Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club: Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews

I know I say this pretty much every month, but every month I have the best intentions of getting this post done on time.  For June I was convinced it was going to be on time because by mid-month I had finished the book.  Then as usual work got in the way of blogging and I totally forgot to write the post. (*Note: I know this is August, but this post has sat almost finished for like 2 months now. I still have the July post as well as the August post to go... I am such a slacker!!)

So for the month of June, the Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club read Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews.  I had seen a lot of bloggers talking about Mary Kay Andrews so I was really looking forward to reading this book and seeing what she was all about.  Let me just say, this book did NOT disappoint... I think this might be my favorite book that we have read so far with the #Blog2BlogBC!!  Thanks to Kelly over at Love, Kelly Lorene for hosting such an amazing Blogger Book Club (and for putting up with delinquents like myself who are almost always late to the party).

{via}

Ladies Night tells the story of Grace and how she turns her life around after finding her husband Ben cheating on her with her assistant.  When Grace first finds out that Ben is cheating she completely loses her mind and does some things that were very out of character for her.  In retaliation, Ben, who was not only her husband but also her business manager, locks Grace out of her former life.  Grace no longer has access to her blog GraceNotes, which was her livelihood.  She no longer has access to her home, her clothes, or anything related to her previous life.

While going through their divorce, Grace is required to see a divorce counselor, Paula, who doesn't seem to help Grace, but does introduce her to a great group of women... and a man.  The group bonds after Paula passes out during one of their sessions and they all decide to go to Grace's mom's bar in order to discuss their lives and to figure out what was going on with their counselor.  While getting together at the bar the group forms an unlikely band of friends determined to divorce (for the most part) and get their lives back.

Besides meeting with her divorce group, Grace finds a small house to restore to help get her own life back on track.  She uses the restoration of the house as the basis for her new blog TrueGrace.  While restoring the house Grace faces many ups and downs, but she doesn't let that get to her... she is determined to make something of her life without Ben.  While fixing up the house takes up a lot of her time, Grace also starts to "date" Wyatt, another member of her divorce group. Wyatt and Grace both seem to just want someone to love and support them and it is fantastic to see their relationship blossom throughout the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it shows the journey of a woman who believes she has hit rock bottom and what she does to try to pick herself up again. As I have said time and time again when I do these book reviews I love a strong female protagonist and I definitely think that the character of Grace can show women that no matter how bad life seems after divorce you can always pick yourself up, dust yourself off and find a way to move on... and sometimes even move on to something bigger and better!

Now for the #Blog2BlogBC Portion of this post.  This is where I answer a few questions (3-5 according to the book club rules) about Ladies Night.

one// Why do you think it was so important for Grace to renovate the little beach house? How did it parallel the renovation of Grace's life?

I think that Grace renovating the beach house was the first step for her getting her life back on track.  Her blog had always been a source of DIY and decorating projects, yet moving home with her mom didn't leave her the room to be able to do those things anymore.  By being able to start fresh with the little beach house it signified Grace getting her life back on track.  It also gave Grace an outlet for all of her frustrations... instead of being miserable and reflecting on all that Ben had done to her, she started out to create something new and beautiful for herself even if she did not know it at the time.

two// Why do you think the Stackpoles of the world can get away with so much?

Having worked in the world of the legal system this question to me is a no-brainer.  The Stakepoles of the world can get away with so much because people don't want to believe that they are doing anything wrong.  Judges are charged with the task of upholding the law, so it is almost unfathomable that they would be doing anything that could constitute breaking the law.  In today's world we know that this isn't the case as people in these positions are sometimes found to be doing things that are unconscionable, but we just don't ever want to believe that these things happen.  When people suspect that some wrongdoing is going on they tend to look the other way, again because someone like a judge should not be involved in any lawbreaking behavior.  Knowing this means that some judges can and will try to see what they can get away with because they know that they are "invincible" or at least they think they are.  Now this is not to say that all judges are like this because in my time I have met so many amazing judges who would never even dream of doing what Judge Stackpole did in Ladies Night, but I as much as I don't want to believe it, I am sure there are some judges who would.

three// If you could have four people (living or dead) at your weekly "Ladies Night" who would they be? What would you serve and what would you talk about?

