So apparently, November is now famous for being "No Shave November." I think there's a legit reason behind it, but most guys I know just like to take advantage of not having to shave for a month. Far be it for the women to get that same luxury. But that's a whole other blog topic. This one's about my (again) shameful lack of reading this month. Shall we get to it? It'll take about 2 minutes, promise.
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N. Roquelaure, aka Anne Rice (253 pages). Anne Rice wrote these books back in the 1980's. And boy- are they risqué!! Beauty had been asleep for 100 years, you know, just like the fairytale says. But the Prince doesn't awaken her with a kiss. He awakens her with a sexual experience. Sure, she's passed out. But it does the trick. Unfortunately, the Prince is from a line of royals who take neighboring princes and princesses as Tributes/sex slaves. And Beauty is to become the Prince's first personal sex slave. The Tributes are punished constantly, not to be cruel but rather for them to learn to surrender. I'm still not sure why the Tributes are actually willingly sent to this kingdom. Beauty soon falls in love with her Prince and also with another Tribute, Prince Alexi. He tells her his story of slavery. Beauty slowly begins to yield to her Prince, becoming a Court favorite. She later learns that the ultimate form of punishment is to be sent to the Village, where the Tributes are auctioned off for the summer. Beauty sees the willful Prince Tristan in a wagon, headed towards the Village and his punishment. And something in her breaks. She finds herself in the wagon, next to him, on their way to the Village. Having crazy rabbit sex in the wagon! This book is all sorts of crazy! Like gave 50 Shades a run for its money crazy. Paddling. crazy acts of humiliation, nakedness, violations. The things done to these Tributes is riveting. And insane.
Beauty's Punishment by A.N. Roquelaure (233 pages). The second in the Sleeping Beauty trilogy. Equally as risqué! Beauty and Tristan have each been auctioned off in the Village. Beauty is sold to an Innkeeper and quickly becomes a favorite of the Captain of the Guards. Tristan is sold to the Queen's Chronicler. Unlike his Master in the Palace, the Chronicler finally breaks Tristan, who becomes devoted to his new Master. Everything seems to be going well for Beauty and Tristan (or as well as it could, considering they are sex slaves). Then they, and four other slaves, are kidnapped by a neighboring Sultan and taken off to his kingdom for two years (according to the deal the Queen brokers with the Sultan). The Sultan, unlike the Queen, doesn't even view the slaves as human (or so they are told). But he does enjoy sexual games as much as the Queen. At least this time, Beauty and Tristan are together!
Bunheads by Sophie Flack (294 pages). The author herself was a dancer with the New York City Ballet. You get the feeling that she's telling her own story. Hannah Ward is a nineteen year old ballet dancer (which is certainly not the same thing as a ballerina, who is a principal in a company). She's been in New York for 5 years, studying dance and being a member of the corps of the Manhattan Ballet. One night, she meets Jacob, a struggling student musician. Almost simultaneously, the ballerina with a lead role in a ballet is injured and Hannah, her understudy, takes on the role. The rest of the season, Hannah is faced with a choice - to continue down this path she is on, a path that may or may not ever lead to becoming a ballerina, OR to try a new path, one that leads her out into the world. It sort of reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Center Stage. A talented dancer who realizes there is more to life that dance. At least, for her.
Beauty's Release by A.N. Roquelaure (238 pages). The third and final book in the Sleeping Beauty trilogy. I had to take a little break. Honestly, it had become monotonous. Still risqué, but all three books are almost identical in the crazy sex stuff that happens. In this one, Beauty, Tristan, Laurent (a rebellious runaway slave), Rosalynd, Elena and Dmitri find themselves under the Sultan's command, unsure of what to expect. Turns out, it's more of the same. Lots of degradation. Lots of crazy sex. The book focuses on Beauty and Laurent more than the other slaves. Both of them quickly come to love the Sultan's world. Until they, and Tristan, are rescued by the Queen's soldiers (much to their dismay). Beauty is set free and returned to her parents, where she turns down every Prince who comes to woo her. Laurent and Tristan are sent to become ponies for hire in the Village for their insolence in wanting to remain with the Sultan. After nearly a year, Tristan is sold to his beloved former Master, the Chronicler. Laurent's father dies and he returns to his country as King. And then travels to Beauty's country, to claim her as his Queen, his Slave and his one True Love. So they could live happily (and apparently sexily) ever after.
So that's it for this month. 4 books and 1018 pages read. At least I did better than last month.....
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Saturday, November 2, 2013
I am embarassed by my lack of reading in October. I blame Netflix and Sons of Anarchy
So last month was HUMILIATINGLY bad on the reading front. I read 2 books. Yes, just two. I got about halfway through a third, but didn't finish it. So it won't count until this month. Here goes....
Wonder by RJ Palacio (313 pages). This was my book club book. August Pullman (age 10) has just gone to school for the first time. Auggie (who happens to share my birth date) was born with severe facial deformities. Which resulted in his parents' decision to home school him. Once he reached fifth grade, they decided it was time for him to be around other people. So they started him at a nearby private school (less kids around to be shocked by his face). Auggie quickly makes some new friends. Or so he thinks. This story is told from multiple points of view- Auggie, his older sister Olivia, his friend Summer, his friend Jack, Olivia's boyfriend Justin and Olivia's friend Miranda. Each of them views Auggie's "facial abnormalities" differently. And each of them realizes that those abnormalities define all of them, not just Auggie. I bought this book in the kid's section of Books-A-Million. But it was so much more than just a kids' book. It was truly a wonderful story. And it makes you think about who people are, not what they appear to be. Looking beyond looks to who a person truly is. I recommend it to anyone with kids!
Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (299 pages). I bought this book for one reason - I am obsessed with the Netflix series! No really, season 2 can't get here fast enough! There was a part of me that was a little worried about ruining the show for myself. But not to worry- they aren't really a lot alike. The names of some of the women aren't even the same. And let's face facts- we all know she's only serving one year in prison. Spoiler alert- she gets released! Some of the things that I like so much about the show (Pennsatucky being a crazy Christian, Alex being in the same prison) weren't true in the book. Neither was the timeline of the crime to the arrest. But guess what- I didn't care! I still really liked the book. The characters were just as intriguing (even though you don't get to know them quite as well as the show). I just found Piper, the main character, quite fascinating. A rich white girl thrown into a world that most people don't even understand. And she understood that she put herself there, with her bad decisions. So it was up to her to make the best of the situation.
And that was it for this month. 612 measly pages of reading. I hang my head in shame.....
Wonder by RJ Palacio (313 pages). This was my book club book. August Pullman (age 10) has just gone to school for the first time. Auggie (who happens to share my birth date) was born with severe facial deformities. Which resulted in his parents' decision to home school him. Once he reached fifth grade, they decided it was time for him to be around other people. So they started him at a nearby private school (less kids around to be shocked by his face). Auggie quickly makes some new friends. Or so he thinks. This story is told from multiple points of view- Auggie, his older sister Olivia, his friend Summer, his friend Jack, Olivia's boyfriend Justin and Olivia's friend Miranda. Each of them views Auggie's "facial abnormalities" differently. And each of them realizes that those abnormalities define all of them, not just Auggie. I bought this book in the kid's section of Books-A-Million. But it was so much more than just a kids' book. It was truly a wonderful story. And it makes you think about who people are, not what they appear to be. Looking beyond looks to who a person truly is. I recommend it to anyone with kids!
Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (299 pages). I bought this book for one reason - I am obsessed with the Netflix series! No really, season 2 can't get here fast enough! There was a part of me that was a little worried about ruining the show for myself. But not to worry- they aren't really a lot alike. The names of some of the women aren't even the same. And let's face facts- we all know she's only serving one year in prison. Spoiler alert- she gets released! Some of the things that I like so much about the show (Pennsatucky being a crazy Christian, Alex being in the same prison) weren't true in the book. Neither was the timeline of the crime to the arrest. But guess what- I didn't care! I still really liked the book. The characters were just as intriguing (even though you don't get to know them quite as well as the show). I just found Piper, the main character, quite fascinating. A rich white girl thrown into a world that most people don't even understand. And she understood that she put herself there, with her bad decisions. So it was up to her to make the best of the situation.
And that was it for this month. 612 measly pages of reading. I hang my head in shame.....
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
My September readings (I'm a little late in posting)
September's books were all over the place. Historical fiction, short stories, biographies, memoirs. And only one truly awful one in the bunch!
Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman (351 pages). Yes, back to the historical fiction for this girl! Apparently, it has long been theorized that Freud had an affair with his wife's sister. There's no concrete evidence to prove it though. But the authors sure had fun with it! It's 1895 in Vienna. Minna Bernays has lost yet another job and must turn to her sister Martha and brother-in-law Sigmund for help. Martha, once a beautiful woman, is now a shadow of herself. She's given birth to six children and is addicted to laudanum (which seems to be a popular addiction back in the day!). But her beauty was all she ever had to offer Sigmund- she doesn't understand his theories and doesn't encourage him. Minna, on the other hand, is the intellectual sister. And she and Sigmund discuss his theories, they soon give in to their mutual attraction. Let's face facts- this is Sigmund Freud we are talking about. Was there ever a man so focused on sex? Like, ever? Sigmund has his own issues- his theories are given absolutely no weight in the medical community and he has a slight cocaine addiction. You know, because it's medicinal and all. Minna has her own addictions - gin and Sigmund being first amongst them. But just as quickly as Sigmund's passion for Minna takes over it, it disappears. Minna is left heartbroken and confused. Ironically, it is her sister who comforts her the most. Minna spends the rest of her life with the Freuds, eventually dying a year after Sigmund. I know, I know, there's a fictional aspect to the story. But I found it quite fascinating. Sigmund's relationship with his wife, with his infatuations, with his cocaine addiction, all of this was interesting to me. And from what I can tell, probably relatively truthful.
Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean (310 pages). Found this one on sale at Books-A-Million and decided, what the heck, let's give it a read. It's marketed as the first-ever authorized sequel to JM Barrie's Peter Pan. I've read the original. I've seen most of the movies. I've seen Mary Martin in the musical (well, it was televised, but still). So I like Peter Pan. I did not like this book. It had the style of JM Barrie, but was missing the magic. Wendy and the Lost Boys are all grown up. They begin having crazy dreams and realize that something strange is happening in Neverland. They steal their children's clothes so they can become children again and go back to Neverland. Peter is there, and in scarlet. Because it's the fall and apparently he changes wardrobe with the seasons?! Peter and the Boys (and girls, as Tootles only has daughters and therefore he and Wendy are the girls in the group) go off on new adventure. They find the Jolly Roger, empty of pirates but still having pirate lot. Peter begins wearing Hook's old jacket. Then they meet a circus owner, Ravello, who travels with them. From the moment we meet him, there was something I didn't like about Ravello. But I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I began to wonder - what if Hook didn't die and was now this strange raveling man Ravello? Back to the story though. Peter isn't the same boy anymore. He's rather mean actually. He's becoming someone altogether different. He's becoming Hook - the way he acts and speaks even! The Boy's adventure finally ends as they reach the top of Neverpeak and find buried treasure. As they pull item and item out of the chest, the truth is revealed (and I was correct. Stupid Ravello/Hook). Honestly, I was happy when I finished. Not because I'd enjoyed the book, but because it was over. Disappointing at best.
Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong and others (355 pages). A collection of stories about vampires and birthdays. Love! The stories were easy reads. The first had Sookie, Eric and Pam making an appearance. The others were new characters. Each centered around a day, not necessarily an event or person. And that day was a birthday, or a rebirth day. The concept was great- 13 short stories with only two things in common. Interesting to see how each author took the ideas and ran with them. The stories were a lot of fun.
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel (265 pages). Sometimes I find books just wandering the aisles of Books-A-Million (yes, I have been known to judge a book by its cover). Other times, I go off of suggestions from fellow readers. And occasionally, I'll buy a book because of the review in People Magazine. This was one of those times. The book was about the wives of the astronauts, starting with the Mercury Seven and ending with the Original Nineteen. All NASA wanted was for their astronauts to come from picture perfect households. And these women did their best to show that. Even knowing that many of the husbands, celebrities and rock stars of space, were running around on them with Cape Cookies (one has the audacity to marry his Cookie and try to bring her around after his wife divorced him for cheating. He left NASA shortly thereafter). The wives were fascinating by their own merits. One was a daredevil pilot herself. Another, who's husband was permanently grounded after he hot dogged around Earth, went on to become a pretty famous TV personality. Another became a senator's wife. It was interesting to read about their own competitions that mimicked what their husbands were going through- to be the first in flight, the first to walk on the moon, etc. I really enjoyed the book - lots of funny moments as well as some truly poignant ones. When Apollo 8 orbited the moon over Christmas, they read Genesis over the airwaves. Can you imagine THAT happening nowadays?
