Songs from the Well by Adam Byrn Tritt

  From the very first page of Songs from the Well, I was in love. Adam Byrn Tritt’s story about his wife’s life, family and contribution to the world and everyone around her placed me in his shoes and showed me exactly why he was- and still is- absolutely head over heels in love with her.
  This story is packed full of sweet sentiments, hilarious stories of Adam and Adam’s wife- Lee’s- adventures, heart warming family connections and tissue worthy poetry.
  This book is not very long, but I’ll admit to you all, my faithful readers, that it took me three days to read. Not because it was difficult to get through, but because I wanted to savor the story. I wanted to take my time with Adam’s and Craig Smith’s (a friend of Adam’s) recollections of Lee’s life, their experiences of grief and mourning and wonderful insights for ways to look at life.
  Adam also writes a letter to his granddaughter about his family and their ancestors and past, which makes me envious for that rich of a family history.
  This author and Songs from the Well will capture your heart and fill your emotional bucket with love, friendship, laughter and sorrow.

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

  With its growing popularity, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern could not go unread in my book.
  This tale of a mystical and magical traveling circus was irresistible. The sights, the smells and tastes were coming to life before my very eyes. It was intriguing to say the least.
  I even found myself enchanted by the working mechanics of a clock.
  No doubt this author has a way with words with capturing the scenery and emotions of the circus. I spent many sleepless nights laying in bed, clutching the book in my hands, just waiting for the next adventure to jump off the page.
  Although... As the book went on, the magic slipped out of my grasp.
  I became less entranced and mystified with the story and more impatient, wondering when Marco and Celia's story was going to end.
  And I'm disappointed to say, her ending to their story and finale to the book was less than spectacular. My entrancement was waning. It was almost as if she knew what she wanted in an ending, but didn't portray it in a way where the reader understood what was occurring.
  It was a let down and a disappointment for this bookworm... The magic of the circus will forever stay with me, but a magical story deserves a magical ending and, I'm sad to say, I didn't get one.

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Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

  After a complicated past, Alex and Dylan find themselves in a work study program to help restore a semi-famous author's career, but what they end up restoring instead is their love for each other.
  Everyone has a dark past, but for Dylan- who's recovering from a grievous leg wound and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan- it's haunting his every dream.
  The story of Alex and Dylan, from beginning to end, is a heart breaking tale of recovering from war wounds, physically and emotionally, rekindling old relationships and battling personal demons.
  These characters are easy to connect to and will take you on an emotional roller coaster.
  I laughed, I panicked, and I teared up. Charles Sheehan-Miles has truly captured my heart with his story and I'm genuinely surprised that with all of the uninspiring romantic novels out there, this isn't more popular.
  I'm currently on his second book in the Thompson Sisters Series and I'm absolutely smitten with these characters as well.

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Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

  When I first heard about Warm Bodies, I was watching television and saw the movie trailer. (I know, I know, the book came first! But honestly I hadn't even known it was a book until the movie came out. I'm ashamed of myself too.)
  I thought the concept was absolutely absurd and ridiculous, a zombie falling in love and "coming back to life?" Come on.
  REALLY?
  But after hours of nagging and persuasion from my mother, I gave in and bought it from Amazon.com. (The paper copy, not the ebook. That's a different post.)
  What a story. Alone with the clever tips of the hat to Romeo and Juliet, with having the two main characters named "R" and "Julie," a dystopian society of boneys who dictate what the lesser zombies do ( like "R"), who they marry, and what will overall happen in their undead existence. The entire novel is a mind-blowing, life changing metaphor.
  Without spoilers, because this IS a spoiler free blog, I want to sum up the metaphor like so: If you lose all of your humanity (after being bitten and turned into a zombie) you have nothing else to live for. No sense of right and wrong and you're just... skin and bones. No soul. No longer a moral being.
  "R" spends the novel finding something and someone to live for.
  And if all goes right... That's Julie.
  I laughed, I cried and I sighed in total infatuation. This book was NOT what I expected in the best way possible.
  Buy this book. Read it and appreciate it, this story in undeniably amazing and there's so much depth, you'll find yourself falling into the love story and not wanting to come out.

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