Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

During our Honeymoon, the husband and I made a brief stop in London. While there, I knew I wanted to get to a Boots to try some beauty products I had heard about. I watch a lot of British beauty bloggers so I had a short list of things I wanted to try. Number one on my list was the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. It costs about 4 pounds or about $5.75 and is absolutely raved about by everyone as a Holy Grail product. Considering I spend about $25 on my Estee Lauder concealer (which I love) I was excited to try such an inexpensive alternative.

Unfortunately, due to short amount of time I wasn’t able to make it to an actual Boots story, like I wanted to. So I hit up the one at the airport. From what I saw, this concealer came in 3 different shades. I was the darkest shade in Warm Medium. I debated getting Cool Medium which had pinker undertones, but I think overall my skin is closer to the warm with the yellower undertones. I think it’s nice that they have options of two different types of medium. I also loved that I was able to swatch the different shades in the drug store which you can’t do in the US.

Let me start off by saying that this concealer is seriously impressive for the price (even though the packaging is not.). I completely understand why people love it and rave about it and keep one on hand at all times. However, I do have some issues with it which I will explain.

I think this concealer is almost an exact dupe for the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. If you are a fan of the NARS concealer and have a chance to try this one out, I would highly recommend you pick this up. While I think this is a major pro, at the same time, for me it was a con. I have dry skin and often have psoriasis patches on my face which I like to cover up with concealer. Because of this, I need a very creamy concealer with almost a wet consistency. That is why I didn’t end up loving the NARS concealer. It was too dry for me and would often cling to my dry patches.

I love this concealer for my spots though! I think that it is great with its staying power and coverage. Especially considering it’s so inexpensive! Next time I’m in London (this summer!) I will definitely pick up a few for the future.

I don’t think it’s a great all around concealer though. It’s a little dry for the under eye, and like I said, it does cling to dry patches. I was so excited I was able to try this concealer out and it will definitely stay in my bag. I might finally become a girl who uses two separate concealers since I like how well this covers (and continues to cover) my pimples and dark spots. I don’t know if it lasts for 16 hours like it claims, but it definitely lasts through a work day! 
 

The Enchantress Returns (Land of Stories 2)

By: Chris Colfer
Published Year: 2013
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 517

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): After decades of hiding, the evil Enchantress who cursed Sleeping Beauty is back with a vengeance.

Alex and Conner Bailey have not been back to the magical Land of Stories since their adventures in The Wishing Spell ended. But one night, they learn the famed Enchantress has kidnapped their mother! Against the will of their grandmother, the twins must find their own way into the Land of Stories to rescue their mother and save the fairy tale world from the greatest threat it's ever faced.

                                                              First Impressions

After reading and enjoying the first one, I had some high expectations for this book. I was excited to read more about the Land of Stories, the fairy tale characters, and of course Alex and Connor. The cover is appealing, but I wouldn’t look too much at it and the details. I found that some of the smaller details almost spoiled a bit of the story for me.

                                                               What I thought

This yet another solid book in this series. I loved the characters as much in this story as I did in the first one. It did move a little slower than the first, but it picked up in the end and I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book picks up about a year after the first one ended. Connor and Alex have not been back to the Land of Stories since and haven’t heard from their grandmother. In the Land of Stories, you find out that The Enchantress, the one who cursed Sleeping Beauty, is back and up to no good. Alex and Connor’s mother then disappears and no one will tell them what happened to her or where she is. When they find out that she’s been taken to the fairy tale world, they find their own way back to try to save them. The story follows Alex and Connor as they try to save both their mother and the fairy tale word.

There are a bunch of new characters in this book that are each more wonderful than the last. Mother Goose was my personal favorite and I hope to see more of her in the future. The beginning of the book moved quickly, until Alex and Connor found themselves back in the fairy tale world. Once they began their quest, it all moved a little slow for my tastes. I think that’s partly because it seems like it’s step after step in the quest with nothing in between. I would’ve preferred if it had been broken up more with more from the Enchantress. There was one part from the perspective of the Enchantress and that was it. I would’ve enjoyed more from her point of view.
 