Well the what would you serve and what would you talk about portion of this question is obvious... I would be serving wine... lots and lots of wine. As to what we would be talking about... that would be pretty much everything.  I actually used to have a "Girls Night" every Wednesday with the first group of girl friends I made when I moved to the Philly suburbs... we would get together with a few bottles of wine, usually make some sort of dinner together (or at least we had snacks... Chex mix in particular... right ladies?!) and then we would just talk about our lives.

Picking just five people to be at this "Ladies Night" is definitely difficult because there are so many ladies I would like to include.  But if distance were not a factor the five people I would definitely include would be
one// My Mom... though Mom and I may not always get along and may at times have differences of opinions I know that I can always count on her.  I know that she will always be there to offer me advice... even if it isn't the advice that I want to hear.  We would need someone a little oldeer and wiser at "Ladies Night" because we need someone to help guide us and teach us from her mistakes (though I know my mother is pretty much perfect and doesn't make mistakes like ever).  As the "youngins" we would be able to help give her a fresh perspective on things and maybe even return to her some of the advice that she has given all of us over the years.
two// AW... she has been my best friend since first grade and no matter how long we go without talking to or seeing each other we both know we can always count on each other for anything.  She is another person who will not hesitate to tell me how she is feeling and is someone that I trust with everything.  AW is also one to always listen and reserve judgment until the end.  That is something important that you need in a "Ladies Night" group because we are all sometimes quick to rush to judgment, but AW, she won't do that.
three// CW... this girl is the girl that besides the fact we talk about pretty much everything together... no topic is off limits... no matter how gross it might be...this is the girl you can always count on to give a logical explanation for something.  While she does also think with her emotions, she is definitely the one who uses logic more often to come to a rational decision.  She isn't afraid to tell me when I am being ridiculous and I don't think she is afraid to tell anyone else when they are being ridiculous either. Having someone who thinks logically almost all the time is definitely necessary for "Ladies Night"
four// AV... this is the one friend who I know will ALWAYS tell it how it is.  She won't sugarcoat anything and will say exactly what she is thinking... even if you really don't want to hear it.  Although she will always tell it how it is, AV is also always good for helping to offer up a solution and will move water and earth to help her closest friends.  Every "Ladies Night" needs that one person who isn't going to beat around the bush and is just going to tell it how it is.

four// How do you think a group of friends can help in tough times? How does a group sometimes offer support in a way that one close friend cannot?

A group of friends can definitely help in tough times because each friend brings something different to the group.  Each person offers their own unique perspective to whatever the situation is and having all those different perspectives can definitely help you get through tough times.  Also, sometimes having just one person to lean on for support can be emotionally draining to both people whereas having a group of people for a support system helps lessen the burden for everyone.

Have you read anything good recently? Care to share?

Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club: Open House by Elizabeth Berg

Man, I really fell off the blogging band wagon this past month, but what better way to get back on track than with a book review for the Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club.   Reading has been the one thing that has kept me sane recently (this new promotion and training for work has been driving me insane and making me rethink a ton of things), so I wanted to make sure that I was able to finish this month's book AND link up on time (score 1...actually 2 for me since I accomplished both of these goals!!)!!

This month the Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club read Open House by Elizabeth Berg.  When I read the description of the book for this month I wasn't so sure about it, but decided to give it a go.  After all, I am no quitter! So once again, here I am linking up with Kelly over at Love, Kelly Lorene for May's edition of #Blog2BlogBC!!

{via}

Open House tells the story of Samantha as she struggles to find herself again after her husband David suddenly tells her that he is leaving her.  Samantha and David got married after only knowing each other a short time and coming from different walks of life.  They create a lovely home and even have a son together before David begins to feel like life isn't what he wants it to be and he wants out.

