January 2016 – Writer of Sweet Small Town Stories of Love and Family

Book Talk Tuesday: A Girl’s Guide to Moving On

Published on January 12, 2016January 8, 2016 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On, by the prolific Debbie Macomber is a sweet story of endings and new beginnings.

2016-02-A-Girls-Guide-to-Moving-On-2016.HC_ Nichole and Leanne live across the hall from each other in a downtown Portland apartment building.

They used to be mother- and daughter-in-law.

Leanne’s husband cheated on her for years and she turned a blind eye. When her son cheated on Nichole and she left him, Leanne found the courage to leave also.

When the story opens, it’s been about two years since the women have been on their own. They formed their own support group and gave themselves guidelines for learning how to move on while being mutually supportive.

Neither expected to fall in love again. And they definitely didn’t expect Rocco or Nikolai, two men completely unlike their ex-husbands. But the road to new love isn’t smooth. Language barriers, cultural expectations, and health issues are just a few of their obstacles.

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is a light and satisfying read. Debbie Macomber fans will not be disappointed.

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I received a free e-copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Media Monday: HIMYM

Published on January 11, 2016January 8, 2016 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously

I’m usually a year or two or ten behind the times.

I’m just now watching How I Met Your Mother and it’s been off the air for awhile. But thanks to Netflix I can watch an episode on my lunch break. I’m up to the beginning season 6 now.

HIMYM I’m enjoying it a lot.

It’s a “Friends” for the new millennium. Five friends instead of six. In New York City. Hanging out at a bar instead of a coffee house. One couple already formed at the beginning of the series.

I’m not a complete hermit. I know two of the others end up married. And I know Ted does eventually meet and marry the girl of his dreams. I don’t know how it ends though (and please don’t tell me). I know faithful fans either loved or hated the ending, and that it was a bit of a surprise. I know the producers and writers defended the ending, saying they had planned to end it that way from the beginning and they stuck to their vision. I have a suspicion how it ends, but I don’t want to know for sure until I get there.

For those, like me, who are behind in their pop culture viewing, I’ll give a quick synopsis.

In the year 2030, Ted is telling his kids the story of how he met their mother. He goes back to 2005 and recounts many other stories, mostly of the women he dated who turned out not to be “the one.” He’s an architect who becomes a professor. His roommate is Marshall, who gets engaged to Lily in the first episode. Then there’s the friend Barney, a real jerk with a soft heart, played by Neil Patrick Harris who should have won an Emmy for this role. He’s seriously amazing. Then there’s Robin, the woman Ted fell for in season one, but who ends up one of his best friends.

Ted hasn’t met “the one,” yet, but there have been hints. I now know she carries a yellow umbrella, he met her at a wedding, and he used to date her roommate.

Some of the dialogue is very adult. Enough that I’m shocked they got away with it on primetime.

Overall, it’s a funny and fun show that I’m enjoying a lot. Occasionally, I’ll even stretch my lunch break and watch two episodes.

What are you currently catching up that you missed in the past?

Media Monday: Spectre

Published on January 4, 2016December 20, 2015 by Live Vi-Carrie-ously2 Comments

While everyone is obsessed with Star Wars just now, we did get to see the latest installment in the James Bond canon and we really enjoyed it.

I especially like Daniel Craig’s take on the spy. Craig’s Bond has some depth and hidden emotions and even a past. I loved Pierce Brosnan’s Bond too, the cool wink-and-a-smile sex appeal, but the double entendres were just a bit much for me.

spectre In Spectre, Bond’s past catches up to him with a vengeance. Christoph Weitz is the bad guy in this iteration.

There’s a new M. Moneypenny and Q have bigger parts of the story.

Someone is manipulating Bond to take an uncomfortable walk down memory lane. It’s a walk he’d rather skip. But he also has a message from the former M that he can’t ignore, asking him to take care of one last thing for her.

It’s a new world of spying and the enemy is sometimes nebulous. Sometimes it’s ourselves. Spectre explores that concept.

The issues Spectre raises have become even more critical in the last few weeks, in multiple incidents around the world.

Thought provoking and a darn good story. Tough combo to beat.

We really enjoyed it and we recommend it!