books for her

The Postmistress

2011-07-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not even half way through yet but it's really very good. I'm reading an ARC I got years ago but getting pregnant, having a baby and not really being coordinated enough to hold an actual book and a baby kept me away.

The point ...

"She believes that if you are in the world without parents or someone who loves you, you are invisible. That no one sees you, because no one needs to. No one needs to watch out for you."

The Paris Wife

2011-06-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Paris Wife, Paula McLain

I wrote a research paper on Ernest Hemingway sometime in high school. I had just read the Sun Also Rises and he was one of the people on a list we could choose from and he was a great American writer and that appealed to me.

After I wrote my research paper, I never really liked him all that much.

The Paris Wife is a work of fiction focusing on Hem's early life in Chicago and Paris, with his first wife, Hadley Richardson. The story is told from Hadley's point of view. She was a good strong, midwesterner, and she was a level, even soul for the tumultuous, manic depressive Hemingway (manic depressive is my diagnosis). He clung to her after, because she made him feel better and safer after his war years, and his jilting by Agnes, the nurse who healed him.

I mean seriously you could look at all his issues and just talk about how he was looking for a mother figure, and what that means about his mom, but this story is about Hadley.

Anyway. So Hadley and Hem take off for Paris on next to nothing, live on next to nothing, and he's a reporter working on writing and they meet all sorts of fabulous people in Paris (Gertrude Stein, Scott Fitzgerald) and it's all fun and games and then Hadley gets pregnant on accident.

Things start falling off (at least in the books interpretation) right about then. Hem was not ready to be a dad and Hadley just weeks before the baby announcement had lost his entire lifes work on a train. These two events were near each other, and in the book Hemingway blames his loss of trust in Hadley on the loss of the work ... but I'm thinking the baby cramping his style didn't help much either.

Everyone knows Hemingway's story is not a happy one, so this book is not very cheerful. There are pockets of happiness but after Bumby is born it's all down hill. He had multiple wives (5) so their marriage was going to end, and it did, with Hemingway's affair with Pauline. I don't believe that Pauline was his first affair (she certainly wasn't his last) but that's sort of what the book eludes to, at least from Hadley's perspective.

This was difficult to get through because the beginning is so very dry and not much happens as Hem is looking for friends to help him get noticed in the literary community, and as he tries to write his great novel. After the baby is born it got more interesting for me, and I was able to finish quickly.

Hemingway is one of my favorite writers (probably because I know more about him than the others) but I say that with a caveat; he really was a terrible human being. This book, though a work of fiction, didn't do anything to change that impression. Worth reading.

Small Sacrifices

2011-06-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Small Sacrifices, Ann Rule

This is a genre really new to me, true crime. It was written by a former detective and is about the story of Diane Downs, who in 1983 tried to kill her three children. She succeeded in killing one, and left the other two critically injured.

This book took me too far down the rabbit hole that is Diane Downs life. Her past is sad, her family life is sad, and the crazy things she did (who let her become a surrogate mother?!) just hurt my heart. For the place that I'm in in my life (young new mom) this just was hard to read. But she evidence (not that we needed any) that women can become addicted to being pregnant, and how everyone is so nice to you and treats you special when you are pregnant.

Mockingjay

2011-06-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

This was okay. I liked the first two much better. Peeta's role in this was so minor, and Katniss just isn't very likeable. The resolution of the triangle was believable but HORRIBLE. And seriously, it ended pretty quickly, without everyone understanding what Katniss figured out. That sort of bothered me. I guess we are left to assume that they all did learn. But ...

A very good series, but Peeta carries it in my opinion as the most likable character and his absence in this book is felt. I wish Katniss was a more moral character, but she just isn't. I think I would ahve reservations about my 7th grader reading this without my talking about it. First the whole series is VERY violent and the lead, like I said, doesn't seem very moral or really worth respecting as the leader of a rebellion.

Which brings me to what I think the author was trying to do ... I think the author was trying to say that rebels are just as evil as oppressers? Or at least just as guilty of violence, and Katniss's confusion is supposed to show how bad both sides are? And the fact that the rebels, as soon as they've "won" start implementing the same regime that was in place before, just sort of proves that to me. Even in the rebel camp, the rules there were as bad as the capitol, the leader as bad the oppressive leader they were overthrowing.

The end result of this book, what we're left with, is that human beings suck, and it's better to live on a farm alone than be with people.

Which, for the record, I completely disagree with.

Catching Fire

2011-04-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

Peeta and Katniss have made it out of the Hunger Games, but they are in even more danger from The Capitol. Their behavior in the arena has made them the match point in the beginnings of an uprising against the Capitol, and President Snow can't have that. It's the 75th Anniversary of the Hunger Games, and an example needs to be made so that people know that even the strongest among them are subject to the capitol's rules. As such, Katniss and Peeta are selected to enter the arena again, and surely they can't survive twice.

I don't think I can explain the draw here. It's a dark and twisted premise. Teenagers pitted against each other in combat to the death. This time, they aren't teenagers, it's two teenagers against 22 adults, but the to the death part remains the same.

We still have love triangle crap to deal with, as in the early chapters Gale professes his love for Katniss, and Peeta is forced to propose marriage or risk the Capitol killing their families.

I'm totally on team Peeta, by the way, Gale is great but he isn't Peeta.

