The hardest books I've read...

Usually, whenever I read a book I choose one that is uplifting. My whole thing is to escape from stress or sadness. So, I tend to enjoy and favor books that won't have me crying. I love a good book, one that takes you out of your world and immerses you in the story's world. I'm not blind to the fact that those worlds aren't always going to be happy. However, the books I read don't dwell on sadness or bad things.

Having said that, there have been  a couple of books I've read that I knew would be hard to read. Books I knew going in would have me emotional and I'd never forget what they contained. I thought I would share 2 of them with you. These are the 2 that have had the biggest impact on me and left me the most affected.

I will never forget Ryan White. For as long as I live, he will always been a person I wish I got to know. He will always be a person who I learned many things from. His story was equal parts heartbreaking, inspiring, and humbling.

Ryan White was a boy when he was given a blood transfusion. Unfortunately, within the blood transfusion was AIDS. At the time the world met Ryan we were just learning more about this dreaded killer. I would love to tell you he was embraced by everyone who met him, but that isn't true. Fear of others catching AIDS got him home schooled and ostracised. He was treated in a way no human being should ever be treated. When he tells his story, he holds very little back. He is open and honest about it all. More than once I had to put the book down because I was so angry at how the community he lived in treated him.

I was never able to understand why people would punish someone the way he was. He did nothing to make his fate happen. He was an innocent victim who paid the highest price. Ryan White died before the book was published. I cried when I learned of his death. I cried when his death was written about in the book. I have to be honest in saying, I was so emotional I was never able to finish the book. I forever will hope that those who treated him badly learned a big lesson in humanity and humiliation. They will always know how they treated someone who didn't deserve what happened.

I am currently reading this book now, but I can tell you it has been a hard book for me to read. When this book came out I knew this book was going to be a tough one for me. I was in no rush to read it because I knew I would have a hard time with it.

I have always felt the way African-Americans where treated was repulsive. Slavery was a disgusting topic to me- and don't even get me started on how they were treated. While The Help doesn't take place during the times of slavery, it wasn't a much better environment for anyone who wasn't white.

The level of hypocrisy I read about in this book is really hard to handle. The maids were not fit to share a bathroom with because whites may catch the diseases the maids had, but they were the ones bring up and taking care of the white babies. HELLO!!!!

The ways non-whites were treated, and referred to... I heave no worlds to describe how much this upsets me. I realize that was the way it was back then, but it doesn't make it any more OK in my book.


Both of these books are great books that I'm glad I read. However, they have both carried heavy themes that I will never be able to forget. Once you read these books, you can't unknow what you learn within their pages. In many ways, that's good. However, in others it's heartbreaking. I can't undo history. I can't go back in time and make some one's life easier. All I can do is learn from these books and carry them with me in the future. Also, I can teach my children what not to do.

Diva

Diva

By: Jillian Larkin

306 Pages

The 3rd book in Jillian Larkin's wonderful Flappers series doesn't disappoint. Nor does it lack in drama. The action moves from Chicago to New York as the group tries to put the past behind them and forge new lives for themselves. However, they all learn that leaving the past in the past is far easier said than done.

Jerome is in New York working as a piano player at the coolies club in New York, The Chaise Lounge. Well he was until protesters cause such a fuss. In one night, Jerome becomes unemployed and abandoned on a country road when Gloria's Father dumps him there.

Gloria sits in prison awaiting her trial. However, the FBI have a deal for her: find out where Forrest Hamilton is getting his money from and get her freedom. She befriends the man, who quickly knows what's she's up to. But this job is anything than what she expected. She becomes friends with Forrest and does learn where he gets the money from- in a shocking twist of events.

Clara is still in New York and is still brokenhearted from her break-up with Marcus. Still writing her now famous column, Gloria is rapidly growing tired of the constant partying. Especially when it fails to distract her Marcus's new engagement. Can she let her ex marry a con artist, or can she save him the heartache? Can these two lovebirds find their way back to each other, or is the damage beyond repair?

Lorraine is still the outcast of the group. But, when she discovers that Marcus's fiance is a fraud she enlists Clara's help to expose her. The two forge an unlikely friendship with a mission at hand.

Book #3 was a page turner I didn't want to put down. Jillian Larkin does a superb job of taking you back in time to the world of Speakeasies, Flappers, & the roaring 20s. You grow more attached to your familiar characters while meeting new ones you won't soon forget. The ending is nothing short of dramatic and delicious. 

Summer Recommendation- The Book Of Lost Fragrances

This book is one that will have you forgetting you're on the beach, lake, or by the pool. In fact, this book will have you forgetting where you are. The Book of Lost Fragrances takes you on such an incredible journey as you follow the fate of an ancient piece of pottery with the remarkable ability to make you remember your past lives. Numerous people want it, for various reasons, and they are willing to do anything to get their hands on it. Who has it? Who gets it in the end?

