#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

#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

#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

#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

#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.

#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

#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