Once David has left, Samantha first goes on a spending spree at Tiffany & Co. to drown her sorrows.  She knows that she doesn't really want or need any of the stuff, but she goes anyway just to spend David's money.  When David finds out and partially cuts her off financially, Samantha decides that in order to stay in the family home she is going to find roommates to rent out the basement and the den.  She also decides that she is going to have to find a job, but doesn't know where to start.

When she finally finds her first roommate, with the help of the cashier at the local grocery store, Samantha's life finally starts to turn around.  When her "older" roommate, Lydia, moves in, she has this gentleman named King helping her move.  King ends up befriending Samantha and really helps her get back on her feet.  He drags her out of the house, sets her up with an interview at a job agency and even babysits Travis so that Samantha can appease her mother and start dating again.

Though life continues to give Samantha a lot of ups and downs, she eventually finds her groove and is able to start over.  She learns to love herself and realizes that she has so much to give... so much so that when David wants her back, she has the courage and the strength to say no because she truly was better off without him.

This book was definitely not one of my favorites for the most part as everyone knows that I love books with strong female protagonists.  Samantha definitely did not fall into that category until the very end of the book, so it took me a very long time to warm up to her.  Part of me wonders if I had a problem with this book because it was truly nothing I could relate to.  I have never been through a divorce, none of my friends are divorced, and I honestly don't know that many people are divorced so I have zero perspective on what is going on in the relationships in this book.  Part of me wonders if this is normal? Part of me wonders if this is an over exaggeration of what happens when people get divorced? Who knows?  What I do know is that until the last few chapters I probably would have only given this book 1 star, but by the end I was willing to give it 2.

Now for the #Blog2BlogBC Review Portion of the post.  This is where I answer a few discussion questions (3-5 according to the book club rules) about Open House.

one// In the beginning of the book Samantha is unusually obsessed with Martha Stewart.  Why do you think this is? What do Martha Stewart and her products seem to offer Samantha? When they finally speak to each other over the phone, Samantha asks Martha Stewart if she fell apart after her divorce.  Martha responds, "I didn't fall apart.  I spent one evening with Bernstein's Kaddish and a bottle of 'eighty-six Montrachet. And then I got busy. Try it." What do you think of this advice? Did Samantha end up taking it? 

Martha Stewart for many seems to represent the perfect house-wife.  She has her life together (minus the whole going to jail thing), is super successful, knows how to cook, decorate, and basically do all things home related.  By aspiring to be like Martha Stewart, Samantha is attempting to create the perfect home in what I believed to be an effort to get her husband to come back.  Samantha seems to feel that if she can do everything perfectly David will realize what he is missing and he will want to come home.  When Samantha finally talks to Martha and Martha gives her some advice I think Samantha did listen to her.  Martha told her to "get busy" and in reality, sometimes getting busy is the only way to get over a heartache.  When you throw yourself into something completely new it helps you to discover just who you are and what you are capable of doing.  Samantha does take this advice taking on all sorts of odd jobs from the employment agency and finding out what exactly she is good at.

two// Samantha spends most of the novel wanting her husband back.  In the end, she is the one who chooses to remain separated.  Why do you think she changes her mind? At what point in the novel do you think she changes her mind?  Do you think she is making the right decision?

I think after spending so much time with Lydia, King, her mother and even Rita, Samantha realizes that she is worth more than how her husband was treating her.  She realized that she deserved someone who appreciates her for her and doesn't want to change her.  She really seems to turn this corner the more she hangs out with King because no matter what he always seemed happy to spend time with her... even if it was Thanksgiving and she was in her sweats shoving her face with food... he was happy to be with her and she could be herself around him.  I absolutely think that she made the right decision in not going back to David because the two of them probably would have fallen into the same trap that they did the first time.  I feel like Samantha is going to be much happier with King because for once she will be able to be 100% herself because King doesn't expect her to change for anyone, let alone him.

three// Samantha imagines Travis one day saying, "My Mother changed wonderfully when my Father left us.  Our circumstances actually improved." Do you think that Samantha changes in the novel? Do you think their circumstances actually improve? 

