I've only ever read one other book by Neil Gaiman and that was Stardust, which I did enjoy a lot. I enjoyed this one as well, even though it was very strange.

Gaiman's descriptions though were particularly beautiful, albeit creepy at times. I listened to the audio book and I kid you not, there was a five minute description of this seven-year-old kid pulling a worm out of his foot and it was so gross, but very well done.

A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home for a funeral and when he visits the farm at the end of the road, where he befriended Lettie Hempstock, all the memories come flooding back.

The rest of the book follows him as a young boy, living a particularly difficult life. He becomes friends with Lettie and they encounter many things throughout their journey together.

It's weird; it's confusing at times, but it's a story that is beautifully written and I think it illustrates childhood well and the imaginations that children can sometimes have; such as believing or seeing a small pond as an ocean.

There were something left unexplained, which can be frustrating, but I think it was supposed to kind of leave it up to the reader to fill in the blanks. It definitely has a witchy vibe about it, but nothing is really, fully explained, so don't be surprised if you find yourself lost every once in a while, cause I did.

It's magical, dark, mysterious, and hauntingly beautiful. I'll definitely be sure to put more of Gaiman's books on my infinite to-read list.

There’s something about literary classics that just make the story and the characters seem so real.

As I get more used the the classic writing style, I find myself enjoying more and more of Jane Austen’s novels.

Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters as they experience woes and heartbreaks, scandals and secrets. It sounds like something out of a high school manual, but this book is far from that. Even though the scandal and drama is most certainly there. Jane Austen has a crafted a story that draws you in, but I would be lying if I said I understood what was happening 100 percent of the time. Because I definitely got lost along the way a few times.

Because I was a bit lost at times, I decided to check out the movie from my local library and watch it to help clarify a few things for me. And I usually never do that. I never watch a movie before I read the book, but in this case, I had to. Especially because Alan Rickman played Colonel Brandon and c’mon, you can’t just pass up Alan Rickman.

The movie definitely helped me clarify who was who and what scandal and story belonged to which character.

After that, I pretty much read the crap out of this book, because the story was so intriguing and so real that I just had to read it. There were twists that I never would have expected in a story like this, but I’m not used to classics.

If you’ve ever been interested in reading classics, I definitely suggest any Jane Austen book (even though I’ve only read this one and Pride & Prejudice, which is just as phenomenal).

As members of the yearbook committee, Nick, Zola, Matt, and Christina are eager to capture all the memorable moments of their junior year at Lewis and Clark High School—the plays and football games, dances and fund-drives, teachers and classes that are the epicenter of their teenage lives. But how do you document a horrific tragedy—a deadly school shooting by a classmate?


It’s October 8, 2003 when loner, Caleb Raynor, enters Lewis and Clark High School in a suburb of St. Louis and kills 35 people, including the principal, librarian, janitor, and 28 students.


I’ve read books about school shootings in the past, but this one was extremely different. It was interesting too, because it is based more in the St. Louis area, and all of the areas around that I’m familiar with and it was interesting to read it with that perspective.


The story follows the four students as they try to process how they feel and what exactly happened at Lewis and Clark High School and figure out a way to document their junior year in their yearbook.


The reason this book is so different from others about school shootings is this one doesn’t really focus on the shooting itself. It doesn’t take place during or even before the shooting, nor does it focus on the shooter. What I really enjoyed about this book is how the author centered the story around these four teenagers after the shooting took place as they tried to piece together what their lives are now.


Each student represents a different experience as well as different high school issues that usually occur during those years, whether it be sex, friendship, or being gay. The author did a really good job with representing those issues while also developing the characters and how they dealt with the aftermath of the school shooting.


Onto the part I didn’t particularly enjoy. A few days after the shooting the home of one of the victims burns to ashes, killing the parents inside. goes up in flames, killing her parents inside. A few days after that, there’s another fire, which is later followed by another. Now the four students are faced with even more tragedy they don’t understand.


I disliked the part of the fires. I think the book would have been phenomenal without that added to it. I feel like it took away from what the students were feeling and how they coped after the shooting. I will say it was an interesting twist, but the story would have held its own without it.