This book was a solid sequel to a very enjoyable story. I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first book, but I am still excited to continue the series and see what else is in store for Alex and Connor. I'm also looking forward to meeting more characters. If you enjoy fairy tale retellings I would definitely recommend checking out this series. I don't think it's gotten much love from older readers, but it is still very enjoyable as an adult and I can imagine it being magical for young readers. 

Goals of 2016

I am not typically one for New Year’s Resolutions. I like the idea that the new year means a fresh start, but I feel like you can make goals throughout the year and not just on the first. However, I do have a few things that I thought I would like to accomplish on the blog/with blog related things.

Books

My Goodreads goal for 2016 is 80 books. Last year my goal was 75 and I read a little over 90. I’m a little nervous about my goal because I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, but hopefully that will pick back up. I always tend to be a little slower in the winter with my reading, so here’s hoping that’s all that this is.

Book challenges. I am participating in the Debut Author Challenge again this year, and hopefully I will do better with it this year than I did last year. I participated really well until about August and then just dropped off. I also want to participate in a re-read challenge. I’m hoping to re-read Harry Potter this year, but I say this a lot so we will see how it goes. I have also looked into a few other challenges, but haven’t officially signed up for anything else. If I do, I will update you!

Beauty

Skin Care Routine. I feel like for a while, my skin was looking great and lately it is kind of looking blah again. Since I am in my late 20s, I’d really like to get a solid skin care routine under control. While I’m great with putting on serum and moisturizer every day, I’m terrible about washing my face.  I think that’s my biggest goal for 2016. I can’t currently think of anything else I’d like to work on.

Buys

Budget. Since I am planning on traveling this year, I’d really like to be better about making a monthly spending budget and sticking to it. I do save my money but I’ve never made a set budget for buying clothes and beauty products. J’s Everyday Fashion often writes posts about budgeting and it has really inspired me to try her method budgeting. Hopefully this will help me from not spending a lot of money on unnecessary things so that I can afford my trip and afford fun things on my trip.

Blogging

Update the blog. I feel like the blog has gotten a little stale. I’m hoping (once I get time) to update the look of the blog and maybe play around with how I review some of my books. I’m also hoping that by doing this, I can increase my readership a little bit. I’d love to have more readers!

Consistency. I am hoping to get back into being more consistent on my blog posts. I was really good at posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the beginning, but then with the wedding and the honeymoon I got really behind. I’m hoping that over the next month I will get back into the habit of blogging and regular posts.

                                                 Do you have any resolutions?
 

Birchbox December 2015

In case you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box. It costs $10 a month and you receive multiple sample size item. These boxes allow you to try tons of new products that you may have never even heard of before. The other fun thing about Birchbox is that every time you purchase an item from their site, or review a product from your box, you receive rewards points! Once you collect 100 points, you get $10 off of your next purchase. These points definitely add up quickly between buying your box, and reviewing the products.

Each month, Birchbox allows subscribers to pick one of their samples. If you prefer surprises, you don’t have to pick one. You can choose to be surprised instead. They also offer full boxes that have been made by a guest. This month’s guest editor box was a Winter Essentials box. The sample choice this month was a the Coastal Scents Eyeshadow in 3 different color pairs. The color choices were green and gold, champagne and a pinky/red, and a dark silver with black. You could also choose a volumizing spray. 

The Products I received this month were as follows:
 

(MALIN + GOETZ) Clarifying Clay mask (Full-size $48)- This is an exfoliating clay mask that claims to treat blemishes and oiliness. I don’t have oily skin, but I do get blemishes. I love masks and am always up for trying a new one. I’m looking forward to try it! Maybe I’ll bring it along on the honeymoon in case I get pimples that pop up.

