I have been updating this blog after I read books and it is not saving my reviews or publishing them. I am currently done with book 39, even though it only shows 35 on here. Books missed were The BFG, Ready Player One, and Summer Sisters. Now that Goodreads has a reading challenge I think I will just do reviews on there after this year.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Sunday, August 28, 2016
#35: One Breath Away
Last night I finished One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf. I have really enjoyed her other books and I liked this one as well. It's the story of a gunman in a school during the middle of a snow storm the day before spring break. It's broken out as each chapter being from a different person's point of view, so we learn a lot about the characters this way. One character was a child in the school looking for her brother, one was the grandpa, one was the mother, and one was the police officer.
I felt that I really liked learning about the characters, with the exception of Holly (the mom) I really liked them. The story seemed to have some suspense as we didn't know who the gunman was until the very end. There were lots of twists to get you to guess who it was, but it wasn't until the police finally were going in that I could guess who it was.
At times it was a little cheesy, but overall it was a good read. I definitely like Gudenkauf's writing.
I felt that I really liked learning about the characters, with the exception of Holly (the mom) I really liked them. The story seemed to have some suspense as we didn't know who the gunman was until the very end. There were lots of twists to get you to guess who it was, but it wasn't until the police finally were going in that I could guess who it was.
At times it was a little cheesy, but overall it was a good read. I definitely like Gudenkauf's writing.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
#34: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
I just finished the book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. I remember loving this movie, but had never read the book. It was on the eating themed table at the library, so I decided to read it for book club. We are doing a "potluck" theme next week.
I really liked this book. There were a lot of extra details in the book that I didn't remember from the movie. I really enjoyed all the characters as well.
I really liked this book. There were a lot of extra details in the book that I didn't remember from the movie. I really enjoyed all the characters as well.
#33: Brown Girl Dreaming
I recently read the book Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This was the story of Jacqueline's childhood told through poems and songs. It was beautifully written. I loved learning how she started writing and found the history and her childhood very interesting.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
#32: The Secret Keeper
Yesterday I finished The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. This was a story about a group of sibling coming home to visit their mother Dorothy who is dying. While talking to her mom ,the oldest daughter, Laurel keeps remembering something that happened in their childhood. She feels her mother is hiding a huge secret and starts her research to find out more about her mother's life during the war years.
Laurel works quickly and ends up finding a lot of information about her mother. She also has her brother Gerry help to find out more. I loved hearing the war time story of Dorothy, Vivien, Jimmy, and all the others. This was a great story with a perfect secret/twist that I loved.
Laurel works quickly and ends up finding a lot of information about her mother. She also has her brother Gerry help to find out more. I loved hearing the war time story of Dorothy, Vivien, Jimmy, and all the others. This was a great story with a perfect secret/twist that I loved.
#31: The Dinner
I recently read The Dinner by Herman Koch. It's a story of 2 brothers going out to a fancy dinner with their wives. One of the brother's is famous and running for a political office, so he keeps getting recognized everywhere and gets "fancy" treatment. The whole point of the dinner is the discuss something horrible that their sons have done and how they are going to handle it.
I really hated all the characters in this book. I also felt the book was written in a slow tone for such an important subject. Look back, I think that maybe the slow tone was to go along with how horrible and unemotional the characters seem.
This book was both boring and disgusting at the same time.
I really hated all the characters in this book. I also felt the book was written in a slow tone for such an important subject. Look back, I think that maybe the slow tone was to go along with how horrible and unemotional the characters seem.
This book was both boring and disgusting at the same time.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
#30: On the Island
On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves has been recommended to me by several people. My SIL loved it and recommended it a while back because the author lives in Des Moines, a co-worker loves any books with romance, and a friend in my book club read it as her "tropical" themed book. I finally decided to grab it from the library to read as a back up to my other summer read.
This is the story of a teacher named Anna who is supposed to be tutoring a boy named TJ during the summer. TJ missed a lot of school due to having cancer and needs to catch up during the summer holiday by having a tutor come on summer break with his family to the Maldive Islands. Instead of TJ traveling with his family. He waits and travels with Anna who wasn't done with work yet. On the way to their final destination, the sea plane they are on crashes and they end up stranded on an uninhabited island.
We can all guess what will happen, even though Anna is way older, they are the only 2 there so they fall in love. This story is not a new idea. Some of the things that happened on the island were unique. I really liked the stories of how they learned to survive on the island, but for me the "love story" felt forced. I can see when TJ loved Anna, but for me Anna's love for TJ was a little lacking.
This was a really fast read and a good guilty pleasure read. While I liked it, I don't feel it was one of the greatest books I've read recently. I do think I will read the sequel to this just to learn a little more about the island they were on.
Up Next: The Dinner
Friday, July 15, 2016
#29: The Girls in the Garden
Our next book club theme is "summer". I didn't take any summer themed books with me on my vacation, so I was looking for a quick read when I got back. I don't remember exactly how I found this book, but I must have seen it on some kind of book list. I saw the word garden and thought of summer. Reading the description, it takes place at a garden party in the middle of summer, so I feel it works for the theme.
The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell is the story of families living a in communal garden area in London. Clare and her 2 daughters move to this neighborhood after Clare's husband has a psychotic break down and sets the house on fire to avoid alien rats. (This part was super cheesy, but the rest is good. I promise.) The girls, Grace and Pip, start hanging around a group of friends,, referred to as the "gang". There are some unfriendly feelings between some of the girls and Grace. Most of this is because the boy in the gang, Dylan, likes Grace and some of the other girls are jealous. During a summer garden party, Grace ends up unconsious in the garden and found by her sister Pip. That is where the story acutally starts.
The story starts with Pip finding Grace. It then tells how Clare's family ended up there and we meet all the people who live there. We also here some history of people who live there, including a girl named Phoebe who was murdered there when she was 15. People start to question what really happened to Phoebe and if it is connected to what happened to Grace. Several times I thought that a certain person was guilty and then didn't end up being guilty. After some questioning by the police, the story then jumps back to what actually happened that night.
I have never read anything by Lisa Jewell before, but it was a pretty good book. Great for a quick read and mini suspense book.
Up Next: On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell is the story of families living a in communal garden area in London. Clare and her 2 daughters move to this neighborhood after Clare's husband has a psychotic break down and sets the house on fire to avoid alien rats. (This part was super cheesy, but the rest is good. I promise.) The girls, Grace and Pip, start hanging around a group of friends,, referred to as the "gang". There are some unfriendly feelings between some of the girls and Grace. Most of this is because the boy in the gang, Dylan, likes Grace and some of the other girls are jealous. During a summer garden party, Grace ends up unconsious in the garden and found by her sister Pip. That is where the story acutally starts.
