#34: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I finished I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou last night.  I was looking for a book with a "thankful theme" in it for book club.  I don't think is exactly what I was looking for, but I still enjoyed the book.
I'm really surprised that I haven't read anything by Angelou before.  I am a sucker for stories on race relations.  They make me so mad while I read about them, but I always feel uplifted by the people who struggled through these times and were able to come out on top.
In this book, Maya talked about her life from ages 4-17 yrs.  She talked about growing up with her grandmother and uncle in Stamps and then being moved around with her parents in Missouri and California.  I really liked hearing about her life and seeing how these memories made her become a great author and civil rights activist.
I look forward to reading more by Maya Angelou.

Up Next:  What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

#33: Confessions of a Shopaholic

I finished a quick read this morning, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.  This was a book left in our free little library that I hadn't read before.  I was looking for a quick, easy read while laying on the couch, and this was perfect.

It's the story of Rebecca "Becky" Bloomwood, who is a journalist for Successful Saving magazine.  The irony in Becky being a finance journalist, is that she is completely in debt due to her shopping addiction.  She loves clothes, makeup, shoes, etc.  She especially can't pass up sales or gift with purchase offers.  The farther Becky gets in debt, the worse her shopping addiction gets.

There were lots of funny happenings in the story.  I couldn't help but like Becky even though her world is falling apart.  Overall this was a fun read.

Up Next:  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

#32: The Talisman

I FINALLY finished The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub.  It started out interesting, but very slow for me.  It's a story of a boy named Jack who needs to end west to California to help save his mom who is dying of cancer.  The trick to his travel, is that he will travel through other worlds, aka "The Territories" to save her.  In the Territories, his mother is the Queen, who is also dying.  So in order to save his mom and the Queen, he needs to go to California and find the Talisman.

I was really interested in Jack's travels, but honestly this book was way over my head.  Some things I understood about his traveling, but it ended up getting a little too Sci-fi for me.  Jack met very interesting people and creatures along the way.  Some too unbelievable to even mention so I won't ruin the book for you.  I felt it did get a little gory towards the end too.

I don't know if this book was meant more to be horror, suspense, or sci-fi.  It didn't really scare me, it just kind of confused my mind.  It was okay, but I wouldn't recommend it as a must read.  It never really got good enough for me to "not be able to put it down".

Up Next:  Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
I need some light mindless reading after that big confusing book.  :)