Sherry's Book Reviews

The Notebook

2012-02-02T20:36:00.000-06:00

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I've tried to read this book several times in the past, never getting past the first few pages. This book came up as the selection for Book Club and I promised, promised, her I would read the whole book. So I did it. Thank goodness it was a short read.

I don't care for Nicholas Sparks's writing. Too much tell and no show, to much introspection, too much detail of thought and movement (although not as bad as Ted Dekker) and flat-out too much melodrama.

This book starts out as a boring story - there is no dialogue for the first thirty pages. THIRTY. 3-0. And never ramps up to a climax. It's obvious from the start how the story ends. So finally, reaching page 30 and getting into some dialogue... it's fake, forced and clumsy.

A redeeming quality of the book: if you like heavy melodramatic star-crossed soul mate love stories, this is it. There are a few passages where Sparks shines with a little bit of talent, when he gave me an emotional thought that was real and I could hang onto.

Synopsis: A man with a faded, well-worn notebook open in his lap. A woman experiencing a morning ritual she doesn't understand. Until he begins to read to her.

The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever.

Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner returned home from World War II. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories. . . until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can shape.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments, and fundamental changes that affect us all.

House Rules

2012-01-31T22:12:00.000-06:00

House Rules by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a hard book to review. As the mom of an autistic son, so much of it was like my everyday life that while I was reading, I was looking around to make sure I wasn't being watched. It was interesting to get the autistic POV. There is still so much that I don't understand about my son's world, this was a very clear and accurate picture for those who don't know. Reading the book was painful at times, I started to dread picking it up to read and finally accepted that I can't finish this one.

The writing was typical Picoult - very clean and full of plot twists. There were many things that she pulled out of popular culture that made the story seem familiar - not in a "done that" way, but in a way that made you feel that the story was real.

Synopsis: When your son can’t look you in the eye . . . does that mean he’s guilty?

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.

But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.

And over this small family, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

Recommended Reading:
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian
Big Girl by Danielle Steele
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson

January Review

2012-01-30T21:49:00.001-06:00

It's close enough to the end of the month that I can post my review. January started out strong and energetic but then stalled out around day four. Pretty awesome, huh? Yeah, I'm kind of proud right now. [where is that sarcasm font when I need it?]

I read three books, kind of. All of them I started in 2010, two of them I finished. One I have to mark as uncompleted (which in my world still counts as being read).

~~Keeping The House by Ellen Baker (Book Club Selection)~~ Finished
~~Lenz by Georg Buechner~~ Finished
House Rules by Jodi Picoult - Marking as uncompleted. But I tried, oh man, did I try.

In the category of Old Books, I decided to take a look at what I had on my nightstand to accomplish this month and possibly do some culling. Some of these books... well, let me break it down. Here's the three that are going in the donation box and why:

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Why? I cheated and read the first 30 pages. The writing felt mediocre, so I did some skimming to see if it improved at all... it doesn't. Very disappointing. I was looking forward to this book.

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
No matter what I did, I couldn't start this book. The guy's name in big letters across the cover is awe-inspiring and intimidating in and among itself. The size of the book... I don't think I have it in me to be freaked out for 500+ pages.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
A friend who's judgment in all things bookish I trust told me it's an okay read. For just "an okay read" I don't think I have the time to devote to a 500+ page book.

In some ways I'm sad to see them go, on the other hand, it's a sigh of relief that I don't have to figure out how to fit them back on my book shelf.

So what's up for February? [insert excited squeal here] I can't wait to get into this month's "genre": Favorite Books. There's very few books that I deem as keepers. Pretty much Harry Potter and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series [low mumbling: and the Twilight series] are all I keep on that shelf. Which is crazy because I NEVER have time to re-read these books that I seriously love. So I'm making time. The two month goal is 6 books. This month I'll settle for 3. Unfortunately before I start I have the unpleasant business of reading the book club selection... The Notebook. I have a serious hate for anything Nicholas Sparks. I don't know how he became such a "great author" when the guy can't.write. If anything, he's my inspiration that I will some day be a published author. End rant.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens [fell in love with this book in high school]
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

It's gonna be a good, good month. As soon as I get through the first book...

Blech

2012-01-22T12:01:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't noticed from the lack of reviews... I'm not making very good progress on reading. I have lots of excuses. Ya wanna hear 'em? Aw, you're a good sport...

Let's see, my return to work coincided with a new procedure [blah blah blah] that results in me having more work. In a good way.
Also my kids and I have had multiple appointments the last few weeks - nothing serious, dentist and counselor appointments - between those and the new workload, I've been working through lunches (and when I'm not I'm doing yoga). Hopefully the next two weeks will straighten things out so I can steal some reading time during lunch.
After a full day of work and kids, I've been climbing into bed exhausted. I haven't needed to read before falling asleep because I'm practically snoozing by, oh, dinner time.
When I do have downtime I'm zoning out with my NetFlix queue or FarmVille. And cooking. I've been cooking alot.
Probably the most important... I'm struggling with the book I'm reading. The book is about a high functioning Asperger's kid. As the mom of a son with higher functioning Asperger's than the kid in the book, it reminds me that things could be so much worse - and yet so much of it is eerily familiar. It's been an emotional read for me.

I am going to try to finish the book by next weekend. I'm not sure if I can sneak in another or not before month end, if I do it will likely be the book club read for February.

Lenz

2012-01-11T19:45:00.001-06:00

Lenz by Georg Büchner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Hmmm...well, first I should have found out a little more what this book was about before I picked it up. My excitement over the fact that it's in German with the English translation over rode all other facts about this book. That aside, I did read the book in German up to page 40 before I switched to the English translation. I will be hanging on to the book to read again.

I enjoyed the story Lenz. I would have enjoyed it a little more if I had known it was bio-fiction. I didn't discover this until the end of the book - my copy includes a note from Goethe (a frienemy of Lenz)as well as a note from the translator describing the life events preceding and following the events in the story. I would have liked to read these before reading the story (think of it as reading the book before seeing the movie).

Overall, it was poetically written and highly entertaining.

Synopsis: Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Vosges Mountains, this chilling novella tells the tale of the real-life writer J.M.R. Lenz’s 19-day stay in Waldersbach in 1778. It describes his wanderings around the mountainous surroundings and his worsening fits of madness that eventually culminate in his removal, under guard, to Strasbourg. Valued both as a chilling exploration of paranoid schizophrenia and an influential forerunner of literary modernism, this existential drama boasts a prose style startlingly ahead of its time.

Keeping the House

2012-01-02T20:51:00.000-06:00

Keeping the House: A Novel by Ellen Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Technically, I read 75% of this book in 2011. Minor detail aside... I was intimidated by the size of this book and the switching timelines of the story. Under normal conditions I wouldn't have chosen this book, but it was the selection for book club so I sucked it up. I was glad I did. This story had rich characters set in an active history period - through WWI, WWII and the aftermath of the war. The shifting timeline was well done and worked with the multiple storylines running through the book. The story climax was well done and the ending well satisfied. A very good read on so many levels.

Synopsis: When Dolly Magnuson moves to Pine Rapids, Wisconsin, in 1950, she discovers all too soon that making marriage work is harder than it looks in the pages of the Ladies’ Home Journal. Dolly tries to adapt to her new life by keeping the house, supporting her husband’s career, and fretting about dinner menus. She even gives up her dream of flying an airplane, trying instead to fit in at the stuffy Ladies Aid quilting circle. Soon, though, her loneliness and restless imagination are seized by the vacant house on the hill. As Dolly’s life and marriage become increasingly difficult, she begins to lose herself in piecing together the story of three generations of Mickelson men and women: Wilma Mickelson, who came to Pine Rapids as a new bride in 1896 and fell in love with a man who was not her husband; her oldest son, Jack, who fought as a Marine in the trenches of World War I; and Jack’s son, JJ, a troubled veteran of World War II, who returns home to discover Dolly in his grandparents’ house.

As the crisis in Dolly’s marriage escalates, she not only escapes into JJ’s stories of his family’s past but finds in them parallels to her own life. As Keeping the House moves back and forth in time, it eloquently explores themes of wartime heroism and passionate love, of the struggles of men’s struggles with fatherhood and war and of women’s conflicts with issues of conformity, identity, forbidden dreams, and love.

Recommended Reading:
The Gin Closet by Leslie Jamison
I Gave My Heart to Know This by Ellen Baker
The Marrowbone Marble Company by Glenn Taylor
Apart from the Crowd by Anna McPartlin
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
Gone with the Windsors by Laurie Graham

January's Books

2012-01-02T12:19:00.000-06:00

I've been off work since Dec. 22nd. I go back tomorrow, as painful as it's going to be, I'm looking forward to having a structured day again. I had big plans for my time off: finish Christmas shopping, Christmas at two houses, cleaning my house thoroughly, stripping the wall paper in the laundry room, washing light fixtures and reading, reading, reading. I had hoped to get through the books I was currently reading, and possibly read the Stephen King book that has been on my night stand forever... but I was derailed by death. I mean sickness. At one point I was pretty sure I was going to die. Or at least everyone around me was wishing that I would.

When I came back to life three days later, I had to play catch up on a few things. I successfully crossed most things off my list - pretty much everything EXCEPT thoroughly cleaning my house, although I did make a nice dent in it. I even replaced a kitchen faucet. By myself! So now I can use my dishwasher again. I'm feeling kind of spoiled right now - The Boyfriend bought and installed a garage door opener AND a remote car starter for me. What am I going to do with all this free time?!

Oh, anyways, back to the book thing. Instead of finishing the books I was currently reading, I dove into the Book Club selection for January. Because it was HUGE (500+ pages) and I was worried I wouldn't be able to finish it in time when I got back to normal life. Anyways, the point of this is... I forgot. Oh! Yeah. January's reading may not go quite as planned because I have three books to finish and I didn't read the Stephen King book, which is HUGE, so now I'm going to read these in January. The Stephen King book totally qualifies as old because it's been on my shelf for 2-1/2 years. Same for Lenz. The Jodi Picoult book is a little harder to justify, but because I started the book in the "old year", I'm making it work for me. So, without further ado... here is the adjusted book list for January:

~~Keeping The House by Ellen Baker (Book Club Selection)~~
~~Lenz by Georg Buechner~~
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
The Starlet by Mary McNamara
The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez
If You Lived Here You'd Be Home By Now by Claire LaZebnik
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Obviously this is the full list to be split between January and July, but I can pull any book I want out of this list in any order. It's going to be a controlled chaos.

File This Under...

2012-01-01T15:27:00.000-06:00

Book Challenges. I've done a few in my day. Generally I fail at them. Case in point, last year's Self Challenge. Heck, I can't even ban myself from buying more books. The last few years I've challenged myself with a goal of books to read, starting in 2006 with a 104 book challenge, I've tweaked it over the years depending on what's going on in my life.

This year I'm going to try something different. An idea I got, believe it or not, from a book I didn't really care for. The Happiness Project was a book about a woman's twelve month journey to find what made her happy. I know that books make me happy. I also know that I get anxious when my TBR shelf gets out of hand. So, I'm combining the two goals to get things back to Happy All The Time. So, here's the basics:

a genre for each month
a set number of books for that month
one little exception: I will have one book each month that is different than the genre for book club

January and July: The genre is Old Books. (In my world, this is a genre, deal with it.) I'll be reading the books that have been around the longest on my TBR shelf. The goal is 10 books total for the two months.

February and August: The genre is Favorite Books. I'll be reading books that have been on my re-read list for some time: Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Harry Potter, and Charles Dickens. The goal is 6 books total. (Dude, the Outlander and HP books are HUUUGE. Six books are going to be a challenge.)

March and September: The genre is Self-Help. I'll be reading books either from my personal shelf or from the library at work. The goal is 8 books total.

April and December: The genre is Trashy Romance Novels. I used to read these books exclusively. Now I read them sporadically. I have quite a few of them hanging around, most of them quick Harlequin reads. The goal is 12 books total.

May and June: The genre is Oddo. I can read any genre book as long as it's on my Nook (named Oddo). These will mostly be books that I have purchased but may also include library books. The goal is 8 books total.

October and November: The genre is Writing. I have quite a few books that I picked up for research and reference for writing my novel. October I'll spend reading those books. November I'll spend writing for NaNoWriMo. The goal is 3 books.

This brings my total goal to 47 books for the year. This should be completely do-able, even with taking a month off to write.

In a Quandary

2012-01-01T11:49:00.000-06:00

I have a little bit of a dilemma. No, maybe that's too dramatic. It's really more of a puzzler. Or maybe it's just my OCD flaring up... I have three books from 2011 that I haven't finished. THREE. One book is dangerously close (within 100 pages) to being done, but the other two are, well, no where near close. They are so far from close that if they were arranged alphabetically, they'd start with the letter Z. I don't want to put either of these books down, but I also have a little book challenge going on [details coming later today] and finishing these two books would seriously derail the challenge. Oh what to do what to do! Sigh.

quan·da·ry/ˈkwänd(ə)rē/

Noun:

Perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation: "Jim is in a quandary".
A difficult situation; a practical dilemma.

Synonyms:

perplexity - embarrassment - dilemma - puzzle

"Quandary" is a funny sounding word. I had to look it up to check my spelling. I thought I'd include the Dictionary entry.

2011 Year In Review

2011-12-31T14:45:00.000-06:00

Reading Goal: 45 Achieved: 57
TBR Shelf: 25 Achieved: Way.too.many.

I confess. I'm not sure what happened to my TBR shelf. It kind of exploded on me. Maybe buying Oddo the Nook wasn't such a great idea? [nodding and listening] Yeah, you're right, Oddo was an awesome idea. Anyways, I'll keep working on the TBR shelf for 2012.