Samantha definitely changed throughout the novel.  In the beginning she was a mother and a wife and that seemed to be pretty much how she defined herself.  (Now don't get me wrong, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being a mother and a housewife... I have sooooo many friends who are stay at home parents and I give them all the respect in the world because it is not a walk in the park to be a full-time parent)  Outside of her husband and her child Samantha's world just didn't exist, so when her husband decided to leave her, she fell apart.  Samantha had nothing to fall back on... no real skills... no job to fall back on... nothing.   As the book went on, Samantha discovered that she did have talents and that she didn't need to rely solely on her husband for support, she could do it on her own.  I think it was important for Samantha to learn that she could be independent and could support herself and Travis, because it will only make her future relationships stronger because she will be able to be more of an equal with her partner.

Have you read any good books lately?  Care to share? 

Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club: A League of Her Own by Karen Rock

Guess what guys?! I am actually finished with the Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club book ON TIME this month and am actually linking up ON TIME this month.  See, miracles in blogging do happen!! With all that has been going on in life recently, the one thing I have been continuously trying to do is make sure that I have time for reading.  I read a bunch while we were in Mexico for the wedding and I know that getting lost in a good book really relaxes me... so that means I definitely have to try to make the time for it as my schedule gets ready to get crazy again.

This month the Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club read A League of Her Own by Karen Rock.  One of the cool things about this month's book was that our discussion questions were provided to us by the author herself AND she did an author Q & A session PLUS a giveaway!! How awesome is Karen Rock? So today I am linking up with Kelly at Love, Kelly Lorene for April's edition of the #Blog2BlogBC

{via}

A League of Her Own tells the story of Heather Gadway and her struggle to find herself and her place in life.  Heather was the child of a drug addict mother and a father who is obsessed with the Falcons, the minor league baseball team that he owns.  Wounded by the scars from her past, Heather feels like nothing she does is ever good enough for her father and like she will never be able to make him proud of her.  So when her father suffers a heart attack and she comes home to Holly Springs she decides that she is going to take on the newly vacant position of team manager for the Falcons.  Heather is determined to prove to her father that she is worthy of praise and vows to help the Falcons have a winning season.

Heather begins her journey as manager and is immediately attracted to one of the players, pitcher Garrett Wolf. The only problem with Wolf is that he is a recovering alcoholic and Heather just doesn't believe that she can trust him.  While Garret works to have Heather gain his trust, Heather is working to be the best (and first) female manager the Minor Leagues has to offer, Mr. Gadway suffers another heart attack and dies.  After his death Heather's mother is back in the picture and not only does Heather have to deal with her trust issues involved Garrett, but now her mother is back and she needs to learn how to forgive her mother and move on with life.

This book is all about love, forgiveness and learning to move forward with your life despite circumstances that might try to hold you back.  This was definitely a very uplifting and feel good book that really makes you realize that being able to forgive people and move on with your life is something that is very important.  This book was also definitely a really and enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone looking for something to read on the beach or during a relaxing weekend!

Now for the #Blog2BlogBC portion of this review.  This is where I answer a few discussion questions (3-5 according to the book club rules) about A League of Her Own.

one// Forgiveness plays a large role in this book.  Which characters in the book need to forgive themselves and/or others? Is this important? Why or why not?

So many of the characters in this book need to forgive both themselves and others, but that is part of what made this book so interesting to me.  First off you have Heather who needed to learn to forgive her parents... not just her mother, but both of her parents.  Heather needed to forgive her father for not telling her how proud he was of her and to forgive her mother for putting her through all the pain that comes with having an addict as a parent.  While Heather's mom may have gotten clean, I also think that she needed to find a way to forgive herself for all that happened in the past, which Heather did not make easy for her to do at any point in the novel.  It wasn't until Heather decided that she could forgive everyone for all that they had done, that others were also able to move forward to give their forgiveness.  Garrett also needed to learn how to forgive himself for what happened to his fellow foster kid, Manny.  Garrett carried the weight of Manny's death with him for so many years that I think it was hard for him to see past what happened to Manny and to see how he could use Manny's death as something to grow from and as something to use as a learning experience.  Without Garrett being able to forgive himself it also made it hard for Heather to trust him and to forgive him for the few transgressions he committed during their "relationship" together.  This book really hits on how forgiveness is important and how it is necessary for all of us to try to forgive in order to move on with our lives.  Harboring all those feelings and emotions and being unable to forgive can really weigh a person down, and that is something none of us want in our lives.

two// Heather and Garrett have a bumpy road to finding love together.  What holds them back from finding love and what finally brings them together?

