Redeeming Love: A Review

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
My boss actually lent me this book recently, and I devoured it! I don't typically go for historical fiction, and by that, I mean I never read historical fiction. Until this book. 
This is a retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, one which portrays God's unconditional, redemptive, and all-consuming love. Set in California's gold country in 1850, this book has resonated with me. I knew nothing of the book besides these things, and then I dove into it. 
-----------------------*SPOILER ALERT*-----------------------  If you do not want to know the in's and out's of this book, please skip down to the next section of the review!
Sarah's father despised her - as in, he wished she were never born, seeing as he impregnated his mistress and then wanted nothing to do with the child. He also broke Sarah's mother's heart, for all she wanted was his love. He was everything to her, and to him, she was a good time at most. Sarah longed for her father to want her, but loved her, he did not. He couldn't, wouldn't - he never did. I couldn't even begin to imagine such an existence from the beginning. All this young child wanted was to play with her daddy and sit on his lap, listening to him tell her a story. 
After her mother's passing, Sarah was sold into prostitution, at the young age of eight years old. She had witnessed murder and did things no one should ever have to do, no matter their age.  There, she was branded Angel, of which she would remain. She ran away to California and was taken under the wing of a woman who went by 'Duchess'. Angel was the best in the prostitution business, and men paid a pretty penny to see her. Everyone knew who she was. Heads turned when she walked down the street. 
A local farmer named Michael then entered the picture. He tried multiple times to get Angel to leave with him and marry him, but she would not hear of it. That is, until her bodyguard beat her within an inch of her life, and Michael saved her. She agreed to marry him while in and out of consciousness, and before she knew it, she was a farmer's wife. 
Angel did her part to earn her keep at their single-room cabin, but she laughed at Michael when he expressed his love for her. How could a man that knew nothing of her past love her so much? But God told Michael that she was the one for him, and he persisted. With Michael's best interest in mind, Angel ran away several times, but Michael continually went after her and brought her home each time. She convinced herself that she was no good for him - he was strong, independent, loving, caring, warm, and faithful. She was a prostitute and would not see herself as anything but.  
This kept up until the final time she ran away. She grew to love Michael so deeply and finally knew what true love was. But she could not bear children, which she knew Michael wanted so deeply. Upon hearing this news, Michael reassured Angel that it was okay - they would be okay. But Angel sacrificed her happiness and left so that Michael could find a more suitable wife to bear his children. She came into some good fortune by the grace of God and became part of the church, something she told Michael would never happen - she often would scoff at Michael for reading from the Bible every night. 
After being away for three years, coming to God, and really making something of her life helping fallen women as she had once been, Michael's brother-in-law, Paul, searched for Angel at the request of his new wife. All the time Angel was with Michael, Paul knew she was a prostitute. He also never let her forget that he knew, and he used her on an occasion she was running away from Michael. Upon finding her after being away for three years, he learned that he did not know who Angel really was for all of that time she was with Michael - he had only seen her as a prostitute. He informed her that Michael could not and would not live without her; he loved her. He always had and always would. Angel went back to Michael, who forgave her, and she experienced Redeeming Love.  
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I flew through this book pretty fast, as the story line really flows and is quick to absorb. I honestly had a hard time reading the first part because it truly shows you the life that Angel was living as a prostitute. As the story unfolds, her past is revealed more and more, and the reader learns of the awful things she had done in her past, not because she wanted to, but because she was forced to. She wasn't raised with loving parents that cared about her, so she didn't know what being loved really felt like. This broke my heart. I couldn't relate to Angel on a personal level, but I sympathized for her. It really opened my eyes to prostitution - not that I am oblivious to it, but reading about it at such a depth really mesmerized me. It was awful. 
My heart broke on more than one occasion throughout the book, for several different reasons. But knowing it was a book about God's redeeming and unconditional love, I also knew that it just had to have a happy ending, and it didn't disappoint. This book was so amazing from cover to cover, and it never lulled. I was anxious to find out more as the pages flipped on, and I didn't once wish it would just end. It's such a great read and I definitely recommend it! 

This post is part of the #2014BloggerChallenge.

Where We Belong {Reading Recap}

WHERE WE BELONG by Emily Giffin
 
Goodreads' summary: 

Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfililng career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door...only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby apperas on her doorstep, Marian's perfectly constructed world - and her very identity - will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.