Reading Goal: 47
TBR Shelf: 5 on Oddo
30 on physical shelf

Favorites from 2011: This was a little tough. I didn't read much that truly stood out in my head. It was the year of mediocre reading. A few books that stood out a little more than the rest:

A Town Like Alice was a surprise find. A book I thoroughly enjoyed and wish I had kept in my personal collection for a future re-read.

The Weird Sisters was entertaining and very real to me. I recommend it for anyone who has sisters.

Beat the Reaper was another surprise find. Amazing writing all the way to the end.

The Help was a great book that pulled me out of a reading slump.

The Ape House was another great book by an author who is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

I can't help but mention Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, it was a fun fun book that I can't wait to share with The Spawn.

Little Women

2011-12-28T19:36:00.000-06:00

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read this book in, oh, probably twenty years. I remembered a few things from the book which helped because overall I felt the book was rather anti-climatic. On the other hand, this book read very well and wasn't filled with heavy overtones considering the time period it was authored. I did find myself skimming quite a bit when the author would go off in the narration voice on morality or whatever soapbox needed standing on.

Summary: Little Women is one of the best loved books of all time. Lovely Meg, talented Jo, frail Beth, spoiled Amy: these are hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War. Through their dreams, plays, pranks, letters, illnesses, and courtships, women of all 0; ages have become a part of this remarkable family and have felt the deep sadness when Meg leaves the circle of sisters to be married at the end of Part I. Part II, chronicles Meg's joys and mishaps as a young wife and mother, Jo's struggle to become a writer, Beth's tragedy, and Amy's artistic pursuits and unexpected romance. Based on Louise May Alcott's childhood, this lively portrait of nineteenth-century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers.

The Hidden Staircase

2011-12-17T14:13:00.001-06:00

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a quick read. The formal writing is quaint. The lack of reality in the stories makes it easy to read and put aside as purely entertainment.

Series: Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #2

Synopsis: Nancy is introduced to Miss Flora and Aunt Rosemary by Helen Corning, a character who aids Nancy in the previous, and first, volume of the series. They believe that their home is haunted. Odd things have been happening at the Mansion. A valuable necklace has been stolen, and an owl gets into the house, seemingly of their own accord.Meanwhile, Nancy's father is being harassed by a crooked character, Nathan Gomber, who threatens violence. Carson Drew will travel to Chicago during the first part of Nancy's stay at the old estate and join her later. Nancy finds it difficult to focus on the mystery at hand when her father fails to arrive home from Chicago in a timely manner - he appears to have vanished.

Recommended Reading:
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene
The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene
The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene

Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband

2011-12-11T16:00:00.001-06:00

Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a pretty classic travel back in time fall in love, come back to the present kind of story. It was funny and cute and overly gushy romantic. The characters are flat, the heroine morphed over night from wimpy girl to kick ass first take names later. It's the author's writing that kept me in the story over the plot, characters or whatever. Very good writing, which is unusual for this genre.

Series: Daughters of the Glen Book 1

Synopsis: SCOTLAND, 1272. Connor MacKiernan, a descendant of the Fae Prince, is a warrior who lives only for honor and duty. Though he's vowed never to marry, that's exactly what he must do to save his sister. Enter a little Faerie magic, and the search for a bride is on.

DENVER, 2007. Caitlyn Coryell is having a really bad day — she just discovered her fiancé with another woman! Imagine her surprise when she puts on some sexy lingerie and an antique pendant and Connor appears in her bedroom, begging for her help. He offers a simple yet outrageous adventure: travel to his time, marry him, and return home.

But nothing's simple when Cate is trapped in the thirteenth century. The wedding's delayed, someone's trying to kill her, and in the middle of all this, she realizes she's falling in love with a man who can only be her husband for thirty nights.

Recommended Reading:

Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue

A Restless Knight by Deborah McGillivray

Tumbling Through Time by Gwyn Cready

The Highlander's Bride by Donna Fletcher

Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake by Laurie Brown

Bone Rattler

2011-12-04T19:23:00.001-06:00

Bone Rattler: A Mystery of Colonial America by Eliot Pattison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When it comes to historical fiction involving Scotland (or at least Highlanders) in the 1700's... this wasn't the same caliber as a Diana Gabaldon, but if you love her you'll like this! This was a well-written novel involving many aspects of history - from Scotland, to England, to America. I really enjoyed the characters, although I did struggle trying to remember who was who sometimes. The plot twisted and turned and came together brilliantly at the end. I thought I had read that this was the first book of a trilogy, so I will be looking for the next books in the series.

Synopsis: Aboard a British convict ship bound for the New World, protagonist Duncan McCallum witnesses a series of murders and apparent suicides among his fellow Scottish prisoners. A strange trail of clues leads Duncan into the New World and eventually thrusts him into the bloody maw of the French and Indian War. Duncan is indentured to the British Lord Ramsey, whose estate in the uncharted New York woodlands is a Heart of Darkness where multiple warring factions are engaged in physical, psychological, and spiritual battle.Exploring a frontier world shrouded in danger and defying death in a wilderness populated by European settlers, Indian shamans, and mysterious scalping parties, Duncan, the exiled chief of his near-extinct Scottish clan, finds that sometimes justice cannot be reached unless the cultures and spirits of those involved are appeased.

Recommended Reading:
The Limehouse Text by Will Thomas
A Vengeful Longing by R.N. Morris
The King's Gold by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Heaven's Prisoners by James Lee Burke
Fatal Lies by Frank Tallis
A Case of Two Cities by Qia Xiaolong
.

A Highlander of Her Own

2011-11-24T12:49:00.001-06:00

A Highlander of Her Own by Melissa Mayhue
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It wasn't a bad read as far as the genre goes. I felt kind of cheated on the plot and character development side, there was so much more the author could have done with the base storyline and characterizations. On the plus side, this was a well-written book - the POV's stayed with the character, there was no redundancy with the storyline when the POV shifted to another character, there was some irritation on my part with word usage (like a particular word was stuck in the author's brain and she used it every chance she could get), but otherwise a very clearly written book. I probably won't be reading the entire series, but willing to pick up the other book by this author that's on my shelf.

Series: Daughters of the Glen Book 4

Synopsis: TEXAS, PRESENT DAY. Ellie Denton's world has spiraled out of control. A strange new birthmark, animals talking to her, and her mother's ex-husband laying claim to the family ranch have her thinking life can't get more complicated. But Ellie doesn't know the birthmark's connection to her Faerie ancestors.Complicated takes on a whole new meaning with her innocent wish to find her true love.

SCOTLAND, 1304. Caden MacAlister has more trouble than he can handle. With his brother held for ransom and the laird missing, the last thing he needs is another problem. But the Fae have other plans. A mysterious woman shows up in his stables, sent by Faerie Magic to find her true love. Fighting his attraction, Caden insists she's meant for one of his brothers. With his history, he has no desire for a woman in his life — especially a woman sent by the Fae.

Only the magic of the Fae can determine whether Ellie will find a Highlander of her own...

Recommended Reading:
Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue
Soul of a Highlander by Melissa Mayhue
A Highlander's Destiny by Melissa Mayhue
A Highlander's Homecoming by Melissa Mayhue
Warrior of the Highlands by Veronica Wolff

Thankful For...

2011-11-23T10:27:00.001-06:00

... a five day weekend! Much needed and appreciated.

I spent a little time this morning in bed, cuddling with The CofC and kittens, drinking my coffee and reading. Seems like a great start to things!

I have quite a few goals for my days off:

finish the two books I've started
make 10 dozen cookies for the cookie swap (technically it's 5 dozen cookies and 5 dozen fudge)
finish painting the kitchen
make a huge dent in my house cleaning

It seems like there's plenty of time to get everything done, but yet I know there isn't enough time once I add in all the other obligations that are piling up:

Thanksgiving Eve church service
two family get togethers (Thursday and Sunday)
wedding reception (Friday evening)
sleep
QT with The CofC and BB
Driving The Spawn back to his dad's
menu planning and grocery shopping for the next two weeks (this consumes hours of my time. it's ridiculous.)

Reality. It's kicking my butt.

When Size Matters

2011-11-20T16:13:00.001-06:00

When Size Matters by Carly Laine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not quite sure where to start with this book... I wasn't so sure about it being written in first person, but turned out to work in the book's favor. I really liked the main character. She made sense to me, I saw a lot of me in her. This book really had some great characterizations, a lot of detailed backgrounds. We didn't really get to know the hero of the story and the plot was kind of thin. Well, as thin as a short trashy romance can get. Wholly unbelievable, but a fun and funny book. A nice diversion from heavy reading.

Series: Harlequin Flipside #19

Synopsis: Dallas hair, diamonds the size of boulders, double-D cups stacked with silicone - would these be the reasons Dylan Stone feels a jumbo attack of insecurity coming on? Considering that Texas boys equate "cheerleaders" with happily-ever-after, this computer whiz can't quite see how her own, um, all-natural gifts fit in.

Which might explain why she's the last virgin standing and a teensy bit concerned that the "problem" is out of control...

Until she meets Brad, a man as elusive as he is gorgeous. She's sure he's a contender for The One... if only he would stop running at even the slightest whisper of a glimmering rock!

Blue Nude

2011-11-18T20:05:00.001-06:00

Blue Nude: A Novel by Elizabeth Rosner
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This book was too slow-paced for me. I found the story wandered too much between (boring) current events to the past. I felt the lack of detail and symmetry to be a contrived way to build suspense that failed.

View all my reviews

Comebacks at Work

2011-11-14T21:56:00.001-06:00

Comebacks at Work: Using Conversation to Master Confrontation by Kathleen Kelley Reardon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't finish this book. I found this book to be very logical, very explanatory, and what I did read has been helpful. I will probably be coming back to read this book again and give it the better review that it deserves.

View all my reviews

The Happiness Project

2011-10-29T18:51:00.001-05:00

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read this book expecting entertainment, not self-help, so it was hard to change my mindset while reading this book. There were some things that I really enjoyed about this author - that she was very black and white, she needed some way to track her progress and she was honest about her flaws. I liked that she told stories that were relevant to what was going on her life, although sometimes I felt she went on and on (beating a dead horse) about something that was "Okay, yeah, I got it the first time you said it" material. Overall, this book didn't do much for me.

Synopsis: Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.

Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her—and what didn't.

Her conclusions are sometimes surprising—she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference—and they range from the practical to the profound.

Recommended Reading:
The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
Life is a Verb by Patti Digh
The Immortal Life of Henrietta... by Rebecca Skloot
Learning to Breathe by Priscilla Warner

Back in the Game

2011-10-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've noticed that I've been posting actual book reviews lately. You know, instead of endless whining about not being able to read. Yay me! I'm not quite holding up to my resolution to read for half an hour a day. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's not at all. It has helped me carve out time to read though. Now if I could just do the same for everything else (like house cleaning, German lessons and house cleaning)...

No one pays attention to my lists the way that I do, I get a little obsessive about my lists, so it's okay if you didn't notice that my TBR list hasn't moved in the last month. This is because I've been utilizing the eBook loan program at the library. Have I mentioned how much I adore my Nook? I love it. It fits in my purse. It's cute and easy to use. sigh. I love that thing. Ahem, so ... All this eBook reading is great, but it isn't helping my physical TBR shelf or the eBooks that I purchased when I first got my Nook. So, I'm finishing up the two books that I have on loan and then I'm going to work on the four books sitting on my nightstand.

Other news on the home front: The house is still awesome. I've been working on repainting the kitchen. I would have finished but I came down with a nasty cold. The Diva turned four last weekend. We had a lot of fun with food for her party. (Stop on over to my cooking blog Cooking With Sherry to check out what we were doing. The posts should be popping up over the next few days.) I've been working out the schedules - my PTO/paid holidays, daycare paid/unpaid days, and where The Spawn needs to be - to use up my PTO and unpaid daycare by the end of the year. So far it's looking like I'll have a few extra days around Thanksgiving and Dec. 22nd to Jan. 3rd off. This opens up a lot of time for projects! And boy, do I have projects...

Hope everyone is having a great time out there!

ETA: Oh! And we have two new additions in our house :) We have kittens (Snickers and Kitten) now. It's been a fun adventure for the kids as they've never had pets.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-10-17T21:43:00.001-05:00

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was surprised when I started reading this to find that it was a YA book. Or maybe I knew it and forgot. I really enjoyed this book, even more than I expected to. It even had pictures! The characters were fun and the storyline was "I've heard this before" but with a twist (or several) that made it fun. There was some language and subject matter that made it more for older kids so it will be awhile before I let The Spawn read it. It ended with the feel of a series, so I hope there's more to come as the author left a few strings hanging.

Synopsis: A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Recommended Reading:
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The Things They Carried

2011-10-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure where I found out about this book so it took me by surprise. I've read a lot of war stories, but nothing about Vietnam before. This was an interesting perspective to a piece of history that I know very little about. This is a collection of short stories about the author's time in 'Nam. Some it becomes repetitive, but in a way that adds to the darkness of the subject. Some things you can't let go, they continuously loop through your head and you keep living it over and over. There were especially touching moments when he talked about his past, how he felt about being drafted, and a haunting story about a friend who went home and didn't know how to deal with no longer being in the war. This is a good piece for anyone who wants to read from the perspective of someone who was there.

Synopsis: A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene, The Things They Carried is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three.

Taught everywhere—from high school classrooms to graduate seminars in creative writing—it has become required reading for any American and continues to challenge readers in their perceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, courage and fear and longing.