Heather and Garrett are unable to find love with each other at first because they are both unwilling to trust in one another.  Heather can't trust Garrett because he is a recovering alcoholic and based on everything she went through with her mother as a child she is afraid to let Garrett in.  Garret can't trust himself enough to let Heather in as he is afraid that letting someone in will cause him to go back to drinking and send him down a bad path again.  After all is said and done, once both characters learned to forgive themselves and others they realized that they are better together and that if they both want it to work they will be able to make it happen.  They finally decided to trust one another and to put their faith in one another... two things that are essential to making any relationship work.

three// Heather loses someone important in this book.  How did that impact her growth as a character? What did she gain from this loss that she needed?

When Heather lost her father she was absolutely devastated.  She believed that she hadn't lived up to her father's expectations and that she was continuously failing him as a daughter and as a coach.  However, after Dave Gadway's death, Heather found a scrapbook in his bedroom that chronicled all of the milestones and accomplishments throughout her life.  She finally realized how proud her dad was of her and it helped her to realize that she could turn the Falcons' season around and turn them into a championship team.  In his death her father gave her the confidence that she needed to succeed in life.

four// Will Garrett and Heather's happily ever after continue long after the last page? Why or why not? 

I sincerely hope that Garrett and Heather's happily ever after continue long after the last page.  I would also like to see them adopt Levi at some point in time.  I think that if the two of them keep working at it, trust each other and have faith in each other that they could have a long relationship together.  Do I think it will be easy for them, no.  But I do think that they have the potential for something special.

Have you ever read A League of Her Own? If so, what did you think about it? 

Are you reading anything amazing now? Care to share any book recommendations?

Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Much like my post yesterday, I am going to start with apologizing for being late to the link up party for this, but I don't like to post Friday-Sunday, so when the link up falls on a Friday I am almost always going to be late to the party.  The sad thing is, this is the FIRST month since I started participating in this book club that I actually finished the book on time, so I could have actually linked up on time if I had written a post on a Friday.  

Anyways, for February the Blogger to Blogger Book Club book was The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks.  I hadn't read a Nicholas Sparks book in a while, so I was excited to give this book a try.  I used to be a sucker for anything by Sparks and the fact that I knew this book was being made into a movie made it a good choice for a book club book in my eyes! So today I am linking up with Kelly over at Kelly's Kinda Crazy for the #Blog2BlogBC linkup!! 

{via}

The Longest Ride tells the love story of Ira Levinson along with the love story of Sophia and Luke.  Though their love stories span different time periods, they three of them become linked together in a way you wouldn't have imagined.

Ira is a 91-year old war veteran who is still mourning the loss of his wife Ruth when he gets into a horrible car accident which sends his car careening off the side of the road.  He finds himself stuck in his car for days with his only comfort being the memories of his wife.  Ira can sense Ruth in the car with him, and having her spirit there... reliving all their good memories together... helps him to stay alive until he can be rescued.

While Ira is reliving his life with Ruth, Sophia and Luke are in the process of falling in love despite their very different backgrounds.  Sophia is a senior at Wake Forest majoring in Art History... she is originally from New Jersey and is the daughter of hardworking immigrants.  Then you have Luke.  Luke is your stereotypical cowboy... from the fact that he lives and works on a ranch, to the fact that he rides bulls competitively to make some extra money.  The two meet at one of Luke's competitions and the rest is history.  After Luke protects Sophia from her crazy ex-boyfriend the two end up spending lots of time together and end up falling in love despite their many differences.  