The story starts with Pip finding Grace. It then tells how Clare's family ended up there and we meet all the people who live there. We also here some history of people who live there, including a girl named Phoebe who was murdered there when she was 15. People start to question what really happened to Phoebe and if it is connected to what happened to Grace. Several times I thought that a certain person was guilty and then didn't end up being guilty. After some questioning by the police, the story then jumps back to what actually happened that night.
I have never read anything by Lisa Jewell before, but it was a pretty good book. Great for a quick read and mini suspense book.
Up Next: On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
#28: When I'm Gone
Okay, something is messed up with this blog. Several of my last posts had to be typed out 2 or 3 times and aren't getting saved/published. Anyway, a few days ago I finished When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker. This was another book that Levi book on the Nook for me for our vacation.
It is the story of a man named Luke, whose wife dies of cancer. It starts on the day of her funeral. After the funeral, Luke notices a letter in the mail. He opens it to find that it is from his wife Natalie. She had wrote him letters before she died and planned to have them sent out on certain days. At first he finds the letters very calming, but then he starts to question some of the things in the letters. He begins to think that his wife was keeping terrible secrets from him during their life together. He tells Natalie's best friend/neighbor about the letters. She received 1 only, and tells Luke maybe he shouldn't believe what is in the letters.
I was very interested in this story. It really had me at a point where I couldn't book the Nook down and finished it fairly quickly. It was overall a very good story. I do feel that it had a lot of details thrown in and at the end it was a little cheesy and predictable, but I still liked it. Definitely worth the read.
It is the story of a man named Luke, whose wife dies of cancer. It starts on the day of her funeral. After the funeral, Luke notices a letter in the mail. He opens it to find that it is from his wife Natalie. She had wrote him letters before she died and planned to have them sent out on certain days. At first he finds the letters very calming, but then he starts to question some of the things in the letters. He begins to think that his wife was keeping terrible secrets from him during their life together. He tells Natalie's best friend/neighbor about the letters. She received 1 only, and tells Luke maybe he shouldn't believe what is in the letters.
I was very interested in this story. It really had me at a point where I couldn't book the Nook down and finished it fairly quickly. It was overall a very good story. I do feel that it had a lot of details thrown in and at the end it was a little cheesy and predictable, but I still liked it. Definitely worth the read.
Friday, July 8, 2016
#27: Not Another Superhero
I had my first experience with an e-book on our train trip. Levi didn't want us to haul a bunch of books in our luggage so he downloaded books for us. The first one I read was Not Another Superhero by Tara Lynn Thompson. I was hooked on this book from the beginning.
It's about a girl named Samantha Addison. She is a single woman who works in journalism. The book starts with her getting mugged. I immediately loved the dialog between Samantha and her mugger. She was very sarcastic and nonchalant about the whole thing while speaking to him. The mugger plays along for awhile and then decides to shoot her. The bullet doesn't kill her and Samantha can't figure out why she isn't dead.
After the mugging, other things start happening to her. She always comes out alive thanks to the help of a co-worker named Jackson Christy and a mysterious hooded superhero. Samantha is put under police protection, but always finds a way to create more trouble for herself.
I found myself laughing in some parts about how sarcastic and crazy she is. I also felt sad for her and the other characters in other parts. She kept reminding me of Stephanie Plum in some parts of the book.
The unveiling of the "superhero" was not a surprise to me, but some information in the epilogue was. I will definitely be reading the 2nd book when it comes out to see what happens.
Currently Reading: When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker
It's about a girl named Samantha Addison. She is a single woman who works in journalism. The book starts with her getting mugged. I immediately loved the dialog between Samantha and her mugger. She was very sarcastic and nonchalant about the whole thing while speaking to him. The mugger plays along for awhile and then decides to shoot her. The bullet doesn't kill her and Samantha can't figure out why she isn't dead.
After the mugging, other things start happening to her. She always comes out alive thanks to the help of a co-worker named Jackson Christy and a mysterious hooded superhero. Samantha is put under police protection, but always finds a way to create more trouble for herself.
I found myself laughing in some parts about how sarcastic and crazy she is. I also felt sad for her and the other characters in other parts. She kept reminding me of Stephanie Plum in some parts of the book.
The unveiling of the "superhero" was not a surprise to me, but some information in the epilogue was. I will definitely be reading the 2nd book when it comes out to see what happens.
Currently Reading: When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker
#26: The Mystics of Mile End
The Mystics of Mile End by Sigal Samuel was a free advanced copy that I grabbed off of the library table. It was about a boy named Lev who is growing up in the Mile End neighborhood in Canada. He goes to both regular school and is being taught about his Jewish religion from his neighbor. Throughout the book, Lev and his sister Samara struggle with telling their father that being Jewish is very important to them. The father, David, started doubting his religion shortly before his wife died.
There are several interesting characters in the book. I really liked how the story was told first from Lev, then Sam, then David, and then a summary of everything. Even though I didn't understand some of the Hebrew text with the Tree of Knowledge, I still thought it was a very interesting and heartwarming story about the Mile End neighborhood.
There are several interesting characters in the book. I really liked how the story was told first from Lev, then Sam, then David, and then a summary of everything. Even though I didn't understand some of the Hebrew text with the Tree of Knowledge, I still thought it was a very interesting and heartwarming story about the Mile End neighborhood.
Friday, June 24, 2016
#25: Fin and Lady
I just finished Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine last night. This is the story of a boy named Fin who is orphaned at a young age. His only surviving relative is a half sister named Lady. This story tells how Fin first met her and their lives together. It's a sad story, but shows the beauty of sibling relationships.
I was really drawn to both characters. There were some other characters thrown into the story as well including possible husbands for Lady, friends of Fin, and Lady's maid. I loved seeing the differences in the characters and felt like Fin was a great judge of character.
The story is told from a 3rd person's view and we don't learn who that person is until the very end of the story. Overall a great book for a random grab off the library table.
Up Next: We're leaving for a 2 week vacation this afternoon. Levi uploaded some books to his Kindle for me. It will be my first experience with e-books. Hopefully I can get a lot of reading done.
I was really drawn to both characters. There were some other characters thrown into the story as well including possible husbands for Lady, friends of Fin, and Lady's maid. I loved seeing the differences in the characters and felt like Fin was a great judge of character.
The story is told from a 3rd person's view and we don't learn who that person is until the very end of the story. Overall a great book for a random grab off the library table.
Up Next: We're leaving for a 2 week vacation this afternoon. Levi uploaded some books to his Kindle for me. It will be my first experience with e-books. Hopefully I can get a lot of reading done.
#24: Teas and Tisanes
For some reason it didn't save my Teas and Tisanes review. I chose this for a learn and do themed book club. I have a large about of mint taking over my garden, so I was wanting to learn if I could make tea out of it. This book was really short, but I learned a lot. I did make some Moroccan Iced Tea as a recipe from my book. It is just green tea with sugar and spearmint leaves. Very delicious.
