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One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot | Marianne Cronin
"A beautiful debut, funny, tender, and animated by a willingness to confront life's obstacles and find a way to survive. . . . It celebrates friendship, finds meaning in difficulty and lets the reader explore dark places while always allowing for the possibility of light. Lenni and Margot are fine companions for all our springtime journeys."--Harper's Bazaar, UK A charming, fiercely alive and disarmingly funny debut novel in the vein of John Green, Rachel Joyce, and Jojo Moyes--a brave testament to the power of living each day to the fullest, a tribute to the stories that we live, and a reminder of our unlimited capacity for friendship and love.An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she's dying, she still has plenty of living to do. Joining the hospital's arts and crafts class, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined.As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Though their days are dwindling, both are determined to leave their mark on the world. With the help of Lenni's doting palliative care nurse and Father Arthur, the hospital's patient chaplain, Lenni and Margot devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived--stories of love and loss, of courage and kindness, of unexpected tenderness and pure joy.Though the end is near, life isn't quite done with these unforgettable women just yet.Delightfully funny and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot reminds us of the preciousness of life as it considers the legacy we choose to leave, how we influence the lives of others even after we're gone, and the wonder of a friendship that transcends time.
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Lcsmcat
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Pickpick

Fourth in my #24in2024, and for my irl book club, which I had to miss for a work trip. It‘s a tear-jerker and I usually don‘t like having my emotions manipulated. But the stories were so engaging and I was rooting for them both to make it to their 100th, so I didn‘t feel manipulated. I‘m just sorry I missed out on the discussion.

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Hilary427
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Pickpick

Ok, this book took me a while to get into, it was a slow burn. But once I got about halfway through it, I couldn‘t put it down. I SOBBED. Honestly I could have done without Lenni‘s story (sorry!) but it was so good, if you can power through the first half!
⭐️: 4/5

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 😍 3mo
15 likes1 comment
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Balibee146
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Next up.... Looks like this one might be bittersweet.

TrishB It is ♥️ 5mo
BookNAround It‘s lovely but have tissues. 5mo
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
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TheEllieMo
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

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Cathyloves2read
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved this story, and can‘t recommend it enough. It made me laugh and it made me very. I loved the characters, especially Margot. It‘s a story of love and acceptance. It‘s also a story about differences, and how the characters overcome them. This book has so many stories within stories! This was one of those books that I just didn‘t want to end. It would make a great movie!! My advice to you is… “read it”!!

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actualdisneyprincess
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I love this book so much. 😭🥹 I don‘t even have more words than that. #theonehundredyearsoflenniandmargot #mariannecronin #grief #hospitals #foundfamily #friendship

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Beccaf
Pickpick

A beautifully written book.

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rachaich
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Pickpick

Oh, this was very well written. Particularly the ending.
Full of humour and love, with a dose of reality and fear.
Thoroughly all over good!

IuliaC I loved this one 13mo
marleed I loved this too! And seeing a post about as I scroll through my feed makes me smile. So thanks for that! 13mo
20 likes1 stack add2 comments
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rachaich
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This was my Christmas lucky dip from one of my book clubs and I was thrilled as it'd been recommended some time ago.
I feel it's a good time to start it, so did so this morning:)

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Jen2
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Pickpick

Lovely

IuliaC Such a beautiful novel 1y
thewallflower0707 I cried so much reading this 1y
55 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Andrea313
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Pickpick

Finished my last book of '22, and it was a bit of a gut-puncher. Lenni, age 17, is a patient in the Terminal Ward of a Glasgow hospital, and Margot, a fellow patient, knows most of her years are behind her. Together the two have lived a sum total of 100 years, and as they meet and become unlikely friends, we get both of their stories, including the many heartbreaks, both earthshaking and banal, of one life lived long and the other cut too short.

