Friday, July 13, 2012

WHAT I DID by Christopher Wakling

Congratulations to LAURA with Strep Throat! You've won a copy of WHAT I DID! 
Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can send you a copy of the book! And get well soon! 




I love when I discover a new male author to share with you all and this book, What I Did, is an incredible book that I took with on a weekend getaway and read every second I could sneak into our mini-vacation. 

What I Did is so unique in that it’s narrated by 6-year-old Billy who is precocious and oh-so-smart that you kind of want to hug him and strangle him at the same time. And I don’t mean strangle him in a bad way, but as you’re reading and the story unfolds, you want to yell at the pages, “NO BILLY, DON’T TELL THEM THAT – THAT’S NOW WHAT YOU MEAN TO SAY! YOU’RE TELLING THEM WRONG!”

The book starts out early one morning when Billy wakes up full of energy and his dad takes him out for a walk and a trip to a café. Billy isn’t much into listening to his dad that morning and as things progress, he ends up running out into the street, disobeying his father. This small act of defiance sets the whole novel into fabulous motion and I guarantee you it’ll have you turning pages so quickly you will ignore your family and responsibilities until you get to the end. So make sure to start the book when you know you have a huge chunk of time to sit and read without interruption. 

What I loved also about What I Did is that Billy has such a grand imagination – he compares everything to animals. He lives in London and his favorite TV show is something along the lines of The Animal Planet station and his imagination soars – he’s all about animals and everything he thinks about is animal-based. The people who he comes in contact are all compared to animals, and wonderfully so. And when he is confronted in the most dangerous way by certain adults, he explains about predators and prey, him being the prey.

Billy’s dad is flawed – he’s not a perfect dad – he’s the primary caregiver as his mom works nights and sleeps during the day. He’s got a stressed-out job and works from home, and yeah, Billy is a challenging kid. Maybe his dad doesn’t always make the best choices when it comes to parenting, but who does make the best decisions all of the time? Don’t we all just do our best and hope we’re making the right choices, and don’t we make our choices based on the immense love we have for our children?

This is ALL I can tell you – because it’s enough to get you reading and I promise, promise, promise you will ALL love this book so much. It’s not my usual women’s fiction but it’s definitely one of those golden nuggets that I was thrilled to discover and I’m so excited to share with you on the blog.

Here’s something though, you can learn more about 6-year-old Billy by reading his blog and seeing some of his colorings by going here. It’s his blog and it’s awesome. You’ll have a chance to see what Billy’s like, and truly, he’s real. I’m telling you, the kid is real. His blog is amazing. This is seriously one of the most real books I’ve ever read. It feels like a real person, a real 6-year-old telling his story. Here’s Billy’s blog

Here is the actual book blurb if you want to know more:

"This is a story about a terrible thing which happens to me. I have to warn you that nobody is bad or good here, or rather everyone is a bit bad and a bit good and the bad and the good moluscules get mixed up against each other and produce terrible chemical reactions. Did you know cheetahs cannot retract their claws?" 

Six-year-old Billy loves animals, David Attenborough documentaries, and sneakers that flash when he runs. He does not love sitting still, the blood-soaked sky in Watership Down, or his father's cell phone. 

When Billy runs into a busy street, ignoring his father's commands, he sets in motion a series of unexpected, family-altering events. What I Did is a heart-wrenching reminder of how best intentions can lead to disastrous consequences, and how one rash decision can take on a life of its own.

So, if you’d like to win a copy of What I Did, tell me, what did YOU do in the last 24 hours? Here’s WHAT I DID … stayed up way too late last night, slept til 11:30 a.m., got an oil change, ran to Target, the post office (books are on their way for anyone who is waiting for them from me, also so is the $15 Starbucks card Janet!), fed my kids a couple of times, DID NOT SHOWER, did some copy editing work, and now I’m in my pajamas catching up on the blog and other work stuff. Exciting huh? So tell me about your last 24 hours and WHAT YOU DID!

65 comments:

Tami said...

I slept and caught a plane to new Orleans. Ate some fantastic food and walked the French Quarter. Ended the night with beignets from Cafe du Monde. Perfect day!

Carie Casey said...

let my kiddos stay up way too late 11pm bonding with out of town family. We all had fun.

Carie

Read Baby Read said...

Read obsessively, went for a run, ate (a lot), and listened to the air conditioning work overtime in this heat.

Laura said...

I have been stuck in bed for 24 hours (X's 6 days and counting) with strep throat...doing nothing but moaning and groaning in pain :( I should have been with everyone else at the lake cabin swimming, boating, and drinking special drinks with little umbrellas in them.

susieqlaw said...

