The Absolutist

I am starting The Absolutist by John Boyne today.  This is the first book I won from goodreads.  I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by Boyne last year and really liked it.  The Absolutist is the story of a soldier named Tristan who is taking letters back to the sister of a man named Will that he fought alongside in WWI.  Tristan has a secret that he is finally willing to share when he returns the letters.  I'm really curious to see what happened between these men during the war.

Finished #42

I just finished The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.  I already knew the story from watching the movie, but the book just seemed different.  I haven't seen the movie in a long time, so I can't really pinpoint how it is different.  I just feel like the book told a love story, but I didn't really connect with the characters.  We knew they love each other, but didn't learn a lot about them.

This is one time that I really enjoyed the movie more than the book.  I think a lot of times this happens when I see the movie first and I want to connect to the book characters like I did the movie.  I guess I just wanted more details.

The Notebook

Tera picked The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks for our September book club pick.  The book snob in me wanted to stay away from all Sparks' novels, but I will give this one a shot since it is for book club.  I do really like this movie and the book is usually better than the movie, so I'm hoping I enjoy it.  I've heard it is a quick read too, which will help me finish up the 50 book challenge.  :)

Finished #41

I just finished Shades of Grace.  It's supposed to be about a women who gets Alzheimer's at the age of 61, but there is so much more to the story.  It's about a daughter falling in love with a doctor, a granddaughter with diabetes, the grandma's secret past, and more.  I felt like there were too many side stories and wish it would have focused more on the grandma's disease.  It seemed like the daughter, Francine, was the main character in the story.  I also didn't like all the sexual parts between the daughter and the doctor.  Just felt like cheesy romance novel writing to me.  Any way, this book was okay, but not one of my favorites.

Shades of Grace

I am starting Shades of Grace by Barbara Delinsky right now.  This is the October book club pick that I am reading early since my friend had a copy.  This is a book about a newspaper columnist who gets Alzheimers.  My friend Stephanie said it was a great book, so I hope she is right.  I recently read 'Still Alice' and liked it, so I'm hoping this one keeps me interested.

*Not to be confused with Shades of Grey :)

10 books to go!

I have 9 weeks to read my last 10 books for the challenge.  This year has been a struggle with not having a lot of free time to read and picking some really boring books.  I should have some extra free time once the kids start school.  I know I can do this.  Can't wait to read some more!

Finished #40

I finished The Underneath by Kathi Appelt last night.  This was a book suggested by Mason and it was really good.  The story is about animals: A cat and kittens, a bloodhound, a 100 ft foot alligator, a giant snake, and a few humans.  This story was very dark, but warm at the same time.  I think the biggest message was about loneliness and finding friends in unusual places.  It was very strange, but I love a good unique story.  I'm a little surprised that 3rd graders read this.  I can see how it would be a little much for some kids that age.

The Underneath

Mason read The Underneath by Kathi Appelt last year for school.  He loved it and keeps telling me I need to read it.  It caused lots of debates in his classroom, so I'm interested to see what it is about.  I hope I like it as much as he did.

Finished #39- Finally!

After 3 weeks of of and on reading, I finally finished Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  I liked the story, but it just didn't seem to hold my attention as much as I wanted.  I think it's because I just finished some more action themed books, so the classics seem to move a little slower.  I really liked the characters Beth and Jo.  I really didn't care for Amy at first, but she turned out good in the end.  I love how close the March family was.  It really makes me hope to have a strong bond with my kids as I grow older.
I might try reading Little Men, but I'll have to catch up on some other books first.