REVIEW: "There's More To Life Than This"- BY: Theresa Caputo

Happy One Year Anniversary Book Bound!! I'm so excited that my journey with this blog has reached the one year mark. Thank you for reaching this far with me. I knew from the conception of the idea that it was going to be one of the best things I've ever decided to do. It may not always be easy but what in life ever truly is.... I plan to write a special one year post in a few days.

And all this talk about life brings us to the major topic discussed in Theresa Caputo's new book, "There's More To Life Than This." Let me tell you something first, I have always been fascinated with the afterlife. I think I've always been fascinated in things that I can't understand and that is so beyond anything this world could comprehend. It's that one mystery in life. So when I first heard about Theresa Caputo a few years ago and watched her show I was floored but skeptical. We all know the conception of "psychics" or those who know things that the average person can't or who talks to dead people or who can predict the future. You'd think that if this stuff was so serious, they would be monitored by the government and used to battle serious situations or something of that sort. It seems like their gift is something that shouldn't be mocked. Those were my first thoughts about Theresa but after watching her show for a while and learning more about her, before even reading the book, I've grown to accept her gift as real and pure and that maybe there is something more here that I just don't know about yet.

Let me tell you right off the bat that before you even read this review, go read her book. I'm telling you this because I don't want to spoil the magic that is inside this book. I don't just recommend it, I am campaiging for it. I'm telling everyone I know about this book and to me I feel it's almost mandatory. Call me naive but I genuinely feel that my soul has changed since reading this book. It has brought new hope into my life and joy that I wasn't expecting at first. I expected to just read some amazing stories about those she has read for but what I got was something much more special and much more important. I got something that I feel everyone should get and that is just to get inspired and to get working on changing your life for the better. To really think about what we do in this life and the consequences it could have in the next. It's truly eye- opening.

Theresa tells a compelling 10 chapter story about her journey to accepting her gift and how her gift has impacted so many lives. But that's not even the soul changing part. My favorite sections are when she discusses what she knows about the afterlife, what happens when we die and how our souls are connected to our loved ones even when they die. And most importantly the actions we take in this life and how they effect the next. There is SO much that I never knew before. SO much that just made me stop and think, "I'm not doing nearly enough." "I'm not living nearly as much as I should be." Of course it's easier said then done and she says that herself but if you try a little each day to become a better person to "grow your soul," as she puts it, and get closer to God at the end of it all, then it's all worth it.

There is so much about life in general that Theresa discusses, such as how our souls picked us or the past lives they've had. The choice we have when we get to heaven and the impact our thoughts and feelings can have on our soul. She discusses the reason behind traumas and illnesses and just why things happen. She also makes a point that everyone can have the power, in some capacity, to connect with our loved ones like she does. It may not be as strong but Spirit could make it happen.

There are so many lessons to be learned in this book that I couldn't possible reiterate them all without writing the whole book for ya. What I want everyone to get across from reading this book is that we have the power to choose where we go from here, maybe some things are predestined, but we have the power to make the best of what we have. God loves a cheerful giver and we will see when we get there. But in the mean time, read the book, enjoy life and believe that God and Spirit is looking out for us. Turn to them and listen to the everyday signs they are giving us that we are too blind to see. It's all part of the plan.

Happy Easter Book Bound!

Hey everyone!! 

Happy Easter to everyone and especially to many new faces that have started following the Book Bound! I am soooo excited to have you be a part of this wonderful community. Please do not hesitate for a second to comment or send a message to share your thoughts about books or anything. I love being able to connect with my followers who I appreciate beyond the words I can express to you all.

A quick update: I will be graduating college in a month, a month from yesterday to be exact and I am beyond excited. As some may know, the last semester in college is  truly a challenge and I feel bad that I haven't been able to devote the time I want to the blog. I know I sound like a broken record. However, I plan on reading my heart out this summer no matter where life takes me career wise. I want to make this blog my life's work, no matter the outcome.  Reading is something I have always enjoyed and being able to share my opinions with you has truly been a blessing in my life. Thank you once again.