I am excited to just just plain mint tea from my garden this fall. I also saw a recipe for Chinese Tea Eggs which I hope to make when Minyue come to live with us. :)
I am excited to just just plain mint tea from my garden this fall. I also saw a recipe for Chinese Tea Eggs which I hope to make when Minyue come to live with us. :)
Saturday, June 18, 2016
#23: Lila
Lila by Marilynne Robinson was the book discussion pick for the library. I had planned on going to the discussion on Tuesday (to get double points for the summer reading program), but I have another meeting. This is probably a good thing since I found the book incredibly boring.
I had read Gilead a while back and I didn't realize this was the 3rd book in that series. I didn't read the 2nd book, so I don't know if I missed much. I don't really remember anything about Gilead, but my star review shows I didn't really care for that one either.
Lila is about an orphaned girl who is stolen and cared for by an old woman named Doll. They have a hard life and are constantly moving so that no one can find them. There are some very interesting parts about Lila and Doll's life, but the story is very scattered. I felt like just when I was starting to enjoy the story, it would jump to something else and then I would lose focus. I'm sure there are others that like this type of jump around story, but it just wasn't for me.
PS. I'm also annoyed by books that don't have chapters or other breaks. Makes me have a hard time deciding when to quick reading for the day.
Currently Reading: Teas and Tisanes for a DIY book club theme
I had read Gilead a while back and I didn't realize this was the 3rd book in that series. I didn't read the 2nd book, so I don't know if I missed much. I don't really remember anything about Gilead, but my star review shows I didn't really care for that one either.
Lila is about an orphaned girl who is stolen and cared for by an old woman named Doll. They have a hard life and are constantly moving so that no one can find them. There are some very interesting parts about Lila and Doll's life, but the story is very scattered. I felt like just when I was starting to enjoy the story, it would jump to something else and then I would lose focus. I'm sure there are others that like this type of jump around story, but it just wasn't for me.
PS. I'm also annoyed by books that don't have chapters or other breaks. Makes me have a hard time deciding when to quick reading for the day.
Currently Reading: Teas and Tisanes for a DIY book club theme
Friday, June 10, 2016
#22: The Code of the Woosters
My friend Jane in Ohio told me about PG Wodehouse and the Wooster/Jeeves books a long time ago. I had forgot to check into them until I read another book that mentioned them. The book The Code of the Woosters was mentioned in a secret society book I read awhile back. I thought I would try it as my first Wodehouse read.
I didn't realize until I added it on Goodreads that it was book 7 in the series. The other reviews said it would be fine to read on it's own and it was. It was a little slow going at first, but about 1/4 in I really started enjoying the characters and the shenanigans they got into. Most of the story revolved around the possible theft of a cow creamer. Later in the story other stolen items come up. It has some satirical humor and crazy detective work. I would really like to learn more about Wooster and Jeeves and plan to read some other books in this series soon.
Up Next: Lila by Marilynne Robinson
I didn't realize until I added it on Goodreads that it was book 7 in the series. The other reviews said it would be fine to read on it's own and it was. It was a little slow going at first, but about 1/4 in I really started enjoying the characters and the shenanigans they got into. Most of the story revolved around the possible theft of a cow creamer. Later in the story other stolen items come up. It has some satirical humor and crazy detective work. I would really like to learn more about Wooster and Jeeves and plan to read some other books in this series soon.
Up Next: Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
#21: The Devil Wears Prada
I bought The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger from the library spring book sale. I thought it would be a fun, quick read to get back ahead on my reading goal. I have never seen the movie, but I have heard a lot of people tell me it's a good movie.
Let me just start by saying that I did really not care for this book. The writing itself wasn't bad and the story line was okay, but I just hated the characters. The "devil" Miranda Priestly is a very demanding and ungrateful boss. I understand that this was her role in a big company. The employee Andrea "Andy" Sachs was a young girl looking for a career in journalism. She decided to take the risk of working in fashion with a demanding boss. I just couldn't stand Andy. She kept telling herself she needed this job, but it was obviously ruining her life. She wanted to tell Miranda off so many times, but never did. And in the mean time she ruined all her other relationships. In the end, she does tell Miranda off, but in my opinion it was way too late. Why not do it earlier and tell Miranda why people don't want to work for her.
Just not my favorite book. I don't really know if I would ever want to watch the movie based off of my view of the book.
Up Next: The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse
Let me just start by saying that I did really not care for this book. The writing itself wasn't bad and the story line was okay, but I just hated the characters. The "devil" Miranda Priestly is a very demanding and ungrateful boss. I understand that this was her role in a big company. The employee Andrea "Andy" Sachs was a young girl looking for a career in journalism. She decided to take the risk of working in fashion with a demanding boss. I just couldn't stand Andy. She kept telling herself she needed this job, but it was obviously ruining her life. She wanted to tell Miranda off so many times, but never did. And in the mean time she ruined all her other relationships. In the end, she does tell Miranda off, but in my opinion it was way too late. Why not do it earlier and tell Miranda why people don't want to work for her.
Just not my favorite book. I don't really know if I would ever want to watch the movie based off of my view of the book.
Up Next: The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse
Saturday, May 28, 2016
#20: The Plum Tree
I haven't been reading much lately, but I did finally finish The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman. This is a WWII story about a poor, German girl who is in love with a rich, Jewish boy. Throughout her life, Christine has had a crush on Issac and her friends and family have told her is it not likely that they will ever be together. In the beginning of the story, we learn that Issac also loves Christine and wants to be with her. Just when they thought things would work out for them, Hitler came and things got even more complicated.
Christine's father is sent off to war, Issac and all other Jews are told to leave Germany, everyone is starving, and all the classic images we know of WWII. Christine's main concern is whether she will ever see Issac again. In this story there were a surprising amount of German citizens who were secretly and sometimes openly going against Hitler's orders. Unfortunately, no one could do enough to stop the Nazis and safe the innocent lives.
I really don't want to give anything away, but I will say that things get way worse as the story progresses. While I felt some of the ending was a little predictable, there were also some nice surprises. It wasn't one of my favorite WWII stories, but I did enjoy it.
Currently Reading: The Devil Wears Prada
Christine's father is sent off to war, Issac and all other Jews are told to leave Germany, everyone is starving, and all the classic images we know of WWII. Christine's main concern is whether she will ever see Issac again. In this story there were a surprising amount of German citizens who were secretly and sometimes openly going against Hitler's orders. Unfortunately, no one could do enough to stop the Nazis and safe the innocent lives.
I really don't want to give anything away, but I will say that things get way worse as the story progresses. While I felt some of the ending was a little predictable, there were also some nice surprises. It wasn't one of my favorite WWII stories, but I did enjoy it.
