Something Borrowed by: Emily Giffin

This book captivates you from the beginning, very easy and fun read. AND I'm sure a lot of people can relate to many of the characters in the book, whether they see them in themselves or if they remind them of people they know and interact with in their own lives. I definitely had this experience and I felt like I was reading something that was very real. There are four (I think, maybe five...) other books in this series and I am very excited to read the next three or four. I have a 14 hour plane ride on Monday so I suspect I will get through a couple then. Just like with "The Help," I was so focused on reading and finishing this book that I didn't take much time out to highlight good points in the book. I have only one to share with you:

"When you are in a relationship, you are aware that it might end. You might grow apart, find someone else simply fall out of love. But a friendship isn't a zero-sum game, and as such, you assume that it will last forever, especially an old friendship. You take its permanence for granted, which might be the very thing that is so dear about it."

This quote touched me a lot, because I really felt that it was applicable as an explanation for why I do and do not do things in regards to relationships. I have a hard time letting go of things and people that have touched my life in special ways, I feel safer in a friendship because as this quote says, friendships are something that don't predict an end, but a stable support system that can last a lifetime. I find comfort in that.

The Help by: Kathryn Stockett

Okay, so this was absolutely an amazing book. I loved everything about it. I think I personally felt a little more connected to it because I spent four years in the south, South Carolina, for college so I saw first hand the type of segregation and level of racism that still sadly exists. Coming from the West I was really confused when I went to the south and experienced the differences. The book really creates a vivid picture of what it must have been like and it is really something people should be aware of. I found it especially interesting that the author had first hand experience being raised by help. I think that made the book more special and real.

I was so into this book that I didn't really take much time to highlight as many parts of the book as I should have, but here are a couple things:

"Mother's been nagging me about my smoking and I know I should stop, but its not like its going to kill me."

"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" -Garth Stein

I love love loved this novel. I had been wanting to read it for a while, I finished my other book club book pretty quickly so I decided to squeeze this one in before I received my next book to read. To be honest, I had no idea what it was about, I knew that it had something to do with a dog and I heard it was kind of sad. Other than that, I had no idea about the plot. And, I totally love going into books with that kind of knowledge. I love knowing nothing about the book except for that I hear its really good or something. This way every moment with the book is a surprise and each page is something new and exciting. Sometimes books aren't that great at the beginning, or some parts are slow, which can leave you with no drive to finish the book. However, when someone is like, "This is a really good book, you have to read it," I have faith that at the end of the book I will be happy I read it. So, anyway, I read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and I really think that everyone should read this book. Very VERY good. Very inspiration in ways and as silly as this sounds it just has something good to say. Here are my favorite lines from the book:

"People and their rituals. They cling to things so hard sometimes."

"Because memory is time folding back on itself. To remember is to disengage from the present."

"That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves."

"Any problems that may occur have ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where you are and what you are doing there."

"The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles- preferably of his own making- in order to triumph. A hero without a flaw is of no interest to an audience or to the universe, which, after all, is based on conflict and opposition, the irresistible force meeting the unmovable object."

"To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to."

"Yes: the race is long- to finish first, first you must finish."

"Separate entrances for cats and dogs. That's what I remember most. And still another entrance for infectious animals, which did not discriminate by genus. Apparently, dogs and cats are equal when they are infectious."

"There is no dishonor in losing the race," Don said. "There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose."

"The human language, as precise at it is with its thousands of words, can still be so wonderfully vague."

"The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the others than it is to drive too hard and crash."