The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

Being in two places at once is an impossibility we all know. If anything, it is a desired wish in a moment of much needed rescuing or an expression when we simply can't make up our minds. We know it can never be, but boy, there certainly are moments when we hoped it could.

....but, what if?

What if, all we had to do was take a little pill and BAM! we could be given a gift so rare and so precious that only a little magic could make it reality. Would the enlightenment of the world be realized? Could we finally be all that we hoped we could by given a little extra time?

That is the fate and discoveries Cecelia Ahern so thoroughly dives into in her book The Gift. A world that is so fanatical and yet relative to each and every one of us. Because sometimes being in those two places at once only sheds light on the one true place we ought to be.

Happy reading,
Lauren

Words for the Want-to-Be-Wise Gift Giver

To Whom it May Concern,

Let's say you have a friend, a sister, a mother or a cousin who just so happens to be a literary nut case as I have fully professed myself to be. What do you get them? A gift card to Borders? A bookmark? A kindle?! (NOOOOO, DON'T DO IT!)....

If you find yourself unsure of what to get the one person in your life who would fully appreciate a gift such as a book, listen to these words of wisdom closely and carefully...

STUDY UP!

Figure out what genre they like, who their favorite authors are, what books may be their favorite they have yet to purchase because they were too busy being frugal and rented them from the local library (yup, that's me) and study up!

From my own experience (please, no one take offense), the last thing-the very last thing-you want to do is buy a book they will never read. Because, yes folks, even the literary obsessed are choosey.... Oh, and if you really want to impress them, do NOT get a gift card!

I know, it's the best alternative but it's Christmas, ya know, and people like to pull a part that wrapping paper and find something awesome; something they absolutely want and more! So if you take a second to inquire and figure out the exact sub-genre of Romantic Comedies for example-because yeah, there are sub-genres to genres if you know your stuff-they will be beyond surprised, overjoyed with delight, and perhaps ready to high-five you for the outstanding gift giving!

So, want to be the wise gift giver this year? Do your homework.

Happy reading-or shopping,

Lauren

Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

He likes champagne, she likes beer. He likes expensive restaurants, she likes chinese take out. His home is covered in black and white furnishings, she lives in technicolor and wears a 30 year old blazer. Yes, as you can gather, sometimes (isn't it more times than not?) opposites attract.

But of course, we are never perfectly capatable with one another; somebody always has some thing, some habit, some favorite shirt that simply does not "mesh" well with ourselves. This isn't, necessarily, a big deal-it's just the way things are. So how could this story be any different from those told time and time again? Mmmm, only skeptics would inquire... Listen closely, however, and you'll see!

For Nick and Tess, it wasn't obvious, at least not initially, how different they were. One flag football game and a snapshot in time later and the rest was history... But when their differences soon forced them a part, it isn't until months later when a second chance-albeit, a contrived reunion-at making whatever it is that they are work, where their differences take a back seat to every reason staring them straight in their faces why they are a perfectly disfunctional match made in heaven.

Oh, but lets not be fooled. If you are familiar with the ways of Jennifer Cruise, you'd know that their relationship plays out throughout a seemingly constant backdrop of drama, possible plagiarism, mistaken and/or unknown identities, and a multitude of opportunities for both Nick and Tess to run screaming into the dark, "NOPE, this ain't gonna work!" I tell you now, this is one of her better ones. Aren't the originals always?

Side note: Have I confessed to you my slight (okay, who am I playing--full grown) obsession with Jennifer Cruise? I warn you now, I sing her praises frequently and often times without warrant! If your curious to find out why, I think you know what to do...

Happy reading,

Lauren

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

"It was my cue. Don't you think I know that? It was my moment to rally, to grin and say, "You bet he is, kid!" I should have risen up in glory, lip stiff, head high, Jean Arthur wisecracks tripping off my tongue, arrow straight and backed by a radiant sky, and believe me, I have wanted to be the scrappy heroine as much as anyone. But when the occassion presented itself...I did not rise to it. I did not shine or seize the day or set an example for others. I remained on my sofa, broken and small, sadness pulling me down and down and down." -Cornelia Brown

Why is change so hard? Why is it, that when faced with it, we are at a crossroads of either making it through with grace and charm or running away stubborn and scared? I don't think any of us knows the answer to this question until we are forced to deal with it. And often, our anticipated response does not measure to our true feelings. Sometimes, we just don't rise triumphantly to those occassions.