Currently Reading: The Devil Wears Prada
Monday, May 16, 2016
#19: The Library of Souls
Last night I finished The Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. This is the 3rd book in the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series. I will just start by saying that I loved the first 2 books in this series. I loved how the vintage pictures worked with the story to make it come alive. The photos were really unique and fit so well with the story that was being told. We learned so much about the world of peculiars, wights, hollowgasts, etc. in the first 2 books. After the ending of the 2nd book, I couldn't wait to see what would happen in the 3rd.
After waiting so long to read it, I was a little disappointed. For one thing, I didn't really remember where the 2nd book left off. I was hoping for a little refresher, but we were just thrown in. There is no way you could pick this book up without reading the other 2 and have any idea what is happening. I feel like the 2nd book had some snippet reminders of who people were and other details, but this time I had to think back and struggled to remember who was who and who did what.
I also felt that the vintage pictures did not go along with the story as much as they did in the first 2 books. There were a couple unique photos, but overall they seemed very plain in this book. I felt like they were just kind of randomly thrown in instead of helping to tell the story.
I'm still glad I read the book and I am happy with the ending. Maybe if I would have read the 2nd and 3rd closer together the story would have flowed better. I still recommend the series for people who like unique stories and fun vintage pictures.
Up Next: The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman
After waiting so long to read it, I was a little disappointed. For one thing, I didn't really remember where the 2nd book left off. I was hoping for a little refresher, but we were just thrown in. There is no way you could pick this book up without reading the other 2 and have any idea what is happening. I feel like the 2nd book had some snippet reminders of who people were and other details, but this time I had to think back and struggled to remember who was who and who did what.
I also felt that the vintage pictures did not go along with the story as much as they did in the first 2 books. There were a couple unique photos, but overall they seemed very plain in this book. I felt like they were just kind of randomly thrown in instead of helping to tell the story.
I'm still glad I read the book and I am happy with the ending. Maybe if I would have read the 2nd and 3rd closer together the story would have flowed better. I still recommend the series for people who like unique stories and fun vintage pictures.
Up Next: The Plum Tree by Ellen Marie Wiseman
#18: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
For my "Iowa Author" book for book club I read The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. I really liked learning some history about Des Moines while reading this book. I had heard that Yonkers was originally based out of Des Moines, but I didn't know how big the store had been. And that the huge store wasn't closed until 2005. Seems like something that I should have known while growing up and living around Des Moines. There were some other interesting historical facts as well.
The book also had some other interesting stories about Bill's childhood. History in general from the 1950s and 1960s was also covered. I found that the book had some interesting parts, but it didn't really excite me that much.
Our book club on Iowa Authors had to be rescheduled, but now I'm ready for when we have it.
The book also had some other interesting stories about Bill's childhood. History in general from the 1950s and 1960s was also covered. I found that the book had some interesting parts, but it didn't really excite me that much.
Our book club on Iowa Authors had to be rescheduled, but now I'm ready for when we have it.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
#17: The Dynamite Room
I finished The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt a few days ago. This is a WWII story which is usually one of my favorite historical fiction topics to read. This book sounded very interesting, but unfortunately I really didn't enjoy it that much. It was very slow to read and I felt the way the story was told was very confusing.
It was the story of a girl named Lydia running away from a boarding house back to her childhood home during the war. She finds the house empty and wonders where her mother is. In the night, a German soldier comes to the house. He is torn between killing her and letting her live. He lets her live, but tells her she must follow all his rules.
They wait for the rest of the Germans to come and face other hardships along the way. In the end we are supposed to feel connected to their relationship, but I was just really confused by all the information given in the flashbacks. The ending seemed very rushed too.
Currently Reading: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
It was the story of a girl named Lydia running away from a boarding house back to her childhood home during the war. She finds the house empty and wonders where her mother is. In the night, a German soldier comes to the house. He is torn between killing her and letting her live. He lets her live, but tells her she must follow all his rules.
They wait for the rest of the Germans to come and face other hardships along the way. In the end we are supposed to feel connected to their relationship, but I was just really confused by all the information given in the flashbacks. The ending seemed very rushed too.
Currently Reading: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
Friday, April 8, 2016
#16: Carry On
I just finished Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This is the story of Simon Snow, as Cath wrote about in the book Fangirl. I had really enjoyed Fangirl and Eleanor and Park by Rowell, but this one was just okay for me.
It's gotten really good reviews by everyone else, but I just didn't really get into it. The story was entertaining and I wanted to know what happened, but I didn't feel any remarkable moments. Maybe it was because I kind of knew what was going to happen from reading Fangirl. I liked the story of the magic world and the vampire story, but maybe I was comparing them too much to the Harry Potter and Twilight series.
I also liked the relationship between Simon and Baz, but I didn't feel the strong pull of love that I did in Rowell's other novels. I found the teenage love stories in Eleanor & Park and Fangirl absolutely amazing. They just gave me that happy mushy feeling inside. Baz and Simon felt not as strong.
Anyway a good story, but just not as liked by me as her other novels. Still glad I have a few more left to read.
Up Next: The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt
It's gotten really good reviews by everyone else, but I just didn't really get into it. The story was entertaining and I wanted to know what happened, but I didn't feel any remarkable moments. Maybe it was because I kind of knew what was going to happen from reading Fangirl. I liked the story of the magic world and the vampire story, but maybe I was comparing them too much to the Harry Potter and Twilight series.
I also liked the relationship between Simon and Baz, but I didn't feel the strong pull of love that I did in Rowell's other novels. I found the teenage love stories in Eleanor & Park and Fangirl absolutely amazing. They just gave me that happy mushy feeling inside. Baz and Simon felt not as strong.
Anyway a good story, but just not as liked by me as her other novels. Still glad I have a few more left to read.
Up Next: The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt
Saturday, March 26, 2016
#15: Fangirl
I loved the book Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I think the reason I loved it so much is because the main character Cath/Cather reminded me a lot of myself. Normally I wouldn't like a character who is like me, but she made me realize it is okay to be different. Now, I am not a writer of fanfiction like her, but it was her traits and emotions that I found similar.
The story starts with Cath going off to college and really not fitting in. She finds it hard to make friends, thinks her room mate hates her, and just really feels very nervous about everything. She also worries about her dad back home and her party animal sister. I liked how we slowly got to see how Cath started interacting with other characters.
While I liked the first part of the book, I really loved the 2nd part. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will just say that I loved the love story in this book. It just came me a happy feeling and made me want to cuddle with my husband.
Up Next: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
#14: The Prophet of Yonwood
On our mini vacation this weekend we listened to The Prophet of Yonwood by Jean DuPrau on audio book. This is the 3rd book in the Ember series.
