Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Huntington's Disease (HD) is an awful disease to live through, even if the person living it is not experiencing the symptoms. Just ask Rosie. Her mother, Trudie, was diagnosed with HD and became her mothers caretaker toward the last few months of her life.

When Rosie's mother passed away from HD, Rosie decided that she was going to take the test to determine if she has HD as well - seeing as the disease is hereditary and she had a 50% chance of having HD too.

Before she got to the test, though, a friend of the family, Sarah, who was also Rosie's mothers midwife when Rosie was born, told her some startling news: Trudie was not Rosie's biological mother.

When Trudie went into labor, she had already been through numerous miscarriages, hoping to have a son or daughter in her arms. Trudie didn't know she had HD at the time, so she wasn't worried about giving her child the disease.

On the night of her daughter's birth, though, Trudie's husband died in a car crash, leaving Trudie in a vulnerable state. Sarah, desperate to make things better, heard that a 17 year old in the hospital abandoned her baby girl for adoption.

Sarah swapped the baby girls, so that Trudie will have the healthier, abandoned baby instead of the little girl she just delivered, who was on air support and was premature.

When Rosie heard that Trudie was not her true mother, she decided that she wanted to find out who she really was. After finding out that she was a movie star in America, Rosie left with her ex-boyfriend Andy from England to meet her real mother.

After a horrible reunion, though, Rosie feels lost and alone, not knowing where to go or where she belongs. With the help of Andy, Rosie was able to find her biological father.

But what she finds there will make her rethink her whole life and question everything that she was every told.

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. Just...wow. The book descriptions last words are true:

"Readers will be gripped by this trilling emotional roller-coaster ride as a web of family secrets is ripped apart, profoundly affecting lives on both sides of the Atlantic."

Rosie has had a horrible time in the last 18 months as her mother is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease and she had to see her mother become a lesser part of herself - against her will.

Then the realization that Trudie wasn't even her real mother sent her off the edge and left Rosie asking more questions than knowing the answers.

Being haunted by the fact that she could have the same disease that killed her mother was a pit in Rosie's stomache, but then finding out that she wasn't at risk at all because they had different DNA didn't make Rosie feel better - it made her feel worse.

This was an amazing, heartbreaking, suspenseful, and complicated book. I loved every minute of it.

The author, Katie Dale, did an amazing job talking about Huntington's Disease and how if affects not only the one who's diagnosed, but everyone whose life connects with the patient. I didn't know much about it, but I was able to understand after reading this novel.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. It's a tough subject, HD, especially if the reader has had a friend or family member diagnosed with it. The author doesn't say awful things about it, though. Rather, she goes through the steps of how to handle it, during and after the disease.

Reading Rosie's story was, as the author said, "a roller-coaster, [emotions] ripped apart". This is not a light, fun hearted story. This can very well be happening to people around you and it will make you think about things on a different level.

BED4 Day #4: Someone Else's Life

The novel, Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale was very powerful to me. It got me thinking about a lot of real life questions and a lot of hard-decision moments. I have not had to make hard-decision moments - not like Rosie did in this novel.

There were numerous subjects I could have chose from this book, but the question I keep asking myself is:

"If I found out I had a 50% chance of having Huntington's Disease, would I take the test to see if I'm positive or negative?"

Some might answer this quickly, with either a yes or a no. But many debate with others and with theirselves if they want to really know they will show signs of Huntington's Disease.

It will also change future decisions if the patient does take the test and found out that they do have HD. They might not have children, so they won't make their child go through this later in their lives. They might not marry, so they won't make their husbands take care of them when the symptoms start.

But it could be a relief to the patient if they take the test and found out they do not have HD.

I've been thinking about this question toward myself throughout this whole novel.

For me, personally, I think I would take it to find out if I did or didn't have it. Some say, "things are left to be unknown", which is very true. But I would always ask and think about whether I did or didn't have it.

If I found out, I could plan ahead. I would be prepared for all things possible. Sure, that might make some people wonder and ask themselves questions, but for me, I would know once and for all what was going to happen.

**Also, I want to state that if anyone reading this does have a friend or family member with HD, I'm sorry for the sensitive subject. All of the content in this blog is just my thoughts and reflections of what I would decide, not what everyone should do in this situation.

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti

Indigo is a busy-body. She loves working at Carrera's, the little diner in her town. She even took all of her harder classes during her last year of high school early so now she can work during 1st and 2nd hour at the diner and then go to school during 3rd hour.

After high school, Indigo plans to work as a waitress full time and not go to college because she doesn't want to be anything but a waitress. She loves to feed people and get to know their habits - what else gets better than that?

Indigo also has a problem with smoking. It kills people and she's very adamant about her smoking thoughts.

So when a new customer comes in during the same time a few days a week and Indigo sees he has cigarettes in his coat - she tells him exactly what she thinks about that nasty habit.