For Cornelia Brown, a "devoted city dweller", the change of moving from the fast paced, high energy life of living in the city, to the quiet and seemingly contrived existence of perfectly manicured lawns and gossiping stay-at-home mothers in the suburbs, the change is unbearable. She struggles to fit in, can't seem to find any place decent to eat, and does not contain any sort of natural capacity to have the appropriate foliage in her front lawn-much to the disapproval of her new neighbor Piper.

But soon Cornelia forges a friendship with an outspoken mother of one, Lake, who appears to be the perfect distraction (and opposition) to her new life in the suburbs. She doesn't care too much for prestige, has no interest in socializing with the "proper" decorum, nor does she fit the mold of anyone's idea of who she should be-not even Cornelia's. This brings forth a possibility that the change that once appeared to be unendurable might not be so bad after all... Or so Cornelia thinks.

Will it all get better? Will it all ease into place and become normal? Or does this change from gritty pavement and taxi cabs to hydrangea bushes and carpool vans only dim in comparison to what she and no one else could even begin to imagine? Oh how change can be a tricky thing.

Once again, well done Marisa de los Santos. Well done! <---may I suggest her first novel, Love Walked In? I won't say much, but I HIGHLY recommend reading that one before you read this.

Happy reading,
Lauren

Faking It by Jennifer Crusie

It's based on popular belief that opposites attract. By our own experiences I'm sure we have concluded this to be true-or at least we hoped it to be and then painfully realize it doesn't always apply.

In the case of Matilda Goodnight and Davy Dempsey they both take a chance on a supposed opposition to their norms. Initially, there is a belief that they are the quintessential opposites slowly being dragged to one another for reasons neither of them are sure of or can even understand. And who would have thought that a chance encounter in a stranger's closet would be the start of an unexpected and life changing ride? Hmmm, I might have had a clue...

While both appear to be who they seem, there is a mutual recognition that something or someone different lies beneath the surface. Am I talking multiple personalities? No, there's certianly no mental disorders among this novel of characters. But different expressions of who they are? Yes, most definitely. The journey of revealing their true selves is surrounded with intriguing and equally complicated characters, theft, hit men, the FBI, a funky Chinese jacket... and several forged paintings by a mysterious and unknown artist named Scarlet.

To uncover the mystery of who Scarlet truly is involves delving into the city of Columbus, Ohio and following the lives of the Goodnight women, their paintings, and the ever continued debate on whether a doughnut or a muffin is the preferred choice in a man.

And no, I'm not talking about food...

Happy reading,
Lauren

Better the Second Time Around...

Ever put down a book and knew IMMEDIATELY you would read it again? Perhaps it wouldn't be that day but maybe a week, a month, or a year down the road?!

I'm sure many of you who consider yourselves to be avid readers have experienced this a time or two. And like yourselves, I too have muttered those words as the last page is turned. With it being heartbreaking enough that a great book has finally come to its end, the only logical solution to this moment of saddness is to promise one self that it will be read again.

However, I confess, I am guilty of saying this practically 8 times out of 10. Hey, I can't help it! I become involved with the story and to lose its characters can be akin to experiencing a small breakup-the best thing is to transition slowly. But there are those books where it goes beyond just coping mechanisms and becomes reality when you scan your book shelf, forgoing all the newly purchased books, and find yourself reaching for that old friend.

Sure, you know what's going to happen and you know the characters but there are new areas of focus and new moments to discover you may have overlooked before. As you slowly dive back in you begin to realize how much you may have missed, how much was left unread, and how much of a great idea it was to read it again!

By the way, if you haven't already picked up on this, I just finished reading Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me for the second time. If you want to hear my initial thoughts about the book its under June or July of 2009 and you'll find out why I adored it so much!

In sum: I think it's true when they say some things are better the second time around...

Happy reading,

Lauren

Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie

Calm down. Be rational. Eat chocolate. –Tell Me Lies

What would you do if you discovered crotchless panties in your husband’s car which don’t belong to you-his wife, realized your daughter was more suspicious about the healthiness of her parent’s relationship more than she should, your best friend is acting stranger than normal, and your one time high school fling in a backseat shows up at your front door after twenty years of being absent looking “better than he had any right to after twenty years”?

