Bookmobile!

Did you guys have the bookmobile growing up???  I used to love to climb on that big old bus and find new books (or the same old ones again).  We have the bookmobile in our neighborhood, but I am not sure of the schedule....so we just go to the boring old library.  BUT someday I want Emersyn to walk up on the Mobile Bus filled with goodness and be amazed.  Anyway...I love the library (although it is not as adventursome as the Bookmobile) and have found a few good reads lately.

First off, SOMETHING BORROWED by Emily Giffin. 

 I will just preface this by saying this one was probably pushing the PG13 radar.  If you don't mind some adult language mixed with a lot of adult content....than no worries.  IF you do mind...than not for you.  Anyway....this one was hard for me to read.  I am sure you are familiar with the premiss because it is now a very popular movie.  There are 2 best friends (like the kind who have been best friends for their whole life).  One is the hot popular friend who is REALLY NOT THAT NICE.  The other is the nice cute sweet friend who gets trampled on by the mean girl.  Anyway....long story short...nice girl starts having an affair with mean girls FIANCE.  I know that is so NOT COOL!!!  My problem with this book is that I have a moral issue with cheating, so I didn't know who to root for.  I was also not sure if the fiance was using the nice girl or if they REALLY loved each other.  It was all just a little creepy to me.  Sneaking, lies, cheating...not my thing.  I thought it was well written and the author is funny.  AND I for sure understood the good friend/bad friend relationship, but I had a hard time getting past the whole CHEATING with an almost married man thing.  Yep....that is that. 

Next, NOWHERE CAROLINA by Tamara Leigh.  I recently found out this is a number 2 in a group of books, the first one being LEAVING CAROLINA.  I did not read the first (but I am now) and it doesn't seem to matter what order they go in.  Just some of the same characters.  Anyway...this one cracked me up...BIG TIME!!!!  If I wrote a book (which is right up there on my bucket list), I would write like Tamara Leigh.  FUNNY LADY!!!!  This book was about Maggie, who used to be the cool girl, head cheerleader, not nice, high school dream girl.  NOW she is a much changed and grown up mother of a 12 year old.  The problem....she is not sure which of 3 men is DADDY to her daughter.  She had a rough couple days I guess you could say.  She is now living a good Christian life and has changed her ways, but her daughter is getting teased for  the fact that her mom doesn't know who....well you know.  SOOO she goes on a quest to find out which of the 3 is the winner.  To add flames to the fire, one of the daddy contenders moves back to town.  He is the one she hopes is the winner and who she actually had feelings for (and still does), but she begins to lie and sneak around and freak everyone out.  GREAT FUNNY BOOK!!!   My favorite 2 parts of the book...1. Maggie has a word of the day calendar and tries to fit the word of the day into her DAILY conversations....pretty funny for the English teacher still hiding inside me.  AND 2. They way Maggie prays.  Sometimes she mutters a prayer like..."oh crap God please don't let my daughter find out I was a big fat floozy."  Cracked me up....although I am sure it is very improper:)  

 Finally, THE GIRL IN THE GATEHOUSE by Julie Klassen. 

This book reminded me of a classic British novel...like Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice.  It was set back in the day and ALL about proper and improper.  Mariah (the main character) had been sent to live in her aunt's gatehouse because of an indiscretion that has caused her to be shunned by society ( you have to read it to find out what naughty thing she did).  Her aunt dies and she is forced to try to earn some money to pay her rent, so she decides to sell some of her novels (did I mention she was an author???).  Since novel writing was about as bad as prostitution back in the day, she tries to keep it all a secret and writes under a pseudonym.  Of course the new tenant in the main house is a hunky man...thus the necessary love interest...but he is trying to show his OLD love that he has moved up in society and is in fact equal to her family so they can be married.  It is an interesting story about right and wrong and lost and found reputations.  Nice sweet simple old fashioned book. 

AND just for fun....a children's book to add to the mix.  We read A LOT of kid's books over here and LET'S BE HONEST....SOME suck.  BUT when you find a good one....it is REALLY GOOD and should be shared.  I loved this one.   BIG WORDS FOR LITTLE PEOPLE by Jamie Lee Curtis (yep the Activia lady).

I love making little kids smarter....because then they will be smart BIG kids.  This book uses big words and makes them cute and fun.  Now Emersyn likes to add those words in to her life sometimes...not always correctly, but at least we try.  Who doesn't wanna hear their 3 year old say INTELLIGENCE in a sentence???  LOVE IT!!!!

HAPPY READING:)