The Magnolia Story: A Review

Today I'm linking up with The Blended Blog's Virtual Book Club to share a review of one of our May picks, The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines.  As a fan of the HGTV show Fixer Upper, I was excited to read this book.  And was even more excited to find out that one of our book clubbers, Valerie, picked it!  Especially since I actually read it!

I had been seeing this book around the blogs for awhile and finally requested it at my library.  When it came in, I read the first chapter right off the bat and was instantly drawn into the story of Chip and Joanna.  Joanna's primarily the one telling the stories of their life together and all of Chips antics!
It was recommended to me that I also pick up the audio version of this since the two stars tell the story themselves.  I did and think for me, this added to the fun of the story.

Without giving too much away, I will say that it's the story of the couple's humble beginnings and their rise to fame, how they overcome the obstacles they faced, leaning on each other and their strong faith in God.

The book is billed and categorized under the Christian/Faith window, which I didn't really realize when I got it but was able to recognize as I read.  Because of what I read in the story, I examined my own faith.  Chip and Joanna were constantly hitting snags in their plans but getting big breaks.  Was this luck, as I thought, or the work of God, as they believed? It got me to thinking and praying on things in my own life.

Reviews of this were mixed in the club's Slack discussions but I will say that because I was a fan of the show, I liked this story that much more. Are you a big Fixer Upper fan?  Have you read the book? I want to hear your thoughts!  Let me know in the comments below.

What did you read in May?  Head to The Blended Blog and link up your book reviews with us HERE!  And it's never to late to join the fun that is the TBB Book Club.  Register here and read with us this summer!

Looking for more good reads?  Check out my reviews of past book club picks here!

It's a Bestie Blog Takeover

Happy Thursday Morning Ya'll!
Today you are in for a super special treat!  My bestie, Mel is taking over!  You might remember meeting her here!  Mel's an awesome supporter of my blog and an avid reader, so when I mentioned The Blended Blog's Virtual Book Club to her she hopped on board.

Each month, club members are chosen to pick what's going to be read.  In April, Melanie was asked to share a book.  She thought her most favorite book, The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah was one that the book clubbers would enjoy.  And since it was her pick, I thought it'd be fun to have Mel takeover the blog today to share her review of the book with you!

Here's Mel!

March Book Reviews with TBB's Virtual Book Club

Today the girls of the TBB Virtual Book Club are sharing their book reviews for March.  This month's discussions in the Slack group are going strong and are super lively.

I hate to admit this but I'm behind.  Like still reading a February pick, behind!

Sadly, I've been reading  All the Missing Girls since February.  I just can't get to the end.  And I've heard that the end is AMAZING...so I want to get there!  I feel like the end for me will be this weekend, but I just couldn't finish it in time for posting!!

And I am really excited to read a few of the March books!  I have Behind Closed Doors on hold at my local library....looks super freaky but interesting.  Can't wait to read the reviews of it today!!


Still working on All the Missing Girls though doesn't mean I didn't read at all this month!! I actually read two whole books...each in one sitting!

The first was And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer.  This is a small novella by author Fredrik Backman, who also wrote TBB Book Club's February pick,  A Man Called Ove.  I have this too, and have yet to read it (shocking I know!).  But I ended up picking up this little book one day and reading it in about an hour!  I loved it.

It is about a young boy and his grandpa, who sadly, is falling into Alzheimer's.  But he's trying his best to hold on to his precious memories! Told on what I'd call a bridge between this life and heaven...where he goes and "visits" his wife,   It was a touching read that made me laugh and cry....more crying than laughing for sure!  This is a story I highly recommend and will read again and again.  Lots of take-a-ways and beautifully written.


Another book I read in one sitting was titled Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. It is her debut. Told in poetry and prose, the book is divided into 4 sections and deals with the authors life of abuse, loss, and ultimately the healing that makes her whole again....or just as whole as she can be after such heartache.

Very well done, and not my typical read but I enjoyed it. As a reader, I was vividly immersed in the author's world, however difficult that was. I found myself flagging the poems that spoke to me and those whose words I wanted to remember.   Though difficult it's subject matter, many poems are filled with hope... I was happy I purchased this book rather than borrowed it from the library, because it's another one I'll read again.

Has anyone else ever read this?  I would love to know what you thought in the comments below.







With my spring break coming up in two weeks I have high hopes that I can read a few more books in April.  Looking forward to doing nothing and have the time...like hours...to veg and read for a week and a half!

Hop on by the link-up at TBB today to post your book reviews! No blog? No problem!  Hashtag the books you read this month across all social media with #TBBReads #TBBVirtualBookClub , so we can check them out.

 And it's never too late to join us in the Virtual book club!!  Get all the details here!

Until Next Time!

Big Little Lies: A Review

I'm taking a little break from my Throwback Thursday posts today to participate in The Blended Blog's Book Review Blog Hop!

YES, you read that right!  I actually read a book!

Earlier this year I joined The Blended Blog's Virtual Book Club.  A bunch of fun ladies who read, chat, and discuss books via the Slack app!  It has been a lot of fun.  And I am loving that it keeps me accountable!  Not only did I read my own book club selection, but I started another one!

So many great books were chosen by the ladies of the Blended Blog in last month as we kicked off this new virtual adventure!!  If you are visiting from Deena's blog, sincere thanks for hopping on over today to visit.

My book club pick for February was Big Little Lies by Lane Moriarty.  I am a fan of hers.  I read The Husband's Secret and What Alice Forgot, both great novels!  So I was excited to read this one as well.

I'll be completely honest here, I picked this book because I've had it for almost 2 years and never read it. In fact, I think it was one of the Reads on my Summer 2015 Reading List that I blogged about here. It might have even made a return appearance in Summer 2016's list, still to go unread!

I chose this book, in part, too because I knew the Book Club would keep me reading it and since I had seen that this book was being made into a series for HBO I knew I wanted to finish it before the premiere date of February 19th.  {Of course a TV show would finally get me reading!!}

Well, that was a success because I finished it..on the 18th!

Big Little Lies centers around the friendship of three woman who all have first grade students attending the same elementary school in a ritzy beach side town in Australia.

A fun element of the story is that it's told backwards.  As it begins we know that a murder has occurred at the school's Trivia Night and is now being investigated.  As the murder mystery unfolds, the lives of each of the women are explored.  Could one of them perhaps be the murderer?

Of the three main characters,  Madeline, Celeste and Jane, I didn't really have a favorite.  But I can tell you this....I loved them each at some points in the story and found myself absolutely hating them during others.  But I suppose, this is what authors do to help us really connect with the characters. And connect I did.  I even found that I compared myself to each of the characters at different points. Finding myself in each of them.

I even found myself yelling at the book..."How could she do that?", "or "what the heck lady?...fight!" #solitarylifeprobs

I think as I'm writing this, it's getting more difficult because I want to talk so much about the book, but don't want to give anything away!! So...

On to what you really came for.  My honest review of the book!

It took me a few chapters to get into it, but as soon as I did, I kind of couldn't put it down.  I really did love it.  It's a murder mystery, story of friendship...fierce lady friendships...and family, all rolled into one!!  And I guess I can tell you that there's a pretty big twist in the story, that I really didn't see coming, so I enjoyed that element of surprise!

  It's no lie...I highly recommend reading Big Little Lies.
Watching the show on HBO-jury's still out.  But we all know the book is ALWAYS better than the movie/show!!  :)

Have you read Big Little Lies?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!!


Now that you've made it through our hop, head on back to The blended Blog and link up your own book reviews with us here!!