Last week I celebrated a decade of blogging and wanted to send a box of goodies to one lucky commenter. Gage chose the winner…
Jennifer T!!! I’ll send you an email or you can beat me to it and email me your address.
On the Gage front this week, he went back to school from winter break on Tuesday. Friday they cancelled school because of an ice storm. Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr. Day so no school. Tuesday he’ll go back (although we’re getting snow tomorrow night so who knows). In the last month he’ll have had three days of school. Three. Days. I love my kid. He and his dad are my world, but everyone needs to go back to their schedules (Jason has used a lot of vacation time in the last month). It is so cold and icy and snowy that finding entertainment is challenging. We’ve already been really sick this winter, so I’m trying to avoid the popular kid sick-infested areas, but Gage requested one tomorrow. We’ll see if I can keep my sanity and him healthy another day. Wish me luck!
Ten Books We Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn’t Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!) See what else bloggers are looking to read this year at the 
Every year Sheila hosts this fun event so that we can all show the book we’re starting the year reading. It was a no brainer for me. As soon as I saw the movie Wonder last month I knew that I wanted to read the book (it didn’t hurt that it was also sitting on my TBR stacks). I don’t know how much time will be devoted to reading today since hubby and kid are both home and that means family time, but I’ll see if I can carve out some time in bed this afternoon since I am still trying to conquer this bad cold that found it’s way into the house a week and a half ago. For the first time in I don’t know how many years I didn’t make it to midnight to bring in the New Year. I guess that means I’m well rested, right?
I fell in love with Ove and his collection of merry wo(men). For every trouble he caused those surrounding him, at least one blessing was given out. Ove was a man with a heart, who didn’t always play well with others. His pregnant neighbor picked him up and kept him moving until, finally, he embraced the loving circle that surrounded him.
There is history, romance, and a perfect sense of place in all Kearsley books. Julia was sure she’d found her house and she packed up and moved from London to a small English village without a second thought. She was a children’s book illustrator and was able to make a few friends right away just as she was being transported back in time. It’s tricky when you are going back and forth between time periods and characters. Inevitably, you are drawn more to one story than the other. This one did a great job of tying the two together so I was invested in both.
Abused by her father and then her husband, Celie relied on the love of her sister to get her through. When Nellie goes away and Celie doesn’t hear from her she begins writing letters to God. When her husband brings home his mistress to live with them, Celie finally starts to see herself in a new light. This is not an easy read. It’s emotional, sexually explicit and might wake you up in ways that you don’t like. Celie’s perseverance gives a voice to all the women who experience abuse and still manage to stay on their feet. It exceeded expectations and now I’m anxious to get my hands on the movie. Set in 1930’s Georgia it’s still relevant and addictingly readable.
Jane was a true survivor. This fictional book, spanning her 110 year life really comes full circle in the end and I would have been happy to spend another 110 with Jane. Jane was a little girl of 10 or 11 when Lincoln freed the slaves and she left her plantation with a small group hoping to walk their way north from Louisiana. When something bad happens Jane is left in charge of 3 year old Ned and she must rely on her wits to keep them safe and free. She eventually comes to raise him like her own son and find both happiness and heartache, never leaving her beloved Louisiana. Jane is a warrior, a realist, and a trailblazer.
Shaker Heights is a real place and I love it. Ng chose to show the Shaker that she grew up in and I think it’s fair, and even though it has changed over the years it does still remain a progressive hotspot with old mansions lining picturesque streets. The Richardson family embodies this perfectly. I understood and felt for every one of the characters and even when I didn’t like them I understood them. The story centers around not only the fight over a baby left at a fire station by a distraught mother but also the mysterious Mia. So many layers to this story and they were all connected by mothers. I loved this book because it is overflowing with gray area..png)
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This was my 20th selection for the 
Stacy's Books 