6 year old sister is the only one with common sense. And then they find out Ames dad lied about the extent of his gambling/losing others money and there is no money. No money for the house, no money for college no money. They have to go to Texas and spoiled little Ames has to work. Her parents treat her like crap and she hates life.





However, she meets Mark. Mark is obviously trouble and Ames sort of realizes that but she is sooo sheltered and soo insecure and Mark is a leech and possessive and abusive and he knows how to get Ames where he wants her. The way there relationship was portrayed was scary and authentic. Older guys that creep on younger girls. Ewww.. Cuz really what does a 22 year old have in common with a 16 year old? Yuck.





I think the scariest part of Mark happened to be his guns. And the part where Ames thought they were cool. She was smart enough to have some thoughts about them but not smart enough to run run run run like a normal girl. But that is part of an abusive relationship. He gave her security and kept her safe when her parents had pretty much turned on her and her whole life flipped upside down.





I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it. It's GOOD YA and speaks to real issues. It also comes out in September so you can check it out then!

Oh and isn't the cover awesome???

I received an ARC from Traveling Arc Tours. All opinions as always, are authentically mine.





Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? Any of your friends?

Glass - Ellen Hopkins

Glass is the second installment in Ellen Hopkin's series about Kristina Snow, teenage meth addict. The first book is Crank and I reviewed it here. The last book in the series is Fallout and is coming out next month!

Kristina is a former good girl who is now completely hooked on meth aka the monster. She's 18, has a baby, is supposed to be getting her GED and supposed to have kicked her meth habit. Buuuut. She doesn't. She hooks back up with her former friend Robyn and meets Trey. Who she immediately falls in 'love' with and starts back up her habit. She gets a job to support her habit and everything else just gets thrown to the side. She forgets about her kid, she parties all the time and it is extremely obvious to her parents who play the oblivious role really well.

Until, she falls asleep and Hunter (her son) injures himself. Then she gets kicked out. So she moves in with a dealer and gets herself into some very compromising positions.

It is really hard to read this because you just want to shake her and tell her that someone will love her and support her without her being on meth. That Kristina is worth loving and that she doesn't need Bree (her alter ego). However, Kristina doesn't believe that anyone can love her or she believes to readily that boys love her when all the want is sex. Also, the way she can just disregard her son is horrible.

This book is YA, but really I think it is a good book for parents/educators/adults to read as well. It's also a YA book, that is real and not all puppies and rainbows, which I also like. Hopkins is a phenomenal writer and I really like her style.

I am unsure if you are aware or not but there has been a lot of drama/controversy lately about Hopkins and her writing. She was invited to the Teen Lit Fest and then UNINVITED because ONE librarian and a couple parents didn't think her writing was suitable for kids to be reading. So she got UNINVITED. Which led to other people dropping out (YOU NEED TO READ THIS POST BY Melissa de la Cruz) and then the canceling of the whole festival. Pretty unreal and pretty sad for the kids who were affected by this. While, I think it is the festival's right to invite who they want, I find the reasons behind it crap.

I think the more controversial, the more it should be talked about. Sure you might not want your kids having sex and doing drugs, but whatever better REAL way than to expose them to the BAD THINGS that can happen when you do them through literature. TALK, COMMUNICATE. BE THERE. Let your kid explore and make their own decisions. If you deny something, odds are they will fin a way. Closeting your kid and making them parrot you is not letting them think for themselves and does them no good.

More posts on censorship:
Pete Hautman
Kami Garcia
Book Hooked

You really should check out some of these links.

What do you think about censorship? Will you let your kids read what they want? Do you think it was okay for Ellen to be UNINVITED?

The One That I Want - August's Blogger Book Pick

Tilly grows up in Smalltown USA and finds it comforting and everything she could want. She marries her high school sweetheart, Tyler, and they live a 'perfect' life in their hometown. She is the guidance counselor at their old high school and Tyler, a former baseball standout, works at a sporting goods store and they live in a house that Tilly's dad bought them as a wedding present. Do you sense a problem yet?

Tilly runs into an old friend Ashley at the town fair and she wants give Tilly a palm reading. Tilly refuses but Ashley insists on giving her 'clarity.' The clarity is the beginning of the end of Tilly's perfect life.

Tilly starts passing out and dreams about things happening to her loved ones. She has a dream her dad is drinking again after spending 10 years sober. She dreams her husband is moving out of their house and she dreams her best-friend who is separated from her husband has a new boyfriend.

How could this happen? Why is her life spinning out of control?

Tilly is a complete control freak about having things like they have always been and not rocking the boat. But the clarity that Ashley has given her has turned her into an angry and rude person she never knew was inside of her.

I really enjoyed the book and the small town drama. I grew up in a small town and still live very close to it and have worked in it. You know everybody's business 24/7. It is sooo hard living in the same place you grew up in, especially if you hit your peak at 17.

The whole 'clarity' thing though was wtf. I just didn't get that and I thought it was a lot of whack. However, Tilly needed a whack on the head to see things clearly. She was a little dense, but it was definitely a coping mechanism that she had put in place after the huge disruption her childhood had.

I also really really really liked the growth that she experienced as a character through the book. I like that she took back a hobby that interested her and got brave and ventured out.