Christian Siriano Silhouette Eau de Parfum (Full-size $22-$92)- The notes of the perfume are described as cassis, wet greens, purple berries, jasmine, rose, and freesia with base notes of woods and moss. I really like the smell of this fragrance. It smells very similar to the Sensual Amber fragrance from Bath and Body works which I love. I would definitely pick this up if it was less expensive, especially since the bottle looks so pretty! The staying power isn’t great, granted I can’t 100% judge that based off of a sample.

Gorge I’ll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray (Full-size $29.95)- This is a leave in conditioning spray that uses lime, green tea, and quinoa, to hydrate, add shine, reduce oil, and protect hair. It doesn’t smell too bad, but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. It will be interesting to see how it does. I’ve learned that with curly hair leave in conditioning creams tend to work more effectively than leave in conditioning sprays. I’m excited to try it though!  

Coastal Scents styleEYES Eyeshadow Palette- SocialEYEs (Full-size $12)- This was the sample choice for this month’s box. I picked the green and gold for Christmas. I love gold shadows and don’t currently own a green like this one. I receivedCoastal Scents sample in a previous box and I really love their shadows. They’re smooth, pigmented, and have decent staying power. They’re also very inexpensive which is great! The gold is just what I expected from this brand. The green is a little iffy. I found that I needed to really rub my finger in it a few times to get a smooth color pay off. Otherwise it was little patchy. I’m hoping to use it as an eye liner (probably under the eye), so I’m hoping that it works well for that.
 

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in Forevr Peach (Full-size $25)- As stated, this is a lip and cheek stain and it is meant to adjust to your skin for a custom color. I was a little nervous trying this product because I have received two lip and cheek stains in previous boxes. One worked great on the cheeks but not on the lips, the other was great on the lips and not on the cheeks. I was a little put off when I took it out of the box and swatched it on the back of my hand. It was very orange. However, I gave it a chance and put it on both my lips and cheeks and loved it! It turned into a very beautiful peachy pink color that I really like. It’s very natural and very smooth. It was kind of fun watching it change as I put it on. It went on a little orange but then changed to pink. It is the most moisturizing cheek and lip stain I have ever tried and I’m definitely a fan!
 

Nude Lips

Overall this is a great box! I really enjoyed everything in it and the things I haven’t tried I’m very excited about.

November Birchbox Update

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo- This dry shampoo is the whitest one I have ever used. I went to use it once and it looked like I put talcum powder on my hair. I also don’t like that you’re supposed to leave it on for 30 minutes, then brush it through. I can’t dry brush my curly hair. It would be a disaster. This product is a definite fail.

Temple Spa La La Lagoon Aromatic Bath & Shower Gel- I still haven’t tried this one, but it will get brought on the honeymoon to try! I’m excited to use it.

Liz Earle Superskin Moisturizer- I have been using this daily and am still not sure how I feel about it. My skin does feel moisturized but I have started breaking out on my chin again which stopped while I was using the No 7 moisturizer. Now, I have had high levels of stress, so that could be a definite factor. I’ll have to see what happens when I switch to a different moisturizer.

LOC One & Done Shadow Stick- I am obsessed! This shadow stick is really nice. The color is beautiful and it is very smooth. The only issue I have is it’s not 100% crease proof. But they’re relatively inexpensive and perfect when I’m feeling lazy.

MAKE Face Gloss- I had abosultely no desire to try this product so I gave it away to a friend. It was just a miss for me.

With the exception of the shadow stick, November’s box was a miss. I was not very impressed with most of it and the only thing I would purchase would be the shadow stick.
 

2015 Reading Re-Cap!

Here is my 2015 Reading Stat Re-cap! This questionnaire was created by Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner! 

Number Of Books You Read: 97 (more than last year! woo!)
Number of Re-Reads: 10
Genre You Read The Most From: Probably YA

1.   Best Book You Read In 2015?

Before I Go By: Colleen Oakley

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
White Rose By: Amy Ewin
I loved The Jewel so much and this book just really disappointed me.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 
Finding Mr. Brightside By: Jay Clark or Wuthering Heights By: Emily Bronte 
Both in a good way!!