  For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light.  As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves - a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.    

    My Review:  The book was a little slow-going at first, but once in the meat of things, it was definitely a page turner!  I loved all of the characters .. that's right, every.single.one.of.them.  This story was definitely one that touched my heart, in more ways than one.     I found this book very relatable.  Kirby Rose felt like an outsider, a loner if you will.  She didn't really feel she belonged anywhere - she wasn't popular in school, her parents had their 'miracle' baby, she knew she was adopted, she didn't excel at anything in particular, and her one interest was sort of looked down upon.  Poor thing.  Although these are not all exactly 'me', I was still able to relate to Kirby.  I've had my moments of loneliness and lacking a sense of belonging.  I don't have a lot of friends I can turn to and lean on in my moments of need.  A daunting future after high school IS scary.  I was there.  But, just like Kirby, I was able to find my way.  I have a loving family that supports me 120%, a faithful and compassionate husband that I can lean on no matter the circumstances, and true, loyal friends (although few) that I know have my back always.  I have a home, a great job, a strong faith, and a good head on my shoulders.     Finishing the book, I was forced to reflect upon my life and the choices I've made in the past 20 years.  Were there hard times?  Hell yes.   Did I cry day in and day out sometimes?  Absolutely.  Was it worth it?  Every minute.     You see, God has a plan for all of us, and although we don't know what that plan is, it will happen in His time and on His terms.  There's no doubt that struggling through those hard times have only made me stronger to face what is to come.  There's no doubt that there are still stormy days ahead.  But there's also no doubt that I have a support system to turn to in times of need.  There's no doubt that I will enjoy every minute of every day while living my life to the fullest.  I've had to make some difficult decisions in the course of my lifetime, but I don't have a single regret.Upon reflecting on my life after finishing this book, I know that I'm truly blessed to be where I am in life and I know that my reality is better than any fairy tale ♥.   

Teenage Pregnancy

This is a topic that is very common in today's society.  Teenagers are sexually active, leading to many teenage, unplanned pregnancies.  I was fortunate enough to not have to grow up and sacrifice my teen years and early twenties raising a baby.  I'm not saying it's the worst thing ever, because I personally know people that have been there and have become so much better for it (and are such amazing mothers and fathers!).  In this book, Marian ended up losing her virginity and becoming pregnant in the same night.  She called it the 'double curse'.  It really does take just one time in order to become pregnant.  And just when you think it can't happen to you, it does!  Marian made the choice to give birth to her baby but to give it up for adoption.  I am not a mother (yet), but I cannot even fathom the difficulty of that decision.  Although she knew it was the best decision for her baby, the guilt and pain of losing your baby is just unimaginable.  BUT, the thought of literally keeping it a secret from EVERYONE, including your own father AND the baby's father, is just unreal.  I definitely didn't agree with that decision.  

Marriage

Although I was rooting for Peter in the beginning, as he seemed so perfect for Marian, I'm so glad she told him the truth - that she could not marry him because she wanted to be madly in love with her husband.  She admitted that she loved the idea of Peter but not the man himself, especially after seeing her high school flame, Conrad, again.  Those two were inseparable the summer after their high school graduation - and ended up being the loves of each other's lives.  Who knew?!  A summer romance really can turn into something much deeper and more meaningful.  When you love someone so much, you just know that they're 'the one'.  I know it's totally cliche, but it's so true!  If you have to question whether it's right for you to marry so and so, then it probably isn't.  I know that I had no doubt in my mind when Colten proposed.  I knew we were meant to be together!  And it's such an amazing feeling.  