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (273 pages). In the late 1800-early 1900's, orphans from the east coast (namely New York City) were put on trains and sent to the mid-west. There, they faced an unknown future - a life of hard work or a family of loving new parents? Niamh Power and her family arrive in America from Ireland, hoping for a new start. What they found was worse than Ireland, especially when a fire swept through their apartment, killing everyone but Niamh. The nine year old is put on an orphan train and ends up in Minnesota. She moves from foster home to foster home before finally settling with the Nielsens, who want her to take their deceased daughter's name. The newly named Vivian eventually marries and moves to Maine. There, she meets Molly Ayer, a seventeen year old who is basically an orphan (her father is dead and her mother is in prison). She's having problems of her own with her foster family. When Molly starts to work for Vivian, they strike up an unlikely friendship. As Vivian reveals more and more of her story to Molly, her past finally begins to become a part of her present and her future. It was a really great story. And amazing to think of the two hundred thousand children who really did travel on the orphan trains.
Cemetery Girl by David Bell (389 pages). Four years after 12 year old Caitlin disappeared, the pastor of the crazy church her mother joined convinces her parents, Tom and Abby, that they need a memorial service so they can move on. A memorial service complete with a grave and headstone. A few weeks after the service, Tom and Abby have split. And then they receive a phone call. Caitlin was found walking down the road, disheveled but healthy. The next few days are a nightmare- Caitlin refuses to talk about what happened to her, but still seems to be in love with the man who took her. Then an arrest is made. At first, the police aren't able to charge him with anything having to do with Caitlin. So Tom and his brother decide to take matters into their own hands. Good story, heartbreaking to read about a 16 year old and the Stockholm Syndrome she experienced at the hands of a 53 year old man. Makes me think about the girls in Ohio, and Elizabeth Smart, and Jaycee Dugard. The mixed emotions that probably ran through them upon their eventual release. Hatred, loss of safety, confusion. And this poor girl in the story was only left with love for her captor. It was a good story, but definitely a disturbing one.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed (311 pages. Of very tiny print I might add). This was to have been a read for my second book club. Sadly, that book club is now defunct. But I'd already purchased the book, so decided to give it a read. I have a friend who hiked the Appalachian Trail a few years back (he's actually also hiked the Pacific Crest Trail). I kept up with his travels on the website that was set up for AT hikers to use as their online journal. I found it fascinating. Something I could never do, but fascinating all the same. I felt the same way as I read this book. At 26, Cheryl had reached the end of her rope- father gone from her life, mother dead, siblings scattered, marriage ended in divorce, slight heroin addiction. She picked up a copy of The Pacific Crest Trail and decided to give the PCT a go. She traveled alone. Along the way, she met many fellow hikers. And she found herself. Honestly, I wasn't sure I would enjoy the book. I, personally, have no desire to do any sort of hiking- long distance or 20 feet. But I found myself wanting to see what she had seen, wanting to challenge myself. That feeling passed as soon as I finished the book. Who am I kidding- I am a lounge by the pool kind of girl (which is where I was when I read the book), not a hike 02 miles a day kind of girl. Doesn't stop me from admiring those girls though!
Only 7 books, but a total of 2254 pages. Not too shabby!
Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman (351 pages). Yes, back to the historical fiction for this girl! Apparently, it has long been theorized that Freud had an affair with his wife's sister. There's no concrete evidence to prove it though. But the authors sure had fun with it! It's 1895 in Vienna. Minna Bernays has lost yet another job and must turn to her sister Martha and brother-in-law Sigmund for help. Martha, once a beautiful woman, is now a shadow of herself. She's given birth to six children and is addicted to laudanum (which seems to be a popular addiction back in the day!). But her beauty was all she ever had to offer Sigmund- she doesn't understand his theories and doesn't encourage him. Minna, on the other hand, is the intellectual sister. And she and Sigmund discuss his theories, they soon give in to their mutual attraction. Let's face facts- this is Sigmund Freud we are talking about. Was there ever a man so focused on sex? Like, ever? Sigmund has his own issues- his theories are given absolutely no weight in the medical community and he has a slight cocaine addiction. You know, because it's medicinal and all. Minna has her own addictions - gin and Sigmund being first amongst them. But just as quickly as Sigmund's passion for Minna takes over it, it disappears. Minna is left heartbroken and confused. Ironically, it is her sister who comforts her the most. Minna spends the rest of her life with the Freuds, eventually dying a year after Sigmund. I know, I know, there's a fictional aspect to the story. But I found it quite fascinating. Sigmund's relationship with his wife, with his infatuations, with his cocaine addiction, all of this was interesting to me. And from what I can tell, probably relatively truthful.
Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean (310 pages). Found this one on sale at Books-A-Million and decided, what the heck, let's give it a read. It's marketed as the first-ever authorized sequel to JM Barrie's Peter Pan. I've read the original. I've seen most of the movies. I've seen Mary Martin in the musical (well, it was televised, but still). So I like Peter Pan. I did not like this book. It had the style of JM Barrie, but was missing the magic. Wendy and the Lost Boys are all grown up. They begin having crazy dreams and realize that something strange is happening in Neverland. They steal their children's clothes so they can become children again and go back to Neverland. Peter is there, and in scarlet. Because it's the fall and apparently he changes wardrobe with the seasons?! Peter and the Boys (and girls, as Tootles only has daughters and therefore he and Wendy are the girls in the group) go off on new adventure. They find the Jolly Roger, empty of pirates but still having pirate lot. Peter begins wearing Hook's old jacket. Then they meet a circus owner, Ravello, who travels with them. From the moment we meet him, there was something I didn't like about Ravello. But I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I began to wonder - what if Hook didn't die and was now this strange raveling man Ravello? Back to the story though. Peter isn't the same boy anymore. He's rather mean actually. He's becoming someone altogether different. He's becoming Hook - the way he acts and speaks even! The Boy's adventure finally ends as they reach the top of Neverpeak and find buried treasure. As they pull item and item out of the chest, the truth is revealed (and I was correct. Stupid Ravello/Hook). Honestly, I was happy when I finished. Not because I'd enjoyed the book, but because it was over. Disappointing at best.
Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong and others (355 pages). A collection of stories about vampires and birthdays. Love! The stories were easy reads. The first had Sookie, Eric and Pam making an appearance. The others were new characters. Each centered around a day, not necessarily an event or person. And that day was a birthday, or a rebirth day. The concept was great- 13 short stories with only two things in common. Interesting to see how each author took the ideas and ran with them. The stories were a lot of fun.
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel (265 pages). Sometimes I find books just wandering the aisles of Books-A-Million (yes, I have been known to judge a book by its cover). Other times, I go off of suggestions from fellow readers. And occasionally, I'll buy a book because of the review in People Magazine. This was one of those times. The book was about the wives of the astronauts, starting with the Mercury Seven and ending with the Original Nineteen. All NASA wanted was for their astronauts to come from picture perfect households. And these women did their best to show that. Even knowing that many of the husbands, celebrities and rock stars of space, were running around on them with Cape Cookies (one has the audacity to marry his Cookie and try to bring her around after his wife divorced him for cheating. He left NASA shortly thereafter). The wives were fascinating by their own merits. One was a daredevil pilot herself. Another, who's husband was permanently grounded after he hot dogged around Earth, went on to become a pretty famous TV personality. Another became a senator's wife. It was interesting to read about their own competitions that mimicked what their husbands were going through- to be the first in flight, the first to walk on the moon, etc. I really enjoyed the book - lots of funny moments as well as some truly poignant ones. When Apollo 8 orbited the moon over Christmas, they read Genesis over the airwaves. Can you imagine THAT happening nowadays?
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (273 pages). In the late 1800-early 1900's, orphans from the east coast (namely New York City) were put on trains and sent to the mid-west. There, they faced an unknown future - a life of hard work or a family of loving new parents? Niamh Power and her family arrive in America from Ireland, hoping for a new start. What they found was worse than Ireland, especially when a fire swept through their apartment, killing everyone but Niamh. The nine year old is put on an orphan train and ends up in Minnesota. She moves from foster home to foster home before finally settling with the Nielsens, who want her to take their deceased daughter's name. The newly named Vivian eventually marries and moves to Maine. There, she meets Molly Ayer, a seventeen year old who is basically an orphan (her father is dead and her mother is in prison). She's having problems of her own with her foster family. When Molly starts to work for Vivian, they strike up an unlikely friendship. As Vivian reveals more and more of her story to Molly, her past finally begins to become a part of her present and her future. It was a really great story. And amazing to think of the two hundred thousand children who really did travel on the orphan trains.
Cemetery Girl by David Bell (389 pages). Four years after 12 year old Caitlin disappeared, the pastor of the crazy church her mother joined convinces her parents, Tom and Abby, that they need a memorial service so they can move on. A memorial service complete with a grave and headstone. A few weeks after the service, Tom and Abby have split. And then they receive a phone call. Caitlin was found walking down the road, disheveled but healthy. The next few days are a nightmare- Caitlin refuses to talk about what happened to her, but still seems to be in love with the man who took her. Then an arrest is made. At first, the police aren't able to charge him with anything having to do with Caitlin. So Tom and his brother decide to take matters into their own hands. Good story, heartbreaking to read about a 16 year old and the Stockholm Syndrome she experienced at the hands of a 53 year old man. Makes me think about the girls in Ohio, and Elizabeth Smart, and Jaycee Dugard. The mixed emotions that probably ran through them upon their eventual release. Hatred, loss of safety, confusion. And this poor girl in the story was only left with love for her captor. It was a good story, but definitely a disturbing one.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed (311 pages. Of very tiny print I might add). This was to have been a read for my second book club. Sadly, that book club is now defunct. But I'd already purchased the book, so decided to give it a read. I have a friend who hiked the Appalachian Trail a few years back (he's actually also hiked the Pacific Crest Trail). I kept up with his travels on the website that was set up for AT hikers to use as their online journal. I found it fascinating. Something I could never do, but fascinating all the same. I felt the same way as I read this book. At 26, Cheryl had reached the end of her rope- father gone from her life, mother dead, siblings scattered, marriage ended in divorce, slight heroin addiction. She picked up a copy of The Pacific Crest Trail and decided to give the PCT a go. She traveled alone. Along the way, she met many fellow hikers. And she found herself. Honestly, I wasn't sure I would enjoy the book. I, personally, have no desire to do any sort of hiking- long distance or 20 feet. But I found myself wanting to see what she had seen, wanting to challenge myself. That feeling passed as soon as I finished the book. Who am I kidding- I am a lounge by the pool kind of girl (which is where I was when I read the book), not a hike 02 miles a day kind of girl. Doesn't stop me from admiring those girls though!
Only 7 books, but a total of 2254 pages. Not too shabby!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
The number of books was par for the course. The amount of pages? Rather August (get it? I'm such a nerd).
This month was far less rainy than last month. And I went to the beach for a long weekend. But I was also busy two Saturdays in a row. So there went my good reading days. But I must say, 8 books at 2786 pages was not too shabby.
Saints at the River by Ron Rash. (237 pages). Yet another Ron Rash book. I loved Serena so much that I wanted to read another sooner rather than later. Maggie Glenn is a photographer for a newspaper in Columbia, SC (I can only assume it's The State, but they never say). When a 12 year old girl drowns in the Tamassee River, Maggie and her coworker Allan go back to her hometown to cover the story. Because the body is trapped in the river, the girl's parents want to do whatever it takes to recover the body; locals and environmentalists do not want the river, which is protected by federal law, to be disturbed. Maggie has her own issues with being home - childhood incidents have left a schism between her and her father. Eventually, the decision is made to bring in a temporary dam so that the body can be recovered. But the Tamassee has its own ideas about if and when it will relinquish the body. The locals are suddenly faced with their own loss. And Maggie comes to terms with her father during the weeks that follow. Seriously, Ron Rash is a Southern author genius.
Confessions of a Rebel Debutante by Anna Fields. (272 pages). I saw this on sale at Books A Million ($4.97, y'all. Hello bargain shopper!) And it seemed funny (and quite possibly my own life story). So I had to buy it. Halfway through the introduction, I realized I was wrong - this wasn't my life story. I was a Deb. Two balls, thank you very much. The author, not so much. But I was right on the funny side of it! Anna grew up in North Carolina and went to finishing/boarding school. Yet was never asked to be a Deb. Instead, she forged her own path - attending Brown (a Yankee school!), moving to LA, going to NYU (another Yankee school!) for graduate school for writing. She worked for Diana Ross, she was the tutor for Jill Zarin's daughter, she had a lot of funny stories to share. It was an easy read (no seriously, I read it in less than a day).