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Before I Go By Colleen Oakley

 5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
Series Starter- The Winner’s Curse By: Marie Rutkoski

Series Sequel- The Heir By: Kiera Cass

Series Ender- Perfect Couple By: Jennifer Echols

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Huntley Fitzpatrick! I LOVED My Life Next Door

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Here By: Richard McGuire

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Career of Evil By: Robert Galbraith

 9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Before I Go By:Colleen Oakley

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

Love, Lucy By: April Linder
There is just something about this cover that I absolutely love!
 

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Werner from All the Light We Cannot See

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

All the Light We Cannot See By: Anthony Doer

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

Before I Go By: Colleen Oakley

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

The Husband’s Secret By: Liane Moriarty

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

I don’t keep track of quotes

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

Longest: The Marvels By: Brian Selznick (665 pages)

Shortest: Ms. Marvel #1 By Willow G Wilson (32 pages)

Hah! Both books have "Marvel" in the title!

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Career of Evil By: Robert Galbraith
I didn't find myself able to predict this book. It kept me guessing which is rare

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

I don't tend to ship fictional characters to a point that I remember it after the book is over. 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

The Sisterhood from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

The Heir By: Kiera Cass

21. Best Book You Read In 2015That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Happiness for Beginners By: Katherine Center or The Start of Me and You By: Emery Lord

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

I don't tend to do fictional crushes with books. I do with movies, but books I tend to forget about the guy after I read it.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

Mosquitoland By: David Arnold

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

All the Light You Cannot See By: Anthony Doer

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Why Not Me? By: Mindy Kaling

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

Before I Go By: Colleen Oakley

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Maybe in Another Life By: Taylor Jenkins Reed

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
I don't think I read a book that crushed my soul...

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

The Marvels By: Brian Selznick

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Silent Alarm By: Jennifer Banash (Definitely not because I didn’t like it. It made me mad because of the content and how it affects real life)

1.   One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
How We Met By: Katy Regan

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
Remembrance Mediator #7 By Meg Cabot
I have been waiting 10 years for this book!

3.   2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
The Heir and the Spare By: Emily Albright

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
The Winner’s Kiss By: Marie Rutkoski

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

I hope to get back into the swing of blogging and get the chance to review more books.
 

The Husband's Secret

By: Liane Moriarty
Pubsliher: G.P Putnam's Sons
Published Year: 2013
Pages: 396

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

                                                            First Impressions

This book was on my radar for a while because it was really popular about a year or so ago. Last summer, we had the choice between reading this and What Alice Forgot for book club and went with What Alice Forgot. I was interested by the summary, but not as much as her other books. I love the cover and would definitely pick it up based just on that.

                                                             What I thought

I enjoyed this and finished it in about two days, but in comparison I would say her other book are better.

The Husband’s Secret is about a woman who finds a letter from her husband with the instructions to open it after his death, but he is still very much alive. Similarly to Moriarty’s other book, Big Little Lies (review), the book follows multiple characters with multiple story lines but that al intertwine. So not only are you following, Carissa, but you are following Tess and Rachel. While Carissa’s story line is the one that gets everything moving, Rachel really helps to move the story along.

I really enjoyed all of the characters and all of the stories. Thinking back on it, I don’t really know that Tess had much of a purpose, but I think she might have been my favorite story. She has a unique and unhealthy relationship with her cousin (they are practically twins and do everything together), that causes the breakup of her marriage. I loved reading about all of the complexities of each of her relationships as well as her inner battles.

Unfortunately, this book is a bit predictable. My husband was sitting next to me while I was reading and he said “The Husband’s secret? That could only be three things. He murdered someone, he had an affair, or both.” It was hilarious but it was spot on and in that moment (when I was max a quarter into the book), I figured out exactly what had happened and what the secret was going to be.