Katniss, great character that she is, is not very likeable. And she's even less likeable in this book. She wants to run away, she wants to let the Capitol win, she is all about planning to kill people that she's become friends with ... not very likeable at all. She's comes round, as she did in the last book.

This story is compelling and awesome. I already bought and started the third one. Can not wait to see how this whole thing ends. So glad I don't have to wait for it to be released like those that read these when they first came out.

The Hunger Games

2011-04-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

I'm late to the party on this one. Hunger Games takes place in North America, in a strange dystopian world were The Capitol is in control and the people of the 12 districts live in constant fear of violance from their leaders. We are introduced to Katniss Everdeen on the morning of The Reaping, when the capitol holds a draft in each district for one girl and one boy to be enlisted to participate in The Hunger Games. The tributes, as they are called, are age 12 - 18, and are drawn at random. Slips of paper with the kids name on them are added for each birthday between 12 and 18, and then kids can "get" more slips dropped in the bucket for things like, oh food for their families.

Now the games themselves? Brutal. The winner is the last surviver. The remaining 23 tributes are either dead based on the horrific elements that the gamemakers subject them to, or at the hands of one of the other tributes.

And this is young adult fiction. I would not let anyone under the age of 16 read this book, and it's recommended for 7th graders. Not my 7th grader. Death is very real and the book is brutal and bloody and vicious. I don't know how the movie (which is coming out in 2012) is going to get a PG-13 rating with some of the subject matter.

That being said ... I loved this book. It's fascinating in it's brutality. Though one of the commentors on Amazon nailed it on the head ... this situation would not happen. As no parent would ever send their child to die so willingly, without a fight. I know I wouldn't. And our lead, Katniss, has a salient point in that she will not have children because she will not subject them to the games.

I am positive that other people would have the same thought, and thus the population would quickly dwindle.

But it's fiction, you suspend reality a bit. And it's YA fiction (sort of) and kids always think they know more than their parents, so it feeds into that.

Katniss is a great character. She's smart and caring but she's hardened by the life she's been forced to live and her callousness feels very real to me. I understand it. She does not give Peeta (the other lead, the male tribute from her district) enough credit for intelligence and that bugs me, and her treatment of him bothered me a lot. I could not understand why she wouldn't admit that she cared about him as a person, even if she didn't care about him romantically.

It felt immature to me (it's supposed to, I know) that she couldn't figure out how she felt about her hunting partner back home (Gale) and how that related to Peeta. To me they were two different people that held different roles in her life. But, we all know how all YA books have to have a love triangle.

Wait ... why is this again?

For once I would like to read just ONE YA book that didn't involve a girl lead who is blindly adored by two boys. Seriously. Please?

Also - for those of you that are wondering. I read so much YA because 1 - I like to know what the kids are reading and 2 - I live in an area that is very kid friendly, and as such our public library gets all the latest teen fiction, but not all the new adult fiction. Who knew. And most of what's available on the digital collection (my favorite thing ever) that is current, is young adult.

Spells

2011-04-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Spells, Aprilynne Pike

The sequal to Wings starts 6 months after we left Laurel and David and Tam. Laurel has been summoned to Avalon for faerie training for the summer, and she goes. She sees Tam a lot during this time, and David not at all.

Insert appropriate love triangle conversations / events here.

After her summer in Avalon, Laurel goes home and starts her normal school year with David. She has been given new warnings about staying away from trolls, who are out for revenge after they were out manuevered for the property in the last book. She ignores this, of course, gets in trouble, has to be saved, and then gets in trouble again, and is saved again.

All leaving room for the final installment that's due out in the fall.

This was as good as Wings. The relationships are better than in some other YA. But again, I grow tired of love triangles and young girl characters that everyone just seems to fall all over because they are oh so beautiful. The foundation, I think, has been laid for Laurel to end up with Tam and David to end up with their friend who's name escapes me. But, who knows.

If the third one is at the library I'll read it. There is more sexuality in this book. So not for tweens, in my mind.

Wings

2011-04-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Wings, Aprilynne Pike

Laurel has moved to Crescent City with her parents and has started her first year of main stream school. She has been homeschooled the first fifteen years of her life. At school she meets David, a very nice young boy who is very nice to her. Midway through the fall, Laurel has some strange stuff happen and ends up discovering she's a faerie, and not human at all, but a plant. And that there are trolls out there that want to own the land her old house is on, and trolls are bad and kill faeries. She meets Tamani, a faerie sentry that protects her old house, and who is also very attractive and who is also in love with her.

This was a quick read. Took no time at all, and it was pleasant. Laurel is cute and David and Tam are fun. Faerie background bores the living daylights out of me. Faeries hold very little interest to me. But, this was easy to get through so it must not have been that bad. I also picked up the second one (like I've said before - all YA is a triology now) from the library so ... if you're looking for a quick fun, YA ... Wings is a good bet.

I'm always up to looking at what the kids are reading.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning

2011-03-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

The Scent of Rain and Lightning, by Nancy Pickard

Jody Linder is famous in small town Rose, KS because when she was three years old, during a bad Kansas storm, her father was murdered, and her mother mysteriously disappeared. But then 23 years after the incident, the main arrested and sent to prison is released, raising a whole bunch of new questions about what really happened that night.

There was a lot I liked about this. Thunderstorms in Kansas kind of have their own special magic. Maybe it's that way in all of the Midwest? I don't know. I am familiar with Kansas storms, so I liked that part of this book.