Slept, appointments, exchanged cell phone, watched movie, slept.

susieqlaw

Kelleyc said...

Had coffee and got caught up on my blogs/Facebook/words with friends, paid bills, went to a casual baseball banquet for my oldest, celebrating their last year in little league! And now I'm back at the coffee/blogs..... Lol

TinaB said...

Well, I didn't have time for a shower either...Ha!! Went to Pet Smart, Academy Sports, a local consignment shop, came home & ate lunch, took the kids to the pool, came home & did laundry, cleaned house...a little, made dinner, watched tv, read, went to bed around midnight. I lead such an exciting life!! Lol :)
Brannanflooring@aol.com

jdstec said...

Got up at 7:15 and went to my son's house to take care of my almost two year old Grandson. The rest of the day just involved chasing, laughing, coloring, a little napping (yes, both of us...did you see the 7:15 part?) and just loving my life.

Mary Jo Burke said...

Watched the White Sox win!

Tanya Quilts in CO said...

Mine is pretty boring too! Slept, made dinner, finished a book, worked on a quilt...

Bev V said...

I read the latest book in the "Love at Stakes" series, went shopping, went to a meeting and then out to dinner. Stayed up way too late finishing my book!

Literary Chanteuse said...

Ate barbegue on our deck (covered thank god0 during a storm and read Random Passage by Bernice morgan for my Canadian challenge this month.

Margaret(Literary Chanteuse)

Carly said...

In the last 24 hours I finished my student teaching working with students with moderate to severe disabilities.
AND my husband said he would take me to Disneyland.

Carly H

Juliet Farmer said...

i went grocery shopping, did some work, went to the gym, went to a friend's house for dinner, and went to bed.

equinn726 said...

I had clinicals (I'm in my last semester of nursing school) in a small rural hospital all day yesterday. Cared for several patients. Spent 2 hours driving home, had a fast food dinner (a rare treat!), showered and fell into bed exhausted. This morning, I did not have to work so I had a nice 3 mile run, another shower, some breakfast and have been doing homework all morning (reading this blog is my breaktime!).

Katie said...

I worked and got stuff done around the house. And hung out with my dog.

Ncsuloges said...

Made nachos, watched 21 jump street and newsroom. Both were fantastic! Read happy hour because it was featured on your blog and am loving ut

Reese78 said...

Cleaned the house, did some laundry, made a trip to Kohl's and now I'm getting ready to take a quick swim before heading out to dinner with the girls. :)

Sslinsky said...

Stayed up too late, woke up too early, laundry, cleaned bathrooms, played UNO with my Bubbly, wrangled the 1 year old, read (Dollhouse - Kardashian's, my brain cells are begging for mercy from this), and other regualar family stuff.

Sarah

Nanette said...

Went to work, had drinks with a co-worker that got laid off on Thursday, went to dinner with my family and friends, then visited a friend who was having a Friday the 13th birthday...for real. :)

Kicking back and chilling out now before I get busy again today.

Hugs! Nan

Megan said...

Walked around, visited PAWS Chicago and signed up to become a volunteer. Slept til 7am since my cat woke me up....blah.
Eloisepeaches

Marla W. said...

Took my son's $80 pair of shoes back because he thinks they are too narrow and have no ankle support (he may be right since he is in a book with a fractured ankle), then took my daughter to get her ears pierced (there was a little drama), took my son shopping, took both kids to buy a small pool for the back yard (for days when we can't take them to the local pool, and now sitting in the A/C attempting to cool down :o)

I think this book sounds great just from reading your thoughts!

shellybelly43066 said...

Woke up at 7 am to feed 6 mos old breakfast
DMV:(
Grocery shopping
UPS store
Dunkin donuts
Pedicure :)
Read a few chapters of Then Came You, Jennifer Weiner
Laundry, dishes, blah, blah, blah

Denise said...

finished work for the last time in 3 weeks, studied for the bar exam for a few hours, slept poorly, got up and went to a lecture, went to the library and studied more.

lucy872 said...

I made dinner, put my daughter to bed, fell asleep on the couch around 11 p.m., got up this morning, helped the hubby clean out the garage, went swimming, went to my moms so my hubby could install an Air Conditioner, ran to the grocery store to return the bottles that we cleaned out of the garage earlier, went to the cemetary to water plants at my dad's grave, had some dinner, brought my daughter home later than I wanted and now I am catching up on email.

Melissa said...

I got my nails done, went to Pei Wei, ran a bunch of errands and went to our end-of-season softball party. On to the beach tomorrow!