Family

Kirby really struggled with not feeling as though she 'belonged' with her family, so she took the risk to find her birth parents - she was so strong! It definitely took courage and (let's face it) balls to do what she did.  I know it's just a book, but it proved just how passionate she was in finding out where she came from - to find that sense of belonging.  Once she met and knew her birth parents, she fit in better.  There was no question where she got her musical talent from or her fine hair or pale skin.  And one of my favorite parts of this whole book is definitely the scene where Marian and her father finally talked about the 'big secret' they were all keeping from each other.  They cut to the chase, admitted hurt feelings, bluntly explained their feelings, and they moved forward.  Her dad wanted her to keep the baby - so precious!  My second favorite part: the day of Kirby's high school graduation, with her family and birth parents in her living room reminiscing over her baby/childhood pictures, with her MOTHER narrating.  Such a beautiful picture and sense of belonging for Kirby.  I personally didn't relate as much with this aspect of the book.  My family is so strong and I've always felt I've belonged.  But I'm also not adopted, so there's that.  My family is loud, crazy, outgoing, supportive, funny, out of control, laid back, and most importantly, loving.  No matter what has happened, through all of the ups and downs, we've always been there for each other no matter what.  I know I can turn to any and all of them when I'm feeling down about something, in trouble, or just need to chat.  I know, I'm so blessed! 

I was actually sad when the book ended.  I was really hoping for more of a story between Conrad and Marian after all those years apart, but the books never get to the 'happily ever after' ... *sigh*. 

In all, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to ANYONE and EVERYONE! 

Linking up with Heather over at Blonde...Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!

 

---> Crazy Love <---

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Recently, my coworker showed up with the audio book, Crazy Love.  She handed it to me and said I could listen to it if I wanted to, as she had other things to do that day - the audiobook was on sale so she picked up a copy.  I agreed to listen to it because I had seen it in the store in paperback several times, I just never splurged to make the purchase.  The book cover alone struck my interest.  It's simple, but so attention grabbing.  And the red is perfect.  Oh, and the audiobook is read by the author, which is so unbelievably awesome to really hear his passion come to life.  Now, I have my own copy.

This book is about God's overwhelming love for us.  Yes, all of us.  It is also a difficult book in that it brings all of your fears, dreams, beliefs, and wants to the surface.  Let me explain. 

Francis Chan begins by saying, "Stop praying."  Wait, what?  He continues by asking what you would do if he were to tell you to stop praying to God?  Prayer is essential in my life, but we must remember to not only pray about our struggles and what we need (or think we need).  We must remember to also pray for the things that we have been blessed with.  Pray to God and thank Him!  Take a few minutes to look at The Awe Factor of God that Francis Chan discusses in the first chapter.  It's only 3 minutes, and it's just a reminder of how awesome our God truly is!

Why would God create more than 350 billion galaxies that generations of people never saw or knew existed?  Maybe it's to show us just how BIG our God is and how insignificant we are.  Take a minute to think about how exactly so many hundreds of things must function correctly in order for our lives to work just how they do day in and day out.  God didn't have to make hundreds of different kinds of bananas.  He didn't have to put thousands of species of trees in the Amazon jungle.  He didn't have to create so many different kinds of laughter (think about all the different laughs of your friends).  But He did.  Have you ever marveled at these things?  The point of it all is His glory.  His art speaks for Himself. 

There are hundreds of things that distract us from God.  Man, is that an understatement or what?!  But with those things in our daily lives, we have to intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of Him.  Yes, every single day.  "But I don't have time."  I'm so over that statement - it's ridiculous!  It is true that you have time for whatever is important for your life.  Your priorities will always outshine anything else on your agenda.  Always.  So, make your relationship with God a priority.  Even if you only take 15 minutes or half an hour every morning or at a point throughout your day, you're showing everyone, including yourself, that God is a priority in your life.  

Going along with that is when we look at our relationship with God as a chore, as a sacrifice.  When we're doing this, we're getting the glory, not God.  So many times it's easy to say, "Look what I do for God.  Look what I sacrifice for Him!"  Instead, when we sacrifice, give, and suffer, we can rejoice because we know that God rewards us.  We're always the recipients of His great and manifold gifts, not the givers.  Never the givers. 

If you merely pretend that you enjoy God or love him, he knows.  You can't fool Him.  Instead, tell Him how you feel.  Tell Him that He's not the most important thing in this life to you and that you're sorry for that.  Tell Him that you've been lukewarm and what you've chosen over Him time and time again.  Tell Him how you want to experience true satisfaction and pleasure and joy in your relationship with Him.  Tell Him you want to love Him more than anything on this earth.  Tell Him what you love about Him, what you appreciate, and what brings you joy.  Tell Him, "I'm not strong enough to love you and to walk with you.  I need you deeply and desperately.  I believe you are worth it, that you're better than anything else I could have in this life or the next.  Take all of me; have your way with me." 

