Interview With A Girlfriend Wednesday

It's MiMi's turn!

Tell us what is your favorite genre of books: I guess it depends on the mood I’m in. If I’m really happy, I might want to read a sad book. If I’m feeling down, the last thing I need is a book that’s gonna bring me down more.

I think I can safely say that I love most books. The only ones I don’t like are ones that are romance only. I mean, if you’re gonna give me a romance, it’s gotta have something else going on. Like a thriller, or a historical type thing.

Who is your favorite author:

Ya know? This is sort of a dorky question, huh? I mean, I probably came up with it, so I’m the dork, but really, if you like to read, it’s hard to pin down one favorite author.

I have 3 or 4 authors who I love and always buy their books.
If I wanna good Thriller or Suspense? Karin Slaughter. She’s not afraid to pull the rug out from under you. Usually you can tell where a book is going, but you never can with hers. I mean, she’ll kill off a main character, even if it’s someone you are sure can’t die. And it works!
If I want good Chick Lit? Definitely Sophie Kinsella and Jennifer Weiner. (and it’s pronounced whine-er, so ya know. Every time I see it I actually pronounce it weeeener/whine-er, just so I have all the bases covered.)
If I want something totally fluffy, that will make me laugh? Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, hands down.
I also like John Irving and I have fallen head over heals for Elizabeth Flock, who wrote a book called Me and Emma. If you have the time, definitely pick that one up. It blew me away.

What do you think of the movies that are based on books:

I love when they make movies outta books. Most of the time they chop it up and it ends up being a mess, but they’re still enjoyable. I never have high expectations.

What gets me is when they make films like Twilight. It matched the book pretty well, but what comes across on the page, looked really cheesy on film. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I still LOVED the dang movie and it makes me laugh whenever I watch it, even though it’s not supposed to be funny, and for that alone, I will keep it forever in my collection. And, I can’t wait for New Moon. I’m a Twilight Junkie.
What really bugged me was Shopaholic. That was SO different then the book. I mean, for instance, a huge part of the book? She’s English. Lives in Britain. Not New York. Sheesh. But it was still funny and I liked it a lot.

What book have you read that has stuck with you the most:

Me and Emma by Elizabeth Flock. It’s about a girl and her sister and the pain they go through growing up. I’m not gonna tell you more, cuz I think you should go pick it up and read it. It’s fantastic. Although, if you pick it up and you don’t end up liking it? I never mentioned it.

I also read a thriller by Jack Ketchum once, called The Lost. I don’t remember a lot about that book, but I remember it scared the crap outta me and I still think about it.

Now, tell us about your blog.What do you think might set it apart from others and why should we love you:

You should love me because I’m shameless and will do anything to get you to.

Uh, I don’t know. I’m funny (sometimes), I don’t get embarrassed, I will, at times, tell way too much information about myself, which it’s always fun to hear about other peoples’ weirdness, right?
I don’t know! It’s hard to brag yourself up, you try! Oh wait, you will, cuz we’re coming after all of our Girlfriends to do this same thing!

Oh! I thought of another. I also LOVE The Bell Jar. Sylvia Plath was messed up but a great writer. Her character’s transition from normal to crazy was seamless. I didn’t even catch it. How crazy does that make me?? Don't.answer.that.

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Jessica says: MiMi's blog has caused me to: crack up so hard that my husband runs over to the computer to see what's up, gasp so hard the hubs does the same thing, squeal with gross delight about the weird things she reveals about herself, and even some sentimental crying. I count MiMi a friend and I hope you will too! Now go visit her blog--Living In France!!! (I wonder, does she actually live in France? Hmm)....

*** We need new Girlfriend Interviews! Please email them to either MiMi or me.
*** Also, we need you all to start sending us your addresses so we can send your bookmarks out in August!

Spoiler Alert Tuesday and a Giveaway

Hey Girlfriends, I'm back!

