This One Got Me Thinking

I finished reading this book last night and cried the last four chapters or so. I had started reading it months ago, but because of life, it just sat on my night stand for a few months waiting to be reopened.  For so many reasons this book has resonated with me, and despite it's surprise ending with a huge twist, it's left me thinking and thinking.  Now a book that has the ability to do that, long after you've finished reading it, is a good one, wouldn't you say?

I promise I won't spoil it for you if you decide to read it...which you should. Really.



In a nutshell, this novel is about a young couple who seem to have it all...good looks, happy marriage, great family, and they're expecting a baby. But one night, after a horrible accident, their lives are forever changed. That's all I will share.

Here are three reasons this book continues to linger on my mind.

One. A spontaneity jar. In the novel, the main character, Tegan and her husband, Gabe started a spontaneity jar. They would write down the countries they wanted to visit on pieces of paper and put them in a jar, and then they would randomly pick a piece of paper, and just like that, choose their next travel destination.

Just last week The Hubs had a great idea of going on 12 dates in one year. And because of this book, I figured it would be a neat idea to come up with 12 different ideas for each date and put them in a jar, just like the novel, and then we could choose an idea, each month, for a date. Cool huh? But as soon as that seed was planted, reality hit. Uhmmm...that would mean trying to line up 12 babysitters, for a dozen different times. Not really realistic for us, but I still love the idea, and will see what we can work out.

Two.  I now want to read this book because as soon as I finished reading Come Away with Me, I read this post from a popular blog. Was this merely a coincidence?

And finally. Three. This quote sums up death and grieving quite beautifully (if there's such a thing). This quote was found near the end of Come Away with Me, and it's the second time in like one month I've come across it. And the quote is, "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." Well said, right?

It's been quite a while since a novel has affected me quite like this. Not since The Notebook and Redeeming Love have I continued to think about a book and its outcome, long after reading it.

And since we're on the subject of books, here's a post on Buddy Roller's favorite books, what I read to his classmates when I was the "mystery reader," and here are some books I've been meaning to read.