The ranch parts were interesting, which I know a little bit about (very, very little) just because of a friend of mine who's father does that sort of thing.

The original story was great. After we got through the back story into the "present" it sort of got hard. Jody was not likeable. The entire Linder families single minded obsession with Billy being the murderer just made them all appear stupid and ... not racist (cause race isn't a factor) but elitest? The author wanted us to think they were good people because "oh look they hired troubled youth out at their ranch but poor Billy couldn't be saved," but I just didn't buy it. The author also took it a bit far. Billy was such a bad seed he was almost a cartoon character.

It did not help that the reader knew Billy hadn't done it from very early on.

I think my public defender (in Kansas courts no less) friends should read this book. They'd be appalled. Actually maybe they shouldn't read it, as it is sort of appalling how the rich family in the small town railroaded the poor, lower class guy with no family and he spent 23 years in jail because they were CERTAIN he was guilty.

The ending wasn't satisfactory. I wanted some sort of vindication for Billy, but again, the cartoon character comes into play and he was just really guilty, just not of the particular crime he was accused of.

I gave this three stars on good reads, because it was interesting. But not four because there were problems.

Fallen

2011-03-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Fallen, by Lauren Kate

Lucinda Price is sent to a reformatory school after a suspicious fire kills a boy in her class. Here she meets a bunch of crazy people, including two boys, Cam and Daniel. Cam is instantly nice to her and Daniel is a jerk. Of course she likes Daniel best.

But the school kids are all dysfunctional and have wierd secrets. And Luce has dreams about wings and flying and bright lights and sees scary shadows during the day, coming to get her. Come to find out the secrets involve fallen angels, a 100 years battle between good and evil, and an old rule that angels can't fall in love with humans; ever. Lest the powers that be get mad and the human dies.

So, as with all things YA lately, this is a triology (mayhap a series? I think there are four?). And that always makes the first book feel like a preface chapter, versuses a stand alone book. Word to publishers: please quit taking books that only need one and turning them into three. You artificially lengthen them and we, the readers, know it.

That being said, Fallen was good. Not Harry Potter good, or even Twilight good, but good. I didn't care for the way the author spelled the peoples names (how would you pronounce Arriane? Or even Luce? Is that Luc-y? Or Luce as in Loose?). But the plot was inventive. The common criticism I've read is that nothing happens until the final two chapters. Sort of true. Nothing is resolved. In fact, I have more questions at the end of the book than I did in the middle. Is Cam a good guy? Or a bad guy?

But, like I said, it's a triology. Torment is already out, and Passion comes out in June. If I can get them from the library (how I read Fallen) I'll continue. If not ...

The Help

2011-03-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Help, Kathryn Stockett

It's 1962 in Jackson, MS. Skeeter Phelan came home from Ole Miss trying to be a writer, and a woman in NYC advises her to find a good idea. Skeeter decides to write a novel about the black maids that raise white children in Jackson, and what happens to those children and those women after that caregiver relationship ends. And how the maids are treated by the white women who pay them.

This book was really good. I enjoyed reading about Aibileen and how she cares for the babies and Minny was hillarious and heartbreaking.

This time period is always hard for me to read about, as it just seems so foreign. Like another planet. Not the same country that I live in just 50 years earlier. The segregation, the racism, the crazy Junior League women who think they run the world. Oh wait those women still exist.

I tease but it was hard to read. Worth reading, but hard to read. I've recommended it to the bookclub I'm in.

My only complaint would be the ending, though I'm not sure why. I found myself turning another page, looking for the rest. I don't know what would have made me happy. But it was so sad and heartbreaking. I really felt for the characters.

Something Blue

2011-02-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

Something Blue, by Emily Giffin

Darcy Rhone thought she had it all figured out: the more beautiful the girl, the more charmed her life. Never mind substance. Never mind playing by the rules. Never mind karma. But Darcy's neat, perfect world turns upside down when her best friend, Rachel, the plain-Jane good girl, steals her fiance, while Darcy finds herself completely alone for the first time in her life with a baby on the way.

Darcy tries to recover, fleeing to her childhood friend living in London and resorting to her tried-and-true methods for getting what she wants. But as she attempts to recreate her glamorous life on a new continent, Darcy finds that her rules no longer apply.

It is only then that Darcy can begin her journey toward self-awareness, forgiveness, and motherhood. Something Blue is a novel about one womans surprising discoveries about the true meaning of friendship, love, and happily-ever-after. It's a novel for anyone who has ever, even secretly, wondered if the last thing you want is really the one thing you need. FROM GOODREADS.

I read Something Borrowed for a book club in December and just finished this second one yesterday. I enjoyed this one much more than I did the first. And I think that's because I could root for the characters in this story, and in the first one I kind of thought they all stunk.

Darcy's transformation was believable, and her romance was too. I liked it bunches. The pregnancy stuff was interesting to me too, but I think that's just because I can relate to that stage of life.

Definitely a good beachy read or if you want something fun and feel-goody. You have to read the first one though, because this does not stand alone.

ReReads: The Host and Breaking Dawn

2011-02-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

So my book club choose The Host for the book to read for the February meeting. I had read it two years ago (see linked review) but I wanted to reread it so I could talk intelligently about it, and with details. I just finished it again today.

But before I read that one, I reread Breaking Dawn, because it was available for download to my iphone from the public library, and I've needed an Edward fix.

