August 16, 2017 GET THE PARTY STARTED

My daughter turned 21 today. AAAHHH 21. She has been counting down the minutes--literally-- to finally be "LEGAL".  While out running with my comrade today we started reminiscing about being young. We REALLY miss those days--even if we can't remember them anymore--IT'S ALL A BLUR.  We joked because we couldn't even remember what we did on the BIG 21--BUT--rest assured--we had a good time! HA! That's what life is all about when you're young.  Anyways, sometimes I find myself living vicariously through my daughter. SHE KNOWS HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME.  She really loves life and lives it to the FULLEST.  Good for her. YOU GO GIRL. That's what she's supposed to do at this point in her life. Wish I could be 21 AGAIN-- for just a little while. No real responsibilities--YOUNG-WILD-FREE! I guess I SEE my younger self in my daughter--lets just say--the apple CERTAINLY doesn't fall far from the tree--AND  I miss it sometimes.

 A.J. Fikry the main character of Gabrielle Zevin's quirky novel The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry also misses his old life. A. J. is a depressed, unhappy even bitter bookstore owner living on Alice Island. He's despondent after the untimely death of his beloved wife. Because he's so unhappy, A. J.'s bookstore is going down the tubes. He can't manage to order books and keep the store up; in fact, he can barely get out of his own way. In addition to that, someone has stolen his prized  possession--a copy of Poe's poems. Believe it or not, things are about to get even worse for A. J. Someone has left a baby in his store. What's a man to do?  In A. J.'s case, it changes his life. The baby steals his heart and helps him get his life and store back on track. This book is a fun read because there are several interesting islanders who help A.J. transform his life too. They are eccentric and fun--you will love them. This is a great story about the power of books and how they helped A. J. live again. Find out who the abandoned child is and who stole A. J.'s prized possession when you read this great little gem. It's about 280 pages or a 3 mile read that will stick with you for a long time.