I liked it more than I thought I would after I got 8 pages in and realized it was about someone working in a school and trying to have a baby and those are all topics that make me a little moody these days.

What did you all think about the book? If you wrote a review and want me to link it up let me know, or if you want to write your own guest post here about the book, let me know!

I will post discussion questions in the next week!

The Sinner - Tess Gerritsen

The third installment of Tess Gerritsen's series on Rizzoli & Isles has things heating up relationship wise for both Rizzoli & Isles. We learn verry interesting new information on both women about former love interests and the case they are dealing with is also quite intriguing.

The new case centers on the death of a nun and a serious attack against another. The murdered nun has quite a few skeletons in her closet for a 20 year old who has devoted herself to God and the badly injured nun has spent time overseas helping the less fortunate. Who would kill a nun? (Probably the same type of person who would steal a baby carrier, but I digress.)

Rizzoli's colleagues also have an intriguing case who they have deemed Rat Lady. She is found in an old restaurant with her FACE PEELED off, her hands & feet chopped off and a single gunshot in her chest.

I really enjoy the authentic voice in these books. I like the medical terminology, while sometimes it does gross me out, it also is informative and not completely made up. I like that the pieces of the puzzle make SENSE when the mystery part is solved and you are not like, ummm how did that come together?

I will say my one pet peeve is that when Rizzoli is trying to deal with her 'relationship' with Agent Dean she is a completely idiot and does all the things that make me want to strangle a woman character in a book. Okay, so she is a difficult person who doesn't know how to get along with more people, we get that. But do NOT make her into such an idiot typical female character. "Oh, of course he can't love me. Oh, of course I won't tell him how I feel. Oh of COURSE I will have angry conversations about him, when I HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED TO HIM. Oh of course, he doesn't need to know ANYTHING. Because I am a woman, I am strong, I can do it all myself. " Whatever. I cannot stand when another perfectly fine character /book is reduced to cliches. Rizzoli is far better than how she is written while trying to deal with her feelings for Agent Dean.

I think it goes without saying, that I am really enjoying this series since I have flown through the first 3 books. I really need to step away from it so I can finish the ARC I have and 2 other library books to finish and then I shall pick up the 4th. I was looking over my shelves this weekend and I really need to STOP going to the library. bad bad me. I have too many books to read of my own!

Friday Dance Party!

Err... well it's kind of like a dance party, but with some music that is best just danced to while sitting in your car and belting it out dancing.. you know the kind? good.

These have been stuck in my head lately and since I am oh so kind I am sharing. You are welcome.





I don't even know if I have EVER liked an Enrique song before but it has been stuck in my head. Probably because the 'young' dance crowd at Buffett kept playing this song and A (hubby) and I said that we had never heard it before but it would probably be like the most popular song ever. Now I can't get it out of my head... so now you have it in yours.. you are welcome




Love like Crazy.. omg.. this song is just adorable.. I love singing it.. and I heard it soo much on our trip that I have perfected the loud screaming/singing of it.. how adorable is it?? ;) my favorite lyric "never out smart your common sense.."




Love the way you lie.. oh my god..love this song. I haven't really liked Eminem since like high school but I love Rihanna and him both in this song.. and I may like it when he says "maybe thats what happens when a tornado meets a volcano" it may make me giggle.. and the rest of the song.. it resonates..




I blame this obsession on the Charlie St. Cloud movie.. I must have seen the preview like 82943 times and this song got to me and made me want to see the movie.. Kudos to you marketing people. Now if you'd only pay for my movie ticket I would be in the theater watching it and swooning over Zac Efron.. um is he jailbait?




Ahh one of the best summer song.. Love it.. and I almost went and saw them Wednesday night for our anniversary but hubby needed to work yesterday and getting home at 2 am or later on a work night was not very responsible.. booo.. come back on a weekend boys!!!




And I had to end with a Jimmy song.. This unfortunately was NOT taken by us because we were not so lucky to be close.. but I love FINS in concert it reminds me of O-H-I-O at Buckeye games.. love tradition. but this is from the concert we were at.. don't mind the drunken idiot/arse whose video I borrowed haha.. just look at FINS.. but i was dead center of Jimmy as well just like a football field away dead center on the lawn.. ;)

Happy Friday! What songs are in your head?

Oh.. and this really wasn't much like a dance party.. more like a sit on the deck and drink a cold one party!!

Three Years as a Mrs!

Three years ago I woke up to a cold August morning on my friends living room couch. That day was going to be the day that I walked down the aisle and went from Ms to Mrs. The day that it was legit. The day I would finally get to eat the yummy cookies and dance all night long.

I'll be honest, planning the actual wedding was so not my style. I turned most of it over to my mom. All I wanted to do was pick a dress, bridesmaid dresses, and party. Mature I know. But I never spent my childhood dreaming of the day I got married. More like I spent my childhood dreaming of traveling and living alone in a big city. So why the heck did I get married when I was 23 and stay around here? Good question. Still trying to figure that one out. Funny how life changes and you end up no where near where you thought/wanted to be. But I'm here all the same.

my dad and me

and we are married...

gatoring.. ;)

"I never had no one that I could count on, I'd been let down so many times.. I was tired of hurtin' so tired of searchin' til you walked into my life. It was a feelin' I'd never known and for the first time I didn't feel alone.." - Tim McGraw My Best-Friend