I know you all missed me, wipe your tears, you don't need to be sad anymore.
I'm just flattering myself, I know. If I don't, who will?
I don't want to bore you to death with the same format I used a couple Tuesdays ago for this post, so I'm gonna make it short and sweet, like Jessica.

Okey doke?

Spoilers Below!!

Chapters 13 - 22 and the Epilogue.
Don't freak! They're short chapters.

• Do you think that they moved too fast? What was it, 3 days or so and they fell in love? Is there such a thing as "love at first sight?" Is this the same thing as what happened to them?

• Were you surprised that Travis went and punched the doctor who put the moves on Gabby? Has your man ever done something like that for you?



• Did you start to see that maybe they weren't getting a divorce after all? Were you surprised that the "choice" was about life and death and not the marriage?



• If you were in Travis's situation, would you have made the same choice? Do you think he would have ended up resenting her like the other gentleman who resented his wife after many years of her coma?



• Do you think it was a fairytale ending, or true to life? Is it believable that someone could recover as well as she did from her coma?

What did you all think of the book? Overall, did you think it was good, bad, or are you indifferent?

Take our poll over to the right if you haven't already!

Now onto the best part!

We're going to start doing giveaways every Tuesday! (barring any unforseen circumstance that may cause us to miss a week)

***CLOSED***

All you have to do to win is leave us a comment with your thoughts on the book so far. We will draw and announce before next week's Spoiler Alert Tuesday, so check back!

Isn't that easy? Just another reason why your "Read with Girlfriends" blog pals, ie; Jessica and MiMi rock!!

Here is this week's giveaway!

Spoil your feet! I don't know if your feet need some pampering, but ours sure do!
Happy commenting!

Interview with a Girlfriend Wednesday

Our Third Interview with a Girlfriend is with Amanda from Family of Shorts!

Amanda is one neat girlfriend! Please go visit her blog!!

Without further ramblings, here is AMANDA!

Tell us what is your favorite genre of books:
I love to get lost in books so the genre really isnt all that important. I have read everything from chick-lit to a true story about a Vietnam vet. I generally dont go for whats necessarily popular (I just barely read the first Twilight book and havent read any of the others!) as much as I go for what grabs my attention. If it sounds good on the back of the book then I buy it!
Who is your favorite author:
Im not sure I could pick a favorite. I love Jennifer Weiner, probably because her main characters are usually overweight and I love that! Not the perfect little size 2, most beautiful person in the world character, but someone who feels real.
What do you think of the movies that are based on books:
There are some movies that I think do an OK job. As a rule though I think it is impossible to really capture the book in the movie. There is so much more detail and description in a book. And as readers we all envision the characters, the place, etc in our own way...no two people would envision it the same way. So to see it in movie format it is probably not what you were picturing and can be disappointing. Almost like it loses the "magic"
What book have you read that has stuck with you the most:
Its funny but some of the books I remember most are ones that I hated! Many years ago, in high school, I had to read 1984 for honors English class. I hated the book! Seriously hated it...but I remember so many things about it. There have been some classics that I loved though, like Jane Eyre, Catcher in the Rye and the Diary of Anne Frank. All of these I had to read in high school and I still remember them and the characters. Maybe I should read them now as an adult!
Now, tell us about your blog. What do you think might set it apart from others and why should we love you:
I dont know that I am different from others. I am just a stay at home mom that finds humor in little things. I am doing a Home Redo challenge on my blog where I pick a room every month and by the end of the month you had to accomplish things for that room. They can be as simple as clearing out clutter or a full on remodel! I try to post every day on my blog, when I dont I feel like I forgot to call a close friend or something. I try to be funny and entertaining, but most of all I am real. I dont say or do anything on my blog that I wouldnt say in real life, usually the post is referring to real conversations. I will always be honest about myself and how I feel. I dont believe in doing or believe in what is popular or trendy. I love having my blog as a place to vent, complain, boast, cry...whatever. And when I get comments it reminds me that Im not alone!

