Review: If You Stay-Courtney Cole

If You Stay by Courtney Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pax is on a course to self-destruct. He is drinking and using sex and drugs as a road to oblivion. Enter Mila, a soft-spoken, caring artist. Mila is not without demons of her own, but dealing with them in a different way. Mila finds Pax passed out, half in and half out of his car in a secluded area near the lake. She calls 911. But it doesn't stop there, she visits him in the hospital and genuinely cares that he is OK.

Mila and Pax are attracted to each other, but both must face their past before a relationship of any substance can begin to flourish. Ms. Cole did a good job of developing her characters and she didn't shy away from the nitty-gritty details of a passionate attraction.



I might be pushing the envelope to use this in Women's Fiction Reading Challenge because this story basically deals with Pax Tate and his journey to recovery. But Mila Hill plays an important role in his journey. She loves him "warts and all" ( though Ms. Cole doesn't mention any physical imperfections!). But in the end, she does not enable him, she supports and helps him grow. And in doing so she changes, she grows and so does her older sister.

Review: Take Me With You - Catherine Ryan Hyde

Take Me With You

Catherine Ryan Hyde

Lake Union Publishing 2014

January 1-January 8, 2016

Every summer, August Shroeder, science teacher and recovering alcoholic spends his time off on the road. He owns a motor home and camps and explores and enjoys the art of Just Being. This summer is special. He had planned to spend it with his 19-year-old son, Phillip. Instead, he is making the trip to Yellowstone National Park with Phillip’s ashes.  Unfortunately, he has had a setback. His motor home has broken down and he is not even out of California yet. The few days spent parked in the repairman’s garage has yielded him some unexpected passengers, two young boys with nowhere else to go.

The story is of the bond that develops between these nearly orphaned boys and this lonely, burned-out teacher.  The summer is not without struggles. They must learn to trust each other, to listen to each other and to eventually love each other. Catherine Ryan Hyde writes beautifully poignant dialogue. And she paints a picture of all the places along the way. This is a deeply moving story of friendship and family. It will not be the last Catherine Ryan Hyde book I read. I did not read her book, Pay It Forward, but I did see the movie and I loved it as well.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Take Me With You

 My reading has slowed down over the last few weeks. I can only attribute it to the Holiday Bustle and the Winter Doldrums. It hasn't been exceptionally cold here, snow yes but I should be used to that. It seems in recent years the cold takes a toll on my body. My arthritis flares up and I just hurt all over. I just want to nap or spend time with my laptop.
Ok.. so enough of the whining!   I am linking up with Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea for the First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros for 2016.

Take Me With You

Catherine Ryan Hyde

Lake Union Publishing 2014

Part One:
Early June

Chapter One:
August, Standing Still

     August Shroeder stood at the rear door of his broken-down motor home looking out through the small square window. Had he looked out any other window - the windshield, the side windows, the little window over the kitchen sink - he'd have seen the inside of a mechanic's garage. He wanted to see sky. He'd come out here to see sky. Not toolboxes and racks of new tires and hydraulic lifts.
     He stepped out the door, down the two metal steps, and walked into the mechanic's garage. He stepped in front of the open hood where the mechanic could see him. The man straightened up, stretching his lower back again one hand. He wiped his hands on a red shop rag. Wiped his forehead on one dirty sleeve.


What do you think? Would you read on?


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/3/16

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you are and about to be reading over the week.  It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever-growing TBR pile!  This meme started with J Kaye's Blog   and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. So share what you are reading this week and link up with Book Date. 

Print Book:

August Shroeder, a burned-out teacher, has been sober since his 19-year-old son died. Every year he's spent the summer on the road, but making it to Yellowstone this year means everything. The plan had been to travel there with his son, but now August is making the trip with Philip's ashes instead. An unexpected twist of fate lands August with two extra passengers for his journey, two half-orphans with nowhere else to go.

What none of them could have known was how transformative both the trip and the bonds that develop between them would prove, driving each to create a new destiny together. 

I am enjoying this one. It was my choice for First Book of 2016 and I am still working on it. 


On my Kindle: 

from Goodreads:

Twenty-four-year-old Pax Tate is an asshole. Seriously. He's a tattooed, rock-hard bad boy with a tough attitude to match. His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with an intense guilt that he doesn't understand. What he does know is that he and his dad were left alone, and they have never been close. Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the black void in his soul. He pretends that the emptiness isn't there and this has always worked . . . until he meets Mila.