Recommended Reading:
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Beloved by Toni Morrison

North of Beautiful

2011-10-06T19:43:00.000-05:00

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't expect to like this book. In the first few chapters we're introduced to the main character who seems shallow, self-absorbed, over-achiever, I want to hate this girl. This girl is the surface. Then we meet the girl underneath all of the surface. The girl with the father who is always right, always bigger, always better and will cut down anyone who dares to be his equal. The girl who worries about an elderly friend falling and slipping. The girl who makes art but won't show anyone because it says too much about who she really is. The girl who has a boyfriend she doesn't particularly like because she's afraid no one else will love her.

This book really took me on a voyage about what beauty means, what it is to love and accept someone and that sometimes you have to dig through the past to find your future. Life changes, people change, nothing is constant.

The only thing that I didn't like was the ending. This book was a gentle peeling away of layers right up until the end, and then suddenly there was big dramatic "this is how you get your happy" ending. It was too much and I put the book down slightly dissatisfied.

Synopsis: It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Recommended Reading:
Girlfriend Material by Melissa Kantor
The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S. Alexander
Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis
Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler
Willow by Julia Hoban

Who Wants To Marry a Heartthrob?

2011-10-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

Who Wants to Marry a Heartthrob? by Stephanie Doyle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fast and light read. I thought the characters were well-written and better fleshed out than what they usually are in a book of this short length. This book made me giggle a lot.

Series: Harlequin Flipside #23

Synopsis: The Cast
1) One buff, self-centered former soap star
2) Fifteen excessively ambitious beauties
3) One mouthwash sponsor (fresh breath is important)
4) One very driven advertising executive (Richard Wells) and his pert assistant (Bridget Connor -- as un-Beauty Queen as they come)

The Show
One man, a bevy of beauties and cameras everywhere to record the catfights.

The Really Big Problem
When a bad boob job forces a contestant to bail, Richard begs Bridget to fill in -- never expecting she'll make it past the first cut. But to Bridget's glee and Richard's dismay, it seems that the hunky star of the show is very interested in Bridget....

Lights...camera...and plenty of action!

Call Me Irresistible

2011-09-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I left this book unfinished thirty five pages into it. I have really mixed feelings about giving up on this book. I wanted to like it because I've heard great things about this author, but this book was really... unrealistic. And confusing. Too many references to details that were never explained (I have a feeling it's a series book and I jumped in the middle) it seemed designed to be a character reunion. The author never seemed to settle on a set POV as it wandered around from a poorly written third person and flashing between different character perspectives. I don't mind if this is done well - like with chapter or sectional breaks, but when it happens three times in the space of four paragraphs, I have a hard time. The characters were okay, way too fake and extremely stereotypical. Maybe my expectations were just too high.

Synopsis: R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year!
Lucy Jorik’s the daughter of a former U.S. president.
Meg Koranda’s the offspring of legends.
One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas.
The other is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.
Meg knows breaking up her best friend’s wedding is the right thing to do, but no one else agrees. Faster than Lucy can say “I don’t,” Meg’s the most hated woman in town—and stuck there with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, without her famous parents watching her back, Meg believes she can survive by her own wits. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? She’ll lose her heart to Mr. Irresistible?
Not likely. Not likely at all.

Best of Friends

2011-09-28T19:58:00.000-05:00

Best of Friends by Cathy Kelly

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I gave up on this book sixteen pages in. It was clunky and dull. An obvious introduction to a long cast of characters. It's hard to pin down exactly WHAT I don't like about the book, but as soon as I started reading it I knew it wasn't my kind of book.

Synopsis: Abby Barton's TV career is taking off and now she and her husband can have the life they've always dreamed of in a lovely Irish town — at least, in theory! But when your husband takes you for granted and your teenage daughter hates you, an adoring old flame can spell danger to your seemingly perfect life. Fortunately, Abby has her friends to keep her sane. For starters, her best friend, Sally, owns a beauty salon, and Sally and her husband throw fantastic parties, where there are still more friends to be made.

Sally's friend Lizzie makes time for everybody: her gal pals, her grown children, even her ex-husband. But when her ex finds someone new, Lizzie can't help but wonder if she'll ever love again. The women are all thrilled to meet Erin, who has moved home to Ireland from Chicago for her husband's new job. But is she cut out for small-town life, and what of the family she left behind years ago? Together and on their own, these four women are about to face highs and lows they never anticipated. Only from each other can they learn that life is for the living and that they need to grab it with both hands....

Ape House

2011-09-26T21:14:00.000-05:00

Ape House by Sara Gruen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was not what I expected. It started out like it was going to be a very serious pro-animal, scientific rant. No, really, that's what I thought it was going to be - for about the first four pages. There was humor, lots of humor, there were bombs and strippers and a meth-lab dog and monkey sex - I mean apes. This was a great, fast-paced story. As always, I loved the author's writing. It was so easy to fall into the story. She made even the most ridiculous series of events seem so realistic that I found myself thinking "yeah. Yeah, that could totally happen." In some ways the way the plot unfolded and interconnected reminded me a lot of the early days of the Stephanie Plum series. (That's meant to be a compliment.) I really enjoyed the alternating POV's - from a journalist, the apes' caretaker and occasionally the apes themselves.

Synopsis: Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani, and Makena are no ordinary apes. These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships—but unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language.

Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn’t understand people, but animals she gets—especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than she’s ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what’s really going on inside.

When an explosion rocks the lab, severely injuring Isabel and “liberating” the apes, John’s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime, one he’ll risk his career and his marriage to follow. Then a reality TV show featuring the missing apes debuts under mysterious circumstances, and it immediately becomes the biggest—and unlikeliest—phenomenon in the history of modern media. Millions of fans are glued to their screens watching the apes order greasy take-out, have generous amounts of sex, and sign for Isabel to come get them. Now, to save her family of apes from this parody of human life, Isabel must connect with her own kind, including John, a green-haired vegan, and a retired porn star with her own agenda.

Recommended Reading:
The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass
Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay
Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons

Lord John and Hand of Devils

2011-09-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors. It still amazes me the way the DG takes intricate details, multiple plot lines and perfectly flawed characters and weaves them into stories that are easy to fall into, get lost in and come up gasping for air at the end. I was wondering if she could really do it in short story format, and was honestly surprised at how true she remained to all of the things that I adore about her writing. I don't think she short changed her readers or her characters at all. If anything, it makes me want Lord John stories.

Synopsis: A keepsake collection of Lord John Grey’s shorter adventures and a spectacular addition to any Gabaldon fan’s library, Lord John and the Hand of Devils brings three unique novellas together for the first time.

Lord John and the Hellfire Club marks the first appearance of Lord John outside the Outlander novels. A young diplomat who had begged for Lord John’s help is killed before he can explain his need. Witnessing the murder, Grey vows to avenge the young man, as the trail leads to the notorious Hellfire Club and the dark caves beneath Medmenham Abbey.

In Lord John and the Succubus, Grey’s assignment as liaison to a Hanoverian regiment in Germany finds him caught between two threats: the advancing French and Austrian army, and the menace of a mysterious “night-hag,” who spreads fear and death among the troops.

Finally, in Lord John and the Haunted Soldier, Lord John is called to the Arsenal at Woolwich to answer a Royal Commission of Enquiry’s questions regarding a cannon that exploded during the battle of Krefeld. Accusations ensue, and Lord John finds himself knee-deep in a morass of gunpowder, treason, and plot–haunted by a dead lieutenant, and followed by a man with no face.

Recommended Reading:
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
Echoes by Danielle Steel
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Dead Heat by Dick Francis
The Partner by John Grisham

The Help

2011-09-17T12:24:00.000-05:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this book so much, I don't even know where to start. I was hooked from page one. I couldn't read enough, fast enough - and yet I didn't want it to end. The story is told by three characters, all in first person. Normally I don't like books with multiple point of views because there is overlapping repetition, but the author managed to avoid this completely. The voices were very clear and well sectioned. The book covers quite a bit of time, about two years, in the early 60's. I found the references to historical fact added so much to the story - the fashion, JFK's and Medgar Evers assassinations, Martin Luther King Jr., the establishment of zip codes, color TV's, TV remotes, there were so many little details in this book to place the reader inside the story. The characters were wonderful, I felt for them - I was connected. I laughed and cried through this book. This book opened up my eyes to how far we've come in half a century. I didn't even realize there were rules for blacks, other than just the segregation. I didn't know that many people believed blacks were dirty and diseased and stupid. There's so much more I want to say, but I don't want to spoil it. You HAVE to read this book.

Synopsis: Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women: Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone. Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken. Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own. Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

Recommended Reading:
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Committed: A Love Story

2011-09-10T08:32:00.000-05:00

Committed: A Love Story by Elizabeth Gilbert

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I hadn't planned to read this book because of my feelings for EPL. A friend sent it to me with a note that she thought I would enjoy it more than EPL. She was right, at least in the fact that I did not throw the book across the room as I did with EPL - several times. The book started out good, really really good. There was story, dialogue, action, feeling, it was good! And then, things became weird.

The book became this long, opinionated self-help book. EG takes us through an education on the state of marriage, such as it is in modern times, and a (so-called) history of marriage. I almost put the book down when I read her out of context translation of what the bible says of marriage. She also discusses subjects such as marriage and children, marriage and working, marriage and passion, and the marriage ceremony itself. A variety of interesting topics, certainly, but missing one necessary thing: A story. I wanted a story (in fact the title advertises the book as "A Love Story"). There were lots of little stories of other things wrapped up in all the lunatic ranting, but there was no real story of Liz and Felipe.

So, what kept me reading this non-story? Mostly her writing. She writes in such a clear voice, at times it was like sitting down for coffee with a good friend. Also, as a marriage skeptic myself, I heard a lot of things that I believed long ago to be true. Things that resonated with me on a "How can I be true to me but still fulfill my societal obligation" level.

Synopsis: At the end of her memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian living in Indonesia. The couple swore eternal love, but also swore (as skittish divorce survivors) to never marry. However, when Felipe was unexpectedly kicked out of the United States by U.S. Immigration officials, the couple was faced with a strict ultimatum: get married or Felipe could never enter America again. Over the next ten months, as Elizabeth and Felipe wandered Southeast Asia waiting for permission to return home and wed, the author searched far and wide for wisom, advice, and perspective on the subject of romantic commitment.

Recommended Reading:
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard
Un Amico, Italiano: Eat, Pray, Love in Rome by Luca Spaghetti
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali

Thr3e

2011-09-03T22:12:00.002-05:00

Thr3e by Ted Dekker

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm struggling writing this book review. I'm struggling with my decision to not finish the book. I wanted so badly to love this book - to even LIKE it, but it failed me. Or I failed it. I'm not sure. The book starts out with a brief and shallow discussion on the nature of evil in mankind. I think this was meant to be a foreshadowing device, but there was nothing profound in the discussion so nothing resonated or stuck with me. Right away we're thrown into some action by immediately being introduced to the bad guy and his twisted little game. The author won points for not wasting time with that. My problem is with all the things the author did waste time with. Analyzing and detailing every.little.thought, motivation and response of each character. The language used in the book... I appreciate the author's attempt to avoid over using profanity, disturbing imagery or sex, but there were a few cases where the absence of it was completely out of character. And speaking of characters, the main character is a seminary student - and he doesn't once pray to God. It was like ... I don't know. The character occupation note was to give him some kind of innocence or good, but the author didn't back it up. I did skip to the end and read the last two chapters just to see how the book played out. I was quite disappointed. I've seen this plot before, it's a movie called Fight Club - watch it and save yourself some time by not picking up this book.

View all my reviews

Distraction

2011-08-20T08:58:00.000-05:00

*Sigh* It's beautiful. And seriously distracting. I've spent several hours looking through this book since I got it on Thursday.

To say that the pictures are beautiful simply isn't adequate. The colors, the scenery, the characters... it's leaving me speechless.

I can't wait for this book to get my full undivided attention, but right now, I need to put it down. Probably in a locked drawer. And give the key to someone I can trust.

Game Plan

2011-08-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

Nobody Panic. I have a plan. Maybe.

My TBR shelf is creeping up towards 70 books again.

I'm not sure I should challenge myself again, but I'm going to try it. This one is going to be a little different in that I'm going to challenge myself to read for 30 minutes every day. Doesn't sound too hard, does it?

Up next:
Thr3e by Ted Dekker. I'm faking enthusiasm about this one.
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. Kind of looking forward to this one.
Lenz by Georg Buechner. This one is going to be a project book over the course of a few months.

Oh The Glory Of It All

2011-08-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

Oh the Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm... well. I enjoyed some parts of this book. It seemed to take forever to get through the boring stuff at the beginning of the book and get to the part where I couldn't put the book down. The beginning was filled with a lot information that I thought was neither pertinent nor really very interesting. So really, condense the first 150 pages down to ten, make the book 350 pages and it's a five star for me. So what I liked: this guy writes amazingly well. He was funny, and honest and sometimes his story was so heartbreaking, I had tears swimming in my eyes. The guy can really write. Sometimes I had no clue what he was talking about but I could still SEE it. I highly recommend this book with the advice to just "suck it up" and get through those first 150 pages. It's worth it.

Synopsis: Sean's blond-bombshell mother regularly entertains Black Panthers and movie stars in the family's marble and glass penthouse. His enigmatic father uses a jet helicopter to drop Sean off at the video arcade. The three live happily together “eight-hundred feet in the air above San Francisco; in an apartment at the top of a building at the top of a hill: full of light, full of voices, full of windows, full of water and bridges and hills.” But when his father divorces his mother and marries her best friend, Sean's life blows apart. His memoir shows us how he survived, spinning out a “deliriously searing and convincing” portrait of a wicked stepmother (The New York Times Book Review), a meeting with the pope, sexual awakening, and a tour of “the planet's most interesting reform schools".

Recommended Reading:
The Tender Bar by JR Moehringer
Them: A Memoir of Parents by Francine du Plessix Gray
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Running With Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Tired of Complaining?

