The Best Book I Read in May

I'm participating in another group blog challenge hosted by The Armchair Squid.




The point is to identify the best book we read during the month of May.

I'm actually a really slow reader, and I start far too many books at once, which delays me from finishing any of them in a timely manner. This month, I read more than I usually do, so that gives me quite a pool to choose from.

I'm really excited about the book I've chosen, as it addresses a topic near and dear to my heart: infertility. It's also written by a local D.C. Metro area author, Elizabeth Perry Maddrey. Entitled Faith Departed, the novel sensitively and expertly deals with two couples suffering through the inability to conceive, miscarriages, and the toll all of it takes on a marriage.

 

 

What I love about this book is the honesty and raw emotion. Maddrey does not shy away from the tough and gritty side-effects of infertility: the feelings of isolation and anger, the bitterness and the anxiety--all handled without sentimentality or shmulzy, pie-in-the-sky quick fixes.

So that's my pick for May. What's yours?

Neurotic Dog Mom

I am a worry-wart dog momma. I think it is a true blessing that God saw fit not to give me human children, as I cannot rest easy when there’s the slightest thing wrong with my fur-babies. For example, the last few days, Chase has been gasping intermittently, scaring me to death every time.  I’m extremely thankful for the greyhound community, as they are such experts and so willing to help any time help is needed. Last night, I sent out a frantic plea on Greytalk (a group on Facebook), and within minutes people responded, telling me that it sounded like Chase was reverse sneezing. In this situation, dogs intake air rather than expel it; their body goes rigid and their eyes bug out. It looks like they’re choking or having a seizure or may die any moment.  I looked up reverse sneezing and found it to be a common phenomenon among some dogs and not life-threatening. It has many causes, some of which could be seasonal allergies or nasal mites. There are more ominous causes, too, but we won’t talk about those here. (Link below shows a greyhound reverse sneezing).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiUJY2Lvobs

I was relieved. I made Chase take some Benadryl, and we all went to bed. Even so, the very idea of nasal mites or something worse prompted me to call the vet today and make an appointment. Sometimes it’s worth the money of a vet visit for a little piece of mind.

 

 Am I the only neurotic dog-mom out there?

 

Express Yourself: What Fictional Character is like you?

Okay, so I've been thinking about this, and I'm a little disappointed about the fictional characters with which I most identify. But maybe I shouldn't be. We always want to be someone we're not, don't we?  I would love to say I'm like Scarlett O'Hara (from Gone with the Wind) or Catherine Earnshaw Linton (from Wuthering Heights). Strong women with strong wills and strong passions.

I do think I'm passionate, and I can be strong in certain situations, but really...I think I'm more like Melanie (also from Gone with the Wind) or Isabella Linton (also from Wuthering Heights).

 

 

I just can't be mean to people, I like to think the best of everyone, and I tend to be far too trusting.

Right. Yes, I know these are all 19th century folks. It has been brought to my attention that I was born in the wrong era.

Now it's your turn. With which fictional character do you identify?

Book Covers

I am still waiting for my book cover to be revealed. Sigh...

As my release date approaches, I'm becoming a little antsy, but I'm also so excited to see what it's going to look like!

While I'm waiting, here's another book cover that I LOVE!  This is the newest book from my blog friend, Stephanie Faris. She writes YA fiction for middle grades published through Simon and Schuster. I'm in the process of reading her book 30 Days of No Gossip right now. I'm not a big YA reader, but I was instantly drawn into this one. It is a fabulous read! 25 Roses doesn't come out until 2015, but here's her new cover!



Here's a brief synopsis:

Valentine's Day means one thing at Stanton Middle School: students will send each other chocolate roses. Each year, Mia Hartley watches while the same group of students gets roses and everyone else is left out. This year, she decides things will be different. As the student assigned to write names on the cards, Mia purchases 25 roses and writes her own cards, designating them to 25 people she's personally chosen. But she soon learns that playing matchmaker is much more complicated than she thought it would be.

http://stephie5741.blogspot.com/2014/05/cover-reveal-25-roses.html