Overall, I enjoyed the story and the characters were well done and I found myself caring for them and hoping they would find some kind of peace in their lives.

This story takes place four years after the first book Calmer Girls. At first, the story is a little bit difficult to follow, because I didn't read the first one, but it became easier to understand as the story went on.

While at times ominous, this book had a really compelling story line as well as characters that were relatable.

Veronica and her sister Samantha are still repairing their relationship after Samantha dated Veronica's boyfriend who ended up being the father of her sister's baby. Veronica still holds on to some of that anger from years before.

Samantha is now dating a new guy, Kalen, who she knew from years before, a musician, swoon-worthy, and completely in love with Samantha. But she soon finds that the warnings Veronica gave her beforehand are ones she should have listened to, because Kalen is harboring a secret.

It wasn't too difficult to guess what that secret was, but the way the author handled it was well done. The author also handles alcohol abuse, drugs, custody battles, and that of a semi-broken relationship really well. She tackles these issues and makes them really realistic.

This book was a quick read for me, because the story was compelling and I really liked the character development that blossoms throughout the story.

The ending was really unexpected and I liked the twist the author added into the story. It gave it more of a mystery factor.

I'm definitely going to go back to read the first one to really understand the history behind the sisters and their family.

I recommend this for anyone looking for a quick, interesting YA read.

Star Rating: Every star in the freaking galaxy.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can’t turn off.

Seriously, this is one of the BEST books I have read in a really long time. I mean, phenomenal. The story line was so unique and the main character was a very different, but a very strong female lead and I absolutely loved her from the beginning.

Samantha is obviously different from the other girls in high school, because she struggles with her OCD. I will be the first to admit that I don’t know a lot about OCD, but I do know that it can be extremely difficult and even debilitating to live with. And a lot of people don’t know how serious OCD can be and just how many different forms of OCD there actually are.

Purely-Obsessional OCD is a form of OCD that takes place in the mind and the obsessions are hidden in the thoughts and small actions of the person. And that’s something Samantha has struggled with throughout her life and no one besides her family knows about her OCD.

She meets a girl, Caroline, in the theater and what she shows Samantha what is hidden behind a secret door, Samantha’s life is changed forever.

I adored this story from start to finish and even though the ending was completely unexpected, I loved the way the author had Samantha react and how she worked even more through her issues and working with her OCD rather than against it.

I recommend this to anyone. Anyone who wants a good book to read; anyone who wants to learn more about this form of OCD; anyone and everyone should read this book.

I’ll definitely be looking into other books by this author.

Anyone who is a fan of Fixer Upper knows who Chip and Joanna Gains are. Anyone a fan of home decor or renovation knows who they are. By this time, the whole world probably knows who this quirky, unique and all around down to earth couple is.

Like a majority of the population, I became a huge fan of Fixer Upper early on. I loved the authenticity Chip and Joanna showed and just who they were as people. They weren't afraid of being who they were in front of the cameras and they weren't afraid to do what was necessary to follow their dreams even if that meant taking a leap of faith or doing something a bit scary.

This book is just that. They take the reader on the journey of their crazy, sometimes scary, and a lot of the time, inspiring lives. I loved learning even more about them and who they were before Magnolia and who they were before they met each other.

It's amazing to see the way their stories unfolded and later on their story together. The difficulties they went through to get to the point they're at now were really surprising to me, because a lot of the time, you see people making a lot of success and think it came easy to them, because it looks that way.

It wasn't easy for them. They had a lot of setbacks. And that was something that made them even more real and authentic. I just loved learning about how they got to where they are today and if you want to be inspired, read this book. Better yet, listen to it. I listened to the audio book, which they narrate and it was funny, quirky, and all around just who they are.

There is one thing that really stuck with me after reading and I have a feeling it will continue to stick with me for a long time. In our lives, we tend to get stuck in thinking that we won't be happy until we reach a certain point. Joanna touches on this a lot in the book. Always waiting to make something perfect, so you can finally be happy, but by the end you realize, you forget to appreciate and live in the mess along the way. And you can feel stuck. But if you choose to thrive on the way,  you become happier and you become a better version of yourself.

Instead of choosing to live in the future, live in the mess and choose to thrive.