I have to say, I enjoyed Breaking Dawn a lot more the second time. I could still do without just about everything after she turns into a vampire. Actually, I can pinpoint it better than that. Everything after Irina sees the baby in the forest. Everything after that is crap.

But the 500 pages before that were enjoyable.

The Host, I enjoyed less the second time around. I remembered LOOOVING it so I think I had no where to go but down. I still liked it. But the simplicity of it really bothered me. Meyer took such the lazy way out with the science of the medicine, specifically. It really bothered me. "Smooth?" Really? "No Pain?" Really? And even when decribing other planets, she kept saying over and over again, "the word for it in this language is, chases bears by river, but it has a much prettier name in their language." Being able to say that is sort of a cop out, isn't it?

Still ... I enjoyed it again. Would recommend it again. The wierd love quaderangle is fun.

Matched

2011-01-20T18:11:00.000-08:00

Matched, by Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. - From GoodReads

This is probably the best book I've read in a while. At least since November. The society was fascinating but also, scarily realistic. I could easily see how some of the things we're even doing today evolve into the programs talked about in this book. (Which is of course, I think, how the author gets there herself).

Cassia was really likeable, and I grew with her. From her blind acceptance of this is how things her, to the point in which she goes, "hey this isn't fair," to her desire to resist. It all flowed beautifully. The relationships were just very well written.

And best of those, the love story was believable and I saw it develop organically. It made SENSE given the scenarios the teenagers were in. That was so refreshing. Most YA novels these days, girl sees guy and WHAM - instantly just loves him.

This book was not like that.

Also, I know the summary sort of eludes to a love triangle. But it was not like that. Cassia did not start out loving Ky, she knew she was Matched with Xander. She wanted to start her life with Xander, she was excited about that. But as her friendship with Ky grows, she starts to realize that Xander was never HER choice, someone had choosen him for her, from the very beginning. She doesn't really have a "I love him, no I love him" dialogue (which I appreciated). The only conflict (I thought) is between her desire to maintain the status quo, and find her independence.

My other favorite part ... that learning to write is the turning point. Throughout history, it seems to me that writing, books, learning are the first things that people start to demand when they want to be free. It was cool. I don't even know how to explain what I'm thinking here.

This book makes me think about banning books and burning books. Governments that control people are always burning books, keeping people ignorant. You can not be free and keep people from books. Any books. I also found it intriguing that the Society picked 100 books, 100 poems, 100 paintings, 100 songs ... and that was all there was. So sad.

As with all books these days, this is part of a trilogy (why make money on one when you can make money on three - rolls eyes). The second one comes out in the Fall. I don't know how I'm going to stand it.

Because I HAVE to find out what happens next. Seriously.

The Matchmakers

2011-01-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

The Matchmakers, Jennifer Colgan

This was free via Amazon for the Kindle, which is super fun. It got good reviews so I said sure, why not. Something to read while rocking Grady.

Our story is, Calliope is a Faerie who's been punished for ... something. Anyway, her punishment is that she has to match three people in true love before the Oak Moon or she will lose love forever. Freya, the Faerie Queen, tells her she has to have Nick (human) help her or he will lose love forever too. Why, I never quite worked out. But, there it is.

Parts of the writing were a bit rough and elementary. And I'm noticing that these freebies or (independent works) are not as well edited as the glossier, main stream tomes. Which is okay, I can move past most of them. And this book by far was better edited than some I've skimmed through.

It was a sweet story and, aside from one scene, surprisingly chaste. Which I appreciated. You never know what you're going to get. I'd look for other work by this lady. At the moment she's not my favorite ... but the price is right and it was entertaining and it didn't hurt to get through it.

Shiver

2011-01-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future From Good Reads

I don't remember how I found this book. But I saw it and wanted to read it. Of course, in a post-Twilight world there are lots of comparables. But Maggie Stiefvater says she wrote this before Twilight was written (who knows) and I didn't see enough similarities to think anything. Vampire and werewolf stories have been around for a really, really long time. I think it's funny how Stephenie Meyer gets credit for the current craze of paranormal romances when Dracula was written in 1897 and Anne Rice has been making money off this stuff for decades too.

Anyway.

I listened to this book on audio. It was read by two actors, which irritated the heck out of me. The book is told from two perspectives, Grace and Sams, so I guess that's why they did that. But oh my the reader for Sam ... his inflection was not good. So that made it difficult for me to like him as a character. Eventually I had to focus on the words and less on the person saying them. And I was able to get passed it and enjoy the story.

To that end, I really like the middle and end sections, the beginning was wicked slow. And it seemed like there were a ton of story lines introduced with very little explained. I think that will be rectified some in the later books (it's a triology).

By the end of the book I really liked Grace and Sam. But my favorite character would have to be Isabelle. She's hillarious. I'll probably read Linger. When it's available at the library.

Fans of Twilight will really like this book, I think. But I'd stay away from the audio version. The readers' distract from the story.

The Phsyick Book of Deliverance Dane

2011-01-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, by Katherine Howe

Connie Goodwin is a Graduate student at Harvard. After a phone call from her mother, she ends up having to move into her Grandmother's old house in Marblehead, to fix it up and sell it so they can pay the back taxes on it. She finds an old Bible in the house that leads her to the name Deliverance Dane. When she talks to her advisor about her discovery, he pushes her to research it thoroughly.