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**Please copy and paste the questions into your email and fill them out! Add a snapshot and send it to either MiMi or Jessica! We would love to feature YOU in the coming weeks!!

Spoiler Alert Tuesday

Hey Girlfriends! Please bare with me, MiMi is busy with her relatives this week. You are stuck with me. Are you all liking this book? Does it seem predictable? Or maybe you haven't finished it yet...
Looks like I need to talk about chapters 7-12.
Yeah, I'm not as funny as MiMi. Humor me and pretend you like my post this week!
Otherwise she might not ever let me loose on Spoiler Alert Tuesdays again! :)
This week I'm simply going to post questions about the chapters. You all are big girls, you don't need me paraphrasing for you (mostly because I'm not as energetic as MiMi was last week)! Please let me know if you think Spoiler Alert Tuesdays are boring. We are doing them for you, because this is your book club! We are just the morons trying to write witty posts (MiMi) and make cute graphics (me).
MiMi's note: Jess, I haven't left town yet, so here's some advice: Please - for the love of God, do not do what I did last week. It was B-O-R-I-N-G. I worked hard, but I think I was a tad to wordy. (pfft, me wordy? uh, yeah.)but there weren't many comments. I think people were bored with it...as was I. So. Go ahead, talk it out, have fun everyone!


Spoilers Below!

• What do you think of Travis' sister Stephanie? Would you like to be friends with someone like her? Or are you someone like her?
• Would you have went riding motorcycles with Travis? Do you think he was too aggressive telling Gabby about his feelings? What about the boyfriend? Do you feel bad for him?
  
• The end of chapter 12 leaves us with Gabby inviting Travis over for dinner. What do you make of that? Do you think she's being naive or leaning more in Travis' direction?
  

Extra Extra!!

Hey Girlfriends!

We have two announcements today!
First we drew the number for our Necklace Giveaway!

We went to RandomKid.org. Okay, so really, we had Jessica's super cutie patootie son pick a number between 1 and 25.
And the winner is.....drumroll please....

Number 10!

Maggie from Sitting on the mood swing at the playground, come on down!

Now for everyone else, don't be disappointed that you didn't win the necklace. We are going to have fabulous monthly giveaways, so you still can win! Maybe August will be your month?

And now some great news for everybody, the announcement you've all been waiting for...haven't you?

The Read With Girlfriends choice for August is:

Here's a tidbit about the book copied from Amazon.

From Publishers Weekly, Shopaholic powerhouse Kinsella delights again with her latest, a winning if unoriginal tale of amnesia striking an ambitious shrew and changing her life for the better. After taking a nasty bump on the head, Lexi Smart awakens in a hospital convinced that it's 2004 and that she's just missed her father's funeral. It's actually three years later, and she no longer has crooked teeth, frizzy hair and a loser boyfriend. Initially wowed by what she's become—a gorgeous, cut-throat businesswoman—Lexi soon finds herself attempting to figure out how it happened. As her personality change and lost memory threaten her job, Lexi tries to dredge up some chemistry with her handsome albeit priggish husband, Eric, though the effort is unnecessary with Eric's colleague Jon, who tells Lexi that she was about to leave Eric for him. Amnesia tales may be old hat, but Kinsella keeps things fresh and frothy with workplace politicking, romantic intrigue and a vibrant (though sometimes caricatured) cast. Though the happy ending won't come as a surprise, readers will be rooting for Lexi all along. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

If this sounds like a book you would enjoy, then join in with The Girlfriends and get the book for August!

Interview With A Girlfriend Wednesday

In our second Interview With A Girlfriend, we interviewed Brandy from The Nabors Baby.

Brandy is funny and she loves books! She was the very first follower of this here little book club! She followed before we even did our first post! Yay, Brandy! (all these exclamation marks make me feel like a cheerleader. gag.)
Like the first interview we did, you have to channel your inner Babwa Wawters.