Bossypants by Tina Fey (275 pages). This was my second book club book. My second book club that, alas, is no more. We didn't even meet to discuss the book. [sad tear] Anyway, I knew I liked Tina Fey, at least what I knew of her from SNL. And yes, she's a hysterically funny writer (in case her years as a writer on SNL weren't a hint to that). I loved the fact that she went to UVa and made a reference to Mr. Jefferson (only people with a connection to UVa will understand that). It certainly wasn't a thought-provoking life history or anything like that. It was light-hearted and enjoyable (no, seriously, I read it in the other half of the day).
South of Broad by Pat Conroy (512 pages). Almost exact three years ago, I was down in Edisto, telling my parents about this guy I'd just started dating. He had given me Lords of Discipline to read (he was a Citadel grad). Ironically, the owner of the beach house is also a Citadel grad. So I found it only fitting to read another Conroy book while down there! This book was amazing. I am 100% a Conroy convert now. It's the summer of 1969. Leo King is entering his senior year of high school. In his short life, he's already lost his beloved older brother to suicide, been in and out of mental hospitals, been arrested for cocaine possession and now faces the uncertainty of senior year friendless. Then he is asked by his mother, who's also the principal at his high school, to meet some orphans, Niles and Starla Whitehead, and make their transition to high school easier. That same day, he meets Chad Rutledge and Molly Huger, rich kids who were arrested for cocaine and will now be attending public school; Sheba and Trevor, the Poe twins; and Ike Jefferson, his new football teammate and son of the new black football coach. Leo has no idea that these seven people, and another orphan named Betty, will become the most important people in his life. Sheba goes on to become a famous actress, Trevor moves to San Francisco and contracts AIDS, Ike marries Betty and becomes chief of police, Chad and Molly marry (despite his inability to remain faithful) and Leo marries Starla, who is never able to shake off the damaged psyche of her youth. Through tragedies and love, through triumphs and sorrows, these eight people provide as much stability as they can for each other. When lifelong secrets and horrors are revealed, they are there. Just like a family. It was an amazing story. I read the entire thing in one day. And I. Am. Hooked. On. Conroy.
Heft by Liz Moore (352 pages). This was my first book club book. And of course, I wasn't able to make it to book club to discuss it. First things first, I HATE it when authors use the ampersand (&) rather than spell out the word AND. It messes with the flow of the writing for me. Oddly, the ampersands were interspersed with the word, so I know she knew the word.... Lucky for the author, I rather liked the story. So I'll forgive her the excessive use of ampersands. Arthur Opp is a retired professor who lives in Brooklyn and weighs 550 pounds. His shame at this fact has led to a completely reclusive lifestyle. Kel Keller is a high school senior from Yonkers. He's a standout baseball player at the very wealthy public school he attends. His mother, Charlene Turner, was one of Arthur's former students. They had a pen pal relationship for years after she left college. One day, everything starts to change. Arthur hires a maid, who quickly becomes a friend. Charlene's alcoholism takes its final toll. And left to deal with all of this on his own is Kel. The book ends with the promise of a meeting between these two men, who would never have met but for their connection to Charlene.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (460 pages). I have literally read every book Jodi Picoult has written (good ones and bad). And she definitely has a style of writing. Or so I thought. This book is like no other book I have ever read by Picoult - and I loved it. Sage is a 25 year old baker who is involved with a married man. She is in a grief counseling group due to the loss of her mother. In that group, she meets Josef, a ninety something year old man. As they become friends, Josef tells her that he was an SS officer, and one who was at Auchwitz. He also asks a huge favor of her. Sage knows enough about her family history to know that her grandmother Minka survived Auchwitz, but that is the extent of her knowledge. She makes a call to the FBI to report Josef. And in doing so learns more about her family and herself than she ever imagined. Omg- I could barely put this book down. It was fascinating that the novel was interspersed with a novel that Sage's grandmother had written - all about an upior (the Polish version of a vampire) and a beautiful young baker with whom he falls in love. Who's story was Minka telling - her own, that of the Nazis, or her granddaughter's? Picoult's detail during Josef's and Minka's stories was heart wrenching. I found myself wiping away tears and wondering (for the millionth time) how people can be so cruel. It was a gut-wrenching story and one of the best I've ever read from Picoult. I will say that, in true Picoult style, there were some fabulous twists!
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (340 pages). And yes, Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame (I know she's also on Parenthood, but that show's not my jam). The year is 1995. Franny Banks gave herself three years to make it in NYC as an actress. In 1992. She's now got six months. And she's no closer than she was two and a half years ago. Her roommates are supportive, but of no help. Her acting class is helping her with her craft, but not her career. She finally gets an agent, only to lose the agency's representation. She becomes involved with one of the most successful actors in her class. Or so she thinks. It was a really easy read and very creative (pages from Franny's date book were in between chapters, covered in her notes and doodles). I like Lorelei Gilmore's writing style a lot. The only thing I didn't like? The ending. It left me a bit cold. And more than a bit confused.
Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris (338 pages). The final Sookie Stackhouse novel. To be honest, I didn't watch this season of True Blood. But I seem to remember the characters and storylines from the show more than the ones from the book (they are totally different at this point. I mean, not even remotely the same). So I always end up a little confused when I start reading the books again. In this one, Arlene shows up again. Book Arlene, who tried to kill Sookie and was sent to jail. Show Arlene isn't a murderer. So I like her. A few days after Arlene is released on bail and shows back up in Bon Temps, she is found dead. And Sookie is accused of the murder. All of Sookie's friends, human and supe, start showing up to help her prove her innocence. It was nice to see the return of some old characters. It was nice the way Harris tied up some of the storylines for those characters. And honestly, the ending was perfection. I couldn't have been happier for Sookie and the way her life was starting to turn out. Harris did an excellent job ending the series. It didn't end with a bang, but with a promise of happily ever after.
Saints at the River by Ron Rash. (237 pages). Yet another Ron Rash book. I loved Serena so much that I wanted to read another sooner rather than later. Maggie Glenn is a photographer for a newspaper in Columbia, SC (I can only assume it's The State, but they never say). When a 12 year old girl drowns in the Tamassee River, Maggie and her coworker Allan go back to her hometown to cover the story. Because the body is trapped in the river, the girl's parents want to do whatever it takes to recover the body; locals and environmentalists do not want the river, which is protected by federal law, to be disturbed. Maggie has her own issues with being home - childhood incidents have left a schism between her and her father. Eventually, the decision is made to bring in a temporary dam so that the body can be recovered. But the Tamassee has its own ideas about if and when it will relinquish the body. The locals are suddenly faced with their own loss. And Maggie comes to terms with her father during the weeks that follow. Seriously, Ron Rash is a Southern author genius.
Confessions of a Rebel Debutante by Anna Fields. (272 pages). I saw this on sale at Books A Million ($4.97, y'all. Hello bargain shopper!) And it seemed funny (and quite possibly my own life story). So I had to buy it. Halfway through the introduction, I realized I was wrong - this wasn't my life story. I was a Deb. Two balls, thank you very much. The author, not so much. But I was right on the funny side of it! Anna grew up in North Carolina and went to finishing/boarding school. Yet was never asked to be a Deb. Instead, she forged her own path - attending Brown (a Yankee school!), moving to LA, going to NYU (another Yankee school!) for graduate school for writing. She worked for Diana Ross, she was the tutor for Jill Zarin's daughter, she had a lot of funny stories to share. It was an easy read (no seriously, I read it in less than a day).
Bossypants by Tina Fey (275 pages). This was my second book club book. My second book club that, alas, is no more. We didn't even meet to discuss the book. [sad tear] Anyway, I knew I liked Tina Fey, at least what I knew of her from SNL. And yes, she's a hysterically funny writer (in case her years as a writer on SNL weren't a hint to that). I loved the fact that she went to UVa and made a reference to Mr. Jefferson (only people with a connection to UVa will understand that). It certainly wasn't a thought-provoking life history or anything like that. It was light-hearted and enjoyable (no, seriously, I read it in the other half of the day).
South of Broad by Pat Conroy (512 pages). Almost exact three years ago, I was down in Edisto, telling my parents about this guy I'd just started dating. He had given me Lords of Discipline to read (he was a Citadel grad). Ironically, the owner of the beach house is also a Citadel grad. So I found it only fitting to read another Conroy book while down there! This book was amazing. I am 100% a Conroy convert now. It's the summer of 1969. Leo King is entering his senior year of high school. In his short life, he's already lost his beloved older brother to suicide, been in and out of mental hospitals, been arrested for cocaine possession and now faces the uncertainty of senior year friendless. Then he is asked by his mother, who's also the principal at his high school, to meet some orphans, Niles and Starla Whitehead, and make their transition to high school easier. That same day, he meets Chad Rutledge and Molly Huger, rich kids who were arrested for cocaine and will now be attending public school; Sheba and Trevor, the Poe twins; and Ike Jefferson, his new football teammate and son of the new black football coach. Leo has no idea that these seven people, and another orphan named Betty, will become the most important people in his life. Sheba goes on to become a famous actress, Trevor moves to San Francisco and contracts AIDS, Ike marries Betty and becomes chief of police, Chad and Molly marry (despite his inability to remain faithful) and Leo marries Starla, who is never able to shake off the damaged psyche of her youth. Through tragedies and love, through triumphs and sorrows, these eight people provide as much stability as they can for each other. When lifelong secrets and horrors are revealed, they are there. Just like a family. It was an amazing story. I read the entire thing in one day. And I. Am. Hooked. On. Conroy.
Heft by Liz Moore (352 pages). This was my first book club book. And of course, I wasn't able to make it to book club to discuss it. First things first, I HATE it when authors use the ampersand (&) rather than spell out the word AND. It messes with the flow of the writing for me. Oddly, the ampersands were interspersed with the word, so I know she knew the word.... Lucky for the author, I rather liked the story. So I'll forgive her the excessive use of ampersands. Arthur Opp is a retired professor who lives in Brooklyn and weighs 550 pounds. His shame at this fact has led to a completely reclusive lifestyle. Kel Keller is a high school senior from Yonkers. He's a standout baseball player at the very wealthy public school he attends. His mother, Charlene Turner, was one of Arthur's former students. They had a pen pal relationship for years after she left college. One day, everything starts to change. Arthur hires a maid, who quickly becomes a friend. Charlene's alcoholism takes its final toll. And left to deal with all of this on his own is Kel. The book ends with the promise of a meeting between these two men, who would never have met but for their connection to Charlene.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (460 pages). I have literally read every book Jodi Picoult has written (good ones and bad). And she definitely has a style of writing. Or so I thought. This book is like no other book I have ever read by Picoult - and I loved it. Sage is a 25 year old baker who is involved with a married man. She is in a grief counseling group due to the loss of her mother. In that group, she meets Josef, a ninety something year old man. As they become friends, Josef tells her that he was an SS officer, and one who was at Auchwitz. He also asks a huge favor of her. Sage knows enough about her family history to know that her grandmother Minka survived Auchwitz, but that is the extent of her knowledge. She makes a call to the FBI to report Josef. And in doing so learns more about her family and herself than she ever imagined. Omg- I could barely put this book down. It was fascinating that the novel was interspersed with a novel that Sage's grandmother had written - all about an upior (the Polish version of a vampire) and a beautiful young baker with whom he falls in love. Who's story was Minka telling - her own, that of the Nazis, or her granddaughter's? Picoult's detail during Josef's and Minka's stories was heart wrenching. I found myself wiping away tears and wondering (for the millionth time) how people can be so cruel. It was a gut-wrenching story and one of the best I've ever read from Picoult. I will say that, in true Picoult style, there were some fabulous twists!
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (340 pages). And yes, Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame (I know she's also on Parenthood, but that show's not my jam). The year is 1995. Franny Banks gave herself three years to make it in NYC as an actress. In 1992. She's now got six months. And she's no closer than she was two and a half years ago. Her roommates are supportive, but of no help. Her acting class is helping her with her craft, but not her career. She finally gets an agent, only to lose the agency's representation. She becomes involved with one of the most successful actors in her class. Or so she thinks. It was a really easy read and very creative (pages from Franny's date book were in between chapters, covered in her notes and doodles). I like Lorelei Gilmore's writing style a lot. The only thing I didn't like? The ending. It left me a bit cold. And more than a bit confused.
Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris (338 pages). The final Sookie Stackhouse novel. To be honest, I didn't watch this season of True Blood. But I seem to remember the characters and storylines from the show more than the ones from the book (they are totally different at this point. I mean, not even remotely the same). So I always end up a little confused when I start reading the books again. In this one, Arlene shows up again. Book Arlene, who tried to kill Sookie and was sent to jail. Show Arlene isn't a murderer. So I like her. A few days after Arlene is released on bail and shows back up in Bon Temps, she is found dead. And Sookie is accused of the murder. All of Sookie's friends, human and supe, start showing up to help her prove her innocence. It was nice to see the return of some old characters. It was nice the way Harris tied up some of the storylines for those characters. And honestly, the ending was perfection. I couldn't have been happier for Sookie and the way her life was starting to turn out. Harris did an excellent job ending the series. It didn't end with a bang, but with a promise of happily ever after.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
July readings went pretty well
You'd think the insane amount of rain we had in July would have allowed me to get more reading done, right? Not so much. I get much more reading done when I am forced to sit by my pool. I know, I know, feel so bad for me for my tough weekends. But I still got 7 books and 2460 pages read this month.
Tumbleweeds by Leila Meachum. (466 pages). This was my first book club book. It was marketed as Friday Night Lights. Texas high school football?! Yes please! After reading it, I'd say Friday Night Lights is a stretch, but it was really good. I seriously had a hard time putting the book down. I read 2/3 of it in one day! Eleven year old Cathy moves to Kersey, Texas, when her parents die. John and Trey Don (yes, his name is Trey Don) are the two most popular boys in the class. They also happen to be orphans (of a sort) as well. They've been told they must look out for her, but both boys fall hard and fast for the beautiful Cathy. A friendship quickly develops and the three become inseparable. A few years later, Cathy and Trey Don become a couple. But all three of them still make plans to spend the future together- at University of Miami so the boys can eventually make it into the NFL and so Cathy can become a doctor. But the week of the big rival game, the game that will clinch their futures, the boys are involved in something that forever changes the relationship. And after that, their worlds fall apart. Trey Don goes on to the U of M and a career in the NFL. John becomes a Jesuit priest. And Cathy stays in Kersey, raising Trey Don's son. A son he refuses to acknowledge (for the most interesting reasons). After 22 years away, Trey Don arrives home in Kersey, with some bombshells of his own. What follows will shake up the lives of them all. The ending was quite shocking. In a good way. I thoroughly enjoyed every page!
Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. (381 pages). The Devil Wears Prada, the sequel? I am ALL in! It's been 10 years since Andy Sachs screamed "F you" at Miranda Priestly on the streets of Paris (a scene I hate that the movie changed). Gone is Alex, the teacher boyfriend (or Nate, the chef boyfriend if you've only seen the movie) who never understood what Andy truly went through at Runway. Best friend Lily has moved to Colorado. In the ensuing years, Andy and former first assistant/enemy Emily have become best friends and own their own high-end bridal magazine. Both are married and Andy has become a mother. One would think everything is perfect without Miranda in their lives. Until Elias-Clark comes calling, wanting to purchase their magazine for a staggering amount of money. And the woman Andy still has nightmares about is back in her life. No one but Andy seems to see the problem with letting this woman back into their lives. And no one is prepared for how right Andy is when it happens. If you liked the original, this one does a fantastic job of following up on Andy, who you just can't help but root for!
Becoming Sister Wives by Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn Brown. (269 pages). I am obsessed, OBSESSED, with the sister wives. I watch every episode of their show. I can't get enough of polygamous marriages. Couldn't imagine living in one, but find them fascinating. So of course, when I saw this book on sale, I just had to buy it! The book focuses on four things: matrimony, sorority, family and celebrity. Each of the wives has an opportunity to voice her own thoughts about her marriage, her sister wives, their children and their new found celebrity status. I feel like I learned more about them than the show offered. Certainly not the best book I've ever read and probably not everyone's cup of tea, but as a fan of the show, I enjoyed reading more.
Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, MD. (171 pages). This was my second book club book. I kept comparing it to Heaven Is For Real, which isn't really fair. Other than the fact that they are about near death experiences, they are totally different books. In this one, Eben is a neurosurgeon who is barely more than a holiday church goer. As a man of science, he has no place in his life for faith. Out of nowhere, he contracts E. coli bacterial meningitis, which is rare for an adult. He goes into a coma for seven days. While his family surrounds him, praying for his recovery yet expecting the worse, Eben is somewhere else. He is ready to stay in this place forever, until he feels a pull. He looks around and sees faces. And knows he must return to them. The next thing his family knows, he is waking up. They have been told he will never return to his prior self, his brain has been too damaged. But he does. His oldest son tells him to write down everything he experienced, then to learn as much as he can about near death experiences. As a neurosurgeon, Eben knows everything worth knowing about brains. He knows that his own brain was dead while he was in the coma - no part of the brain that creates fantasies or dreams was alive. So he knew, from a scientific perspective, that he hadn't imagined this place where he went. While I appreciated his explanations (it was definitely cool to have something faith based described by a man of science), I just didn't like his experience in heaven and with the Om (as he described God). His descriptions were of a place that didn't sound all that enjoyable to me - stuck in the Earthworm's View until he could either go up into heaven full time or back down to earth? Never in the physical presence of God, only able to feel a presence and hear the sound of Om (which is why he referred to God by that term)? I'm not sure that's a heaven I want to go to. I liked Colton's experience in Heaven Is For Real much more. Sorry, Dr. Alexander. I'm glad your near death experience worked for you, I'm just not sure it did for me.
Entwined with You by Sylvia Day. (356 pages). The last in the Crossfire Series. The book was just like the ones leading up to it. Lots of sex (but not disturbing sex like in 50 Shades). And a good story. Eva has finally learned why Gideon was pushing her away. And for public appearances, they stay apart (even though they've gotten back together). Reporters stalk them, exes reappear, and surprises are around every corner. But there is no way either of them are going to let the other go. A weekend trip to the Caribbean clinches that determination. I was a little sad going into the last chapter. So much was happening. Imagine my joy at learning Day was going to write another book to continue this most unusual of love stories!
Serena by Ron Rash. (371 pages). I love some Ron Rash and this is one of his more well known. They are even making it a movie. So I was super excited about reading it. And oh. My. Gosh. Was I right to be excited! Seriously, I finished the book in a day. It's 1929. George Pemberton owns a lumber company in the mountains of North Carolina. He travels to Boston for a few months, where he meets and marries Serena, the daughter of a lumber man from Colorado. Together, they return to the lumber camp and begin to ruthlessly take over anything that stands in their way. Unfortunately, George left behind a pregnant young woman when he left for Boston. And this woman stays in the area with George's son. Serena learns, after miscarrying a child, that she will never be able to have another. And her vengeance takes on a more personal note. No one is safe, not the men who cross her and definitely not the illegitimate son her husband barely acknowledges. The ending was absolutely phenomenal. I cannot wait to see Jennifer Lawrence tackle this role!!
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella. (446 pages). I had to return to chick lit because, well, because it never disappoints. Lottie is ready for her boyfriend of 3 years to propose. When a "special lunch" goes horribly awry, she ends the relationship. Her older sister, Fliss, worries that she will make another Unfortunate Choice. Fliss has no idea this time! Ben, Lottie's boyfriend when she was 18, suddenly enters the picture and reminds her of their pact to get married at 30. They immediately get married and jet off to Inokas, the Greek island where they fell in love. It's up to Fliss and Lorcan (Ben's best man) to derail this marriage, or maybe just the wedding night. After all, a marriage isn't a marriage until it's consummated, right? The book was an easy read and fantastic to have on the beach (which is where I read most of it!)
Tumbleweeds by Leila Meachum. (466 pages). This was my first book club book. It was marketed as Friday Night Lights. Texas high school football?! Yes please! After reading it, I'd say Friday Night Lights is a stretch, but it was really good. I seriously had a hard time putting the book down. I read 2/3 of it in one day! Eleven year old Cathy moves to Kersey, Texas, when her parents die. John and Trey Don (yes, his name is Trey Don) are the two most popular boys in the class. They also happen to be orphans (of a sort) as well. They've been told they must look out for her, but both boys fall hard and fast for the beautiful Cathy. A friendship quickly develops and the three become inseparable. A few years later, Cathy and Trey Don become a couple. But all three of them still make plans to spend the future together- at University of Miami so the boys can eventually make it into the NFL and so Cathy can become a doctor. But the week of the big rival game, the game that will clinch their futures, the boys are involved in something that forever changes the relationship. And after that, their worlds fall apart. Trey Don goes on to the U of M and a career in the NFL. John becomes a Jesuit priest. And Cathy stays in Kersey, raising Trey Don's son. A son he refuses to acknowledge (for the most interesting reasons). After 22 years away, Trey Don arrives home in Kersey, with some bombshells of his own. What follows will shake up the lives of them all. The ending was quite shocking. In a good way. I thoroughly enjoyed every page!
Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. (381 pages). The Devil Wears Prada, the sequel? I am ALL in! It's been 10 years since Andy Sachs screamed "F you" at Miranda Priestly on the streets of Paris (a scene I hate that the movie changed). Gone is Alex, the teacher boyfriend (or Nate, the chef boyfriend if you've only seen the movie) who never understood what Andy truly went through at Runway. Best friend Lily has moved to Colorado. In the ensuing years, Andy and former first assistant/enemy Emily have become best friends and own their own high-end bridal magazine. Both are married and Andy has become a mother. One would think everything is perfect without Miranda in their lives. Until Elias-Clark comes calling, wanting to purchase their magazine for a staggering amount of money. And the woman Andy still has nightmares about is back in her life. No one but Andy seems to see the problem with letting this woman back into their lives. And no one is prepared for how right Andy is when it happens. If you liked the original, this one does a fantastic job of following up on Andy, who you just can't help but root for!
Becoming Sister Wives by Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn Brown. (269 pages). I am obsessed, OBSESSED, with the sister wives. I watch every episode of their show. I can't get enough of polygamous marriages. Couldn't imagine living in one, but find them fascinating. So of course, when I saw this book on sale, I just had to buy it! The book focuses on four things: matrimony, sorority, family and celebrity. Each of the wives has an opportunity to voice her own thoughts about her marriage, her sister wives, their children and their new found celebrity status. I feel like I learned more about them than the show offered. Certainly not the best book I've ever read and probably not everyone's cup of tea, but as a fan of the show, I enjoyed reading more.
Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, MD. (171 pages). This was my second book club book. I kept comparing it to Heaven Is For Real, which isn't really fair. Other than the fact that they are about near death experiences, they are totally different books. In this one, Eben is a neurosurgeon who is barely more than a holiday church goer. As a man of science, he has no place in his life for faith. Out of nowhere, he contracts E. coli bacterial meningitis, which is rare for an adult. He goes into a coma for seven days. While his family surrounds him, praying for his recovery yet expecting the worse, Eben is somewhere else. He is ready to stay in this place forever, until he feels a pull. He looks around and sees faces. And knows he must return to them. The next thing his family knows, he is waking up. They have been told he will never return to his prior self, his brain has been too damaged. But he does. His oldest son tells him to write down everything he experienced, then to learn as much as he can about near death experiences. As a neurosurgeon, Eben knows everything worth knowing about brains. He knows that his own brain was dead while he was in the coma - no part of the brain that creates fantasies or dreams was alive. So he knew, from a scientific perspective, that he hadn't imagined this place where he went. While I appreciated his explanations (it was definitely cool to have something faith based described by a man of science), I just didn't like his experience in heaven and with the Om (as he described God). His descriptions were of a place that didn't sound all that enjoyable to me - stuck in the Earthworm's View until he could either go up into heaven full time or back down to earth? Never in the physical presence of God, only able to feel a presence and hear the sound of Om (which is why he referred to God by that term)? I'm not sure that's a heaven I want to go to. I liked Colton's experience in Heaven Is For Real much more. Sorry, Dr. Alexander. I'm glad your near death experience worked for you, I'm just not sure it did for me.
Entwined with You by Sylvia Day. (356 pages). The last in the Crossfire Series. The book was just like the ones leading up to it. Lots of sex (but not disturbing sex like in 50 Shades). And a good story. Eva has finally learned why Gideon was pushing her away. And for public appearances, they stay apart (even though they've gotten back together). Reporters stalk them, exes reappear, and surprises are around every corner. But there is no way either of them are going to let the other go. A weekend trip to the Caribbean clinches that determination. I was a little sad going into the last chapter. So much was happening. Imagine my joy at learning Day was going to write another book to continue this most unusual of love stories!
Serena by Ron Rash. (371 pages). I love some Ron Rash and this is one of his more well known. They are even making it a movie. So I was super excited about reading it. And oh. My. Gosh. Was I right to be excited! Seriously, I finished the book in a day. It's 1929. George Pemberton owns a lumber company in the mountains of North Carolina. He travels to Boston for a few months, where he meets and marries Serena, the daughter of a lumber man from Colorado. Together, they return to the lumber camp and begin to ruthlessly take over anything that stands in their way. Unfortunately, George left behind a pregnant young woman when he left for Boston. And this woman stays in the area with George's son. Serena learns, after miscarrying a child, that she will never be able to have another. And her vengeance takes on a more personal note. No one is safe, not the men who cross her and definitely not the illegitimate son her husband barely acknowledges. The ending was absolutely phenomenal. I cannot wait to see Jennifer Lawrence tackle this role!!