2011-08-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

Anyone tired of hearing me complain about not being able to read? Anyone?

And has anyone looked at this list recently?

It's ridiculous how much this situation stresses me out.

Here's what is on the reading plate:
Oh The Glory of it All: This is a good read, I recommend it for anyone who likes memoirs, but it was slow reading in the beginning. I'm finally to the halfway point and I can finally read for more than ten minutes.

Thr3e: This one is up for Book Club. I totally cheated and read the last two chapters of the book. I have a feeling that I'll be doing quite a bit of skimming on this one.

[insert random fluff novel here]: Looking forward to one or two Flipsides after reading the above mentioned books.

Committed: The Captain sent me her copy (that she got from The Queen) with the comment that I would enjoy this more than I enjoyed EPL. As EPL was also a read in Book Club, I may suggest this one for the next read (and thereby killing two birds with one stone, go.me.).

Catching Up on Book Blogs

2011-07-16T10:36:00.000-05:00

The last two months I've been a little obsessed with buying and moving into a house. While I still have lots to do around here, my 30 year mortgage tells me to take my time. So this morning - really all weekend - I plan on catching up on my book blog reading, hopefully getting through a book, watching NetFlix movies, working on my German lessons and maybe, just maybe, I'll work on a few inside house projects. The heat index is supposed to be in the 110 degree range for the next week, seems like a perfect time to fully appreciate having central air and blowing off yard work.

Added to Wish List:
Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Tales from my Hard Drive by Megan Karasch

Dishing It Out

2011-07-15T17:49:00.003-05:00

Dishing It Out by Molly O'Keefe

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a cute book. The first half of the book was good, when the main characters were building chemistry. Overall the book was lacking a plot and the romance fizzled out at the end for me.

View all my reviews

Speak

2011-07-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book alot. It was a fast read, even though I started it and then put it down for three weeks. It was perfect teenage sarcasm while dealing a serious issue. There were times I was frustrated with the main character - Just spit it out and tell someone! - and times that I cried for her. What made me angry was the parents in this story, there was obviously something wrong with their daughter and they made zero effort to be involved with her.

View all my reviews

Synopsis: When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast -- even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide.

Recommended Reading:
Missippippi Trial 1955 by Chris Crowe
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

The Ginger Tree

2011-07-07T11:29:00.001-05:00

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I had great expectations of this book and was let down. Some of the writing was very well done, but there were some parts that were just BORING. It was a great idea for a plot, but not sure the format of journal entries and letters were the way to do it. There was extensive description that I felt wouldn't have been present in a journal or letter.

View all my reviews

Ready To Throw in the Towel

2011-06-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

I'm frustrated with myself. I can't seem to get any reading done. There's just too much exciting stuff going on right now. Like packing. Closing on my house. Finding appliances. Watching TV. (Lame, I know, but it seems like I just want to zone out lately.) Learning my new job. Playing on FaceBook. (I have a serious love/hate relationship with the computer right now.) Seeing my boyfriend for the first time in a month (and dealing with the mopiness from missing him). Sending good friends off to Texas. High School Reunion (the boyfriend's, not mine). Golfing for the first time in six years. And I'm completely bored with the book selections I've made. I only need to read The Ginger Tree this week and I can't seem to get it done. I had such high hopes for this book too. For all of the books, really.

Really hoping that in two weeks things will be calmed down so that I can focus again.

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge Week Eight

2011-06-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

I have zero progress to report. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. It was a rough week at work. There was a lot of running around after work, home insurance to be arranged, boxes to pack, appliances to be purchased and moved... and teaching The Diva how to do somersaults. I'm running through a bout of insomnia, which is frustrating, as well as just plain old feeling like crap.When I did have down time this week, I chose to zone out with the TV rather than fall into a good book. Although my selections seem to be rather questionable.

Embassytown is a little confusing. There is no setup for the alternate world, lifestyles or characters. The story is thrown at you and you have to work things out on your own. It's well-written, which means I'll continue on with the book, but it's also a thinker so I can only focus on it when my brain is fully functioning. Hasn't happened much this week.

The Ginger Tree is a book club read. I need to really tackle this one over the weekend for book club next week. I'm roughly 50 pages in and bored out of my mind. I'm really hoping that this book picks up the pace - soon.

Speak is an entertaining read. It's dark, but not too dark, more like a shadowy gray. It has some really great one-liners, but it's not laugh out loud funny.

I also have two books checked out from the library that are due SOON. I need to finish up these five books and then I'm putting the challenge on hold while I move, finish up loose ends at the apartment and get settled into the new house. I didn't plan for my summer to be this busy, but books are forever, right? They'll be waiting for me when I'm ready.

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge Week Seven

2011-06-09T10:36:00.006-05:00

Making progress here! I'm still working through Embassytown. This one might be another book that takes a few weeks. The other books I'm putting on the list for this week:

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

ISBN: 014131088X

Paperback

Source: paperbackswap.com

When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast -- even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide.

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

ISBN: 0060959673

Paperback

Source: public library (book club read)

In 1903, a young Scotswoman named Mary Mackenzie sets sail for China to marry her betrothed, a military attachÉ in Peking. But soon after her arrival, Mary falls into an adulterous affair with a young Japanese nobleman, scandalizing the British community.

My goal is 24 books in 16 weeks.
I'm currently at the end of Week 6.
These are the books I've finished:

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffery Stepakoff
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Flying Changes by Sara Gruen
The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall

2011-06-07T22:24:00.000-05:00

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is like the movies Groundhog's Day and Mean Girls had a head on collision. Or an ugly love child. This book really was a tough sell for me. The main character is a well-fleshed out teenager - she parties, ignores her family, has fights with her mom, only cares about the "now" factor - I really wanted to hate her, but underneath all of that I could see a sweet, smart, caring girl. There was some really good writing, good character development but the plot was too big. I really appreciated the author's portrayal of teenage life (pretty darn accurate from what I remember), probably one of the best YA books I've read in that regard. I'm putting this author on my watch list, I think there's huge potential there.

Synopsis: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Recommended Reading:
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Willow: It's Hard to Keep a Secret... by Julia Hoban
All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

2011-06-06T20:29:00.001-05:00

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very good story woven around a central plot. I always appreciate the details Diana Gabaldon brings into her stories, her careful research that brings the reader fully involved into the story. This was an interesting story of avenging a father's death and homophobia in 18th Century England. It was a treat to find the story followed a storyline central to DG's Outlander Series, including the character Jamie Fraser.

Synopsis:
In 1758, in the heart of the Seven Years’ War, Britain fights by the side of Prussia in the Rhineland. For Lord John and his titled brother Hal, the battlefield will be a welcome respite from the torturous mystery that burns poisonously in their family’s history. Seventeen years earlier, Lord John’s late father, the Duke of Pardloe, was found dead, a pistol in his hand and accusations of his role as a Jacobite agent staining forever a family’s honor.

Now unlaid ghosts from the past are stirring. Lord John’s brother has mysteriously received a page of their late father’s missing diary. Someone is taunting the Grey family with secrets from the grave, but Hal, with secrets of his own, refuses to pursue the matter and orders his brother to do likewise. Frustrated, John turns to a man who has been both his prisoner and his confessor: the Scottish Jacobite James Fraser.

Recommended Reading:
Lord John and the Hand of the Devils by Diana Gabaldon
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon

These Things Hidden

2011-06-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a quick read. It took a little bit of getting used to as the story was told jointly by 4 characters. Some had a 1st person POV and some had 3rd person POV, which made it difficult to follow at times. I thought the story was over-dramatized. There was information intentionally left out or mis-spoken to give an impression and then led up to a big dramatic reveal at the end. I didn't feel connected to the characters, I felt some of the dramatization and reactions weren't realistic.

Synopsis: When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn—shy, quiet Brynn—who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her.
But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister.

Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

Recommended Reading:
Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
Great House by Nicole Krauss
True Grit by Charles Portis
The Three Weissmans of Westport by Cathline Schine

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge Week Six

2011-06-03T23:16:00.002-05:00

This week is about cleaning off my plate. Here's what I have going on the TBR list:

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon. I'm going to finish this book. I promise.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. eBook checked out from the library.

Embassytown by China Mieville. I'm not guaranteeing that it's going to get done, but I'm going to start it.

Ugh. Let's not talk about the books I haven't even logged into the TBR list. It's getting ugly around here.

All Who Wander Are Not Lost

2011-06-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

It's been a little bit of a whirlwind around here lately. Wheeling and dealing on a house, figuring out what I need for said house, a funeral, a trip to the ER (unrelated to each other, fortunately), decisions about continuing on with my education (I'm not) and adding in the general chaos of my regular life... I need a month long nap to recover.

I'm a little lost where I am on the self-challenge, so I'm going to take a minute to recap:
My goal is 24 books in 16 weeks.
I'm currently at the end of Week 5.
These are the books I've finished:

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffery Stepakoff
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Flying Changes by Sara Gruen
The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf [review coming soon]

It's not looking good, kids. It's not bad, but looking ahead to the coming months, it's going to be tough.

The Book of Joe

2011-05-31T19:22:00.000-05:00

The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't care much for the format of the storyline (it jumped back and forth between a 17 year gap), but I loved the characters and I loved the story itself. It was a well-voiced book, witty and sharp. A perfect mix of poignancy and humor. I felt a little unresolved with the character Sammy. This author is going on my Must Read List.

Synopsis: Right after high school, Joe Goffman left sleepy Bush Falls, Connecticut and never looked back. Then he wrote a novel savaging everything in town, a novel that became a national bestseller and a huge hit movie. Fifteen years later, Joe is struggling to avoid the sophomore slump with his next novel when he gets a call: his father's had a stroke, so it's back to Bush Falls for the town's most famous pariah. His brother avoids him, his former classmates beat him up, and the members of the book club just hurl their copies of Bush Falls at his house. But with the help of some old friends, Joe discovers that coming home isn't all bad—and that maybe the best things in life are second chances.

Recommended Reading:
Everything Changes by Jonathan Tropper
How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper
Plan B by Jonathan Tropper
Nothing Lost by John Gregory Dunne
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman

Oh Good Grief!

2011-05-27T10:01:00.002-05:00

I'm going to be honest here. I don't have my sh*t together. Things have come so far unglued that I can't even pretend to have my sh*t together. I'm hoping this 4-day weekend will be enough to help me get back on track. Starting with laundry (The Spawn is currently pants-less because I haven't done laundry all week, oops) and housework. Hopefully I'll have menu planning and grocery shopping done Saturday and then Sunday and Monday I can spend at the lake with The Diva and BB relaxing with a book (hopefully two).

So... books currently on the list:
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade I'm still working my way through this one. It's picked up the pace a little bit which has helped. It will still be a good two weeks before I finish it though.

The Book of Joe A great read so far, very funny and emotionally involving.

Embassytown I haven't started it yet, but I need to.

The Ginger Tree the Book Club selection for June/July that I need to start. The summary is reminding me of The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel, so I'm hoping that it's a good read.

ETA: These Things Hidden I forgot that I have this ebook on loan from the library...

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge Week Four

2011-05-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

Nearing the end of the first month of my self-challenge. I've been a little frustrated because the TBR shelf is not getting smaller. I've had a lot of books come off my paperbackswap.com wishlist the last few weeks, which has made it a little difficult to maintain some momentum. Also, I've been a little busy doing stuff like, you know, buy a house (!!) Anyways, back to the selections for this week. The Book of Joe is by an author that I really enjoyed reading last year. As in I gobbled up the book during the first half of a flight to China. I'm looking forward to seeing if this holds up to my expectations. Embassytown was a surprise find. I won the copy on goodreads.com. I feel kind of obligated to read and review it ASAP.

The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper
ISBN: 0385338104
Paperback
Source: paperbackswap.com

Right after high school, Joe Goffman left sleepy Bush Falls, Conneticut and never looked back. Then he wrote a novel savaging everything in town, a novel that became a national bestseller and a huge hit movie. Fifteen years later, Joe is struggling to avoid the sophomore slump with his next novel when he gets a call: his father's had a stroke, so it's back to Bush Falls for the town's most famous pariah. His brother avoids him, his former classmates beat him up, and the members of the book club just hurl their copies of Bush Falls at his house. But with the help of some old friends, Joe discovers that coming home isn't all bad—and that maybe the best things in life are second chances.

Embassytown by China Mieville
ISBN: 9780345524492
Hardcover
Source: Goodreads.com giveaway

Avice Benner Cho, a human colonist, has returned to Embassytown after years of deep-space adventure. She cannot speak the Ariekei tongue, but she is an indelible part of it, having long ago been made a figure of speech, a living simile in their language. When distant political machinations deliver a new ambassador to Arieka, the fragile equilibrium between humans and aliens is violently upset. Catastrophe looms, and Avice is torn between competing loyalties—to a husband she no longer loves, to a system she no longer trusts, and to her place in a language she cannot speak yet speaks through her.

The Perfect Love Song

2011-05-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

The Perfect Love Song: A Holiday Story by Patti Callahan Henry

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I was very disappointed. I struggled through the first chapter, flipped through the rest of the book to see if the disjointed writing and over dramatic voice continues through the story - it does - so I dropped it. I don't even know how to clearly explain my aversion - maybe it was that the first two pages of the story throw twenty characters at you, and then you're supposed to keep who's who straight. Maybe it was the cheesy, melodramatic writing. Or maybe it was that the story wasn't making any sense at all, and the story had no ability to establish credibility for me. All I know is that I was very very disappointed.

Synopsis: Jimmy Sullivan has been living on the road with his brother, Jack, and his band The Unknown Souls. Without a place to call home, Jimmy and Jack lead a nomadic life filled with music and anonymous cities. When they return to a place Jimmy never wants to see again—their old hometown of Seaboro, South Carolina—he falls in love with Charlotte Carrington.