IuliaC I enjoyed this one very much 1y
33 likes1 comment
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erickahhh
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Pickpick

Do you ever get a reading hangover? Or seriously depressed after you've finished an amazing book? That's exactly how I felt after finishing this one. I loved everything about this book! The characters were amazing, the story was beautiful, the relationships they built were inspiring, and it touched on themes like the purpose of life, what we do with the time we have left, and every life is beautiful no matter how long they have been alive.

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Ang203l
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Rainy afternoons call for a book! #catsoflitsy

RaeLovesToRead Oh, that face!!!! 😭😭😭❤ 2y
7 likes1 comment
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Curvybookgirl
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Pickpick

Another book club choice and a very enjoyable, heartfelt read from a debut author

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BookMaven9
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Mehso-so

🌟 🌟An unpopular opinion here. This one has many 5 star ratings and is pretty beloved by many, however, not me. It doesn‘t deserve a 1 star rating, I finished it because I did want to know how it ended, but in a day or two I‘m pretty sure I‘ll completely forget about this story.

Disconnected characters, flat, emotionless and yet it read like a Hallmark movie. This just missed all the marks for me. But that‘s just me.

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Magpiegem
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I loved The Appeal for being a book I could not put down. But ultimately it was The Night Circus that took me away to a different world and let me in to a new genre I didn‘t realise I enjoyed.

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Magpiegem
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Pickpick

19/22 As my bookclub read this month this book had the privilege of being the only book I actually finished. It definitely isn‘t the sort of book I would pick up by choice anymore as I try to protect my fragile heart from breaking! I‘m not someone who loves as book to make me cry and this one definitely did. But I enjoyed it despite it crushing me and it gave lots to chew over in our book club discussion. So I recommend (with tissues) 3.75⭐️

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Cinfhen
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I can‘t remember who put the tagged book on my #ReaderRadar but I was super excited when I spotted it in my parents LFL 😍There were a BUNCH of treasures but due to luggage weight restriction I only took two… I left 5 🥰 I‘ve been meaning to read the Shavit for ages!!! So two wins!!!

marleed Oh I‘m just giddy when I find a book from my TBR in an LFL. I loved 100 years! 2y
Cinfhen And they both are in GREAT condition @marleed 😁 2y
TrishB I enjoyed the tagged one 😁 2y
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Singout This is off-topic, but I don‘t know how to contact people directly: should I be able to edit my emailed GoogleDoc of #Booked22 prompts with the book titles I‘ve read? I can see the list but not type anything in. 2y
Cinfhen This link should work @Singout You have until Midnight April 3 to submit all books read between Jan 1-March 31🧭 use link below to enter the #FirstQuarterdrawing:

https://forms.gle/dccxLGKSdpfxVPc26
2y
Cinfhen Good to know @TrishB xx 2y
Singout Thank you! 2y
80 likes1 stack add7 comments
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MallenNC
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Pickpick

This was my favorite book from February. I normally don‘t like sentimental stories, but this one was great. I liked all the characters and I enjoy stories that unfold gradually like this one does, with the good and the sad moments of their lives. The audiobook was especially good.

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MallenNC
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I still need to review all my February books, but here‘s my #BookSpinBingo card for the month. I got a bingo, finished my BookSpin, and read 10 books. The tagged was my favorite of the month.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Fantastic month!! 2y
31 likes1 stack add1 comment
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HeatherBookNerd
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Pickpick

This is a novel about an extraordinary friendship between two women. When they meet in a hospital art class, Lenni is 17 and Margot is 83. Together they have lived 100 years, and the book unfolds as they tell each other their stories. I just fell in love with them both. The audiobook is marvelous, with two perfectly cast narrators. So good!

35 likes1 stack add
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MeJeMiller
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Pickpick

I love this book. It‘s one of those books you bring out when you‘re sad. It‘s comfortable. It‘s heartbreaking. It‘s so much.