Who knew that by speaking her mind and worry about a random person that she would get a 2.5 million dollar tip!

At first, Indigo thought it was a joke, but when she realized who her customer was, Richard Howards, a multi-million dollar CEO, it was no joke. She tried to give it back, but he was not going to let that happen.

Now Indigo a millionaire. She has no idea what to do with the money. However, everyone around her has an idea of what THEY could use the money for - which was a bit frustrating for Indigo.

The one thing Richard Howards asked of her was to let the money make her bigger, not smaller. But with 2.5 million dollars, it's a little hard to look at the big picture when there are items out in the world that are easy to grab in an instant.

Will Indigo be able to see the big picture, or will she become a rich, snobbish person and let the money control? Read The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Okay, I've worked as a waitress before - a few times actually. Once was even in a supper club so rich people came. I never once, not once, got that much money for a tip!

Now I've found my new goal in life :)

Anyway, I really liked this novel! Indigo had things all figured out for her life. She would finish school and work at Carrera's full time - making money, doing what she loves, and seeing all of her usual customers since they are basically friends now.

But when you throw money in the loop, things get a little crazy.

Indigo was very grown-up and knew the life she lived in, so I really liked her. I also liked her boss, Jane, and all of the customers in the diner.

I did have trouble with the writing at times, though. It seemed there were times that it kept rambling, and I found myself skipping a paragraph of things that didn't necessarily need to be there.

However, I would definitely recommend this to teens! And adults as there is a life-altering lesson deep in this story that I think anyone could learn from. It's also a stand alone novel so we don't need to wait for a sequel, and I really loved the ending so I think everyone should read it! :)

BED4 Day #3: Indigo Skye

In this novel (which is actually titled The Fortunes of Indigo Skye but I was just too lazy to put that in the title), Indigo gets a waitress's ultimate wish - an amazing 2.5 million dollar tip which means she can retire for a little while.

So, of course, I'm going to talk about what I would do if I were in Indigo's shoes and how I could spend 2.5 million dollars. (No, not to the cent, but things I've always wanted/wanted to do/need to do/etc.)

• Pay off my student loans.
• Upgrade my vehicle for a newer one.
• Help my parents with loans/bills that I haven't been able to do since I was poor.
• Get a new floor in my parents kitchen.
• Build a garage for my parents' cars. 

And if I had a job and lived on my own when this happened:

• Get a house instead of an apartment that I know I'd be living in. 
• Purchase any appliances or electronics that I would need.
• Pay ahead on bills just because I could.

That probably would cover a small portion of the 2.5 million dollars, but they are all essentials. After that, I would look into programs and organizations that give books to locations in need. I love reading and want to help others that aren't able to access books to have that opportunity as well. 

There are probably more things I could spend the money on, but my brain isn't working very well right now so I'll leave it at this. 

What would you spend 2.5 million dollars on?

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Gwen's life is pretty normal - for the most part. She lives in London, goes to school, has a best friend, Lesley, and lives with her extended family, including her aunt, great aunt, and her cousin, Charlotte, who is a day older than her.

Normal, right?

Not exactly. See, the women in her family carries a gene - a time traveling gene. Not every female gets this gene; in fact, it skips certain generations and the fate is in the stars as to who is supposed to carry the next gene.

Charlotte has known her entire life that she was going to start time traveling around the age of 16 or 17, so she has been preparing for that fateful day. Instead of hanging out with friends and watch bad tv shows like Gwen, Charlotte has been learning how to fence, ball-room dance, speak in numerous languages, and basically never having any teenage fun.

So it was a bit of a surprise when Gwen time-travels into the past!

Apparently, Gwen's mother decided to fib about the day that Gwen was born. Her and Charlotte were born on the same day. Instead of telling anyone that, Gwen's mom (Grace) hoped that Charlotte would have the gene to time-travel and pretended that Gwen was normal.

Not the brightest idea since Gwen traveled back into time and didn't know where she was, what time she was in, or anyone around. She was basically a new-born in the past and, thankfully, left just as quickly before she got into too much trouble.

After finding this news out, the "Order" who handles the two families that can time travel rushed to get things ready for Gwen when she time-travels with her companion, Gideon.

Gideon is part of the family where MALES time-travel throughout generations. He has been practicing and has actually time-traveled for 2 whole years now, since he's 19, so he's a natural, but he wasn't excited to get paired up with Gwen since he's been working with Charlotte all of these years.

Also, Gwen doesn't take orders as well as Charlotte, so that might be another reason he's a little upset about the switch in time-traveling companions.

Now Gwen and Gideon are on a mission to collect their ancestor's blood to complete the circle of 12 - all of the family members who had the ability to travel through time. Gwen is the 12th, and last, time traveler, but they need a drop of blood from all 12 to complete the circle.