Tell us what is your favorite genre of books:
Like, Jessica, I'm no book snob. There are some genres I do enjoy more than others. I love essays, biographies, nature/outdoor, non-fiction and Christian non-fiction. And as much as I hate to admit it, I do judge a book by it's cover. I know, I know. I'm awful. I prefer larger size books over trade size paperbacks and I like a nice size large font...ooooo, that sounded dirty.

Really, in the end I'm willing to give any book a try. Which is why I'm SO excited about reading other "Girlfriends" suggestions!

The only genre I'm not a tremendous fan of is romance. Hold the Fabio for me.

Who is your favorite author:
Hmmmm, that's a tough one. It's like a Lay's potato chip, I can't have just one. I love Thoreau, Jack Kerouac, Bill Bryson, Beth Moore, Nora Roberts - How's that for eclectic taste!

What do you think of the movies that are based on books:
I have no qualms with book-based movies at all. In fact, I'm guilty of seeing the movie without ever touching the book. I do, however, agree that a book can take you places and bring out emotion and imagination that a movie can not. A movie is a director's perspective on the book's characters, setting, costume, etc. which is great, but the beauty and fascination with a book is that it can be a 1,000 different things to a 1,000 different people. When I'm done with a book and have made my own "world" of it, I'll watch the movie and see how different or how similar my "world" is to the director's.

I hope that made sense, I haven't had caffeine since 2008. Can’t. Think. Straight.

What book have you read that has stuck with you the most:
On the Road by Jack Kerouac: Since reading this, I've had a strange obsession with train hopping and bums. Yes, I have dreamt of waxing poetic around a campfire, discussing where to hitchhike next while eating beans from a can with other un-showered road trippers... Okay, I’m really coming across as an oddball.

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland: Because I'm such a nature/outdoor junkie, this book will always float in my head. It's a story of two teenage sisters, alone in the woods in a day and time where electricity no longer exists and modern conveniences are a thing of the past. The sisters survive the elements, battle hunger and emotional crisis, and even an unspeakable crime committed in their own home. Hmmmmm, after re-reading that it doesn't sound like a page turner, but trust me it is. THIS is why I can’t write good book reviews.

Now, tell us about your blog. What do you think might set it apart from others and why should we love you:
You should love me because you have to, Mimi said so. No, no, no. That came out all wrong.

Take two: I'm a loveable kind of gal. Mother of one, Step-Monster to another. Betrothed to a man allergic to laundry and dishes. Daughter to a biker/bar owner and an ex-hippie Cherokee Indian....I don't care what she says, Lil Mama was totally a hippie. Sister to a crazy woman with four children that should absolutely, undoubtedly be medicated. I'm a self-professed tree-huggin'-dirt-worshipper.

I originally started blogging to keep my family in the loop about my first pregnancy. Then I figured out this whole blog thing is a big deal. Now, I usually ramble about the goings on in our daily life and share the hilarity of a first time mother. I try to keep things upbeat and humorous, but there is the occasion where I'm honest about my post-baby blues, sleep deprivation, and sausage like physique. I hope we become your new favorite "Nabors".

Well said, Brandy! Your our favorite new "Nabor" for sure!

Now go check The Nabors Baby out!

Also: Don't forget to check back tomorrow when we'll announce the winner of the necklace, and announce next months book pick!!

Spoiler Alert Tuesday

As promised, here's our review on the prologue and first 6 chapters of The Choice.

Prologue - Here is where we're first introduced to the main characters of the book. We don't learn names, ages, etc...we just know it's a husband and wife. The husband is delivering flowers to the hospital where his wife works.

He's lamenting the fact that he and his wife argued the last time that they spoke and knows delivering flowers won't do any good, but he's at a loss for what to do.

Why do you think he's bringing his wife flowers and why do you think he's so sure they won't help?

MiMi: I think he's bringing her flowers because he's a big 'ole jerk and said something stupid to cause the argument in the first place. Sounds like he's made some mistakes, maybe he's even cheated on her?