One day as Luke and Sophia are returning from a trip to the cabin, Luke discovers Ira's car that has run off the road.  While Sophia calls 9-1-1 for backup, Luke tries to do what he can to make sure that Ira is ok.  Eventually help arrives and Ira makes it to the hospital where Luke and Sophia wait to make sure he is ok.  Although Ira does not make it, he will end up being entwined in Luke and Sophia's life for many years to come.  

When I first started reading this book I wasn't really sure how I felt about it or if I was even going to like it.  I knew that I had enjoyed Nicholas Sparks books in the past, but just wasn't getting the best vibe from this book at the very beginning.  THEN I discovered that one of the main characters, Sophia was a Chi Omega from New Jersey who was in the process of falling in love with a country boy and I was pretty much sold.  Now you may not think that those 3 things have much in common, but basically they describe my life... I am a Chi Omega... from New Jersey (not too far from where Sophia was from)... and I fell in love with (and married) a guy from the middle of nowhere.  The more I kept on reading, the more I could see some similarities between myself and Sophia and it made it really easy for me to relate to the characters in the book.  Plus, the more I read the more intrigued I was by Ira and Ruth's love story so I just didn't want to put the book down!!   This is definitely a book that I would recommend to others... especially if you are looking for a love story that you can relate to!

Now for the #Blog2BlogBC portion of this post!! This is where I answer a few discussion questions (3-5 according to the book club rules) regarding The Longest Ride.

one// Sophia and Luke come from very different worlds.  What do you think draws them to each other? Do you think opposites attract?

I guess I kind of addressed this in the review portion of this post, but the fact that Luke and Sophia come from very different worlds really has no bearing on their relationship.  I think they are drawn to each other because of their differences, but also because they both have many of the same values.  They both value hard work.  They both value their family.  They both value where they came from.  They both have goals and dreams.  Just because they come from different backgrounds does not mean that they can't have a successful relationship.  Obviously I definitely think that opposites attract because in some ways I married a guy is my opposite... but I think that is why we work.  Sure Mark and I have many of the same values... family, education, honesty, etc.... but we also have many differences... I enjoy going to see shows on Broadway for fun and he enjoys Sprint Car racing at the dirt track.  Can we do these activities together? Absolutely.  Being with someone is all about compromise and just because you are opposites does not mean that you can't enjoy what the other person enjoys... when you are with someone who is opposite you in some respects it helps you to grow as a person.  Yes Mark is my opposite, but he is also my other half... he is what completes me.  Two opposites can come together to make a whole. 

two// Ira decides to enlist in the air force in WWII, and returns unable to have children.  Because of this, he decides to break off his engagement with Ruth.  How does this affect Ruth and Ira's relationship? Would you have made the same decision?

When Ira came back from WWII unable to have children, he felt like he was unworthy of Ruth because he knew that she wanted to have a family one day.  The problem with all of this was that Ira didn't tell Ruth what was going on at first, he just wanted to end their relationship.  When he finally told Ruth what had happened with him, she was understandably upset, though I am not sure if she was more upset about the fact that they wouldn't be able to have children or because Ira felt he couldn't tell her up front what had happened to him.  Deep down Ruth knew that Ira was the only one for her and after getting over some of the hurt, she and Ira begin to renew their relationship.  If anything ever happened where Mark and I were unable to have children there is no way that I would leave Mark because of that.  Yes I want to have a family one day, and yes I want to have that family with Mark.  But if it turned out that we couldn't have kids on our own, that doesn't mean that we can't have a family together, it just means that we would have to explore other options for how to make our dreams of having a family come true.  Sure if I were in Ruth's position I would have been hurt that Ira felt he couldn't tell me what was going on at first, but that wouldn't make me stop loving him any less and wouldn't make me want to leave him because of that. 

three// Luke claims he needs to keep competing to save the ranch, but Sophia thinks he has other reasons.  Can you understand both positions?

