Tune in Tuesdays (29) - Book Playlists Edition - Where She Went

This meme is hosted by Ginger at GReads and music. Each week you can post an old or new song so that it gains more interest! So head on over and link up.

Continuing with the Book Playlists I wanna share another song, Tennessee Line by Daugthry. This one is special for me because it was actually one of the first Tune in Tuesdays Posts I ever saw and it always reminded me of Where She Went by Gayle Forman - probably because I was reading it at the time. 

Also, there are certain lines - like when he says "This cannot end tonight" and where he talks about letting go off all the bad calls he ever mad, asking to be shown the way to right his wrongs - that always makes me think of Adam. 

So, what song plays for you?

Coming Soon: Froi of the Exiles

Hi guys!

So, late last year I got a chance to read Melina Marchetta's Froi of the Exiles and I loved it. I usually love Melina's books, that's true, but Froi was such a departure for me as I'm not really a fantasy kind of girl, but it's one of my favorite books ever.

Since the book is coming out this Tuesday, March 13th - and I reviewed it back in December - I wanted to share my review of the book once more. So, click the link bellow.

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta.

And all I got to add is that you should read it because it's made of all things heartbreaking but awesome!

At the Movies: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Oskar Schell is an awkward and vaguely anti-social kid, who adores his father and loves going around New York City in the adventures and quests his father, Thomas, plans for him.  

But after the September 11 attacks, his life changes completely as his father, Thomas, was in the Towers when it happened and died as a result. Always closer to his father than to his mother, Oskar is left in shock, more afraid than ever.

Then he finds a key in his father's closet and is convinced it's part of one of the quests his father used to send him on, so Oskar becomes obsessed with finding the lock that fits the key, thinking it will bring him answers and closure. 

He designs a plan and gets help from an elderly man renting a room in Oskar's grandmother's house. The Boarder doesn't speak - hasn't for years -but maybe that's why Oskar feels like he can talk to him and tell him his secrets. 

I went to see this movie expecting I would like it, I had heard that it was good, but I'm sad to say I didn't like it.  I found the kid, Oskar - played by Thomas Horn - to be incredibly annoying and I failed at connecting with him 100%. He was just plain unlikable. 

The story itself wasn't bad, and I would have probably cried like a baby had the central character been more likable, because it was pretty heartbreaking and I thought the grown ups were very good playing their parts. 

As it is, I give Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close a C- 

Book Review: The Cowboy Tutor by Linda Ford

The Deal: Madge Morgan has been struggling to support her family ever since her father died. She does this mostly by taking in other people's laundry, but in the years following the big depression of 1929, few people have enough money to pay for such services and she's struggling to pay the mortgage.

She doesn't need distractions, but these come in the form of Justin, a young man Mrs. Morgan hires to be Madge's sister Louisa's tutor - and if all goes well, her suitor as well. Justin is well edqcated and Madge finds him charming, but she also thinks he belongs to her sister so the attraction she feels toward him makes her feel uncomfortable.

Plus, Justin isn't exactly who he pretends to be, his real name is Judd Kirk and he's a cowboy, brought to town to find a man who stole his mother's money. The job with the Morgans allows him to keep an eye on the house this man is said to be renting - a house Madge has access to - and being close to Madge doesn't hurt either.

My Thoughts: I wanted to like The Cowboy Tutor, I really did. It's set in Canada and I love all things Canada, but sadly the book came off as very generic and it could have been any town anywhere - in fact I only realized it was Canada when I went to check the year the story was set on (1932).

The writing was okay, but a little flat sometimes I just felt like I was reading and reading but getting nowhere. I liked Madge and Justin well enough but they weren't that memorable in the great scheme of things.

And I have to say that, other than the youngest sister, Sally, I didn't like any of the background characters. At some point Mrs. Morgan claims to be able to take care of her own family but this is the woman who took money out of the mortgage payment to put an unnecessary add in the paper. How does that make sense?

Over all, I don't see myself seeking this author again, though there is nothing overly wrong with tha story or writing, we just never clicked.

Book Review: The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

At First Sight: Shay Brandenberger has her own share of problems - like struggling to keep her family's ranch afloat and raising her 12 year old daughter on practically no money - and she doesn't need the worst mistake of her past coming back to haunt her. 

But that's exactly what happens when rodeo star, Travis McCoy comes back to their hometown, Moose Creek, Montana, to take care of his parents' ranch. 

Back when they were 18, Shay and Travis had eloped, but then Travis left her standing at the courthouse steps and ran off to Texas. It took Shay years to live down the humiliation, and she doesn't want to stir the collective memory, particularly now that's she's divorced and her ex died recently. 

But fate isn't on her side when she's asked to play the part of The Bride in the town's Founder's Day reenactment, and Travis is chosen to play the part of The Groom. And when their long-lost marriage licence gets mixed into the whole thing? Well, Shay and Travis end up accidentally married. 

Shay is angry, but Travis sees it as his one and only chance to make things right between him and Shay. He has always known leaving her like that was a mistake and, for a long time, he thought he had lost her forever. So now that he has Shay within his reach again, he's not letting go. So he comes up with a proposition: If Shay gives him a chance and stays married to him for 5 months, he'll help her run the ranch and keep things afloat. 

Second Glance: I don't know what drew me to The Accidental Bride but I ended enjoying it a lot. I liked Shay and Travis and how they had to work through their issues together. It made sense to me that Shay was resentful and mistrustful because he had hurt her and betrayed her trust before -  I did feel she let it go a little too long, but over all, it made sense. 

Travis learned the hard way that what he had lost wasn't coming back just because he wished it, but he was ready to be patient and work at it. He was, over all, a good guy who had moment of cowardice that made him lose the person he loved the most. 

I also liked Shay's daughter Olivia, she sometimes sounded a little young, but over all was a hard-working girl and loved her mom. And the town's people were very nice, I liked Shay's best friend and her husband and child, and Miss Lucy, an elderly woman who likes to play cupid. 

Now, I did feel like the whole Christian aspect of the book became a little heavy-handed in the last quarter of the book. And that Shay sometimes just complicated things for herself with her reluctance to talk to Travis and get things out in the open. And Travis sort of did the same too, and was reluctant to talk about some things with Shay. 

Also, even though Travis warns Shay about throwing money to solve Olivia's problems, he kind of is the king of throwing money to solve Shay's problems and win her back. 

Bottom Line: All in all, The Accidental Bride was a very fun read. It's the second book in the Big Sky Romance series but it can be read on it's own without trouble.

Favorite Quote“It was just a regular, old run-of-the-mill kiss.” 
“I’d like to run that mill awhile.” 
Shay tilted her head. “You’re practically a newlywed. I’m sure your mill’s just fine.”  - Shay and Abigail
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