I haven't done a book review for 2012, but that's not because I haven't been reading. Back in late November, I started (re)reading the Outlander series because it was finally chosen as our book club selection. So I read the first and then couldn't resist continuing on with the next three*. Since the beginning of the year, I've also read A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White and Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson.

I've said before I like books that deal with the relationship between sisters. I'm sure it's because I've always wanted to have a sister. This book follows two sisters from childhood to adulthood as they deal with the after effects of a tragedy. It's not a sad or depressing book, which is good because it really could have been.

Ruthie and Julia are young when their parents die in plane crash (not a spoiler, this is on the back of the book). After their parents' will is read, the girls' lives go in two totally different directions. It sounds weird to say, but one thing I liked about this book is that it wasn't too long or too short. some books zip through the conflict and resolution and others drag it out for way too long.

Crunch Time is the 16th book featuring the murder mystery solving caterer, Goldy. I've been starting to worry that this series is jumping the shark. It's kind of to be expected since it has to be hard writing the same characters year after year and coming up with new situations. I continue to read them because I feel so invested, kind of like the 'number' and 'alphabet' books by Evanovich and Grafton, respectively.

I wanted to like this book more. I didn't dislike it, but I was hoping there might be a new spark to the series. It did end in a way that future books could make me enjoy the series the same way I did in its beginning. Let's hope. If you need some 'I don't want to think about what I'm reading' fluff, this is a series for you.

I started Dreams of Joy by Lisa See right after Crunch Time. Night Circus is next for book club so look for reviews of both soon.

What's on your bookshelf? 

You can talk books with me on Pinterest and Goodreads.

*My love for this series is almost fanatical. This was my ninth (maybe tenth) reading of Outlander. When we met to discuss the book, many members didn't enjoy it. My talking about the other books in the series swayed some to keep going. 

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More Interviews with the Big Miracle Cast | Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristin Bell

There were so many good moments during our interviews with the Big Miracle cast. We laughed a lot and the atmosphere was relaxed and casual. We were told many times that our panel room was "the room" to be in. Kristin Bell was in the middle of answering a question but interrupted herself to say "can I just say how lovely the energy is in here, because I do a lot of these things, and sometimes I'm secretly slitting my wrists underneath the table. And this is just such a lovely group of estrogen, that it's really refreshing."


It was nice to hear, especially since I almost ran Kristin over as she was coming out of the elevator and I was going in. I was just about to reach out and grab her arms to make sure she didn't fall when I realized who she was. My hands were left mid-air and it was awkward. Then, to make the situation worse, I called her sweetie when I apologized.

Getting to talk with the cast is good for people like me who behind the scenes kind of people. One of the things I liked hearing from the actors was what they did to prepare for their roles. Kristin's dad worked in broadcasting as a news director. I asked if his background helped her get ready to portray journalist Jill Jerard. "Without question," she said. "That was one of the reasons, in my first meeting with Ken Kwapis, that I said wanted to do this, because I grew up playing with a teleprompter and knowing the local celebrities who were the news anchors. But, it felt very at home playing a journalist, I guess, because I have gone to work with him so many times."


Since the events took place in the late 1980's, I couldn't help but compare how different the national media coverage of saving the whales would be today compared with back then. During the session with John and Drew, John, who played Adam Carlson, said something that segued very nicely into one of the questions I wanted to ask.

"I personally believe that the time to believe in speaking up and having a voice and what can I do to help and all that is now.  One Tweet, one Facebook page, one anything can start an entire movement for your favorite charity.  You can get a pothole filled on Main Street.  You can do whatever you want.  Or, you can go all the way and start a revolution and be out in the streets of New York and start a national campaign, you know?"


So I asked, if this story were to happen today, in terms of social media what do they think their characters might have done differently? John made us all laugh with "there's an app to save whales."


Drew spent a lot of time with Cindy Lowry, the woman she portrayed as Rachel Kramer. She answered my question with, "I would need to ask her [Cindy] that because that's not something we discussed, how would you respond to social media. I know she's not like, tech savvy.  But, she loved having a voice, and she really did pull out a bullhorn in the middle of an auction to sell off the Bristol Bay Auction. So, she really was that person. And she's a bit of a bull in a china shop in that way.  And I think people who don't know what the boundaries are and sort of do whatever they need to do to get their point across probably would love a social media platform."

As a military wife, I would be remiss if I didn't say a little about Bonnie Carroll played by Vinessa Shaw. There's a love story in Big Miracle between Vinessa and Dermott. It's not a big part of the movie, but it's a huge part of Bonnie's life and it was so amazing to hear.


The way the events happened in the movie are not too far off from real life. Bonnie and Tom met, fell in love and agreed to marry over the phone.

Vinessa Shaw and Bonnie Carroll

"The phone call, the first time we talked, President Reagan had asked me to [make a call]. He was so cute. He said, 'Bonnie, since you're in the National Guard, call someone you know. Don't call the Pentagon.'

"And so, I called someone I knew in the Guard who called someone who called someone who called someone, and ultimately, they got up to Barrow, Alaska. And I was still at my desk working, not waiting for a phone call, just at my desk working at two in the morning when the phone rang.  And that was the first time that he [Tom] called.


And we talked for a few minutes about the whale rescue and how things are going, and it just took my breath away. And we just stopped, and I just wondered, “Where have you been?”

And we knew each other.  I can't explain it. Literally, we were together from that moment, inseparable, absolutely together.  And we were together right up until the morning that I saw him off on that flight. And he didn't come back. It's one in a million, but it really, really, really, really happened that way. We agreed to be married before we ever met in person."  


I knew about Tom's death from researching the characters before I saw the movie. Bonnie started TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) after Tom died. There is more about the two of them and their lives together on the TAPS site. It really is amazing to read about.


As I said in my earlier post, I really enjoyed this film. It's a good family movie, though younger kids may not be able to understand everything. If you homeschool, there are a ton of things to talk about: whales and migration, The Cold War, Alaska and the Inupiat tribe, technology today versus the 1980's and how different media coverage is today. Big Miracle opens this weekend!


Watch and share the Big Miracle trailer on Facebook and Universal Pictures will donate $1 to Oceana. Thank you again to Universal for inviting me to participate!