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella. (446 pages). I had to return to chick lit because, well, because it never disappoints. Lottie is ready for her boyfriend of 3 years to propose. When a "special lunch" goes horribly awry, she ends the relationship. Her older sister, Fliss, worries that she will make another Unfortunate Choice. Fliss has no idea this time! Ben, Lottie's boyfriend when she was 18, suddenly enters the picture and reminds her of their pact to get married at 30. They immediately get married and jet off to Inokas, the Greek island where they fell in love. It's up to Fliss and Lorcan (Ben's best man) to derail this marriage, or maybe just the wedding night. After all, a marriage isn't a marriage until it's consummated, right? The book was an easy read and fantastic to have on the beach (which is where I read most of it!)
Sunday, June 30, 2013
This month was just not good- slow reading, losing non-essential organs....
I had every intention of reading lots of books this month. Pool time would be every weekend. It was going to be great. Then I had an emergency appendectomy (really, is there any other kind than an emergency?!) and ended up so freaking tired for over two weeks that I could barely keep my eyes open to do much of anything, let alone read. But now I'm back and the weekends can be spent poolside, book in hand. I did manage 1634 pages worth of books. So that's not too bad, huh?
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan (301 pages). This was my second book club book. I was a little iffy about it, as I kind of hated Atonement (same author). A fact which may or may not have had a lot to do with the fact that I saw the movie first and absolutely detested it. But I gave this book a go anyway. It wasn't my favorite book ever. But it was certainly better than Atonement. Well, it was up until the ending. McEwan's endings piss me off. Serena Frome is a beautiful mathematics major from Cambridge during the 1970's. She also happens to be a very avid reader - of mostly modern novels. After an affair with a professor which ends dramatically, she manages to land a job with MI5. You know, Britain's Secret Service. At first, she is just an intake clerk. But after becoming sort of involved with a coworker (fine, she had a crush, he led her on), she quickly rises through the ranks and eventually becomes an agent. Her mission is code named Sweet Tooth. It involves convincing an up and coming new author, Tom Haley, that she has important connections to the literary world. And that he needs to espouse MI5's political views (without actually telling him that's what he's to do). Or something like that- I'm still a little foggy on the details and no one at book club seemed to understand it any better than I did. Anyways, Serena and Tom quickly fall for each other and begin a wonderful (or so it seems) love affair. But can that love overcome the lies that surround them? Stupid STUPID ending that totally pissed me off. I mean seriously, McEwan, you are dead to me.
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (503 pages). The next in the Beautiful Creatures series. And more frustration in regards to the South Carolina aspect of the story. Of course, there is no Gatlin, SC (which is fine). But there's also no Gatlin County. And no University of Charleston (seriously, just use C of C!!) I found myself not liking this book as much as I'd liked the first one. It kind of seemed to drag at first. Lena's depressed over the death of her uncle and is pulling away from Ethan. Then, it picked up. Lena's mother, the most powerful Dark Caster ever, is calling Lena's Seventeenth Moon early, so that Lena will Claim herself. And Ethan and his motley crew of Mortals, Seers and once dead Casters must help her learn who she truly is. Thank goodness the book picked up by the end. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to read the next one.
Beautifuyl Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (518 pages). Lena's Claiming (she learned she is both Dark and Light, the first of her kind) upset the natural Order of the World, both for Supernaturals and for Mortals. Now, the race is on to determine how to fix the Order, all before someone's Eighteenth Moon (and this time, it's not Lena's). But when the answer finally reveals itself to them, does the One have the strength to do what needs to be done? This one reminded me a little more of why I liked the first one so much. But still couldn't reclaim my utter enjoyment of that first book. I'm kind of glad there's only one left in the series. Now I'm just ready for it to arrive so I can be done with the whole thing!
The Woman Before Wallis by Andrew Rose (312 pages). This one was history, pure and simple. I completely turned my back on the fiction portion of my favorite genre. But this book seemed to fascinating to pass up. I had no idea Prince Andrew had been involved in scandal after scandal, long before abdicating the throne to marry Wallis Simpson. In 1917, Prince Edward met Marguerite Meller, already an established Parisian courtesan. After an 18 month affair, filled with lustful encounters and indiscreet letters, Prince Edward ended the affair. Marguerite was incensed, but was willing to bide her time. After all, she had blackmail worthy letters in her possession. Fast forward to 1922 - Marguerite has met Ali Fahmy, a WEALTHY Egyptian playboy nearly 10 years her junior. They quickly wed and spend the next year traveling and fighting all over Egypt and Europe. Their fights become almost legendary. Both keep pistols handy because neither trusts the other. Eventually, they make their way to London, where Prince Edward is happily ensconced in his princely duties. After a particularly horrendous fight in the hallway of their hotel, Marguerite pulls out her pistol and fatally shoots her husband three times IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. Next came the sensational trial- seriously, Jodie Arias had nothing on this action! However, it was imperative that the Prince's past with this woman not come out. And a deal, of sorts, was reached. Fortunately, the jury unwittingly adhered to the deal and rendered a not guilty verdict. I remembered why I don't like history- it's boring and can come across a little pretentious. But the trial was fascinating. And there were some great lines in the book. In describing the judge in the trial, the author had this to say - "it seems that Swift's chubby features and ruddy complexion were due to a fondness for drink, a failing not exactly unknown in the legal profession." Truth! Anyway, if you like history, this one was great. And if history bores you, this was still a pretty interesting story.
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan (301 pages). This was my second book club book. I was a little iffy about it, as I kind of hated Atonement (same author). A fact which may or may not have had a lot to do with the fact that I saw the movie first and absolutely detested it. But I gave this book a go anyway. It wasn't my favorite book ever. But it was certainly better than Atonement. Well, it was up until the ending. McEwan's endings piss me off. Serena Frome is a beautiful mathematics major from Cambridge during the 1970's. She also happens to be a very avid reader - of mostly modern novels. After an affair with a professor which ends dramatically, she manages to land a job with MI5. You know, Britain's Secret Service. At first, she is just an intake clerk. But after becoming sort of involved with a coworker (fine, she had a crush, he led her on), she quickly rises through the ranks and eventually becomes an agent. Her mission is code named Sweet Tooth. It involves convincing an up and coming new author, Tom Haley, that she has important connections to the literary world. And that he needs to espouse MI5's political views (without actually telling him that's what he's to do). Or something like that- I'm still a little foggy on the details and no one at book club seemed to understand it any better than I did. Anyways, Serena and Tom quickly fall for each other and begin a wonderful (or so it seems) love affair. But can that love overcome the lies that surround them? Stupid STUPID ending that totally pissed me off. I mean seriously, McEwan, you are dead to me.
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (503 pages). The next in the Beautiful Creatures series. And more frustration in regards to the South Carolina aspect of the story. Of course, there is no Gatlin, SC (which is fine). But there's also no Gatlin County. And no University of Charleston (seriously, just use C of C!!) I found myself not liking this book as much as I'd liked the first one. It kind of seemed to drag at first. Lena's depressed over the death of her uncle and is pulling away from Ethan. Then, it picked up. Lena's mother, the most powerful Dark Caster ever, is calling Lena's Seventeenth Moon early, so that Lena will Claim herself. And Ethan and his motley crew of Mortals, Seers and once dead Casters must help her learn who she truly is. Thank goodness the book picked up by the end. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to read the next one.
Beautifuyl Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (518 pages). Lena's Claiming (she learned she is both Dark and Light, the first of her kind) upset the natural Order of the World, both for Supernaturals and for Mortals. Now, the race is on to determine how to fix the Order, all before someone's Eighteenth Moon (and this time, it's not Lena's). But when the answer finally reveals itself to them, does the One have the strength to do what needs to be done? This one reminded me a little more of why I liked the first one so much. But still couldn't reclaim my utter enjoyment of that first book. I'm kind of glad there's only one left in the series. Now I'm just ready for it to arrive so I can be done with the whole thing!
The Woman Before Wallis by Andrew Rose (312 pages). This one was history, pure and simple. I completely turned my back on the fiction portion of my favorite genre. But this book seemed to fascinating to pass up. I had no idea Prince Andrew had been involved in scandal after scandal, long before abdicating the throne to marry Wallis Simpson. In 1917, Prince Edward met Marguerite Meller, already an established Parisian courtesan. After an 18 month affair, filled with lustful encounters and indiscreet letters, Prince Edward ended the affair. Marguerite was incensed, but was willing to bide her time. After all, she had blackmail worthy letters in her possession. Fast forward to 1922 - Marguerite has met Ali Fahmy, a WEALTHY Egyptian playboy nearly 10 years her junior. They quickly wed and spend the next year traveling and fighting all over Egypt and Europe. Their fights become almost legendary. Both keep pistols handy because neither trusts the other. Eventually, they make their way to London, where Prince Edward is happily ensconced in his princely duties. After a particularly horrendous fight in the hallway of their hotel, Marguerite pulls out her pistol and fatally shoots her husband three times IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. Next came the sensational trial- seriously, Jodie Arias had nothing on this action! However, it was imperative that the Prince's past with this woman not come out. And a deal, of sorts, was reached. Fortunately, the jury unwittingly adhered to the deal and rendered a not guilty verdict. I remembered why I don't like history- it's boring and can come across a little pretentious. But the trial was fascinating. And there were some great lines in the book. In describing the judge in the trial, the author had this to say - "it seems that Swift's chubby features and ruddy complexion were due to a fondness for drink, a failing not exactly unknown in the legal profession." Truth! Anyway, if you like history, this one was great. And if history bores you, this was still a pretty interesting story.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Summertime and the reading is easy!
Now that it's finally time to sit by the pool, I'm getting a lot more reading done (as I expected). I also decided to add into my blog how many pages each book is. Because I was not enough of a nerd already! Here we go!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. (493 pages) This was my second book club book. It's the story of Francie Nolan, creative eldest child of handsome ne'er-do-well Johnny Nolan and hard, hard-working Katie Rommely. Francie grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the early 1900's. She is an avid reader, an imaginative child, who longs for something more out of life than what her parents have. She has the best of both families running through her, but with something else in her- "what God ... puts into each soul that is given life- the one different thing such as that which makes no two fingerprints on the face of earth alike." The story is about Francie's coming of age. The hardships of living in Brooklyn in the 1900's, the loss of a parent, falling in love, the importance of education. I must say- I totally understand why this book is a classic. As someone in my book club said, they don't write like this anymore. Beautifully written, I was rooting for Francie to get everything she wanted out of life!
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. (272 pages) This was my first book club book. It took me a few chapters to figure out what was happening in the story and to get the characters straight, but once I finally got into it, I couldn't put it down! Larry (white) and Silas (black) used to be friends as boys. Then, a forced fight ruined their friendship. A few years later, a girl in their high school disappears while allegedly on a date with Larry. The accusations fly and he is forever branded. Silas escapes their small town to play baseball, but eventually comes home and becomes constable. Then another girl disappears and Larry is found shot. Immediately, Larry is the assumed kidnapper/eventual murderer of the girl, a man who tried to commit suicide because of his guilt. But Silas knows better. The things that come out in the investigation were pretty interesting. The story does go back and forth between past events and current events quite a bit (I think that's what I found most difficult until I got into the rhythm of it). Interesting story- I rather liked it. It was an Edgar Award nominee, so clearly the writing is good. And so was the mystery!
Up Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. (372 pages) I decided to return to an old standby- chick lit. And if you are going back to an old standby, you must go back to a master of the craft. And boy- is that Giffin! Marian is thirty-six years old and living the perfect life. She's a TV producer living in NYC and dating the man of her dreams. Nothing can touch her! Until the baby she gave up at 18 shows up on her doorstep. Kirby, herself 18 and somewhat lost, turns Marian's world upside down. All of a sudden, memories flood back- memories of Conrad, Kirby's father and the love of Marian's life. As Kirby is searching for who she really is, Marian learns she isn't who she wanted to be either. This was perfect pool-side reading (which is exactly where I was when I read it!)