This book did not have the same characters as the first 2 Ember books, since this is a type of prequel. It is about a girl named Nicki who goes to stay with her aunt in Yonwood, CT in her's great grandfather's house. He has recently died and her aunt is getting the house ready to sell. In the book, Nicki meets some interesting characters in Yonwood including a "Prophet" who is believed to tell the city how to avoid some type of futuristic disaster.
It was really funny to see the way the characters behaved in the book. Poor Nicki was very torn on what to believe and how to act. I liked the change that was seen in Nicki throughout the book.
I can't really say too much more without giving it away. It was a pretty good story. We really didn't see how it fit with the other Ember books until the very end. I am excited to listen to the next one soon.
Currently Reading: Fangirl and Outsider in the White House
This book did not have the same characters as the first 2 Ember books, since this is a type of prequel. It is about a girl named Nicki who goes to stay with her aunt in Yonwood, CT in her's great grandfather's house. He has recently died and her aunt is getting the house ready to sell. In the book, Nicki meets some interesting characters in Yonwood including a "Prophet" who is believed to tell the city how to avoid some type of futuristic disaster.
It was really funny to see the way the characters behaved in the book. Poor Nicki was very torn on what to believe and how to act. I liked the change that was seen in Nicki throughout the book.
I can't really say too much more without giving it away. It was a pretty good story. We really didn't see how it fit with the other Ember books until the very end. I am excited to listen to the next one soon.
Currently Reading: Fangirl and Outsider in the White House
Thursday, March 17, 2016
#13: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart is the story of a teenage girl and her life at a private school. She is going to a private school that her father went to when he was a teenager. Her father loves this school and how it gives you connections to other bigger and better things later in life. He also mentions being a Basset, but doesn't really give Frankie and her sister any more information on that.
The story starts out with Frankie on vacation during the summer and is sick of being treated like a baby. When she goes back to school as a sophomore, she gets noticed by a boy she had a crush on and starts dating him. She learns he is also part of The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds and is determined to find out more about this secret society. Frankie takes matters into her own hands in a very unique way.
So many things happen along the way that are typical social situations for teenagers. I really liked the way the different characters were portrayed in the book. I also really liked the character of Frankie. She reminded me a little of Flavia de Luce who I really like.
This was a great and easy read for a Secret Society pick.
Up Next: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The story starts out with Frankie on vacation during the summer and is sick of being treated like a baby. When she goes back to school as a sophomore, she gets noticed by a boy she had a crush on and starts dating him. She learns he is also part of The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds and is determined to find out more about this secret society. Frankie takes matters into her own hands in a very unique way.
So many things happen along the way that are typical social situations for teenagers. I really liked the way the different characters were portrayed in the book. I also really liked the character of Frankie. She reminded me a little of Flavia de Luce who I really like.
This was a great and easy read for a Secret Society pick.
Up Next: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
#12: If I Stay
Last night I finished If I Stay by Gayle Forman. This book was recommended by a friend at book club. She gave it to me awhile ago and I misplaced it. I decided to buy a copy so I could get it back to her.
This was a quick read. It was a sad story and held my attention. I have to admit though, that I didn't find it amazing like so may others, but it was good. I didn't cry even though it was sad. I just felt the whole love story in the book was a little weak. The idea behind it was great, but I felt the emotions could have been stronger.
As a side note, I didn't like that she made cello players out to be dorks. They are awesome. Orchestra rules!
Up Next: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landu-Banks by E. Lockhart
This was a quick read. It was a sad story and held my attention. I have to admit though, that I didn't find it amazing like so may others, but it was good. I didn't cry even though it was sad. I just felt the whole love story in the book was a little weak. The idea behind it was great, but I felt the emotions could have been stronger.
As a side note, I didn't like that she made cello players out to be dorks. They are awesome. Orchestra rules!
Up Next: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landu-Banks by E. Lockhart
Monday, March 14, 2016
#11: Kisses from Katie
I recently read Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. I heard of this book quite a while ago, but it wasn't available at the library. A friend of mine who is selling Trades of Hope jewelry, had a copy and let me borrow it. There is a Kisses from Katie necklace available from Trades of Hope.
This is the story of Katie Davis who says God called her to go on a mission trip during her senior year of high school. She looks into and finds an orphanage in Uganda that is accepting volunteers and goes there over Christmas break with her mom. She immediately falls in love with the work and wants to go back.
Her parents, family, friends, etc. all want her to stay home and go to college, but she really wants to go back and help the children. She ends up becoming a teacher and decides to live there and adopt children.
Katie is in a constant state of wanting to be with her family, but having a greater desire to help the children in Uganda. There are lots of Bible references. I really like her story, but it got a little repetitive. Still a great woman to be able to do something like this.
Currently Reading: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
This is the story of Katie Davis who says God called her to go on a mission trip during her senior year of high school. She looks into and finds an orphanage in Uganda that is accepting volunteers and goes there over Christmas break with her mom. She immediately falls in love with the work and wants to go back.
Her parents, family, friends, etc. all want her to stay home and go to college, but she really wants to go back and help the children. She ends up becoming a teacher and decides to live there and adopt children.
Katie is in a constant state of wanting to be with her family, but having a greater desire to help the children in Uganda. There are lots of Bible references. I really like her story, but it got a little repetitive. Still a great woman to be able to do something like this.
Currently Reading: If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Saturday, March 5, 2016
#10: A Casual Vacancy
I finally finished A Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling. This is the story of a council man dying during his term and all the behind the scene stories of the other council men/women and those looking to fill his spot.
There was so much sadness and evil in the lives of the characters. I wanted to feel sorry for some of them, but at the same time I hated most of them. There was so much lack of communication with some of the families and violence and ignorance with the others.
I do admit that this book was really slow moving for me. I found it interesting, but not in an "I can't put it down" kind of way. There were just so many things going wrong or making me mad in the book.
I decided I really needed to finish it and stayed up until past midnight last night doing so. The final part of the book was really the best for me. So sad and heartbreaking, but it finally made the characters see everything that was infront of them. I think Rowling did a great job at pulling this book together at the end.
Up Next: Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
There was so much sadness and evil in the lives of the characters. I wanted to feel sorry for some of them, but at the same time I hated most of them. There was so much lack of communication with some of the families and violence and ignorance with the others.
I do admit that this book was really slow moving for me. I found it interesting, but not in an "I can't put it down" kind of way. There were just so many things going wrong or making me mad in the book.
I decided I really needed to finish it and stayed up until past midnight last night doing so. The final part of the book was really the best for me. So sad and heartbreaking, but it finally made the characters see everything that was infront of them. I think Rowling did a great job at pulling this book together at the end.
