Favorite Book of the Week: Shelter Me

For those of you who don't know, I am an avid book reader. In my spare time I am probably either reading, sleeping, working out, or watching TV. I have always been a big reader, but after I started working full time I started reading more and more to escape the monotony and boredom of each day. So, from here on out each Friday I will write a little blurb about my favorite book of the week.

This week I read Shelter Me by Juliette Fay. I had seen this book many times while inside Barnes & Noble (one of my favorite places in the world), but for some reason I always avoided it. Maybe it had to do with the sad plot line or the the name of the main character, Janie, which kind of bothers me for some reason, but eventually I decided to give the book a chance. I am happy to report that this was DEFINITELY a book worth reading.

Shelter Me is about a woman, Janie LaMarche, trying to cope with the tragic death of her husband, Robby. On top of trying to deal with her own grief, Janie has two children to care fore - Dylan and Carly (who was three months when Robby died). The book is written from the third person perspective, but the reader gets a glimpse into Janie's mind through her diary entries, which Father Jake has encouraged her to write to show her that daily miracles are still occurring despite the fact that Robby is gone. My first impression after the first thirty pages was that Janie was a little annoying. I guess it was because I hadn't fully grasped her as a character and because I didn't connect with her and her struggles at that point. To me, Janie came across a little whiny and rude. But in the end, the reader comes to know and love Janie as an opinionated and sarcastic woman who has absolutely no fear of telling the people around her, even her own family, how it really is.

Throughout the novel Janie makes many connections with, and begins to rely upon, certain people whom she never expected to befriend. Janie's Aunt Jude, whom she sees as overly chatty and obnoxious, takes it upon herself to help Janie get through this tough time. Aunt Jude encourages Janie to meet with Father Jake and take a self defense course, none of which Janie has any interest in. At first Janie resents that her Aunt Jude is there taking care of her and not her very own mother, but in the end Janie comes to realize that while Aunt Jude is annoying, she needs her.

Father Jake, who comes over to Janie's house every Friday bearing his own tea packet, becomes one of the most important people in Janie's life throughout that first year. Through there Friday visits and hikes, Janie comes to learn about the real Father Jake and the sceletons that he has hiding in his closet. While I will not go into too much detail for your sake, Father Jake makes Janie realize that there are people out there that she can connect with and learn from.

The second character Janie forms a special bond with is Father Jake, the pastor whom Aunt Jude forced her to meet with. Every Friday Father Jake comes over to Janie's house for an hour, and every Friday Janie discovers more and more about him that she can understand and connect with. Janie's muffin-bearing cousin also plays a pivotal role as the supportive family member who is always there to put a smile on her face.

Janie also becomes close and exceedingly reliant upon her overly-manicured and bright nextdoor neighrbor, Shelly. Before Robby died Janie only waved at Shelly from her driveway. By the looks of Shelly Janie assumed that the two would never be friends. Fast forward four months after Robby's death and you would never know that these two women hadn't been friends for years. Shelly helps Janie get her finances in order, takes care of her when she is sad, and checks in on her all of the time.

The most intriguing relationship of the entire story is the one that Janie develops with a contractor named Tug. Yes, his name isTug (there is a neat story inside as to how he got that name, but I won't ruin it for you). Before Robby died he hired Tug to build a porch on their house as a gift to Janie. Seeing the porch as a part of Robby, Janie agrees to let construction continue. Throughout the entire construction process Janie comes to know Tug and rely upon him, despite his sometimes overly honest advice. While there are definitely ups and downs in their relationship, Tug and Janie grow close and reliant upon one another. I won't tell you anything else about their growing relationship because how it unfolds and what it becomes really makes this book special.

All in all I was very surprised by how well written and heartfelt this book is. If you can get past the first thirty or so pages and allow yourself to develop a place in your heart for Janie, then you will love this book. For those of you who don't like crying, you will be happy to know that while the death of Janie's husband is sad, the book is not a sad at all.

Happy Reading!

Welcome to My Blog!

Hello, hello my fellow wifeys! Welcome to my blog, A Little This & That From Career Girl Turned Wife. I wanted to start off by telling y'all a little about me. If you couldn't tell by my use of "y'all," I am currently living in the South where saying "you all" or "you guys" is not allowed. No, I am not a Southern girl at heart, but I am learning to become one. My husband and I, whom I will refer to as The Hubby throughout this blog, moved to the South just over a year ago. Why did we move to the South you ask? Good question!! The short answer is that we both come from completely opposite sides of the United States - The Hubby is from good ole' Michigan and I am from bright and sunny California. The Hubby and I met in law school and had to decide pretty quickly where we were going to take the bar exam - Michigan or California? In the end we tell people that we basically threw a dart at a map and moved to the state that the dart landed on, which in our case was Georgia! So yes, now I am living with my new husband in the Peachy State of Georgia!

The transition for The Hubby and I has been rough at times. Moving to a state where you have absolutely no friends and family can definitely be a challenge. When we first moved to Georgia we spent a LOT of time together, which neither of us really minded because we are very close. But, as we all know, sometimes a girl just needs a girlfriend to talk to and sometimes a guy needs another guy to drink and talk sports with. So while the first six months had their ups and downs, I am happy to report that we have started to make some worth while friends. Yes, yes, there are always those people that we can go hang out with at a bar, but I have found that the older you get the harder it is to find people that you actually want to hang out with when you are sober. It is refreshing to know that after a year we have met at least some people that we can do that with.

In June of 2011 The Hubby and I got married. It was a magical, memorable day that I will remember for the rest of my life. I spent over a year planning it (and when I say "I" I mean my mom, his mom and myself) and loved every second of it. I have never been the planner type of person, but something about being able to pick out every single detail of your special event made it exciting for me. I would literally spend hours in front of the computer going from website to website in search of the perfect dress, party favors, flowers, cake, etc. I spent so much time looking at wedding dresses that I actually knew which type of wedding dress I wanted and ended up purchasing the FIRST dress I tried on. How many people can say that?? Because The Hubby and I are currently living in Georgia, we decided to be selfish and make everyone come to us for the wedding. Not only did that decision save us some arguments over whether the wedding would be in Michigan or California, but it basically served as an extended vacation for each one of our guests. Needless to say, it was an entire week of partying and celebrating the beginning of our lives together. (Pictures to come in a later post).

After our wedding The Hubby and I went on a honeymoon to Playa Del Carmen where we stayed at the Playa Car Palace, which was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I would post pics of the honeymoon, but our camera decided to die on us the minute we got there and all of the pics we took on the disposable cameras turned out absolutely awful! Remember when those were the only cameras we used? I remember that it used to be so exciting to take a disposable to a party and develop them a week later to discover what on earth happened that night. Trust me, using a disposable on your honeymoon is not quite as exciting!

So, why should you read my blog? I would like to think that I have interesting things to say and share with you from the perspective of a working woman trying to come into her own as a wife. I am by no means a good cook, a great house cleaner, or an overly-organized person, but I am trying to become all of those things and I would like you all to be a part of my journey. I hope that you will continue to read my blog and learn a little bit more about me!