Furiously Happy (Part Two)

Meet the Family, Dan, Nicole, Lady Katherine
and Lord Destructor the Untamable (aka Gizmo)

I realize if you've been following our blog you've already read a review of Furiously Happy and have probably already added it to your reading list because Meg spoke so highly of it.  However, if you somehow missed putting it on hold at your local library or purchasing it I would recommend doing so now. Don't worry.  I'll wait.

Good.  Now that you've got a copy heading toward you in some manner I'll just tell you what makes this book so amazing.  Jenny Lawson has mental illness and blogs about her life. In reading this she has helped me to laugh at a lot of the things I find myself struggling with some days, and to maybe feel a little less crazy.  Perhaps one thing it does do is help me appreciate my husband a little more, who has no problem that Gizmo has not one, but two theme songs (Lady Katherine is harder to get a good rhythm and rhyming for, but I'm working on it, it's a work in progress).

While I don't own a koala costume to cuddle koalas in Australia, I honestly don't see any problem with the desire to look like a koala and cuddle a koala at the same time.  Similarly I don't have any taxidermized animals to talk to or have sneak over Dan's shoulder as he's on a video call with someone, but again, I wouldn't be surprised if I would do such things.

Near the end of the book Lawson is getting ready to go out and her husband tells her she looks okay, not good, but okay.  So she decides she must change her clothes because Victor, her husband, was not paying her a compliment by saying she looked okay.  He responds by saying he likes her skin because it keeps her organs from falling on the carpet.  I cannot tell you how hard I laughed at this line and how quickly I snapped a picture of the page to send to Dan.  He once told me that he liked my green shirt because green is like grass and my hair is brown like dirt so I look like earth, I wouldn't be surprised if this had come from his mouth.

As Meg pointed out in her review months ago, Lawson is wonderful to read and captures the essence of living with anxiety for the "normals" out there.

Eight Hundred Grapes

Synchronize (verb) "to occur at the same time or coincide or agree in time" (Online Etymology Dictionary).

Much of our lives are left to chance, in spite of perfect planning one cannot prepare for the weather, the actions of another, and as I learned while reading this book, the making of wine. We cannot control the rain or the weather, just as we cannot control the actions of others.

In Eight Hundred Grapes Georgia is one week away from her wedding that is set to take place at her parents' vineyard.  She finds her fiancee is keeping the knowledge of a daughter from her as well as meetings with his ex-wife.  She realizes this as she is trying on her wedding dress and flees the city, heading home.

Upon returning home she finds her family is also struggling in their relationships and realizes the importance of home and family.  Weeks have passed since I read this book and I'm still thinking about it, still wanting to try putting chocolate in lasagna and to enjoy (just one more) glass of wine.

In short, read this book, especially if you have a love of wine, it will probably help increase that love.


synchronize. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved December 22, 2015 from Dictionary.com website http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/synchronize

Me Before You & After You

You know those books that truly piss you off when you finish it? Me Before You was one that truly made me angry.  When I heard there was a sequel coming out (After You), I had decided there was no way I would read it, as I was still too upset about the ending from the first. For some reason I decided to put it on hold, despite not wanting to read it (perhaps it was because I enjoyed the first so much) and read it over the last two days. Once again my heart was broken, filled with hope, and longing.

The series follows the life of Louisa Clark, a quirky late twenties who lives with her parents. She gets a job as a helper to Will Traynor, a quadriplegic who used to do everything and now he can’t even get dressed or feed himself. Will gave up on living and Lou took it upon herself to determine how best to change his mind. Even though it has been over a year since I read the first novel I couldn’t help but miss these wonderful characters.  Despite Will’s constant complaining about his inability to do anything and his want to end his life and Lou’s constant need to take care of everyone else I couldn’t help but love these characters.  

For fear of ruining the story I won’t share anymore details but I do highly encourage everyone to read this book.  If you talk to Meg (or Paige Turner, whatever it is she is going by these days) don’t listen to what she has to say about it.  She had a difficult time getting into it, though I would imagine if she was in the right mood she would love it too.