Happy Birthday Beatrix Potter!

Happy 145th Birthday to the creator of 

Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, 

and The Two Bad Mice. 

Thank you for bringing nature to kids 

through heartfelt stories and illustrations, 

Miss Potter.

Book Review: Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was very close to giving this one 3 stars, but the ending was phenomenal. I love Odd, so I'm going to finish this ride with him. The book was not great, but Odd becomes increasingly more charming and brave as the pages fly by. There was also an HP reference. Actually, there were 2. It was a stepping stone and I know there is a building mystery with Odd that I'm excited to find out. There was a significant lack of Stormy, but a lot more Ozzie (whom I also adore).



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Last Day....HP

As most of my readers know, I am a HUGE Harry Potter freak. I quite literally grew up with the book series AND the movies. That being said, there is now approximately half a day until the FINAL HARRY POTTER PREMIERE EVER! I am slightly psyched, but this is going to be a bittersweet occasion. Harry Potter's fate will finally be revealed to those who have never read the books, and for avid fans, this is going to be rather painful.


I'd like to send a shout-out to all my avid Harry Potter fans, have a lovely day, enjoy your midnight releases and be safe!

I'm going to post one of my favorite quotes from The Deathly Hallows today and I would encourage all of you to do so as well.

"Always." 

-Severus Snape

This is his most defining line in the entire series.
I've always been a fan of Snape,
and I'm so excited to see his depiction in this film.

Book Review: City of Glass

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you are a fan of the series (and if you're this far in, you probably are) then you will be pleasantly surprised. So far, this is the best one. The action never stops, from front to back. Teen angst and drama blends well with life-threatening demons and the world's worst father. It's a very fast-paced book and I loved it.



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Book Review: Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is gripping the entire way through. I've never been a huge fan of Koontz. His writing is lovely, don't get me wrong. Horror is just not my genre, typically. It was hit after hit after hit...things happened so quickly there was hardly time to breathe. I am now a forever fan. I love this story so much. Odd and Stormy and Ozzie and Porter have drawn me in to the world of Pico Mundo, California, with it's sweltering, sauna heat, and it's strange young man who regularly encounters the lingering dead.



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Book Review: City of Ashes

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I rated this book the same as the first, but if there were a 3.5 rating, this would've gotten it. I still really enjoyed the characters and the plot is definitely thickening. I'm excited to see where the journey takes them. However, as a HUGE Simon fan, it was a little rough. The writing got better in this one, although I found one typo. It was an exciting read and I'm going to follow through with this series no matter what happens. I'm sold. I adore them all, and I think Clary and I would be BFFs.



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Life Lessons in Literature

Well, Readers, sometimes literature teaches us something about our own lives. I believe that God uses many forms of communication for personal growth, and because He crafted me and knows me so well, a popular form of communication between us is through the written word.

I was reading today in City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. There are two characters in the book who love without that love being returned. So no spoilers are present, I will call them U1 (as in Unrequited 1) and U2 (because it's the name of an awesome band AND Unrequited 2).

U1 loves and knows it is pointless and keeps the love hidden. OOA1 (Object of Affection) doesn't have any idea about U1's affection. U2 loves with hope, confesses, finds love unrequited, and continues to hope although OOA2 clearly does not feel the same way.

I adore both U1 and U2, but U2 is quite possibly my ideal man. I cheer him on in every instance. Today, I said to myself, "Wow, U2. You're just a glutton for punishment. Way to be pathetic. She isn't even trying to take care of your little heart."

It's like I was talking to myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back Story:

Once upon a time, there was a very strong young woman who had never fallen in love. This woman had not fallen in love because she had secured around her a heart an icy wall. Her dearest friends were allowed brief passage through the wall. Some were even invited to stay for a while.  Even fewer got to live beyond that icy wall, but it was always there. 

Always present in every relationship.

During the summer of 2009, this woman made a best friend. This friend happened to be a young man. He was tall, pale, and handsome. He loved Jesus, read Harry Potter, caught ambiguous Star Wars references, worked out, swing-danced, and he played guitar. If you know NOTHING about our heroine, you must know: guitar-players are her kryptonite. 

 Woman and Best Friend were together every single day that summer. They would text, Facebook, talk on the phone, go out to eat, go dancing, go to church, or pray together even when they weren't working out or enjoying the yumminess that is Smoothie King.

They had a standing order.

One day, Best Friend talked to Woman about his impeding graduation and departure from town. Woman went home, walked into her bff/roomie's bedroom. 

"I'm in love with Best Friend!" Roomie, in true Roomie-fashion said, 

"Well of course you are. I've known for months."

To make a very long story a great deal shorter, he left. They kept in touch. He came to see her and made a point that they get time just the two of them because they were best friends. She invited Best Friend to a dance with all of their friends. He came. He did not dance with her. She wore polka dots and red lipstick and he did not dance with her. 

Instead, he texted her later to ask the name of a pretty girl Woman had introduced him to.

She went home and wept on the bathroom floor. Roomie played with her hair while she cried. "There is a reason I put up that wall," she said. "He melted it with his warm heart and smile. I didn't even see it coming, and now he doesn't even see me."

From that day forward, she decided he would no longer mess with her that way. She did not initiate contact. She kept her distance in hope that feelings would go away, scars would heal, and moving on would occur.

Three days later he sent her a text about ordering pizza under the name "Voldemort." If you know anything else about this woman, you must know that 

anything Harry Potter is her OTHER kryptonite.

Contact was again maintained for another few months.

Then it was December. Woman watched Love Actually one two many times. Woman wrote boy a letter, confessing her deep feelings. She also told boy that she knew he did not reciprocate, but that he must be more careful of her feelings in the future. 

She mailed the letter.

She heard/said/did nothing involving Best Friend for two weeks.

Then, he invited her to his band's concert. She took this as a good sign, gathered her posse of Steel Magnolia/Southern Kardashian style lady friends, and went. He told her he wanted to meet for coffee the next day and spoke a great deal to Woman during the show.

They had the coffee. He said nothing except that he wanted her to never leave him. 

A conversation occurred after that via Facebook and text because Woman finally stood up for herself. 

Our heroine told him to leave her alone. Knowing how she felt, he had continued to trample her heart and get her hopes up and flirt with her. She couldn't take it any more.

He told her he didn't know what he would do without her. She was his best friend. 

She told him she was sorry, but she had to do this in order to survive.

Woman told best friend that if/when she ever got ready to just be friends, she would let him know.

Eight months after that she saw him in a book store in a town where neither of them lived. Small talk ensued, but nothing more.

He sent text messages sometimes, and wrote on her wall, but she did not respond.
She tried to move on with her life in the hopes that her feelings would disappear or that she would move on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my story. I have not seen him since October in the book store, but in less than three weeks, I will see him again at the wedding of a mutual friend.

I still love him. I still make excuses for him.

It is very difficult for me to see him as mean or cruel. Today, when I was reading, I saw how different the OOAs were in their treatment of the Us. OOA1 was ignorant, but had he known, would have been kind, most likely in a harsh and forthright manner. U2 knew, but selfishly loved OOA2 enough to keep him in her life and very close to her, even allowing him to kiss her and call her his girlfriend. It was comfortable for her. He was comfortable. She did not put his feelings first and kept him hoping because he was comfortable to her.

Hmmm...deja vu much?

This Litwit is currently dreading the wedding, but hopefully on her way to getting over it thanks to the powerful messages of life and love that exist in books. And, of course, all the love and support I've had from my closest friends during this entire ordeal.

Wish me luck and send up prayers. Guarding one's heart is difficult, especially in the face of the only person to melt the ice around said heart.

Love y'all,

The Litwit