Looking for Alaska by John Green

First love, friendship, bonds, adolescence, questions, answers, frustrations, silliness, importance, fun, sadness, difference, acceptance, loss and pain.

All the big things are here.  The how, who, when, why and what. 
The awkwardness and ridiculousness of youth, the good and bad choices and how some of these moments can change us forever.

I liked Pudge's essay right at the end.
And this sentence, 'There is a part of her greater than the sum of her knowable parts'.

The Keepers Trilogy by Lian Tanner

An exciting adventure into a strange and unusual world where people are almost too scared to breathe!
Interesting and courageous characters including a museum with a mind of its own.
Many suspenseful, funny and endearing moments.
We will be listening to the next part starting tomorrow.

Read from May 27 to June 02, 2015
	We are really enjoying this trilogy so far. Great strong characters and wonderful reading. An air of calm peacefulness pervades the room or car when we are listening to the story. It's wonderful. This adventure was just as exciting as the first. We got to explore more of the land with Goldie, Toadspit and Bonnie and despite the dangers It was fun. Love Idle Cat...all these wondrous beasts are incredible. Goldie put all her training to practice. Looking forward to more.

The Teashop on the Corner by Millie Johnson

My daughter chose this book for me for Christmas because the title had tea shop in it and she knows I like tea.

I probably wouldn't have picked it myself, but she couldn't have chosen a nicer story.

The characters are warm and lovely with all their crisis' and foibles.

There is sadness, joy, heart ache, friendship, love, secrets and skeletons, happiness...everything that life and humans are made of.

A wonderful and bright feel good read.  I loved it!

Bridges over Madison County

Tina Pech's review 

May 19, 14  ·  edit

5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: favorites, decorates-my-shelf, made-into-movie,photographie, histoire-d-amour, sensual, touching, poesie,tissues-required 

Read from May 19 to 20, 2014

I saw the movie years ago and recently picked up the book second hand.
So I knew it was a love story. I relish good love stories and have read many whether classics, chick-lit, comic, young adult, paranormal romance...the list goes on.
I read them and read, generally speaking, for the joy, hope, fun, dreams, adventure, sadness, excitement and escapism that they bring to me. 
Honestly proud to be a sap, nothing like a bit of unbelievable corny romance for a bit of fun. 
They make you hoot with laughter, blubber like a baby and cringe like a teenager, some even steam you up like?..yes well, you can imagine. 
Despite any tendencies towards cynicism, I still believe in romance and we can all use more of it in our daily lives, where ever we may find it.

Surprised that so many found this book dreary.

I felt it to be powerful and intense, sad and lonely, painful in a melancholic way and beautifully simple in a very strong way.
There are so many who have just what they settle for in life and relationships.
To find someone, even briefly, who helps you to ripen and blossom physically, emotionally, intellectually, even spiritually, can only be magical.

In Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, it is described as being like a box of matches. There are only so many and even fewer who can set the sparks free. It would be sad indeed to go through life never experiencing such a sensation. When was the last time you stayed up all night just talking to someone, oblivious to time, to everything, except that person? When was the last time you felt appreciated in such a way?
Or even ready to experience such a love?

1 like ·  flag