The Pillars of the Earth

The Secrets of a Fire King

I read this book because I loved Kim Edwards' other book, The Memory Keeper's Daughter. This book was a collection of short stories (which I almost always love - it breaks up the monotony of depressing novels I read.)

The first few stories were really great but when I got to the story the book was named for, I was not impressed at all. I felt some of her stories had really well developed characters and interesting story lines, but others were flat and blended together.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I loved this book! I actually started it way back in the summer (before we left for Ireland) and just finished it last week.

This story is a tricky one to explain (read a description on Amazon if you want). I really loved this book because it did a great job of showing the power of love, despite whatever odd happenings life throws at us. I actually cried at the end of this one (a book hasn't done that to me in YEARS!)

Never Let Me Go

This story started out a little slow and it was hard to really figure out what was going on until I read a review of it online. Sadly, it ruined the story for me a little bit and I lost interest. I'm sure if I hadn't gone and ruined the surprise for myself I would have enjoyed it.

I guess you could classify this one a science fiction (which I usually don't go for). It deals with the issue of human cloning, stem cells, and issues like organ harvesting. It circles around a bunch of students raised in a strange school - their future already determined for them (clones who will donate their organs). It was interesting to see the point made through fiction that while stem cell and cloning might seem like an OK idea to some people, it's impossible to remove the human aspect of it all - emotions.

The Art of Mending

This story really hit home for me. It centers on 3 siblings, 2 sisters and a brother. The youngest sister is asking for the help of her siblings in coping with trauma that took place early in her childhood - the mistreatment and emotional abuse she suffered from their mother. Unwilling to believe her accusations at first, they both slowly dig up memories they had buried deep in themselves for years and are finally able to reach some truth and understanding in the matter.

The story the youngest sister told reminded me A LOT of the relationship my mother had with her own mother. The time I was reading this book couldn't have been any better either, because I had just recently seen a show on TV about the studies of infants and the emotional bonds they form with their parents early in their lives.

Great story!

18 Seconds

This book was better than I anticipated it being. The story is interesting because it starts out by jumping back and forth between several seemingly unrelated stories. Many of them were stories centering around crimes or detectives with the central story focusing on a blind woman who is able to see the last 18 seconds of a person's life by touching their dead body. She has been using her 'gift' to help detectives and police officers solve difficult crimes and is called to one of the crimes mentioned in the book - eventually the stories all weave together into one story.

Really good read - maybe I'm just partial to the crime drama, being a big Law & Order fan...

The Knitting Circle

This is not a book I would usually be interested in reading. But, for some reason the cover just caught my eye at the library.

The story deals with Mary dealing with the loss of her young daughter, Stella to meningitis. Her mother suggests she takes up knitting to help ease her mind and help her cope with her stress. Reluctantly she joins a knitting circle where she meets a whole set of women, each with their own unique story of love and loss. Some of the stories were very touching.

Throughout the book you see Mary go through the grieving process and how it effects her relationship with her spouse, boss, co-workers, friends and even her mother. The end is happy, yet believable.

I really enjoyed this book.

Good Night Henry

This is a book I bought pretty cheap at Borders (I told you, I love the Bargain Books). I read this on the plane to Ireland and during some downtime on my vacation.

Honestly, I bought the book because a) it was only $4 and b) the dog on the front reminded me of Lola.

The story was pretty decent - it seems to deal with a lot of characters dealing with various forms of loss and grief. One part of the story is about a single mother raising 2 boys (one with a maimed arm). Their father vanishes from their life when they were babies, then reappears, causing some chaos in the family structure. Woven throughout that story is the story of the mother dealing with the disappearance of her beloved older brother years ago - and facing the possiblity that he is most likely dead, as well as the tragedy surrounding his dissapearance.

I would pass this on to someone looking for a good book that isn't too 'deep' or depressing. Sometimes I just read too many of those...

It's been a long time...

Since Tim came home on July 4th from Australia, it seems I've been a lot busier. I haven't had time to finish a few books I started and lost interest in others. I'll try to catch up with what I have read/partially read/whatever.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy And Denim

This is another book that I've been meaning to read for a loooooooong time but never have for whatever reason. I actually just picked this book up in Borders when I was there the other night (it was only $4.99!) but I put it down thinking "I'll buy it at Half-Price Books or just borrow it from the library..." HAHA I've turned into such a cheap-o. But, considering I'm on a limited budget and I fly through books in record time, it isn't really smart of me to buy books unless a) I absolutely can't live without them and I already KNOW it's a favorite of mine or b) I find it at a really really good deal. Which I guess doesn't really make sense, because this one WAS a deal....but still... I digress.