Jessica: MiMi hit the nail on the head. Although, I didn't get the feel that he had cheated on her for some reason.

MiMi again: That would be because Jessica is more intelligent than I, and she doesn't see the bad in people as much as I do. : )

Jessica again: MiMi, I'm just naive!

MiMi: This back and forth is fun! Naive...pfft. I'm just mean.

Chapters 1-6
In chapter one you are further introduced to the 2 main characters. You learn that they are neighbors. He is Travis Parker and has lived in the small town of Beaufort his entire life and has 3 close friends who are married and have kids. Although he isn't married and doesn't have any kids, he has remained close with his friends and their families. He does a lot of outdoor sports such as boating. He is single at the moment, having dated a lot of women, but none of them really "fit." You also learn he has a sister, Stephanie, who he seems to be close with.

She is Gabby Holland, and you don't learn too much about her character, other than she has just moved into this house recently, to be closer to her boyfriend of several years. She would like the relationship to move forward but has had no sign of proposal or even moving in with her boyfriend.

Gabby has a collie named Molly (ha ha, just got that, molly the collie.) who is pregnant. Gabby knows that it is Travis's dog who has gotten her dog pregnant and is working herself into a pretty good stew about confronting Travis about his wandering dog.

What do you think you would do if you were in the same situation as Gabby?
Would you go confront the neighbor? How would you feel if you got there and broke down as Gabby did?

MiMi: I'm so boring....cuz like I said before, I would've known the neighbor already, would have introduced myself. I would have discussed with him that I thought his dog got my dog pregnant. I don't think I would have sobbed over the crap that has or hasn't been happening to me lately. Of course, I would have my dog fixed already and wouldn't even have the unfortunate "knocked up dog" situation in the first place. But that's just me. If I did actually break down in front of the neighbor, I probably would be pretty embarrassed, and would have apologized like crazy while I was leaving.

Jessica: I would never act like Gabby. It's not in my nature to confront the neighbor and yell at them. Well, actually, I did yell at my neighbors once. It was actually the neighbor's brother. But I was being verbally attacked. So, I guess I was more like in Travis' shoes. Travis held it together pretty well, must have been because he thought she was cute. If that would have been a man coming over to yell at him, it would had been a totally different story. Plus, if she was so concerned about her dog not getting pregnant, she should have put up a fence.

MiMi: Hey, that reminds me of the fight with my neighbor. Lots of naughty words. Mr. Rogers, he is not.

Chapters 2 and 3 finds Gabby at the vet's office where she will get Molly checked out to verify that she is indeed pregnant.

When the vet walks in and she sees that it is Travis, her neighbor, she is seriously embarrassed.

What would you do if you found out that your neighbor that you bawled out, is the vet? Would you feel betrayed?

MiMi: I probably would have been pretty taken aback and would have had to crack a joke about it. When in doubt, make yourself sound stupider by saying something inappropriate: that's my motto.

Jessica: I would have been totally embarrassed. I would have thought--well, that figures. Just my stinky life. I really am a optimist... :)

Chapter 4 is all about Travis. After his 2nd encounter with Gabby Holland at his office, he is really intrigued by her. You learn a lot about his past girlfriends, his school years, his decision to live in the same town he grew up in. You sorta learn a little about what makes him tick. And you learn that he is very interested in this new neighbor.

If you were in Travis's position, how would you feel about Gabby? Would you think she had a screw loose?

MiMi: Hmm. It's hard to put myself in this position. I think after her initial visit to my house, where she broke down, and wouldn't let me get a word in, I probably wouldn't have liked her. But I'm a girl and I need to remember he's a man, who thinks this Gabby chick is pretty hot. So...I guess if I thought she was hot, like hawt, I would've thought it was pretty funny that she came in and was basically sucking shoe leather cuz she had her foot so far in her mouth. Then I would've wondered if she was super flexible like that and maybe I could nail her. That's my best assumption as a guy.

