Literate & Stylish: Amber from I Love You to the Moon

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Amber, of I Love You to the Moon

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novelby Jonathan Safran Foer

Jonathan Safran Foer, just yes. He has such a fresh voice, playful style, and a way about him that you can't help but love. He weaves stories like no other. Let me be honest for one sec. I really wanted to show you guys Everything is Illuminated but I can't find my copy anywhere! I re-read it last month and must have left it behind after I finished it. Go read that book. Then! read this one. You'll love both. (I do, anyway) That book is genius. It's beautiful, its witty, it's funny, It's real. You won't be able to put it down. This book? It's great too. You also won't want to quit until you're finished. Life can be incredibly tough. This book shows there is beauty in sadness though. You go on an adventure with 9 year old Oskar as he is determined to make sense of his father's death after 9/11. I love books that make you feel. This one makes me feel so much. The hustle and bustle of New York City, the heartbreak, the adventure, self destruction and preservation - all of it. Every page, you feel.

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here.

Literate & Stylish: Emily from Ruffling Feathers

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Emily Frame, of Ruffling Feathers

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Picking a favorite book is exceptionally hard for me, as I can pinpoint certain books that altered my way of thinking at several stages of my life. Books have always been catalysts for personal growth, so much so that I declared Literary Studies as my major in college. Matilda when I was 8, The Perks of Being a Wallflower when I was 16, Streetcar Named Desire when I was 20. They all instantly transport me back to that time in my life, and a specific enlightening moment about life and love. So you see why it's hard to choose. For me in this particular moment of my life, I had to pick Bossypants by Tina Fey. It's beautiful and hilarious and speaks to me on so many levels. As a mother, as someone trying to make their mark on the world, as a business owner, as a wife and friend. I laughed until I cried, and when I read the line about problem solving, "Is this person in between me and what I want to do? If the answer is no, ignore it and move on." So simple, and yet so powerful. It has become a sort of mantra for me navigating my way through a see of naysayers and copy-cats. If you're not a big reader, you can download the audio version narrated by Ms. Fey herself, which makes it even better!

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here.

Literate & Stylish: Ashley from That Is All

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Ashley, of That Is All

The Fault in Our Starsby John Green

A quick glance at these pictures might lead you to believe this post is about The Great Gatsby. It’s actually just my Kindle cover, but while we’re on the subject, if you haven’t read The Great Gatsby, you definitely should. I plan on re-reading it before the movie comes out.

While there are dozens of classic books I hold close to my heart, the book I want to share with you today is one I recently read. The Fault in Our Starsby John Green is technically Young Adult Fiction, but there is something in this book for you no matter your age.

 It is in one of the most unromantic settings, a cancer support group, that this love story begins. Hazel is sixteen and has lungs ridden with cancer. A “magic,” experimental pill is prolonging her life, but she’s not naive. She understands that one day she will die from this disease, and therefore is living her life so that her death will affect as few people as possible. Enter gorgeous, magnetic Augustus, who has had to have a leg amputated, but is now in remission. He is immediately drawn to Hazel, but she keeps things at a friends-only status because of her life’s expiration date.

As these two go off on some crazy adventures, we get to watch the love story unfold. You will laugh. You will cry. Your life will be better for having this book in it. (Oh my, I’m being dramatic, but it’s only because I really want you to read it!)

Literate & Stylish: Jess from TART

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 








from Jess, of TART

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a trilogy that snuck up on me even though everyone assured me that I would love it. It's the story of a girl who has to grow up too fast, make decisions one should never have to make and do whatever it takes to ensure her family and friends are safe. You'll have no choice but to fall in love with the characters and cheer on even the worst of them at some point or another. With heroes like the struggling girl next door, the stylist/activist and the pitiful drunk. With villains in the form of a hegemonist, a materialistic society, a man with the power of life or death by button and unique mutations. With unexpected humor, inevitable sadness, real and palpable love instead of fairytale fluff and so much more, this book is one that pulled me in and still won't let go long after my eyes ferociously scanned the last sentence of Mockingjay. Don't let all of the Hollywood hype fool you into overlooking this story because if nothing else, it's an entertaining and easy read that is sure to stir up enough emotion that you just have to finish all three books! May the odds be ever in your favor...

Literate & Stylish: Emily of Last Train to Pooksville

Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it.

from Emily, of Last Train to Pooksville and Uff Da Designs on Etsy

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

I fell madly in love with Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore before I'd managed to make much of a dent in its hefty 448 pages. Following the duel, unknowingly connected heroes (a reclusive teenaged runaway with an exhorting alter-ego, and simple-minded elderly gentleman with an ability for conversing with cats) is a dreamy, mesmerizing, and sometimes frightening adventure. This novel is full of incredibly charming characters, metaphysical pondering, bewitching glimpses of Japanese and American pop culture, a bit of truly scary violence, some sex, and a good dose of silliness. I love this book for leaving me unsettled, like the moments after waking from a vivid dream and wondering what's real versus what was imagined while sleeping. If you're a fan of J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, David Lynch or if you just wish to read something thrilling, hilarious, heartbreaking, terrifying, and masterfully imaginative all at once, I highly recommend Kafka on the Shore. I find something new to adore and ponder each time I read this book. It's so very worth the effort.




See the rest of the Literate & Stylish posts here.

Literate & Stylish: Diana of Our City Lights

Welcome to a brand new feature here on Sometimes Sweet: Literate & Stylish. The premise is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos of herself and her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it.

I hope this will inspire more reading, and hopefully the discovery of a new favorite blog, book, or both!

Thank you Diana for agreeing to be my L&S lady #1. I couldn't have picked a better first, featured friend. Enjoy!

from Diana, of Our City Lights:

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

This memoir by Jeanette Walls is an unexpected book to ever become a favorite. Walls' writing makes life with an alcoholic family seem quirky, fun and adventurous, and growing up in an alcoholic family myself, I never saw any of these things. Just like Walls', instead of bitterness and anger, the gifts of gratitude, humor and forgiveness have taken over my life. Everything she tells about from her dysfunctional relationship with reality to the death of her father have all hit home for me. I don't think I've ever laughed and cried so hard in a book; sometimes reading another's story makes us realize what we ourselves have overcome and appreciate the family we have. What I love most about this book is the forgiveness she has not just for her family, but for her life. And that's what I believe makes her a great storyteller.