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Jbakesmcgee3
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Pickpick

A really lovely story with all the feels

TrishB It definitely was a lovely read. 2y
17 likes1 comment
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Sydneypaige
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“When people say terminal, I think of the airport”
“83 + 17, we‘re 100”
A story of the lives and friendship between a terminally sick 17 year old and a terminally sick 83 year old that requires all the tissues. I‘ll love Lenni forever.

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Juliev
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Pickpick

This was a great book to finish 2021. The story of a 17 year old and 83 year old who are both dying. Together they intertwine the story of their lives - 100 years.

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MelKelsey
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Pickpick

Book 149

I listened to The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot. Two women, a teen and an 80- year-old, with "life-limiting" illnesses meet in the hospital near the end of their lives and undertake a joint art project. It's a familiar story that takes a while to become engaging. It's emotional but doesn't live up to its hype. 3.5⭐s

22 likes1 stack add
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TrishB
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Pickpick

It‘s sad, but in a good way, with some friendships and love along the way.

Cinfhen I just watched your video on @shawnmooney #BiteSizeBookChats 💕🙌🏻You were fabulous ♥️and now I‘m SUPER EXCITED for both the books you gifted me!!! Should I start with the fiction or NF first??? 2y
TrishB @Cinfhen thank you 😘 personally I would start with the fiction. But that‘s me! You may prefer the facts and then add the background!? They both have merits. But fiction. 2y
Cinfhen Ok, I‘ll start with fiction as that‘s the way you did as well. 2y
TrishB @Cinfhen hope you like it 🤞🏻 2y
106 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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TrishB
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#readingretreat
This afternoon‘s cosy spot.

Amiable Lovely spot! 2y
rockpools 🥰 2y
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LeahBergen Sigh. 😍😍 2y
Balibee146 Well jel!! 2y
CarolynM That does look cozy. Glad you enjoyed the weekend 2y
122 likes7 comments
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MotherOfCats
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10 likes1 stack add
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IuliaC
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Pickpick

Lenni and Margot meet at the hospital, they are both terminal illness patients, one is 17 and the other 83.

This is all I knew about this book before starting to read it and I was convinced I would love it. Such a beautiful story, but beware, it will drown you in a river of tears...

TrishB I‘m going to read this when I‘m in the mood for a good cry! 2y
IuliaC @TrishB That's the best time for this one 👍 2y
54 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Allthebookclubs
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Pickpick

Life limiting, I‘ve never thought about death in those terms. I love the world through Lenni‘s eyes and I could feel myself standing next to her as she traveled through Margot‘s stories. Have your tissues ready, you‘ll need them in the end. Book #61 of 2021

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Rach_em
Pickpick

A beautiful, moving story about friendship and love. It is an amazingly light and amusing book whilst telling a deep and moving story.

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yvo_about_books
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It's almost a tradition to have something sweet during our #buddyread , so I decided to make some rice pudding with speculaas flavor just in time for Part Two. 😁

EvieBee That‘s a good tradition! 2y
marleed That looks wonderful! 2y
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
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yvo_about_books
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All set up in my new reading/painting spot to start #buddyread The One Hundred Years Of Lenni and Margot!! ☀️🫖🖌📖

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veebib
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"We have practiced for death every night. Lying down in the dark and slipping into that place of nothingness between rest and dreams where we have no consciousness, no self, and anything could befall our vulnerable bodies. We have died each night. Or at least, we have laid down to die, and let go of everything in this world, hoping for dreams and morning."

6 likes1 stack add
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PatriciaU
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Panpan

I was very excited to read this book after having heard about it in a Harper “Library Lovefest” webinar. However, I could not, despite several tries, get through the first few chapters. Not a fan. Someone change my mind!

