Me Before You

"I just...want to be a man who has been to a concert with a girl in a red dress.  Just for a few minutes more." - Will

BooK EndS Rating
4 1/2 out of 5 Bookmarks

We met, we laughed, we sighed heavily with great veneration for the wonderful prose of Ms. JoJo Moyes.  No tears, though we could have easily shed them.  This book was AWESOME!  Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Very simple read, but with complicated characters and a complex story.  Thought provoking and revealing in the dynamic of 'handicapped' relationships of all types.  Great read.

Jenny's Night Circus

The mysteriously magical theme of the Book Ends latest pick carried on as we discussed "THE NIGHT CIRCUS" by Erin Morganstern.  The evening started with enchanting smells from the Henson house wafting through the air.  Much like Chandresh's midnight parties, the presentation of the meal was a wonderment.  New and exciting flavors at every turn.  Cocktails, chocolate mice, decadent apples and more!  Without fail, our hostess raises the bar.

Discussion about the actual book paled in comparison to the atmosphere, but all agreed that  Morganstern's prose created a mysterious world of magic and love that drew the reader in and carried them away.

Book Ends Rating

4 1/2 out of 5 Bookmarks

It's Not Every Day You Get to Be Someone Else...

Book Ends Rating:  2 1/2 out of 5 Bookmarks

Brief Synopsis:

"A" switches bodies.  Every day.  One day he ends up in the body of a boy who takes his girlfriend for granted and A falls in love her.  But he can't stay.  He must wake up every day in the body of someone else.  How will he convince his true love of this phenomenon without her running for the nearest exit...?  How could it ever work?  Is A willing to steal someone's life in order to live his own?

Welcome back, friends!!!  Can you believe we are embarking on our 4th year of Book Ends?!?!  We are still having a wonderful time discussing great books and interesting characters.  

We kicked this year off with Daisy's selection, Every Day, by David Levithan.  This is categorized as a young adult novel, which the group usually enjoys, but this time...

Overall, the book got mixed reviews from the "lovelies".  Some said it was just too far fetched. Others said that they enjoyed the appeal of being someone else for a day, but once you put that into practice, you could see why it would not be all that fun.

The character of A was faced with different challenges each day based on the body he woke up in.  From obesity to drug abuse to thoughts of suicide, the author touches on the private lives of the modern teen and the struggles that they go through.  A must navigate limited access to the body's memories in order to function in their life and not alert anyone to what is happening.  Through A's journey of lives, he has developed a desire to leave each life slightly better than he found it, until he meets Rhiannon.  Then all bets are off and he will do what it takes to be with her, even if it means ruining someone else.  The club is under the impression that this book will be continued in a sequel.  While I don't think many in the club care what happens to A, I will most definitely find out.

My take-away from this book is that it reiterates the rule that you don't truly know anyone. As adults, we may believe that we can categorize today's youth, but they are an ever-changing, evolving ball of emotions, desires and confusion trying to navigate through this life with some sense of purpose and belonging.