Well, if you weren’t overwhelmed by the list alone you’d probably run, scream, cry or all of the above. And although Maddie Faraday doesn’t exactly become certifiably mad, her sanity and life in general become questioned. But as the holes in her life slowly become filled with portions of the truth, she soon discovers that all of the above is just the tip of the iceberg. Because sometimes—yup, those times—when we think life couldn’t get any worse, it does. With, of course, little glimpses of hope that may or may not come in the form of a twenty year old crush by the name of C.L. Sturgis.

Jennifer Crusie delivers once again with a witty, romantic, mysterious, and exciting ride through the town of Frog Point. She takes you through the many ups and downs of a woman who has forever been plagued by the cultural norms and politics a small town can enforce. And with the help of a frozen brownie, a beautifully stubborn man, and her increased will to be more she may just come out of this ordeal alive and better than she was before –that is, if the town gossip doesn’t drive her insane before then.

Happy reading,
Lauren

Book Store Wanted!

Lately I've had an extreme urge to find a book store around my area that isn't Borders or Barnes or even BAM (Books A Million)... SO, where is one located?

I live outside of DC and would love nothing more than to find a nice, small, used-or not-bookstore where I can go without bumping into people who are only there to use the free Wi-Fi. IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK?! I hope not.

Anybody out there have a clue?

Happy reading,

Lauren

Confessions...

I have a confession to make. I know this may be hard for the faint reader at heart, but it is something that must be said. I, Lauren, have not.... hold on, give me a second. Okay. . . I, Lauren. . . have not . . . . FINISHED A BOOK!

GASP!

I know. It's okay, think what you wish. But I began The Comfort of Strangers and, yes, I didn't finish it, gulp! In fact, I didn't even make it past the second chapter.

The blame has to be placed on Jennifer Crusie! I had every intention of completing Ian's book but I just couldn't do it. With the new and improved Tell Me Lies by Ms. Crusie just waiting in the books stores... I had to buy it.

So, alas, as you have noticed, I have yet to complete a book review in a while. Well, as I have mentioned, it's because I started one and couldn't complete it.

BUT I have you know that I'm enjoying Tell Me Lies so very much and can't wait for you to hear all the juicy details and my personal opinions on that matter...

Stay tuned.

Happy reading,
Lauren

Currently Reading...

Title: The Year of Fog
Author: Michelle Richmond
ETC (estimated time of completion): May 16th

Until then...

Happy reading,
Lauren

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

There are choices we make in life that are simple. We chose what shirt to wear, whether to wear heels or flats, or the item on the menu to order (okay, sometimes that's hard). But all-in-all we are surrounded by decisions and choices every moment of our lives that are, for the most part, easy. Most of the time these are simple and straightforward, but sometimes we are faced with a hold-everything, oh my gosh, this-cannot-be-happening decision where the actual attempt of figuring it out could damage everything..... and everyone.

Why all the talk about life decisions, you ask? Well, with Ellen Dempsey, it is the confrontation with the past which forces her to question everything; to be faced with an unimagineable choice. And the one decision she never thought she'd have to make, just swiftly and easily walks past her one afternoon in New York.

It isn't something we frequently believe can happen: being able to make a choice that so long ago was out of our hands. That, if given the chance, wouldn't have happened in the first place. No, life certainly doesn't act like that.

.... Atleast, not always.

But once time has past, our wounds have been healed, and just maybe we have moved on, should there even be a choice to make? Sometimes the presence of the past can make us question our lives to date. And in the case of Ellen, the smallest moment of unhappiness or discontentment become subject to complete analysis and wonder, did I make the right decision?

Well, as the title gives away, sometimes--oh sometimes--it is better to simply love the one you're with.

Happy reading,

Lauren

The Lovely Bones vs. The Lovely Bones

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." - Susie

Haunting, isn't it?

If you've read the book, or come across the film's trailer in recent history, you recognize this quote. It recides on the first page of the first chapter, and it's the first line you read. After reading it, there's no mistaking the emotional depth and heartbreak you will feel as a reader. It isn't often an author is able to snatch a reader's heart from the first few words of a book and refuse to let go to the very end - trust me, I've read a lot of books. So after I read it, paid for the theatre, sat in my seat with Sprite in hand, and as the lights began to dim, I was eagerly anticipating that one simple line - "My name was Salmon, like the fish..."

But as I watched the screen and those words were not muttered, I began to get the sinking feeling this film was not going to fulfill my expectations. "PSHH, TOO EARLY!", I'm sure is what you are thinking. And yes, in perhaps other circumstances I wouldn't have made such a rash and quick decision within the first 5 minutes. However, on this rare occassion I venture outside of the normal, "Thou shalt not read book when made into a film", I was going to be a tough critic.