Now, even though it is predictable, it is still enjoyable. Moriarty does a great job of tying all the stories together in subtle ways and making the reader really care about each of the characters. I think because of that, this story became a bit long for me. I was surprised when I was close to the end to realize that this book essentially takes place over a week of time. The way that it’s written and the amount of detail there is makes it seem like the events of this book occur over a month.

There are a lot of moral complexities within this novel and I can see it making a great book club book. Would you read a letter that your husband told you not to? Once you did, what would you do with the secret? What do you think about Rachel and her grief? There are just so many layers to this story and it is really interesting. 
 

While I did enjoy this book, I would recommend What Alice Forgot and Big Little Lies before I would recommend this one. I think that Moriarty is a solid author and I will continue to read her books in the future. If you enjoy psychological mysteries, I would recommend checking this out. It was a very enjoyable read, and while a little long at times, was always interesting. I can’t see myself re-reading this and therefore can’t see myself purchasing it for my collection. 
 

Winter Stroll

By: Elin Hilderbrand
Published Year: 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Pages: 272

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Another Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn reflecting on the past year as he writes a holiday letter to friends and family. Though the year has had its share of misfortune and worry, the Quinns have much to celebrate. Kelley, now single, at least is on better terms with his first wife Margaret, who is using her celebrity to lure customers to the inn in record numbers. Their son Kevin has a beautiful new baby, Genevieve, with the Inn's French housekeeper, Isabelle; and their daughter, Ava, is finally dating a nice guy--her devoted colleague, Scott. 

Now the Quinns are looking forward to celebrating Genevieve's baptism, welcoming Isabelle to the family, and enjoying the cheer of Nantucket's traditional Christmas Stroll. But just when a peaceful family gathering seems within reach, Kelley's estranged second wife, Mitzi, shows up on the island after souring on her relationship with the inn's former Santa Claus. Soon Kelley isn't the only Quinn entertaining a surprise guest from Christmases past as lovers old and new gather beneath the mistletoe. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it's going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns--and the inn--through the holidays intact. 
        
                                                               First Impressions

Honestly, this book did not catch my eye at first. I didn’t know that it was coming out and if I did see it, it didn’t register until one of my friends told me that there was a sequel to Winter Street (review here). Once I found out that it was out there, I decided to check it out. The cover is pretty, but not nearly as eye catching as the one for Winter Street. Maybe if I had been looking for Christmas books, like I was last year, it would’ve caught my attention, but it didn’t.

                                                                What I thought

I loved the story and I loved being able to catch up with the characters I met in the previous book, but I was so mad at the ending that it almost ruined it for me!

Winter stroll picks up almost a year after Winter Street left off. Mitzi has been living with George, Ava has been dating Scott, Patrick is still in jail, Kevin and Isabelle have had a daughter, Margarete is still dating Drake, Kelley is happily running the inn, and Bart is still missing.

As with the previous novel, the story is told in alternating points of view. You get to see the story from almost everybody’s point of view at least once, with the exception of Scott and Isabelle. I would have liked to have seen the story told from their points of view at least once during critical moments in the story.

The interesting thing about these characters is that they’re not exactly likable but somehow I enjoy them anyway. I think that it’s because they are all very real people. They all have flaws, they all make mistakes and I connect to a lot of that. The only one who I still couldn’t stand was Mitzi. I mean, that woman had an affair one weekend a year for 12 years and now that she left her husband for that man, after a year she wants to come back? Come on! And the fact that Kelley seems to accept her so quickly and the rest of the family just goes along with it definitely annoyed me. In that aspect, his children are unrealistically mature.

While I did enjoy being able to see everybody’s perspective and get insight into their own stories and their own worlds, I think it was a bit too much. There was a lot that was left undeveloped. For example, Ava’s story seemed like it was going to play a really big part, but in reality it was barely touched upon. This time it was more focused on Kelley and Mitzi and how they were missing Bart.