ANYWAY, I ended up picking this up from the library this week and am close to finishing it. So far it's pretty good, I would say it would have been worth spending the $4.99 *plus tax on. :)

Running With Scissors

I bought Augusten Burrough's other book, Magical Thinking and thought it was hilarious and I always meant to finish reading Running With Scissors (I had picked it up in Borders one time and read some of it but never ended up buying it...)

I borrowed Running With Scissors on tape from the library and have been listening to it on the way to and from work. Again, this story is hilarious, but after reading all of the uproar surrounding it (mostly from the family he wrote about in the book, the 'Finches'), I can't help but wonder how much of it is real and how much of it is...embellished. The story is both intriguing/entertaining and severely disturbing. It's like something morbid and disgusting that you just can't help but keep watching to see what will happen next. Burroughs definitely writes for a shock value and for a reaction from people (which makes him seem a little desperate sometimes) and it's starting to remind me of James Frey's 'memoir' and how he sold it as being the truth, when it wasn't completely. I'm trying not to let the thought of it ruin the book for me, but I can't help it...That and the fact that the story can really gross you out at times and make you uncomfortable...I'm still undecided about how I feel about this book.

I do like how this book is actually read by the author, though. His voice is amusing.

I would recommend this book, but with a definite warning beforehand.

The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green

I got this book to read last summer and it was....ok. A kinda funny story told from the point of view of a teenage jewish boy growing up.

Compared to what I had been reading at the time though, the writing style of this book was...eh...and I wasn't as impressed as I probably would have been

BEST bookstore EVER

Michele had told me about Half-Price Books and I have never had the chance to get out to one...until this weekend. I felt like Christmas. Not only did I find a TON of books I wanted to buy at, literally, half the price you would find somewhere else, but they had a clearance section full of books for only 1 or 2 dollars that I have been meaning to get my hands on for some time now. I'm so glad I waited. I don't know if I'll ever buy anything from Border's again! :) (unless I can't find it for $1)
Here are some of the books I bought:

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time

I thought this book was pretty good. I liked the way it was written, from the point of view of a boy with Asperger's syndrome. I had a student when I was doing my methods who had the same syndrome. This book was pretty hyped up and I had been meaning to buy it online for a while, but I'm a little glad I didn't (party because my mom already bought it for Mariah because it was on her summer reading list). It was a pretty good book, but I didn't think it was as amazing as I had hoped/expected. I think I'm being too hard on books I'm reading lately. However, this book was good and I would definitely recommend it to to people.

Nature Girl

This story was pretty funny. I brought it in to work a few times to listen to on the slow days (it was on CD) but it got a little...raunchy...at times. Nothing really bad, but some of the words the characters were using were a little embarassing. The story was pretty cute though, it had a lot of laugh out loud moments.

I'm really surprised that I seem to be getting into some chic-lit lately. I think sometimes my brain just needs a break from reading books that make me cry or depressed.

Shopaholic and Sister

I borrowed an Anne Lamott book on CD from Michele and really enjoyed it, so the other day as we were leaving work she told me she had a few new ones from her mom to loan me, if I wanted. I choose this one and although this is way more chic-lit-ish (something I usually can't STAND) I decided it would make my 1 hour commute more tolerable, so why not?

This story was really cute, but I don't really like the narrator's voice (I don't know why, she just annoyed me). But the story is really light, fresh and cute (especially compared to the deeper things I've been getting my hands onto lately....DEPRESSING, COURTNEY!)

If you're looking for some real laid back reading, this is your book (...or CD) I think it belongs in a series of shopaholic books...at least I know the author has quite a few books out there, if anyone is interested. This is something I can see a person taking on a vacation to read on the beach. I would reccomend it!

The Bright Forever

I borrowed this from the library and haven't started it yet...don't worry, I'll get to it eventually!

hypocrite in a pouffy white dress

This is definitely a book I am going to have to go out and buy. Susan Jane Gilman's writing is so hilarious I was literally laughing out loud countless times while reading this. I love that in a book! Growing up during the 1960's and 70's was certainly strange, and her life was no exception. She writes with absolutely no shame (but full of wit) about her experiences and thoughts growing up. I really really enjoyed this book and as soon as I own it, I'm going to start loaning this one out! :)

The Blind Assassin

I just can't seem to get through this book. I have read all the reviews on this book and everyone seems to like it, but I am only moderately into this book. Maybe I'll come back to it someday. Right now, I'm moving on. I'm reading too many 'deep' books lately. I need something more light and refreshing.