You go throughout history on this mission. You meet Cleopatra, the Dali Lama, and many other people who's life has been affected by the fragrance in the pottery. When you start reading this book you open the gates to a world that knows no bounds. You will embark on a journey that will leave you breathless and entranced. Enjoy!

Blogger Confession: I love the smell of...

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the smell of books. I distinctly remember being in my elementary school library and not being able to resist the intoxicating scent of the paper and ink. I've done this pretty much my whole life- and still do it today.

I can't tell you why I love the smell of books, but I do. Library books, school books, store books, used books. Doesn't matter. They all have a smell and I love it. To me, it smells of imagination. An imagination that is about to come to life and take me on a journey or tell me a wonderful story.

For a long time, I was embarrassed about it. I tried to disguise it and come up with a decent reason for why I just planted my face in the middle of a book. People would look at me with an odd look on their face that wreaked of nonacceptance. Now that I'm older, I don't care. I've come to learn that we all have weird things we do, and this is mine. It also helps that I don't take my all consuming whiff around people I don't know.

My oldest daughter does it. She may be doing it just because she's seen me do it, or she may love the fragrance as much as I do. Who knows. I love the smell of books and I doubt that will ever stop!

The Wedding Dress (Summer Reading Recommendations)

The Wedding Dress

By: Rachel Hauck

Recommended by: Betsey Brooks

I found it, the perfect book to take on vacation a trip or just to curl up with; it's a fascinating read. The story introduces you to the women whose lives are forever changed by a very unusual wedding dress. In fact the dress seems to be a gift meant for only these women. How the dress comes to each bride is a mystery.

The story starts with Charlotte Malone is the owner of an up and coming bridal shop. She has become engaged to Tim Rose after knowing him only a few months. Their wedding is coming up and she needs to find a wedding dress. the couple seem to be very busy and just don't get around to getting things done for their wedding. The engagement crumbles, but a strong bond continues between the two.  Life takes on a whole new purpose when Charlotte buys a mysterious old trunk with a lock that is welded shut. Charlotte begins the most wonderful adventure as she searches for the answers to the mystery surrounding the beautiful wedding dress  she finds in the trunk.

From the 1912 segregated city of Birmingham to the present day the stories of these amazing women will captivate you.  Emily, engaged to the most eligible bachelor in Birmingham, Taffy and ex slave seamstress with a gift from the Lord, Hillary married and widowed within months, Mary Grace a shop clerk  and Charlotte with an unknown father and no living family, are all linked together by the shimmering wedding dress. These women are smart, strong, courageous and not predictable. The twists and turns in their lives weaves a beautiful uplifting story.

This is a book I will buy and encourage others to purchase.  I think it is the kind of story one can read over and over, each time discovering something new. Thank you Ms. Hauck for such a refreshing inspirational story. I look forward to reading more of your books.

My Reading Quirks

We all have little quirks to our personalities. Funny little things we do, for reasons we may not know. I thought I would share some of my reading quirks with you. Over the years, I have developed a few and here they are:


1. Whenever I start a new chapter, I always count how many pages are in it.
2. I can't handle opening a book all the way to the point of bending or breaking the spine.
3. All of the books that I buy have to be in perfect condition and I do my best to keep them that way.
4. I can read anywhere- bathtub, bathroom, in the car. Doesn't matter to me.
5. I do judge a book by it's cover. It's usually what gets my attention, so I have to like it. If I like the cover, I'll read the summary of the book.
6. I get cranky if I'm constantly interrupted when I'm reading. It's especially frustrating if it's a good book.

There you have it. Maybe, someday, I'll get therapy to help deal with #2 and #3. We'll see.

Wallflower In Bloom

Summer Reading Selection!!! Grab this book on your way to the beach or pool! You will have a great time while getting a great tan!

 

Wallflower In Bloom

By: Claire Cook

257 Pages

I thought a great way to kick off the summer is with a book about a girl who takes control of her life and does something daring. Dierdre spends her life being her famous brother's assistant. She tends to his needs every hour of the day and got very comfortable doing so. However, when her brother catches her kissing an old college friend of his and pitches a fit, Deirdre has had enough. On the spot she quits. In a night fueled by chocolate milk mixed with vodka, Deirdre puts up a notice. She encourages her brother's numerous fans to vote for her to be on Dancing With The Stars. The girl who always blended in with her family is about to step out in a big way.

May you enjoy Deirdre and her journey. I was able to relate to her in so many ways. I loved her humor and the way she saw the world. I was so excited when she made that first step out of her brother's shadow. Everyone deserves to make their life theirs.