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ItsAnotherJen
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Pickpick

Good book! About life and love and death..one of those that makes you laugh and cry. It was a sweet book. Lenni is a 17 yr old girl and Margot is an 83 yr old woman. Together, their lives span 100 years and they have a goal of creating 100 paintings of their different life experiences. I love their friendship. Heartwarming, though it did make me tear up..it left me with an appreciation of what being human and what living life truly is about.❤

BookNAround I‘ve recommended this one with the caveat that the reader will need tissues. But it is a cathartic, feel good cry. 3y
100 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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GinaKButler
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Up next...this month‘s book club pick.
#bookspinbingo

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Pretty cover 💛 3y
BookNAround This was such a heartbreaking but lovely book. I hope you enjoy it. 3y
GinaKButler @BookNAround I wholeheartedly agree! Heartbreaking and lovely! 3y
20 likes1 stack add3 comments
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rebbyj
Pickpick

Amazing!!!

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Branwen
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Another beautiful day at the park! And even though it's a holiday weekend, it isn't crowded at all! 📚💕🌾

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Branwen
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Happy September! 💕📚🌾

It finally FINALLY cooled down a little bit here today, which made my walk at the park a delight! Anyone else read this book? I'm about halfway done and completely in love! 😍 Such a sweet story!

Btw, does anyone know what this flower is? Is it goldenrod?! It's my favorite seasonal flower at the park - smells simply amazing! - but I don't know what it is! 😁

TiredLibrarian Yes, it's goldenrod 🐝 🙂 3y
mrsmarch AKA solidago 3y
Johanna414 Yes, goldenrod. The bane of my existence... I looooove this time of year, but my allergies are awful! 3y
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Jinjer Yes, goldenrod and butterflies and bees love it, so imagine my horror when the gardener chopped down my one and only stalk (stem?) of it!!!! Nooooooooo. I was waiting for it to bloom so I'd get a butterfly right next to the porch. Sigh. 3y
Branwen @TiredLibrarian @mrsmarch Aha! Thank you! 😃💕🌾 @Johanna414 Argh! Fall allergies are the worst! 😐 @Jinjer Nooooooo! 😔🌾 How frustrating! 3y
mrsmarch @Johanna414 It isn't goldenrod setting off your allergies -- the pollen is too heavy & sticky to be windborne. The real culprit is ragweed, which is also blooming right now & has lightweight pollen that moves on the wind. They grow in the same environments & bloom at the same time but showy, easy to spot goldenrod takes the blame. 🌾🌾🌾 3y
54 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Lynn541
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Pickpick

A lovely and wonderful debut novel. I listened to the audio version, which enhanced the experience with the Scottish, British, and Swedish accents. Two women, one only 17 and the other 83 meet in hospital, and bond over stories and art. It‘s truly a book about creating family relationships in people one meets at critical points in one‘s life. Have a box of tissues in hand, as there are several scenes I had tears pouring down my face. 💗💜

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FelinesAndFelonies
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Pickpick

This is hands down one of my favorite books this year. I had to close the office door so I could sob into my shirt. A beautiful story of two lives that come together in the adventure of a lifetime. 17 year old Lenni is dying when she meets 83 year old Margot. Together they paint 100 years of life & share their stories, dreams, & heartbreaks with each other. A masterpiece that deserves so much more recognition than it has received. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
IuliaC Very beautiful review and photo! 😍 3y
62 likes7 stack adds3 comments
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GidgetsTreasures75
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7-25-21: My 78th finished book of 2021! 17 year old Lenni lives in the terminal ward of a hospital in Glasgow. Even though she is dying she decides to take an arts and crafts class where she meets 83 year old Margot and they become best friends. With both of them nearing the end of their lives, Margot tells Lenni her life story as they work to create 100 paintings. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👍🏼📖#️⃣7️⃣8️⃣

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Lsmoore43
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This is Marianne Cronin's debut novel and it's a good one. Though I was set to give it only three stars because of all the sadness and tears somehow I just couldn't. It was well written and very emotional. There were a few chuckles thrown in for good measure but overall it's very sad. I mean it will give you the big ugly snot tears. Where you can't see the words on the page. Pardon my grossness there but it's the truth.

26 likes2 stack adds