As always your suggestions are greatly appreciated, I am hoping to start reading very soon... "There's More to Life Than This," by Theresa Caputo, aka Long Island Medium. I have always been fascinated by her gift and I'm expecting her book to only increase my fascination. Hoping for big things!

Have a great day everyone !!

Ciao, 

Cheryl

REVIEW: "Growing Up Duggar"- BY: Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger Duggar

It’s all about relationships according to the four oldest Duggar girls from TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, in their new book, “Growing Up Duggar.”  Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger reveal what it is like to living with 18 brothers and sisters, all the while trying to navigate into womanhood. Even though their lives are played out on TV, the Duggar girls wrote a book to answer the multitude of messages they receive from their fans who want to know so much more about their lives.

            The book is divided into sections that each deal with a different relationship that encompass our lives and how important it is to keep those relationships strong.

“Those relationships begin the way God created us and seeking His purpose for our lives,” the girls said.

These relationships consist of the ones we have with ourselves, our parents, friends and siblings. They explain the most anticipated section is the discussion about their relationship with boys and how they will find the one for them. Beyond those topics are the ways they serve their culture, country and the world.

            If you didn’t already know the Duggar’s are a devotedly Christian family that believes in living a life with morals and character. The Duggar children grew up with no TV or Internet and were homeschooled. Their choice of movies is a limited selection chosen by their parents. Most of our childhoods would not look quite the same to the Duggar family. They don’t update Facebook or Twitter because it adds nothing of value to their lives.

“While there is nothing inherently wrong with social networking and it is possible for these things to be used as a tool for ministry, they can often be big time wasters,” the girls said.

It is hard at times, while reading, not to think that this book is taking on an air of preaching. The Duggar girls tread lightly when it comes to explaining why they live their life the way they do.

“We know how weird we must seem to a lot of you, with our different style of dressing and our conservative Christian beliefs,” the girls said.  

They believe in not kissing before marriage, wearing clothes that don’t expose their cleavage or thighs and they don’t have to be told more than once to do something their parents ask them. They back up their convictions with passages from the Bible to prove that God wants you to follow those same rules too.

Although their story is far from the norm, more than once it will make you reflect on your own life and figure out where it all went wrong. However, underneath their sermon like demeanor they are still young girls in their 20’s that have the same emotions and concerns as the rest of us.

They try their best to present a different way of life that brings them the most joy and fulfillment. They are so self-confident and happy with who they are as individuals because they aren't falling victim to peer pressure or outside influence from other kids their age. They live their life to serve others and ultimately to foster their ultimate relationship with God. There is something to be said about 19 kids that only believe in doing the right thing.

UPDATE: Figuring It Out

Hey!

Wanted to make a short and sweet update. Clearly, it shows that I have some difficulty with keeping up with blogging on a regular basis but with good reason. Graduating college is no joke and I'm stuck somewhere in the middle of wanting it all the end and wanting to crawl back into the womb because this is not a fun experience, let me tell you. Just imagine being on the edge of a cliff with no way off but to jump. Jumping is the hardest part because you have no idea where you are going to land and you're scared of all the possibilities that could just crush you. On the other hand you could just stay where you are and live in complete denial about life and it's realities. Taking that jump is scary. I'm dangling on the cliff at this moment. Holding on for dear life because the landing is just so uncertain...

This is my good reason for goofing up and not reviewing or reading much for that matter. I did read the next Lord of the Rings book but I realized that those books are far

too complex to truly give a justifiable review. Just not in the cards for this blog. HOWEVER, I did just finish reading "Growing Up Duggar." Kind of loved it. I have my opinions on it and hope to share them with you soon, however, I also am in the middle of working on some major senior projects I need to focus on so blogging has to be put somewhere in the back but in a spare moment I am going to bring you the review I hope will really intrigue people to want to read for themselves.