Turns out, Deliverance Dane was accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.

The story takes us through Connie's research, with "interludes" (chapters) from Deliverance's (and her ancestors) point of view.

I really liked this. I listened to the audiobook, and I swear it's a completely different experience sometimes. But I really liked the interlude chapters and wish there were more of those, and less of Connie? Connie's chapters were just okay, whereas the colonial Massachusetts parts were really good.

The love interest was okay. The nose ring threw me. But whatever. He was an interesting dude.

The author is obviously very knowledgable. And in the postscript we learn that Katherine Howe is actually related to two of the accused witches. Which I sort of figured when she said one of the girls names was Sarah Howe.

At any rate. This was definitely worth reading. I had avoided it because of the cover art. It reminded me of all those Nicholas Flemmel books (who's mentioned in this book) and just eh. But mom recommended it and it was indeed very good.

Sundays at Tiffany's

2010-12-14T18:33:00.000-08:00

Sundays at Tiffany's, James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Jane is the daughter of the beautiful and uber successful Vivianne Margeaux. They live in New York City where Jane is neglected, but privileged. She also has an imaginary friend named Michael, who helps her cope with her loneliness and insecurity.

But imaginary friends can only stay with children until their 9th birthday, and on Jane's 9th birthday Michael says goodbye, promising that she won't remember anything about him the next morning.

23 years later and Jane is working for her mother's production company, and producing a movie about her imaginary friend Michael; whom she never forgot. Michael finds himself back in New York on sabbatical while he's between charges (kids) and runs into Jane.

This book was really sweet. It was just a simple fairy tale. There was an unnecessary love scene that kind of threw me, and the resolution with the mother fell flat to me. But I liked the magic of it all, and there were some cute scenes. I'm glad I read it at Christmas because I'm a little more accepting of saccharine sweet this time of year.

All in, I'm glad I read it. Though, on a side note, what the heck is up with the cover art? Makes no sense, dark haired woman hugging a kid? Who looks like a little boy? What? The women in the story (Jane and her mother) are blond.

Also, this is a James Patterson and book. Which, when I see those, I always think the second person wrote most of it, but put the bigger novelists name on it to sell more books.

Something Borrowed

2010-12-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin

Rachael is turning 30 and is a single, working lawyer in New York. By 30 she thought she'd be married with a baby, or two, living in the suburbs. These are the thoughts she's having at her thirtieth birthday party which ends with her and her best friend's fiancee stumbling to her apartment and beginning a summer long affair.

All the while, he's still engaged.

I listened to this audiobook so I think that colors my opinion differently than if I had read it. The narrators personal opinion of the characters comes through in how they read their voices.

My first problem? How are these girls still friends? I mean I have had relationships, even best friends, that are toxic and negative. But not much past high school, and definitely not past college. Sure, you do not have to like everything about a person to be their friend, and everyone is flawed, but how are Rachael and Darcy still friends when they so clearly do not think very highly of each other?

Since this is told from Rachael's perspective, it's her opinion that Darcy is selfish, bossy, super competitive with her, and shallow. I'm sure in the next book (Something Blue) we will hear that Rachael is a no fun, boring, wuss.

In truth? They are both awful people. At the beginning I thought, okay, Dex knew Rachael first, he had fallen in love with her over time, that's why the cheating happened. He'll break up with Darcy, and that will be that. Surely they wont continue such a lurid affair. Surely they won't plan to meet and sneak behind his fiancee's and her best friend's back.

But they did. The more they did, the less I liked them. And neither one showed much remorse. Darcy was selfish and manipulative, but these two are supposed to love her inspite those things, not do this to her. If they had changed toward her, the noble thing, the thing a good person (that they both profess to be) would do, is tell her. But they don't.

Inspite of these things, I did not dislike this book. It was funny at moments and I did like some of the supporting characters even though the lead three really are sort of awful. They didn't start out that way, and until about the last two hours of the book (so last 200 pages, maybe?) I was pretty enthralled. And I did go get through it quickly.

So I would give this a three out of 4. Worth reading.

The Almost Moon

2010-12-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

The Almost Moon, by Alice Sebold

Helen Knightley has killed her mother, and she's not sure how she feels about it. The next 300 pages attempt to tell us how abused(?) Helen is at the hands of her mother, Clair, who was agoraphobic, and how traumatized she is after her father killed himself.

Sebold is a traumatized person herself, clearly, because statments made throughout the book - all children want to kill their parents, all girls fantasize about cutting up their mothers, etc - just sort of point to someone who has a disconnect from reality. All children do not want to kill their parents. I would say for most, that thought never enters their mind. In fact, I would probably say one of my worst fears as a child was that one or both of my parents would not come home.

Sebold wrote "The Lovely Bones" and I read that and it was good. I can't say I enjoyed it because it's dark and twisted and parts of it are dumb. But it was infinitely perferable to this. Not a single character in this novel is worth knowing or reading about. They are all bad people.

And I grew weary of the way Sebold writes things. She writes sentences that probably make perfect sense to her, but absolutely none to anyone else. Probably because none of us fantasize about killing our parents, it's like an inside joke for the sociopathic.

In short, this book was awful. It was sad, it was wierd, it was dark, and it didn't even end, really. I'm assuming Helen decided not to kill herself and to do her stint in jail. And I never appareciate authors that use the F word so often. It's brash and harsh and feels mean and jarring. I don't like it. I'm glad I got this from the library and didn't pay good money for it.