However, things are not as simple as that seeing as how the other 2 time-travelers before Gwen and Gideon (Lucy and Paul) are trying to STOP the completion of the circle.

Will Gwen and Gideon succeed in their mission or will Paul and Lucy outsmart them? Read Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I saw this novel at the public library and was instantly attracted to the storyline of this novel. So of course, I checked it out without seeing if it was part of a series.

It is.

So now I have to wait for the other two novels in the series (Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green) to come out in the U.S. These books are international best sellers so they, unfortunately, did not come out first in the U.S. making me wait awhile :/

However, I completely fell in love with this story and with the concept of time-traveling. It's been awhile since I read a book about time-travel so it was all new and exciting for me!

I admire Gwen. She knew she was not normal because of her family history (and because she has the ability to see ghosts at random times) but she also knew she was not special Charlotte. And Gwen was okay with that.

But when Gwen found out that she was the one that was the time-traveler? She took it in stride and she quickly tried to learn what was happening and what she was supposed to do. Not that it was easy, seeing how the "Order" was trying to keep things from her but still expecting her to understand every little detail.

Gwen was a survivor, though, and even tolerated Gideon and his smart-alack remarks toward her naiveness about time-travel.

When Gwen meets Lucy and Paul during one of their "blast to the past" moments, everything starts to change and Gwen wants to find out why Lucy and Paul are trying to destroy years of hard work.

Kerstin Gier leaves us in a pivotal moment between Gwen and Gideon in the last scene of book one, but she also leaves a lot of questions that are dying to be answered, so I'm really anxiously waiting for the other two books to come out in the U.S.

I would definitely recommend this book to teens. Maybe to teen girls as the narrator is female and it revolves around her more than Gideon, but there is a lot of mystery and suspense in here that will keep the reader wanting more (just like myself).

So if you're looking for a mystery with some time-travel mixed together, go pick up this book today!

BED4 Day #2: Ruby Red

After Gwen discovers she can time-travel and meets with a member of the "Order", they play a game of sorts where they can ask one another questions. One of the questions Mr. George asks Gwen was:

"If you could choose a time, when would you most like to travel back to?" (pg. 136)

Here would be my response and reasoning:

Since I can't travel back during my lifetime and when Gwen did travel back, it was from the exact spot she was standing during present time, I'm going to change the rules a bit and pick a different location.

Also, I would say back to the dinosaur age, but I've seen Jurassic Park and I'm not sure if I would be as smart as Dr. Alan Grant, so I'll have to pick somewhere else.

But honestly, I can't say that I would travel back to a different time. I like wearing jeans rather than corsets and dresses. I like working rather than puttering around all day waiting for the men to get off of work. I hate dancing, which is a requirement in the old London days.

Maybe I would go back to when Native Americans were the main race in the U.S. - before the War that is. I'm part Native American so that would be interesting to see how they lived. And I would go South since that was where the Cherokee's lived - that's my "tribe" that I'm part of.

I wouldn't know what they were saying and would probably be in trouble because I'm pale, but that might be a good time to time travel and get to know my ancestry.

Otherwise, I'm not quite sure where I would go or if I would want to be stuck in a time where I was unfamiliar with the events and, possibly, the language.

Where would you time travel to?

BED4 Day #1: Introduction

Hello everyone! This is my first time participating in Blogging Every Day in April (BED4), even though Becky has tried to get me involved for the past 4 years. I had no excuse this year to not participate, so I was stuck when she asked the other day ;-)

I'll just do this first post as an introduction of myself since I don't know many of you.

My name's Jeraca, I just got my Master's in Library and Information Science, now currently looking for a job (which is a tedious task, I tell ya), and in my spare time I watch TV shows/movies, occasionally enjoy the nice weather outside, read mainly Young Adult novels (which I try to post on this blog as often as possible), and I love ice cream.

Oh! Happy April Fool's Day! It's also a special day today since it's Brandee's, my dog, 12th birthday! Here's a picture of the birthday girl:

This was her last year on her birthday with her new
presents - I haven't gotten around to take one today yet.

She's currently doing her usual routine - sleeping on her side of my bed with the blanket shown above. Maybe we'll have a little "celebration" later on today.

Now, onto the BED4 idea I have.

Since this year we don't have a set topic/theme for every day, I'm going to try to connect my BEDA posts with my YA blog (I want to try to keep up with my book reviews). Whatever book I review during Monday-Friday I'll take a theme from the book and put myself in the character's position. I don't know how long this will last, but I think it will be fun and you're more than welcome to chime in on your ideas for the theme/question I come up with from the book.

Or if you've read the book and remember something else from it, you can certainly talk about that instead.

I'll have two posts Monday-Friday (or I'll try if I keep up with my readings every week) so you can read my reviews if you like or you can just skip to the BED4 post.

Okay, time to give my dog her present! I'll "see" ya around throughout the month, and it will be nice to meet everyone! :-)