Five Favourites for Friday #1

I thought I would do something fun in my post on Fridays, so the following is a list of my five favourites of the week that I would recommend to my readers.

1)’The Story of Beautiful Girl,’ by Rachel Simon- It’s rare that I find a book that features persons with disabilities as the hero and heroines of the story. This novel follows the lives of Lynnie, a woman with an developmental disability and her romance with Homan, a deaf African American man. The story begins in the late sixties and follows the couples’ unpleasant experiences in an institution, the ‘School.’ One night, they make their escape and Lynnie gives birth to a baby girl. Desperate to keep her child from the same fate she has had to endure, she and Homan find the house of a widow and ask her help with protecting the child. I love how Simon is able to write from the point of view of both Lynnie and Homan, showing that these characters have such depth even though those around them refuse to see it. Simon takes us through the incredible experience of their lives and powerfully displays the persistence and strength of Lynnie and Homan as they fight their battles and dream of one day returning to each other. Several passages in this book gave me tingles up and down my spine. You can check it out here

2) Colette Butler and Callie Moore’s cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘Safe and Sound,’ absolutely took my breath away. These ladies have such beautiful voices, and their arrangement is gorgeous. These sisters have released other covers together and I would highly recommend them all, but this is one of my favourites so far.

3) Bolthouse Smoothies are absolutely delicious! Who knew I could love something healthy? Haha. My favourite so far is Strawberry Banana. They’re gluten free too!

4) Pinterest- I’m becoming more addicted to this site every day. I have so much fun creating boards and finding interesting quotes and images. You can find me on Pinterest under the name, 'misscarrieliz.'

5)Hanson’s EP ‘No Sleep for Banditos.’ You have to be a fan club member to enjoy this five song EP, but I received mine in the mail and could not resist talking about it. I love when Hanson take on characters while writing songs, because each of them feel like a short story that the listener can enjoy. I have two favourites though—‘Be My Own’ and ‘Chasing Down My Dreams.’

‘Be My Own,’ is a beautiful, soothing, easy listening kind of love song. It absolutely captivates me every time I listen to it and I feel the tears coming, I just can’t help it.

‘Chasing Down My Dreams,’ is such an uplifting song and as is often the case with Hanson songs, inspired me in to action. Like the young man in the song who dreams of playing in the band, I’m coming to release the importance of not hesitating and doing what I have to do to make my dream come true.  

For more information on how you can join the Fan Club, you can go to 

http://www.hanson.net