We question God:

• Why did you make me with this body instead of that one?
• Why are so many people dying of starvation?
• Why are there so many planets with nothing living on them?
• Why is my family so messed up?
• Why don't you make yourself more obvious to the people that need you?

The answer to each of these questions is simple: because he's God.  He has more of a right to ask us why so many people are starving.  As much as we want God to explain Himself to us, His creation, we are in no place to demand that He give an account to us.  Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?  God is fair and just.

Worrying implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.  Stress says the things we're involved in are more important to merit our impatience, our lack of patience towards others, or our tight grip of control.  These two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in our lives are somehow exceptional.  I, for one, am dumb enough to forget that this life is all about God and not about me at all.  I am constantly learning this lesson over and over again.  And that's okay.  God forgives me for my sins, and He knows that I am diligently working to strengthen my relationship with Him and follow His ways.  God is good.  Recently, I've been dealing with anxiety.  I know I'm not alone in this, but I recently read another blogger's challenges with this culprit.  Casey was so sweet as to offer this advice: The thoughts that I'm a 'wuss' or that I should be able to handle life in general (re: anxiety) - those are all words from the devil.  The devil wants me to feel alone, but we have to remember that we are NEVER alone.  We always have someone to turn to, most importantly God.  He is always listening.  We also have our spiritual partners - no matter how close you truly are, you know they are there for you in those desperate times.  How true that is!  And such a great reminder.  Thank you, Casey.   

You could die before you finish reading this post.  I could die before I finish it.  It's easy to think about today being just another day, preoccupied by appointments and to-do lists.  But we forget that there is nothing normal about today.  Today is a blessing from God.  Today, so many people are not as lucky as you are to be at work, healthy, reaping rewards.  The majority of us take each day for granted.  Think about driving down the road at 65mph only a few feet away from cars going the opposite direction at the same speed.  Someone would only have to jerk his or her arm and you'd be dead.  It's reality.  It's crazy that we think today is just another day to do whatever we want.  We say things about our plans for the future when we don't even know if we will be around tomorrow.  Be thankful for every day that God does not forget to wake you up.  We all have a 'due date', but only God knows when our time on earth is done.  Don't take another day for granted.  Praise Him and give thanks where thanks is due.  Would you be okay with your thoughts and actions if you were gone from this earth at the end of the week?  How about in the next few hours?  The next thirty minutes?  By the time you're finished reading these words? 

All of these topics (and more!) are discussed in not even half of the book.  Seriously, it's deep stuff, but every single issue and topic is backed by Scripture.  That's right, proof.  Don't be delusional.  Don't be a lukewarm follower and lover of Christ.  Seek more knowledge - seek for Him to place His hands on your heart and lead you to follow in His way and do His will. 

You, my brothers and sisters,  were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." - Galatians 5:13-14

{Murder & Cavemen} FFTL

This is my first time linking up with Halie over at Penguins, Pasta, & Polka Dots for the 'From Firsts to Lasts' (FFTL) link-up that happens every {tuesday}! 

Usually, you talk about your first someting, BUT, new rules are in place, which means today (the last Tuesday of the month, and my first time to link up [ha!]) we talk about a few lasts.  If you're totally and utterly confused, go check out the rules!

So, here we go! 

Today's LASTS topics are:

Last book you read

Last movie you saw in a theater

Last Book I Read

I was really, really hoping I was going to be able to talk about the book I'm currently reading, but I didn't get as much time to read this past weekend as I had hoped.  So, that means I will talk a little bit about Walter Walker's Crime of Privilege.  It was our book club's BOTM (book of the month) last month and was a FREE galley offer by Randomhouse Publishing, so we decided to give it a go!  Here's my review via Goodreads. 

Crime of Privilege by Walter Walker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed most of this book. It definitely grabbed my attention from the start; however, it ended so abruptly and didn't really answer "whodunnit?".

I found it a little difficult in the beginning to really follow who all of the characters were, as it just throws you into the middle of a party at the Senator's house - and then the dates jumping around kind of threw me off, too. But I got used to that pretty quickly.

I loved all of the unexpected twists and turns! Just when I thought I had something figured out, WHAM! - another surprise!