Jessica: Men are from Mars, remember! They don't think with their hearts as much as their privates. I'm generalizing people! I'm sure your husbands all think with their hearts... hehe. If that would have been me and a guy came over and chewed me out, everyone (and especially the reader) would want that guy to hit the curb. But when it's a hot female...they can do whatever they want...

Chapter 5 is back to Gabby. She's pretty embarrassed about her 2 encounters with Travis so far. So she tries to avoid him as best she can and focus her energies on taking care of her pregnant dog.

When she discovers that Molly has had per pups, she also sees that something is terribly wrong and she has no option but to go to Travis and ask for help. He comes and takes care of her dog and reassures her. He even takes the dog to his veterinary office and monitors her over night to make sure all is well.

After avoiding him for a couple weeks, she now needs his help. If you were Gabby would you have went to him for help, or would you have been to embarrassed? After seeing him take care of your dog, whom you love more than anything, and then take extra care of her later, would this change your impression of him or endear you to him more?

MiMi: Yep, I'd go over and get him. I'd be used to the flavor of sticking my foot in my mouth and being an idiot and I'd beg him for help. But, I don't have much pride so it'd be easier for me then it would be for you, I'm sure. And since now I'm starting to notice how hawt he is, I'd probably be endeared to him like superglue sticks stuff together.

Jessica: Of course I would go over and get him! I would be so worried about the dog I would forget about it. He would be the one person I would do anything to see.

In chapter 6, after the doggy drama is done and Gabby and Travis have seen more of each other than she is comfortable with, you start to learn more about Gabby's longtime boyfriend. She is in love with him, and she wants to marry him.

She is getting to know Travis a little bit and beginning to see him for what he is. A kind, intelligent, handsome professional. Not the partier she took him for in the beginning. At this point, Travis actually asks her to come out with him and his friends for an afternoon of parasailing.

If you were Gabby, would you go? Even though Travis points out that it's not a date, would you feel that because you are slightly attracted to him that you were cheating on your boyfriend?

MiMi: I'd TOTALLY go! I know I'd feel guilty, but hey, I'm not married, and he's hawt, remember?! Yep, I'm a hoochie, I'd go. Sorry. Just sayin'.

Jessica: I would feel guilty but I would go. I would be lying to myself just like Gabby did. She wanted him and she was fooling herself into thinking it was just "friends".

Okay, Ladies, what do you think? What are your thoughts? Are there other questions you would have asked and what are your answers?

Extra Credit

Hi Ladies!
As we've been reading through the comments, we've realized that some of you are very fast readers, who have already finished our pick for this month.
We thought we'd let you know that if you would like to join us, we are going to be reading another book this month. It's not an official Read With Girlfriends pick, but we, like most of you, are fast readers and don't want to sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for next month to start reading a new book.
We are going to be reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
I've always wanted to read this one, and when I read that they made a film based on the book, to be released this August 14th, I totally badgered convinced Jessica that we should read it. That way we can go to the movie and see it, cuz even if we don't like the book, we love us some popcorn and soda! Also, maybe we can convince the husbands that it's for "research purposes," right?
This is just an extra book we'll be reading, and thought maybe you all would like to read it too. Let us know if you will be joining us, so we know if we should do a couple posts on it. We don't want to bore you with rundowns of a book you aren't reading.
This coming week is going to be exciting! Well, as exciting as a book club can be, anyway.
Stay tuned for:
Spoiler Alert Tuesday: we'll be discussing chapters 1-6. Get those comments ready!
Interview With a Girlfriend Wednesday: we've already got our Girlfriend lined up and she's a riot!
Thursday: we'll be doing our drawing for the necklace giveaway! Go here to enter, if you haven't already.
Also on Thursday, we will be announcing our pick for next months book!! I'm super excited about that, because it's by one of my favorite authors.
I think there was a comment on the last post suggesting that we collectively choose our books, so we all have a say. We think that's a great idea and had thought of starting out that way. Then we decided to pick the first 2 months just to get it up and running and figure out how it's all going to work and get the wrinkles ironed out.
In the future, I believe we will be selecting some books and putting them up to a vote. We aren't sure of the process of choosing the books to vote on as of yet, so bear with us.