The ending made me so mad because everything was left so unresolved! I know that in the last book, Bart was announced missing and then the book ended, but this was so much worse. In Winter Street, it still seemed like an ending to the story. The rest of the stories had been resolved (for the most part) with the exception of this news. I was ok with that. This time it seems a though Hildebrand was purposely thinking of big cliffhanger events that she could create in the last 5 pages of the story to leave the reader guessing/wanting more. I felt very manipulated and it was very frustrating.
 

The story was very enjoyable and an easy read. It isn’t all happy Christmas spirit, but neither was Winter Street. If you read and enjoyed Winter Street I would definitely recommend checking out Winter Stroll. It was fun to get to check up with the characters again and I hope that the story continues next Christmas. I can’t see myself re-reading or purchasing this book. I would recommend it if you like family stories, but not necessarily looking for a Christmas story. This is more of a story that just happens to occur around Christmas than a story where Christmas is a character.
 

Book Club December 2015

This month the book club pick was made by me. I picked All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I have been wanting to read this book for a while (since it was one of the best books of 2014) and I decided it would make for a great book club read. 
 

Publisher: Scribner
Published Year: 2014
Pages: 530

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

                                                       First Impressions

I will admit that while I was drawn to the cover (it reminded me of Light Between Oceans) I was not initially super interested in the summary. However, I kept hearing great things about the book and it continued to get amazing reviews throughout all of 2014.

                                                       What I thought

This was a beautifully written book and was captivating. I can completely understand why it received so many rave reviews.

All the Light We Cannot See occurs during the late 1930s-mid 1940s during World War 2. It occurs in across France, Germany, and Russia and follows two main storylines. The two main characters are Marie-Laure, a young girl living in France, and Werner, a teenage boy who is a Nazi soldier. The chapters pretty much alternate between their two viewpoints, but there are other characters who have chapters as well. The timeline also alternates between the “current” time of 1944 and the past (starting in the 1930s).

The alternating timeline took me a little while to get used to. The beginning of the book starts right in the middle of the action before you know who anyone is or where anyone is so it’s a bit confusing. I was a little worried that the whole book was going to be like that and that I wouldn’t enjoy the story. However, it quickly goes back to the beginning of the story and begins to make a lot more sense from that point on.

As I said, the writing is beautiful. Marie-Laure is blind and the descriptions during her parts of the story are wonderful. Since she is blind, the author does not use the visual descriptions as heavily with her. He uses a lot of smells and textures and sounds to describe her surroundings and it’s really interesting. I also loved Werner. I loved reading about him exploring his mind and electronics and aspiring to work ith some of the best scientists of his age. It was heart breaking to see he world he was pulled into, but made his story that much more fascinating.

Even though the book is long, I was unable to put it down. I was consistently interested and wanted to know what was going to happen next.  At times is did seem a little too long, even though I wouldn’t ever say I was bored. It isn’t a quick read by any means and I think that this was the only downside. Once I got through about ¾ of the book I started to become restless about what was going to happen with these characters and finding out how they were going to end up where they were at the beginning of the book.

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys books that occur during World War 2. Because of the length, I can’t see this being a story that I would re-read and therefore wouldn’t buy it for my shelves.

                                                     What Book Club Thought

Everyone loved it! The only issue that some people had was the switching back and forth of the points of views with such short chapters. One of our discussion points was that while the short chapters were great because it made the book feel like it was moving quickly, it made switching between characters a little more difficult. As soon as you were adjusted and within a particular character, it would switch and take a little while to get into the swing of the new character. While it didn’t bother me personally, I can see how this could throw off the flow of the story.

We tried to come up with actors that we would want to play the characters in a movie version but couldn’t think of anyone that fit. None of us had someone that we pictured while we read.

Book Club for January

The Bitch-Proof Suit By: De-ann Black

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Book Club Date: January 16th