Recommended Reading: Emily Giffin

As I mentioned before, I saw that my sister-in-law had Emily Giffin's books posted on her Goodreads account and I am always looking for something new to read for work, cause I pretty just read all the time while I am there, so I thought I would give these books a go.

The first book is Something Borrowed. I reviewed this book before. It is centered around the character Rachel, who has a best friend, Darcy, who I found to be really annoying and kinda, almost deserving of what happened between them as friends. Rachel ends up stealing away Darcy's fiance, Dex. Now I know that stealing someone's fiance is bad, but Darcy was really self-centered and I don't think she really enjoyed being with Dex, she just kind of settled because of his good-looks and well paying job. But anyway. I thought this book was great and I could feel all the emotions the characters were going through and I think that is important in capturing readers and making them feel for your characters.


Side note: They are currently making this into a movie starring Kate Hudson (Darcy), Ginnifer Goodwin (Rachel) and John Krasinski (Ethan). Should be fun!


The next book was Something Blue. This book is centered around Darcy. So I was little like, well I didn't like her in the other book, now I have to read a whole BOOK about her! But it wasn't bad. It was actually quite a cute story. Darcy ends up pregrant with her ex-fiance's best friend's baby. He doesn't want a baby and her best friend is gone, so she goes to London to live with high school friend Ethan. Ethan is a writer in London and he says she can stay for a "short visit." This book was really cute. Watching Darcy make it out on her own, with a baby on the way, which she swears is a girl and watching hers and Ethan friendship/relationship unfold. It was a sweet story with a wonderful happy ending.


Baby Proof was the next book in line. This book is centered around a new character, Claudia. She has never wanted children, and she found the perfect man for her, Ben, who also has strong views and never wanting children...until thier mutual best friends get pregnant and Ben has a change of heart. It seemed a big part of thier relationship was based on the fact they didnt' want children and now he is changing his mind. She files for divorce and starts seeing an older, mature co-worker. She soon realizes that being with Ben is like not living. She has to decide if her whole view on not have children is really a valid bases for filing for divorce from her one true love. She feels empty without Ben and she needs to figure out if she should just get over her own values and have children with Ben to keep him, or if she should stick to her values and be unhappy. I thought this was a great interesting read, and I really loved the point of view it took from a woman who has different ideas about motherhood and pregnancy.


The last book I read was Love the One You're With. This book centered around another new character Ellen. Ellen has been with her loving husband, Andy, for 3 years. Living the life she wants in New York and everything seems so perfect...no it is perfect! A little too perfect she realizes when she runs into her old flame, Leo. Leo wasn't the healthiest relationship she ever had. They were younger and they were obsessed with each other, until one day it felt different, Leo didn't seem to love her anymore and they parted ways. Years later, she runs into him again and she is almost smitten with him again. She has to make hard decisions based on her almost too perfect marriage with Andy or the thrill and excitement Leo brings her. I found this book hard to read at some points because I couldn't understand how she could make certain decisions and I couldn't quite put myself in her place...I felt that the emotions here were deep and something I wouldn't want to ever face. But it was great read overall.

I really do enjoy Emily Giffin's book. I like getting into the stories and feeling the characters emotions. I love the uncomfortable feeling of knowing the decision the character is making is going to effect them in a good or bad way, and getting to know the characters and feeling for them. She is a wonderful writer and I like that she takes aspects from her own life, like living in New York, or Atlanta, or she used to live and write in London, its fun to have those little details to make you feel like these stories are really a part of her.

She has one more book that just came out in May, I am on the waiting list for the library. I can't wait to read it. It's called Heart of the Matter.










Happy Reading!!

-BellaRosa

Recommended Reading: 3 Books to Check Out

I got a great bunch of books this time from the library...I tend to request a bunch and then I end up picking up like 5 or 6 at a time! It's crazy. Anyway, I picked up some good ones, I have 3 here that I will be recommending and I hope you check them out...literally....go to the library and check them out!

First: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I saw that my sister-in-law had these books marked as "read" on her Goodreads, so I had been thinking about them for a while and decided to give it a shot. I really enjoyed this book!! I mean, I don't condone the whole sleeping with your best friends fiance, but Darcy was kinda annoying...and bitchy...and Rachel never had anything good in her life sort of because of Darcy so...more power to Rachel. Anyway. I really enjoyed hearing about Rachel's background and her friendship with Darcy and then finding out she loved Dex all along...I mean I was a late bloomer too, so I sort of get it. But it was great story and it kept me wondering if they were gonna get caught, if it was "true love", if it was just a fling...what was gonna happen! I thought it was great and it's a great chick book. I wanna say there are at least 3 or 4 book in this series, the next is Something Blue and it is focused on Darcy.

Up next: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I really had no idea what this book was about. I assumed: "Ok, "Uglies" this is gonna be some high school drama "poor me" story about some little clique of girls who are "ugly" and the pretty girls are gonna be the queen bees and are gonna torture them through high school but then the ugly girls will end up on top. So NOT what this book series is about!! This book is about a society that has come about after our own has been distroyed or just years after ours is over. There are the "uglies" who when they turn 16, have a surgery, a plastic surgery overhaul, that changes their entire appearance to become "Pretty." It sounds weird explaining it, but I think and interesting concept once you get into the story. Its about adventure and learning to be happy with what you are given, physically, and learning what is social acceptable and why. It was a fun book and is a part of a series. The next in the series is called Pretties.

Last recommendation: The Giver by Lois Lowry

I was quite surprised by this little book. It really packs a punch for being only 180 pages. It was really captivating and made you think. Its another book based on a new society, one taking places decades and decades after our own. The main character, Jonas, is selected to become the next Reciever of Memories. Basically he gets handed down the memeories of the lives before his. Lives of the people who lived years and years ago, "back and back and back." Memories of things they don't even know exist in their community. They don't even know what colors are, what weather is, snow, rain, sunshine. Its and interesting concept. They idea of Sameness. Everything the same so no one gets hurt...and nothing changes. This book really left you wondering whether they are living in a time long after we are gone...or if this place is just isolated from the rest of society...It was very thought provoking and left you wondering about what he finds.

Happy Reading!!