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As I am on an avid reading kick, I have already finished another book. Hmmm, I think this also means I have been a bit of an insomniac. Artsy people are like that you know.

"Body Surfing" is an amazing book. It was one of those books you don't want to put down because you get so involved with the character development. I've not read an Anita Shreve book before, but after reading this one I will surely have to add all of her books to my wish list. (Hint Hint)

After having read two rather dark books, this one was quite refreshing. "Body Surfing" had its ups and downs, but for the most part it was happy and full of a contenting growth and understanding.

The main character and our narrator is Sydney. She is 29 years old and has been married twice. One marriage ended in divorce as the two had different ideas of life but it wasn't an unhappy marriage or anything dreadful like that. The second marriage last 8 months, and her husband she deeply loved died suddenly. There is an irony involved here, but you'll have to read the book yourself to see.

The story opens with Sydney body surfing.

***spoiler alert**

Sydney stayed in a small room in a cottage on the beach. The home was owned by the Edwards family. Husband and wife and their three children made room for visitors to their home during the summer. Sydney would help clean and she tutored the daughter Julie.

Two brothers; Ben and Jeff, had an odd and tense relationship throughout the book. We don't know why until closer to the end of the book. Unfortunately Sydney gets drug through the mud and down the middle which leaves her alone and confused on her wedding day to Jeff. Ben and Mr. Edwards go out looking for Jeff when he should be at the altar. When he returns he tells Julie that this had all been a game of sorts. He never really wanted to be with her, he only did it because he knew Ben found her attractive. Oh yeah, complete asshole. Because Sydney loved him very much and everyone else (including me) thought he loved her.

Julie, 18 in the beginning of the story and 21 by the end is the better of all the family members. She is the most honest and the most open to being true to herself. We are told she is slow and you can tell that in the way she interacts with people and some of the things she says. Sydney tutors her and finds that she is extremely gifted in art. She helps Julie's artistic abilities flourish and in doing so Julie becomes more confident. She ends up running away from home, not to be mean, but because she has found someone who makes her happy. She leaves a note saying she is okay. Sydney finds out who she is with and she and Jeff go to her...she is in Canada with Helene...her lover.

Ah yes all the changes and roller coaster shifts that Sydney witnesses and/or is a direct part of. There are many pieces of this story and we hear about all of them through Sydney who isn't even a part of the Edwards family. We hear about Mrs. Edwards too which I will also not discuss because I don't like the woman and she will not waste my blog's space.

Back to being left at the altar. Sydney lived in a fog for a long time. She went and stayed in a hotel in Boston for nearly a month. She made friends with everyone who worked there, they looked after her and she slowly came to terms with what happened. The process was painful for her and therefore painful for me since I soaked it all in; but it was also strengthening.

As a final piece of closure she makes her way back to the Edwards' cottage. She finds the family there, all but Jeff...Mr. Edwards has recently passed away and they are cleaning out the house. It's a sad time. Sydney once again finds herself pulled into a family where she doesn't really belong. Ben is there and she finds out the truth about everything involving him and Jeff. Julie is there and she finds out that Julie is having an art opening in Canada in a few months. Mrs. Edwards is there and is just as rude and cold as ever before. All three of them are very sad and still grieving about the loss of their father and husband.

Ben asks Sydney to join him out at the beach for one last wave before they sell the house.

The book ends with Sydney body surfing and happy.

Labels: Anita Shreve, Body Surfing

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| 4:41 PM | 0 comment(s)!

Last night I finished Elizabeth Flock's novel "Me & Emma."

This is the second Elizabeth Flock book that I have read and I'm sensing a deep psychological theme to her writing. Delving into corners of the mind intrigues me. And yet I find it upsetting and disturbing at times. Reading this novel was no different. In fact, the entire book ended up being very painful to read.