OTHER books part 6

The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Geez. Another classic I never read in school. I should write a post of books I DID read in high school, maybe we didn’t have the best curriculum. Anyhow, this was another book I thought I should read as a future history teacher. I already knew what the story was about and how it would end up, so it took away some of the excitement for me. This book was ok. I wasn’t thrilled.

The Sisters Mortland - Sally Beauman
I really enjoyed this book. It has a dark twist to it, and a surprise ending. Three sisters live with their mother and grandfather in an old abbey, partially in ruins. The story is told from different points of view at different times and we see the pull each of the sisters has to various men in their lives. One summer, a young man comes to paint a portrait of the three sisters and his art is hauntingly realistic. A tragedy happens and the later part of the book shows the characters dealing with it. Awesome book.

This Side Of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Can’t say it enough. I love him. The character of this book reminded me a little of Holden in The Cather in The Rye. It’s a story of him growing up after WWI. This was Fitzgerald’s first published novel, and I think it’s one of his best.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Now here’s a book we read in high school. I haven’t met anyone who didn’t love this book. Even Mariah read this one (I think…). It definitely has to go down as one of my favorites.

House of Mirth - Edith Wharton
I never would have chosen this book to read. When I was working at JCPenney in the catalog department by myself for 4 hours (literally…sometimes I would have less than 10 customers all night) I would be on the verge of tears, I was so bored. I can’t lie, I considered job abandonment several times…just walking out and going home. I found this book in the lost and found and started reading it. I read it for the 4 hours I worked just about every evening. It was a little difficult to understand sometimes but it actually wasn’t too bad. The only thing I remember from it is a part where the characters were at a party where they dressed up in elaborate costumes and makeup and had props and sets on a stage that were made to look like classical art pieces. They would sit or stand in the poses of whoever they were in the artwork for like 10 minutes or something while an ‘audience’ watched? It was weird, I don’t know what that was all about but I remember looking it up on the internet and it was real (google “tableau vivant”) Weird. The things rich people did to entertain themselves…

OTHER books part 5

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I think almost everyone has to read this in HS and almost everyone hates it. I, on the other hand, loved it and thus started my love affair with F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
This was a book I picked up at a 3 for 2 sale at Border’s. Apparently, this is on a lot of reading lists for classes too, but I had never heard of it. It’s another book that could be considered science fiction, but it’s hardly that (in my mind). The story is of a world where everything is controlled and woman are only valued if they can produce babies (used as surrogate mothers, sort of). Interesting look at what life might be like if society was more controlled. I loved this book and have loaned it out many times. (I actually just found out it's a movie too)

The Jungle - Upton Sinclair
In keeping with theme, this is yet another book that it seems everyone else read in high school besides me. Since I plan to be a history teacher one day, I thought it would be shameful if I had not read this (which reminds me, I should really read Uncle Tom’s Cabin some day too…). This book was disgusting and disturbing. It really influenced reforms in the food industry. It told of the horrors of slaughterhouses, the filth and grime and disease that our food was exposed to on a daily basis, not to mention humans exposed to it as well. A disturbing yet enlightening read. This was really hard for me to get into, though.

The Mermaid Chair - Sue Monk Kidd
After I read The Secret Life Of Bees, I was so excited when Sue Monk Kidd put out another book. While I enjoyed this story, I didn’t love it like I loved the Bees. It’s a story of a woman who is forced to find herself, love, and what makes her happy, and leave behind what pains her and drags her down when she has to return home to take care of her mother. Sue Monk Kidd is amazing at writing stories where the characters are so deep and share such deep bonds. I think this is why I enjoy her writing so much. I currently loaned this book to my boss, Michele, but I’m thinking I should have given her the Bees first… A very good book!

The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory

Never finished this one. I see it advertised often which makes me think maybe I should go back and give it another chance. I was eager to find some historical fiction, but I wasn’t interested in it by the time I picked it up. What I had read was good, but I just didn’t have the interest to finish it. I think I just repeated myself here…

OTHER books part 4

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Another book not part of the NRHS curriculum, but one that I always wanted to read. I carried this book around in my purse last summer and pulled it out whenever I got the chance to read it. No wonder this book has so much acclaim. The pain that Celie has to overcome in her life and how she manages to go on each day in inspirational to me. It's a sort of "in your face" book screaming to you, "life is unfair, life hurts, life is full of struggles, but it is up to you to love yourself and make your life what you want it to be." At least, that's the message I pulled from it. Amazing book.

The Confessions of Max Tivoli - Andrew Sean Greer I wanted to reach through this book and hug Max (the main character) so many times while I was reading this. It's a story of a baby who is born looking like an old man, and physically matures backwards (eventually resembling a baby in his old age.) He knows the exact year he will die and tries to live by his mother's advice of "be what they think you are" but is conflicted by his emotions. It's a heartwarming story of a sweet person who deals with human prejudice the best way he knows how.