With his soul now filled with hope, Jimmy writes his first love song. When he performs it at a holiday concert to a standing ovation, the lyrics are dubbed the “Perfect Love Song,” so much so that Jimmy finds himself going on tour with famous country music stars, catapulted into a world where the trappings of fame and fortune reign supreme.

All too soon, the hope that had once inspired Jimmy to write such beautiful, genuine lyrics is overshadowed by what the song can do for him and his career. In his thirst for recognition, he agrees to miss Jack’s wedding in Ireland to sing at a Christmas Eve concert. And his ties to Charlotte seem to be ever so quickly slipping away.

Alone in New York City on Christmas Eve, Jimmy finally sees—with the help of a Christmas miracle or two—that his material gains are nothing compared to love, that he is losing all that really matters in his life. Is it too late to find his way to Ireland, to his brother, and to love?

Recommended Reading:
The Art of Keeping Secrets by Patti Callahan Henry
Losing the Moon by Patti Callahan Henry
Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans
The Storyteller of Marrakesh by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya
Under Fishbone Clouds by Sam Meekings

Delayed Due To...

2011-05-19T07:28:00.000-05:00

I may have bitten off more than I can chew with the Diana Gabaldon book - not that it isn't good, it's great! It's just that, well, it's a hefty book both in size and reading. I can only get about 20 pages done at a time before I get overwhelmed and have to put it down. Add into it that life has been a little crazy this week... I bought a house (or at least made an offer on one), spent time with my boyfriend this weekend, trying to stay on top of house work and NetFlix DVD's for a change, and a friend passed away Monday which makes it hard to concentrate on anything... I'm going to have to extend this one another week.

Flying Changes

2011-05-14T13:06:00.002-05:00

Flying Changes by Sara Gruen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a difficult book to read, I really do not like the main character at all. I was hoping that this book would be from the daughter's perspective, but it wasn't. The main character is neurotic, impulsive and manipulative, which makes it hard to enjoy reading the story. Fortunately the storyline was not built entirely around her neuroticism, and the writing is just plain good, which kept me reading.

Synopsis: Anxiety rules Annemarie Zimmer's days—the fear that her relationship with the man she loves is growing stagnant; the fear that equestrian daughter Eva's dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far away from her mother . . . and into harm's way. For five months, Annemarie has struggled to make peace with her past. But if she cannot let go, the personal battles she has won and the heights she has achieved will have all been for naught.

It is a time of change at Maple Brook horse farm, when loves must be confronted head-on and fears must be saddled and broken. But it is an unanticipated tragedy that will most drastically alter the fragile world of one remarkable family—even as it flings open gates that have long confined them, enabling them all to finally ride headlong and free.

Recommended Reading:
Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
Ape House by Sara Gruen
The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen [unabridged audiobook] [NOOKbook]
Riders by Jilly Cooper

Book 5 of 24 for Self-Challenge.

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge Week Three

2011-05-12T10:52:00.020-05:00

Week Two Recap: I struggled through Flying Changes. I'd forgotten that while the first book was really well written, I absolutely hated the main character. Water For Elephants was absolutely amazing and I was so glad that I decided to re-read it.

This week's selections should be a good mix of action and romance. Diana Gabaldon is an amazing writer and while I love her Outlander series, I haven't been as enthusiastic about her Lord John Grey series - not that I don't want to read them or I'm not excited about this selection, it's just not the "I have to read it NOW" excitement that usually accompanies a Diana Gabaldon book. I've read Patti Callahan Henry before, so when I heard she had a sequel to When Light Breaks I knew I had to pick this one up. I'm a sucker for romance novels about band boys. [grin]

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon

ISBN: 9780385337502

Paperback

Source: paperbackswap.com

Seventeen years earlier, Lord John’s late father, the Duke of Pardloe, was found dead, a pistol in his hand and accusations of his role as a Jacobite agent staining forever a family’s honor. Now unlaid ghosts from the past are stirring. John turns to a man who has been both his prisoner and his confessor: the Scottish Jacobite James Fraser. War, a forbidden affair, and Fraser’s own secrets will complicate Lord John’s quest. Lord John, caught between his courage and his conscience, must decide whether his family’s honor is worth his life.

The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry
ISBN: 9781593156169
Hardcover
Source: paperbackswap.com

Jimmy Sullivan lives on the road with his brother and his band, intent on getting away from unpleasant memories of his childhood. But when his brother, Jack, falls in love with childhood sweetheart Kara and returns home to be with her, Jimmy unexpectedly falls in love with her best friend, Charlotte, and writes her a love song that catapults him toward unexpected fame--but without Charlotte or his band along for the ride, Jimmy must decide what's most important to him.

Water For Elephants

2011-05-08T20:32:00.001-05:00

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was just as amazing the second time as it was the first time. There were a lot of details I had forgotten, so it was like reading it new in some places. Usually I don't like stories that skip around between past and present, because this story was told sequentially between flashbacks it actually worked for me. The characters voices were very clear and well written. This book made me laugh and cry and hang on the edge of my seat. A hard book to put down and very easy to read. Definitely still one of my favorites.

Synopsis: As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Recommended Reading:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A Thousand Splendid Sons by Khaled Hosseini

Book 4 of 24 for Self-Challenge

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge Week Two

2011-05-05T12:15:00.000-05:00

Week One recap: Hit a little glitch when I lost a book. I'm still a little in awe that this happened. I more than made up for it though and spent much of my PTO either sleeping, eating or reading. It was quite nice!

This week is Sara Gruen Week. Or the Week of Sara Gruen, if you prefer. I have two of her books on the TBR list and I think I'm up for reading both. Flying Changes is the sequel to Riding Lessons, which I read quite a while ago and planned to read the second book shortly after... [clears throat] I hope I remember enough to keep up right from the start. Water For Elephants is a re-read, of sorts. I listened to the audiobook and loved, loved, loved it. Book Club is reading it this month and I decided I wanted to do a refresher and read the book this time. I hope I enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed listening to it.

Flying Changes by Sara Gruen
ISBN: 9780060790950
Paperback
Source: paperbackswap.com

Twenty years after her competitive riding career died, Annemarie Zimmer worries that her relationship with the man she loves is off course, and fears that daughter Eva's own dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far from home... and into harm's way. — When the teenage Eva is invited to audition for a world-class trainer, Annemarie realizes that she must give Eva a chance to soar. But when Eva falls in love with a spectacular blue roan Nokota who hasn't let anyone ride him since his arrival at the barn, Annemarie's doubts come crashing back.
It is a time of change at Maple Brook, when fears must be saddled and broken. And one remarkable family must learn how to deal with Flying Changes.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
ISBN: 9781616200817
NOOKbook
Source: Barnes & Noble

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

The Bad Girl's Guide to Getting Personal

2011-05-05T07:40:00.000-05:00

The Bad Girl's Guide to Getting Personal by Cameron Tuttle

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I picked this up a while back expecting some tongue in cheek humor, maybe a little usable insight, but what I got was pure ridiculous. I hope that was how this book was written - for humor and not for anyone to actually follow.

View all my reviews

Fireworks Over Toccoa

2011-05-04T13:08:00.001-05:00

Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was okay. The characters were flat, the plot was interesting but poorly written and executed, and the writing was flat-out clunky. The writing was really what killed it for me. I knew within the first two pages of the book that it was going to be a struggle for me. The first page is the random finding of a key piece of evidence by unrelated characters. The next few pages introduce the grand-daughter of the main character as a story witness (which in my opinion was completely unnecessary as the grand-daughter's relationship had so little to do with the storyline that it would have been better without those few pages of bulk). And then there's this crazy back to the past, back a little further into the past, forward into the past storyline. Which I hate. Just tell the story already! And finally the writing... clunky, overfed and a random POV. Seriously, there was one sentence that covered three topics and was over 200 words long! It was painful to read. The random POV kills me every time I read it - one character POV per chapter please. Especially when it's a story that someone is remembering - how do you read the other character's thoughts and memories? First rule of writing: Show it, don't say it. A very poorly written book (which at least gives me hope for publishing my own writing some day...), but an interesting love story. I particularly liked Lily's split personality and some of the tie-ins between past and future and legends.

Synopsis: An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life. Married for only a week before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return, and the chance to begin their life together. In honor of the soldiers' homecoming, the small Georgia town of Toccoa plans a big celebration. And Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned. But after a chance encounter in a star-lit field, he steals Lily's heart and soul—and fulfills her in ways her socially-minded, upper-class family cannot. Now, torn by duty to society and her husband—and the poor, passionate man who might be her only true love—Lily must choose between a commitment she's already made and a love she’s never known before.

Recommended Reading:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah

Book 3 of Self-Challenge

13 Little Blue Envelopes

2011-05-02T19:30:00.000-05:00

13 Little Blue Envelopes Free with Bonus Material by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Honestly, I'm not sure why I stuck this one out. I was hoping that the book would live up to its premise, but it never did. The main character was flat, one dimensional and boring. The guy she hooks up with is a creeper. There's a best friend that we never get properly introduced to (who might have had a chance to liven up this story). The aunt was really the only saving grace of the book. She was the classic flaky, fun artist aunt and I adored her. I would have like to seen more of her in this novel. The storyline that followed the plot just didn't follow through. The main character's attempts to fulfill her aunts requests were half-hearted at best - in some cases I wouldn't have even considered them accomplished. Some points of the story were missing, like there was something we were supposed to "get" but just didn't have enough information. There was some bad writing (in my opinion), quite a few "Americanisms" were incorrectly done - like the expression "Up and Adam". Seriously? It's "Up and at 'em." There were quite a few of this mistakes made throughout the book, which is probably an epic fail on the part of the editor.

Synopsis: When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

Book Two of Self-Challenge

Beat The Reaper

2011-05-01T12:38:00.003-05:00

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was luke warm on reading this book. I really had my heart set on a bit of chick lit, but seem to have misplaced the damn book, so I read this instead. I'm not longer luke warm. I loved this book. There's no time wasted setting up a story, the main character if witty and funny - seriously laugh out loud stuff. The plot, while a tad outrageous seems to hold water. Really though, it was the characters that won me on this one.

Synopsis: Meet Peter Brown, a young Manhattan emergency room doctor with an unusual past that is just about to catch up with him. His morning begins with the quick disarming of a would-be mugger, followed by a steamy elevator encounter with a sexy young pharmaceutical rep, topped off by a visit with a new patient—and from there Peter's day is going to get a whole lot worse and a whole lot weirder. Because that patient knows Peter from his other life, when he had a different name and a very different job. The only reason he's a doctor now is thanks to the Witness Protection Program—and even they can't protect him from the long reach of the New Jersey mob. Now he's got to do whatever it takes to keep his patient alive so he can buy some time...and beat the reaper.

Recommended Reading:
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle

Book 1 of 24 of Self-Challenge

Due To Technical Difficulties...

2011-05-01T00:31:00.000-05:00

...we interrupt this regularly scheduled program...

I'm not sure how it happened. To be honest, I'm not even sure WHERE it happened. I know that I put my book on the kitchen table Friday morning. I'm almost certain that I took said book out to the car. What I'm not certain of is if the book made it into the car - and if it did, what happened to it after that. It's just disappeared.

I am certain that it isn't in the house, in the car or at work. I did a thorough check of my office before I left Friday because I'm on PTO (we won't even try to call it a "vacation") for an entire week and it wasn't there. I'm stumped, and possibly a little fearful that I may have left the book on the car trunk while buckling The Diva into her carseat. In which case, I can consider the book gone.

I've never lost a book before. This has me quite perplexed. In the meantime, I'll read this other book...

The Glass Castle

2011-04-29T10:20:00.002-05:00

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read Half Broke Horses a few months ago and was looking forward to reading this one too. I was expecting something a little darker, a little dysfunctional... but this book blew those expectations out of the water. There were times when I found this book painful to read, all the hardships these kids survived through and just when I thought things were getting better for them, their parents would destroy it. I was completely amazed that the parents had no desire to take care of their children by doing even the simple things - feeding them, bathing them, protecting them - that they felt they were doing nothing wrong. It completely boggles my mind!

The writing in this book is just as amazing as Half Broke Horses. I really felt like I was sitting in my living room talking with a friend about her experiences growing up. An amazing story brilliantly told.

Synopsis: Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town — and the family — Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

Recommended Reading:
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Traveling With Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd
Fat Girl by Judith Moore
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen [unabridged audiobook] [NOOKbook]
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge Week One

2011-04-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Marshmallows for Breakfast by Dorothy Koomson
ISBN: 9780385341332
Paperback
Source: paperbackswap.com
Due date: Tuesday
Post review by: Thursday
When Kendra Tamale moves back to her native England after a stint in Australia, she rents an apartment and becomes enmeshed in the lives of her landlord, Kyle, and his six-year-old twins. His wife's recently left him, and his kids, not taking the separation too well, run rings around him. Despite the unconditional acceptance of her surrogate family, Kendra fears that her past hurts will be exposed, threatening her newfound security and catapulting her back into loneliness and misery.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
ISBN: 9780316032223
Hardcover
Source: paperbackswap.com
Due date: Sunday
Post Review by: Monday
The Locanos, a mob family, take in 14-year-old Pietro Brwna (pronounced Browna) after a couple of thugs gun down the grandparents who raised him in their New Jersey home. Bent on revenge, Pietro pursues the killers and executes them a year later. Impressed by Pietros performance, David Locano recruits Pietro as a hit man. After more traumas, Pietro tries to make a break from his past by entering the witness protection program. Now known as Peter Brown, he eventually lands a position as a doctor at a decrepit Manhattan hospital, where by chance a former Mafia associate turns up as a patient and threatens to rat him out.

