#93 - Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

What a delightful surprise this book was.  First of all a HUGE thank you to  my fellow Posse girl Mandi for recommending and letting me borrow this book.  I snuggled up on a lovely snowy day and read this whole thing in one (or two) sweet sessions.

Even though this is a YA selection, it brought back some crazy awesome memories and I had to turn on a little punk playlist because the mix tape selections put an earworm in my brain so deep that I needed a little dose of the Cure, the Smiths and the Dead Kennedys to put me in the mood.

I was instantly transported back to 1994 and holding hands with a cute boy that shouldn't have liked me on the bus to a band competition.  The visions this novel produced were so sweet and tender.  I only wish there were more - the last page was perfection.  Seriously.   Loved it.  Please read this.

Goodreads rating: 5 stars!!!  Finally breaking my chain of meh.

In progress: Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
On Deck: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

#75 - Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

I can't believe I forgot to blog this book.  Bad blogger - bad bad blogger!

BIG thank you to Posse girl Lindsey for the borrow! Her recommendations are never off the mark so I knew that I would love it. And I did.  There were parts of this book that are truly disturbing so be warned before you pick it up.  Tartellin formulated all of the characters to work together and, unlike some books that fail to have a different enough voice when it switches their first person narrators.

Here's the deal.  (and this paragraph is hard to construct without giving away the MAJOR plot point in the first chapter.) But I HATED  the plot twist that happens just after the first chapter. I felt like "of course that's what's going to happen because that's always what happened."

What drew me back in is how everyone dealt with the consequences.  I found myself thinking that - if my sons ever developed a strange condition or disease, that I would want to treat them in  a similar way that Max's parents treated him.  Letting him make his own decisions when he is old enough instead of making the decisions for him and have him resent me later.  It was a genius plan in thought but in execution they skipped an important step in communication. Not talking about a problem doesn't make it go away.

I did ADORE Sylvie and her actions, reactions and attitude. She made the perfect relationship partner for poor Max as he was going through the craziest time of his life.

It may have taken me a long time to finish but that was no reflection on the book itself - it was more about having the time to devote to it.  This book is definitely a "to read" to bump up to the top of your list.

Goodreads rating 5 stars
In Progress: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Posse Field Trip! West End Architectural Salvage

In case you haven't learned it from my reviews yet, I am a little tiny bit of a geek.  When my head isn't stuck in a book or gluing pictures to paper (or at work I guess) I like to have a little HGTV going on in the background.  Which is why, when I found out there was a show filming in downtown Des Moines, West End Salvage, the following things happened.
1. I got immediately set my DVR for all episodes
2. I loaded up my posse and took off for the store

3. Proceeded to geek out and practically wet myself when the owner/star of the show eavesdropped on/commented on our conversation about our husbands.  Mmm...mocha...

I am proud - I didn't go full on fan girl - no autographs pictures with the guys, etc but yeah my inner geek was squealing just a little bit (ok a lot bit) Enough to justify the self portrait with the coffee...

 

 Here's the posse at the front entrance Happy to be together...Jenni from Reading at Random and Mandi from The Insomniac Bibliophile and me with the double chins...


 But sad that Lindsey couldn't be with us too...although it was for a good reason...had to be if she wasn't with us right???

 Then it was off to Zombie Burger where nobody ate what they should have been eating but - let me tell you, dear reader.  The "Trailer Trash Burger" was well worth the bazillion calories I took in to consume it!!  On top of that I got to meet up with my cousins Jennifer and Karen and Jen's two boys who just moved here from Texas!  I was so happy to wrap my arms around them!  What happens at the Zombie Burger stays at the Zombie Burger!

All around - an amazing (and much needed) day with my Posse!

Posse fieldtrip rating: 4 stars (one missing star for one missing member (see frowny face photo above)

A few awesome updates!

No - its not that I finished another book but I am dangerously close to a couple more.  BUT I have discovered a couple of new loves that I wanted to share.  I am officially a "professional reader".  I know it makes me giggle too but it still makes me pretty happy. My title gets me some little perks though...

Another awesome paperback arrived in the mail today.  In the Body of the World by Eve Ensler.  Don't try to get on your Kindle account just yet - its not available until April 2013 so I'm excited for a little sneak peek - this just jumped up in my queue to be the next one I finish (after I finish Cutting for Stone that is)


My beautiful Insomniac Mandi also introduced our little posse to an amazing opportunity to do some advanced reading and feedback through a website called Netgalley where I have been granted access to  some really intriguing Advance Reader Copies (ARC's just in case I use the slang later in the blog) that are available for download.) Yeah I am having too much fun.

Speaking of fun! Although our Posse is made up of four friends who have known each other from childhood/high school, our recent interaction had been made up of Facebook messages and blog articles.  SO, when I got an impromptu night off last Friday we made last minute plans to meet up for drinks and appetizer at the local bar and grill.  TOTALLY worth it!  So in case you were wondering.  This is the P-Posse in action! What beautiful women if I do say so myself.
OK, I need to be reading - night to all and Happy Valentine's!