The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown

As mentioned above, I was not thoroughly impressed with this book. I didn't even read it all the way through. Eh.

The Dogs Of Babel - Carolyn Parkhurst

Another book I bought at borders for $4 (I have a knack for finding bargain books). A man comes home to find his wife dead in their backyard, her dog the only witness to her death. As he deals with the mysterious surroundings of his wife death, he believes that he can teach her dog to talk and release what it knows to him. It's a painful look at him clingling to his crazy belief and grief over his wife's death. You can't help but keep reading to see what will happen next.

The Giver - Lois Lowry

This is a book I think we read in 5th grade that I have probably read 3 or 4 times since then. I take that back. It was never assigned to me, it was assigned to my brother and my mom ended up picking it up and reading it all in one night. She told me the next morning how amazing it was and how it had made her cry, so I had to read it myself. I think the 2 of us finished it before my brother ever did (that is to say, IF he ever actually read it!) I think this is classified as Science Fiction (which I am NEVER interested in). The story is of a perfect society, where everything is equal, fair, your life is planned for you and you are satisfied with it. The main character, Jonas is chosen to recieve the memories of the community (which they are unaware of) from an elder, The Giver. This is a special job chosen only for him and he has to experience the whole gamet of human emotion, from good to bad. Awesome book. I'm not so sure 5th graders can grasp the deepness of this book though...

OTHER books part 3

Magical Thinking - Augusten Burroughs

Man, Burroughs is MESSED UP! This is another book I bought for $4 from Borders. It had me cracking up non-stop (and I love to laugh, so this book gets a thumbs up from me). Augusten is so strange and he writes with absolutely no shame. Some of the stories were a little disturbing, yet still humorous.

Me & Emma - Elizabeth Flock

Don't read this book. It was another loaned to me by my friend Beth, and it just disturbed me and made me depressed at the end. I can handle reading dark books and can handle the sadness that comes with reading of bad things happening to children, but this one just made me so sad. I can't recommend this one. I cried. Not in a good way. Read this at your own risk! *shudder*

Memiors of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

I really enjoyed reading this book. I usually don't like Asian themed stories (I don't know why...) but this one was amazing. It had me obsessed with reading about geishas for awhile (have I mentioned yet that I'm WEIRD?) I rented the movie right after I finished reading this but ended up falling asleep towards the end. I then forgot to return it for about 2 weeks and ended up with a $19 late fee. Whoops. I might has well have bought the damn movie, considering I didn't even get to finish it. Oh well. I own the book. Books are always better than movies, right?

Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs

Another book by the effed-up Burroughs (no offense, Burroughs). This one was made into a movie, which I have heard mixed reviews on. Again, this book is hilarious and disturbing at the same time. Brace yourself for some...awkward...subject matter.

Tender Is The Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Love him! I think part of my fascination with him is my deep love for the 1920s. Or maybe he inspired that love? Either way, I enjoy reading fiction from that period. What I would give to know what it was like to have lived through it. *sigh* I find it hard to recommend Fitzgerald to others, though. This one I have to admit, I picked up and started and stopped several times before actually sitting down to finish it, but I was glad when I did.

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

Halfway through this book, I became interested in what Plath was all about in real life and researched her on the internet. Reading about her mental illness and pain in real life, the book became even more intriguing for me. I think this book mirrored a lot of what Plath was thinking/dealing with at the time, leading up to her eventual death. It tells of a girl put into an asylum of sorts and she witnesses the ugliness of shock treatments and mental hospitals and patients. I didn't find the story depressing though, as you might expect, and I am interested to read Plath's other works.

OTHER books part 2

Flappers and Philosophers - F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors. After reading The Great Gatsby in high school, I was dying to read anything else of his I could get my hands on. This book was a collection of short stories that I read while lying out in the sun last summer. I drove around with it in my car for quite a few months (I'm not even sure why...or how it got in there to begin with) and ended up reading it again. Quick, witty, enjoyable stories.

Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes

This was another book that usually dominates the HS reading assignment list but again, we never read this one (I'm starting to question NRHS's literature curriculum...although, I shouldn't complained, I loved most of what we read...except Grapes Of Wrath...HATE HATE HATE that book....HATE...but I digress.) I loved this story about a sweet, mentally retarded man , Charlie, who has an experiemental surgery done to try to improve his intelligence level. His progress mirrors that of a mouse, Algernon and the story is written through Charlie's eyes, his journal. You can track his progress as his writing and expression skills improve, but as Algernon's intelligence starts to waver and he takes a turn for the worse, Charlie wonders what his own future holds for him. I loved this book. Couldn't pass up the $4 price either. :)

Forever - Pete Hamill

This was a Bargain Book buy at Borders and 50% of the reason I bought it was because of the price ($5) and 45% was because of the cover. The other 5% was because the story line interested me. Luckily this book didn't cost much but still looks cool sitting on my bookshelf because it never really captured my attention enough to finish the whole thing. The story isn't bad, but I have yet to pick it up to finish...

Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

I loved this book and have loaned it out to so many people who also loved it just as much. It's a story told from a girl who has been murdered as she looks down on her family and friends as they deal with her death and try to figure out the mystery surrounding it. Beautiful story. I was inspired to buy it partially because of the charm bracelet picture on the cover of the book. I have a charm bracelet almost identical to the one on the cover and I was inspired to wear it more often after I bought that book. :)

Lucky - Alice Sebold

This is the non-fictional story that Sebold based Lovely Bones from (I believe). She suffered a similar experience in her own life and it was interesting to read the 'true life' version of things and compare the similarities. I have loaned this one out along with Lovely Bones many, many times.

OTHER books part 1

Here is a list of other books I have read since last summer. A few of these I have read before then, but most have been within the past year. I'm trying to remember more. Eventually (probably when I'm bored at work) I'll write a little blurb on each of these.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn - Betty Smith

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I recommend this one to everyone. I started it on my own when I was about 13 and it was a little hard to get into (I was 13!) but once I started reading more, I instantly fell in love. It's a great story of a young girl growing up in the slums of Brooklyn at the start of the 20th century. I could easily relate to the deepness of her character, her inner dialogue and the way she ponders, disects and reacts to the world around her.

All Souls: A Family Story from Southie - Michael Patrick Macdonald

My friend, Beth loaned me this book. It's a true story of the author's tragic family growing up in Southie during the 1960s and 70s race riots and gang wars. Coming from a large family myself (though not quite as large as his) I related to the closeness he felt with his family, no matter how sick, strange, damaged or hopeless they were. Macdonald is an inspiration for what he has overcome and made of his life.

And Then There Were None - Agatha Christi

This is another book I randomly picked up to read when I was fairly young (um, do you know of any other 12 year olds who choose Agatha Christi for some leisure reading? I AM WEIRD). It's a mystery of 10 strangers who are invited to an island by a mysterious host. Once on the island, there guests are each accused of murder and can not leave the island. As the guests try to solve the murder amongst themselves, each of their ugly secrets are revealed and one by one, the guests begin to disappear. It's also published under the title Ten Little Indians.

Angels and Demons - Dan Brown

I borrowed this from Tim's mom much after the fad had started to sizzle (I am usually turned off by a large following of books like this...don't know why). I read this one before The DaVinci Code like she suggested because she said it would make more sense. Honestly, I thought this book was better than The DaVinci Code. However, I did not like Brown's style of writing. While I thought the subject matter was fascinating, his style seemed...surface level, too 'telly' rather than 'showy' and sort of...juvenile? I wasn't as impressed as I had hoped, considering all of the rave reviews on Brown's books.

Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger

One of my all time favorites, I'm sad that we never had this assigned to read in high school. I loved the main character, Holden, he had me cracking up at his youthful wit and "I've got the world figured out" attitude. I loved his frequent use of the phrase "It killed me..." in such a mocking yet affectionate tone. Love this book. Everyone should read this one.

Moral Disorder

I was disappointed with this book. I picked it up because I had read The Handmaid's Tale, also by Margaret Atwood, a few times and really enjoyed it. I don't know why, but I expected this book to be a collection of short stories that might be a little lighter, happier reading compared to what I have been reading. But no, the stories only depressed me.

Atwood tried writing a series of short stories that went from decade to decade, looking at different characters and their points of view, eventually weaving them all together. I could see where she was going with it, but it just seemed like she had chopped up a novel, rearranged it, then called it a collection of short stories. She started to focus too much on one character. I didn't even like the character.

The only story I really enjoyed from this was about a little girl frantically knitting an outfit for her little baby sister or brother who has yet to be born. Other than that, the stories were just depressing.

I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure I would recommend this book.

Looking for Mary or, The Blessed Mother and Me

This was another book loaned to me by my boss, Michele. It was much like the Anne Lamott books, spiritual and filled with a lot of thoughts and ideas about religion that I could easily relate to. This was written by Beverly Donofrio, the same author who wrote Riding In Cars With Boys. Both stories are based off of her real life and the things she has had to endure and overcome, particularly her spirituality.