Ciao,
Cheryl :)

My Life So Far

I guess it's safe to say that I took the road less traveled by. I always believed in passions over stability. It's easy enough to choose a major or a career because you know it will be easy to find a job and your whole life could be set but I challenge that idea. Life is too short and too precious to waste fitting into some "mold" and conforming to society.

I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life, even though I feel I have felt a certain way for a really long time. Ever since I can remember I have loved to read and books where the best presents I ever got. In life you tend to cling to what makes the most sense in the chaos. For those reasons I've picked a few careers or jobs since childhood. I remember some of my first ideas were that I wanted to work at a supermarket and be a cashier.... This was my earliest and most naive of childhood dreams. I don't know what it was but I liked the simplicity of scanning the items, placing them in the bag and taking the money. Something so simple and trivial I found so fascinating and inspiring.

I remember my next dream was to become a librarian. Often times growing up, my mom would take me to the library to check out books. I found this to be so exciting and thrilling and where I like to attribute my start for my love of books. Again, I loved the simplicity of the lady who checked out my books. I loved when she would scan them and stamp the return date on the little card that was placed inside the front cover. Something about the repetition made it seem interesting, probably something I will never understand.

As I got older, I become exposed to magazines and they become obsessions of mine. To me, they were like short books. They had interesting stories and graphics and featured my favorite celebrities. I mostly loved reading the teen magazines where I could catch up on the latest gossip and stay up to date. From then on I knew that I wanted to produce a magazine with exciting content that young girls would love. I had so many ideas but I had no idea about the complexity of actually trying to achieve that goal. I just had an idea and ideas as kids or young adults seem obtainable because we never really had a major obstacle to overcome. Nothing in our lives were complicated and our minds were not yet warped by the stresses of reality. I held onto that dream for as long as I could. Even when I started college I held onto that dream. I didn't know what to expect and I just thought that somehow and someway it was going to happen. I kept pushing the fears away until I realized that I needed to face them and realize what I was up against. I also needed to listen to my heart and know that maybe my passions were changing.

Even though I continued to be a Journalism major in the hopes that it would lead me in the right direction, I knew I had other goals. After being exposed to different fields and listening to my inner voice, I decided that books is where my heart will always stay. My latest and current passion is to be a book publisher. Maybe I don't know the technical term, but I want to be the one who reads the books and will decided whether they are worth publishing or not. I want to be a part of the birth of the next great novel or series. That is what really excites me. The strange thing about all this is that my current goal isn't much easier to achieve. I think I'm more comforted by it because I know my passion will get me there. I'm more connected to this goal then I was to the other. It's definitely still an interesting career and for one in which I will be jealous of.

I know that everything happens for a reason and the reasons might not always make sense, but I have to believe that if there is something out there that I want, that it is not impossible to achieve it.

I started my last semester of college just 3 weeks ago and we were all asked what our future looks like after graduation. I don't really have a clue and what comforted me was that no one did either. It was strange to hear that because I didn't feel so alone and I didn't feel lost anymore. I still don't know where I am going EXACTLY but I have a good idea as to which direction I want to go in. There are big things out there for me, I just hope I find them.

REVIEW: The Hobbit - By J.R.R Tolkien

** Before I write a review for "The Hobbit," I want to fill everyone in on the latest that has happend in my book life. Recently, my boyfriend told me that he wanted to watch "The Hobbit." At first, I was hesitant because I always had this idea in my mind that "The Lord of The Rings" was only for nerds and it was the most boring movie that would make me want to claw my eyes out. However, "The Hobbit" was a tad more inciting and with much pestering and  persuading, I caved a watched the first part of "The Hobbit" movie. Even though it was a 3 hour movie, I really loved the adventure story line and felt that it was exactly what I was looking for in my next book. After going to the theaters and watching the second Hobbit movie, it would be safe to say that me and my boyfriend became hooked on the series. It was all we could think and talk about. My boyfriend being the impulsive buyer, bought the set of books that contained "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." He also bought all of the LOTR movies on blue ray that has extended versions and bonus material. Yes, we nerded out quite a bit. SO these next few blog posts will be sponsored and dedicated to my boyfriend Chris who supports me no matter what.**

"The Hobbit" which is largely an adventure book does not fail to deliver. Again, as a side note, I had some reservations going into the book because I was afraid it was going to be dry and filled with complex jargon and content that would go straight over my head and I would be lost. Nothing makes me more mad when reading when I get so lost and confused that I have no understanding of what I have just read that the book loses all meaning. I entered the book with caution both in the speed of how I read and the focus. I wanted to make sure that I could remember and understanding everything that is true about the book and not just what the movies portray. 