Z by Therese Anne Fowler. (367 pages) When in doubt, it's always back to historical fiction for me! In 1918, Zelda Sayre met army lieutenant Scott Fitzgerald for the first time. She is 17, from a very prominent family and Southern. He is none of those things. But their love is so passionate, so overwhelming, that they defy the odds to be together. Through Scott's successes and failures, through Zelda's frustrations and misdiagnosed bi-polar episodes, through the birth of their daughter and the loss of family members, through knock-down fights and wild parties, their obsession for each other wavered but never faded. What I love about historical fiction is that I find myself doing research to discover how much of the novel is true. And when is learning a bad thing?! This book was particularly enjoyable because there was some crossover with The Paris Wife, another favorite book. Obviously, there was quite of bit of common events and friends between Fitzgerald and Hemingway, including their own obsessive friendship/mutual hatred. But having read some of the events from Hadley's perspective, it was fascinating to read them from Zelda's! I STRONGLY recommend this book!!
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. (563 pages) I do enjoy a book about supernaturals. I didn't see the movie that came out a while ago, but read a lot of reviews about how it destroyed the book. Of course, when is the movie EVER as good as the book, said the English major. Looking at the actors cast in the movie, I certainly understand one frustration I read about- Emmy Rossum, as gorgeous and talented as she is, had to have been totally wrong for her character, a curvy blonde. But back to the book, you know, the whole reason for this blog. Ethan was born and raised in (fictional) Gatlin, SC. And all he does is dream of escaping. And of a girl. Amazingly, that girl appears one day. Lena is the niece of the town recluse. And a Caster to boot. Basically, it's Garcia/Stohl terminology for a family of witches. Lena's family, and Gatlin itself, has an interesting past, one that Lena and Ethan want to discover. Hanging over their heads is Lean's upcoming 16th birthday, the day she will be Claimed for either Dark or Light, as all members of her family are. Good or evil, light or dark. Which will win? Excellent mindless reading, as most supernatural character books are. My biggest complaint? While I'm all for creating a fictional town, when an author then reference real places that surround the fictional town, please do your research. Do not make the only grocery store in town a Stop and Shop. That is a chain that exists only in the Northeast, definitely NOT in the South! If they'd called it some sort of mom and pop name or a Winn-Dixie, I'd have found it a lot more believable. But either way, I'm ready for the next three in the series to arrive from Books-a-Million!
The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. (512 pages) At first I thought it was a little Something Wicked This Way Comes (book turned old school Disney movie), except not so evil. Then it seemed a little The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (also a movie, a VERY strange movie), except an easier story to follow. Turns out it was its own thing entirely. Prospero and Alexander are long time rival magicians. And when I say magicians, I don't mean they just perform slight of hand tricks. These men have serious powers. And they love to challenge each other, usually involving their students as their pawns. This time around, it's Prospero's daughter Celia who will be his ultimate student, and ultimate victory. The game is set in motion long before Celia and Marco, Alexander's protege, even meet. And there can only be one victor and one survivor. Marco is the right hand man of Mr. Lefevre, proprietor of Le Cirque de Reves. Celia, the Illusionist, is one of the attractions. Both of them actually have a hand in creating the attractions that make Le Cirque such a success. They also have a hand in keeping Le Cirque safe and ageless. Eventually, the game becomes something more. They fall in love. And discover a way to end the game and save both of their lives. The circus itself, and the characters who are intertwined with it, might be the most interesting part of the story. The "magic" that surrounded all of them was so intriguing, so captivating. Just a fantastic book! Side note- I decided to read some reviews after I finished and darned if the novel wasn't compared to Something Wicked This Way Comes!
So that's it- 6 books, 2579 pages. Man, I love summer!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. (493 pages) This was my second book club book. It's the story of Francie Nolan, creative eldest child of handsome ne'er-do-well Johnny Nolan and hard, hard-working Katie Rommely. Francie grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the early 1900's. She is an avid reader, an imaginative child, who longs for something more out of life than what her parents have. She has the best of both families running through her, but with something else in her- "what God ... puts into each soul that is given life- the one different thing such as that which makes no two fingerprints on the face of earth alike." The story is about Francie's coming of age. The hardships of living in Brooklyn in the 1900's, the loss of a parent, falling in love, the importance of education. I must say- I totally understand why this book is a classic. As someone in my book club said, they don't write like this anymore. Beautifully written, I was rooting for Francie to get everything she wanted out of life!
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. (272 pages) This was my first book club book. It took me a few chapters to figure out what was happening in the story and to get the characters straight, but once I finally got into it, I couldn't put it down! Larry (white) and Silas (black) used to be friends as boys. Then, a forced fight ruined their friendship. A few years later, a girl in their high school disappears while allegedly on a date with Larry. The accusations fly and he is forever branded. Silas escapes their small town to play baseball, but eventually comes home and becomes constable. Then another girl disappears and Larry is found shot. Immediately, Larry is the assumed kidnapper/eventual murderer of the girl, a man who tried to commit suicide because of his guilt. But Silas knows better. The things that come out in the investigation were pretty interesting. The story does go back and forth between past events and current events quite a bit (I think that's what I found most difficult until I got into the rhythm of it). Interesting story- I rather liked it. It was an Edgar Award nominee, so clearly the writing is good. And so was the mystery!
Up Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. (372 pages) I decided to return to an old standby- chick lit. And if you are going back to an old standby, you must go back to a master of the craft. And boy- is that Giffin! Marian is thirty-six years old and living the perfect life. She's a TV producer living in NYC and dating the man of her dreams. Nothing can touch her! Until the baby she gave up at 18 shows up on her doorstep. Kirby, herself 18 and somewhat lost, turns Marian's world upside down. All of a sudden, memories flood back- memories of Conrad, Kirby's father and the love of Marian's life. As Kirby is searching for who she really is, Marian learns she isn't who she wanted to be either. This was perfect pool-side reading (which is exactly where I was when I read it!)
Z by Therese Anne Fowler. (367 pages) When in doubt, it's always back to historical fiction for me! In 1918, Zelda Sayre met army lieutenant Scott Fitzgerald for the first time. She is 17, from a very prominent family and Southern. He is none of those things. But their love is so passionate, so overwhelming, that they defy the odds to be together. Through Scott's successes and failures, through Zelda's frustrations and misdiagnosed bi-polar episodes, through the birth of their daughter and the loss of family members, through knock-down fights and wild parties, their obsession for each other wavered but never faded. What I love about historical fiction is that I find myself doing research to discover how much of the novel is true. And when is learning a bad thing?! This book was particularly enjoyable because there was some crossover with The Paris Wife, another favorite book. Obviously, there was quite of bit of common events and friends between Fitzgerald and Hemingway, including their own obsessive friendship/mutual hatred. But having read some of the events from Hadley's perspective, it was fascinating to read them from Zelda's! I STRONGLY recommend this book!!
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. (563 pages) I do enjoy a book about supernaturals. I didn't see the movie that came out a while ago, but read a lot of reviews about how it destroyed the book. Of course, when is the movie EVER as good as the book, said the English major. Looking at the actors cast in the movie, I certainly understand one frustration I read about- Emmy Rossum, as gorgeous and talented as she is, had to have been totally wrong for her character, a curvy blonde. But back to the book, you know, the whole reason for this blog. Ethan was born and raised in (fictional) Gatlin, SC. And all he does is dream of escaping. And of a girl. Amazingly, that girl appears one day. Lena is the niece of the town recluse. And a Caster to boot. Basically, it's Garcia/Stohl terminology for a family of witches. Lena's family, and Gatlin itself, has an interesting past, one that Lena and Ethan want to discover. Hanging over their heads is Lean's upcoming 16th birthday, the day she will be Claimed for either Dark or Light, as all members of her family are. Good or evil, light or dark. Which will win? Excellent mindless reading, as most supernatural character books are. My biggest complaint? While I'm all for creating a fictional town, when an author then reference real places that surround the fictional town, please do your research. Do not make the only grocery store in town a Stop and Shop. That is a chain that exists only in the Northeast, definitely NOT in the South! If they'd called it some sort of mom and pop name or a Winn-Dixie, I'd have found it a lot more believable. But either way, I'm ready for the next three in the series to arrive from Books-a-Million!
The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. (512 pages) At first I thought it was a little Something Wicked This Way Comes (book turned old school Disney movie), except not so evil. Then it seemed a little The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (also a movie, a VERY strange movie), except an easier story to follow. Turns out it was its own thing entirely. Prospero and Alexander are long time rival magicians. And when I say magicians, I don't mean they just perform slight of hand tricks. These men have serious powers. And they love to challenge each other, usually involving their students as their pawns. This time around, it's Prospero's daughter Celia who will be his ultimate student, and ultimate victory. The game is set in motion long before Celia and Marco, Alexander's protege, even meet. And there can only be one victor and one survivor. Marco is the right hand man of Mr. Lefevre, proprietor of Le Cirque de Reves. Celia, the Illusionist, is one of the attractions. Both of them actually have a hand in creating the attractions that make Le Cirque such a success. They also have a hand in keeping Le Cirque safe and ageless. Eventually, the game becomes something more. They fall in love. And discover a way to end the game and save both of their lives. The circus itself, and the characters who are intertwined with it, might be the most interesting part of the story. The "magic" that surrounded all of them was so intriguing, so captivating. Just a fantastic book! Side note- I decided to read some reviews after I finished and darned if the novel wasn't compared to Something Wicked This Way Comes!
So that's it- 6 books, 2579 pages. Man, I love summer!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
April- there wasn't as much pool time as I'd have liked.....
April was kind of miserable on the weekends. And I read a 500 page book. (Yes, these are my excuses of my slacking off. Sue me)
The Cove by Ron Rash. This was the book club book for my second book club (as far as my first book club book, I'd already read it, so I won't be writing about it again.) Back to the book. The story takes place close to the end of World War I. Laurel and her brother Hank live in a small cover near a small town in the Appalachians. Their parents are dead and Hank lost an arm in the War. Laurel, who was born with a birthmark covering some portion of her body (I think it must be most of her torso), is shunned by the locals and thought to be a witch. She has resigned herself to a life of solitude. Until one day, she comes across an injured man near their home. Walter is mute. But somehow, he and Laurel overcome that hurdle and fall in love. There is a mystery surrounding Walter though, and once Laurel discovers the truth, she must decide if love is enough. The ending was a complete shock (I seriously did not see it coming AT ALL.) I will say that the story was kind of hard to get into at first, but by the second half, I was hooked. This is the third Ron Rash book I've read. And I have enjoyed each of them. He really captures the feel of the time, the culture, the locale, all of it. He's slightly Faulkner-esque in his style of writing (of course he is, he won the 2007 Faulkner award). Which is something that I really like about his writing!
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve. Kathryn Lyons is used to not having her husband Jack around all the time. As the wife of a pilot for sixteen years, she's grown accustomed to his crazy schedule and doing some of the heavy lifting with their fifteen year old daughter Mattie. But Kathryn isn't prepared for the knock on her door late one night, a knock that rocks her world. Her husband's plane has exploded off the coast of Ireland. As rumors start surfacing about the explosion, Kathryn's world is even further rocked by the revelations she uncovers about Jack. And she begins to wonder if she ever really knew her husband. I really enjoyed this novel- it drew me in from the very beginning.
The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling. I don't really know what I was expecting when I started this novel. I knew it wasn't Harry Potter. But boy, it REALLY wasn't Harry Potter. Opening chapter, Barry Fairbrother drops dead from an aneurysm on his nineteenth anniversary. Turns out Barry was a councilman in his small British town of Pagford. There's a lot more to Pagford than meets the eye. The town has a rivalry with a neighboring town. And a hatred for the government housing that lies in-between the towns (but somehow became Pagford's problem). Barry's death leaves a casual vacancy on the council. And quite a few of the townspeople want the job. In typical small town fashion, there is drama behind every door. Old family feuds, love, hatred, drugs, even more death. Parents vs. children, husband vs. wife, neighbor vs. neighbor. Yes, the style was reminiscent of Potter. But the story was all its own! Even though it took me a long time to finish (500 pages is nothing to sneeze it), I enthusiastically give it two thumbs up! I'd give it more, but I only have two thumbs!
The Cove by Ron Rash. This was the book club book for my second book club (as far as my first book club book, I'd already read it, so I won't be writing about it again.) Back to the book. The story takes place close to the end of World War I. Laurel and her brother Hank live in a small cover near a small town in the Appalachians. Their parents are dead and Hank lost an arm in the War. Laurel, who was born with a birthmark covering some portion of her body (I think it must be most of her torso), is shunned by the locals and thought to be a witch. She has resigned herself to a life of solitude. Until one day, she comes across an injured man near their home. Walter is mute. But somehow, he and Laurel overcome that hurdle and fall in love. There is a mystery surrounding Walter though, and once Laurel discovers the truth, she must decide if love is enough. The ending was a complete shock (I seriously did not see it coming AT ALL.) I will say that the story was kind of hard to get into at first, but by the second half, I was hooked. This is the third Ron Rash book I've read. And I have enjoyed each of them. He really captures the feel of the time, the culture, the locale, all of it. He's slightly Faulkner-esque in his style of writing (of course he is, he won the 2007 Faulkner award). Which is something that I really like about his writing!
