Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Copyright: December 31st 2012
Genre: fiction
Format: book Pages: 369
Wow, it’s been a while since I have written a review. Don’t be fooled, because I have still been ferociously reading books! This is one I recently read on vacation and completed it’s final chapters at home.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.
My Thoughts:
I have been hearing about this book for some time. It’s not a new book but last year it was all the buzz and I typically shy away from all that stuff. So when I knew we were going on vacation, I thought this would be a great beach read. It’s also been made into a movie. So I started it before leaving to make sure I would enjoy it. I felt drawn in pretty fast to the story.
I enjoyed the building of the story in this book. I liked getting to know the two main character’s backgrounds prior to meeting each other. Often times, I found myself laughing out loud when the book focused on Lou’s family life. I felt like I was reading lines from a funny TV sitcom. I felt both Lou and Will had their flaws but under the circumstances acted appropriately. I enjoyed the slow burn romance and that it didn’t take away from the story.
My take away from this book might not be the typical but after reading it, I think we must really examine the folllowing questions:
What we define as a quality life? What rights do we have over our life and death? How we see the physically disabled community? Why much of the disabled community is hidden from mainstream?
In the book, Will frequently brings up that he hates the fact that he either receives the pity look or people try to pretend that they ignore him. He argued that people no longer see the person in the wheel chair. I had to stop and think about my own experience and take a critical look at my own shortcomings. Because I have been guilty of both. But I also think that because many venues are not truly compliant for the disabled, they often aren’t seen in large numbers on an average day. That is a problem. All buildings should be truly accessible for all so that everyone has a choice to participate and feel welcome. But this lack of exposure cheats everyone of opportunities to meet great people and to practice really seeing the person not their disability. I am sure this book wasn’t intended to be an advocacy book but it has struck a cord in me regarding these topics.
I had a girlfriend in college that went home for the weekend and came back several months later with one leg gone from an accident. I watched how hard it was for her to navigate the buildings and for the first time, I really thought about it. This book brought up those feelings again.
I enjoyed the story, the characters and the feelings that have arisen because of it. Now the question is, will I read the next book? At this time I say no, because I am satisfied with the ending of book one and fear book two may spoil it. But I may change my mind later. Do I recommend this book to you? Yes, I do. I think it’s a nice summer read and I also hope an advocate for changes in mindset if nothing else regarding the disabled community.
Happy reading my friends!
Belinda
To be clear, this isn’t my first time using my colored pencils but this is the first time I am approaching them with a new curiosity. I have had this Prismacolor Premium 12 pack for a few years now. However, I have recently been inspired by the colored pencil art I am finding online. I think I will always favor my Copics and their amazing blending goodness but I am curious what I might be able to create using colored pencils. So on my recent trip to Michael’s I purchased a few additional color combinations. I thought I needed a few more colors since the coloring book Leao gave me for my birthday, might best be done with pencils. I would love to use my Copics but fear they will bleed through the pages.
I began coloring in the colors I have this morning. I am going to head over to YouTube for some color pencil tips and I will be sure to share my progress.
I wasn’t even looking for this when I walked into Michael’s. But there it was on a rack right in the front of the store. I currently keep track of my fitness routine on my iPhone with two apps.I use my Fitbit app to keep track of my steps, track my sleep and log my weight and the other is called fitlist and I keep track of my weight training sessions. So a wellness planner was pretty much the furthest thing from my mind. But curiosity got the best of me and I had to take a peek. But I tell you what, I liked what I saw. It is a disc-bound book which I am familiar with but never owned. I usually have spiral or 3-ring books. The first thing I noticed was the great photography and sentiment as well as the cute page flags that are connected to the front of the book. 
In the inside it has beautiful bright colors and a nice overview that allows me to see my 12-month progress at a glance. I like how it doesn’t have the dates already written in so that I can start where I am rather than the traditional calender that begins in January.
On this page it has a place for me to reflect on my progress, think about what works and doesn’t work and plan on changes to meet my goals. I can also include a selfie to have a visual of where I am at each interval. 
Now I have read over and over how keeping a food journal can really make a difference when it comes to eating healthy. I typically start one and then quickly stop or I don’t include the “extra cookies” I might have had on a particular day. So I am going to really try to push myself beyond my comfort zone and try to do this. It also has a place I can keep track of my water intake. I tend to do well in the summer but horrible in winter when I am cold. 
The stickers included are so cute and I love the vibrant happy colors. So I plan on really using them as opposed to hoarding them. Which I might add, is very tempting!
It comes with 4 sheets of stickers. 
The final detail that I love is the hearts in the discs. Such a pretty touch. I bought the planner with a 50% coupon and I also bought the coordinating punch so I can make and include my on pages with another 50% coupon. I plan to include some of my favorite tips and clean recipes with the punch. So it was a very inexpensive investment. I will share and update as I get further in the process.
Beach time was a must and we found parking easy and settled into a relaxing routine. I couldn’t believe how close we were able to park. I could see my car from the beach so it made it easy when it was time to pack up. The water was cold but refreshing from the heat. We brought snacks and I of course brought my book to just chill.
My brother-in-law and his girlfriend joined us in the middle of the week and we had a really nice time as always.
Our anniversary was on June 30th so my in-laws watched the boys and we headed out for adult fun on the island. We had fun playing the games and listening to music before heading back to the house.