Tag Archives: love

Top 10 Favourite Literary Couples

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For this week’s Top 10 Tuesday, The Broke and the Bookish is letting us have a freebie, meaning we can do this list on virtually anything we want to. Since my first year anniversary was last week with Fil, I thought I’d continue with my little romantic side and give you all my top 10 favourite literary couples! (I mean, really, who doesn’t love a good love story?) So without further ado, turn your attention to these awe-inducing couples (in no particular order).

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables: These two made me believe in love, as a starry-eyed elementary school girl. I wanted what they had right from the get go. And what I loved most was that it wasn’t just “love at first sight” for them. They had to work at it, and they grew in love, which is so much more realistic than what adolescents are exposed to nowadays.

Louisa Clarke and Will Traynor from Me Before You: Again, love doesn’t come easy, and it doesn’t always have that happily ever after. But no matter what the ending, I still love these two together.

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games: As much as I wish Peeta were mine sometimes, those two really do deserve each other. I’ve never been Team Gale, even though he is a sweet person and I do feel sorry for him. But Katniss and Peeta belong with each other.

Gemma Doyle and Kartik from A Great and Terrible Beauty: I have never been so attracted to an Indian before (except for Shahrukh Khan of course) and the chemistry between these two…And let’s just say Gemma has some very naughty dreams about him.

Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre: There is so much to love about these two, but I think my most favourite part of this couple is the fact that they both are so normal looking. There’s nothing of extravagent beauty with either one of them, and yet they see the beauty others don’t — the beauty of their minds.

Faramir, Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien and Prince of Ithilien, and Lady Éowyn of Rohan from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Ahhh… the true love story in this series. This couple was the hidden gem in a series of war, loss, pain and defeat. They’re absolutely wonderful together, and I do wish that I don’t have to watch the extended edition of this movie in order to see their love blossom on screen.

Wanderer (“Wanda”) and Ian from The Host: This love story isn’t the most conventional, which is why I like it. Stephanie Meyer is only known for Twilight, and many forget or don’t know about this great sci-fi novel. It’s really well done and part of that is due to the love square that takes part in it. But the connection between the Soul, Wanderer, and the human, Ian, is breathtaking.

Danica Shardae and Zane Cobriana from Hawksong: Marrying your people’s sworn enemy to attain peace is hard enough, but when you unexpectedly fall in love with them too? That’s perfect.

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice: This list wouldn’t be accurate without this infamous couple. How many of us out there have compared every girl or guy to Lizzie and Mr. Darcy? Don’t even deny it.

Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley from Harry Potter: And this list wouldn’t be complete without these two bickering, chemistry-sizzling best friends. I love seeing their relationship go from “I can’t stand you” to “we’re best friends” to “I hate you!” to “I can’t live without you.” They are the epitome of love.

Which literary couples are your favourite?

What’s Up Wednesday

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What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. I came across this meme today while reading through book blog posts on WordPress, so I thought it’d be nice to shake things up and share what’s going on in my little world with you all. Feel free to join and share what’s up with you too!

WHAT I’M READING
Right now, I’m about halfway through The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. I had been hoping to finish it within a couple of days after starting it, but last week was busy and this past weekend didn’t provide any time for pleasure reading either. I’m going to try to finish it today, though, so I can get started on The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett. So far I’m really loving The Jane Austen Book Club—it’s refreshing to see the book and its film adaption complement and stay true to each other. Once I’m done reading, I’ll rewatch the movie again and write a book-to-movie-adaption review post for you all (it’s been ages since I wrote my Pride and Prejudice book-to-movie-adaption post).

WHAT I’M WRITING
To be honest with you, I’m not writing. I have so many ideas for books in my head (a new one just surfaced over the weekend, inspired my boyfriend Filip), and have a plot draft all ready to go for one of them… it’s just time that’s not on my side. I work eight hours a day, with 45 minutes transit both before and after work. When I stay at my aunt’s house, I don’t normally have free time until 8:00 pm, which is too late for me to be creative. And when I’m at my parents’ house, I’m helping them clean/organize our house before I move out. And then on weekends I see Filip/friends. So yes…until I have less responsibilities or more time on my hands for myself, I don’t see me starting Blackbird anytime soon (which is the name of the book I’ll be writing).