I'm glad George ended up with Barbara personally, but I HATED the rest of the ending. A killer was not revealed. Both George and Barbara were stuck at meaningless jobs which they obviously hated ... it just seemed like a lot of drawn out suspense through the book only to end very dully. For this reason, I had to rate it only 3 stars.

And with that ending, I will be honest and say that I would NOT recommend this book to anyone else. It's dissapointing.

View all my reviews


Last Movie I Saw in a Theater
The last movie I saw in the theater, sadly, was The Croods.  The only sad part was that it was mid-April when we saw that one, so it's been a while!  Things have just been so hectic lately and I literally just haven't had any time.  However, The Croods was such a cute movie!  Colten and I went to see it when his dad and step-mom came to visit for a few days.  I was really looking forward to the movie, and it didn't disappoint!  For those that don't know, The Croods is a movie about a family of cavemen that are striving to survive out in the wild amongst other animals.  However, the daughter, Eep (yes, that's her name), is rebellious and is tired of following by the 'rules'.  She wants an adventure!  And boy does she get one!  She ventures out of their cave after dark (which is a giant NO-NO) and meets Guy (that's his name), who is not a caveman, but he's searching for the sun, as he knows that's where he will be happy, etc. etc.  It's a cute storyline of them all trying to reach the sun.  And I'll admit right now, I teared up a little - there are a few sad parts that just pull at your heartstrings! 

This guy was my favorite - 'Belt'.  Because, well, he was a belt!  Haha.  "Dun, dun, DUNNNN!" 

It's definitely a super cute movie that I would recommend to people of all ages!  Seriously, go see it! 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children {Reading Recap}

A LOOOOONNGGG READING RECAP :). 

it's just that good!

And perfect if you've always thought about wanting to read the book but never got around to it...enjoy this summary :)

    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is definitely a 'different' kind of book...     Yes, the little girl in the picture is levitating!      This is a tale about Jacob Portman, outcast extraordinaire.  Growing up, his grandfather, Abraham (Abe) Portman, told him story upon story about his life: living in an orphanage, fighting in war, crossing oceans and deserts, performing in circuses, and knowing everything about how to survive.  He was fascinating.  The most fascinating, though, were Abe's stories about life in the Welsh children's home.  This place was enchanted and designed t o keep kids safe from monsters, on an island where the sun always shined and no one ever got sick or died.  What a life!  When Jacob asked his grandfather why he had to leave his parents in Poland, Abe would alwasy respond the same: because the monsters were after him.  What kind of monsters, you ask?  Why, these monsters were awful hunched-over ones with rotting skin and black eyes, had three tongues, and smelled of putrefying trash!  How awful.  But the kids weren't like other kids - they were peculiar!  Jacob would probe further, asking about the children...

"There was a girl who could fly, a boy who had bees living inside him, a brother and sister who could life boulders over their heads."