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve. Kathryn Lyons is used to not having her husband Jack around all the time. As the wife of a pilot for sixteen years, she's grown accustomed to his crazy schedule and doing some of the heavy lifting with their fifteen year old daughter Mattie. But Kathryn isn't prepared for the knock on her door late one night, a knock that rocks her world. Her husband's plane has exploded off the coast of Ireland. As rumors start surfacing about the explosion, Kathryn's world is even further rocked by the revelations she uncovers about Jack. And she begins to wonder if she ever really knew her husband. I really enjoyed this novel- it drew me in from the very beginning.
The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling. I don't really know what I was expecting when I started this novel. I knew it wasn't Harry Potter. But boy, it REALLY wasn't Harry Potter. Opening chapter, Barry Fairbrother drops dead from an aneurysm on his nineteenth anniversary. Turns out Barry was a councilman in his small British town of Pagford. There's a lot more to Pagford than meets the eye. The town has a rivalry with a neighboring town. And a hatred for the government housing that lies in-between the towns (but somehow became Pagford's problem). Barry's death leaves a casual vacancy on the council. And quite a few of the townspeople want the job. In typical small town fashion, there is drama behind every door. Old family feuds, love, hatred, drugs, even more death. Parents vs. children, husband vs. wife, neighbor vs. neighbor. Yes, the style was reminiscent of Potter. But the story was all its own! Even though it took me a long time to finish (500 pages is nothing to sneeze it), I enthusiastically give it two thumbs up! I'd give it more, but I only have two thumbs!
Monday, April 1, 2013
I'm embarassed by my lack of reading this month. Truly humiliated...
I have absolutely no idea what happened this month, but I came nowhere close to reaching my monthly goals. All I can say is, summer is fast approaching. Which means pool time. Which means more reading will be done!
Snobs by Julian Fellowes. This was the book club book for my second book club. It's written by the guy who created Downton Abbey, so I was convinced I would love it. Wrong. It was very, VERY slow going for most of the book. The nameless narrator espouses upon the courtship of Edith (a middle class girl) and Charles, Earl of Broughton. Edith's eventual marriage to Charles is everything her mother wanted for her. Lord love Charles, he's not everything Edith wants. While she does care for him, she is quickly bored by him (he's not the brightest bulb, but he's got a good heart). When a period drama is filmed at the family home, Edith quickly falls into an affair with one of the (married, GASP) actors. Drama further ensues when she leaves poor Charles for the louse. Edith realizes that she has given up a place in society and stability for passion. Is that enough? I actually enjoyed the end of the book and the discussion a lot more than I enjoyed the book as a whole. Although it made me think, if I just had to read the script of Downton Abbey, would I like it nearly as much as I do watching it come to life? Probably not....
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. This is one of my favorite movies. There are two, count them two, similarities between the book and the movie. The main character is Frances Mayes. And she does buy and restore Bramasole in Italy. In the book, she and her husband Ed purchase the home and renovate it together. Shockingly, for how different it is from a beloved movie, I actually really liked it! Mayes is an exquisite writer. The words just come alive on the page. Some of my favorite phrases from the movie were taken directly from the book, like my favorite "they even smell purple." To be honest, there's not much of a story story here- for Pete's sake, there's two entire chapters devoted to recipes! But I found myself loving the book (I can't tell whether I loved it because it had no story or in spite of having no story though.)
Snobs by Julian Fellowes. This was the book club book for my second book club. It's written by the guy who created Downton Abbey, so I was convinced I would love it. Wrong. It was very, VERY slow going for most of the book. The nameless narrator espouses upon the courtship of Edith (a middle class girl) and Charles, Earl of Broughton. Edith's eventual marriage to Charles is everything her mother wanted for her. Lord love Charles, he's not everything Edith wants. While she does care for him, she is quickly bored by him (he's not the brightest bulb, but he's got a good heart). When a period drama is filmed at the family home, Edith quickly falls into an affair with one of the (married, GASP) actors. Drama further ensues when she leaves poor Charles for the louse. Edith realizes that she has given up a place in society and stability for passion. Is that enough? I actually enjoyed the end of the book and the discussion a lot more than I enjoyed the book as a whole. Although it made me think, if I just had to read the script of Downton Abbey, would I like it nearly as much as I do watching it come to life? Probably not....
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. This is one of my favorite movies. There are two, count them two, similarities between the book and the movie. The main character is Frances Mayes. And she does buy and restore Bramasole in Italy. In the book, she and her husband Ed purchase the home and renovate it together. Shockingly, for how different it is from a beloved movie, I actually really liked it! Mayes is an exquisite writer. The words just come alive on the page. Some of my favorite phrases from the movie were taken directly from the book, like my favorite "they even smell purple." To be honest, there's not much of a story story here- for Pete's sake, there's two entire chapters devoted to recipes! But I found myself loving the book (I can't tell whether I loved it because it had no story or in spite of having no story though.)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
I read some really long books in a really short month
This month, I didn't quite reach my goal of 6 books. But 5 (2 of which were kind of long) isn't too shabby.
Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Alice is 50 years old and a renowned cognitive psychology professor at Harvard when her memory starts slipping. First it's just a word here or there (which seemed all to familiar to me). Then, she starts to forget major things. After finally going to a neurologist, she learns that she has early onset Alzheimer's. For her, the disease acts quickly. Less than 2 years after her diagnosis, she barely remembers anything of her life. This was a freshman novel for Genova. And absolutely beautifully written. I honestly felt Alice's frustrations. I cried for her as she realized what was happening to her. Her adult children were so supportive, doing everything that they could to take care of their mother. Her husband took a lot longer to become supportive. At first, he seems to want to flee from her disease- he doesn't seem to want to give up the life that they have together. But it is always hardest on the primary caregiver, so I did kind of feel for him. It was a truly touching novel.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. This is the second in the Lunar Chronicles. Meyer manages to rework fairy tales (one of my favorite things!) in an extremely creative way. They are set in the future, a world with spaceships and hovercrafts, androids and cyborgs. This book picks up where Cinder, the first book, leaves off. Cinder is imprisoned in New Beijing for treason and illegal immigration (she's a Lunar which is a citizen of the moon AND a cyborg). She must escape so that she can save our world (because of course she's a princess and the rightful heir to the moon throne, and that means her aunt, the current Empress and crazy conqueror, wants her dead). Meanwhile, in France, Scarlet is trying to find her missing grandmother. She meets Wolf, a street fighter who wants to help her. Turns out Scarlet's grandmother isn't just a farmer. She knows something about the missing Lunar princess. The book goes back and forth between the two stories, until the two girls are finally able to join forces. I absolutely LOVE a reworked fairy tale, so I love this series. Unfortunately, the last two won't be released until 2014 and 2015! Drat!
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. I'm slightly obsessed with the idea of polygamy. I love Sister Wives, loved Big Love. Couldn't imagine living the lifestyle, but find it fascinating nonetheless. This author certainly did his homework on polygamy! The book is actually two stories- one complete fiction, the other historical fiction (my other favorite thing!). In one story, Jordan Scott is a lost boy (for those of you not up on your plyg terms, that's a young man who was kicked out of the church for some made-up reason at a young age, usually preteens, so that he isn't competition to marry any of the young girls). He reads a newspaper article that informs him that his mother, BeckyLyn, Wife #19, has killed his father. He goes home for the first time in six years and ends up trying to help her. Did BeckyLyn kill her husband? All the signs seem to point to yes. Jordan is forced to re-enter a world he was happy to leave in an effort to save his mother. In the other story, Ann Eliza Young is the central character. Ann Eliza was Brigham Young's 19th wife (or maybe 30something wife or maybe 50something wife), the only one with enough guts to leave him, and the polygamist community, behind in the late 1800's. This story, loosely based on fact, tells Ann Eliza's story- how her parents came to the faith and how she was finally able to escape and help end polygamy (or at least officially end it as a part of the regular Mormon faith). Absolutely awesome book- I enjoyed it from start to finish. I loved both stories and found myself doing just a little research on Ann Eliza (the book was pretty close to the truth, as best can be determined due to the extremely secretive nature of the early Mormons). She seemed like she was quite the character. Sadly, no one seems to know exactly what happened to her- rumor has it the Church offed her.
Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz. The final book of the Blue Blood series. I've read every one of these books (and actually managed to do so in order!). They follow Schuyler Van Alen, a teenage girl who learned she was half vampire in the first novel. De la Cruz puts her own spin on vampires in this series. It is actually their blood that makes them immortal. Their blood carries all of their memories, all of their history. The Blue Bloods are actually fallen angels. When Lucifer thought he could overthrow God, many angels fought with him. Several of those angels, realizing that defeat was upon them, stopped fighting. Despite that, they were banished from heaven, although not to hell with their brethren. In this interpretation of vampires, the angels awoke on Earth as immortal vampires who live through cycles of resurrections. They have bond mates, aka twin souls, who are usually their life mates in whichever cycle they live through. They live by the Code of Vampires, the rules that they all follow, with the hope that living in a way that brings peace and beauty to the world will allow them to be forgiven and returned to Paradise. There are also the Silver Bloods, the fallen angels who remain loyal to Lucifer. They actually prey on their own kind, which makes them a deadly foe for the Blue Bloods. All of the characters are the reincarnations of the angels they once were, be it good angels or fallen ones. IN this story, Schuyler, daughter of the angel Gabrielle who became a vampire because she felt sorry for her fallen brethren, is the key to opening the Gates of Paradise, the gates that could lead back to Paradise for the fallen angels. But will Lucifer and his fallen find a way back first? And is redemption truly possible for the fallen angels? I really really loved de la Cruz's take on religion and vampires. A very fresh and different take than the Twilightiness of most other vampire books.
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. This was the book club book for my first book club. I chose this book, so of course, it's historical fiction! The van Goethem sisters live in Paris in 1878. After their father dies and their mother becomes an alcoholic, older sister Antoinette takes her younger sisters to the Paris Opera to be trained in ballet. She, in the meantime, lands a part in Emile Zola's infamous play L'Assommoir and becomes involved with fellow actor (and eventual murderer) Emile Abadie. Middle sister Marie quickly catches the eye of Edgar Degas and eventually becomes the model for some of his most famous works, including Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Youngest sister Charlotte is the only one with the ability to become a ballerina for the Opera. Each of the sisters eventually finds the happiness for which they were always searching, each choosing a slightly different path that keeps them together as a family.
Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Alice is 50 years old and a renowned cognitive psychology professor at Harvard when her memory starts slipping. First it's just a word here or there (which seemed all to familiar to me). Then, she starts to forget major things. After finally going to a neurologist, she learns that she has early onset Alzheimer's. For her, the disease acts quickly. Less than 2 years after her diagnosis, she barely remembers anything of her life. This was a freshman novel for Genova. And absolutely beautifully written. I honestly felt Alice's frustrations. I cried for her as she realized what was happening to her. Her adult children were so supportive, doing everything that they could to take care of their mother. Her husband took a lot longer to become supportive. At first, he seems to want to flee from her disease- he doesn't seem to want to give up the life that they have together. But it is always hardest on the primary caregiver, so I did kind of feel for him. It was a truly touching novel.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. This is the second in the Lunar Chronicles. Meyer manages to rework fairy tales (one of my favorite things!) in an extremely creative way. They are set in the future, a world with spaceships and hovercrafts, androids and cyborgs. This book picks up where Cinder, the first book, leaves off. Cinder is imprisoned in New Beijing for treason and illegal immigration (she's a Lunar which is a citizen of the moon AND a cyborg). She must escape so that she can save our world (because of course she's a princess and the rightful heir to the moon throne, and that means her aunt, the current Empress and crazy conqueror, wants her dead). Meanwhile, in France, Scarlet is trying to find her missing grandmother. She meets Wolf, a street fighter who wants to help her. Turns out Scarlet's grandmother isn't just a farmer. She knows something about the missing Lunar princess. The book goes back and forth between the two stories, until the two girls are finally able to join forces. I absolutely LOVE a reworked fairy tale, so I love this series. Unfortunately, the last two won't be released until 2014 and 2015! Drat!