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
Many things are inspiring me recently… Filip’s family has inspired me to take on a more healthier lifestyle, which includes veggie-and-fruit smoothies for breakfasts, excercising as often as possible (usually I do an hour-long power walk with 1-pound wrist weights during lunch) and eating healthier meals. His family has also inspired me to be cleaner, which is why I’ve gotten my family on the whole cleaning-the-house kick.
Two authors at the moment have inspired me too: Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club) is an amazing writer, and like one review says on the front cover of her book, “If I could eat this novel, I would.” Her style flows effortlessly and she has reminded me to continue experiencing Austen (as I’ve only read Pride and Prejudice before). I want to write characters with as much depth and warmth to them as she has done with hers. The other author who has inspired me most recently (this morning actually) would be Charlie Lovett (The Bookman’s Tale). I had the opportunity to send him some interview questions to post on my blog to share his new book, and just reading his answers to my questions this morning made me almost weep. His words are…incredible. Seriously. I had only planned on skimming through his answers this morning but it was ridiculously hard to pull away. His sentences are magnetic and if he can invoke that much response in me with only an interview, imagine what his book will do to me. He’s experienced so much in his life so far, what with book collecting, living in Europe, writing…I just wish I could mirror his life as my own.

WHAT ELSE I’VE BEEN UP TO
Well since I’ve had little time to read lately, that must mean I’ve had other things on the go! Last week I found out that I can officially move out of both my parents’ and aunt’s home into my aunt’s spare condo now that her renter is leaving. I’m beyond excited as I’ve loved her condo ever since she first built it. While I’ll still be going back and forth each week to spend two nights either at my aunt’s house to help look after my grandma or my parents’ house, it’ll be nice to just have one place to hold all my things. It’s been tough this past year and half living between two homes, never knowing where any of my things are and never feeling satisfied with having spent enough time with both sides of my family. Plus, having a place of my own will mean Filip can come over whenever he wants and I can host little get togethers with my friends. AND having time alone in the condo might mean I’ll have a chance to start Blackbird.
Also. Monday was me and Filip’s first year anniversary (of dating), so that was exciting. We had dinner at the Calgary Tower and dressed all fancy and stuff.
AND my first ever book club meeting will be gathering tomorrow evening! We’re going to meet up at the movie theatre, discuss The Great Gatsby book and then watch the movie. I’m so excited! You can be sure I’ll post about that on Friday, focusing on a book-to-movie-adaption review.

So yes, that’s what’s been up  :)

What have you been up to lately?

Top 10 Books Dealing with Tough Subjects

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This week, The Broke and Bookish decided to take a more sombre note for their weekly lists. We’ve all read more than our fair share of sad books, but here are my top 10 books that deal with subjects of death, disease, civil rights, etc. (in no particular order):

10) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. We all know his books to be tender, sad tales, but this was my first and only book I’ve read by him. Cancer is the scariest six-letter word out there, that can make even the strongest person wither. Add to that the connection between Hazel and Augustus, and you’ve got yourself a story that’s too difficult to bear.

9) The Help by Kathryn Stockett. What African Americans had to endure in the past, and what some of them are still enduring today, is painful. They weren’t even treated as humans, and had little to no rights. Racism takes centre stage in this novel, which made me cry. The movie was done well too.

8) Bridge to Terebethia by Katherine Paterson. My grade six teacher made us read this for class and I don’t remember ever being scarred by book that young. It was terrifying and for the longest time I thought everyone I loved was going to die.

7) Night by Elie Wiesel. Horrific. Jaw-dropping. True. Wiesel takes you back through his memories of the Holocaust as a young boy. No matter who you are, you cannot but be affected by this memoir.

6) Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. Almost all of Dessen’s novels revolve around some form of issue, but this one takes the cake. Sexual assualt, bullying and eating disorders all rolled up into one beautifully-spoken story.

5) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Another gripping Holocaust story. As you know, I love WWII stories, and although this is fiction, it’s one of the best stories based on that time. It will make you cry.

4) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. You all know how much I treasure this book. And although the romance aspect had a strong play there, I also loved this book because of the controversial topic it covered. Death is never easy, particularly assisted suicide. BAWL.

3) Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Okay, I realize this is a children’s story that was probably read to you before bed. But take a moment and think about what this book is truly about: a young pig is taken from the only family he knows into an unknown place. He makes a couple of good friends (especially Charlotte the spider), finds a life for himself there, and then Charlotte dies. Dealing with death at a young age, even the death of a spider, is heartbreaking.

2) The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Sparks is good for those Hollywood-style, romantic, make-you-cry-your-heart-out books. The Last Song was the first and only book I’ve read of his, but it struck a cord with me. Any death is hard to bear, but losing your father…I don’t even want to think about that.

1) Forever by Judy Blume. It’s not your typical love story, which is why I like it. It was my first introduction to sex in grade 11, and boy did I get a bucketload of information. Loss of virginity, teenage pregnancy, realistic relationships (because hey, not everyone has a happy ending with their girl/guy). Pretty groundbreaking for the time it was published.

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

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Last week, The Cat That Walks By Herself nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger award… Thank you! I’m really glad you like my blog so much to call it “inspiring.” This was completely unexpected, so it definitely made my day. I’ve actually been nominated for two awards: the Very Inspiring Blogger award last week and the Liebster award this morning. However, I’ll only focus on the first award for this post and do the other award later.

For the Very Inspiring Blogger award, there are a few rules:

  1. Display the award badge on my blog
  2. Announce your win with a post and link to whoever presented you with the award
  3. Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers
  4. Drop them a comment to tip them off after you have linked them in the post
  5. Post 7 interesting things about yourself

So without further ado…

Here are 7 facts about me that I realized this past year:

  1. I’m actually not 5’1.5″ like I’ve been telling people. My doctor told me I’m not even 5’1″. DO YOU KNOW HOW SAD THIS MAKES ME?!
  2. I will never understand this My Little Pony craze everyone is going on about. (Don’t even get me started on “Bronies.”)
  3. I might be moving out of my parents’ and aunts’ houses into a condo this summer.
  4. My boyfriend and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary on May 20.
  5. I’ve ran out of room for my books on my two bookshelves. Currently they’re just piling up on top of the other books.
  6. I’ve turned from a messy girl to a girl who enjoys cleaning, purging and organizing. Yes, you read that correctly. Enjoys. (You can blame my boyfriend for that one.)
  7. I’m never satisfied. There’s always something I can do, something I can fix about myself, something to fret about.

And now that you’re pitying the short, all-in-a-flutter girl that I am, I shall divert your attention to the 10 blogs I now nominate for this award (yes, I’m aware I’m five short):

  1. Book, Interrupted – I loved her meme redesigns so much, it inspired me to make my own too!
  2. Alice in Readerland – Just this name alone sparks your imagination.
  3. Sarah Says Read – She wrote a pretty fantastic post on Harry Potter.
  4. Words for Worms – She was featured on Freshly Pressed for a reason.
  5. By George! – She lives in New York City and a journalism graduate. She’s basically me. Except in NYC. Why wouldn’t I love her blog?
  6. Strung Out On Books – I love her layout. So much.
  7. Adventures in my Head – Love her sense of humour, and we think alike.
  8. A Bookish Heart – She’ll be studying in the UK in the fall, leaving her books behind. That’s what I call a true daredevil.
  9. Book.Blog.Bake. – My three favourite things all compiled in this beautiful blog.
  10. For the Love of Bookshops – Her life and her words are enchanting.