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air that Pax has never known in his life. He doesn't know how to not hurt her-but he quickly realizes that he'd better figure it out because he needs her to breathe. When the memories of his mother's death resurface to haunt Pax, Mila is there to save him from his overwhelming guilt. Mila restores his broken heart, even as she evokes his powerful, sexual desires. Now for Pax to keep Mila, he needs to work on his issues-and stop being an asshole. But is that enough to make her stay? 

This one is a bit on the steamy side. I'm not put off by that, it's just different from the books I have been reading. I hope to finish them both this week. 


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Saturday Snapshots 1-2-16

Saturday Snapshots is a place to share photos taken by you or a friend or family member. The only other rule is that that must be appropriate for all eyes.

I only have a few shots to share this week. 

We don't exchange Christmas gifts. This year, however, we did "finally" get a proper entertainment center for the family room. The 55" TV had been sitting on Mr. Busy's grandmother's coffee table, temporarily for 5 years! We love the addition of the electric fireplace. It does warm some, but mostly it is cozy ambiance.

My DIL's mother lives in Arizona and the week of Christmas she decided to do some outside yard work. She took a couple of scoops of the gravel she was moving and then noticed this small heart shaped rock. Don't you just love when nature gives you a wonderful sign like this?  My SIL in SD collects nature's heart shapes. She has both actual shapes that she finds and also photos of things like clouds, leaves, shapes in branches.

Finally, I leave you with this fabulous smile that belongs to our middle great grandson. He received a couple of different workshop sets for Christmas. One of the sets contained a hard hat and goggles. His daddy has a new job this year and he wears a hard hat. So he was set to "go to work with Daddy". You will notice the overflowing toy chest in the background. He is the first grandson in his fractured family, so he is the recipient of lots of stuff. He has 3 sets of grandparents and several aunties and uncles. He is one lucky little boy! 



Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Book of 2016 Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I am participating in the First Book of 2016, hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. The reason I chose this book is that it is our January read for my face to face book club, Page Turners.  Since we picked this title I have seen it and a few other of the authors titles around the blogosphere.

 It is Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

from the back of the book:

" Burned-out teacher August Shroeder has been sober since his nineteen-year-old son died. Every year he's spent the summer on the road, but making it to Yellowstone this year means everything. The plan had been to travel there with his son, but now August is making the trip with Phillip's ashes instead. An unexpected twist of fate lands August with extra passengers for his journey: two half-orphans with nowhere else to go.
What none of them knows is how transformative the trip - and the bonds that develop between them- will prove, driving each to create a new destiny together."


I think one of the reasons we decided to read this, is the setting on the way to Yellowstone, ( we live in Wyoming) and also the fact that most of the Page Turners are or were teachers!


Wishing you all a Happy New Year. I sincerely hope your new year is filled with blessings, good health and happiness.


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Best or not so good of 2015 - Books and other things

Last year I started a Good Things Jar with the thought to jot down good things that happened all year long and then read them either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I thought I had taken a picture of the jar, but I cannot find it. This is what it looks like now.

It is pretty empty!

Unfortunately, I did not stay with it. So in addition to lots of other things in my life in 2015, it was a fail.  I don't expect anyone to read or comment on this post. It is mostly just for myself. It seems I get very few views unless I have linked to a meme on someone else's blog. I am not sure how to change that, but one of my New Year's resolutions is to learn more about blogging.  I may try to find a local class, or find one online. I saw one on Wordpress, but I use Blogger.

I managed to meet and slightly exceed my Goodreads goal to read 60 books in 2015. I finished 64 books. So here are some of my favorites from 2015:

There were lots more, of the 64 books I read, 29 got 5 stars. I am either not very discerning or I had a great year picking awesome books! I must admit, I like most books that I read.

I did finish 4 of the 6 challenges that my quilt group hosted.

My DIL graduation quilt. 

Scrap Crazy Stonehenge quilt that was gifted to my brother. 

Stitching and beading are done for a Wallhanging. 

And the spool quilt top is done. 

Challenge 6 due on Jan 17th is the applique borders for this quilt. Unfortunately, my sewing mojo has disappeared recently along with my reading mojo.  My daughter suggested to do "something different, like coloring", she said. 

The other quilt related challenge that I did not complete was the pieced and stitched ( embroidered) borders for a quilt called Snow Flurries. 

The borders were paper pieced and the designs are drawn or traced. But I only finished 2 of the borders instead of the necessary four. 

Sorry for the blurry picture. My phone camera is not very good. 

Until next time

Stay Busy and Stay Happy