This book was so much like the 3 Anne Lamott books I have read (one that I have listened to on CD), but I enjoyed Anne's much more. I enjoyed her sense of humor more and it seemed the Beverly still has a lot of issues in her life to work through.

Still, the book was decent and I would recommend it.

Andrew Carnegie

I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this book (for $35...in hardcover...using a giftcard). Andrew Carnegie has always fascinated me when we learned about him in class and I always wanted to know more about him. The fact that he acquired so much wealth in such a short period of time, then decided to give so much of it away almost as quickly as he had earned it just boggles my mind.

However, I found myself 2 months later, not even 1/2 way through this book, and it was almost physically painful to read. Maybe I just didn't like the author's style? Maybe Carnegie isn't as fascinating as I thought (doubt it), or maybe I just wasn't ready for this type of reading, but I couldn't finish it. I felt like I was punishing myself. So I put it down and it's sat on my bookshelf, propping up my paperback books (some of which are so worn and loved, their covers are tearing off) and collecting dust ever since.

At least it looks cool sitting on my shelf. But it does take up a lot of space....

This might be one of the first books I would absolutely refrain from recommending. Ever. Unless you need a sturdy bookend.

The Glass Castle: A memoir

I loved reading this story. Considering the context, you would expect it to be painful and dark. Told through the eyes of a child (though, now she's an adult), it follows a completely disfunctional, yet loving family as they move sporadically throughout the country on the whims of their alcoholic, brilliant father and their aloof and sometimes brash mother. The children are basically forced to raise themselves, their parents' style of child-rearing being under the belief that 'if we help you, we are not teaching you to fend for yourselves'. The children suffer a whole slew of abuses, live in poverty and absolute filth from time to time yet oddly, are able to make it through the hardships of their lives and learn the lessons their parents 'intended' for them to learn. The parents' parenting is virtually non-existant yet the children look up to their parents as any normal child, living a normal life would (...sometimes). It's almost impossible to comprehend and believe this to be a memoir and not complete fiction as you read the story Jeannette Walls is telling. Eventually all 3 Walls children end up in New York and the author is looking back at the path of life that has brought the family down to where they are today (her parents living as homeless people because it's an 'adventure').

This story is as hilarious and bittersweet. It really shows that no matter what life throws at you, somehow, you can find it in yourself to get past it all, good and bad. This story definitely leaves a smile on your face after reading it.

Cage of Stars

This story was on a bunch of best seller lists so I was surprised when I found it at the library last summer. The story was pretty depressing, about a young mormon girl, Ronnie, who witnesses the murder of her 2 younger sisters and has to cope with survivor's guilt. Not to mention, she's a teenager, filled with all the emotional highs and lows that come with that age. Her parents eventually are able to forgive the killer, but Ronnie refuses to forgive and instead insists on seeking revenge. The man who murdered her sisters was not on his medicine for mental illness when he killed the two girls and is now struggling with the guilt of committing a heinous act that he does not remember at all. He is trying to put his own past behind him, now married and with a baby of his own. Ronnie manages to become a nanny to the murderer's child and plans to carry out her big plan of revenge.

This story was suspenseful but after reading it, I felt really sad and down. I would only recommend this book to someone with the warning of feeling really blue every time you set it down.

Maybe I just get too wrapped up in stories. The book is well written, but like I said...the story line is depressing.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

This is another great story. It tells of a doctor who when his young wife is in labor with twins, sees his first child born, a healthy baby boy. His second child is born and instantly he is struck with grief; his child, a daughter, has been born with Down Syndrome. He does not tell his wife, in the drugged state of childbirth and has the baby girl wisked off with the nurse, instructing her to take her to a home for the handicapped. He tells his wife that the 2nd baby has died, and she mourns the loss of her baby. In a shocking twist, as the nurse is driving the baby to deliver it to the home, she instead decides to run away with the baby and raise her as her own.

Throughout the story the doctor's wife continues to mourn for her lost baby girl, never fully recovering from her loss. The book follows both children as they grow up, both strong and happy, unaware of their missing family. In his effort to keep his secret in order to keep his family together and 'normal', the doctor ends up pushing his family further from him and breaking them apart.

This story was amazing to see how the doctor's intentions ended up so completely far from what he wanted. This story has a happy ending, though and this quickly became another book that I could not put down.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

Blue Shoe

I finished this book over Memorial weekend. It was a perfect book to be able to sit outside in the sun with and just breeze through.

I read this after finishing another Anne Lamott book (though, this one was fiction and the first one I read was more biographical/reflective). After reading her first book, Ilearned a lot about her personal life and this book, Blue Shoe, seemed very similar. There were a lot of parts of this book that really tugged at my heartstrings, in particular the part where she had to put her dog to sleep. I was reading it at work and actually had tears welling up in my eyes while I sat in my desk.