Up Next: Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
#9: The People of Sparks
We finished the 2nd audio book in the City of Ember series, The People of Sparks. In this book, the people of Ember escape the underground city and move to Sparks. Here they are taken in as refugees and given food, shelter, and work. Some of the Sparks people welcome the new people and others hate and fear them. Things start out okay and then take a turn for the worse.
Interesting series to listen to for car rides. It's a pretty good chose for a whole family pleaser.
Interesting series to listen to for car rides. It's a pretty good chose for a whole family pleaser.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
#8: Orphan Train
I just finished Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. I really enjoyed this story. It was one of those books I really didn't want to put down and I ended reading it in a day and a half.
I loved how the book was told over two time periods to share the lives of Vivian Daly, 91, and Molly Ayer, 17. Vivian rode on the Orphan train in 1929 to find a new family after her family was killed in a house fire. Molly is orphaned teenager living with foster parents in 2011. Molly and Vivian meet when Molly is required to fulfill some community service hours. At first they seem to have nothing in common, but then we learn they are more similar than we can imagine.
While I liked the stories of both characters and seeing how their lives were similar, I was most interested in the orphan train itself. I had never heard of this before. I would really love to leave more about this and maybe read some non-fiction on this topic soon.
Up Next: The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
I loved how the book was told over two time periods to share the lives of Vivian Daly, 91, and Molly Ayer, 17. Vivian rode on the Orphan train in 1929 to find a new family after her family was killed in a house fire. Molly is orphaned teenager living with foster parents in 2011. Molly and Vivian meet when Molly is required to fulfill some community service hours. At first they seem to have nothing in common, but then we learn they are more similar than we can imagine.
While I liked the stories of both characters and seeing how their lives were similar, I was most interested in the orphan train itself. I had never heard of this before. I would really love to leave more about this and maybe read some non-fiction on this topic soon.
Up Next: The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
Friday, February 12, 2016
#7: Footsteps in the Snow
Our theme for February Book Club is "true crime". I was going to just choose a book off of our bookshelves, but we were at a book store and I saw a book that looked really interesting. I didn't by it at the book store, but thought about it a lot after seeing it. We went to another book store a few days later and I asked them if they had it in stock and they had 1 copy. I saw that as meant to be and bought it to read as my true crime book.
The book is Footsteps in the Snow by Charles Lachman. It is about the kidnap and murder of a 7 yr old girl from Sycamore, IL in the year 1957. The reason this case is unique, is because it was a cold case for 55 years before it was reopened and the killer was convicted.
This was a long book, but the writing format made it read pretty fast. I was immediately drawn to the story and wanted to know what happened. Throughout the book there were some disturbing parts, but nothing that made me what to quit reading. There were a lot of details given about the people working the case, that I really didn't think added much to the story. These could have been taken out to condense the book a little.
While, a killer was convicted, there are still some unanswered questions. I would really love the convicted man to tell us exactly what happened that night, but he is still disputing his involvement. Whatever happened, the man is certainly creepy and I'm glad he is finally brought to justice.
Up next: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
The book is Footsteps in the Snow by Charles Lachman. It is about the kidnap and murder of a 7 yr old girl from Sycamore, IL in the year 1957. The reason this case is unique, is because it was a cold case for 55 years before it was reopened and the killer was convicted.
This was a long book, but the writing format made it read pretty fast. I was immediately drawn to the story and wanted to know what happened. Throughout the book there were some disturbing parts, but nothing that made me what to quit reading. There were a lot of details given about the people working the case, that I really didn't think added much to the story. These could have been taken out to condense the book a little.
While, a killer was convicted, there are still some unanswered questions. I would really love the convicted man to tell us exactly what happened that night, but he is still disputing his involvement. Whatever happened, the man is certainly creepy and I'm glad he is finally brought to justice.
Up next: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Saturday, February 6, 2016
#6: After You
I really loved the book Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. When I heard there was a sequel to this book, I was really excited to see what Louisa Clark was doing with her life after Will Traynor. The sequel is called After You.
At the beginning of the book, Lou is really not living at all. She is working in an airport bar, living alone, and missing Will. She really isn't "living" as Will hoped she would. She has an accident leaving her injured and sending her back home to her parents. This time really makes her see that she needs to start "living" differently.
Lou's life changes drastically when she meets Sam, an ambulance driver, and Lily, Will's daughter. Lou allows Sam and Lily to come into her life and goes through motions to try to change. As always, there are problems in Lou's life and it is hard for her to make any decisions that could lead to "moving on". We also learn a lot about Lou's life through a support group she goes to.
I really don't know what to think of this book. I liked it, but the story was not nearly as good at Me Before You. There were parts that were funny, sad, and heartbreaking, but I really just didn't get the heart wrenching feelings like in the previous novel. I also feel like maybe Moyes ended this one like she did to leave room for a #3....
Up Next: Footsteps in the Snow by Charles Laohman (for the True Crime book club)
At the beginning of the book, Lou is really not living at all. She is working in an airport bar, living alone, and missing Will. She really isn't "living" as Will hoped she would. She has an accident leaving her injured and sending her back home to her parents. This time really makes her see that she needs to start "living" differently.
Lou's life changes drastically when she meets Sam, an ambulance driver, and Lily, Will's daughter. Lou allows Sam and Lily to come into her life and goes through motions to try to change. As always, there are problems in Lou's life and it is hard for her to make any decisions that could lead to "moving on". We also learn a lot about Lou's life through a support group she goes to.
I really don't know what to think of this book. I liked it, but the story was not nearly as good at Me Before You. There were parts that were funny, sad, and heartbreaking, but I really just didn't get the heart wrenching feelings like in the previous novel. I also feel like maybe Moyes ended this one like she did to leave room for a #3....
Up Next: Footsteps in the Snow by Charles Laohman (for the True Crime book club)
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
#5: And the Mountains Echoed
I finished And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini last night. I really loved Hosseini's other 2 novels. I was excited when this one came out and was waiting to read it. While I enjoyed the story, I found it a little confusing.
This is the story of two siblings, Abdullah and Pari. When they are young and living in a poor Afghan village, they are very close. Basically each other's world as their mother died and father is trying to find comfort in another family. We learn of their early childhood and how they become separated when Abdullah is 10 and Pari is 4. Being separated has a drastic effect on both of these children.
While I really liked hearing about Abdullah and Pari, I felt there were too many other characters introduced throughout the story. We learn more about their family members and some doctors in the area. I felt that some of the characters tied together, but not strong enough for the story. Some of the other characters were very interesting and I felt they could have had their own novels. I would of loved to have this be a book series with all the supporting characters. I just feel there are so many more details that could have been built to make the tying of the characters come together.
I am really interested to see what other people think of this book.
