Marley and Me as a movie!

Last year I read Marley and Me and I absolutely LOVED it! I'm a dog person and now having gone through the dreaded puppy stage with Cam I have so much sympathy for the owners of Marley. Dogs can bring so so much to your life it is impossible not to love them despite the accidents in the house, chewed household items, and embarrassing moments in public. If you are a dog person Marley and Me is a MUST read! I would give it 5 out of 5 stars!

I saw the preview for the movie Marley and Me this weekend and it is going to be H-I-larious! It stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson and comes out on Christmas Day. I personally can't wait to see it! And it may just be the one that is good enough to go see by myself so I can cross something else off my list!

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is the kind of story that sucks you in. Set in South Carolina during the 1960's, it is the story of Lily Owens. Lily has been haunted by the events surrounding the death of her mother when she was 4. Shortly after her 14th birthday she escapes her unloving father's peach farm and breaks her colored nanny out of jail for an adventure to discover more about her mother's past. They end up in the home of the "calendar sisters"- May, June, and August Boatwright. The three colored sisters own a honey business and Lily learns a lot about beekeeping, her mother's past and herself. There are lots of twists and turns throughout the book that I won't spoil for you, but I can tell you that you will fall in love with the characters as they face race relations and heartache, but find strength in themselves and each other.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I also saw the movie this weekend and it was really good too. It had a few differences from the book and some that was left out. Overall I would recommend the book over the movie, but if you don't have the time to read it, at least see the movie. I would suggest not watching the movie right after reading the book though. I was so caught up in comparing the differences from the book that I couldn't really enjoy the movie as much.

15% off at Barnes and Noble

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The Book of Joe by Jonathan Trooper

The Book of Joe by Jonathan Trooper is a wonderfully written novel. The words dance together in perfect harmony and create a beautiful piece of work. He does use some big words (that made me want to break out the dictionary) but I think that is what made it so lovely to read. He uses out of the ordinary words to describe what’s happening which makes it more interesting and descriptive.

The story itself is about a guy, Joe, who returns to his hometown after being away for 17 years. He had good reason to stay away. He wrote a best-selling novel (which was turned into a blockbuster movie staring Leonardo DeCaprio) which was loosely based on the people in his hometown and the secrets and tragic events that defined his adolescence. Most of the people in the town were portrayed in a poor light and they are not happy about it. He returns to Bush Falls after his father has a stroke and within the first 24 hours he is there he is verbally abused, has a milkshake thrown in his face, has his life threatened, has copies of his book thrown at his house, and is beat to a pulp at the local bar.

Joe is finally forced to face his past, which is a good thing. There are unresolved issues and issues he didn’t even know existed for him to deal with back in Bush Falls. From his true love to his dying friend- From his so-called family to the legendary Bush Falls High Cougars and their beloved coach- the ghosts of his past are not going to let him get off so easy. It is a great story and really shows you how important it is for you to deal with your past to effectively live in the present and move on to the future. Even though it wasn’t easy, it was just what he needed.

I highly recommend it and give it 4.5 out of 5 stars!