-tmd636

your invisible pixie said...

i slept in, then went to see magic mike with a friend, went to dinner, then came home and cleaned my room!

Books & Reviews said...

I worked, worked out, took my chihuahua Billy for a walk, played fetch with Billy, watched tv with my sweet husband, worked on a quilt I making for my god daughters 1st birthday , read a bit then went to sleep!

Christina said...

I went boating with some friends, had dinner and drinks with them and stayed up way too late talking. Got up around 9 this morning, did some house work and some homework, had a chat with my mom and ate lunch/dinner around 4:00. I didn't shower either! Now I'm off to play sand volleyball!

ChristinaL

DaphneSFL said...

Celebrated a good friend's birthday, had a bit too much champagne, slept late, went to a street fest. All in all not bad :)

The Book Chick said...

We took the kids to the movie theatre to watch "Madagascar 3" (LOVED it!), visited my in-laws afterwards, ate frozen pizza and chicken wings, I worked all day today, came home and cuddled with my boys and am about to BBQ some steak with the hubby!!!!

Dani In Chicago said...

I met my friends in the park to practice kickball for an upcoming tournament.

Kim W. said...

Went out for dinner with my husband last night, spent the morning with my kids until they went to a birthday party, then spent the late afternoon with the kids/husband at the Science Center. Now the kids are in bed and I'm chillin out! Overall, a good 24 hours!

Ready To Be A Momma said...

What I've done in the past 24 hours... Worked, made a walmart run, came home, took a nap, ate supper, and then laid around. Got up this morning and got ready for work. Man, my life is boring.
qweska8402

Emma S. said...

Got up Sunday morning. Had an "Entourage" marathon all day Sunday. Then left Pittsburgh (where I was visiting my boyfriend) and drove 2 hours back to where I live, then went to sleep. Now I'm at work.

BrendaL71 said...

Stayed out til 1am the night before. Relaxed by watching movies pending my daughter's arrival after a long stay with her dad out of town. By the afternoon decision is made to let her stay another week. Depressed go to a friends house for a Jewelry party and stay for dinner and watch Footloose 2011 version.

buttah said...

I made my usual Sunday grocery shopping trip, picked up little man at his Momsie and Popsie's from a nite away, made beefalo burgers and homemade sweet potato fries, and had some friends over for dinner, and was in bed and asleep by 7:45pm!! (Now the night before...that's another story!!)

Unknown said...

Woke up, smoked a bowl, ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast, started laundry, smoked a bowl, washed dishes, played games online, smoked a bowl, continued laundry, ate lunch, smoked a bowl, went to the store, played games online, smoked a bowl, continued laundry, cooked dinner, smoked a bowl, washed dishes, smoked a bowl, played games online, went to bed, woke up, showered, smoked a bowl, drove to work. Happy Monday!

Anonymous said...

In the last 24 hours, I rode my bike 26 miles, I went to the Taste of Chicago, let my kids play in the fountains of Millennium Park, took them to the Art Institute, went grocery shopping, watched tv, got all of us ready this morning and now I'm at work catching up on my blog reading.

-Donna W.

absolutahnie said...

met up with my best friend for 9 holes of golf at the pitch & putt
then we went to the bookstore then the boyfriend called so we met him for lunch&drinks. after many mai tais we went back to the bookstore and bought books then went home to find our geriatric cat not doing so well. this morning i had to say goodbye to brad the cat...i'm SO sad.

Jeffie T said...

Worked on a craft project, watched the first season of Walking Dead, grocery shopped.

Lizett34 said...

In the last 24hrs I had breakfast with my Dad and sister, grocery shopped, watched tv, went to a company BBQ and watched more tv.

Leslie said...

Went to church, browsed at Bed Bath & Beyond, came home, vegged in front a T.V. (never happens), load of laundry, Wal-Mart, picked up younger son at his dad's, watched War Horse with him, picked up older son at midnight (arrived back from youth mission trip), bed, woke up late, rushed him to 6 a.m. cross country practice, deposited him back home, and came to work! Good times ;) LeslieGC

Amy said...

Spent some time at B&N, bought a magazine about Novel Writing, had dinner at Outback - Yum!, bought some hardwood flooring to replace the carpet the dog turned into her own personal potty, slept, made breakfast for my honey, babysit a 3yr old that is potty training, changed that 3yr old 3 times - so far, bath that three yr old....anxiously waiting for his dad to get off work and take him home. I smell like pee.

ludy2288 said...

tried to sew a pillow, lost feeling in the tip of my finger due to poking myself too many times, met with my realtor about selling my house, snuggled with my pup, had a day at work too busy to eat or pee

Emily said...