Currently reading: After You by Jojo Moyes
This is the story of two siblings, Abdullah and Pari. When they are young and living in a poor Afghan village, they are very close. Basically each other's world as their mother died and father is trying to find comfort in another family. We learn of their early childhood and how they become separated when Abdullah is 10 and Pari is 4. Being separated has a drastic effect on both of these children.
While I really liked hearing about Abdullah and Pari, I felt there were too many other characters introduced throughout the story. We learn more about their family members and some doctors in the area. I felt that some of the characters tied together, but not strong enough for the story. Some of the other characters were very interesting and I felt they could have had their own novels. I would of loved to have this be a book series with all the supporting characters. I just feel there are so many more details that could have been built to make the tying of the characters come together.
I am really interested to see what other people think of this book.
Currently reading: After You by Jojo Moyes
Saturday, January 23, 2016
#4: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie fulfills my YA best seller category on my 2016 Reading Challenge List. I also was interested in this book since it was added to some banned books lists when it first came out.
This is the story of Arthur aka Junior who is a teenager living on the Spokane Indian reservation. Junior is talks about being born with a condition called hydrocephalus, which means too much fluid around the brain. At a young age he had a surgery that he was not expected to live through, but he did.
We skip ahead to when Junior is started high school. He is sick of life on the rez; the teasing from other kids, the alcohol problems the poverty, etc. He decided that his only way at becoming successful in life is to go to school at the "white" kids school and have more opportunities available.
Junior tells us about this struggles at the new school and on the rez as a "traitor" to his tribe. There is so much more in this book than just his problems as a teenager. His life has so much hardship, but Alexie writes it in a beautiful way. I kind of saw it as a mixture of Wimpy Kid meets Me and Earl and the Dying Girl for writing style.
Other all a pretty good story. I am looking forward to reading more by Sherman Alexie.
Up Next: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
This is the story of Arthur aka Junior who is a teenager living on the Spokane Indian reservation. Junior is talks about being born with a condition called hydrocephalus, which means too much fluid around the brain. At a young age he had a surgery that he was not expected to live through, but he did.
We skip ahead to when Junior is started high school. He is sick of life on the rez; the teasing from other kids, the alcohol problems the poverty, etc. He decided that his only way at becoming successful in life is to go to school at the "white" kids school and have more opportunities available.
Junior tells us about this struggles at the new school and on the rez as a "traitor" to his tribe. There is so much more in this book than just his problems as a teenager. His life has so much hardship, but Alexie writes it in a beautiful way. I kind of saw it as a mixture of Wimpy Kid meets Me and Earl and the Dying Girl for writing style.
Other all a pretty good story. I am looking forward to reading more by Sherman Alexie.
Up Next: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Sunday, January 17, 2016
#3: The Sirens of Titan
One of the books on my 2016 Reading Challenge is a satirical novel. I mentioned this to Levi and he suggested I try another Kurt Vonnegut book. After looking at every book we own by Vonnegut, I was debating between Breakfast of Champions and The Sirens of Titan. Levi told me The Sirens of Titan is one of his favorites and Mason also said it was good, so I chose it.
The Sirens of Titan is a book about space travel, time travel, aliens, relationships, and religion. The main characters in the book are Malachi Constant/Unk and Winston Niles Rumfoord. Throughout the book we learn about Malachi's life; parents, money, troubles, etc. We first introduced to Malachi and Winston very early in the book. Winston has the power to see into the future, read people's minds, and materialize between Earth, Mars, and other places in space. Winston tells Malachi that he sees him living on Titan in the future. He does not give any other details about how Malachi will end up on Titan.
Malachi has a lot of hardships on Earth and is known as a greedy money hungry womanizer (or something like that). We are later introduced to him as Unk on Mars. His life on Mars is much different than his life on Earth. He has even more troubles as Unk.
It's hard to really describe the rest of this story without giving out too many spoilers. I did feel sorry for the character of Malachi/Unk throughout the book. The character of Winston was hard for me. I was torn between whether he was supposed to be a bad guy or good guy. I guess I still am after reading the book.
This book was better than the other Vonnegut books I read, but still isn't really my type of book. I'm sure for people who like this kind of book it is great. I give it 3 1/2 stars.
Up Next: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Sirens of Titan is a book about space travel, time travel, aliens, relationships, and religion. The main characters in the book are Malachi Constant/Unk and Winston Niles Rumfoord. Throughout the book we learn about Malachi's life; parents, money, troubles, etc. We first introduced to Malachi and Winston very early in the book. Winston has the power to see into the future, read people's minds, and materialize between Earth, Mars, and other places in space. Winston tells Malachi that he sees him living on Titan in the future. He does not give any other details about how Malachi will end up on Titan.
Malachi has a lot of hardships on Earth and is known as a greedy money hungry womanizer (or something like that). We are later introduced to him as Unk on Mars. His life on Mars is much different than his life on Earth. He has even more troubles as Unk.
It's hard to really describe the rest of this story without giving out too many spoilers. I did feel sorry for the character of Malachi/Unk throughout the book. The character of Winston was hard for me. I was torn between whether he was supposed to be a bad guy or good guy. I guess I still am after reading the book.
This book was better than the other Vonnegut books I read, but still isn't really my type of book. I'm sure for people who like this kind of book it is great. I give it 3 1/2 stars.
Up Next: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Saturday, January 9, 2016
#2: Robinson Crusoe
Levi told me to read Robinson Crusoe for a more "tropical" book. The version we had on the book shelves was a Great Illustrated Classic. I thought there would only be a few pictures, but there was a picture every couple pages.
If I could describe this book in one word it would be "boring". I'm not sure if this book was a summary of the real story, or if this is how the real book is too. I just felt like it was a time line and didn't really give any details. Robinson landed on the island and learned to farm. He farmed 4 years, then he decided to make bread. 7 yrs later some cannibals came, they fought. 15 yrs later more people came. And so on and on and on. Nothing really descriptive about how he learned to do everything or anything about exploring the island.
I would say this is more of a survival story than an adventure story. The only things described in any details were the fight scenes.
Also, I don't like how he made Friday call him "Master".
Not my favorite book, but like I said, maybe this wasn't the real version.
Up Next: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut for my satirical novel
If I could describe this book in one word it would be "boring". I'm not sure if this book was a summary of the real story, or if this is how the real book is too. I just felt like it was a time line and didn't really give any details. Robinson landed on the island and learned to farm. He farmed 4 years, then he decided to make bread. 7 yrs later some cannibals came, they fought. 15 yrs later more people came. And so on and on and on. Nothing really descriptive about how he learned to do everything or anything about exploring the island.
I would say this is more of a survival story than an adventure story. The only things described in any details were the fight scenes.
Also, I don't like how he made Friday call him "Master".
Not my favorite book, but like I said, maybe this wasn't the real version.