Picking out books for this week's self-challenge was not a small task. I was looking for a balance between the two books (so I wouldn't get stuck reading two romance novels in a week and get bored) and also looking to clean off the shelf of books that have been around awhile, but yet have two books that I'm excited about reading. I think I did a pretty good job. I fell in love with Koomson after reading My Best Friend's Girl so even though this one has been sitting on my shelf for over a year, I'm excited to see if this author is still worthy of my affections. Bazell is new(er) to my book shelf, so this one has that "new book charm" oozing out from between its pages.

The Explosive Child

2011-04-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Spawn's counselor gave me this book to read almost a year ago. I'll be honest, I skimmed it a few times, using bits and pieces when it was convenient for me. Now that I've actually read the book in its entirety, I'm a huge fan. Because of the bits and pieces method I was using with my son before, I was skeptical if this book really had anything that could help me. Wrong! The first few chapters were a little rough to read, mostly due to the format and my personal skepticism, but once I got into the meat and potatoes of the book and saw where the author was going with it... well, I didn't even finish reading the book before I started doing some of the things with my son. One of the clearest and honest parenting books I've read. This book addressed every aspect of raising an explosive child and gave me all the tools I need to start making things better.

Synopsis: Almost everyone knows an explosive child, one whose temper and extreme noncompliance leaves his or her parents standing helpless in fear, frustration, and guilt. Now, in The Explosive Child, Dr. Ross Greene, the noted therapist who has worked with thousands of these children, offers parents good news: These kids aren't bad; rather, they suffer from a physiological deficiency in frustration tolerance and flexibility. This compassionate book helps parents grasp the underlying problems of explosive children, defuse explosive episodes, and reduce tension and hostility levels for the entire family by providing invaluable tools for coping with this behavioral disorder.

Neglecting The Bookshelves Self-Challenge

2011-04-26T21:45:00.000-05:00

Problem #1: Between family, work and school I have been burning the candles at both ends. Reading has been a struggle. I've been slogging through a book The Spawn's counselor gave me. It's currently had a home on the back of the couch for a week now, waiting for it to read itself. I have failed for the second month in a row to finish the book club read. I'm heart broken. I was (and still am) excited to read this book. I'm embarassed because I was the moderator, no less. I haven't even been keeping up on book blogs.

Problem #2: I'm not doing well on my book ban. I stalled out a little by picking up two library reads for my Nook and then had a few wishlist books come in from paperbackswap.com. And I may have added a Free Book Friday selection to my Nook as well... but I haven't BOUGHT anything new.

Today I turned in my final school assignment and took my final. I'm off until August. I'm hoping that this will fix both the problems mentioned above. My TBR list is currently at 48 books, my 2011 goal is to get it down below 25. So, maybe I'm a little crazy here but I'm going to try to read 24 books in 4 months. Really, that's only 6 books a month, or roughly 1.5 books a week. I imagine I'll have rough spots where reading is slow, but I'm feeling pretty confident.

This week's goals:

Finish reading The Explosive Child. Due date: Friday. Review due Saturday
Finish reading The Glass Castle. Due date: Monday. Review due Wednesday
Select Week One's two books. Due date: Monday.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

2011-04-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't know what to think of this book, honestly. I started reading it with very low expectations and ended up torn between loving it and being completely confused by it. So, let's start with the basics. A lot of reviews I read prior to my reading commented on the difficulty following the story because there are no quotation marks around the dialogue. It was confusing at first, sorting through what was said, what was action and what was thought and the author's use of "he said, he said, he said" to distinguish dialogue is vaguely annoying (rules are there for a reason!), about 3/4 of the way through the book it started to soak into me, the layering of dialogue, thought and action - how all of these things make up life and our personal reality is constantly shifting and evolving because of these three things. It suddenly made sense and the book flowed that much better for me.

The story itself is a clunky back and forth beast. We go forward and back and learn and relearn in this story as secrets are revealed and characters grow and change. The plot was not what I expected, this was edgy and raw around the edges, definitely not the smooth buildup to climax and then release that I expected. The characters were drawn clear enough that I felt an interest, a small attachment to them, but now that I'm done reading I find them easily forgotten. What I remember more clearly in this book is the ideas, that life is more than what you're willing to see, that everyone has their own reality and that it's our choices that guide us through it.

Synopsis: On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the slice. To her horror, she finds that her cheerful mother tastes of despair. Soon, she’s privy to the secret knowledge that most families keep hidden: her father’s detachment, her mother’s transgression, her brother’s increasing retreat from the world. But there are some family secrets that even her cursed taste buds can’t discern.

Recommended Reading:
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To by DC Pierson
The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell
Full of Grace by Dorothea Frank
One Day by David Nicholls
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

The Weird Sisters

2011-04-13T00:46:00.000-05:00

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure I would like this book, I read a few reviews that expressed a heavy dislike for the "voice" the story was told in. I fell in love with that voice in the first paragraph. I loved this book from beginning to end. As the oldest of five girls, I felt a lot of kinship with the sisters in this book. From the moment they said that they love each other but they don't always like each other to the very last page where they define themselves as sisters, I felt like I was one of the sisters in the story. Personalities so closely matched those in my own family, it was almost painful to read what each sister went through, I could see my sisters going through the same thing.
I thought the story itself sounded mundane, but then reading it in the collaborative voice of the sisters, it took on a life of it's own. It was interesting, poetic and engaging. I couldn't wait to see how it all turned out. An exceptionally well written book.

Synopsis: A major new talent tackles the complicated terrain of sisters, the power of books, and the places we decide to call home.

There is no problem that a library card can't solve.

The Andreas family is one of readers. Their father, a renowned Shakespeare professor who speaks almost entirely in verse, has named his three daughters after famous Shakespearean women. When the sisters return to their childhood home, ostensibly to care for their ailing mother, but really to lick their wounds and bury their secrets, they are horrified to find the others there. See, we love each other. We just don't happen to like each other very much. But the sisters soon discover that everything they've been running from-one another, their small hometown, and themselves-might offer more than they ever expected.

Recommended Reading:
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon
The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

Saying Goodbye

2011-04-10T20:05:00.002-05:00

Well, here they are (with my TBR shelf in the background). The books I'm saying goodbye to.

After some contemplation and studying, I threw in a few Flipsides into the donation box. Only the ones I had read, of course. I also discovered that I was missing a few in the series. I resisted the temptation to order them and merely put them on my Reminder List. Unfortunately, going through the box I discovered a number of books that weren't even posted on pbs...

I also boxed up some of the kids's books that were not being read (The Spawn had out-grown The Magic Tree House series that took up half of his book shelf) and took every thing immediately out to the car. Tomorrow while The Spawn is at Chess Club, The Diva and I will drop them off.

I solemnly swear.

Shrinking The Monster In The Closet

2011-04-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

This weekend I'm tackling my monster in the closet.

My library has an annual book sale of donated books. It's the perfect opportunity for me to empty a few boxes and totes. I've done this book sale once before - about three years ago - and it was perfect. I grabbed a couple boxes of books, dropped them off and forgot about it. I had the best intentions two years ago, I had six boxes (SIX!!) boxed up and ready to go... and then The Spawn and I came down with influenza B (or maybe it was A, I don't remember) and died for a week. Last year I was in China during the donation week.

This year though, I'm doing it. I've already gone through my posted books on paperbackswap.com and removed anything pre-2009. With the exception of my Harlequin Flipsides. These are quick little reads (125 pages) and very entertaining. I've read a few in the series and even though it's been three years since I contemplated picking up the rest of them, I just can't seem to bring myself to part with them. Maybe next year.

Anyways, I've brought down the monster from 73 books to 52. Just as soon as I get off my duffer and actually box the books up and put them in my car. This means that my book monster is dangerously close to being smaller than my TBR monster. Hopefully once I'm finished with this school semester I won't lose my motivation to read [homework avoidance] and can really kick some butt.

In the meantime, I'm trying to

finish up the book that The Spawn's counselor gave me a year ago
read the eBook I borrowed from the library
read the book club selection for April
work on my final project for the semester (class officially ends 4/29)

That's a lot of reading.

Bond With Me

2011-04-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

Bond with Me by Anne Marsh

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I tried to get through this book. There was something there, the plot was "just" strong enough to keep me halfway interested but in the end, poor writing killed it for me. This was a little more hardcore erotic than I usually read, so it was difficult to not be turned off [pardon the pun] by some of the graphic scenes. There was little shift between a grisly murder scene to erotic scene. The writing was a struggle - there was an inconsistency with dialogue, character positioning (quite literally), character identification (there were three names used to refer to the fallen angels) and even character POV.

Series: Fallen Book 1

Synopsis: Fallen angels… They rule Moscow’s seedy underworld, promising untold pleasure to the females who dare to mate them. That promise – and Brends Duranov’s own raw sexual power – has hopefuls mobbing the velvet rope outside his elite club G2’s.

But Mischka Baran has no intention of hooking up with one of the Fallen. Not even after Brends gives her an unforgettable taste of the sin and seduction he can deliver with those wicked lips. She’s after information, not a stint as some Goblin’s toy of the month. What she doesn’t know is that with a sadistic killer carving up his brethren, Brends is playing for keeps, hunting the one woman whose bloodline can end the mayhem, whose bond can restore his lost wings.

Recommended Reading:
Tastes of Love and Evil by Barbara Monajem
Never Trust a Matchmaking Witch by Mary Paine
Lost Angel by Louisa Trent
The Fallen by Morgan Sierra
A Kind of Magic by Susan Sizemore

The Art of Public Speaking

2011-04-08T19:29:00.000-05:00

The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen E. Lucas

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

As far as text books go, this one isn't bad. There are numerous examples throughout the book. It had very relevant information.

Synopsis: Few texts have been favored with such success. Fifteen after its introduction,The Art of Public Speaking remains the leading text in its discipline. The Art of Public Speaking is successful because it works well for both students and instructors. Instructors have come to rely on its careful explanations,its reinforcing examples,and its attention to the basics that help their tentative students become competent speakers. Instructors have also come to rely on the most comprehensive package of support materials available with any public speaking text. Meticulously prepared by the author to support and reflect the text,the ancillary materials allow the least experienced teaching assistant and the busiest professor to teach with confidence.

Nerdy eBook Heaven!

2011-04-05T20:46:00.000-05:00

My local library has finally gotten an online eBook loan system. [Love how I say "finally" as if I've had an eReader forever?] In fact, the new program at the library was why I chose the Nook over Kindle (Kindle doesn't play well with others). I'm all about getting books for free.

I went to the 30 minute "How To" class at the library to make sure I understood it. Man oh man! It's super easy! As in five minutes after I got home, I had my first book loaded up and ready to go. Yeah, it's awesome. They don't have a lot of my wishlist books (yet), but the library has set aside a fairly substantial budget to add books, so I'm hopeful that it will be remedied soon.

While I'm waiting, I think I'll just read this other book...

How To Marry A Millionaire Vampire

2011-04-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I needed some brain fluff to take a break from the heavy reading I've been doing this week. This book fit the bill nicely. I picked this book up in Barnes & Noble's Free Book Friday and based on the title I was expecting a Chick Lit romp - possibly a reality TV type book. Nope didn't happen. In fact, I'd like to send the author/publisher an epic.fail for the title of this book. Anything would have been better.

Okay, so aside from a crappy, mis-leading title, this book was good! At first I thought I was in for an erotic romance (I mean, the first scene of the book is three vamps playing with a human sex doll), then it strengthened up with a plot, and then I became a little bored because I thought there was going to be a plot inside a plot, but no the author pulled off a brilliant twist and it all came together in one big happy plot. [I'm pressing the Like Button here, kids] There was action, some cheesy romance and a little bit of erotica all wrapped up in a neat little package.

Series: Love At Stake Book 1

Synopsis: So what if he's a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop–sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan either...After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she's next on their hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her...

Recommended Reading:
Vamps and the City (Book 2) by Kerrelyn Sparks
Be Still My Vampire Heart (Book 3) by Kerrelyn Sparks
A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands
Sugarplums and Scandal by Lori Avocato
Bite Me If You Can by Lynsay Sands

A Town Like Alice (The Movie)

2011-04-02T09:51:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of the year my book club read A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. I was pretty taken with the book. I mean, I got some serious nerd on while reading the book. I was Googling places and events and the author to find out more. (Okay, so this happens more than you'll ever be able to get me to admit when I read a book.) In all of my Googling I discovered two things:
1) In 1956 the book was made into a movie.
and
b) In 1981 the book was made into a mini-series.

I haven't yet gotten my hands on the mini-series, but there was some serious girl squealing a few weeks ago when I discovered that NetFlix would have the movie available for instant streaming on March 31st.

I know you're thinking "It's April 2nd, I wonder if she's watched it yet?" The answer is yes. Twice. The final verdict: I enjoyed it.

It started in the middle of the book when Jean returns to Malaysia to build a well. While there she remembers the terrible death march and of course meeting Joe and his crucifiction. Typically I don't like stories that start in the middle, go back to the beginning and then go forward, but in Alice (the book) I didn't mind. It actually made sense as the narrator of the story was the solicitor and not Jean. Anyways, in the movie, the solicitor played a very small role (about 6 speaking lines) and Jean was the narrator so I struggled with that plot device of the movie. [it's a weird "me" thing, I understand if people don't get it]

There were of course things that were different, things that happened just slightly different in the book, but overall I think the movie was very faithful the experiences the women went through on the death march. At first I thought the portrayal was a little tame compared to the book, but then I also thought that the death march would take up much less of the movie than what it actually did. I was very impressed considering the time that the book was written and the movie filmed (and yes, it is black & white) and that the movie is only 117 minutes long.

