Hey Everyone!
So I got my October Favourites edited and will be posting that on YouTube somewhere between now and Tuesday morning. I had promised I would do a more in depth review on the things I mentioned in my video. I wanted to write about this book first because I absolutely adored it and it was by far my most favourite thing this past month. I have made it my new ritual to read at least 15 minutes before my head hits the pillow every night. I decided this because my fiancé has been having some trouble sleeping and I know for a fact that if you shut off all of your devices (t.v.s, phones, computers, etc.) that you will get a much better sleep.
I had originally bought this book a while back at Wal-Mart .. it was actually sometime in June. (I know that's a long time to have a book and not read it because I'm generally a person that reads it almost instantly.) I finally sat down one night with Stephen and we decided to read our books and I grabbed my novel Summer People by Elin Hilderbrand, I immediately wanted to keep reading after the 15 minutes but forced myself to sleep, although this time Steph fell asleep great but I couldn't. I kept thinking about the book until my eyes shut. (As you can probably tell, this is part of the reason I stopped reading so much.) I am the type of person that gets into a good book and can't think about anything but the book; However, in my opinion any reader I've met feels this way. Generally I love to read books about people who have lost someone very important because that's when I feel you see greatness in them. How they deal with it, how they help others cope, etc. I always find myself relating to the people as well, which of course is what brings a novel to life.
This book is a story about a family coping with the tragic and sudden loss of their husband/father. They are heading to their summer home and end up with someone else tagging along. Now I won't tell you who it is and why he is there, as that is something you find out in the book. It is just so well written and Elin Hilderbrand makes all of the characters relatable and likeable. Of course as the summer goes on there is decisions they are all faced with that I didn't agree with, but that's what made them so real. I liked this book better then any other because the characters weren't perfect and they did do some crappy things to each other. I get really frustrated when I read a book that it so predictable that I can guess what's going to happen and of course everyone does the right thing. Which makes the book seem so unreal because there is no way that is realistic. People screw up and that's a fact of life. This book brought me to tears and made me appreciate the people in my life a little more, especially Stephen. I am not going to sit here and tell you guys that everyday I'm with him I hang on every word he says. Sure there are some days when I get home from work and I'm so tired that when he starts talking about some band he started listening to or something new he's interested in I half listen, nod my head and say "Mhmm" and "Oh, Yeah?" to make it seem like I'm paying attention. Even though all I can think about is getting dinner ready, eating, and finally sinking into the couch with a tea to watch my favourite show. Reading this book made me look up from it and see who I want to be with and appreciate because one day one of us is going to look up and we won't be there. Now I can hear you just thinking "Jesus Jenna, You've gone soft and mushy gushy on us!" But in all seriousness I think we all need to take a look at the people we love surrounding us and listen a little more and not take them for granted. God knows we all do it and it gets difficult when we all have such busy lives but we really should be paying attention because one day when we look away from our phones and computers the people we love may no longer be here with us, and that is a terrifying thought. OK, I'm finished with my inner monologue. I am obviously not going to reveal my favourite parts of the book because that would completely ruin it for you guys. But if you are in the mood for a good read (and I know I sure am, especially with the cold temperatures settling in.) I think you should definitely give this book a go. I know I didn't want to set it down and every minute I had available, I was reading this book. I know for sure that when I can get my hands on another Elin Hilderbrand novel, it couldn't be soon enough as she has definitely become my of my favourite authors.
I would just like to take a moment to thank Elin Hilderbrand for giving me a little wake up call to pay closer attention to my loved ones. It may sound cheesy, but it's the truth.
Thanks for reading,
Jenna
So I got my October Favourites edited and will be posting that on YouTube somewhere between now and Tuesday morning. I had promised I would do a more in depth review on the things I mentioned in my video. I wanted to write about this book first because I absolutely adored it and it was by far my most favourite thing this past month. I have made it my new ritual to read at least 15 minutes before my head hits the pillow every night. I decided this because my fiancé has been having some trouble sleeping and I know for a fact that if you shut off all of your devices (t.v.s, phones, computers, etc.) that you will get a much better sleep.
I had originally bought this book a while back at Wal-Mart .. it was actually sometime in June. (I know that's a long time to have a book and not read it because I'm generally a person that reads it almost instantly.) I finally sat down one night with Stephen and we decided to read our books and I grabbed my novel Summer People by Elin Hilderbrand, I immediately wanted to keep reading after the 15 minutes but forced myself to sleep, although this time Steph fell asleep great but I couldn't. I kept thinking about the book until my eyes shut. (As you can probably tell, this is part of the reason I stopped reading so much.) I am the type of person that gets into a good book and can't think about anything but the book; However, in my opinion any reader I've met feels this way. Generally I love to read books about people who have lost someone very important because that's when I feel you see greatness in them. How they deal with it, how they help others cope, etc. I always find myself relating to the people as well, which of course is what brings a novel to life.
This book is a story about a family coping with the tragic and sudden loss of their husband/father. They are heading to their summer home and end up with someone else tagging along. Now I won't tell you who it is and why he is there, as that is something you find out in the book. It is just so well written and Elin Hilderbrand makes all of the characters relatable and likeable. Of course as the summer goes on there is decisions they are all faced with that I didn't agree with, but that's what made them so real. I liked this book better then any other because the characters weren't perfect and they did do some crappy things to each other. I get really frustrated when I read a book that it so predictable that I can guess what's going to happen and of course everyone does the right thing. Which makes the book seem so unreal because there is no way that is realistic. People screw up and that's a fact of life. This book brought me to tears and made me appreciate the people in my life a little more, especially Stephen. I am not going to sit here and tell you guys that everyday I'm with him I hang on every word he says. Sure there are some days when I get home from work and I'm so tired that when he starts talking about some band he started listening to or something new he's interested in I half listen, nod my head and say "Mhmm" and "Oh, Yeah?" to make it seem like I'm paying attention. Even though all I can think about is getting dinner ready, eating, and finally sinking into the couch with a tea to watch my favourite show. Reading this book made me look up from it and see who I want to be with and appreciate because one day one of us is going to look up and we won't be there. Now I can hear you just thinking "Jesus Jenna, You've gone soft and mushy gushy on us!" But in all seriousness I think we all need to take a look at the people we love surrounding us and listen a little more and not take them for granted. God knows we all do it and it gets difficult when we all have such busy lives but we really should be paying attention because one day when we look away from our phones and computers the people we love may no longer be here with us, and that is a terrifying thought. OK, I'm finished with my inner monologue. I am obviously not going to reveal my favourite parts of the book because that would completely ruin it for you guys. But if you are in the mood for a good read (and I know I sure am, especially with the cold temperatures settling in.) I think you should definitely give this book a go. I know I didn't want to set it down and every minute I had available, I was reading this book. I know for sure that when I can get my hands on another Elin Hilderbrand novel, it couldn't be soon enough as she has definitely become my of my favourite authors.
I would just like to take a moment to thank Elin Hilderbrand for giving me a little wake up call to pay closer attention to my loved ones. It may sound cheesy, but it's the truth.
Thanks for reading,
Jenna
