Book Journey

Oh wow!  I laughed out loud and at times stifled a cry at the tone of this book.  Jandy Nelson writes like John Green and that is a HIGH HIGH compliment coming from me.

~ Sheila

17-year-old Lennie and her older sister Bailey are two peas in a pod.  Being raised by their grandmother the two girls find comfort and companionship with each other after their mother had went out “exploring” one day and never came back.  When Bailey suddenly dies, Lennie is beside herself with grief.  When Bailey’s boyfriend Toby starts hanging around they console each other and Lennie feels that Toby may be the only one in the world who feels the pain of loss as deeply as she does.

Then a new boy comes to town.  Joe is everything Lennie would like to be.  He is confident and talented and oh soooo good-looking.  When they meet each other in music class Lennie feels a spark she never knew existed and they start hanging out together.  Yet Toby is still there and when Lennie is with Toby she feels as though she is close to Bailey as well, even though her attraction to Toby disgusts her and she feels guilty that he was her sister’s boyfriend; and as she finds out along the way – even more than that.

How do you move on from a life that centered around a sibling that knew you as well as you knew yourself, that not only shared your room… but shared your heart.  How does one go on living… go on breathing the air in a world you once shared?

First off…. every one who has already read or listened to this book and raved about it please feel free to kick me for not reacting sooner.  It always amazes me when an incredible read is sitting right under my nose and by the time I pick it up I am stunned to realize it is a book I am probably going to love forever.

Meet The Sky Is Everywhere.

I listened to this book on audio while I was painting and it engaged me right away (always a plus).  I was not bogged down with an overload of background story, characters to remember, places to recount, and facts to store…  Nope.  Right away The Sky Is Everywhere opens up and reveals its heart and it’s heart is Lennie. 

For someone who has experienced grief over the loss of a sibling, I can honestly say Lennie’s pain, Lenny’s attempts to hold on, were very real.  My heart broke with hers as she clung to her sisters memory trying to stay within its shadow and not let any light in.  I have been there.

Yet – miraculously, life does go on, if we want it to or not.   In this book Lennie’s moving on is wonderfully “teenagerish” (yet growing up too) , as well as engaging listening.  Kudos to the narration by Julie Whelan who had me at times laughing at Lennie’s reaction to her environment and at times holding back a sob.  Honestly, I have not been this excited about this style of read since I discovered John Green.

I believe if you enjoy John Green, you are totally going to get The Sky Is Everywhere and feel like gushing about it too.  Do not hesitate to run to your local book store and pick up this wonderful book.  Oh and then be sure to come back and tell me here how FABULOUS it was! 

John F Kennedy took the White House by storm.  He was young, we was intelligent and with Jackie Kennedy by his side they were a power team.

Yet behind the big white doors all was not well in what was commonly referred to during the Kennedy’s reign as Camelot.  Kennedy had a liking of women and many throughout his tears as president visited the White House and John, while Jackie, knowing of some, suspecting more, of her husbands flings would take long weekends away from the White House giving both her and her husband space.

Camelot was a place where actresses were entertained by both John and Jackie.  Lavish parties were held by the couple, and while the above states an unfaithful man, in the end John really did love Jackie and Jackie loved John.

Of course, being President is not all fun and games and campaigning and keeping the country in order was a lot of work for both of the Kennedy’s.  While in the White House Jackie had given birth to a son who passed away being premature, and of course she had the two children Caroline and John Jr.

This read however is not only about the time in the Presidency, but a war is at hand and a dark shadow that has been following JFK for some time… inches closer and closer.

Bill O’Reilly is not only an engaging writer, he is also a remarkable narrator.  Much like when I listened to The Killing of Lincoln by this very same author, I was fully emerged in the world of the Presidency.  No one can deny that the Kennedy’s were fascinating people.  John’s battle with back pain *which according to this author eventually may have contributed to his death* , the delightful Jacklyn always holding it together even when things were not as they would seem, their children Carolyn and John Jr, and of course John’s brothers… especially Bobby.

If this subject is remotely interesting to you I highly recommend listening to it.  All of the background of the JFK presidency, and the underlying side story of Oswald and his insane behaviors and political views.  I thought it was a very good telling of the Kennedy murder.

In the 1980’s, in the heart of the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic, Elton John watched helplessly as friends too numerous to count, succumbed to this frightening illness.  It wasn’t until he was in a waiting room one day and read an article on Ryan White, the young boy born a hemophiliac, who contracted AIDS through blood transfusions and then was attacked by the school district and parents of students who did not want him to return to school and put (as they thought at the time) their own children at risk of contacting AIDS.

Elton John was furious about the treatment of Ryan White.  While working on cleaning up his own addiction to drugs at the time he conquered this and befriended White and his family.  This began Elton Johns campaign to help others move beyond the stigma of AIDS. 

Love is the Cure is about Elton’s work through The Elton John AIDS Foundation that has raised over $275 million dollars as of the date of this book to fight the disease worldwide.  Impressively, Elton’s campaign has done wonders in third world countries where AIDS is extremely high due to rape, and unprotected sex. 

I have huge compassion for people with AIDS.  I am a part of a local camp that raises money for AIDS awareness and have met wonderful people through this.  People that I am proud to call my friends. 

When I seen Elton’s book I knew I had to listen to it to hear his thoughts on AIDS.  For the most part, I liked what he said.   It was interesting to listen to this audio, narrated (BRILLIANTLY) by him, as he talked about the early years of AIDS his lack of attentiveness, and to now all that is being done around the world and what has yet to be done. 

Elton had and has powerful connections to Presidents, Musicians, and Actors.  I was impressed to hear all that Bill Clinton has done in the war against AIDS.  I was also saddened as Elton John talked about some of the brilliant people who lost that war, Freddie Mercury (QUEEN), Rock Hudson, Liberace, Anthony Perkins, Issac Asimov, Robert Reed, just to name very few…

Elton’s book is factual, and it is personal.  I am always stunned by the numbers, 34 million people as of 2010 who has been reported as having AIDS, that number is in fact considerably greater as some states to this day do not report AIDS cases and  many never seek treatment and go undiagnosed. 

An eye-opening look at the battle that while not as talked about as it once was, is still being fought to this day. 

While her sisters dream of love and romance and marriage, Louisa May Alcott dreams of freedom.  As the family packs up to move their home under their fathers guidance, Louisa is unhappy with the decision and can not wait until she can afford to move away on her own and become the writer she knows she can be.

When Louisa meets the handsome Joseph Singer, she finds him irritating and does her best to ignore him, but Joseph is made of stronger stuff then that and is not so easily led away, much to Louisa’s annoyance, and pleasure.  When she finally allows herself to give her heart to Joseph, she soon learns that she has been foolish and everything she always thought about love was spot on… something she certainly did not need in her life.

Louisa may find a way to physically head into the direction she wants for her life, but she finds it is not so easy to move the heart.

What a delightful read!  (See, a few hours caught up with this “Little Womenesk” type read and I even talk like them!)  The Lost Summer does give you a taste of the Little Women as is it a fictitious writing about the author of that very book.  Louise is my kind of character.  She is strong and independent to a fault.  She is determined and does proceed with the plans she had made for her life.  I love that!  Yes she also has a softer side and I find, I love that too.

If, as rumor has it Louisa May Alcott did develop the character of Jo (Little Women) after her own image, then this book is spot on.  (My goodness, I really am typing like they talk… perhaps I need a spot of tea?)

I found the book to be quite (eep! again!) enjoyable and an easy yet fulfilling read.  I have heard some say that this book reads like a YA book and I tend to agree, it does mostly center around Louisa and her sisters when they are in their teenage years, and reads like a secret diary.

Quick and fun, allow yourself to take a walk through this one with Louisa.