Abe could tell Jacob didn't fully believe the children were real, so he showd him pictures!  Four wrinkled and yellowing snapshots: 1-a blurry picture of what looked like a suit of clothes with no person in them, or a person with no head.  But, in fact, he was invisible.  Millard was his name. 2-a little girl wearing a crown; her feet weren't touching the ground.  She was levitating!  3-a scrawny boy lifting a boulder.  He was STRONG. 4-the back of somebody's head, with a face painted on it. He had two mouths, one in the front and one in the back.      As Jacob grew older, however, he began to question these stories.  They just couldn't be true!  He was picked on at school for repeating the tales to his classmates.  Abe stopped telling stories about his past, and he was known to be 'crazy' by his family.    Then one day, Jacob received a phone call at work - it was his grandfather demanding to know where the key to his gun chest was.  He had to get the key!  Used to this behavior, Jacob told his grandfather to calm down and told him that he was safe.  He reassured him that the monsters weren't coming for him.  Abe's son, Jacob's father, was ready to put Abe in a home.  It was the same old ways with crazy Abe.  But, Jacob wouldn't hear of it.  He left work and headed to his grandfather's house to check on him.    Jacob ran from room to room calling out his grandfather's name.  But nothing.  No reply.  No sounds.  Just empty.  Behind Grandpa Portman's house was the backyard, which led up to the Florida woods.  Jacob knew that's where his grandfather had to be, so searched he did.  What he found was his worst nightmare.  His grandfather lay facedown in a bed of bud, his legs sprawled out and one arm twisted beneath him as if he'd fallen from a great height.  His undershirt was soaked with blood, his pants were torn, and one shoe was missing.  He didn't move.  Jacob could hear him breathing ever so shallowly - he knew he had to move him.  But just then, Abe began to speak: 'Go to the island, Yakob.  Here it's not safe.'  Jacob knew it was the old paranoia.  But Abe's last words were: "Find the bird.  In the loop.  On the other side of the old man's grave.  Septemeber 3, 1940.  Emerson - the letter.  Tell them what happened Yakob."    Jacob knew what had done that to his grandfather was still in the woods.  He took his flashlight and aimed it - and for an instant, he saw a face that seemed to have been transplanted directly from his nighmares of his childhood.  It stared back with eyes that swam in dark liquid, furrowed trenches of carbon-black flesh loose on its hunched frame, its mouth hinged open grotesquely so that a mass of long eel-like tongues could wriggle out.  His friend that was with him didn't see anything, and from that moment on, Jacob was also thought of to be crazy.  His parents treated him like a breakable heirloom, afraid to fight or fret in front of him or he would shatter.  He was plagued by nighmares so bad he had to wear a mouth guard to keep from grinding his teeth into nubs as he slept.  He couldn't close his eyes without seeing the tentacle-mouth horror in the woods.  He wa sconvinced it killed his grandfather.  He was sure it was lurking everywhere: dark trees, beyond the next car in a parking lot, behind the garage by his bike - it was waiting.    Jacob did everything in his power to try to figure out exactly what his grandfather's last words meant, but to no avail.  He agreed to see a shrink, Dr. Golan, to help him sort through his grief, anger, and confusion.  He was just about to give up when he received a book for his birthday - it was a book by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it used to belong to his grandfather.  It was found in his home after he died.  And, in side the book was a letter - written by Ms. Alma Peregrine.  The postmark on the letter read: Cairnholm Is., Cymru, UK.  From that moment, Jacob knew he had to go to Cairnholm island - he knew it held secrets of his grandfather's past.  His shrink agreed that a trip to the island would help Jacob find closure, even if he came up empty-handed.  So, it was settled.  Jacob would go to Cairnholm Island, a tiny island off the coast of Wales, with his father for a few weeks in the summer.    The island was lacking modernization, to say the least.  There was only one phone on the entire island, and only one set of rooms to rent to stay.  They didn't get many visitors.  Jacob set out to find the old house his grandfather told him about, and his dad set off to study the birds of the island.  Jacob found the house, and to his dismay, knew that Miss Peregrine, the headmistress that wrote his uncle the letter, was no longer alive.  He was determined for answers, so he searched the house.  The house looked evil and had been torn apart by bombs from World War II.  He found a giant crate in one of the bedrooms upstairs and tried everything to open it.  Finally, he thought to push it over the staircase and pray that it would break open from the fall.  It did break open, but it went straight through the first level and into the basement.  Crap!  Jacob tried to stay away from the dark, putried basement, but now he had no choice.  He crept down into the pitch blackness.  That's when he found the contents of his crate scattered about the wood of the crate.  Then, the children appeared.  The little girl ran, and Jacob ran after her, trying to convince her that he wouldn't hurt her - she eventually captured him and kept him as her 'slave'.  Then, Jacob met Millard, who was invisible.  Jacob wasn't sure if he was dreaming or if he was really encountering the children his grandfather spoke about so often long ago.    They entered 'the old man's grave', which was stone tunnel next to the bog in Cairnholm, and came out to sunny skies and horse-drawn buggies.  No loud generators.  No cars.  Jacob knew something strange had happened.  But then, the little girl, who later reveals herself as Emma, and Millard took Jacob to the house.  Only this time, the house was beautiful and enchanting.  Jacob could not get over how it looked so different, and much like how his grandfather described it for all those years.  He was introduced to Miss Peregrine, who instantly knew who Jacob was.  The others weren't so sure.  But Miss Peregrine assured the children that he was, in fact, Abraham Portman's grandson.  Then, the explanations began.    Miss Peregrine explained that Abraham Portman did live with them (Miss Peregrine and the children) in the big house on the island.  He chose to leave them to fight in the war during that time, and then he lived in America to raise his family.  Miss Peregrine also explained that her, the children, and Jacob's grandfather were 'peculiars'.  She explained that the taxonomy of Homo sapiens is a simple dichotomy: there are the coerlfolc, the teeming mass of common people who make up humanity's great bulk, and there is the hidden branch - the crypto-sapiens who are called syndrigast, or 'peculiar spirit'.  The remaining peculiars live in hiding, all over the world.  There was a time when the peculiars could mix openly with common folk, but they were slowly forced into hiding.  Peculiar traits often skip a generation, or ten.  Peculiar children are not always, or even usually, born to peculiar parents, and peculiar parents do not always, or even usually, bear peculiar children.  