There was not one good take away from this book. Other than it ended, under 300 pages, thankfully.

PS - it's called The Almost Moon because her father tells her once that even if you can almost all of the moon, the rest of it is still there. So you have to deal with what you have, the almost part, and keep remembering that the whole moon is there. This is in reference to his mentally ill wife. They can see almost all of her, but they keep going because she's whole somewhere.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2010-11-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

I'm actually on chapter 23 of this, but it's my fourth time through. And I'm listening to it again; why read when Jim Dale will so excellently read it to me?

Anyway I'm not really trying to write a review here. I want to note what parts of the book I'd like to see in the movie, though I'm pretty sure most will be left out.

Here's what I'm convinced, based on previews, we will see:
1. The Order taking Harry away from Privet Drive. I'm wondering though what that will look like? I saw a preview that looks like Hagrid driving Harry through a city street. Definitely not through the air. Will they do the 7 Harry's? I'd like to see that.

2. Harry's Birthday the day before the wedding.

3. The Wedding and the conversation with Doge. Which, after checking IMDB, he's listed as a character, so hopefully this happens.

4. Disapperating to that street in London, which I believe I've seen previews for, so that happens. Does the cafe get destroyed though? I hope so.

5. The conversation with Creacher where we learn about RAB. I believe this is in the movie because of what JK said when they wanted to cut Creacher out of the 5th movie and she told them not to as he had an important role in the 7th. I think the part about the letter from Lily will be cut.

6. That last sentence makes me think most of the backstory about Dumbledore and his sister and brother is probably cut. Because - well - they have to cut something. So how do they work out the end with Hogwarts? And the painting? So many questions!

7. How much camping? The Doe has to be there. That's like, pivotal. I want to see Hermoine yell at Ron when he comes back. I know the part at Godric's Hollow has to be there. Crucial. And Xeno's house. I think I saw that. And Shell Cottage, I saw what I think is that house.

7a. Harry say the taboo name and them getting caught by the snatchers. I'm reading this right now I want to see this. And I want to all the Voldy parts because that's interesting.

8. And the Malfoy's. Hermoine getting tortured, Ron yelling ... that's the part I'm at in the book. So I'm going to stop my list there. After I see the movie on the 20th I want to come back and say what was shown and what wasn't. Hence, this list.

Happy Ever After

2010-11-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Fourth one in the series. Parker's story. Probably my least favorite of the bunch. Got so tired of all the wedding details. Redundant. BORING. And, the book is over, and we don't get to see them all married off? I mean really what was the point?

I'm glad this series is over. I'm wondering if she's going to continue to do series books in the publisher's edition size or if she'll go back to mass market paperback. I'm a little irritated with how expensive these were. Especially considering how forumulaic they are.

But, I mean, come on. What was I expecting?

House Rules

2010-11-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

House Rules, by Jodi Picoult

I read this for a book club that I was recently invited to join (yea!). Otherwise, based on my review of My Sister's Keeper, I don't think I would have picked up another Picoult book.

Jacob Hunt has Asbergers, and acts out in ways that are different and hard to understand. His mother has been a single parent since her second son, Theo, was just a few months old and her husband walked out on them. Jacob loves the show Crimebusters (read: CSI) and forensics. He sets up crime scenes for his mom to solve and religiously watches the show.

But Jacob's social skills therapists turns up missing, and is found dead. And Jacob admits to moving her and setting up the crime scene. He's charged with her murder and the book really is on how the justice system fails people that don't communicate the way "normal" people do, and how they can't really get a fair trial.

My issues:
1. This is so much like My Sisters Keeper it made my eyes hurt. Jacob needs 100% of mom's attention, Theo the younger son acts out by breaking into houses and stealing things. (MSK - Kate needs 100% of mom's attention, older brother acts out by setting fires around the city). Even the writing was the same - different chapters from each persons perspective.

2. The different perspectives - I don't need to see how EVERY conversation is viewed by EVERY character. I mean the book could have been 300 pages shorter if she would have stopped doing that.

3. I get that Jacob has to do the same things every day. I get that he eats colored foods on certain days. I get it. I get that he got in trouble in school for hurting that one girl. I get it. Quit telling me. Quit hitting me over the head with it. This was just bad editing.

4. I don't think she understands Asberger's or Autism very well. I know she researched it. BUt like one reviewer said on Amazon, it's like she took EVERY symptom and put them in Jacob, which doesn't really make sense. I have a relative that has Asberger's and he has some of the symptoms she describes, but if he had the others, well he'd have Autism and not Asbergers. They are not the same. They are actually on two different ends. I just don't think there are people that have both. But maybe I'm wrong.

5. The ending. Oh mylanta how ridiculous. It just ends. Done. No resolution. No answer to any question at all. Not even one of the strings are tied up. Does Emma have a relationship with Oliver? Does Jacob's Dad remain in the picture? DOES JACOB GET CONVICTED OF MURDER? Does he go to jail? Does Theo get in trouble for breaking into houses? What happens? Seriously. Maybe don't tie it all up, but you can't write nearly 600 pages (I mean dude, that took me a long time to read, I have a small baby - finding time to read is hard) and then NOT TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS. I feel cheated.

