This is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! To participate, just answer the following three (3) questions...

• What are you currently reading?


• What did you recently finish reading?


• What are you planning on reading next?

My answers:

I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I love the girl power aspect of this book! It also reads a lot like a novel, but it is a memoir.

I recently finished reading Dewey by Vicki Myron. Such a cute, cozy read about a cat who finds his way into the hearts of an entire town.

I think I will read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen next! Hubby and I went to see the movie, and I liked it, so I want to be able to compare movie and book :). It looks like such an intriguing read...about the circus in the Depression era.

Discussion

I've decided that every once in awhile, I'll hold a discussion about something that is relevant to books and reading. I know that I LOVE to talk about anything "bookish" and would love to hear your thoughts on the topics that I will be posting!

Today's discussion is about Oprah. I grew up watching her on tv and am feeling sad that tomorrow is her last show ever! I was wondering if anyone else is sad that her show is coming to an end and if you were ever impacted by her bookclub? Did one of the books she picked in the past resonate with you in some way? Did her bookclub and her love of reading inspire you to read more or to love reading even more?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts! Happy reading!

Musing Mondays is brought to us from MizB of Should Be Reading. Thanks for the fun weekly meme! This week's Musing is...

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week?

My answer: Well, thanks for asking haha! :) This past Saturday I went to the bookstore with some girlfriends as doctor hubby was working ALL day and ALL night at the hospital. While we were there, I meandered over to the YA section, and finally decided to join in the craze with the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! I've heard so much about them, and discovered that they are also going to be made into movies. I bought a nice boxed set with all three hardcover books.

My friend also happened to mention the book, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I love the movie version of this with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock and was excited because I hadn't known before that the movie was based on a book! Maybe I will read it around Halloween in the Fall :). Happy reading everyone!

Hi dear followers! :) I'm excited to announce that I was chosen to be featured tomorrow on the lovely book blog, CMash Loves to Read. The owner of this blog is so sweet and a true book lover. There is always something interesting and thoughtful to read on her blog, so I definitely suggest hopping over there to say hi if you are not a follower already! Click the picture below to go there.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome any new followers to my blog from this spotlight! I look forward to getting to know you and the books that you love :). I'm so glad you're here...have a great weekend, everyone!

Review of Dewey by Vicki Myron

Synopsis in a Sentence: In this touching memoir, librarian Vicki Myron adopts a sweet male cat who ends up living in the library and touching hearts all over the world.

My Thoughts: I loved this book! At first, I wasn't sure if I would because I am more of a dog person than a cat person, but I think I liked this book even more than Marley and Me. My husband became nervous after I finished reading this, because I told him I wanted to get a cat now in addition to our two dogs haha :)!

What is interesting about this book is that Myron really depicts what it is like living in a small town in the Midwest. You almost feel like you are there as the neighbors come together during good and bad crops and survive an economic depression. Dewey, the sweet and mischevious cat who was found by the librarians after being shoved through the book return slot bonds with the entire town and helps give them a sense of pride about who they are with his unwavering friendliness and love. The author also chronicles the struggles she goes through in her personal life, such as a breast cancer scare, divorce and trying to make ends meet. Dewey is there with her through it all in endearing, laughable and touching ways.

This book really proves that pets can have a "sixth sense" about human's emotions and that they really can become our best friends through life's ups and downs. The way Myron writes about Dewey really makes you realize that he was indeed, a special cat who cared about the library, the library patrons and about reading and books. His full name was actually Dewey Readmore Books lol. I would definitely recommend this book to any animal lovers or to anyone who enjoys reading about libraries and small town America.

What I liked the most: One of the most touching ancedotes in the book is when Dewey (named after the Dewey decimal system!) befriends a little girl with special needs. This book definitely touched my heart more than I thought it would and I found myself needing tissues while reading the ending!

What I liked the least: I found myself wanting to know more about some of the loose ends in the book, such as if Myron discovered love again after her divorce etc...I found out that she wrote a sequel to Dewey, so if you end up liking this one, there are still more Dewey stories available :).