Jacob learned that Miss Peregrine could manipulate time.  She explained that she created a loop (time loops had been created for quite some time, and there were several created by peculiars like her throughout the world) which replayed the same day, September 3, 1940, over and over and over again.  However, the peculiars in the time loop remembered their experiences and what happened from day to day, only the commons did not.     Jacob found out that Emma was in love with her grandfather, and she was heartbroken when Abe decided to fight in the war - and ultimately never came back for her as he had promised.  He also learned that by remaining in a time loop, peculiars didn't physically or mentally age.  However, if they spent hours and hours outside of the loop, time would catch up with them and they would begin to age quickly to catch up to their actual age.  So, the children appeared to be quite young, mostly Jacob's age (teenagers), but they were really between 80 and 100 years old!    Jacob loved learning about the children and hanging out with them - he found them to be highly entertaining and loved going back to September 2, 1940 every morning when he awoke in the present day.  He continued to travel back and forth, in and out of the loop.  Emma was a fireball and could create fire from her hands, Millard was invisible, Claire had a mouth in the back of her heard, Enoch could raise the dead, Bronwyn was the strong girl.   Miss Peregrine had company from another time manipulator, of which she stated her children had been destroyed, and she flew to Miss Peregrine to warn her.  This is when Jacob learned that many peculiars attempted an experiment to turn themselves into demi-gods, ultimately resulting in the experiment turning them all into hollowgast - rather than becoming gods, they transformed themselves into devils, with no heart or soul.  In a cruel twist of irony, they achieved the immortality they had been seeking.  It's believed that the hollows can live thousands of years, but it is a life of constant physical torment, of humiliating debasement - feeding on stray animals, living in isolation - and of insatiable hunger for the flesh of their former kin, because peculiar blood is their only hope for salvation.  If a hollow gorges itself on enough peculiars, it becomes a wight.  It is also important that hollows cannot enter a loop, but wights can.  If being a hollow is a living hell - and it most certainly is - then being a wight is akin to purgatory.  Wights are almost common - they have no peculiar abilities.  But becasue they can pass for human, they live in servitude to their hollow brethren, acting as scouts and spies and procurers of flesh - it's a hierarchy of the damned that aims someday to turn all hollows into wights and all peculiars into corpses.  Hollows also retain no memory of their former lives, which helps peculiars hide in their loops.  Wights also lack pupils - creepy!    Things began to click for Jacob as he put two and two together and learned that his grandfather was a peculiar - his ability was that he could see the hollows, as most peculiars could not.  Then, Jacob realized that a hollow is what he saw the night his grandfather was murdered.  And the reason everyone thought he was crazy?  Because they were common folk, and Jacob was a peculiar that saw a hollow.    Miss Peregrine used Jacob going back and forth between her time loop and the present day to stay updated on any new visitors to the island.  But then it hit him - his dad studied birds (he was an ornithologist), and told Jacob that another ornithologist had come to the island as well and was encroaching his territory.  Jacob relayed the information on the newcomer to Miss Peregrine.  The house went on lockdown, just to be safe if the bird watcher was in fact a wight.    Then, a few days later, Martin, the museum keeper in present-day town, had gone missing.  He failed to open his museum or stop by the bar for his customary nightcap.  When the bar owner's wife went in search of him at his home, she found his front door hanging open and his wallet and glasses on the kitchen table, but no one was home.  Finally, a few days later, a call came in that Martin's body had been fished out of the ocean.  He had been murdered and was only in his robe and boxer shorts, very unlike Martin to be out and about in the dead of night dressed like that.  Jacob informed Miss Peregrine what happened, and she put the children's home on further lockdown - no one was to go outside of the walls, including Jacob.  It was for their own safety.  However, Jacob, Emma, Bronwyn, and Enoch agreed that they needed to see Martin's body, which had been stored in the fisherman's ice house while a terrible storm ravaged the island, to ascertain whether or not it was a hollow that attacked him.  They ventured away from the house unnoticed, with the help of the other children, and were off.  What they learned was that Martin was in fact attacked by a hollow, only after a wight had come to his door in the middle of the night.  The wight that was right behind them in the ice house.     The children were very frightened as the wight began to speak.  He knew exactly who each child was and how they had come to the children's home: Emma Bloom, a spark, was abandoned at a circus when her parents couldn't sell her to one; Bronwyn Bruntley, berserker, taster of blood, didn't know her own strength until the night she snapped her rotten stepfather's neck; Enoch O'Connor, dead-riser, born to a family of undertakers who couldn't understand why their clients kept walking away.  And Jacob.    Jacob soon realized that the wight was doing a fine impression of his middle school bus driver, Mr. Barron.  Then, the man's accent changed, and Jacob realized it was his family's lawn and pool man for years.  When Jacob asked how the wight knew where to find him, he answered, "Why, Jacob, you told me yourself.  In confidence, of course."   - Dr. Golan - Jacob's psychiatrist whom he had told EVERYTHING about his grandfather and the stories.  He knew exactly where Jacob was because Jacob had, in fact, told him.     Golan showed up at the house and took Miss Peregrine, in bird form.  After a lengthy battle and swim to the lighthouse, Jacob, Emma, Bronwyn, and Millard successfully killed Golan the wight, but Miss Peregrine could not turn back into her human form!  Then, all the children realized that the time-loop had not reset, and they were in trouble.  The children, including Jacob, agreed to go in search of another loop.  They all piled into a boat, with Miss Peregrine in tow, and set out on their new journey.     *end of book*     The complete first half of this book is booooooorrrriinnngggg!  Seriously, I understand the need for some backstory, but half of a novel of it is a bit ridiculous.  However, once I got to the meat & potatoes of the novel,  I was hooked!  I couldn't put it down - I just had to know what happened next!    The ending does end rather abruptly, but I wasn't surprised by this at all since my sister had warned me of this; but all is well, because there are plans for a second book to come out next year!  :)   So, if you're wanting to read something 'different' and intriguing, this is the book for you!  I look forward to book #2!    

