Life’s little echoes

“Everything that’s worth having is some trouble…”

-L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

---

Could truer words be spoken?  The story might be fictional, but the words are true.

After the catastrophe of Dracula, I needed more mental fun fluff.  I enjoyed the first book in this series, Anne of Green Gables, that I had already downloads several more books in the series when I found them for free.  Anne of Avonlea is the second book in the series.  It is a delightfully written as the first.

It’s an easy read.  Some stuff is predictable, other stuff leaves you wondering what is going to happen next.  It’s interesting to see Anne growing up, still getting into some mischief, but also witnessing Davy getting into his own.  She understands but doesn’t.  Her eyes are slowly opening to adulthood, but she is still a child, whimiscal and fun.  You see love developing through Anne’s eyes, though her mind isn’t consciously aware of romance for herself yet.

I love this book.  I kept this on my iPad mini to reread when the mood strikes.  It’s fun, lighthearted, entertaining.  I hope my children discover this series while they are young instead of in their 30s such as myself.  This is on my favorites shelf permanently.

---

Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

(Book 2 of Anne of Green Gables series)

Barnes & Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/anne-of-avonlea?store=allproducts&keyword=anne+of+avonlea

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77390.Anne_of_Avonlea

How you doin’?

Claiming-A Medieval Romance

by Saskia Knight

---

After suffering through Dracula, I needed more mental fluff before I started another thought inducing book.  Why not add a medieval sex novella to the list?  Sure, I’m game.

Claiming-A Medieval Romance is book 1 of three of The Gresham Chronicles.  Each book in the series is about a different Gresham sister.  Claiming-A Medieval Romance focuses on Rowena.

Rowena rebels against the usual path for women, and then she finds herself married.  Married, a word she loathes.  She plots and plans to save herself from this dreadful institution.  Slowly, her stranger finds his way in her mind, her heart, her body.  She is saved, but not the way she initially intended.  Aww.

I really enjoyed my mental fluff.  There wasn’t thinking involved.  Knight did a good job of combining all the elements to make the book enjoyable and flowing, and by the end I was curious as to the other two stories because you get some of their background as well.

If you like sex novellas, this is a good book to read.  It’s on my recommended shelf.

---

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22535177-claiming-a-medieval-romance

This book bit the dust

“The world seems full of good men, even if there are monsters in it.”

-Bram Stoker, Dracula

---

Let me be up front about my reasoning in choosing this book.  I LOVE the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  By love, I mean I watch it EVERY TIME I find it on tv, I have it recorded on DVR so I can watch it any time I want, and I own the DVD that I have been known to play over and over.  My husband and children groan over it now.  Yes, I am well aware it is cheesy, but I love it.  It makes me happy to relax and just watch this movie.  I completely zone out and typically pick up on new things I hadn’t noticed before.

I decided I wanted to understand more of the characters’ backgrounds to get more out of the movie because apparently I’m insane.  I came across a free iBook copy of Dracula and since it is the Halloween season, I thought it was appropriate to start with it and learn more of Mina Harker’s background.

As with any book/movie relation, I knew there would be some differences. I expected more than usual since the movie wasn’t based on this particular book alone.  I did expect there to be more in common than Mina.

Let me just say I was ticked off when I finished the book.  I was bored the first 300 pages.  I get why they had to occur, but good grief we could have summarized.  I was interested somewhat for about 100 pages, and then even that died to the point I was at the last chapter and had to push myself through it.

Only to get mad at the ending.  SERIOUSLY?

It is a classic and from that perspective, I am glad I read it.  It did give me Mina’s background story, but the ending doesn’t match with the movie in the least, which I didn’t expect.  I’d suffered through the whole book looking for a connection that just didn’t exist.

This book will not land among my favorites and I highly doubt I’ll ever read it again, but I am proud that I read it.  It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, but I am glad to delete it off my reader.

---

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Barnes & Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dracula-bram-stoker/1116610564?ean=9781593081140

Forgive Me

“You have no idea how many interesting people you’ll meet after high school’s over.  Your life partner, your best friend, the most wonderful person you’ll ever know is sitting in some high school right now waiting to graduate and walk into your life–maybe even feeling all the same things are you, maybe even wondering about you, hoping you’re strong enough to make it to the future where you’ll meet.”  from Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

 

I wasn’t sure when I started this audiobook that I should be listening to it at the time.  Between stress at work, stress over home selling, stress over temporary living situations, stress over trying to buy a house that I think is the best combination of mine and my husband’s personalities we will ever find, stress over needing to introvert but can’t, stress over how to avoid having a panic attack, etc.  You get the idea.  I’m stressed.  Thus, listening to a book about teenage suicidal thoughts might not have been in my best interests, or was it?

In my defense, I forgot was the book was about and just picked an audiobook to listen to and get off my computer.  So, lesson one, since this is a reoccurring theme, maybe I should look up the summary of the audiobook to know what I’m getting into first.  Nah, what’s the fun in that?

Leonard Peacock, or LP as you hear throughout the book, is an outcast, much like any teenager feels, except there’s “more”.  You know he wants to murder Asher, his former friend, but you don’t realize why until later in the book.  As the pieces start falling into place, you are torn between feeling betrayed as Leonard or hurt for Asher and Leonard.  You wonder how you can save them both.  You are screaming for help for both in your head, reeling from Leonard’s pain.  You are applauding those that come to help.  You admire those who stand their ground. 

And you want to slap the shit out of those who don’t notice when they should.  You want to make them SEE, but you can’t.  You wonder if they will ever learn.

Suicidal thoughts are not to be taken lightly.  The quote above can apply to any situation and clique: high school, job 1, job 2, church, etc.  There is always hope, always something better.  Yet so many people just give up.  Their better day could have been right around the corner, but we didn’t see the signs in time.  Will we ever learn?

Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick left me with plenty to ponder.  It is not a feel good book, but it is a good book that leaves you thinking, feeling, deciding.  Read it for yourself, for your friends, for your family.  Just read it.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, please reach out for help.  You are loved and cherished more than you know. It will get better one day.  http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
1-800-273-8255

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Narrator: Noah Galvin
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Source: Audiobook Sync
Format: MP3 Audiobook
6 hours 19 minutes 8 seconds
6 parts, 38 chapters

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forgive-me-leonard-peacock-matthew-quick/1113742195?ean=9780316221351