Bookish Bea

Note : Reviews for Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin and Fox 8 by George Saunders can be found is my previous blog posts for your reading pleasure! My Ratings of the books I read/ listened to in March: Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin Format: Print 4 out of 5 Stars Fox 8 by George Saunders Format: Audio 3 out of 5 Stars My Wish List  by Gregoire Delacourt Format: Print 3 out of 5 Stars Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir by Stan Lee Format: Print & Audio 4 out of 5 Stars In the month of March I attempted to read The Choice by Nicholas Sparks but I couldn't get into it so it became my first DNF book of the year! 

I am a huge Stan Lee fan it has been a life goal of mine to meet him. I finally met Stan at: Stan was super nice! We had a quick chat and a handshake!!!! :) He also autographed my copy his graphic novel memoir Amazing Fantastic Incredible A Marvelous Memoir :

One of my Reading Goals for 2016...  #2 Plain and simply I want to stop reading a book if i'm not enjoying it. There will probably be some DNF (Did Not Finish) books that I will be mentioning on this blog and on social media!  I tried again this month to read The Choice by Nicholas Sparks and I couldn't do it! Plain and simply I couldn't get into it. I officially decided to DNF The Choice. It literally made no sense to me to force myself to read something I wasn't enjoying. I would much rather spend time reading books that I genuinely want to read. I have nothing against The Choice if you liked it that's great! It just isn't my cup of tea!

Description: Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life-- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies--he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him . . . and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, THE CHOICE ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive? Description from Amazon.c...

My Thoughts: First off this book is definitely for adult readers. I'm going to be honest and say that when I picked it up I didn't expect there to be so much graphic adult content. It certainly isn't the type of book I usually gravitate towards but the description drew me in. I was expecting a light read but that is definitely not what this book is. I'm  enjoying the story so far it's refreshingly unlike anything I have read before.  I'm looking foward to finding out how the story ends. Description: Jocelyne lives in a small town in France where she runs a fabric shop, has been married to the same man for twenty-one years, and has raised two children. She is beginning to wonder what happened to all those dreams she had when she was seventeen. Could her life have been different? Then she wins the lottery—and suddenly finds the world at her fingertips. But she chooses not to tell anyone, not even her husband—not just yet. Without cashing the check, she begi...

Running Time:37 mins Format :Audio  Narrator:George Saunders (Author) Publisher: Random House Publication Date: April 9th 2013 Description: Fox 8 has always been known as the daydreamer in his pack, the one his fellow foxes regarded with a knowing snort and a roll of the eyes. That is, until Fox 8 develops a unique skill: He teaches himself to speak “Yuman” by hiding in the bushes outside a house and listening to children’s bedtime stories. The power of language fuels his abundant curiosity about people—even after “danjer” arrives in the form of a new shopping mall that cuts off his food supply, sending Fox 8 on a harrowing quest to help save his pack. Told with his distinctive blend of humor and pathos,  Fox 8  showcases the extraordinary imaginative talents of George Saunders, whom the  New York Times  called “the writer for our time.” Description from   Amazon.com My Rating:  3 out of 5 stars! My Review: First off, It's always nice...

Paperback: 320 pages Publisher:Broadway Books  Publication Date: December 15th 2015 My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars! My Review: There are quite a few habits that I personally want to develop and sustain in 2016 and beyond hence this books strong appeal.Gretchen's approach to developing and sustaining habits was very different than anything that I had read to this point. Gretchen wasn't just sharing her personal opinion on habits she has done solid research. The information is presented in a way that honestly kept me interested in addition to her research she shared real life experiences. I didn't at any point feel like I was reading a textbook which in my book is a huge plus! I learned that we all fall into one of four tendencies. The tendencies are Upholder, Questioner, Obliger and Rebel. Personally, I fall into the obliger tendency. As an obliger I tend to meet outer expectations and resist inner expectations.Knowing that i'm an obliger is valuable informatio...