Book Review: {Remember Me?}

 I was the group leader for March's BOTM (book of the month) for the Chick Lit Book Club on Goodreads.  It was my first time, and I enjoyed it!  I came up with the theme: memory loss.  Now, you know there are some good ones out there with this theme in a chick-lit genre, so I was excited!  Members were able to post suggestions, and then I chose about 4 or 5 of them to put on the actual poll for everyone to vote on.  Then, the votes were in, and the winner was.... 

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella.  

The way this book club is set up, the leader has to read the book pretty much before the actual month starts, so that the readers can answer the questions you post as they go!  So, there you have it.  I read and read and read (okay, it really didn't take me long, lol), and then I posted questions.  It was a great experience, but it was also a lot of work!  Now I know why they have a monthly leader sign-up!  It's too much for one person to maintain.  

You can check out the questions and discussion here.  It was a great, quick read, and definitely entertaining!

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I love Sophie Kinsella's style of writing.  However, I wasn't totally consumed by this book.  I did like it, and I would recommend it as a quick, light read, but it wasn't amazing. 

I loved the storyline, though - a woman in her twenties losing the last three years of her life in memories, and waking up to a completely different person.  It takes her some time to figure out what exactly happened for her to have changed so drastically, but it's an entertaining ride.  Loved the love story and how Lexi really tries to hold on to her marriage with her Greek God of a husband, whom she doesn't remember.  She quickly learns that she isn't herself with him and leaves him. 

Jon was definitely my favorite, as is true with most Chick-Lit novels.  He's the favorite that all readers want the girl to end up with...and this book was no different.  Overall, great, quick read and memorable characters. 



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If you're looking for a light-hearted, fun, quick, laugh-out-loud, girlfriend kinda read, then this one's for you!