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.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
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."
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."
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
"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."
"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."
Saturday, April 30, 2011
"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: A Novel"
In my opinion, this book started off promising but got pretty boring early on. The first few chapters were interesting, the part that described why CeeCee needed to be saved. But then 80% of the book was the 'saving' part and I most likely could have summed it up in about 4 pages and a reader would have got the same idea. I noted/highlighted a few things from this book, but didn't appreciate them as much as from "Love Walked In":
"...far too many people die with a heart that's gone flat with indifference, and it surely must be a terrible way to go. Life will offer us amazing opportunities, but we've got to be wide-awake to recognize them."
"I find all men to be very much like wearing high-heeled shoes- I love how pretty they make me feel, but by the end of the night I can't wait to get rid of them."
"Oysters are a lot like women. It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty"
As you can see, I only highlighted three parts of this whole book. Meh.
"...far too many people die with a heart that's gone flat with indifference, and it surely must be a terrible way to go. Life will offer us amazing opportunities, but we've got to be wide-awake to recognize them."
"I find all men to be very much like wearing high-heeled shoes- I love how pretty they make me feel, but by the end of the night I can't wait to get rid of them."
"Oysters are a lot like women. It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty"
As you can see, I only highlighted three parts of this whole book. Meh.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
"Love Walked In"
I finally finished the book a few days ago and I just thought I would share my thoughts about it. First of all, the plot was not at all how I expected it would be. It's nothing at all like a typical love story. It's perfectly refreshing and meaningful. The characters are relatable and corny to the point where you laugh because you've thought the same things they have but never really said so out loud, but not too corny where its just ridiculous. I don't want to give away any super important parts of the book for those of you who haven't read the it yet. However, I will share a few quotes that I enjoyed enough to make a note of:
"When you encounter people named Liar and Abstinence, you might not be crazy about them, but you know exactly what you're getting into."
"Do you see what I mean at all? Questions the asking of which erases the reason for asking, yes? Something like, "If you have to ask, no way are you ever getting the answer you're looking for."
"In my experience, people love what they love. They just do."
"The shock of the new. I like it; you like it. There's no jolt like a new jolt. But, I'm an even bigger fan of the shock of recognition..."
"And Martin had a certain way of looking at me that made me feel exactly as though he were touching me, even when he wasn't."
"... we were intimates; I'd breathed his breath; my skin knew his skin; my nerve endings had sparked under his touch. That kind of knowledge was deep and never been something I could walk away from with ease."
"... even if someone wasn't perfect or even especially good, you couldn't dismiss the love they felt. Love was always love; it had a rightness all its own, even if the person feeling the love was full of wrongness."
These were all specific lines that I really felt like I could connect with or relate to for whatever reason. We all have our own life experiences that make our conformations in the mind that much more unique and specific to us. I urge you to read this book and I hope you think of me when you read these parts... I wonder if they, too, will mean something to you.
"When you encounter people named Liar and Abstinence, you might not be crazy about them, but you know exactly what you're getting into."
"Do you see what I mean at all? Questions the asking of which erases the reason for asking, yes? Something like, "If you have to ask, no way are you ever getting the answer you're looking for."
"In my experience, people love what they love. They just do."
"The shock of the new. I like it; you like it. There's no jolt like a new jolt. But, I'm an even bigger fan of the shock of recognition..."
"And Martin had a certain way of looking at me that made me feel exactly as though he were touching me, even when he wasn't."
"... we were intimates; I'd breathed his breath; my skin knew his skin; my nerve endings had sparked under his touch. That kind of knowledge was deep and never been something I could walk away from with ease."
"... even if someone wasn't perfect or even especially good, you couldn't dismiss the love they felt. Love was always love; it had a rightness all its own, even if the person feeling the love was full of wrongness."
These were all specific lines that I really felt like I could connect with or relate to for whatever reason. We all have our own life experiences that make our conformations in the mind that much more unique and specific to us. I urge you to read this book and I hope you think of me when you read these parts... I wonder if they, too, will mean something to you.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~Author Unknown
So, among small talk people find out that I am a part of two amazing book clubs and that I love to read. So, they always ask what I have read so far and ummmmmmm... I always forget the names and authors of books; I read them, love or hate them, learn from them, then move on to the next one. However, I feel like its time to make a list of what I have read just for my own sake. This is what I can remember off hand, probably will have to add more later (and I'm not including the countless romance novels I read throughout high school):
The Book Thief by: Markus Zusak
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by: Rebecca Skloot
Little Bee by: Chris Cleave
You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story by: Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn
Room: A Novel by:Emma Donoghue
Montana Sky by: Nora Roberts
Water For Elephants by: Sara Gruen
Sharp Objects by: Gillian Flynn
Hunger Games by: Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by: Suzanne Collins
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by: Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by: Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Next by: Stieg Larsson
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by: Mitch Albom
Twenties Girl by: Sophie Kinsella
and currently I am reading: Love Walked in by: Marisa de los Santos and Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by: Beth Hoffman.
I know there are more books to add to the list; however, this is just what I can remember from May 2010 until now. So basically almost a year. I'll add more later as I remember.
The Book Thief by: Markus Zusak
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by: Rebecca Skloot
Little Bee by: Chris Cleave
You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story by: Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn
Room: A Novel by:Emma Donoghue
Montana Sky by: Nora Roberts
Water For Elephants by: Sara Gruen
Sharp Objects by: Gillian Flynn
Hunger Games by: Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by: Suzanne Collins
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by: Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by: Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Next by: Stieg Larsson
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by: Mitch Albom
Twenties Girl by: Sophie Kinsella
and currently I am reading: Love Walked in by: Marisa de los Santos and Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by: Beth Hoffman.
I know there are more books to add to the list; however, this is just what I can remember from May 2010 until now. So basically almost a year. I'll add more later as I remember.
words to live by
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But, the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take "no" for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: In five years, will this matter?
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situating is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
I like to read these 45 little pieces of advice ever so often because they really do help to put things in perspective and I don't know about you, but I'm all about living a happy, healthy life. Nobody knows my journey but me and what matters is how I live everyday and if I can go to bed each night and be okay with who that person is. I'll leave you with one of my personal favorite quotes that captured my attention. It's super random because its from the movie Batman Begins and involves Katie Holme's character, Rachel Dawes, speaking to Christian Bale who plays Batman: "Bruce deep down you may still be that same great kid you used to be. But it's not who you are underneath it's what you do that defines you." This goes hand in hand with another favorite saying to live by, "actions speak louder than words."
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But, the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take "no" for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: In five years, will this matter?
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situating is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
I like to read these 45 little pieces of advice ever so often because they really do help to put things in perspective and I don't know about you, but I'm all about living a happy, healthy life. Nobody knows my journey but me and what matters is how I live everyday and if I can go to bed each night and be okay with who that person is. I'll leave you with one of my personal favorite quotes that captured my attention. It's super random because its from the movie Batman Begins and involves Katie Holme's character, Rachel Dawes, speaking to Christian Bale who plays Batman: "Bruce deep down you may still be that same great kid you used to be. But it's not who you are underneath it's what you do that defines you." This goes hand in hand with another favorite saying to live by, "actions speak louder than words."
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