As the film went on, it wasn't so much that it wasn't beautiful. My goodness! It was certainly breathtaking. The film captured PERFECTLY the other-worldly aspects of Susie's Heaven. There were images and places which were unbelievable; there was no doubting, the aesthetic strength.

Sadly, however, take these away and you are left with what seems like a choppy mix of events, people, relationships, and emotions. Or, atleast, for those of us with enough previous knowledge and understanding of the book, that's how I saw it. Things started to happen which were either out of order or simply nonexistent within the book. And ya know, I get it. I understand it is not always practical to translate a book exactly how it is written onto the screen. But to some degree, especially when the majority of the seats in the theatre will be filled with fans and even obsessers of the book, shouldn't it atleast try to be?

Too often I've seen movies written and shot with the reader too much in mind. So much so that they forget that even with our acknowledgement of everything that is going to happen, we want-correction- we crave, to be able to sit back and see our book as if we had opened up that first page. Is that so much to ask?

To some extent I feel bad for those people who haven't read the book because they're probably thinking, "Uhhh, what just happened?" To some degree I should actually be thankful that atleast I wasn't sitting there trying to put together the pieces that seemed to, at times, jump from one moment to the next without filling in the inbetweens. Then again, maybe they didn't even notice.

But ya know, what am I really trying to say? The movie wasn't horrible. HECK, it wasn't even bad. I just would like to get one simple thing across: For those of you directors out there who would like to, as what seems to be extremely popular these days, bring a book to life on screen, please please be aware you are dealing with a specific fan base who might know more about the movie than you do. We know the characters, we imagine the scenes, and we've felt every emotion. Don't cheat us out of what we have always wanted; to be able to grasp at something more than just our own thoughts. To be able to, almost, visualize a tangible image of what might have been swimming in our minds for days, weeks, months, or even years.



We deserve that much.


Happy reading,
Lauren

Lovely Bones is coming

So I recently finished reading the book, "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Seybold. This might sound strange, but I originally wasn't going to because of the film coming out as well. You see, I have this weird thing about reading books after they've been made into a film. I guess, in a way, knowing what the characters are going to look like and such sort of takes away from the ability to imagine while reading. BUT, as you've just read, I threw that philosophy out the window.

Along with reading the book, I've also seen the movie as well. Since I've never talked about a book versus the film before in my blog, I decided I would do something a little different and do a little review of the cinematic interpreation of the book.

Currently, I'm trying to put all my thoughts together so I can deliver a top-notch post to y'all so if you'll just hold tight for a little while (I know, it seems like I haven't posted in a while) I'll have it up in no time!

PS: please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors in this post, I'm doing this very quickly right before work :)

Happy reading,

Lauren

April & Oliver by Tess Callahan

Friendship. What comes to your mind when you hear this word? Maybe it's an idea or perhaps someone who exists in your life. Or, maybe, you draw a blank--I won't judge. Regardless, we all have our own thoughts of what it means. According to dictionary.com (the trusted website I always refer to when unsure of the definition of many a words in the English language), friendship has several meanings (no surprise there). One, "the state of being a friend; association as friends." Two, "a friendly relation or intamcy." And three, "friendly feeling or disposition." As I'm sure you're aware of, all of these meanings have an obvious correlation. While we may not have experienced the pure translation of these meanings we've atleast thought about it.

What is so spectacular about Tess Callahan's first novel, is how--in my opinion--she dissects and illustrates the true meaning of friendship. When it comes to April and Oliver, they are two people who grew up and grew a part. When an unforeseen and life altering event occurs, the force which kept them distances a part, melds them back together. Even when there are things of the past which have not been dealt with, newly understood, and so heartwrenchingly devastating that it threatens that friendship which, at one time in history, was indestructible, there's always that one thing that keeps them. That one thing which holds them together: friendship.

In my eyes, it takes those moments and all their hideous glory to get us to the friendships which have that level of intimacy we all crave. It isn't easy, and yes, April and Oliver work their way through tragedy, but is it possible to move through it all and come out okay? That's the beauty of this book. You don't know. There are times when you are sure of one thing, but then something happens and you're completely thrown off.

But you should know upfront, which I hope you should recognize by now, that this book is not typical. There isn't a predictable plot or obvious moments. There is a ride you go on, as the reader, that never stops or allows you to fully catch your breath until those last words are read.

Happy Reading,
Lauren