Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: I loved it. I couldn’t put it down. I will admit one thing and it’s a big thing for others out there who also have heard the rave reviews about this book so, like me, they go out and purchase the book and jump into the story. It is not a traditional love story and it covers deep subject matter. This is your warning. I forgot to warn a friend who I lent my copy to and I heard all about it. LOL! I, myself, was totally surprised when I realized the direction the novel was going but it was also very eye opening and a soft look into the world of quadriplegics. I appreciated the chance to imagine the world they are “trapped in” and the various obstacles they and their loved ones deal with on a daily basis.

Me Before You is about Lou, a girl who is lost in the world and trying to figure out her place in it. She has a vibrant personality and positive attitude about just about anything and everything. She is witty, funny and feels like a real person. She stumbles into a job (and whole new world) working as a type of caregiver for Will, to help heal his broken soul as he deals with his now broken body. Since his accident, Will has become a poor reflection of the daring, adventurous, handsome, successful man he was. His world has dramatically shrunk to his house and how his body is responding/behaving that day.

The author has an amazing voice as she introduces us to the characters, and to the relationship Will and Lou forge. I felt myself wanting to help and encourage them to grow individually and to grow together. The author has a knack for writing characters that feel like real people out there in the world. She entrenches you in their world- the feelings, smells, touch, sound, taste, joys and fears. Will and Lou weave an amazing six month journey of something that is just good.

I would also like to add that I truly appreciated the title of the novel once I finished the reading journey. It’s very reflective of the story and characters. “While every human being has a capacity for love, its realization is one of the most difficult achievements.” –Erich Fromm

Poldark Series by Winston Graham

Do you ever watch a show, realize it’s a book, and get that panicked feeling of “Oh no! Should I read it first or watch it first?” I recently stumbled across Masterpiece’s new series Poldark. I fell in love with the story, the characters, and the landscape. I enjoyed the series so much I could not temper my patience waiting for Sunday to arrive and a new episode to play. I went online and ordered the DVD (sometimes it’s awesome when the shows air in Britain first). Of course, like all good series, season one ended with cliffhangers and our beloved characters are in all kinds of messes. With sadness in my heart and no idea of when season two would be available, I sadly turned off the tv and went to read my latest book before bed. Suddenly the thought hits me, “DUH!! Poldark was based on a book.” I raced to Goodreads online to investigate this happy thought and all while singing to myself, “It’s a book! Just go read it!”

So begins my adventures in finding book one of Winston Grahams’ Poldark sagas (12 books in all!). The series looks like it was first published from 1945 forward. However, upon searching Amazon, Barnes and Noble and a local bookstore, I am not finding this book as available! It’s old! Where can it be? Apparently they have recently reprinted the first 2 books in the series, in June, and it’s already sold out! This is no surprise to me as the actor who portrayed Ross Poldark is on the cover of the reprinted editions. *quick pause to appreciate Adrian Turner…* Now I wait for the books to be available again at the end of this month. I just hope the books meet or exceed my expectations. When I looked on Goodreads it mentioned the series is more of a saga like Gone with the Wind and a “trashy” historical romance like Jane Eyre was considered. I’m very pleased with those as recommendations and comparisons!

I’ll let you know how the book/s turns out when I get my greedy hands on them and am able to relish in their world again. I can’t wait to see how close the television series is to the books, if the characters will be as endearing or irritating, if I fly through the chapters to find out what will happen next, if I forget to breathe while reading parts… 

Sharing Your Library With Friends

I thought of you today, my poor seemingly abandoned book blog. Since becoming a mother I have felt as though our Little Dragon entered the world and words and how to construct them swiftly vacated the premise of my mind. Slowly I am finding time and inspiration to create again, to read, to invent and design, to fall in love with old and new characters in books and on screen, and my favorite: to share favored authors and gossip over the books friends finish.

I have a friend who reads one to three books throughout a normal week. We have started sharing books with each other (love the USPS book rate!). The other day she lets me know she is ready for her next installment of books. I’m giddy just thinking about sharing more novels with someone I know will love or hate them, so I go hunting through my libraries of books throughout my  house, looking for romantic suspense genre authors with a back-list of books or series. Then, as I’m working my way through the stacks, I decided I would surprise my friend and introduce her to the world of the paranormal. Most of them are romantic suspense tales, just that the characters are Other Worldly. I finally take a break and look down at the books I have pulled… I’m at 32 books. YIKES! Frantically I text my friend to ask if she had a book limit. I have met it. I made a few notes of other books for the next time we rotate books and get this stack ready to travel.

All this said, I wanted to share the different authors with you, my dear readers!

For romantic suspense I shared: Lisa Unger, Laura Griffin, Brenda Novak, Lora Leigh, Karen Rose, P.D. Martin and Allison Brennan. 

As an introduction to the paranormal books I went with: Andrea Cremer (absolutely love her werewolf YA series!), Coreene Callahon, Kresley Cole, Thea Harrison, and Kelley Armstrong.