I can definitely understand both positions in this argument.  Luke feels he needs to keep competing to save the ranch because he feels that he is the person who put the ranch in jeopardy in the first place.  Luke's guilt definitely plays a HUGE part in why he is doing what he is doing.  I also felt like through reading the book that Luke felt like other than the ranch he didn't have much to live for, so competing to save the ranch was one way to make sure that he wasn't living his life in vain.  When he met Sophia that all changed and the thought that he could perhaps die while riding finally started to sink in for him.  I also think that until he rode Big Ugly Critter again he wasn't going to stop riding.  He needed to face the one thing that had made his life a living hell and until he proved to himself that he could face the beast, he wasn't going to be satisfied.  

four// Ira makes the auction of his art collection his final letter to Ruth.  What does his decision say about the importance of sentimental value and monetary value? Did this book make you feel differently about your own life and the things you value?

Ira's decision to give the collection to the person who bought the portrait of Ruth shows that he valued sentiments and feeling over money.  Ira wanted to make sure that the art collection went to someone who was deserving and who would value it the way that he did.  Ira knew that there were many people out there who wanted the collection purely to say that they had this famous painting or that famous painting... but for Ira the art collection was so much more.  For Ira the art collection showed the journey of his life with Ruth and that is something that you can't put a monetary value on.  Memories have no monetary value, but memories can make us whole and keep us going even when we think we have nothing left to live for.  This book definitely reminded me that money isn't everything.  What is important is the memories that we are making.  Whether it is cooking dinner together at home on a Saturday night... going to a hockey game... watching a movie together on the couch... exploring a state park... going out with friends... we need to make the most of every moment and make the memories count! 

Have you ever read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks? If so, what did you think about it?

Are you reading anything good right now? I am always looking for book suggestions!!

Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club... I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

January was the 2nd month that I participated in the #Blog2BlogBC hosted by Kelly over at Kelly's Kinda Crazy, but this is the first month that I am participating in the link up, albeit a tad late and by a tad late I mean like almost 2 weeks late... but hey, 2 weeks late is better than not posting at all like I did last month, right?! The Blogger 2 Blogger Book Club is just that... a book club in blog land for those of us bloggers who love to read just a little bit more than most.

For January, Kelly's co-host, Sarah over at Seriously, Sarah? picked the book I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.  Sarah first read this book in high school and said it has been one of her favorites and something that she re-reads often, so she wanted to be sure to share it with the rest of us gals.

I Capture the Castle tells the story of Cassandra Mortmain and her family though the words of Cassandra's journal.  Cassandra is an aspiring author who takes to journaling to perfect her skills at speed writing during the long days that she spends at home, a home which is a ruined English castle.  Cassandra takes us through what it is like to grow up as a daughter to an eccentric author, step-daughter to a what some might call model, as someone who grows up with everything and then is reduced to poverty, as someone who is "in love" with her sister's fiance, as someone who has strong views and will do what it takes to accomplish her goals.  Though Cassandra is but a teenager in this book, she seems to be wise beyond her years.

Cassandra is very close with her sister Rose and undertakes to help Rose find a husband in Simon, but as it turns out while Rose wanted to love Simon in order to change the Mortmain's financial situation, she really is in love with someone else.  Cassandra meanwhile has fallen for Simon and feels wickedly that she wanted for the relationship between Rose and Simon to fail.  The relationships in this book take a lot of twists and turns, but in the end it seems as though everyone ends up where and with who they are supposed to be with.

This book was really hard for me to get into reading, and even as I went along reading it I still had trouble getting into it.  Although at times it was interesting, there was never really a point while reading it where I thought to myself, "Omg, I just have to read one more chapter!" I had a really easy time putting the book down and a not so easy time picking it back up again.  While I feel as though the book was really well written and I loved the fact that it was written from the point of view of Cassandra's journal, overall it just really wasn't the book for me.  And that is ok... the whole point of book clubs is reading books that you would not normally read and discovering which types of books you do and don't like.  For me this is definitely not a book I would recommend to others, but that being said, I can see why people would like to read this book if that makes any sense.

