TTC Penpals!

Do you want to share your journey with someone who knows what you are going through? Maybe you want to talk about something other than TTC and just get to know someone who's pictures you see all the time. Either way, a penpal is always great to have! 

What is #ttcpenpal2015 ? 

You will receive a penpal about two days after the final deadline for signing up. You can send your penpal a letter, a cute card with some encouragement, maybe even a small trinket if you so desire. The point is to write and share! Your penpal will be around the same age as you and going through a similar experience. For example if you are 33 and going through IVF your penpal might be 30 and going through IVF, not 20 and on their first clomid round. If you are 20 and going through your first clomid round, you might get matched with someone who is 21 and on their first femara round. This way you are your penpal are going through similar experiences. This is an opportunity for someone to check their mailbox and get a breath of fresh hope that they needed that day. 

How do I sign up? 

Send an email to lifeonthebooks@gmail.com with the following information: 

1. Age 

2. Where you are in your ttc journey 

3. Any diagnosis (pcos, endometriosis, hypothyroidism, etc) 

4. Instagram name 

5. Mailing address/first and last name

Please send this info by February 5th. That is one week to sign up! 

I hope that you are as excited about this as I am!! Can't wait to match all of you! 

After you get your first letter please use the hashtag #ttcpenpal2015 and share your letter/card/hope! 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

3 out of 5 stars

I originally picked up this book because I loved Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by the same author and I also love Pride and Prejudice. Zombies are also pretty high up on my list of interesting things. I thought this would be a perfect book! I was wrong. 

While the storyline stayed generally the same, I was not impressed. The Bennett sisters are trained in martial arts along with most of the other characters such as Mr. Darcy. It did give the characters more of an edge but, I generally enjoy them in their original form. The fact that they were trained killers did modernize the story slightly but, I feel like this side of the story left more to be desired by the reader. I would have preferred a slight back story on their training or how it came to be given the ages of the girls. 

I think one of my biggest complaints about the book is that I didn't like how the zombies were portrayed. Maybe I have watched a little more Walking Dead than Seth Grahame-Smith and therefore my idea of the zombie was skewed. At one point the zombies were eating cauliflour because it looked like brains. This was a huge turn off to the book for me because of it's cheesy nature. I think it is a well known fact that zombies can smell the human flesh and therefore would never mistake a vegetable for a human. I also did not like how at one point a gun shot scared off a herd of zombies when they are generally attracted to noises. While I knew the book would probably be cheesy, I was disappointed in the zombie characterization. 

It was a nice refresher of the Pride and Prejudice storyline for someone who had not read the book since my sophomore year in college. (Which was longer ago than I would like to admit). I still love the love story of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. It was not the easiest love match and I love that about it. The book did not deny me that story and I was very happy about that! 

If you like reading different versions of a story then do not deny yourself this version. If you enjoy books about zombies, I say skip this one. 

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

This is most definitely a five star read! 

Let me start off by saying I will never ever complain of having a bad day again! This man endured such terrible things and yet, maintained hope and faith through all of it. My worst day would easily be his best day times two. 

The book starts out revealing facts about Louis Zamperini's troubling childhood. He was quite the troublemaker and when I was reading it I wondered how this man ever made something of himself. I think this was a great way to show the reader that while this man was great, he was not perfect. 

As the story continues you see his true self begin to form through his love for running. It is amazing to me how fast he was and how easy it seemed to him. I grew a new respect for the sport of track. 

The meat of the story came when Louis entered the war. He flew huge planes and made an impact on the war as he fought in key battles which endangered his life but not his spirit. 

One day, Louis plane crashed. (I will not get into details because it will take away from the book!) Himself and two crew mates lasted for months out on sea in a raft before being captured by the Japanese. While I am sure the Japanese are a friendly people, during WWII they were not kind to the American POWs. 

Louis, who was starved and needed medical attention when they found him, found himself being beaten, starved even more, fighting disease, and fighting to maintain his spirit. 

His survival depended upon his spirit. They tried to literally beat it out of him but, he could not be beaten down. 

I'm sure his rescue was more exciting to him than what it was to me but even I felt like a celebratory wine was needed by the time I got to it. His health and his demeaner actually concerned me and I wasn't even sure he would live (despite knowing that he died in 2014). 

Laura Hillenbrand took Louis Zamperini's story and enthralled audiences in order to show how a spirit can not be broken. Keeping faith is key. I thought it was fabulous to read right at the beginning of the year when you need a boost of confidence to propel you to be a better person.