#15: A Long Walk to Water

I read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.  This book is based on a true story.  It covers 2 stories in Sudan, one in 1985 and one in 2008.  This is a very short book and I read it in under 2 hours.  I really loved the way the 2 stories tied together.  I also love historical fiction, so it was interesting to learn about the Sudan war, even though it was just a tiny bit.

I bought this book for Mason at his book fair.  It intrigued me when I saw it.  I think he will really like it.  He really enjoyed her other book, A Single Shard.

Up Next:  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

#14: Nineteen Minutes

Okay, it's been awhile since I decided to tackle another Picoult novel.  My previous book club decided to make a list of books they thought their friends should read and this was one listed.  I hadn't read it yet, but some of her previous novels held my attention, so I thought I'd give this one a try.

At first I thought it had good potential to be a "real page turner".  The main storyline was of a bullied boy, Peter, going on a shooting rampage of his high school because he is constantly bullied.  The dilema in this book was whether we should feel sorry for Peter the victim or to side with the victims in the shooting.  Usually I really feel torn and want to seek justice, but this book just really didn't end up being that exciting.  I thought there were ways that we could have had more of a struggle between sides, but Picoult didn't use them in this case.

There is always some major twist in Picoult's stories as well.  Nineteen Minutes had the twist, but sadly I was able to guess it from the start.  I was also really disappointed that the twist in this story happened before the verdict was read instead of after.  Usually we get the twist later and then question whether that would have changed the outcome.  I just don't think this was "Classic Picoult".  Not sure if she is trying to change her writing style or not.

Anyway, I give this book 2.5-3 stars.  It will be awhile before I decide to pick up one of her books again.

Up Next:  Not sure- going to raid the book shelf right now.

#13: Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons

I just finished Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik.  The title and cover of this book almost made me not want to read it, but I've learned you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.  This was the story of a group of housewives with a 30 year book club and friendship.  I recently read Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood and this book reminded me of it, but I liked this one way better. 

Even though the books main character is Faith, we learn a lot about all the characters/book club members.  I loved seeing how their personal lives affected the books they picked.  I also really liked how all the characters were tied together over the 30 years.  I think this book club was really true to real life book clubs.  You might talk about the book for a few minutes, but then the rest of the time is spent socializing over personal things.  My only complaint is that in some chapters the book that was picked wasn't mentioned at all.

If you liked Ya-Ya Sisterhood you should definitely check out Bon Bons!

Up Next:  Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

#12: The Bookshop

I just finished The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald.  It was one of the book's on the display table at the library.  Usually these are books that are pretty well liked, but I've found them hit or miss for me.  This one was unfortunately a miss.  I felt bad for Florence, the main character who opened the bookshop.  It just seemed that no one wanted her to succeed.  I thought the book could have been so much more entertaining than it was.  The ghost had very little significance in the haunted bookshop and they characters didn't really develop into anything special.  I'd probably give it 2 1/2 starts.

Up Next:  Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons

#11: The Sandcastle Girls

I just finished The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian.  This was a story of a woman writing about her grandparents' history during the Armenian genocide.  It is filled with interesting facts about the war between the Armenians and Turks, something that I had never heard of before. 

The story is mostly about the history of the war and how Elizabeth (an American) and Armen (an Armenian engineer) meet.  It is also filled with lots of supporting characters that help to fill in lots of gaps.  It covers love, loss, orphans, doctors, missionaries, and so much more.

Now that I am done with the book, I have decided that I really enjoyed the story.  While reading it, I felt that it dragged on and was hard to get into.  I also felt that the character parts jumped around too much and made the story a little hard to follow.  But at the end, I see how every character piece was necessary to complete the whole story.  I won't lie, it did take me about 80 pages to finally feel like the story was going somewhere, but I'm glad I finished it.

Up Next:  The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

#10: I am the Messenger

I just finished I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak.  This was a very unique story.  After Ed helps capture a bank robber, he starts receiving messages on playing cards.  The messages are addresses or clues about how to find people.  During each of these messages Ed has the chance to change the lives of the people on the cards and improve himself at the same time.  I really enjoyed the characters in this story.  I believe the main "message" of this story is that helping other is a great way to help yourself.  A great book from Zusak.

Next up:  The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

#9: The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells

I finished The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer last night.  In this story, Greta has something tragic happen to her and she can't deal with it.  She goes to counseling and a variety of doctors and eventually the only thing the doctor thinks will work is electroconvulsive (electric shock therapy).  These therapies make her travel through time.  She is now Greta Wells in 1918, 1941, and 1985.  In each world the Greta has experienced something tragic to make her do the shock therapy.  She has the same people in her life in these world. her twin brother Felix, boyfriend Nathan, aunt Ruth, and the doctor, but in each world they are different.  It's an interesting idea for a book, that something impossible will happen to each of us.  Greta thought she had the time travel pattern figured out, but then the other Gretas would skip a session or something would happen to make them not travel to the world they thought they should be in.  I was surprised at the ending of the book, but don't want to give too much away.

Up Next:  I am the Messenger but Marcus Zusak