Who's Reading?

I thought I would start a roll call to see who is actually reading the book right now! Tell us what you want from this blog and if you have any cool ideas!!

Interview With A Girlfriend Wednesday

Today is our very first Interview post. We wanted to show you all what it will look like when we come after you feature you for an Interview With A Girlfriend post.
Since we figured nobody would want to go first, Jessica graciously volunteered to go first. Below is her lovely picture and answers to the interview questions.
We think you can tell a lot about a person by the books they read so we thought it would be a fun way to get to know each of you and also get your blog out there for others to see!
Now -- when you read the interview questions, imagine them with the trademark Bobwa Wawters accent. It makes it better. And I'm not making fun of BW, I lurve her.

Tell us what is your favorite genre of books:
I'm not a snobby reader. I love Romance, Comedy, Horror, Mysteries, Science Fiction, Non-Fiction, Fantasy....
Who is your favorite author:
My favorite author changes with each season of my life. When I was a pre-teen I loved the Sweet Valley High Series (Francine Pascal). I remember getting into a V.C. Andrews kick for years. I love John Saul, Dean Koontz, Nora Roberts, Stephanie Meyer (yes, I'm in love with the Twilight series), Terri Blackstock and many, many more!
What do you think of the movies that are based on books:
Well, as a rule, I don't think any movie can give the book justice. There is just no way to capture YOUR imagination in the movie. Reading to me is very personal, I get lost in the words and my imagination starts to run wild. I have yet to see a movie that matched what I was expecting to see. BUT, there have been some amazing movies made from books!
What book have you read that has stuck with you the most:
I'm not sure. You know, every time I read a book/series that I really really love I don't think anything will beat that one. But then I start reading another series and get lost in that one too. The most recent series I got lost in was the Twilight series. If you haven't read them, I encourage you to! The book was better than the movie!
Now, tell us about your blog. What do you think might set it apart from others and why should we love you:
Let's see...I've been blogging for over 3 years! I've had a love-hate relationship with The Great Northwest...Sometimes I get so bored. I start Nursing School in the fall so I'm enjoying my blog right now so much! I know I won't be able to dedicate as much time to it once school starts.
Why should you love me? I don't know. MiMi...help me with this one! I like to post funny pictures of myself, tell funny stories, talk about being a mom, use it as a journal for my daily life, show pictures of my crafts...
MiMi interjects: I personally love Jessica because she's smart, funny, creative, generous and has a GREAT laugh. I wish we could record a wave file and just put her laugh on here. Cuz you all would be laughing with her for sure!

Now go visit Jessica at The Great Northwest!

By the way ladies: Don't think that not having a blog is going to keep you safe from being selected!

Also, if any of you would like to participate in the interview, feel free to copy and paste it. Fill in your own answers and send us a picture so we can put you in that cute little frame! We'll feature a new girlfriend every week. If you don't want to be interviewed send MiMi an e-mail to let us know. Or we'll be coming after you. Mwa-haha-ha-haaa.

Spoiler Alert Tuesday

Tuesday's on the Read With Girlfriends blog means Spoiler Alert Tuesday. This is where we will throw out a topic, relating to the book, and let you all discuss it in the comments.

In the future, if you aren't very far in the book, or have just begun, you may not want to read the entire post or the comments, as it will SPOIL it for you!

In that case, we will let you know with something like this:
***Spoiler Alert, don't read past this line!!***
You know...something really subtle, like that.

However, today, we aren't going to spoil it for you. We are just going to put a topic out there that you can comment on, even if you haven't begun the book yet. It's a general question that we thought was a good subject to comment on.

In The Choice, Nicholas Sparks attempts to capture both the male and female roles.
What do you think of a male author writing a book with equal parts male and female points of view?