Now... for the #Blog2BlogBC portion of this post.  This is where I answer a few (3-5 according to the book club rules) discussion questions from this list here.

one// I Capture the Castle is told through Cassandra's entries in her journals, an exercise she has undertaken in order to teach herself how to write.  Why do you think Dodie Smith chose the form of the diary to tell the story of Cassandra and the Mortmain Family?

In retrospect I don't think there was any other way that Dodie Smith could have written this novel in order for it to make sense but that may be just because I really enjoyed the style in which is was written.  In order to get the full picture of the Mortmain and Cotton families the story needed to be told from a singular perspective and what better perspective than that of a teenage girl who is learning what it is like to become a woman?  Cassandra was already going through so many changes in her life it was only natural that she would keep a diary and be able to document the happenings of her eccentric family.  I also felt like it gave the reader more to think about because through only getting Cassandra's perspective on things, it leaves you to wonder what was actually going on... if Cassandra's perception of reality was dead on or if perhaps there were more to the stories than she actually new...in fact in conversations at various points in the book you do learn that Cassandra's perception of things was not exactly what was going on, but in fact there was much more than she had realized. 

two// Cassandra is fascinated by the Cottons and their American mannerisms, traditions and expressions, just as the Cottons are fascinated by the Mortmains and their English mannerisms, traditions and expressions.  What does I Capture the Castle say about English preconceptions of Americans and America and vice versa?

Through the story it is evident that the English and Americans do not really know what life is truly like in each other's worlds.  Cassandra seems to feel like the American Cottons are crash, while the Cottons find the Mortmains for lack of a better word quaint or perhaps antiquated is the word I am looking for.  The Cottons are fascinated by Mr. Mortmain as he wrote the book Jacob Wrestling which made him famous in both England and the United States, and upon meeting him at the castle they don't seem to quite understand the life he leads and how his "genuis" had changed so much since writing his first and only book.  I feel as though the Cottons saw themselves as more intellectual than their English friends, even Mr. Mortmain, whom they considered to be a genius.  While Cassandra loves her home in England, it seems as though she is a tad jealous of the Cottons' worldliness and wants to learn as much as she can about America and what the Cottons did while there.  She also doesn't understand how the Cottons, Neil especially, could not love England as much as she does.  For Cassandra it is almost as though the world outside England, while most fascinating, does not exist.  The English and Americans seem to live mutually exclusive lives at this point in time and the novel while trying to bring them together and eventually succeeding in bringing some of them together only showcases many of their differences.   

three// How does I Capture the Castle reflect society's changing views toward women during the first half of the century?  How do the women in the novel view the roles and opportunities open to them both in the family and in the world at large differently.  Consider Cassandra, Rose, Topaz, Mrs. Cotton, and Mrs. Fox-Cotton.

The Mortmain women are all about marrying for stature or money, while the Cotton women seem to be more about themselves and their own lives without being overly dedicated to their husbands.   When looking for a husband, although Rose said that she wanted to marry for love, she ultimately denied her feelings for Neil and accepted a marriage proposal from Simon because marrying Simon meant that her family would no longer live in poverty.  While Rose was all about marrying to change her family's stature, Cassandra still had the idea that she would marry for love which is more of what I think the "modern" woman is all about.  Although in today's society some women do still marry for the money, most women marry for love.  When it comes to the Cotton women it seems as they represent more of the modern woman.  Although Mrs. Cotton has some traditional views, especially when it came to Rose's marriage to Simon, Mrs. Cotton comes across as a highly educated, intelligent and independent woman.  Mrs. Fox-Cotton is definitely the definition of what the modern woman was becoming at the time the novel was written.  Mrs. Fox-Cotton has her own photography thing going on and is a very "take-charge" sort of woman.  She doesn't like to accept no for an answer and strikes me as someone who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants.  Topaz is kind of the anomaly for me  within the novel because it seems as though she should be a strong, independent woman, yet she is constantly seeking the approval of her husband.  It is almost as though Topaz is stuck in limbo between what the modern woman was trying to become along with keeping traditional values.

Have you ever read I Capture the Castle? What did you think of it? 

Are you reading anything good right now?