6. It was really hard for me to read this book. I don't like anything that's about bad things happening to children. I don't like thinking about Autism and the spectrum. I kept looking at Grady ... and it just makes my heart constrict and breath stop.

7. And vaccines. Experts and doctors can tell parents all day long that getting your children vaccinated is the best thing and that there is no link between vaccines and autism, and people don't listen. Pop culture books like this one and the one written by Jenny McCarthy come out and people rave and want to stop getting their kids vaccinated. I almost returned it when I got to the parts where she blamed Jacobs condition on his vaccinations. She says it over and over again. Even in my book club, where most of us have kids under a year old, there were moms that said they were scared of getting their kids vaccinated. I had to shake my head and point out that illnesses that are perfectly preventable are coming back and KILLING kids because people aren't getting vaccinated.

I don't like putting chemicals in G's body either. But if they keep him safe? Babies that get the flu can die. Babies are dying all over from Whooping Cough because parents aren't getting boosters.

Those were my issues. I kept reading because I wanted to see the train wreck. And there wasn't a crash. We came slowly up to the top and then it never went down. It's like the train is still stopped at the top of the hill.

Some in the book club think that we'll hear what happened to Jacob in another book. But I don't think I'll be buying another Picoult book.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

2010-08-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

It's been a year since we last left Kalle Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander after their investigation into the Vanger family and the Werrenstrom affair (The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo). Lisbeth, nursing a wounded heart has fled the country and is running around the world.

Blomkvist is still helping manage Millenium, and has taken on a new book to publish and new expose that will reveal how bad the sex trafficking trade is in Sweden, and how much government officials are involved.

When the writer of the new book and his girlfriend are murdered, and Lisbeth's fingerprints are found on the gun, she is the immediate suspect due to her convoluted and disasterous past. She has very few friends but Blomkvist believes her to be innocent.

Thus starts his research into who the real murder is, and his hunt for both Salander and the killer.

This book is much faster paced then the first one. Mostly because all the characters involved in the Vanger family just confused me. There were a lot of needless characters in this book too (lots of police offers and investigators that had no purpose) but the action moved things along. Salander is nonexistent in part three of the book which is drives you on because you really want to know her side. But she doesn't just come out and tell us, she never does.

I'm interested to see how the third book wraps this all up. The sex trafficking has been a theme in both the first two and I suspect it will all be revealed in the final chapter. At least, I hope so. Lots of what's written in these books is based on real crime statistics for Sweden. Who knew they had such a human trafficking problem? Or a domestic abuse problem?

Will read the next one. Too bad Larsson is dead. His books have already been made into films in Sweden and Hollywood is making their own versions too. I hope the members of his estate are putting the money to good use.

Savor the Moment

2010-05-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Savor the Moment, Nora Roberts

The third in the Brides Quartet series. This is Laurel's story, the cake maker of the four, and it follows the method of all of Roberts books. Couple banters, realizes they like each other, fall in love, have some sort of falling out, make amends, get married. If there were later books, we'd see them all getting pregnant.

I will pick up the fourth one, because I'm addicted to series'. And I like all the characters.

However.

The conflict in these is just so lame. And frankly, I'm tired of hearing all about how great these women are at their jobs. I'd like to see Laurel drop a cake, or Emma clip the bloom off a rose accidentally or Mac miss the groom kiss the bride or SOMETHING normal. These women are all supposedly super perfect, never fight, even in high stress situations and they talk about each other funny. I have friends, but I don't sit around with them talking about how much I love them.

Mac's mom as the only bad guy is just old. I hope the 4th one gets away from that but I don't see that happening.

Still ... fans of Nora Roberts will pick it up and read it quickly because it's easy and fun. The next one comes out in November and is Parker's story. So far, Malcolm is the most intriguing of all the male leads.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

2010-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Chased the Moon, by Sarah Addison Allen

17-year-old Emily comes to the small town her mother was raised in shortly after her mother's death. She will be living with her grandfather in the room where her mother grew up, with wallpaper that changes with the inhabitants moods! What she finds when she gets to the small town is that her mother wasn't the same person in her childhood as she was as her mother, and the townspeople don't have very fond memories of her. She becomes friends with her neighbor Julia, and the teenage son of the family that her mother allegedly wronged.

I love Sarah Addison Allen's books. They are so fun and whimsical. If you read Garden Spells or the Sugar Queen, you have to read this. It's really excellent, light summer fare with a little fairy tale touch.

Year End Wrap Up

2010-01-21T12:34:00.000-08:00

This is a really belated post. But ... my literary doings for 2009.

Books read: 44
Challenges started: 5
Challenges completed: 3

I read most of the books that I did read in the first half of the year (January - June). From that point onward, I fell off the bookshelf, so to speak. I didn't read much of anything in October or November. But, to my credit, I am having a baby. And I'm not listing on here all the baby books I've been reading (okay there really aren't that many - but I've been reading some).

I'd like to read more than that in 2010, but ... I imagine the books I'll be reading will be more little one focused. I'm okay with that.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-01-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steig Larson

From Good Reads:
An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pieced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

I read this book on my kindle. It was not until I was about 50% in that I got really into it. There was just so much back story. So much build up. So much character explanation (I still don't have all the Vanger family members straight). Lisbeth Salander is fascinating and my favorite character. I pretty much knew who-dun-it (or had a good suspicion) by about 50% in. There were loops that were thrown and clues that were followed and I flew through the last few chapters.

