This book is just delightful (not a word I use often, but well-earned)! I couldn't stop smiling, even as I was crying at some points. I never thought I'd be so emotional over this book, but I can't stop myself from gushing about it to everyone around me.  

I can't even pinpoint exactly what sold this book for me. I love the literary and bookstore references, I love the characters, I love the writing and twists. (There I go gushing again.) Seriously, though, this book will blow you away. It has a perfect mixture of humor, sadness, reality, imagination, simplicity, complexity--really everything that makes a great story. And I don't think this can be classified as just adult fiction, since I think teens and YA readers will love this too. Honestly, anyone who loves books will love this one.

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an advance digital copy of this book!

I've never been so intrigued and entertained by literary criticism. This book was like a trip down Nostalgia Lane, re-meeting my childhood heroines and stories, and I loved sharing Ellis' connections and memories with each book. That alone would have made this a hit for me; yet my true love comes from Ellis' adult response to every story. This is where Ellis as a writer and a critic and a woman shines. She's not too cowardly to admit her younger self might have missed some things or idolized faulty situations. She tackles every character with an eye both fresh and nostalgic, seeing the good she loved and the bad she missed or glossed over (or even the good she missed). And I was with her every step of the way, from Anne Shirley to No March to the Little Mermaid. I learned so much from this book, and I can't wait to reread and rethink over the stories that made me who I am.

A full review is on its way! Just know in the meantime that this book is spectacular and a must read for any lover of realistic fiction.

Tip #8: On driving

Just because you are in possession of a valid driver's license does not mean you should get behind the wheel. That would be like saying that just because your acid-washed jeans from high school fit, you should wear them.

What an absolutely hilarious, uplifting, and inspiring memoir. At the age of 19 Nicole C. Kear is diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, which in ten years or so will leave her blind. The doctor who gives her that diagnosis warns her that she will start to need to make changes. Well Nicole does make changes, she turns her motto into "carpe fucking diem" and tries to experience as much as she can before she becomes blind. However when she gets married and starts having children around the deadline age for her vision she will start to make some real changes in order to protect her children. Well that doesn't mean that she still isn't somewhat in denial.

The reason that I called this uplifting and inspiring is because Kear deals with her diagnosis in ways that any other person might. She has her breakdowns, her denial, her fear, but yet she also has her moments of joy, and thankfulness for her experiences. She doesn't suddenly become SuperMom (although she is going for Mom of the Year) but she does her best to keep her children happy and safe and do what is best for her family.

This memoir was just hilarious. I was constantly laughing and highlighting passages from it on my Kindle. One of my favorite parts of this and one of the funniest parts were the "Tips for the (Secretly) Blind" that Kear includes before each chapter.

I would highly recommend this memoir, and would especially recommend it to all mothers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.

I was not expecting or planning on reading this in only a couple days. I had planned on reading this a little each day throughout the month. Needless to say when I became hooked early in the first chapter and couldn't stop thinking about this book, even when I was reading other books, that plan got thrown out of the window. Before I read this I was a bit intimidated by it but my fears were for nothing because this was easy to understand and extremely interesting.

I have not felt such magic and such a connection to the characters that I felt while reading this in a while. I knew a basic plot of this book before reading it, because of watching the movie, but my interest was never lessened by that because the book is quite different than the movie. There is such a magical feeling to the book that I feel the movie never quite achieves.

When Frodo first starts on his journey with Sam, Merry, and Pippin I felt that it moved a bit slow but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. As the journey moved on I loved reading more about the hobbits. I loved how brave they could be at times even though they were terrified and I loved their humor in the face of danger. I just loved the hobbits.

Pretty much this review is just going to turn into me listing everything that I loved because I loved everything so I'll try and spare you all now. So while I loved all the poems, action, imagery, and so on the thing that I loved most about this book was reading about the characters and really getting to know them. I absolutely regret not reading this sooner, it was a fantastic book and I cannot wait to read the other two volumes. I am behind on this month's reading list so I have to try and control myself and wait until later to read the rest of the series. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has not read it yet, you will not regret it at all.