So how did they get the whole book into 117 minutes? They didn't. The movie actually ends when Jean and Joe meet back in Australia, which is where the second half of the book starts. And that's probably why I enjoyed the movie so much. Ask my book club, I like the gloom and gore stuff. The death march was the best part of the book, the romance not so much (the second half of the book is where the romance really takes place). The movie did exaggerate the romance a little more than the book, but I didn't feel it was dishonest to the author's intentions.

Overall I was incredibly happy with this movie, it exceeded my expectations and yeah, I probably will be watching it again.

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

2011-03-27T19:48:00.001-05:00

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was the emotional read that I was looking for. I laughed, I cried, I smile every time I think about this book. A very moving story of two young children who don't fit into the world around them and forge a bond that connects them for life. When I think of love, this book portrayed the simplest and purest form of it.

This really is a four star book, but I felt obligated to take off a star because of out of place time references - one that sticks out was the reference to Brandon Lee's death in 1986 (he didn't die until the early 90's). Overall though, a really outstanding read.

Synopsis: In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.

This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.

Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.

Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.

Recommended Reading:
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Banned!

2011-03-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

Hi. My name is Sherry and I'm a bookaholic.

I'm banning myself from new books. I don't have a choice. Remember that little goal I had to drop my TBR list below 25? Yeah. Not so much. It's hovering near 50. Again.

I blame Oddo and free book Fridays and the fact that I can buy a book when the mood strikes and read it instantly. But mostly, it's just me. Thinking I have the problem under control when I don't. Until I do get this under control, I'm on a book ban. Sorry Free Book Fridays, this includes you too.

Proclamation 1:
No new books until the TBR list is under 40.

Proclamation 2:
I have to read 3 books for every 1 book that I add.

You're holding me accountable.

Goldengrove

2011-03-23T22:02:00.000-05:00

Goldengrove by Francine Prose

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I started reading this book expecting a lot. I'll be honest, I read this because I wanted a good cry. I wanted to be emotionally connected to the characters. This book failed both expectations. There was a complete lack of emotional writing. Everything was written logically (although quite beautifully) and I couldn't really think of the characters as real. There was a strange cast of characters, quirky and interesting, but just not believable.

Synopsis: At the center of Francine Prose's profoundly moving new novel is a young girl facing the consequences of sudden loss after the death of her sister. As her parents drift toward their own risky consolations, thirteen-year-old Nico is left alone to grope toward understanding and clarity, falling into a seductive, dangerous relationship with her sister's enigmatic boyfriend.

Over one haunted summer, Nico must face that life-changing moment when children realize their parents can no longer help them. She learns about the power of art, of time and place, the mystery of loss and recovery. But for all the darkness at the novel's heart, the narrative itself is radiant with the lightness of summer and charged by the restless sexual tension of teenage life.

Recommended Reading:
House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey
Blue Angel by Francine Prose
The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
Yesterday's Weather by Anne Enright
Goodbye and Amen by Beth Gutcheon

New Page!

2011-03-18T22:53:00.001-05:00

I created a new page for my little blog. Since I started this blog a few years ago, I've always done a monthly recap of the new books on my shelf. After a lot of consideration and ~~stalking~~ checking out other bloggers, I've decided to be a little different. I'm putting all of my books on my TBR shelf on a new page. I'll be updating it as I get new books, so there will no longer be a monthly update on my home page.

This page is still in the infancy stages, so not all of the books are posted yet and I'm still uncertain about the format. For simplicity's sake, at the moment there is only a photo, title, author, ISBN and format. I'm considering adding a synopsis for each book - but that might come later and then only for "books going forward". Stay.Tuned.

Let me know what you think!

The Shack

2011-03-13T14:43:00.001-05:00

The Shack by William P. Young

I can't even rate this book. That's how much I did NOT like it. I tried. Really. I walked in with the mantra "open mind open mind open mind". It wasn't even the story that bothered me, it was the writing. It was terrible I couldn't get past the first two chapters. So, first, I always have a problem with stories that start in the middle, drag you back to the beginning and then finish in the future. It's a stupid writing hook. If a story is good, tell it from beginning to end. Second, there was this stupid "The Great Sadness" line that was repeated over and over and over. Seriously, I got it, okay? Something bad happened to his daughter and he's depressed. Third, the metaphors! Every description was a metaphor. Not even good metaphors. I give this writer and epic.fail for writing a crappy book.

Synopsis: Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

The United States of Arugula

2011-03-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution by David Kamp

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm struggling with the star rating on this one. I'm so on the fence about this book, I can't decide if it's a 2-star or a 4-star book (but somehow 3-stars isn't right at all). I did not finish this book - due to time constraints and wanting to move on to other books.

This book was not what I was expecting. I started reading with the expectation that the book would be about food, it was more about the people behind the food. The first section of the book is a mess of names and overlapping time lines. I had a hard time remembering who was who - with the exception of Julia Child. After that the following sections (at least as far as I read) were easy stories to follow.

Synopsis: The wickedly entertaining, hunger-inducing, behind-the-scenes story of the revolution in American food that has made exotic ingredients, celebrity chefs, rarefied cooking tools, and destination restaurants familiar aspects of our everyday lives.

Amazingly enough, just twenty years ago eating sushi was a daring novelty and many Americans had never even heard of salsa. Today, we don't bat an eye at a construction worker dipping a croissant into robust specialty coffee, city dwellers buying just-picked farmstand produce, or suburbanites stocking up on artisanal cheeses and extra virgin oils at supermarkets. The United States of Arugula is a rollicking, revealing stew of culinary innovation, food politics, and kitchen confidences chronicling how gourmet eating in America went from obscure to pervasive—and became the cultural success story of our era.

Stuck Part II

2011-03-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

Stuck, slump, distracted. Sums up my reading progress these days.

The United States of Arugula. I have so many thoughts on this book. I'm torn between hating it and loving it. I can't focus on it. I'm struggling to finish it.

The Shack. I started it. Managed two chapters and um, it's not working for me. I want so badly to finish this book so I can fully participate in book club discussion but I can't even bring myself to pick up the book again.

I give up. I surrender. I'm marking these two as unfinished and moving on. There are too many other books I'm excited about reading.

Famous Coffee House Recipes

2011-03-04T10:37:00.001-06:00

Famous Coffee House Recipes ... Coffee and of course the Desserts Volume II by Chefs Secret Vault

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

At first I was a little disappointed when I discovered that "Famous" refers to a brand, not an adjective. (Eh, what do you expect from a free ebook?) It took me a few read-throughs - reading cookbooks on a Nook is not easy, the recipes run consecutively and are often cut through by "pages". It's very distracting to have to flip back a page to refer to the ingredients.

Anyways, frustrations with the ebook format aside, the coffee recipes were pretty basic - mocha, latte, iced coffees and such. There were only two recipes I pulled out to make in the future: Famous Spiced Holiday Coffee and Harvest Coffee Cider.

The dessert recipes varied from scones and cheesecakes to puddings and custards. They all seem simple with common enough ingredients, but, well, we know my tolerance for baking hovers around zero, so I kept an easy mocha brownie recipe and left the rest of the recipes for the big girls (or guys).

Synopsis: Everyone has their "favorite" coffee beverage from their "favorite" coffee house. And the desserts they offer are decadent. Now you can enjoy those same treats in the comfort of your home or office. Wow your family and guests with some of their favorite recipes. Enjoy!!

ShadowFever

2011-03-02T20:18:00.000-06:00

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I snuck this one in when I was supposed to be reading something else because I couldn't wait any longer. I absolutely had to know how this series ended. This book delivered and failed. I can't really explain it. The plot was everything I hoped it could be and so so much more. It brilliantly and skillfully written. It satisfied on so many levels. I'm not sure why I'm disappointed - maybe that it's over?? - or maybe some failing of my recollection. The book starts at exactly the moment that the last book ends. There is no introduction, no replay of events. The story starts and hopefully you keep up. There were numerous references to events from previous books, which is always where my short-term memory fails me in a book series. Overall, the book was a page turning lose all track of time read.

Book Series: Fever Book 5

Synopsis: MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.
Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.
What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.
In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?
From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

First Among Sequels

2011-02-26T23:23:00.000-06:00

First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Recommended by Rhon
I wasn't sure at first when I picked up the book and discovered that there was a 14 year time lapse between books. A few chapters in I discovered the brilliance of the plot and was sucked in. There were drastic changes made in Thursday's world and I liked them. The character that I enjoyed in the first book - and felt was missing in some of the other books - was back. As always, Fforde did a brilliant job with word play, humor and plot twist.

Book Series: Thursday Next Book 5

Synopsis: Jasper Fforde returns to BookWorld in this New York Times bestselling installment of his Thursday Next series Jasper Fforde has thrilled readers everywhere with his gloriously outlandish novels in the Thursday Next and Nursery Crime series. Now, after a two-year hiatus, the demand for Thursday Next has more than tripled. And with Thursday Next: First Among Sequels, Fforde’s famous literary detective is once again ready to make the world safe for fiction. Thursday Next is grappling with a host of problems in BookWorld: a recalcitrant new apprentice, the death of Sherlock Holmes, and the inexplicable departure of comedy from the once-hilarious Thomas Hardy novels, to name just a few—all while captaining the ship Moral Dilemma and facing down her most vicious enemy yet: herself.

Recommended Reading:
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Sorrows of Young Werther

2011-02-26T11:10:00.000-06:00

The Sorrows of Young Werther and Selected Writings by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up Goethe because it's classic German reading, and I have a love for all things German. It took me so long (about 6 months) to read this for two reasons: 1) I kept the book in my bathroom and b) the writing was so heavy I could only read a few pages at a time.
The first part of the book was the story of Werther. It's written as a series of letters from Werther to his friend William, which makes it easy to pick up and put down whenever I felt like reading. This book is filled with moving images of nature, emotion, perhaps even some truth to the vindictiveness of human nature. I really felt for Werther's despair over loving someone who could not love him the same way in return.
The second part of the book was two biographical (?) notes by Goethe. I found these to be interesting, but dull. He tends to start to tell one story and then meander of into a series of others before he returns to the original story.
The third part of the book was two fairy tales. I enjoyed the first story of a romance between a mortal and a pixie. The second story was simply so strange and outrageous that it was terrible to read - although honestly I don't know if this was a poor translation of the story or the story is just that bad.

Synopsis: Tragic masterpiece explores mind of an artist in alternately joyful and despairing letters recounting an unhappy romance. Goethe addresses issues of love, death, and redemption in an influential portrayal of a character who struggles to reconcile his artistic sensibilities with the demands of the objective world.

Something Rotten

2011-02-21T09:17:00.001-06:00

Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Even though I have read this book before, I remembered very little (okay, nothing) about this book. I think this might have been one of Fforde's more complicated plot lines that came together brilliantly. A handful of mini-plots came together to solve the main plot of the story. The characters were well done, I thought Thursday was more like the character written in the first book. This was a good read and I'm looking forward to finishing the series.

Series: Thursday Next Book 4

Synopsis: Detective Thursday Next has had her fill of her responsibilities as the Bellman in Jurisfiction, enough with Emperor Zhark's pointlessly dramatic entrances, outbreaks of slapstick raging across pulp genres, and hacking her hair off to fill in for Joan of Arc. Packing up her son, Friday, Thursday returns to Swindon accompanied by none other than the dithering Danish prince Hamlet. Caring for both is more than a full- time job and Thursday decides it is definitely time to get her husband Landen back, if only to babysit. Luckily, those responsible for Landen's eradication, The Goliath Corporation- formerly an oppressive multinational conglomerate, now an oppressive multinational religion- have pledged to right the wrong.

But returning to SpecOps isn't a snap. When outlaw fictioneer Yorrick Kaine seeks to get himself elected dictator, he whips up a frenzy of anti-Danish sentiment and demands mass book burnings. The return of Swindon's patron saint bearing divine prophecies could spell the end of the world within five years, possibly faster if the laughably terrible Swindon Mallets don't win the Superhoop, the most important croquet tournament in the land. And if that's not bad enough, The Merry Wives of Windsor is becoming entangled with Hamlet. Can Thursday find a Shakespeare clone to stop this hostile takeover? Can she prevent the world from plunging into war? Can she vanquish Kaine before he realizes his dream of absolute power? And, most important, will she ever find reliable child care?

Recommended Reading:
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Stuck!

2011-02-20T13:54:00.003-06:00

There seems to be a log jam in my reading lately. I'm having a hard time sitting down to read, simply because I have so much to do. Here's my current list of Must Reads:

Text book for school. I'm trying to get a little bit ahead of the reading and quiz process so that I can focus on research and writing the next speech. It was working for me until I hit the current chapter. It's long and detailed and BORING. Done reading until after spring break. I messed up my dates and missed the quiz completely.
The Sorrows of Young Werther. I've been reading this since... oh, last August. Not that it's dull writing, it's very heavy writing, which makes me only want to read in 2-5 page increments. Now I'm to the point though where I need to get it done - partly to get it crossed off the list and partly because I'm starting to forget what happened in the beginning of the book.
Something Rotten and First Among Sequels. I really want to finish this series. I don't regret re-reading the series as there was a lot I had forgotten.
The Shack. Need to read this for book club. I'm dreading it. DREADING IT.
The Glass Castle. Looking forward to reading this one for book club. Fortunately the discussion won't be until April so I have plenty of time.
The United States of Arugula. Need to read this for online book club.
Behavior Mismatch. A book I need to read for work. My new job is taking me further into a department of men who think either 1) if you're not an engineer you're an idiot or b) if you're an engineer and you don't have a penis you're an idiot. Either way, it's going to be tough for me to get along with these guys in the new job without some serious intervention. Hopefully this book will give me some insight.
The Lost Hero. [ebook] The Spawn and I are continuing on with Rick Riordan books.