The "me" is Carrie Parker, she is an eight-year-old girl who does everything with her little sister Emma. Emma is six-years-old but acts much older at times. Both girls are very tough children. Not that they have ever had a choice. Robbers killed their dad when they were very young. After his death their Mom died in a sense, too. She sank into a deep depression which she denied to face. She stayed in her room, didn't cook or clean and when she did some out all she did was yell and hit her girls.

Their Mom remarried a man named Richard. If ever a demon lived on earth, I'd say he was this character.

**spoiler alert from here on out**

Richard was an abusive, alcoholic. He destroyed everything he touched and never had a nice word to say. When he was being sweet it was just to bait Carrie or Emma into doing something for him. Something evil. Something disgusting. Behind closed doors. I'm sure you are getting what I mean, right?

Carrie and Emma try to runaway at one point, but Richard finds them, drags them back home and chains them outside like dogs. Not only do they have to eat dog food, but the chains are so tight and get to hot it leaves burns around their neck. The abuse gets worse after they move out into the country when Richard gets a new job. But Carrie makes friends with Mr. Wilson, an old man who lives down the street a ways. He teaches her how to shoot a rifle. He says she will be able to protect herself and Emma with a gun if she knows how to use it and respect it.

Carrie and Emma stay away from home as much as they can as the beating grow worse and worse. Carrie's teachers at school ask about the marks on her arms and face, but she lies and says everything is okay.

One day Carrie comes home and their house is a mess. It looks as if everything is broken and torn apart. She calls for Emma and her Mom. Emma doesn't come, but she sees her Mom lying on the kitchen floor in a puddle of blood. Her Mom whispers to her and tells her to get out of the house. But before Carrie can run, Richard sees her and she screams for Emma. But Richard tells her that he has killed Emma.

The next thing we read is that Carrie hears a loud pop, she knows it is the sound of a gun. She sees that Richard has been shot and killed. She runs out of the house for help.

During the final chapters, police are questioning Carrie as she wakes up. It is at this point that we find out Emma never existed. Carrie made up Emma as a means of coping with having witnessed her dad being murdered and having been abused for years. Everyone had been playing along throughout the whole book because they didn't know what else to do and they thought Carrie would some day snap out of it. She didn't. So when Richard said he killed Emma...well...8-year-old Carrie found a rifle and she shot him.

I wish I could say the book ended in some kind of happy way, but it didn't. As Carrie and her Mom drive away at the end, Carrie begins to write in a notebook. She writes to Emma and says she is so glad that Emma has learned how to write.

Labels: abuse, depression, Elizabeth Flock

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| 1:28 PM | 2 comment(s)!

Leisurely reading or not, Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors. When I read anything written by him it absolutely captivates me. Yes, he tends to write about sometimes disturbing topics, but he is such a brilliant man and the things he comes up with fascinate me. The way in which he writes is so vivid and real. I love it.

So yesterday I finished his book "By the Light of the Moon."
It was my favorite one yet, I think I say that after each of his books though.

There were several important characters, but the top three are Dylan O'Connor, Sheppard O'Connor and Jillian Jackson. The O'Connors are brothers, Dylan is the oldest and he takes care of his brothers as both of their parents are dead. Shep has severe autism and Koontz wrote his character superbly. Jillian is a comedian who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the three of them end up being united forever during the their terrifying ordeal. All of this involves nanotechnology which I knew nothing about until I read this book and it is VERY interesting.

**Spoiler Alert**

Dr. Proctor is an insane man who is too smart for his own good. He has studied nanotechnology in such a "mad scientist" way that he feels he can create a whole new generation of people. He injects Dylan, Shep and Jillian with an unknown substance he refers to as "stuff." Their lives are changed forever, not just because his enemies are now after them to kill them and destroy evidence of the "stuff" but also because the substance has them experiencing very strange symptoms. They all begin to have premonitions and callings which they cannot deny even if it means risking their lives. Shep is able to fold through a dimension and appear in another place of the world within seconds. For a person which severe autism it is very difficult for him and his friends to explain to him what is happening. Especially since they are not sure what is happening either. All they know if that they are racing around the country saving and helping strangers in need.