Thanks once again for the award and please check out my own nominees! They each are wonderful in their own way and deserve a peek  :)

Contemplations of a book collector

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A few days ago I went to the new Value Village that opened in my neighbourhood and I was pleasantly surprised that they had a book section. For every used book-lover out there, you know this is bad news. I browsed through the books, picking out some of my most sought-after titles which were all in really good shape. I had at least 15 books that I wanted to get right then and there for a discounted price, but I had to stop myself.

At home, I have more than enough books sitting on my bookshelves, all of which I brought home with me in that same rush of enthusiasm that I felt that evening in Value Village. I have spent more than enough money on unread books, and here I am willing to spend even more on books that will, undoubtedly, collect dust on my shelves as I try to go through my collection of to-reads.

Wouldn't you just love a library like that?!

Wouldn’t you just love a library like that?!

And then I got even more contemplative. Do I love to buy books for the notion that I actually will devour and treasure them, or do I love to buy books simply to say I have a large book collection? There are many people I know who have half the books I have and love each and every one because they only bought the ones they loved most from the library. Then there are people who have 3 times the collection I do and know only half of the books well enough as dear friends, and the rest are more like acquaintances.

So which am I? I only have two books shelves-full of books, which is not nearly as much as I would like in the future. I love the look of books in a home—bookworms have that air of knowledge, of secrets revealed, of many lives lived. I want people to come into my home one day and say, “Wow, look at all those books! I’m so jealous!”

But more importantly, I want to have a large collection of books that are like dear friends to me. Of course, I don’t enjoy every book I buy—I have plenty of books on my shelves that didn’t floor me, but I didn’t give them away. Those books are like extended family members who maybe you don’t get along with but feel you still have invite to family functions. They still have a place on my shelves because at one time I had hopes for them. And maybe those hopes were unfulfilled for me, but maybe my children will enjoy it or a friend of mine will like to borrow it. It’s these off chances that make me hold onto these books, making my book collection continue to grow.

Books have been my escape since childhood, and maybe, in some very strange way, they’re also like my walls. I take a book with me everywhere just in case I feel awkward in a social situation, am bored or just need to find out what happens next in the book. Heck, I even took Harry Potter with me to Disneyland! I feel protected by my books. Perhaps that’s also why I feel such a need to have walls of books surrounding me.

Maybe I’m not supposed to know why I collect books. Maybe I’m just supposed to collect them because they make me happy. Maybe I’ll never read every single book I buy (I truly hope this is not the case!), and maybe that’s okay.

Maybe I’m just supposed to thank every book that’s ever entered my life, and hold onto them as important experiences—some as best friends, some as acquaintances, and perhaps even some as enemies. But they each shape who I am, and maybe that’s why I’m meant to collect as many books as possible. For the hope that they will one day change my life or another’s.

And besides, a home just isn’t a home without books.

Top Ten Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character

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It’s normal to fall deeply in love with a character…right? It sure looks like it, from what The Broke and the Bookish’s weekly meme is revealing! Well, regardless, over the years I’ve been smitten with many memorable male characters and I’m all too happy to share my obsessions with you! So, without further ado and in no particular order, here they are:
10) Augustus Waters from John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. He’s charismatic, funny and will fight to the end. I don’t care that he’s younger than me; he’s a total babe.

9) Kartik from Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty series. For one, he’s Indian and I’m half-Indian. Secondly, he’s gorgeous, and has a bit of an attitude problem. He’s dark (and no, I don’t just mean his skin colour!), mysterious, a fantastic kisser and cares a ton for Gemma but has a hard time showing it.

8) Gilbert Blythe from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. He was my first fiction crush (grade three) and I grew up wanting a boy just like him. I’ll always harbour a soft spot for him and will continuously be envious of his and Anne’s chemistry. The movie’s version of Gilbert (played by Jonathan Crombie) was definitely a great casting decision. Mmmm :)

7) Fred Weasley from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. As you’ll see further on, Rowling wrote many wonderful male characters—many of which I fell in love with at least once in my years of reading. But Fred was always my favourite of the twins, mainly because he usually offered the most quips and his personality just radiated through the pages. I love his sense of humour and the way he always cared for Ginny. And the actor who played him in the movies (James Phelps) was absolutely perfect—but I’m still crying over the way they portrayed his death in the seventh movie.