Shopped at Target, The Container Store (my first time), and Crate and Barrel in Boston while visiting my sister. Had a great dinner out, slept in a hotel and drove back to NY today. Did laundry, cooked, napped, and got myself ready for going back to work tomorrow. Ugh.

Emily116

Luvschocolate said...

Went to a street fair all day then came home and grilled some chicken for dinner, watched big brother, Thrn went to bed , got up went to work, and am now marinating steak trying to duplicate an Argentinian dish I had at Tne street fair yesterday.

Margie said...

I spent the day at the cabin, so I was very lazy. Read a book, worked X-words, played Scrabble with my husband, went swimming.
Margie T

accidentalgypsy said...

work, hit the gym, tried to work on my paper for school, watched tv, cooked dinner, and stayed up way too late...my life is boring! :)

Bridget O'Neill said...

Drove home from a long weekend at my mom's lake house, read a book, went out to dinner, went to Target, put my 3 year old to bed, watched some TV with my husband, went to bed, woke up, took my daughter to her swim lesson, went to the library and post office, came home! Quite a whirlwind!

betsy_blixt said...

I worked then came home and worked out, did laundry and packed for my CA trip on Thursday.

Melissa said...

I wasn't feeling well and rested a lot, caught up on some reading, watched a few episodes of "The Big Bang Theory," took a bath in my whirlpool tub, rested more, caught up on e-mails, rested, read some more, wrote a book review, cooked dinner for the kids, put the kids to bed, Skyped with my family.

Melissa A from CLC

robynn78 said...

Hmm.. ran 2 miles at the gym, rearranged my bedroom & living room, cleaned, had some fun with the kids, did laundry, finally went through my entire Disney photo's & finally a beer with my better half when he got off of work & starting it all over again today.

Krystal said...

Spent time with close family as we just attended the funeral for my husband's cousin.
kndyer

Coleen said...

I worked, then slept. Finished a book and started a new book. My life isn't exciting at all!!

Autumn said...

Went to be too late last night. Got up too early. Went to see who my kids teachers will be next year and then did some school shopping at Target. Hopefully relaxing tonight with my hubby.

Amy said...

Last night I prepped for the interview I had today and showered. After waking up this morning, I got on the computer, did some twitter, email and facebook stuff, and prepped a little more for my interview. Next had breakfast, got dressed, a quick makeup application and out the door. Got on the bus, arrived into port authority, walked to Dunkin Donuts for my iced coffee, got on the subway, walked to my interview. After interview, walked to Pret and has a sandwich and then walked around the Union Square market. Then went on the subway uptown to port authority, got on bus and went home. For the rest of the day I've been working on the computer, eating, reading, and just had the most unpleasant conversation with my mom.

Eileen said...

I went to the dentist and was told I am an excellent flosser. Then I made things up for the rest of the day.

Becki*** said...

Sleep coffee breakfast Dragged hubby to his Dr appointment, lunch, antiquing, Home depot (bleh), helping my daughter register online, dry cleaner, bed bath and beyond, grocery store, laundry bath sleep nosh nosh nosh

Terri said...

Put my girls to bed, stayed up way to late doing absolutely nothing, woke up, got the kids off to the Boys and Girls Club for summer day camp, worked (blah!), looked at a couple potential places to move to ate dinner and now I'm watching Big Brother while goofing around on the computer (all while ignoring an article I need to write).

Such an exciting life!

Terri M.

Tiffany Drew said...

I slept (a lot), watched a movie, read a book, played some online bingo, yapped on Facebook, ate and then slept some more :)

CAnative said...

Visited with Mom on her last day of vaca. Once she caught her flight did MOUNDS of laudry.

Nicole

Ally said...

Woke up to screaming kids, fed them breakfast, cleaned, took all 3 to the dentist (it was awful), made lunch, cleaned, made a cake while the kids watched a movie, cleaned some more, made some more food, made my husband watch the kids for the evening while I hosted book club, enjoyed lots of wine and food, went to bed.

Susan @ The Book Bag said...

Got up and went to work, put in my 8 hours. Then met 5 good friends to celebrate one of their 5 year cancer anniversary! Lots of drinks, laughs and reminiscing about the good times. Then back to reality (home) to clean the kitchen and pay bills. All in all tho' it was a great day with wonderful friends!

Kristin said...

I snuggled with the kids, went to the library, let the kids run around outside barefoot, went to the McDonald's drive thru by myself for chocolate shakes and put my little guy to bed.