nonfiction that is short and sweet.

I feel that it would be wrong to ignore the tragedy of Friday, so I'm going to be quick. It is absolutely terrible what happened to those poor innocent children, their teachers, administrators, families and community. I get weepy whenever more news comes to the surface. I just cannot fathom such an act. Prayers and thoughts go out to everyone who was affected.

Review time...

I love books. Although I don't have a grand story of how someone gave me a book, and it saved my life. Books have saved my life, I just typically come across them myself, or they are borrowed from friends. Emily Giffin helped me get through a really tough breakup. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series helped me find myself as a very confused teenager. Water for Elephants taught me to fight for what I really want. The Notebook showed me that love isn't always going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it. Yes, these are fiction novels, but the ideas that went into creating those works of literature had to come from someplace real. I truly believe that.

Jen Adams has created a collection of over two hundred stories based around books that have affected peoples lives and relationships. This collection titled, The Books They Gave Me: True Stories of Life, Love, and Lit, features books from Harry Potter to Wuthering Heights, with a real life (short) story attached from the point of view of the receiver. I loved going through each story, seeing how gifts of literature impacted these strangers lives. I couldn't help but think about how much my stories belong in this collection somewhere. Adams, we need to have a chat.