6) Simon Lewis from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series. Simply put, I loved him WAY more than Jace. I have a thing for guys in glasses and with dark hair, and he fit the bill. Not to mention his total geekiness and strange ways. And his secret love for Clary—unrequited love sucks and back in high school I could more than relate to him.

5) Will Traynor from Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You. As you know from my latest review, I absolutely love this book—and a lot of that has to do with Will. I can’t blame Louisa for falling for the guy. Even though his mobility was limited, his mind was sharp and his personality mesmerizing. He was knowledgable and worldly, he had a great sense of humour and he genuinely cared for Louisa more than he cared for himself. A man like that is hard to find, which is why it was so easy for me to love him.

4) Ron Weasley from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Love. Love. LOVE. I cannot begin to describe my love for Mr. Ronald Weasley—in both the books and the movies (especially the movies). I didn’t fall for him right away, however. It took me a few years to appreciate him, but it definitely hit me in the fourth book when he was trying so hard not to fall for Hermione and ultimately hated Krum. He was too cute. And Rupert Grint made me love Ron Weasley more than Harry Potter in the movies (which is a hard feat, let me tell you…)

3) Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Need I really explain? His dark, brooding, proud, attentive and sexy ways would make any woman swoon. And as you can tell from my in-depth analysis of the movie adaptions, I think that Colin Firth’s portrayal of the infamous man is the best. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen for a movie character so fast as I did for Firth’s Darcy.

2) Peeta Mellark from Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. His character made me laugh, cry, scream, sob, smile, bawl, fret… He made me realize all the emotions I was holding back. I often dreamt of him at night, thought of him during the day, pictured him holding me in his strong arms, and my life with him. Yes. I was that obsessed last year. Josh Hutcherson is a cute Peeta, but not exactly how I pictured him. The Peeta in my head will never be beat. Ever.

1) Harry Potter from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I’ve been saying it since I first laid my eyes on him in the first book: He’s my soul mate. I grew up with him. I cheered for him. I hated him. I feared for him. I laughed at him. I fell in love with him with each book. I didn’t care if he got moody in the fifth book. I didn’t care that he got overshadowed by Ron and Hermione’s love story in the later books. I can even forgive him for falling for Ginny. But I will never let my love die for him. He shall be mine always, and I’ll always be his. Whether he wants me or not.

Me Before You: Book Review

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Book Review #22: Me Before You

Author: Jojo Moyes

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance

Days to Read: 1 week

Companion Tea: Earl grey… It just seemed like the British thing to drink!

Synopsis (as taken from Chapters): Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life-steady boyfriend, close family-who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life-big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel-and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy-but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common-a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