Well, I'm glad you asked.

Here's MiMi's opinion on the subject.

Personally, I think he's doing the job of capturing both parts pretty well. At least as good as any other serial author does.

I mean, it's not hitting the "resonates with me" button for me, simply because the female character, so far, is nothing like me or anyone I know. Don't get me wrong: she's a nice character. Seems balanced, intelligent and safe. But doesn't she have an edgy side? I wanna see an edgy side.

So, either she goes crazy and strips naked and swims up the river while screaming, "My neighbor is a hottie!," or she gets a tattoo on her face or something. Something that screams, "I'm a little crazy or unbalanced." Then, ladies, she will resonate with me. Not because I would ever do that stuff, but because I like crazy. Go figure.

Here's Jessica's opinion on the subject:

I've read Nicholas Sparks before and never questioned the believability until MiMi brought it up just now. I think he did a fair job shooting from both hips. I actually identified with the female role, MiMi wants crazy but I thrive on the mundane... hehe. I'm curious to find out what others think!

And, just so you know, in the interest of fairness, Jessica and I both tried to talk our husbands into reading the book so we could get the male perspective. We got a resounding, "NO."

So then we tried to talk them into getting little updates about what's going on in the book and hearing their opinion on it. Again, a resounding, "NO." So, we think that pretty much sums up the guys take on this book. It's a chick book. They ain't havin' none of it.

So...? What do you all think?? Let it out, we're all friends. Let us know what you think!

Also: don't forget to enter to win the necklace, hand made by the fabulous Jessica! We will be announcing the winner on or around July 15, when we will also be announcing next month's book pick!

And stay tuned for tomorrow's Interview with a Girlfriend!

Giveaway!!

As promised, today we are doing our very first giveaway!

Wanna see what you could win?

This lovely Scrabble Pendant Necklace, hand crafted by Jessica! It's gorgeous ladies, this picture doesn't do it justice. I'm not so good with the staging and modeling of inanimate objects.

Now, if you wanna win, here are the rules:

1. You gotta be a follower cuz that's how we roll 'round here. Now, ladies, if you don't have a blog, you can still follow!

2. You gotta leave us some comment love on this post.

That's it!

Although you may want to put our handy dandy button on your blog, just cuz you love us and all that. You don't have to, but really, why wouldn't you?? Aren't we cool enough to be on your wall? No? Fine then, we'll be fine. Don't worry 'bout us.

Since I'm starting to talk to myself here, I think I'll step away from the computer soon.

We wanted to do this giveaway to kick this blog opening off right! We want you to know that we love our followers and plan on giving tons of cool stuff away. Let me tell you, I'm so excited about the goodies we came up with yesterday that some of you will be winning!

Don't forget: if you follow during the month of July you'll get your very own Read With Girlfriends bookmark. I can hear you all "oooohing and aaaahing" right now!

Make sure to check back often to see what's new! We'll be putting up some links for our favorite places to buy books and all kinds of little surprises.

***Remember, you can pick and choose which books you want to read. To win this prize, you don't have to be reading this book. We will let you know in the future if winning certain prizes depend upon your reading that month's book selection.***

Welcome

to the Read With Girlfriends Book Club!

We are so excited to get this site up and running,

we hope you enjoy it.

We're planning some super fun stuff in the next couple weeks, including some giveaways.

We are also starting something we call Interview With A Girlfriend, which will be a great way to get to know each other.

Here's a taste of things to come:

• Spoiler Alert Tuesday: discuss book chapters throughout the month as we progress through the novel. We will come up with some talking points and you all can fight it out in the comments! :)
• Interview with a Girlfriend Wednesday: Get to know other Girlfriends and promote your blog!
• Free Bookmark Month: Get an official Read with Girlfriend's bookmark when you follow during the month of July!

Make sure to check back soon to enter our first ever Read With Girlfriend's Giveaway!

Make sure to grab our super cute button designed by MiMi !!