The story follows the main character, Mattie through her journey dealing with her own divorce, her mother's failing health (I think she has Alzheimers), raising her 2 children as a single mother, the search for answers to mysteries involving keepsakes found in the glovebox of her deceased father's car and her search for love and stronger faith. I noticed that it mirrored a lot of things Anne was dealing with in her own personal life (I think Mattie's son, Harry was a lot like Anne's son, Sam). As the mystery unravels, I thought Anne through in a disturbing detail about Mattie's father's past. I think the story line could have done without it completely and it sort of through off the balance of the book, swinging it into something much darker and much more deep than it had been or needed to be. Then, as quickly as the reader is shocked with it, it's gone and not really touched on again. Maybe I was just looking for a breezy read and this seemed too harsh, maybe I'm being to critical. But still.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, despite that shocking part towards the end, I thought the book had a strong emotional appeal, and I like that.

The Wasp Eater

I finished this book in one day at work. I picked up this and a book by Anne Lamott to read on the 5 hour car ride to PA this weekend. Since I already finished this and am about 1/5 of the way done with the Lamott book....I better slow my pace.

The Wasp Eater was pretty decent. It's a story of a young boy, Daniel watching his parents' marriage finally crumble. Daniel's father is unfaithful to his mother and his mother is slowly breaking down. This is all seen through Daniel's eyes, a 10 year old boy. While you might expect the story to be depressing and dark, it's actually sweet and told with refreshingly clear honesty, through the eyes of a child. We see his mother's moments of temporary panic/insanity and his father's drunken, goofy, fun-loving yet destructive nature. You can relate to the misery of each of the characters and can understand the turmoil they feel in the situation. The story is so realistic that even in the climax, an event happens that you never would have been able to forsee, yet it still fits in appropriately.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. Even though I read through this in an entire day at work (actually, about 4 hours total), it wasn't just because I was bored and the office was empty, but it actually kept my attention the entire way through. A nice, short read. :)

Winkie

This book was one that I bought mainly because of the so-ugly-he's-cute bear on the cover. I'm not going to lie, that's how I pick most of the books I read. If the picture on the cover doesn't interest me or grab my attention, I don't give the book a second glance. Unless the book's been recommended to me, of course. This time, I was in Borders with Mel and Marissa and we all oogled over cute Winkie on the cover. I wasn't planning on buying anything but Mel opened it up and began to read a random page and we were all laughing out loud. I was sold. Cute bear, funny story? Where do we pay?

The story could probably be explained as a modern-day, grown up version of the Velveteen Rabbit. Winkie is a goofy looking teddybear who was passed down to the author and his siblings by their mother. Winkie is able to will himself to life and finds himself being captured and put on trial for terrorism. The list read by the prosecutors is 9678 charges long (including witchcraft, resisting arrest, treason, etc.) and we see the trial, as well as Winkie's memories of his past, told through his eyes. The story had some laugh out loud moments as well as moments where I wanted to reach through the book and squeeze Winkie to death (so cute!) However, toward the end of Winkie's trial and the end of the book, things got very VERY bizarre (even for my standards!) It just didn't seem like the end of the story meshed well with the first part of it. But that's just my opinion.

Would I recommed this book? Sure. If it wasn't for the first part of the book where I absolutely fell in love with Winkie, then I might consider this $12 wasted. But like I said, the story was cute, witty and I enjoyed the different pictures throughout the book of Winkie and his world.

Traveling Mercies

My manager, Michele loaned me this book by Anne Lamott. Just reading the title, I was a little leary of it, expecting it to be some 'let me try to cram Jesus down your throat' type of book. But since Michele recommended it (and I can't see her reading something like that) I gave it a try.

Only a few pages into it, I knew I would like it. The way Anne wrote was so lighthearted and funny, I flew through this book in no time. It's pretty much a collection of chapters she writes on different experiences she has and she writes each of them with a witty, dark sense of humor. She rarely mentions her faith and when she does, it's casually, not forceful at all. She was a former alcoholic/pill user/eating disorder sufferer who is a Born Again Christian. Usually those people can be a little scary but she is completely down to Earth and with a sense of humor that I can relate to. After reading this, I decided I wanted Anne Lamott to be my friend. I just can't collect enough funny people in my life ;)

Two things hit me pretty hard (in a good way) in this book. The first was when she was talking about people experiencing one bad thing after another, after another. She explained it as someone once told her; all these bad things are happening in order to distract you from a bigger, better thing that is trying to be 'born' in your life...if you weren't distracted, you might interfere with the process of the good thing ever happening to you. I read this part, literally, only minutes after drying my eyes after an emotional outburst at Tim, crying that I would never find a teaching job and that I need to move but I won't move and I won't leave every one I love here and blah blah blah. I don't know how true that statement is, but it gave me another glimmer of hope just as I snuffed out what I thought was my last glimmer out there.