My Thoughts: I’ve been putting off reviewing this book until I was emotionally over it, because I knew that as I got deeper into my review I’d just be bawling. So yes. I apologize. Anyways. I think it’s safe to say that I absolutely adored this book. I had read mixed reviews of it online before receiving this book from the publisher, so I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But as soon as I delved into it, I knew it was going to become an important part of my book collection. Characters are, for me, the biggest part of a book. The plot can be completely stupid, but if you have real, enduring characters, I can see past the plot issues. With Me Before You, I was invested in Louisa and Will—and the smattering of secondary characters, comprising of their families and friends—and needed everything to be alright. The prologue of the book did exactly what a prologue should do: make the reader need to read more. And after the last page of the prologue, I just had to find out what happened next. Cue me reading for hours on end.
Louisa was a wonderful protagonist. Stubborn, lively, shy and content to settle for less than she deserves (which, if we want to be honest with ourselves, we all do). As she entered Will’s life, I just knew that this love story was not going to be that typical boy-meets-girl sort of love story you read about in countless novels. From Will’s attitude towards life and the people around him to Louisa’s never-ending attempts to prove him wrong, Me Before You had me rooting for them from the start—and not for the reasons one would think. Louisa had never truly lived; whereas Will had up until a certain point in his life. Through their friendship, he shows her there is a life outside of their sleepy little town and she shows him there is a life outside of his house.
While I won’t divulge too much of the plot and the climax, I will say that just the premise of this book will make even the most non-emotional person become tearful and it will make you think long after the last page has been read. You’ll go through all the possible scenarios in your head—what would you do in their positions? What would say? Feel? Where does faith lie in all of this?
The fact that I was crying for hours after reading this book is due to Jojo Moyes’ ingenious storytelling. She didn’t tweak plot developments or change the consistency of characters to invoke emotional responses from her readers. She, instead, used simple realism and heart-wrenching choices to inflict pain on us. It didn’t feel like I was reading a fictional story; it felt like a memoir. I both wanted this story to be real—and yet I hoped with all my might that this story couldn’t happen in real life. Moyes’ honesty was too hard to bear. But while this book was a definite “cry-me-a-river” sort of story, I couldn’t help but be uplifted by its message as well.
I cannot recommend Me Before You enough to you all.
Read it.
Read if for the romantic in you.
Read it for the cynic in you.
Read it for a look inside a life that doesn’t seem worth living.
Read it for a look inside a life that believes in always looking at a half-full cup.
Read it to change your life.
Read it for yourself.

My Rating: 9/10 — It lost a point for all my incessant crying, making it hard for me to drive home with tear-filled eyes. Such a driving hazard!

Favourite Quotes:
“You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”

“‘I just . . . want to be a man who has been to a concert with a girl in a red dress. Just for a few minutes more.’ I released the door handle. ‘Sure.’ I closed my eyes and lay my head against the headrest, and we sat there together for a while longer, two people lost in remembered music, half hidden in the shadow of a castle on a moonlit hill.”

“Push yourself. Don’t Settle. Just live well. Just LIVE.”

“I hadn’t realized that music could unlock things in you, could transport you to somewhere even the composer hadn’t predicted. It left an imprint in the air around you, as if you carried its remnants with you when you went.”

“It’s just that the thing you never understand about being a mother, until you are one, is that it is not the grown man – the galumphing, unshaven, stinking, opinionated off-spring – you see before you, with his parking tickets and unpolished shoes and complicated love life. You see all the people he has ever been all rolled up into one.
I look at him and see the baby I held in my arms, dewing besotted, unable to believe that I’d created another human being. I see the toddler, reaching for my hand, the schoolboy weeping tears of fury after being bullied  by some other child. I saw the vulnerabilities, the love, the history.”

“I realized I was afraid of living without him. How is it you have the right to destroy my life, I wanted to demand of him, but I’m not allowed a say in yours?”

“I let him know a hurt had been mended in a way that he couldn’t have known, and for that alone there would always be a piece of me indebted to him.”

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“I opened a book and in I strode.
Now nobody can find me.
I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.
I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,
I’ve swallowed the magic potion.
I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king,
And swam in a bottomless ocean.
I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their roads with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.
I finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.”

– Julia Donaldson

Loved: Book Review

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Book Review #20: Loved

Author: Kimberly Novosel

Genre: Fiction

Days to Read: 1 week

Companion Tea: Chamomile

Synopsis (as taken from Barnes & Noble):

Kim Carlson is a quiet, optimistic dreamer when she trades in the golden fields of her youth for the busy big city streets of her future. She leaves behind a life of Sunday mass, good friends and homework for a world where skipping class, drinking, and friends who leave her alone on her birthday are the norm. On the road to building a career in the music industry and searching for true love, she instead finds loneliness, betrayal and heartache.