"The Hobbit" is truly a transport book, which is my way of saying a book that brings you out of reality and into a different time and place within the book. Transport books are not only my favorite kinds of books but the main reason I love reading. The main character is Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit. He is recruited by Gandalf The Great, the wizard, who wants him to be the burglar in the adventure with the dwarves who want to reclaim their home under the mountain that Smag, the dragon who destroyed their home and is residing it in. Smaug loves gold and treasure which brought him to destroy their home and claim it as his home. Throrin, the next king after his father and grandfather had died under Smaug, is leading the pack back to their home. I hope that I haven't lost any of you yet. I do find it quite difficult to truly translate this complex book. I won't try to tackle the complexities but I would like to get across the epic adventure tale that "The Hobbit" encompasses. Even though I have seen the first two movies, I was still very enthralled in the book.

Bilbo has the job of going into the mountain, where the dragon lives and retrieve some of the gold that belongs to the dwarves. When he gets there, he soon realizes that his job is more than just to retrieve some treasure, he will have to try to kill the dragon. But the dragon does not stay to be killed but rather to kill and goes off into the night sky. Before all this happened, Bilbo and the dwarves have to go through many lands and fight many battles to get to the mountain. It is with these adventures that truly bring out the magical world.

I found so many things that I love about this book. Not only because of the thrilling adventures but also because of the great narrating and story telling like it was written in a time that was of old. "The Hobbit" is an enchanting novel and I am so excited to start the LOTR trilogy. I recently just finished the movies and I am excited to see where the books transport me next.

** Stay tuned for the next part of the enchanting story.**

REVIEW: So Happy Together- By Maryann McFadden

"So Happy Together," was a pleasant surprise. As you could probably guess by the length of time it took me to write a new post, it took me a while to truly commit to the book. I was hesitant at first because I was afraid the book was going to be a let down. I truly hate starting a book and getting part way through and just hating every second of it. I don't like to spoil my love of books and reading. I am also nearing the end of my winter break and I was afraid that I would have spent my whole winter break without reading and missing the opportunity, so I reluctantly dove into the book and let the chips fall where they may. 

To reiterate, I was pleasantly surprised by how the book made me feel. I was expecting the book to be a bit more mature for my liking but I think it was the perfect book for me and my life at this moment. "So Happy Together" made you feel very introspective. The whole time you were on a wave with the whole family as they were trying to maneuver through their broken lives. In truth, the book is a great reflection of an average American life. You grow up and go through trials and tribulations that make you realize that maybe your parents were right all along and you should have listened to them because then maybe you wouldn't be so stuck in your life. As you get older, you also learn  more about your parents then you could have imagined and learn that maybe you will never really know someone all that well, even if you have lived with them all your life... These are just some of the themes that play out in "So Happy Together." It is a book that helps you to realize that being selfish is okay and following your dreams could lead to bigger and better things that you didn't know you wanted. And most importantly to follow your heart above all else because your heart knows you best. 

Throughout the book I found myself reflecting on my life. This book was a great read for me at this time in my life because I am at a precipice of my college education. I'm graduating in May and hoping beyond all hope that my dreams after college come true. It is not always easy to put your self first and change your life because it is what you want more than anything, but it is what is meant to be. You can't think about the moments you missed, you can only try to save yourself from missing the moments that are to come and hope that you will be present and ready to accept the opportunities that come your way. I hope that my future holds nothing but happy days and love in my heart and that it always be book bound.