This book was just awesome. And even with all the tense moments, Koontz still always manages to make me laugh. The connections between characters are written very well. And I love the witty banter of their dialogue during certain scenes. Excellent, just excellent!

Labels: Dean Koontz, drama, thriller

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| 7:56 AM | 0 comment(s)!

Ello there friendly folks.

I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

*ba-dum-chh*

I think if I became a part of an actually book club I would read faster.

I'm telling you, I'm dragging my feet on my growing collection of books. I did not buy them to house dust bunnies! I'm almost done a Dean Koontz book and it's awesome so I can't wait to give y'all the write up.

Back to the book club.

Have you ever heard of a book mlm? I hadn't either, but then I learned about Bookwise. And it intrigued me because I'm always looking for peoples book reviews and what has hit the best seller list for the week. Bookwise does that, but it also goes the extra mile you get a monthly ebook from a new author, a monthly audio book, a speed reading lesson, tax tips, and financial advice.

When you head over to their site, you'll see it is a business in the making. This will be a growing site and I'm hoping it becomes a bit more user friendly and less..well..personal (You learn a lot about the mind behind Bookwise). The main concept is for avid readers to link up, and keep themselves posted on new reads while also keeping wholesale book prices at their finger tips.

Is it for you? I don't know. I'm not you. I wish there were a book mlm that was more in the genres I prefer. This book club is for people who want to have their own business and learn to be successful. So I'm going to continue searching, but I thought I'd spread the word for those of you out their who are more like Alex P. Keaton (from Family Ties). =o)

There is a quick video you can watch to learn more about Bookwise.


Disclosure:
This post has been sponsored.

Labels: book mlm

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| 1:53 PM | 0 comment(s)!

Let me first explain how I went from writing about a book a week to a book a month.

I'm not really a slacker. I promise.

But the music portion of Bring Me Up has gone crazy and I'm having a very hard time keeping up with it while also making deadlines for the other publications I now write for...

And so.

I have indeed finished another book.

Hmm, it makes it sounds as though reading it was a chore when I phrase the finish that way, but truly this book was very good and I loved every page.

The book and movie have the same title "The Pursuit of Happyness" but it was the book that came first and inspired the big screen portrayal. Essentially the autobiography of a man named Chris Gardner; "The Pursuit of Happyness" discusses how he went from having next to nothing to becoming a wealthy and famous New York stock broker.

Wealth can be measured in many ways and unfortunately most of us think of money before we think of anything else. I think what impressed me the most in this book is that Chris Gardner never lost sight of real wealth. From the time he was a kid, maybe because he didn't know any better, he decided that being a good person and making sure his Mom was happy was the only thing that really mattered.

Now owner and CEO of Christopher Gardner International Holdings with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco; Gardner started off as a child moving from house to house, never knowing his father and watching his Mom get taken in by abusive men time and time again. The movie didn't explain his childhood much at all, but I think it is a crucial part of the story because it further explains why his love for his son ran so deep and why he wanted to rise above his obstacles so badly. The ambition this man had and still has is admirable and that is an understatement.

As a single, homeless, jobless man with a toddler son...you can imagine life was not at all easy. The circumstance which led to him being in that situation really weren't in his control as they happened so quickly, but he did not give up. Not only did he not give up, but he took leaps and bounds to get past these setbacks.

It was his firm determination, insanely astute logic skills and deep love for his son that eventually landed him into the Dean Witter Reynolds training program. He would race to work from homeless shelters and use every spare dollar to pay for care for his son while he went through his internship learning bucket loads but making nothing financially.

I cannot even begin to tell you how impressed I am by this man and his accomplishments. I loved the movie, but the book was even better.

I highly suggest reading this one.
Go out or hit up Amazon and purchase "The Pursuit of Happyness" by Christopher Gardner. It could very well change your entire outlook on life.

Labels: books, inspirational

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| 12:54 PM | 0 comment(s)!