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. I'm slightly obsessed with the idea of polygamy. I love Sister Wives, loved Big Love. Couldn't imagine living the lifestyle, but find it fascinating nonetheless. This author certainly did his homework on polygamy! The book is actually two stories- one complete fiction, the other historical fiction (my other favorite thing!). In one story, Jordan Scott is a lost boy (for those of you not up on your plyg terms, that's a young man who was kicked out of the church for some made-up reason at a young age, usually preteens, so that he isn't competition to marry any of the young girls). He reads a newspaper article that informs him that his mother, BeckyLyn, Wife #19, has killed his father. He goes home for the first time in six years and ends up trying to help her. Did BeckyLyn kill her husband? All the signs seem to point to yes. Jordan is forced to re-enter a world he was happy to leave in an effort to save his mother. In the other story, Ann Eliza Young is the central character. Ann Eliza was Brigham Young's 19th wife (or maybe 30something wife or maybe 50something wife), the only one with enough guts to leave him, and the polygamist community, behind in the late 1800's. This story, loosely based on fact, tells Ann Eliza's story- how her parents came to the faith and how she was finally able to escape and help end polygamy (or at least officially end it as a part of the regular Mormon faith). Absolutely awesome book- I enjoyed it from start to finish. I loved both stories and found myself doing just a little research on Ann Eliza (the book was pretty close to the truth, as best can be determined due to the extremely secretive nature of the early Mormons). She seemed like she was quite the character. Sadly, no one seems to know exactly what happened to her- rumor has it the Church offed her.
Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz. The final book of the Blue Blood series. I've read every one of these books (and actually managed to do so in order!). They follow Schuyler Van Alen, a teenage girl who learned she was half vampire in the first novel. De la Cruz puts her own spin on vampires in this series. It is actually their blood that makes them immortal. Their blood carries all of their memories, all of their history. The Blue Bloods are actually fallen angels. When Lucifer thought he could overthrow God, many angels fought with him. Several of those angels, realizing that defeat was upon them, stopped fighting. Despite that, they were banished from heaven, although not to hell with their brethren. In this interpretation of vampires, the angels awoke on Earth as immortal vampires who live through cycles of resurrections. They have bond mates, aka twin souls, who are usually their life mates in whichever cycle they live through. They live by the Code of Vampires, the rules that they all follow, with the hope that living in a way that brings peace and beauty to the world will allow them to be forgiven and returned to Paradise. There are also the Silver Bloods, the fallen angels who remain loyal to Lucifer. They actually prey on their own kind, which makes them a deadly foe for the Blue Bloods. All of the characters are the reincarnations of the angels they once were, be it good angels or fallen ones. IN this story, Schuyler, daughter of the angel Gabrielle who became a vampire because she felt sorry for her fallen brethren, is the key to opening the Gates of Paradise, the gates that could lead back to Paradise for the fallen angels. But will Lucifer and his fallen find a way back first? And is redemption truly possible for the fallen angels? I really really loved de la Cruz's take on religion and vampires. A very fresh and different take than the Twilightiness of most other vampire books.
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. This was the book club book for my first book club. I chose this book, so of course, it's historical fiction! The van Goethem sisters live in Paris in 1878. After their father dies and their mother becomes an alcoholic, older sister Antoinette takes her younger sisters to the Paris Opera to be trained in ballet. She, in the meantime, lands a part in Emile Zola's infamous play L'Assommoir and becomes involved with fellow actor (and eventual murderer) Emile Abadie. Middle sister Marie quickly catches the eye of Edgar Degas and eventually becomes the model for some of his most famous works, including Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Youngest sister Charlotte is the only one with the ability to become a ballerina for the Opera. Each of the sisters eventually finds the happiness for which they were always searching, each choosing a slightly different path that keeps them together as a family.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Starting the new year off a little slow....
The plan was to read at least 5 books this month. I came up one short. But sooooo close! Here's what I read:
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. This was my book club book. Very cool reading. Colton Burpo is not quite four when he undergoes an emergency appendectomy because of a burst appendix (that burst 5 days prior to the surgery). Months later, he starts saying things to his parents, things that make them wonder what happened to their son on that operating table. Colton went to heaven. He saw people who had died before he was born, he met Jesus, he sat in the presence of God. The things he knew were beyond human understanding, especially a four year old human! Yet as Todd, Colton's father and a minister, listened to his son, he realized Colton was explaining Biblical descriptions in a child-like way. Descriptions that he, even as a minister's son, was too young to understand. There is no doubt in my mind that Colton went to heaven. The book was very sweetly written. And I loved it!
The Piano Teacher by Janice YK Lee. This is two overlapping stories taking place in Hong Kong. The first is between Will and Trudy, beginning in 1941. The second is between Will and Claire in 1952. In 1941, Japan takes over China. Will is an Englishman in love with Trudy, a Euro-Chinese beauty. In 1952, Claire and her husband have moved to Hong Kong from England. She becomes a piano teacher for a Chinese family and begins an affair with Will, who is now a chauffeur. Trudy, in an effort to save herself, befriends the Japanese. And she manages to then lose everything she loves. Claire, in an effort to find love, begins her affair with Will (a man who is still in love with the long lost Trudy). And she manages to then find herself. There is a little intrigue (when is there not when war and money and love are involved?!) I really enjoyed the book. At least up until the epilogue. Which, for some reason, just ruined the ending for me. It was that one chapter too many....
Destined by PC and Kristin Cast. I thought I had been reading this series in order. But oops- my bad. I skipped one. So let's backtrack a little, shall we? It actually did a nice job of filling in some of the blanks that I had form reading them out of order. Yep, more teen vampire lit. I enjoy it. Don't judge.
Female Troubles by Antonya Nelson. This is my new book club book (yes, I'm in two book clubs now. As if my nerd status weren't already pretty evident...). This was a collection of short stories. I'm still not sure how I felt about them. Other than wondering how strange the woman who wrote them must be. The stories are about strange siblings, infidelity, lies, infertility, you name it. Suffice it to say, this was a strange collection of stories. Kind of depressing. And more than a little disturbing. I'm still not sure if I even liked the stories. I really liked the way they were written, just not sure about the topics.
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. This was my book club book. Very cool reading. Colton Burpo is not quite four when he undergoes an emergency appendectomy because of a burst appendix (that burst 5 days prior to the surgery). Months later, he starts saying things to his parents, things that make them wonder what happened to their son on that operating table. Colton went to heaven. He saw people who had died before he was born, he met Jesus, he sat in the presence of God. The things he knew were beyond human understanding, especially a four year old human! Yet as Todd, Colton's father and a minister, listened to his son, he realized Colton was explaining Biblical descriptions in a child-like way. Descriptions that he, even as a minister's son, was too young to understand. There is no doubt in my mind that Colton went to heaven. The book was very sweetly written. And I loved it!
The Piano Teacher by Janice YK Lee. This is two overlapping stories taking place in Hong Kong. The first is between Will and Trudy, beginning in 1941. The second is between Will and Claire in 1952. In 1941, Japan takes over China. Will is an Englishman in love with Trudy, a Euro-Chinese beauty. In 1952, Claire and her husband have moved to Hong Kong from England. She becomes a piano teacher for a Chinese family and begins an affair with Will, who is now a chauffeur. Trudy, in an effort to save herself, befriends the Japanese. And she manages to then lose everything she loves. Claire, in an effort to find love, begins her affair with Will (a man who is still in love with the long lost Trudy). And she manages to then find herself. There is a little intrigue (when is there not when war and money and love are involved?!) I really enjoyed the book. At least up until the epilogue. Which, for some reason, just ruined the ending for me. It was that one chapter too many....
Destined by PC and Kristin Cast. I thought I had been reading this series in order. But oops- my bad. I skipped one. So let's backtrack a little, shall we? It actually did a nice job of filling in some of the blanks that I had form reading them out of order. Yep, more teen vampire lit. I enjoy it. Don't judge.
Female Troubles by Antonya Nelson. This is my new book club book (yes, I'm in two book clubs now. As if my nerd status weren't already pretty evident...). This was a collection of short stories. I'm still not sure how I felt about them. Other than wondering how strange the woman who wrote them must be. The stories are about strange siblings, infidelity, lies, infertility, you name it. Suffice it to say, this was a strange collection of stories. Kind of depressing. And more than a little disturbing. I'm still not sure if I even liked the stories. I really liked the way they were written, just not sure about the topics.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
I did not end the year well, and my books are mad at me for it!
I really did have every intention of reading more books in December, but clearly had no follow through. Perhaps this year will be better. I'd love to read at least 5 books a month. But we shall see. I blame Netflix instant stream for my slacking off. Because I must blame someone! Away we go with the recaps-
The Bad Miss Bennet by Jean Burnett. Of course, she can only be referring to Miss Lydia Bennet, the naughtiest of the Bennet sisters! Lydia is recently widowed (not that losing Wickham is any great loss) and wanting new adventures in London and beyond. And boy, does she find them! Highwaymen, murders, salacious offers, adventures on the Continent, all abound when Lydia Bennet enters the scene! The writing style wasn't even remotely Austin-esque. But it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. And what fun to see what happened to Lydia post forced wedding!
Hidden by PC Cast and Kristin Cast. The 10th book in the House of Night series. Vampires. Goddesses. Immortals. Death. Love. Teenagers battling Evil. The series is really good- kind of a different look at vampires (or vampyres as they spell it). In this one, Zoey Redbird (the heroine) must save her beloved grandmother from Darkness and its Queen, former Vampyre Priestess Neferet. Thank goodness for the elements and her friends. Ok fine, this is total teen vampire lit. But I'm sorry- I love it!
The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck. I actually had another book in my hands, but this one kind of called to me from my bookshelf. I'm not sure why I even bought it (as I've said before, I'm picky on my Christian lit). And I'm definitely not sure why I read it (as I'm dealing with a slightly bruised up heart right now). But am I ever glad I bought it AND read it! Charlotte owns a prominent bridal boutique in Birmingham. Her gift- finding the perfect dress for each bride. However, she can't seem to be bothered to find her own perfect wedding dress for her fast approaching wedding. A wedding that, when the groom asks to postpone due to how quickly they fell in love, Charlotte promptly calls off. He must be all in, or she doesn't want to marry him at all. When she stumbles across an auction at a local estate, she ends up buying an old truck. Inside that truck is the most beautiful and special wedding dress Charlotte has ever seen. She determines that she must track down the owner. Or owners. Emily, who was brave enough to wear a dress designed by a black woman in 1912 and to choose love over financial security. Mary Grace, who was too poor to buy a dress to marry her preacher husband in 1939. Hillary, who married the love of her life in 1968 and then had the war take him away from her just 6 months later. It has fit each woman perfectly, without alteration. Is this dress actually meant for Charlotte? As she realizes how much she misses both her fiance and her best friend, she comes to realize that God brings things to us in His time. And that it is up to us to appreciate His timing and His plans, even when we don't understand them. It ended up being a pretty perfect book with which to end the year!
The Bad Miss Bennet by Jean Burnett. Of course, she can only be referring to Miss Lydia Bennet, the naughtiest of the Bennet sisters! Lydia is recently widowed (not that losing Wickham is any great loss) and wanting new adventures in London and beyond. And boy, does she find them! Highwaymen, murders, salacious offers, adventures on the Continent, all abound when Lydia Bennet enters the scene! The writing style wasn't even remotely Austin-esque. But it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. And what fun to see what happened to Lydia post forced wedding!
Hidden by PC Cast and Kristin Cast. The 10th book in the House of Night series. Vampires. Goddesses. Immortals. Death. Love. Teenagers battling Evil. The series is really good- kind of a different look at vampires (or vampyres as they spell it). In this one, Zoey Redbird (the heroine) must save her beloved grandmother from Darkness and its Queen, former Vampyre Priestess Neferet. Thank goodness for the elements and her friends. Ok fine, this is total teen vampire lit. But I'm sorry- I love it!
The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck. I actually had another book in my hands, but this one kind of called to me from my bookshelf. I'm not sure why I even bought it (as I've said before, I'm picky on my Christian lit). And I'm definitely not sure why I read it (as I'm dealing with a slightly bruised up heart right now). But am I ever glad I bought it AND read it! Charlotte owns a prominent bridal boutique in Birmingham. Her gift- finding the perfect dress for each bride. However, she can't seem to be bothered to find her own perfect wedding dress for her fast approaching wedding. A wedding that, when the groom asks to postpone due to how quickly they fell in love, Charlotte promptly calls off. He must be all in, or she doesn't want to marry him at all. When she stumbles across an auction at a local estate, she ends up buying an old truck. Inside that truck is the most beautiful and special wedding dress Charlotte has ever seen. She determines that she must track down the owner. Or owners. Emily, who was brave enough to wear a dress designed by a black woman in 1912 and to choose love over financial security. Mary Grace, who was too poor to buy a dress to marry her preacher husband in 1939. Hillary, who married the love of her life in 1968 and then had the war take him away from her just 6 months later. It has fit each woman perfectly, without alteration. Is this dress actually meant for Charlotte? As she realizes how much she misses both her fiance and her best friend, she comes to realize that God brings things to us in His time. And that it is up to us to appreciate His timing and His plans, even when we don't understand them. It ended up being a pretty perfect book with which to end the year!
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