AFTER I DO, by author, TAYLOR JENKINS REID, recommended by author, M.M. Finck

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

Author/Writer/and/Book Lover  J

Title of Fiction book & year published

AFTER I DO, published in 2014

Author name

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Type of book

Women’s fiction – equally perfect for book club, beach, and bedtime

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

The premise.  Who wouldn’t be pulled in by:  “When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.”

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

Lauren and Ryan’s difficulties are relatable to even the happiest of married people.  Their love story and their struggles felt like my own.  Though there was little factual resemblance, their emotions were mine too.  I felt their frustration.  Immersed in this novel, I was confused and scared and lonely and in love and scared I couldn’t feel it anymore.  As they grew, I grew.  I enjoyed Lauren’s co-worker/friend too.  She portrayed a different stage of life – married with children.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

Absolutely.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

Taylor Jenkins Reid is my favorite new author.  Her first novel FOREVER, INTERRUPTED was also extraordinary.  Her voice is pitch perfect.  Her third novel MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE is coming out July 2015.

If author or writer, your social media links:

Thank you, Jill, so much for allowing me to share on your fantastic blog!  J

MM Finck

Writer

www.mmfinck.com

Facebook.com/mmfinck

Twitter.com/mmfinck

Goodreads.com/mmfinck

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Peggy, for pointing me to this author. I just finished this book and loved it!

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

Interested in being a contributor for my new book blog? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. THIS BLOG WILL BE REPLACED IN JUNE BY MY NEW BOOK BLOG ~ SharingYourBook blog.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

WATER FROM MY HEART, by author, CHARLES MARTIN, recommended by author, Normandie Fischer

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

NF ~ All of the above! How can one write without reading voraciously?

Title of Fiction book and year published

WATER FROM MY HEART published May, 2015

Author name

Charles Martin

Type of book

Contemporary fiction

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

NF ~ I love Charles Martin’s work, and this is one of his most powerful. All of Martin’s characters have issues and idiosyncrasies, but nothing like Charlie Finn’s anti-social, anti-heroic behavior. I wanted to smack some sense into the man, but most of all, I wanted to know what this brilliant author was going to do with Charlie the drug dealer, Charlie the untouched and untouchable. I knew the author had a plan, and I wanted to know what it was--the what, how, when, and why of Charlie Finn. As one relationship after another unfolded, one life choice after another revealed the lies Charlie told himself, I turned the pages, hating that moment when I’d have to surrender my reading time to the obligations of life.

You know it’s a good book when the questions pile and you have to know what comes next. What would be the catalyst for change? How would Martin set the stage for it? And what exactly would that change be?

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

NF ~ In my own work, I write a lot about choices: how they affect us, how they determine our future, whether or not the negative consequences of those choices can be undone. Charles Martin is a superlative storyteller. When he presents a character’s choices and their consequences, we get it. We want to yell or cheer, to hope or weep right along with the actor on that story’s stage. I can’t just pick one relationship here; they all affected me. But the generational choices—combined with our hero’s—that sent a teenage boy spiraling out of control touched my mother’s heart. How would Charlie fix this? And could he?

Then there were Paulo and his niece, Paulina, the Nicaraguans whose life lessons so powerfully affected our anti-hero. These two, more than any others, showed Charlie a way out and a way back through lives lived sacrificially.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

NF ~ Charles Martin could write from the point of view of a cockroach and make it believable. He’s that good.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

NF ~ The title is so provocative, don’t you think? Water is not only essential to life, but it evokes so many images—especially for me, a sailor. If you’ve ever visited a place where you’re surrounded by water and yet have nothing potable to drink, you’ve experienced another layer of what it means to thirst.

Charles Martin’s characters thirst for life-giving water for their flesh and for their soul. We all have a place in us that yearns for soul-water, although we don’t all recognize it. That Charles can portray this search again and again, through different characters in different books—and portray it in ways that make me weep and laugh and even want to dance—is nothing short of remarkable.

If author or writer, your social media links:

https://www.facebook.com/NormandieFischer

https://twitter.com/WritingOnBoard

http://www.normandiefischer.com

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Normandie, for recommending this new release! (And your comment about Charles writing from a cockroach POV is intriguing!) ;)

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. THIS BLOG WILL SOON BE REPLACED BY MY NEW BOOK BLOG ~ SharingYourBook blog, starting in June.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, by author, JOHN IRVING, recommended by book lover, Ginny McDonald

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

GM ~ I am a book lover!!!

Title of Fiction book & year published

A Prayer for Owen Meany  - published 1989

  

Author name

John Irving

Type of book

It’s hard for me to classify. Coming of age, memoir...friendship story

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

GM ~ The back of the book says it is Irving’s most comic novel yet and that Owen is a heartbreaking character. I wanted to find out more about the combination of comedy and heartbreak. Then when I read the first line about John being “doomed” to remember Owen and how he became what he was because of Owen; I had to keep reading.

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you? 

GM ~ The relationship between John and Owen starts as boys and continues into young adulthood. They are both only children; John is being raised by a single mother and his grandmother and they are one of the towns most distinguished families and Owen lives simply with his parents at the granite quarry. Owen and John go to school together. Owen’s small stature and strange voice make him an object of curiosity. He thinks he is “God’s Instrument” and it turns out that he is.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?
GM ~  Yes, the boys are very close and remain so.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

GM ~ The story is told by John as an adult and all of Owen’s dialog is in CAPITAL LETTERS. The book has many fun and funny scenes involving a host of characters from the town as well as John’s family. Owen accidentally kills John’s mother hitting a foul ball during a baseball game. They try to find out who John’s father really is. They go to a fancy boarding school together and Owen causes trouble. I had a hard time putting this book down. I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Ginny, for recommending this book! I bought it last year and haven't read it yet.  I need to move it to the top of my TBR stack!

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 

You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, by author, ANTHONY DOERR, recommended by book lover, Carissa O'Connor

Attention readers: We changed up the schedule a bit for May, so this is being posted May 1st, instead of the end of May, and likely the post scheduled for today will be posted at that time. I appreciate Carissa stepping in early. :)


Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you? 

CO ~ I am a total book lover and writer wannabe. (No guts, no glory.)

Title of Fiction book & year published

All the Light We Cannot See, May 2014

Author name

Anthony Doerr

Type of book

Historical fiction

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

CO ~ It takes place in Paris, France, (one of my favorite places), and Berlin, Germany during the Hitler regime. Yet the story is about compassion and brotherly/familial love that defies even the most evil of circumstances. It is written with impeccable detail and beautiful metaphors – at times almost poetic.  Anthony Doerr is now one of my favorite authors, along with Barbara Kingsolver.

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

CO ~ The way the father of the main character takes care of his blind daughter is such a testament to what we will do for our children to equip them for life without us if necessary. The other main character is in an orphanage with his sister, and as complex as their relationship becomes, their love for one another never diminishes.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

CO ~ Given the context of the historical background, I immediately believed the story was realistic, and sadly, some parts were probably very true to life. Having said that, this is not a completely sad story. There are triumphs and pleasures found throughout the book.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

CO ~ You do not have to be a historical fiction fan to fall in love with this book. It is so well written, you will feel like you are in France enjoying the wafts of freshly made baguettes, or in Berlin listening to the forbidden radio broadcasts. This book is about war, yes, but so much more than that. It is a book about love, sacrifice, over coming fear; in short –  it’s about the human condition.

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Carissa, for recommending this book, and especially for stepping in as guest a few weeks early! I've heard nothing but great things about this book, and need to read it.

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 

You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.