I Heart Audrey Niffenegger

You guys, seriously I have to stop watching the trailer for The Time Traveler's Wife. Every time I watch it I get all teary-eyed. I can't help it. I never cry at the right times in real life but I always cry when I read a good book. This has caused me to worry that I care more about make believe lives than my own, which is why I decided to become a writer in the first place.

Anyway, I am so excited about this movie. Obviously it will not be as good as the book. In my opinion, NO movie is ever as good as the book. If I thought otherwise I'd be a screenwriter, wouldn't I? Still, book movies let us experience the story with others in a way that reading doesn't allow. During emotional parts I can glance meaningfully at my twin or squeeze my husbands hand and know that they understand. Whereas when I read the book I was sighing and crying all by myself.

I own two copies of this book because I was lending it out so much. I generally don't lend out books because my tastes lean towards fantasy and magic and lots of people I know wrinkle their noses at any book with magic that is not Harry Potter. But this book does have magic, it's just hidden inside such a vibrant love story that my muggle friends don't even notice.

Only one person handed the book back to me unfinished. She said she got confused by how old each character was in different scenes and didn't "get it." But this person is very very pretty and no one seems to expect much more from her than that, even herself.

I. Love. This. Book. It's romantic. It's tragic. It's an incredible look at marriage and love, perfectly orchestrated by Niffenegger. It's so good that when I finished I--

(Well, first I burst into tears, shoved the book at my husband, ordered him to read it, and then slammed the door in his stunned face so I could have a good cry)

--declared that Audrey Niffennegger would never write another novel. I told everyone, "this is a once in a lifetime story. She must have put ever scrap of love and blood and pain into these pages. She can't possibly have anything left."

Of course Niffenegger is a genius and has proved me wrong by writing another book Her Fearful Symmetry, currenly available for preorder and coming out in September. Thank the Book Gods for this, because I can't wait to see what she writes next!