Heaven is for Real

Heaven is for Real

By Todd Burpo

4 hours and 16 minutes listening time

Grade D+

Someone posted on one of my online discussion boards and how it was a great book. They mentioned about how one part moved them to tears and that everyone should read it. On impulse, I got the audio and tried it, thinking four hours is not much of an investment. My opinion? Eh.

In this book the author's son had a short encounter with death and months after his surgery, he started telling his parents about how while in surgery, he visited with Jesus. Now, we are not religious in our household. At all. I am not saying anything against people who are, just in our house, we aren't.

As much of a good story as this book *could* have been, it was just eh. And the reason for me was because it was just so damn preachy. It seemed that for every sentence there was, there was another sentence that quoted the bible. For people who like this kind of stuff, more power to you, but for me it was slightly annoying.

The reason I picked this book up was because someone had said that in part of this book, the little boy meets his unborn older sister. His mother had a miscarriage a few years prior to him being born, however the parents had never discussed this with the boy. But when he went to heaven, he meets his sister. The parents then ask him what her name was and he tells them that she didn't have a name because they didn't name her. I thought that part was going to be the "WOW" moment for me because I have had two miscarriages and didn't really name either of them, but the moment was over before I even grasped the umph moment.

So, even though I don't really subscribe to this kind of thing, I might go through and name my unborn children, because there is always that "just in case" feeling, but other than that....this book was just not my cup of tea.

The Truth About Forever

The Truth About Forever

By Sarah Dessen

12 hours and 14 minutes listening time

Grade A+

I read this book last July, and just felt this buzz to read it again. I think I loved it more this time than I did the first time. I have read almost all of Sarah's books, and I haven't read one that haven't liked yet.

My original review is here, so I don't want to go and repeat everything I said last year because none of it has actually changed. Just take this with you, I love Sarah Dessen, but I don't think she loves me because she won't retweet me, and I have tweeted her like 4 times. Oh well....guess maybe one day she will....

Sing You Home

Sing You Home

Jodi Picoult

17 hours 26 minutes listening time

Grade A

I finished this book about three weeks ago, but I have been stewing on it so I couldn't write about it. I have never had a book make me feel so many emotions before ever. I spent the first 1 hour of the book, bawling. I spent the next part of the book sad. Then I was happy and frustrated. After that, I was ANGRY and PISSED, and wanting to punch a couple characters in their stupid faces. I think I was scared for a minute then I was angry AGAIN. Right when I didn't think I would take anymore, it ended, and I was crying, again.

With a minimal amount of spoilers here is the run down, main characters suffer multiple losses, and then have a still born at 28 weeks, breaking their marriage, where only weeks after the still birth, the husband leaves the marriage. Wife ends up meeting up with a friend and spends all her time with this women, husband moves in with crazy Christian brother and sister in law. Wife then decides she wants to try for another baby and remembers there are frozen embryo in a fertility bank, husband decides he then wants them to give to his brother and sister in law since they are also having fertility problems.

There is so much more to it but I don't want to give away too much. All I know, is that you will need tissues. I didn't think I would be able to finish it in places, but the story attacked me in the first few minutes and wouldn't let go until I was done. I won't lie either, but I listened to the ending of the audio book probably 4 times just because I just wanted to live it again.

In summary, this book was amazing.

My recent books

So I have a few books to review, but a couple of them have been a little emotional for me, and I am still stewing on them. Soon, this weekend perhaps.

On my 30X30 goal, I started this goal at the starting weight of....ugh.....176. there I said it. The pictures I took were lost when my phone recently crashed, I will have my husband retake them this weekend seeing as I haven't lost any weight yet, but I am in a lot of pain thanks to my friend that is helping me at the gym. I am pretty sure every single muscle of mine hurts right now.

Going off in another direction, I started on my book again. I have been doing almost nothing else but writing. I have been dreaming about my characters, and as a matter of fact, I had to reconstruct part of my story line because thinking about what I was going to write, I almost started to cry. So I have a lot to rewrite now, but at least I will be more comfortable.

I am slacking in the books and reviews this year, but I plan on kicking it up a notch here soon. I started a new position at work, and I will be able to pick up my audio books again, and I am in the middle of like 4 books in print, and will be finishing most of those in the next couple of weekends.

Well there you have it. At least for now.