The second was at the end of a chapter where she finally came to terms with the death of her father. She said, "My father had long legs, too. I tried very hard to keep up with him when I was a child. That's why I naturally walk so fast, and why I sometimes feel I can walk forever."

I do the same thing and while this wasn't a deep "Ah ha!" moment, I definitely related to this statement. It made me smile that someone else had a similar bond with their father, something that impacted them for the rest of their lives some how (even if it may be something as stupid as being a fast walker) I've never met anyone who for the first time walking with me somewhere, hasn't commented on that.

My favorite chapter was where she was describing her 'feta cheese thighs' which she affectionately refers to as the "Aunties." If you read nothing else in this book, you have to read that chapter!

Would I recommend this book? Yes! This was an easy, light read but it was not shallow in depth.

The Secret Life of Bees

This is one of my FAVORITE books that I did not stop reading until I was finished. It was one of those books that I wished was one foot thick after I finished it! My mom suggested I read this book which I now find a little ironic because the book touches on the topic of the mother-daughter relationship, whether it's traditional or not.

The book's main character, Lily, is a girl who you can't help but love. Her mother's mysterious death when she was still a little girl haunts her as she lives with her abusive father and their housekeeper on a peach farm. Lily's father blames her for her mother's death and takes his anger out on Lily, and after a string of events, she and the maid end up running away from the farm. She ends up seeking refuge at a house with a family of black women who call themselves the "Sisters of Mary" and take the two in. Here, for what may be the first time in her life, Lily is shown "family love" from a group that is about as far from a traditional family as they come. Away from her haunting past and angry father, Lily learns the truth about her past and is able to find herself and grow stronger as a person.

This was one of those stories that just made you feel good inside after you read it.

Would I recommend this? Yes, and I have, many times! This one is definitely towards the top of my Favorites list!

Suite Francaise

While I wouldn't consider this one of my favorite books, it was definitely a good one. Irene Nemirovsky wrote about France's occupation by German troops in the 1940s in what she intended to be a 5 part book (she completed the 2 that are now published before being arrested and sent to a concentration camp, where she died). What's interesting is that she wrote about the occupation while she was experiencing it herself, firsthand.

The first story, Storm in June, is pretty much chapter-by-chapter, back and forth account from various points of veiw of people fleeing France. Instead of telling you what is going on, she shows you through the thoughts and actions of her characters which also vary greatly. You get the perspective from the rich and poor, old and young and single people and families. It gives you a very clear picture of what was going on at the time and shows you that while we're all different, we're also all very the same, deep down. Feelings and emotions are the same for every human

The second story, Dolce, I liked best. It focused mainly on 2 families, each with a German soldier living with them (military orders). Again, Nemirovsky shows you what is going on instead of telling. It's so hard to imagine what it must be like to be forced to welcome the enemy into your home against your will and that some people ended up befriending them. Nemirovsky explored this idea by having her characters become torn between their own emotions. They weren't sure whether to be cordial to the enemies they were forced to live, eat and sleep with or to remain cold and distant to the enemy who quite possibly could have tortured, imprisoned or taken the life of someone they loved. While the book is fiction, you can't help but think that as crazy as the story and the circumstances sound, this was complete truth only decades ago.

The only thing I felt was lacking in this book was that I didn't feel any sort of emotional connection to any of the characters (which could be because it was left 3/5 of the way unfinished).

My favorite books hae been the ones where I have that feeling that I can't wait to get home and curl up and read as much as I possibly can before exhausting myself. Those are the books where I find myself daydreaming throughout the day about the characters and what they're going through. It reminds me of that saying "books can take you anywhere" and maybe it's cliche, but now I realize how true this is. In these books, I feel the characters' grief, their happiness, their love and yearning and I completely submerge myself in their world. I've been known to cry at books before which I think says something for the writer. To be able to move someone so strongly that they react with their own real emotions, from a story that is FICTIONAL is amazing. Those are the books that when I finish them, I tell my mom, "Now that I'm done with it, I wish that it never ended! I wish that the book was THIS THICK [holding my hands about a foot apart] so that I can keep reading."

I remember the first books that I said that about were the Mrs. PiggleWiggle series. :)

Would I recommend this? Yes. However, if you are looking for something more 'light' to read or something that is not historical fiction, then I would stray away from this book. Otherwise, I would be happy to loan this out :)