A Modest Proposal - Michele Ashman Bell

To start off I found this article that Ms. Bell wrote about this book, and thought it would be great to include it here:

"I got the idea for this series as I sat at book signings and marveled at how many of the wonderful women I met were either with, or talked about, their women friends and/or family, their support group, so to speak. As I realized this I began asking women about it. Nearly all of them had a group they were very close to. Either it was sisters and sisters-in-law, or friends from school, from their ward, work or neighborhood. I love this about women and wanted to write a series based on this. My story is about five friends in high school who experience a traumatic incident on graduation day that bonds them together for life. They realize that they are all heading out into the world, going their own directions, and they wanted to stay in touch. So they promise to meet once a year and have a reunion. The book skips ahead to when they are turning thirty and picks up on where they are in their lives. Each book in the series will be the story of one of the women in the group. The first book, A Modest Proposal, tells about Lauryn, who becomes a dress designer in New York and is convinced that she can design high fashion clothes that are still modest. I chose this theme because I have daughters and we get frustrated with this all the time. It’s difficult to find clothes, especially prom dresses, that are beautiful and stylish, but also modest. My book is dedicated to all the moms and daughters who have spent time in dressing rooms crying because they are so frustrated."

I have recently found this "friend group" as I call it, and related to this book in it's entirety. I hope that as my friends and I grow we can remain in touch and share those special yet hard moments of our lives with each other.

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The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe - CS Lewis

I actually thought these books were going to be an annoying set of children fantasy, which in a way they are. But after crying through parts of this book, (which is first in the set according to when CS Lewis wrote them) I realized I could read this book a hundred times and learn something new, and how wonderful is that? I am amazed at Lewis' writing abilities and the knowledge and passion that he had for life in general. I am stunned at his 'knowledge' of the plan of salvation and the life and purpose of our Savior, it all comes through so very adamantly and plainly in this book. There are so many coincidences and analogies and symbolisms that I won't go into them here, but I am so excited to finish this series so I can read it again. It is absolutely brilliant.

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Diamondback Cave - K.L. Fogg

I was very excited to find out that this book had been released! I absolutely loved the first two books in this series, even though they are children's books, they are amazing. I have this series as an audio series and the narrator is wonderful, David Walker. I really enjoy KL Fogg's writing style, but feel she crammed too much stuff into this last book. I think she could've written 2 very great novels with the information she shoved into this one. All in all it was a wonderful series that I will defiantly read again.

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Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin

In reading this book I found myself actually feeling like a part of the book myself. Emily has a way to include you in her story line, I am very excited to read the next couple of books in this series and hopefully she will write more in the same series or branch off into another one.

Something Borrowed is told from the perspective of Rachel, an average woman struggling with life after turning thirty. Rachel works in a law firm while living in New York City along with her best friend, Darcy. At the thirtieth birthday party of her best friend, who happens to be stunningly beautiful, very successful and engaged, the very average Rachel commits the ultimate betrayal with Dex, Darcy's fiancee.

But at the end is a surprising twist that leaves you aching for more, to further yourself along in the story.

Throughout the novel, I was intrigued by the encounters between Rachel and Darcy, and between Darcy and Dex, and found myself wondering, "Will Darcy find out Rachel's secret and will the plain Jane come out on top for once?" Rachel confides in one person, her childhood friend, Ethan, who currently resides in London. The characters and personalities that come to life are real, wonderful, and captivating.

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