A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Do you enjoy YA novels? Fairy Tales? Re-tellings of beloved classics? What about Beauty and the Beast? If you answered yes, have I got the book for you!

This book had me hooked after the first few chapters. My FAVORITE part of it, was the heroine. You know how usually in these Beauty and the Beast stories the girl is beautiful, kind, perfect in every way? Harper has cerebral palsy, an absent father, a dying mother, a brother that has turned to some shady people to keep their family together... so, when she is essentially kidnapped and taken into an alternate universe, she is NOT happy. She is fierce, determined, and is not making it easy for Prince Rhen to break his curse.

The book was really fun and Brigid Kemmerer made the story her own which I loved. So, if you're looking for a fresh take on an old fairy tale, add this to your "to read" list for 2020! Already read it? Comment below with your thoughts.

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Thriller #6 - The Girl on the Train

When I decided to do a countdown of some of my favorite thriller/suspense novels, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, was one that immediately jumped into my mind! This is going to be more of a recommendation, rather than a review, because I don't want to give a single thing away. So, you may like this book if: ✔ you like a good page turner ✔ you are or you sympathize with super nosy people ✔ you like when the plot is unpredictable ✔ you like a good twist (or two) ✔ you are willing to stay up late to finish the book, because you won't be able to sleep otherwise If the above list sounds like a fun romp, you're going to need to get your hands on a copy of this book! Disclaimer: apparently there is a movie, and no, I have not seen it. If you have, comment below! What was better? The book or the movie? I read this book a couple years ago, so I don't remember many of the details, but what I do remember was the SUSPENSE I felt reading it and vaguely remember

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Educated by Tara Westover is a memoir about the author's childhood growing up in a survivalist family in rural Idaho. Her father, being anti-establishment, never sent her to school and her homeschooling consisted of finding books to read to herself around the house. At 17, she studies for and takes the ACT, is accepted to Brigham Young University, and from there goes on to earn a doctorate at Cambridge. It is a story of overcoming one's trials and pushing through to achieve what shouldn't have been possible. Reviewing a memoir is difficult, because while there are parts of the story you may dislike, you can't fault them for being what happened to the best of the author's memory. This book was extremely well written. It is clear that the author is well read and well educated in the way she presents the story. There were times, though, where she was quoting her mother or sister from emails that were written and she changed their verbiage completely to match her

Who Am I?

"Who am I?" Oh, hang on, I need to let my mind finish singing Jean Valjean's famous reprise from Les Miserables in my head.... and.... we're good. My name is Diane J. Owen. I am a woman, a friend, a wife, a mother, a musician, a cook, a quilter, sometimes a baker, but most importantly, for this blog, I am a reader. Once upon a time, I received an English degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Go Rebels!). During those three years, my mind was opened to many different facets of literature and even more confusing... ways to analyze that literature. By the time I walked across the commencement stage in 2009, I could write a five page essay without blinking an eye and theorize with you over Melville. However, what they didn't teach me was how to get a job with a degree in English. So, I came crashing down to reality, was offered a Graduate Assistantship in Recreation and, consequently, in 2011 was the proud owner of a Master's degree in Sport and

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