And this doesn't even cover the books I want to read on Oddo (which is what I've named my Nook. Don't ask. It's better if you don't know.) who I've been seriously neglecting since his arrival. Well, no, I did read a sample of a book on it when it first arrived so I could check it out. The Spawn has been reading the Rick Riordan book on it. So I'm trying to catch up on reading "real" books so that I can start incorporating reading ebooks into my library.

All I can say is that it's a good thing I go on vacation next week and have no plans other than not going to work.

The Well of Lost Plots

2011-02-07T16:32:00.003-06:00

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this book Fforde takes us out of the alternate 1985 he created (you know, the one with airships instead of airplanes, the gravitube and SpecOps) and into the Book World where series characters buy black market plot devices to boost sales, Heathcliff attends rage counseling, and the annual Book Awards are a big deal. [um, where do I sign up for this?] In the third book of the Thursday Next series, it seems that Thursday has lost of some of her edge and grit that made me enjoy the first two books. I did however enjoy everything else about the book. It's a carefully constructed world with its own rules and structure, but yet so familiar by the characters and plots.

Series: Thursday Next Book 3

Synopsis: When soon-to-be single parent Thursday Next emerges from her comfortable life inside an unpublished book, she steps into a new age of fictional narrative. The entire book world is abuzz with anticipation of an improved Text Operating System that moves from the 8-plot to the new 32-plot story system. But danger lurks when Jurisfiction agents keep turning up dead. When Thursday steps in, she eincounters Dickens' Miss Havisham, passes through Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and deals with a mispeling vyrus, holesmiths, and unionized nursery rhymes. THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS---the place where all fiction is created---is an exhilarating romp through literary classics, an insightful look into how books are made, anda jewel in the long tradition of British nonsense.

Recommended Reading:
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Why I Shouldn't Read Book Blogs II

2011-02-05T10:32:00.000-06:00

Update from last posting:
If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now by Claire LaZebnik (also found at Oodles of Books) is on it's way.

Added to Wish List:
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray (Recommended by Library Girl Reads)
Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee (Recommended by S. Krishna) also entered giveaway

If I Were You I'd Be Jealous Too

2011-02-04T20:11:00.001-06:00

I was going to wait until after I'd gotten my tax refund and paid bills and a bunch of other un-fun stuff but, really, I've been waiting long enough. So I took a little bit out of my bonus check today and bought this:

Oh, and this:

And I can't.freaking.wait for them to get here!

[commences dancing around and singing "I got a Nook I got a Nook nanernaner I got a Nook"]

Now that that's out of my system... I'm off to start a wishlist and checking out what the library has for ebooks!

The Last Olympian

2011-01-31T17:26:00.000-06:00

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Despite reading this book so fast, I did not enjoy it as much as the others. I felt let down in the conclusion of the book. I thought the writing wasn't as good as the previous books. It was still an action packed adventure, but it made me glad to have this series done.

Series: Percy Jackson and The Olympians Book 5

Synopsis: All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

Recommended Reading:
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Sabotaged by Margaret Haddix

A Town Like Alice

2011-01-29T20:29:00.001-06:00

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading this book expecting several different things. I expected a dry read with a lot of boring commentary. I expected a romance driven novel. Instead this book gripped me from the second paragraph (the first paragraph took a few re-reads before it made sense) as a story of survival, humanity even in the worst conditions and okay, yeah, there was a love story too.

The dialogue was brilliantly written, I could hear Jean's voice clearly - complete with British accent - although towards the later half of the book I lost some of that voice. The point of view was rather unique in that the story was told by a character completely outside of the story. Some of the plot devices were rather unique in order to bring the narrator into the story and to get Joe's point of view across. Again this was brilliantly done until the last half of the book, then I felt there was too much detail that a young woman in her 20's would surely not tell such a grandfatherly figure.

I enjoyed this book alot overall, despite a few disappointments during the reading. I would definitely put it on my list of books to read again.

Synopsis: Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman living in Malaya, is captured by the invading Japanese and forced on a brutal seven-month death march with dozens of other women and children. A few years after the war, Jean is back in England, the nightmare behind her. However, an unexpected inheritance inspires her to return to Malaya to give something back to the villagers who saved her life. But it turns out that they have a gift for her as well: the news that the young Australian soldier, Joe Harmon, who had risked his life to help the women, had miraculously survived. Jean’s search for Joe leads her to a desolate Australian outpost called Willstown, where she finds a challenge that will draw on all the resourcefulness and spirit that carried her through her war-time ordeals.

Recommended Reading:
Pied Piper by Nevil Shute
The Breaking Wave by Nevil Shute
On The Beach by Nevil Shute
The Road From Coorain by Jill Conway
The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

Why I Shouldn't Read Book Blogs

2011-01-29T12:40:00.001-06:00

On their way to my house:
The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez (found at A Bookish Way of Life)
The United States of Arugula by David Kamp (found at Estella's Revenge) and I am going to try to read it in time for the discussion.
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell (recommended recently by Book Magic) Apparently I had read a review awhile ago and added this book to my Wish List. I read Book Magic's review and thought "that sounds good" so I headed over to pbs to check if it was available... lo and behold it's already on it's way to my house!

Added to my wish list:
Grace by Elizabeth Scott (found at Oodles of Books)
If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now by Claire LaZebnik (also found at Oodles of Books)

Lost in a Good Book

2011-01-26T21:35:00.003-06:00

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would (or remembered doing so when I first read it 6 years ago). It seemed a lot of the book was spent on "world creation" and not actual plot development. I thought Thursday was a little more fleshed out in this book than the other. I like the alternate 1985 Fforde has created. The humor and word play was pretty darn good (there were a few that took me a few pages to catch, but still good stuff). I think I missed quite a few literary references - which reminds me how well-read I am not.

Series: Thursday Next Book 2

Synopsis: Thursday Next, literary detective and newlywed is back to embark on an adventure that begins, quite literally on her own doorstep. It seems that Landen, her husband of four weeks, actually drowned in an accident when he was two years old. Someone, somewhere, sometime, is responsible. Having barely caught her breath after The Eyre Affair, Thursday must battle corrupt politicians, try to save the world from extinction, and help the Neanderthals to species self-determination. Mastadon migrations, journeys into Just William, a chance meeting with the Flopsy Bunnies, and violent life-and-death struggles in the summer sales are all part of a greater plan. But whose? and why?

Recommended Reading:
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

The Book Monster in My Closet

2011-01-24T22:18:00.000-06:00

I have a Book Monster in my closet.

Sometime in 2003 I started compulsively accumulating books. By May 2007 I had a collection of 1800 books. Roughly 20 of those books I had read with the intention of keeping for my permanent collection. The rest of them were the offspring of my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I would never, at any point in time in my life have time to read all those books. Something needed to be done.

In late 2007 started weeding through the books and sorted them into three categories.

Books I want to read: Determined by my ability to remember what the book was about without reading the blurb.
Books I might want to read: Determined by "That sounds like a good book" factor after reading the blurb.
Books that I do not want to read: Determined by "WTF was I thinking" factor after reading the blurb.

Books in category 1 went onto the bookshelf. Books in category 2 went into boxes in the front closet. Books in category 3 went into several large totes in my bedroom closet.

Over the last four years I have shuffled these books around quite a bit. Moving books on to the bookshelf, moving books off, moving books from the front closet into the bedroom closet. By the beginning of 2009, between donating and swapping books, I had mastered the monster with only my TBR shelf and the books in the bedroom closet.

In 2010, I cleaned off my TBR shelf to the books I was seriously committed to reading. These are the books that if my apartment caught on fire, after making sure my children were safely out, I would go back for. I even emptied a few boxes out of the bedroom closet.

For 2011, I have committed myself to conquering the monster. I will keep my TBR shelf below 25. I will get the monster in the closet down to one box. In the last month alone I have swapped 52 books, which means I only have one box and an overflowing tote to deal with for the next 11 months.

It's ridiculous the amount of joy that I feel when I open my closet and can see the floor.

The Eyre Affair

2011-01-16T21:33:00.004-06:00

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book 5 or 6 years ago. I was on the fence about it then but continued on with the series. Rereading it years later, I enjoyed the book much more. The characters are quirky but realistic (at least as realistic as it gets in a Jasper Fforde novel) and the plot, although slow to develop, was entertaining. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I were more familiar with some of the literary works discussed during the novel. I think there were inside jokes I missed. [I also think I said this the first time that I read it and that if I would do a re-read I would brush up on some of my classical reading...]

Series: Thursday Next Book 1

Synopsis: Welcome to a surreal version of Great Britain, circa 1985, where time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem, militant Baconians heckle performances of Hamlet, and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection, until someone begins kidnapping characters from workds of literature. When Jane Eyer is plucked from the pages of Bronte's novel, Thursday must track down the villain and enter the novel herself to avert a heinous act of literary homicide.

Recommended Reading:
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

Dexter in the Dark

2011-01-14T22:18:00.000-06:00

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did not enjoy this book as much as the others. It was darker in content (I actually had a nightmare one night). I didn't like adding the children into the serial killer mix. As a mother of two children it made it very disturbing to read. Another thing that I didn't like was the author took some parts of the book out of Dexter's first person narrative. There were confusing passages about IT that were hard to comprehend.
I did still enjoy Dexter's witty commentary. I hope that the series goes back to what it was in the first two books.

Series: Dexter Book 3

Synopsis: In his work as a Miami Crime Scene Investigator, Dexter Morgan is accustomed to seeing evil deeds... particularly because, on occasion, he rather enjoys committing them himself. Guided by his Dark Passenger (the reptilian voice inside him), he lives his outwardly normal life adhering to one simple rule: he kills only very bad people. Dexter slides through life undetected, working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, helping his fiancee raise her two adorable (if somewhat... unique) children, and always planning his next jaunt as Dexter the Dark Avenger under the light of the full moon.

But then everything changes. Dexter is called to a crime scene that seems routine: a gruesome double homicide at the university campus, which Dexter would normally investigate with gusto, before enjoying a savory lunch. And yet this scene feels terribly wrong. Dexter's Dark Passenger senses something he recognizes, something utterly chilling, and the Passenger - mastermind of Dexter's homicidal prowess - promptly goes into hiding.

With his Passenger on the run, Dexter is left to face this case all alone - not to mention his demanding sister (Sergeant Deborah), his frantic fiancee (Rita), and the most frightening wedding caterer ever to plan a menu. Equally unsettling, Dexter begins to realize that something very dark and very powerful has its sights set on him. Dexter is left in the dark, but he must summon his sharpest investigative instincts not only to pursue his enemy but to locate and truly understand his Dark Passenger. To find him, Dexter has to research the questions he's never dared ask: Who is the Dark Passenger, and where does he come from? It is nothing less than a search for Dexter's own dark soul... fuled by a steady supply of fresh doughnuts.

Recommended Reading:
Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay
Long Lost by Harlan Coben

Dearly Devoted Dexter

2011-01-02T15:27:00.001-06:00

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This series has me, hook, line and sinker. What's not to love? Witty dialogue (or monologue, in some cases), plots that keep me guessing and damn.good writing. These books are dark and funny, picking apart the best and worst things that make us human.

Series: Dexter Book 2

Synopsis: Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. In trying to avoid the deep suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes-who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniac (which, of course, he is)-Dexter has had to slip further into his foolproof domestic disguise. While not working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his girlfriend, Rita, and her two children. But how long can Dexter play Kick the Can instead of Slice the Slasher? How long before his Dark Passenger forces him to drop the charade of family life and let his inner monster run free?
In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami-a man who "slices and dices and leaves vegetables behind." Dexter's dark appetite is revived, but it's not until his nemesis, Sergeant Doakes, is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself headlong into the search for a new plaything. Unless, of course, his plaything finds...

Recommended Reading:
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay
Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

2010 in Review

2011-01-01T19:25:00.007-06:00

Not my best year.

Reading Goal: 61 Achieved: 43
TBR Shelf: 30 Achieved: 28
And still hiding books in the closet... And in a pile in front of the closet... And on the dresser...

Other bookish things include starting a book club at work, which has been fun. The ladies in the group are so interesting and I look forward to what they have to say each month. I wish I would have done this a long time ago. I did not get to re-read Diana Gabaldon't Outlander series or the Twilight series like I had hoped to. I think I'm over the Twilight thing now, so I will probably keep Outlander on my list of things to do.

2011 goals are going to be low, I have a lot on my plate for the coming year. I'm going set a reading goal of 45 books and get my TBR shelf to 25. And, of course, getting rid of the books. I've already started on this one by making my paperbackswap.com account active again.

And now, a list of my favorites from 2010...

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. What's not to love? She's created amazing characters, detailed stories and she left off with a cliff hanger.

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper. This book met all of my expectations. It was really a great read with lots of entertainment value.

Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. What can I say? I'm a sucker for fantasy worlds and girls that kick ass. The fact that the author has gotten back to what she does best (plot and character) and away from the "all sex all the time channel" only makes me adore the series even more.

Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. Did I mention I'm a sucker for fantasy worlds and girls that kick ass? No? I originally picked up this series for The Spawn, but the violence is too graphic for him at this age.

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan. This series I haven't finished yet as The Spawn is reading the last book (for the second time. Apparently it really was that.good.) but I'm totally into this series.

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. Every year there is one book that catches me completely by surprise. This one is it. I read this for the book club, and I didn't expect to enjoy it. I was wrong. I loved this book from page one. The character, the voice, the tone, the stories... it was more than just a book about horses, it was about life and love and survival.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. I'd hung back from reading this book because I had tried to watch the TV series but didn't get into and had heard the books were not as good as the series. This is a case where the "rumors" weren't true. I blew through this book in two days and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books.