whatcha readin'? {book 26::goal 24}

September 24, 2018 Arlene Giddings

I am not going to lie…
I was a little dubious about this one.

If you know me, you know I am very…
ummmm…
modest? easily embarrassed? very flusterable?
so talking about this book
is going to be
very difficult for me…
(because I am apparently an 8 year old trapped
in the body of a grown woman).

So. Anyway.
What I am going to tell you
is that the book was very good…
it gave me a glimpse into unfamiliar cultures
and language….yet was able to show
the refrains that echo in all of our lives…
the complexity of mother-daughter relationships,
the fear of standing out; the fear of blending in,
the importance of friendship,
of feeling heard, feeling understood.

What I will tell you is
it was a book I was glad I read.

And yes…it is also about exactly what
the title suggests.

4 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP: ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE

i wasn't going to go out this morning...

September 22, 2018 Arlene Giddings

it sounded windy, it looked like it might rain…
I wasn’t going to go.

I woke up late.
I had a little bit of a headache.
I wasn’t going to go.

But then I did
AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT I DID!

It’s funny. I go for drives
all the time…
and I have gone to this wharf
in Egmont Bay
a million zillion times
but this was the first time
I ever drove down the little
dirt road that takes you
to the lighthouse
and I literally
was so excited
that I am pretty sure
I squealed and
clapped my hands
when I saw the view…
all I could think was
HOW have I never been here before?

and how many other views
on the island
have I never seen before?

and, for the record, it was REALLY windy…
to the point that I was a little afraid to go too close to the edge
of the cliffs because I was literally afraid
of getting blown off…

all in all, a pretty good first day of fall <3

wordless wednesday....

September 19, 2018 Arlene Giddings

whatcha readin'? {book 25 :: goal 24}

September 17, 2018 Arlene Giddings

I am not going to lie.
I did not expect to like this book.

I was totally prepared to be fully
underwhelmed…
to push my way through it,
to force myself to finish it through gritted teeth
and bitter irritation.

I was
totally wrong.

It was soooooooo good.
Seriously, that many o’s…
soooooooooo good.
The writing, the words…
the way it made me tear up unexpectedly…
the crush I had on Benji…
and also how the author so skillfully
shifted my anger at different characters
and then made it melt away
without me even realizing it.

It made me think a little of one of my
favorite movies…Mystery, Alaska…
again….just the small town hocky fever idea…
but…it made me want to watch it again.

Anyway….read Beartown.
I hear there’s a sequel (*clapping hands excitedly!)
I also have “A Man Called Ove” but it’s still on the “To Be Read” pile…
:)

5 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP: EROTIC STORIES FOR PUNJABI WIDOWS - BALLI KAUR JASWAL

wordless wednesday....

September 5, 2018 Arlene Giddings