Life of Pi

Life of Pi by Yann Martel


My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Meet Pi Patel, a young man on the cusp of adulthood when fate steps in and hastens his lessons in maturity. En route with his family from their home in India to Canada, their cargo ship sinks, and Pi finds himself adrift in a lifeboat -- alone, save for a few surviving animals, some of the very same animals Pi's zookeeper father warned him would tear him to pieces if they got a chance. But Pi's seafaring journey is about much more than a struggle for survival. It becomes a test of everything he's learned -- about both man and beast, their creator, and the nature of truth itself."

I struggled through the first 100 pages of this book and then suddenly the stark imagery of the book, the simple beautiful language burst through and I couldn't read fast enough. Perfectly told through the eyes of a 16 year old boy, the writing voice had perfect pitch.

Pub. Date: May 2004

Recommended Reading:
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Sold by Patricia Mccormick

When I Fall in Love

When I Fall in Love by Lynn Kurland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another wonderful Lynn Kurland romance. Although I have been put off in the last two books because her neat and tidy endings... but it is fiction after-all and isn't every one supposed to have happy endings? Wonderfully written, I couldn't put it down.

Synopsis: Manhattan concert violinist Jennifer McKinnon fears that she will never find a decent man—a tough enough prospect even without the "otherworldly things" in her family tree. Namely, her mother's side of the family has a history of marrying people from outside their own time period, and her ghostly relatives have conspired to get Jennifer married off to the perfect knight: Nicholas de Piaget, of the 13th century. After Jennifer is hurled back into his world by means of a time gate, she falls instantly in love with the handsome knight. Though the feeling is mutual, Nicholas is tormented by her desperation to find a way back to the future.

Shopaholic and Baby (Audiobook)

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

My review
rating: 2 of 5 stars
Becky wasn't half as annoying in this book as I have found her to be in the other "Shopaholic" series. Her theatrics and wild assumptions were mildly amusing in this installment. Still too superficial and vacant for my tastes. Will probably be the last Kinsella novel that I read.

Pub. Date: February 2007

Series: Shopaholic Book 5

Synopsis: Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is pregnant! She couldn’t be more overjoyed–especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby: from the designer nursery . . . to the latest, coolest pram . . . to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician.

But when the celebrity obstetrician turns out to be her husband Luke’s glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky's perfect world starts to crumble. She’s shopping for two . . . but are there three in her marriage?

Recommended Reading:
Shopaholic and Sister (Shopaholic Series #4) by Sophie Kinsella
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison

Seven Up (Audiobook)

Seven Up: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another fun romp by Evanovich. I haven't gotten tired of this series yet, she keeps revving up her plots in humorous and interesting ways.

Pub. Date: June 2005

Series: Stephanie Plum Book 7

Synopsis: Semi-retired mob guy, Eddie DeChooch, is caught trafficking contraband cigarettes through Trenton, New Jersey. When DeChooch fails to show for a court appearance, bond enforcement agent Stephanie Plum is assigned the task of finding him and dragging his decrepit ass back to jail. Not such an easy job, it turns out, since DeChooch has learned a lot of tricks over the years and isn't afraid to use his gun. He's already shot Loretta Ricci and left her for worm food in his shed. He wouldn't mind shooting Stephanie next.

Likeable losers (and former high school classmates) Walter "MoonMan" Dunphy and Dougie "The Dealer" Kruper have inadvertently become involved with DeChooch. They've gotten sucked into an operation which is much more than simple cigarette smuggling and holds risks far greater than anyone could have imagined.

When Dougie disappears, Steph goes into search mode. When Mooner disappears, she calls in the heavy artillery and asks master bounty hunter Ranger for help. Ranger's price for the job? One night with Stephanie, dusk to dawn. Not information she'd want to share with her some-time live in roommate, vice cop Joe Morelli.

A typical dilemma in the world of Plum.

And on the homefront, Stephanie's "perfect" sister Valerie has decided to move back to Trenton, bringing her two kids from hell. Grandma Mazur is asking questions about being a lesbian, and Bob, the bulimic dog, is eating everything in sight-including the furniture.

Recommended Reading:
Hard Eight (Stephanie Plum Series #8) by Janet Evanovich
Hot Six (Stephanie Plum Series #6) by Janet Evanovich
High Five (Stephanie Plum Series #5) by Janet Evanovich

The New Strong-Willed Child

The New Strong-Willed Child by James C. Dobson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Possibly the best parenting book I've read. Ever.

Summary: Dr. James Dobson has completely rewritten, updated, and expanded his classic best seller "The Strong-Willed Child" for a new generation of parents and teachers. The New Strong-Willed Child follows on the heels of Dr. Dobson's phenomenal best seller "Bringing Up Boys." It offers practical how-to advice on raising difficult-to-handle children and incorporates the latest research with Dr. Dobson's legendary wit and wisdom. "The New Strong-Willed Child" is being rushed to press for parents needing help dealing with sibling rivalry, adhd, low self-esteem, and other important issues. This book is a must-read for parents and teachers struggling to raise and teach children who are convinced they should be able to live by their own rules!

The Mermaid Chair

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd


My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
32. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was moving spiritually without being fanatical (although there are fanatics in the book). Simple and beautiful writing.

Pub. Date: April 2005

Synopsis: Inside the abbey of a Benedictine monastery on tiny Egret Island, just off the coast of South Carolina, resides a beautiful and mysterious chair ornately carved with mermaids and dedicated to a saint who, legend claims, was a mermaid before her conversion.

Jessie Sullivan's conventional life has been "molded to the smallest space possible." So when she is called home to cope with her mother's startling and enigmatic act of violence, Jessie finds herself relieved to be apart from her husband, Hugh. Jessie loves Hugh, but on Egret Island--amid the gorgeous marshlands and tidal creeks--she becomes drawn to Brother Thomas, a monk who is mere months from taking his final vows. What transpires will unlock the roots of her mother's tormented past, but most of all, as Jessie grapples with the tension of desire and the struggle to deny it, she will find a freedom that feels overwhelmingly right.

Recommended Reading:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Drums of Autumn

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Started February 2007, Finished March 2007. The first 200 pages were classic Gabaldon writing. Although I did feel that I missed something and had to check that I hadn't skipped a book, Gabaldon skipped the build-up her previous books have had and dug right into the action. So far this book is going more into historical romance than historical fiction, but still filled with Gabaldon's fantastic writing. I loved the combination of Claire's story with Brianna's story.

Pub. Date: August 2001
Series: Outlander Book 4

Synopsis: It began at an ancient Scottish stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past—or the grave. Dr. Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once but twice.
Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her became a legend—a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in the American colonies. But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century—their daughter, Brianna....
Now Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the circle of stones and a terrifying leap into the unknown. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history ... and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past ... or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong....

Recommended Reading:
Voyager (Outlander Book 3) by Diana Gabaldon
The Fiery Cross (Outlander Book 5) by Diana Gabaldon
Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander Book 2) by Diana Gabaldon
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander Book 6) by Diana Gabaldon
Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati