Friday, May 27, 2011
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Another "dystopian" novel! Tris is small and quiet but feels things that make it seem like she might not belong in the "faction" she was born into. She is torn on "choosing day" because not only does she choose a different faction but her brother Caleb does as well - leaving her parents alone. She has so much on her mind - worry for her parents, confusion about her brother, confusion about herself and why she feels comfortable in "dauntless" faction as well as "abnegation" - she discovers it is because she is "divergent" meaning that basically she can think for herself and has characteristics from several factions. She must also make it through initiation with this secret - all the while trying to figure out what it actually means and why it is a secret. Not to mention the feelings she is developing for her instructor and worrying that the competitiveness of initiation has put a price on her head. This is an excellent book - I want to shout it from the rooftops!!! (I see a sequel in the future!)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
I loved everything about this book (well, there was one thing I didn't love but I can't give it away). Imagine a world without love - it does cause a lot of problems and makes us act crazy, or go crazy or even hurt. We could still have marriages (arranged) and families but without all of the angst of the love part. We would be efficient, industrious, honest, and meet much of our potential in a very relaxed, less stressful world because love is no longer. This would be possible because our government has learned through the ages that love is a detriment to society - so around the age of 18 we would have an operation (lobotomy it sounded like) where we would not have the strong feelings or mixed emotions that are caused by attraction, love and hormones. It works for many - and in the beginning of the book Lena is excited for her procedure which is soon to come. But, when she meets Alex and allows herself to feel certain things she realizes all of the ways that a society without love is not for her. She realizes that with all of it's pitfalls and pain - love really is necessary to have an authentic life. I can't say enough about this book! I want to shout it from the roof tops - it really makes you appreciate all that love brings to our lives - the good, bad, sad, painful and glorious!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Room by Emma Donoghue
I'm not sure if "Room" was based on the actual situation that was in the news a while ago - or if it is just very similar. A college woman is kidnapped and while in captivity has her captives baby. "Room" is a book through the eyes of this child who has never been outside this small shed (room). His mother is so creative and unselfish in trying to make life interesting for him and shielding him from thier captor at the same time. Jack (the boy) is so smart - so endearing and so brave that you LOVE him by the third page. Understandably, when Jack helps them escape the shed his whole world is changed - and all those changes are very scary for someone who has lived such a one dimentional life. I think everyone should read this book - it is such a unique perspective!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Split by Swati Avasthi
Split was, in my opinion a very real, honest and a sometimes horrific account of a teenage boy who grows up in a home with an abusive father. The problem with the situation, beyond the obvious, is that the father is a sitting judge in Chicago where the family lives. And he has convinced his wife and two sons that if anyone ever were to find out the family secret - in his position, he would be above the law (because he is the law). He has everyone so scared that they are paralyzed. The father started the abuse on the mother but when the oldest boy started to step in to protect his mother he was so brutalized that at 17 he ran away and adopted a new identity (after his father found him and put him in the hospital). The second son, Jace - who this story is about, follows that same path and begins to step in to protect his mother and thus begins his torturous abuse. It culminates in a huge fight and the son being thrown out, his mother secretly gives him the address of the older brother (who she has been secretly keeping in touch with) to him and him driving cross country to New Mexico to attempt a new life with the brother. The mother promises to follow soon after. It is this promise that drives the boy, and eventually both boys to go on. This all felt so realistic to me on so many levels. The families fear of the father, the brainwashing by the father, the confusion of feelings for the father. Everyone in the family is trying to come to terms with the fact that the father can be good at times and how can they possibly care about him when he is sometimes the monster that he is?? The idea of not wanting this abuse to be all that defines them in life and also the necessity of talking about this situation after years of secrecy and avoidance, the constant worry about their mother and the worry that they could possibly perpetuate the violence. I thought it was excellent!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
A friend from church told me about this book. I have to pass on her suggestion. If you're looking for a good book to read - here you go. Cee Cee is a young girl growing up in Ohio with a mentally unstable mother, who does crazier and crazier things which embarrass and upset Cee Cee. This instability seems to have been brought about by her deteriorating marriage and the fact that she misses her home in Savannah, Georgia. He father doesn't know how to handle the situation and so decides to be absent from the home more and more, and she eventually realizes that he is involved with someone else. Cee Cee has too much to deal with and sees far too much for her young self. She does have one old neighbor who she spends time with and who knows the situation but doesn't have any friends her age because of her mother and the stigma that has been placed upon her due to her mother's actions. Unfortunately, her mother doesn't stay at home being crazy she runs around town in crazy outfits reliving her "Vidalia Onion Queen" days, tiara and all. Cee Cee decides to pray about the situation and the answer is very surprising - actually it doesn't look like an answer at all - until some time elapses and Cee Cee gets some perspective.
This book is colorful, funny and also emotional in spots. Cee Cee has help (in the form of an aunt and a new best friend) coming to terms with her feelings for her mother and father, as well as her feelings of guilt and insecurity. For some reason I could relate to Cee Cee and the fact that she had to grow up too soon. I listened to this on CD and the lady reading was fantastic, (ranked somewhere around Jim Dale even). A big thumbs up!
This book is colorful, funny and also emotional in spots. Cee Cee has help (in the form of an aunt and a new best friend) coming to terms with her feelings for her mother and father, as well as her feelings of guilt and insecurity. For some reason I could relate to Cee Cee and the fact that she had to grow up too soon. I listened to this on CD and the lady reading was fantastic, (ranked somewhere around Jim Dale even). A big thumbs up!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Holidays
I would be very ungrateful if I didn't try and express how blessed I felt over the holidays. Let me just try to explain how much I felt God's hand in our lives. Cam got home safely the very first day of his break - (and also got first class which is always nice). It was just so nice having him here again - and life went back to my normal for a while. He does have a tendency to stay up too late and sleep in too late, but I was the same way at his age so I really shouldn't point fingers.
I think I posted about Cam's ear problem quite a while ago - about how he needed to have surgery to repair a hole in his eardrum. He has been stressing about this surgery and wondering when we would be able to actually do it. He wants to be able to put his mission papers in as soon as possible (seeing that he is the very youngest of all of his friends) and he also wants to attend spring semester which he wouldn't be able to do if he had to have surgery. He wouldn't be able to fly for a while and the surgeon is very renowned and extremely difficult to schedule. I put him on a waiting list and hoped (and prayed) that Cam might be able to get it done over the holidays. I scheduled an appointment with the surgeon so that we could be established as a patient and get that hurdle out of the way. Our appointment was the Thursday before Christmas. While we were speaking to the doctor, tentatively planning on June (meaning Cam's papers would get delayed) for the surgery a nurse opened the door and said someone just called to cancel a surgery for the 27th and do we want it? We jumped at the chance and signed right up. Luck? I think not.
We had a very quiet Christmas, just the three of us. We are usually in Utah over Christmas - so it was a little different than what we are accustomed to - but Cam wanted to spend some time at home since he hasn't been home since August.
The Monday after Christmas we went down for the surgery. We had a long wait - and for a little while it looked like we weren't going to be able to get the surgery room - but it all worked out and we were able to get in and get it done. The procedure went well, or at least that is what the doctor reported to Cory and I after the fact. We really liked the surgeon and learned that day from nearly all of the nurses how very important he was in his field - the best! Every time Cam has had anything done I have been brought into the room after he was awake. This time they came and got me while Cam was still very much out of it - it was unnerving to be with him, holding his hand while he was still so removed - so very much asleep - it was a little scary to me and a relief when he finally came to.
Cam got home and all continued to go amazingly well. He could hear out of his ear and didn't have much pain at all. He was very tired and had a lot of drainage - but he was supposed to. It really wasn't even as difficult as him getting his wisdom teeth pulled last spring break (he could eat and talk and wasn't in as much pain).
Cory and I started working on our plans to get Cam back up to Utah (since he couldn't fly). We rented a car to pick up here and leave in Utah (so that I could fly home). We were worried about bad weather and Cam's ear pain while we drove to a much higher elevation. Let me just say - Everything down to the very last detail turned out perfect. Cam and I listened to books on tape while we drove - we made very good time. We had nearly perfect weather the entire trip (with the exception of a patch of severe wind in Wyoming). Cory was available for us to contact and get us a room over the internet when we could see how far we were going to be able to travel the first day. Cam only had one area where his ear popped and hurt a little. Cory was able to take that weekend off and meet us up there.
This might seem like a boring post - it might seem like I am making more of the situation than I should. It is hard to explain how one feels God. I felt Him during this entire break. I felt his comfort and His assistance. I felt Him intercede for us - to help us do what we needed to do.
One week after surgery - I drove Cam back down to BYU and dropped him off. It wasn't nearly as difficult as the first time (and I felt Him in that too). It also made me feel better knowing that Cam's roommate is his best friend - and I know him, and was able to ask him about helping Cam do the things he needed to do for his ear. I'm so grateful that it is done - that it isn't hanging over our heads anymore. Cam will be able to put his papers in on schedule and also attend spring semester. God is good.
I think I posted about Cam's ear problem quite a while ago - about how he needed to have surgery to repair a hole in his eardrum. He has been stressing about this surgery and wondering when we would be able to actually do it. He wants to be able to put his mission papers in as soon as possible (seeing that he is the very youngest of all of his friends) and he also wants to attend spring semester which he wouldn't be able to do if he had to have surgery. He wouldn't be able to fly for a while and the surgeon is very renowned and extremely difficult to schedule. I put him on a waiting list and hoped (and prayed) that Cam might be able to get it done over the holidays. I scheduled an appointment with the surgeon so that we could be established as a patient and get that hurdle out of the way. Our appointment was the Thursday before Christmas. While we were speaking to the doctor, tentatively planning on June (meaning Cam's papers would get delayed) for the surgery a nurse opened the door and said someone just called to cancel a surgery for the 27th and do we want it? We jumped at the chance and signed right up. Luck? I think not.
We had a very quiet Christmas, just the three of us. We are usually in Utah over Christmas - so it was a little different than what we are accustomed to - but Cam wanted to spend some time at home since he hasn't been home since August.
The Monday after Christmas we went down for the surgery. We had a long wait - and for a little while it looked like we weren't going to be able to get the surgery room - but it all worked out and we were able to get in and get it done. The procedure went well, or at least that is what the doctor reported to Cory and I after the fact. We really liked the surgeon and learned that day from nearly all of the nurses how very important he was in his field - the best! Every time Cam has had anything done I have been brought into the room after he was awake. This time they came and got me while Cam was still very much out of it - it was unnerving to be with him, holding his hand while he was still so removed - so very much asleep - it was a little scary to me and a relief when he finally came to.
Cam got home and all continued to go amazingly well. He could hear out of his ear and didn't have much pain at all. He was very tired and had a lot of drainage - but he was supposed to. It really wasn't even as difficult as him getting his wisdom teeth pulled last spring break (he could eat and talk and wasn't in as much pain).
Cory and I started working on our plans to get Cam back up to Utah (since he couldn't fly). We rented a car to pick up here and leave in Utah (so that I could fly home). We were worried about bad weather and Cam's ear pain while we drove to a much higher elevation. Let me just say - Everything down to the very last detail turned out perfect. Cam and I listened to books on tape while we drove - we made very good time. We had nearly perfect weather the entire trip (with the exception of a patch of severe wind in Wyoming). Cory was available for us to contact and get us a room over the internet when we could see how far we were going to be able to travel the first day. Cam only had one area where his ear popped and hurt a little. Cory was able to take that weekend off and meet us up there.
This might seem like a boring post - it might seem like I am making more of the situation than I should. It is hard to explain how one feels God. I felt Him during this entire break. I felt his comfort and His assistance. I felt Him intercede for us - to help us do what we needed to do.
One week after surgery - I drove Cam back down to BYU and dropped him off. It wasn't nearly as difficult as the first time (and I felt Him in that too). It also made me feel better knowing that Cam's roommate is his best friend - and I know him, and was able to ask him about helping Cam do the things he needed to do for his ear. I'm so grateful that it is done - that it isn't hanging over our heads anymore. Cam will be able to put his papers in on schedule and also attend spring semester. God is good.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Books I Read in 2010
Well here is the list of the books that I read in 2010 - 95 books.
My top ten were:
1. Obviously the Hunger Games
2. Also obviously, Catching Fire
3. The Help
4. Peace Like a River
5. Hattie Big Sky
6. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had
7. Crime and Punishment
8. I am the Messenger
9. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
10. Once Was Lost
Honorable Mention - Juliet
Strangest book I read this year - Don't Forget to Call Your Mama
Worst book I read this year - The Magicians
Crocodile Tears - Anthony Horowitz - Cam loves this (Alex Rider) series so we listened to this one on the drive back to Utah.
Juliet - Anne Fortier - started slow for me but ended up fabulous! Would highly recommend for Shakespear lovers.
The Last Time I Saw You - Elizabeth Berg - enjoyed it!
Matched - Allyson Condie - I really enjoyed it all but the end.
Maze Runner - James Dashner - suggested by one of my young women - pretty good, kind of annoying writing style.
White Houst Autumn - Ellen Emerson White - not as good as the first (with many strange errors that editors and proofreaders should have found before publishing).
The Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman - strange
The President's Daughter - Ellen Emerson White - part of a set that I will be finishing. I enjoyed it a lot!
Finding Noel - Richard Paul Evans - nice holiday mush!
Before You Know Kindness - Chris Bohjalian - some parts were to drawn out but for the most part I enjoyed it - and I do like a nice wrap up at the end.
I Am the Messenger - Markus Zusak - very unusual and wonderful. I enjoyed it completely!
To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf - more blathering on by a crazy female character. I think I give up on Virginia - I don't know how she is so revered.
Any Bitter Thing - Monica Wood - see review.
Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood - a tale about growing up and how we are affected by our experiences in childhood.
Story Sisters - Alice Hoffman - kind of life altering. What a girl (and her family) goes through because of her secret abuse.
Widow of the South - Robert Hicks - based of actual history. A woman removes soldiers from a mass war grave to give them a more meaningful and documented burial.
My Double Life - Janette Rallison - I am becoming a big fan of hers! Every book is perfect for the teen reader (not to mention middle aged housewifes looking for an easy read.
When We Were Bad - Charlotte Mendelson - I think I missed plenty because of all the jewish jargon but it was still worth it. The moral of the story life is only worth living if you are true to yourself!
Still Summer - Jacquelyn Mitchard - excellent, I was on the edge of my seat after a somewhat slow start.
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe - excellent and very spiritual as only the classics seem to be able to pull off.
The Lost Quilter - Jennifer Chiaverini - see review.
How to Take the "Ex" Out of "Ex-boyfriend" - Jeanette Rallison - she has an awesome sense of humor and write nice clean teen books - which I seem to enjoy.
The Appeal - John Grisham - I will never think about elections in quite the same way. This book will make you paranoid!
Don't Forget to Call Your Mama - Lewis Grizzard - Cory's friend gave this book to Cory to give to me and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. About a 50+ year old guy who misses his dead "mama".
Playing for Pizza - John Grisham - I enjoyed this, even the descriptive football talk, maybe because I love Italy too.
Education of Bet - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - this formula works, the girl disguises herself as a boy to get an education. I enjoyed it!
The Shack - William P. Young - I thought it was spiritual in it's way - I took issue with a few points but for those looking for a relationship with God it is a good place to start.
The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls - I don't usually like memoirs - but this one was very interesting about a real writer who lives in NY - and her parents are homeless and want to live that way.
The Red Queen - Phillippa Gregory - I wish she could write faster cause I totally love her books!
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins - Wonderful - and she ended up with who I thought she should and for the same reasons I saw as relevant.
Charmed Thirds - Megan McCafferty - I think this will be my last in the 5 book series. Just not great.
Second Helpings - Megan McCafferty - as expected, just entertainment, nothing valuable.
Burned - P.C. Cast etc. - alright. I am pretty much done with this series but she keeps them coming.
Every Last One - Anna Quindlen - loved the whole thing! I was rivited because I had never really thought about how a person goes on after such a tragedy.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling - Cam and I listened to this while driving on several recent trips. I love the books almost as much as I love listening to them with my son who loves them the same way!
The Help - Kathryn Stockett - see review
Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty - kind of witty teen angst.
Roses - Leila Meacham - a Texas author and a story about Texas makes for a good book!
Run - Ann Patchett- okay, nothing all that compelling.
The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer - Yes, I went to see Eclipse and got so excited I came home and read the entire series again in 5 days! I know, they aren't brilliant literature but they do something for me - I love them and I love Edward!
Dark Angels - Karleen Koen - excellent! I love english court stories and this one was right on!
Oxygen - Carol Wiley Cassella - a very smart book. I enjoyed all of the medical jargon and information about anesthesiology, I also enjoyed trying to figure out what exactly happened during that surgery to cause the little girls death - riveting!
The Patron Saint of Liars - Ann Patchett - a good read although I can't say I related very well to any of the characters specifically, I still enjoyed it.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards -excellent! It amazed me how far we have come in the treatment of downs - the child in this book was born the year before me! I loved it! At
First Sight - Nicholas Sparks - alright, I'm off my N. Sparks kick. I did enjoy it except for the predictable sap!
One Was Lost - Sara Zarr - excellent, I loved this book! Deep spiritual questions, normal teenage confusion, realistic family dynamic etc. Most people don't realize what a treasure trove can be found in the young adult genre.
The Magicians - Lev Grossman - see review
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Excellent! Cam just read this in English and it took me this long to get it from the library - very much worth the wait and happy to know they read it because of all the potential for moral discussion.
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - excellent! It always amazes me how truly spiritual these older books are, I enjoyed every minute of it!
The Virgin Blue - Tracy Chevalier - was so impressed with "Girl With a Pearl Earring" thought I'd give her another shot and I am glad I did. Even some geneology thrown in!
House Rules - Jodi Picoult - another favorite author and again, she did not disappoint! I was trying to solve it the whole time.
The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks - don't usually go for the sappy love stories but this one hit the mark. Now I want to see the movie!
After This - Alice McDermott - a meandering account of what I assume to be a typical Catholic family in New York, I enjoyed it.
The Chocolate Wars - Robert Cormier - has been banned many times in High Schools - I think the moral is good - it is sometimes very difficult to be an individual and to stand your ground.
Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout - see review.
Dear John - Nicholas Sparks - I think I will go see the movie that came out recently, I like a little romantic heartache every once in a while.
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins - awesome! I am on the waiting list for the next installment. . .when it comes out!
Jackaroo - Cynthia Voigt - dumb name but decent read.
The Killer's Cousin - Nancy Werlin - very good insight into what we may be capable of, even by accident.
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins - see review
Across the River and Into the Trees - Ernest Hemingway - I got hung up on the idea of a 50+ man in love with a 19 year old girl (and vice versa) and could never really get past my incredulity and disgust! But it was pure Hemingway in Europe during the war.
City of Glass - Cassandra Clare - I was really into this one and I kept hoping that what I wanted to happen would happen and it did - so I was happy. This series kind of puts me in the mind of Twilight - not quite as good, but still worth the reading.
Noah's Compass - Anne Tyler - see review
Winter Garden -Kristin Hannah - another slow start for me - but there were parts of this that really moved me. I really can't relate to a distant mother but it was all explained. A thumbs up.
City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare - alright, I am into it now! I requested the next at the library and am trying to be patient but I want to know what happens next??
Secrets of Eden - Chris Bohjalian - slow start for me - but once I realized that the first point of view wasn't necessarily the truth I really got into it - surprised!
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare - recommended by my new sister - I thought it was a good read but was annoyed by something that I can't give away and it made me put the book down hard when it ended.
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf - see review
PS, I Love You - Cecelia Ahern - Funny and sweet and for some reason I love all things Irish! A good read.
Letter from Home - Carolyn Hart - okay, nothing to write home about (he he).
The House on the Strand - Daphne Du Maurier - I kept comparing it to "Rebecca" and it wasn't as good. Still glad I read it and am reading another right now.
The Love Letter - Cathleen Schine - kind of witty but not all that for me - just okay.
The Last Summer (of you and me) - Ann Brashares - I loved this book! It was pure nostalgia. I didn't want it to end - but I was happy with the end.
Fire - Kristin Cashore - wonderful! It is the sequel to Graceling which I haven't read but it was good on it's own merit. I will now read the other.
As I Lay Dying - William Falkner - see review.
Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta - took awhile to understand what was going on and to get into, but once I did I didn't want it to end. I think the author is from Australia and she used some different slang.
Peace Like a River - Leif Enger - Wonderful! Spiritual and beautifully written. I can't say enough, loved it!
Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitsgerald - this is a very adult book. Alcoholism, adultery, marriage and insanity make for very adult reading. Perhaps it was too adult for me.
Hattie Big Sky -Kirby Larson - Awesome! I am having some good reading lately! This is about a 16 year old orphan girl traveling to Montana and trying to homestead by herself and based on a true story. It was superb!
The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had - Kristin Levine - I adored this book! It reminded me of my grandpa (his youth experience). I had a smile on my face the whole way through! When I went to sleep last night my last thoughts were how thankful I am for good books!
The Everafter - Amy Huntley - never read anything quite like it, thought provoking! It is about death and our connection to material things after we are gone. Very worth the read if only to think about unusual afterlife concepts.
Splendor - A Luxe Novel - Anna Godbersen - wonderful, not completely happy about the ending - won't ruin it for you.
My top ten were:
1. Obviously the Hunger Games
2. Also obviously, Catching Fire
3. The Help
4. Peace Like a River
5. Hattie Big Sky
6. The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had
7. Crime and Punishment
8. I am the Messenger
9. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
10. Once Was Lost
Honorable Mention - Juliet
Strangest book I read this year - Don't Forget to Call Your Mama
Worst book I read this year - The Magicians
Crocodile Tears - Anthony Horowitz - Cam loves this (Alex Rider) series so we listened to this one on the drive back to Utah.
Juliet - Anne Fortier - started slow for me but ended up fabulous! Would highly recommend for Shakespear lovers.
The Last Time I Saw You - Elizabeth Berg - enjoyed it!
Matched - Allyson Condie - I really enjoyed it all but the end.
Maze Runner - James Dashner - suggested by one of my young women - pretty good, kind of annoying writing style.
White Houst Autumn - Ellen Emerson White - not as good as the first (with many strange errors that editors and proofreaders should have found before publishing).
The Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman - strange
The President's Daughter - Ellen Emerson White - part of a set that I will be finishing. I enjoyed it a lot!
Finding Noel - Richard Paul Evans - nice holiday mush!
Before You Know Kindness - Chris Bohjalian - some parts were to drawn out but for the most part I enjoyed it - and I do like a nice wrap up at the end.
I Am the Messenger - Markus Zusak - very unusual and wonderful. I enjoyed it completely!
To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf - more blathering on by a crazy female character. I think I give up on Virginia - I don't know how she is so revered.
Any Bitter Thing - Monica Wood - see review.
Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood - a tale about growing up and how we are affected by our experiences in childhood.
Story Sisters - Alice Hoffman - kind of life altering. What a girl (and her family) goes through because of her secret abuse.
Widow of the South - Robert Hicks - based of actual history. A woman removes soldiers from a mass war grave to give them a more meaningful and documented burial.
My Double Life - Janette Rallison - I am becoming a big fan of hers! Every book is perfect for the teen reader (not to mention middle aged housewifes looking for an easy read.
When We Were Bad - Charlotte Mendelson - I think I missed plenty because of all the jewish jargon but it was still worth it. The moral of the story life is only worth living if you are true to yourself!
Still Summer - Jacquelyn Mitchard - excellent, I was on the edge of my seat after a somewhat slow start.
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe - excellent and very spiritual as only the classics seem to be able to pull off.
The Lost Quilter - Jennifer Chiaverini - see review.
How to Take the "Ex" Out of "Ex-boyfriend" - Jeanette Rallison - she has an awesome sense of humor and write nice clean teen books - which I seem to enjoy.
The Appeal - John Grisham - I will never think about elections in quite the same way. This book will make you paranoid!
Don't Forget to Call Your Mama - Lewis Grizzard - Cory's friend gave this book to Cory to give to me and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. About a 50+ year old guy who misses his dead "mama".
Playing for Pizza - John Grisham - I enjoyed this, even the descriptive football talk, maybe because I love Italy too.
Education of Bet - Lauren Baratz-Logsted - this formula works, the girl disguises herself as a boy to get an education. I enjoyed it!
The Shack - William P. Young - I thought it was spiritual in it's way - I took issue with a few points but for those looking for a relationship with God it is a good place to start.
The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls - I don't usually like memoirs - but this one was very interesting about a real writer who lives in NY - and her parents are homeless and want to live that way.
The Red Queen - Phillippa Gregory - I wish she could write faster cause I totally love her books!
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins - Wonderful - and she ended up with who I thought she should and for the same reasons I saw as relevant.
Charmed Thirds - Megan McCafferty - I think this will be my last in the 5 book series. Just not great.
Second Helpings - Megan McCafferty - as expected, just entertainment, nothing valuable.
Burned - P.C. Cast etc. - alright. I am pretty much done with this series but she keeps them coming.
Every Last One - Anna Quindlen - loved the whole thing! I was rivited because I had never really thought about how a person goes on after such a tragedy.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling - Cam and I listened to this while driving on several recent trips. I love the books almost as much as I love listening to them with my son who loves them the same way!
The Help - Kathryn Stockett - see review
Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty - kind of witty teen angst.
Roses - Leila Meacham - a Texas author and a story about Texas makes for a good book!
Run - Ann Patchett- okay, nothing all that compelling.
The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer - Yes, I went to see Eclipse and got so excited I came home and read the entire series again in 5 days! I know, they aren't brilliant literature but they do something for me - I love them and I love Edward!
Dark Angels - Karleen Koen - excellent! I love english court stories and this one was right on!
Oxygen - Carol Wiley Cassella - a very smart book. I enjoyed all of the medical jargon and information about anesthesiology, I also enjoyed trying to figure out what exactly happened during that surgery to cause the little girls death - riveting!
The Patron Saint of Liars - Ann Patchett - a good read although I can't say I related very well to any of the characters specifically, I still enjoyed it.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards -excellent! It amazed me how far we have come in the treatment of downs - the child in this book was born the year before me! I loved it! At
First Sight - Nicholas Sparks - alright, I'm off my N. Sparks kick. I did enjoy it except for the predictable sap!
One Was Lost - Sara Zarr - excellent, I loved this book! Deep spiritual questions, normal teenage confusion, realistic family dynamic etc. Most people don't realize what a treasure trove can be found in the young adult genre.
The Magicians - Lev Grossman - see review
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Excellent! Cam just read this in English and it took me this long to get it from the library - very much worth the wait and happy to know they read it because of all the potential for moral discussion.
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - excellent! It always amazes me how truly spiritual these older books are, I enjoyed every minute of it!
The Virgin Blue - Tracy Chevalier - was so impressed with "Girl With a Pearl Earring" thought I'd give her another shot and I am glad I did. Even some geneology thrown in!
House Rules - Jodi Picoult - another favorite author and again, she did not disappoint! I was trying to solve it the whole time.
The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks - don't usually go for the sappy love stories but this one hit the mark. Now I want to see the movie!
After This - Alice McDermott - a meandering account of what I assume to be a typical Catholic family in New York, I enjoyed it.
The Chocolate Wars - Robert Cormier - has been banned many times in High Schools - I think the moral is good - it is sometimes very difficult to be an individual and to stand your ground.
Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout - see review.
Dear John - Nicholas Sparks - I think I will go see the movie that came out recently, I like a little romantic heartache every once in a while.
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins - awesome! I am on the waiting list for the next installment. . .when it comes out!
Jackaroo - Cynthia Voigt - dumb name but decent read.
The Killer's Cousin - Nancy Werlin - very good insight into what we may be capable of, even by accident.
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins - see review
Across the River and Into the Trees - Ernest Hemingway - I got hung up on the idea of a 50+ man in love with a 19 year old girl (and vice versa) and could never really get past my incredulity and disgust! But it was pure Hemingway in Europe during the war.
City of Glass - Cassandra Clare - I was really into this one and I kept hoping that what I wanted to happen would happen and it did - so I was happy. This series kind of puts me in the mind of Twilight - not quite as good, but still worth the reading.
Noah's Compass - Anne Tyler - see review
Winter Garden -Kristin Hannah - another slow start for me - but there were parts of this that really moved me. I really can't relate to a distant mother but it was all explained. A thumbs up.
City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare - alright, I am into it now! I requested the next at the library and am trying to be patient but I want to know what happens next??
Secrets of Eden - Chris Bohjalian - slow start for me - but once I realized that the first point of view wasn't necessarily the truth I really got into it - surprised!
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare - recommended by my new sister - I thought it was a good read but was annoyed by something that I can't give away and it made me put the book down hard when it ended.
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf - see review
PS, I Love You - Cecelia Ahern - Funny and sweet and for some reason I love all things Irish! A good read.
Letter from Home - Carolyn Hart - okay, nothing to write home about (he he).
The House on the Strand - Daphne Du Maurier - I kept comparing it to "Rebecca" and it wasn't as good. Still glad I read it and am reading another right now.
The Love Letter - Cathleen Schine - kind of witty but not all that for me - just okay.
The Last Summer (of you and me) - Ann Brashares - I loved this book! It was pure nostalgia. I didn't want it to end - but I was happy with the end.
Fire - Kristin Cashore - wonderful! It is the sequel to Graceling which I haven't read but it was good on it's own merit. I will now read the other.
As I Lay Dying - William Falkner - see review.
Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta - took awhile to understand what was going on and to get into, but once I did I didn't want it to end. I think the author is from Australia and she used some different slang.
Peace Like a River - Leif Enger - Wonderful! Spiritual and beautifully written. I can't say enough, loved it!
Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitsgerald - this is a very adult book. Alcoholism, adultery, marriage and insanity make for very adult reading. Perhaps it was too adult for me.
Hattie Big Sky -Kirby Larson - Awesome! I am having some good reading lately! This is about a 16 year old orphan girl traveling to Montana and trying to homestead by herself and based on a true story. It was superb!
The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had - Kristin Levine - I adored this book! It reminded me of my grandpa (his youth experience). I had a smile on my face the whole way through! When I went to sleep last night my last thoughts were how thankful I am for good books!
The Everafter - Amy Huntley - never read anything quite like it, thought provoking! It is about death and our connection to material things after we are gone. Very worth the read if only to think about unusual afterlife concepts.
Splendor - A Luxe Novel - Anna Godbersen - wonderful, not completely happy about the ending - won't ruin it for you.
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