Up Next: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut for my satirical novel
Sunday, January 3, 2016
#1: Summer Island
Okay. So our theme for book club this month is "tropical". I was going to read a book suggested by my sister in law, but the copy was checked out from the library. So I searched some books while at the library and found one called Summer Island by Kristin Hannah. It said it's set in the San Juan Islands, so I was thinking it would fit my tropical theme, but who knew the San Juan Islands are cold islands off the coast of Washington?
Summer Island follows the story of a radio show/advice column celebrity named Nora Bridge. She is famous for giving advice about families, marriage, and commitment. At the beginning of the book, someone leaks a photo of her having an affair while she was married and threatens to show everyone if she doesn't pay. The photo gets leaked to her bosses and the world and she has to go into hiding at her old house on Summer Island.
We learn that she hasn't had a relationship with her daughters in 11 yrs and start to learn all kinds of secrets about her past. This is were we are introduced to the character of her daughters, neighbors, parents, ex husband, etc.
This book was good, but not great. Way to predictable for me. But I was still drawn into the story and wanted Nora's daughters to have happiness. And it had a very sad ending that me in tears. Classic chic-lit, or as others said on goodreads, "the making of a Lifetime movie".
Up Next: starting my 1 year Bible challenge and maybe searching the book shelves for a quick tropical read :)
Summer Island follows the story of a radio show/advice column celebrity named Nora Bridge. She is famous for giving advice about families, marriage, and commitment. At the beginning of the book, someone leaks a photo of her having an affair while she was married and threatens to show everyone if she doesn't pay. The photo gets leaked to her bosses and the world and she has to go into hiding at her old house on Summer Island.
We learn that she hasn't had a relationship with her daughters in 11 yrs and start to learn all kinds of secrets about her past. This is were we are introduced to the character of her daughters, neighbors, parents, ex husband, etc.
This book was good, but not great. Way to predictable for me. But I was still drawn into the story and wanted Nora's daughters to have happiness. And it had a very sad ending that me in tears. Classic chic-lit, or as others said on goodreads, "the making of a Lifetime movie".
Up Next: starting my 1 year Bible challenge and maybe searching the book shelves for a quick tropical read :)
Friday, January 1, 2016
A New Reading Challenge
Well, 2015 is over and I didn't make it to 50 books. I am happy that I read or listened to 46 books during this time. This has been a great reading year for me. I had some books I enjoyed more than others, but lots of new reading adventures.
1) Audio Books: While I am still not an audio book fan, I like the idea of listening to books together as a family. This was something new we started this year on our road trips as a family. It gives us something to talk about and everyone thinks it made the car rides go faster.
2) Book Club: I've been super annoyed with my book club in the past. I decided to start a night time one and instead of all reading the same book, we do book themes. This way we all read different books and discuss them. Even though it's most of the same people who used to come to the other book club, they actually read the books this time. I think being able to have flexibility in choosing the book actually helps people to show more interest in reading. And our themes are pretty lax, so you can really make any book work. Loving my new book club!
3) Giving Up: For so long I have thought you shouldn't give up on books. I would try to get to a certain page or finish just to finish. But this year I decided it's ok to give up. I used to only give up if I thought a book was awful, but now I stop for other reasons. One book I read this year was really slow moving. It was interesting, but I just couldn't get into it. It would have taken me months to finish it, so I decided to give it up and maybe pick it up again some other day.
4) Challenges: I like having a reading goal. I haven't quite made it to 50 books the last couple years, but I have been really close. This year I am going to do a Reading Challenge suggested by our library. It has about 40 book suggestions on the list. I think I might have the whole family try the challenge and see how many we each read off the list. http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2016-
In addition to that list, I will also be trying to read the Bible in 1 year. I am doing this challenge with a friend to hold myself more accountable. We are using a reading plan instead of going in Chronological order.
Happy Reading in 2016!
1) Audio Books: While I am still not an audio book fan, I like the idea of listening to books together as a family. This was something new we started this year on our road trips as a family. It gives us something to talk about and everyone thinks it made the car rides go faster.
2) Book Club: I've been super annoyed with my book club in the past. I decided to start a night time one and instead of all reading the same book, we do book themes. This way we all read different books and discuss them. Even though it's most of the same people who used to come to the other book club, they actually read the books this time. I think being able to have flexibility in choosing the book actually helps people to show more interest in reading. And our themes are pretty lax, so you can really make any book work. Loving my new book club!
3) Giving Up: For so long I have thought you shouldn't give up on books. I would try to get to a certain page or finish just to finish. But this year I decided it's ok to give up. I used to only give up if I thought a book was awful, but now I stop for other reasons. One book I read this year was really slow moving. It was interesting, but I just couldn't get into it. It would have taken me months to finish it, so I decided to give it up and maybe pick it up again some other day.
4) Challenges: I like having a reading goal. I haven't quite made it to 50 books the last couple years, but I have been really close. This year I am going to do a Reading Challenge suggested by our library. It has about 40 book suggestions on the list. I think I might have the whole family try the challenge and see how many we each read off the list. http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2016-
In addition to that list, I will also be trying to read the Bible in 1 year. I am doing this challenge with a friend to hold myself more accountable. We are using a reading plan instead of going in Chronological order.
Happy Reading in 2016!
#46: The Japanese Lover
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende was the last book I read in 2015. I had to finish the last 30 pages this morning as I fell asleep reading it last night.
This book was great. It started out a little slow, but once I got started I was addicted to finishing it. It's the story of a woman named Alma Mendel. She grew up in Poland, but had to move to California with her aunt and uncle to get away from the war. The book tells about her life from 8 yrs old up to her death. Throughout the book we learn about her different relationships with her cousin, brother, assistants, family members, son, and her Japanese lover.
There is also an underlying story of a girl named Irina who comes to help Alma around the house. Alma's grandson ends up falling in love with Irina and has her help discover the mysteries of his grandmother's past to be close to her.
This book was both happy and sad. It was filled with stories of unconditional love. There were also lots of secrets hidden in the lives of the characters that were interesting to tie the whole story together. This was a great book to finish out my 2015 reading list.
This book was great. It started out a little slow, but once I got started I was addicted to finishing it. It's the story of a woman named Alma Mendel. She grew up in Poland, but had to move to California with her aunt and uncle to get away from the war. The book tells about her life from 8 yrs old up to her death. Throughout the book we learn about her different relationships with her cousin, brother, assistants, family members, son, and her Japanese lover.
There is also an underlying story of a girl named Irina who comes to help Alma around the house. Alma's grandson ends up falling in love with Irina and has her help discover the mysteries of his grandmother's past to be close to her.
This book was both happy and sad. It was filled with stories of unconditional love. There were also lots of secrets hidden in the lives of the characters that were interesting to tie the whole story together. This was a great book to finish out my 2015 reading list.
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