Just as she falls in love with the kind of man who would never break her heart and things are falling delightfully into place, everything is torn apart “like a shack in a hurricane.” Kim is faced with a choice: quit believing in the possibility of love and happiness, or fight for the woman she wants to be and the love she wants to have. Kim overcomes each setback with increasing grace and wisdom, proving that sometimes the wrong choices can lead us to the right places.

My Thoughts: You may remember back in the summer I interviewed Kimberly as a preview to her debut novel. And I was pleased to see the enchanting lady I spoke with translated onto the pages of her book.

As a backer for her book, I received a copy from her in the mail to read. Finally as exams passed and the busy holidays were winding down, I settled into Loved, anxious to see what it was all about. From the prologue, I was hooked. Having been let down at my most recent birthday party (less than half of the people who promised to come showed up), I could instantly relate to protagonist Kim’s 20th birthday party experience. Having such a low turn out to an event that means a lot to you puts everything into perspective and makes you re-think everything — am I really liked? Have I offended anyone as of late? Why doesn’t anyone care about me like they care about others? All those questions rush through your mind and it’s hard to see yourself for who you really are.

But as the story moved along, I began finding it harder and harder to relate to Kim. As each relationship began with vigour and got lost in the dust, I started feeling sorry for Kim. She put so much of herself into finding her other half, that she lost sight of who she was. I’ve never been in that type of situation before. Sure, I’ve had failed relationships — but none of them lasted longer than three weeks, so I didn’t have as much of an emotional connection to them as Kim did. As she went from guy to guy, I started feeling less and less sorry for her. There is nothing wrong with being single and being yourself, and yet she just couldn’t understand that. It frustrated me and I started dreading what she’d get herself into next. Maybe I’ve just been lucky — I’ve only had one serious boyfriend that I’m currently with — but I ended up not relating to Kim as much as I had wanted to, which saddened me. I had been looking so forward to seeing myself in Kimberly’s book, just as other readers had done, but that just wasn’t happening. I also couldn’t relate to the whole religious side of the book. I am by no means a Catholic like Kim, so when she referred to God or talked about the bible, etc., I couldn’t jump on the boat and pray with her. As much as I wanted to.

Characters and religion aside though, I loved Novosel’s writing style. She has such an easy, fluent and engaging voice, that even though I couldn’t relate to Kim, I still wanted to read. I’m also a big visual person — I often choose books based on their book covers alone, and I would have chosen this book had I come across it at a book store. It’s simple and yet inviting, but doesn’t give away too much. Novosel offers a fresh take on the age-old “love yourself” campaign, and it didn’t feel forced. It felt real. I loved the fact that the story didn’t end happily ever after; instead it had a satisfying, and yet unsatisfying, ending. Much like life. Life isn’t cookie-cutter or perfect or “happily ever after.” It’s always evolving — going from person-to-person, job-to-job, city-to-city — always bringing you one step closer to a finale. And like Novosel explains, sometimes in the end all you really need to do is love yourself.

Favourite Quotes:

“Unfortunately, he still hadn’t asked for my number, or a date, or my hand in marriage, and my drink was getting low.”

“I was girly and friendly and my family life was happy but many days I felt like I was on the inside what Chase was on the outside. I always believed I was a happy person with a sad soul. I felt like I had had tragedy in my life when I hadn’t. Somehow, without having experienced what he had, his scars resonated with me.”

“I thought about how the past can become so small. An entire day, 24 separate, heavy hours, becomes the size of a tiny brown leaf falling from a tree. Before you know it, a whole year is just a pile of dead leaves on the ground. The year or so I’d spent in love with Chad was starting to feel so long ago, swept away by the wind. I knew that this year would soon feel far away too.”

My Rating: 7.5/10

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are affected by the horrific incidents today at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and at an elementary school in Central China. May the faculty and students who lost their lives rest in peace. Christmas is a time for love and happiness…not a time for tearing apart families and bringing pain on others. I can’t imagine what the communities are going through right now, and can only offer my condolences. One incident is too many, and it needs to stop. Rest in peace <3 <3 <3

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