The side story of Blomkvist's libel case and his magazine made for long chapters at the end. I did not agree with Salander's method of justice, but for her character I do believe it fit and I think more details and more information are going to be introduced in the second and third books. I wish there had been some closure for the families involved, it's alluded that there is, but I wanted to read it and see it.

I am very interested in the second novel, with the way the first one ended. Lisbeth's story is very good. This started off slow but was very, very good at the end. Dark, twisted and a little scary at times, but very good.

Shadowland

2009-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Shadowland, by Alyson Noel

This is the third book in the Immortals series by Alyson Noel, the first being Evermore, the second Blue Moon. We last left our heroine, Ever, wondering how she was going to explain to her Immortal boyfriend Damen, how she had changed the course of their relationship forever when she tried to save him.

Within the first few pages she confesses, and they determine that they will try and find the solution, the antidote, that fixes their problem and they can be together after 300 plus years.

This book bothered me. Please read no further if you are fearful of spoilers. Light spoilers coming next ...

The entire book is Ever trying to find a way to ... consumate her relationship with Damen. Ever is 16. This book is for YA. I felt like Noel was trying to justify the lust by saying, oh they've been together for 300 years, they are destined, so yeah they should be together intimately. And Ever goes on and on about how she missed a physical relationship with Damen, and it just felt ... wrong.

The added twist of Jude, the surfer dude who makes her uncomfortable who's apparently an old interest from a former life, just felt hollow. Contrived? And Damen disappearing for the last 12 chapters irritated me. In fact, the book felt oddly written. Maybe it was me. But it took me a long time to get through and usually I fly through these YAs.

I'll read the next one, it's a series and I'm a sucker to see how this ends. But definitely this is my least favorite so far. It was confusing, convoluted, contrived and a whole bunch of other C words I'm sure that I just can't think of at the moment.

And please, editors, somewhere, teach Ms. Noel how to close up a book? Even a series that already has 3 more books planned should have more of an ending than these do. It's like they just pick a chapter to end at and hit done. It's making me less of a fan. What the heck happened to Haven? Where did Damen come from? Did I miss something? Did my Kindle mess something up?

Because right now I'm thinking the editors are just letting Miss Noel get away with murder with these endings.

Evermore's the best one. So far the sequals are just Eh.

Wrap Up: What's in a Name

2009-12-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

So Where the Heart Is closed out the What's in a Name Challenge for me. Yeah for me for finishing! Below is what I read:

1. A book with a "profession" in the title: Midwives, Bohjalian
2. A book with a "time of day" in the title: Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
3. A book with a "relative" in the title: Between Sisters, Kristen Hannah and My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Piccoult
4. A book with a "body part" in the title: Where the Heart Is, Billie Letts
5. A book with a "building" in the title: Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
6. A book with a "medical condition" in the title: Club Dead, Charlaine Harris and First Comes Love, Than Comes Malaria, Eve Brown-Waite

Of all the challenges I attempted this year, I had the hardest time picking books for this challenge. In fact, I still haven't read Fall on Your Knees, and I'm this close to taking it to the used book store for a credit because I just cant be bothered with it. But, I didn't finish my other challenges (bad me, bad!) and I did finish this one so I think it speaks gobs about the quality of this challenge.

The favorite book that I read of these? Sheesh ... Anne of Green Gables is an all time favorite and classic. None of the others really come close to that one. I'd have to say Where the Heart Is would be second on the enjoyment scale, with the others all being interesting and worth the read, but probably not on the repeat read lists.

Great challenge! I'll be participating in What's in a Name 3 ... hosted by Beth F (Annie turned over the reigns!) The categories are:

A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

I really like the categories. Have no idea what I'll read. But it's 6 books and I have 12 months to find them. Surely I can manage!

What's in a Name: Where the Heart Is

2009-12-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts

Novalee Nation is 17, 7 months pregnant, and heading west to California with her boyfriend, Willie Jack Pickens. Novalee's shoes fall out the hole in the bottom of the passenger floorboard of the car, and she has to go to the bathroom. Naturally, they stop at Wal-Mart. She runs in to get new shoes and what not, and when she comes back out, Willie Jack has left her. Stranded. In Sequoyah, Oklahoma.

Novalee spends the remaining months of her pregnancy living in the Wal-Mart, meeting new people, and really just buying time until she figures out something. She doesn't really figure anything out. But the baby is born, Americus (a name that will stand up to the hard times), and Novalee's squatting in the Wal-Mart is discovered, she becomes famous for having the "Wal-Mart" baby, and the kindness of strangers gives her a fresh start.

I've read almost every other book Billie Letts has written (Honk and Holler Opening Soon, Made in the U.S.A). I swore I had read this one (I hadn't). I'd seen the movie, but hadn't read the book.

The book is Fannie Flagg meets West Texas / Oklahoma territory. Small town people with quirky personalities, big dreams and interesting back stories. Like most of the other Letts books I've read, this novel takes a dark turn (if you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about). The book is harder to stomach than the movie's sort of drive-by approach to that topic.

But even the book doesn't dwell. It's not that long and we travel through 7.5 years of Novalee's life, chapter by chapter. Life altering event, by life altering event.

Forney Hull is great in the book. I liked him in the book better than I liked him in the movie (and I liked him in the movie). Sister Husband, Mr. Sprock, Moses Whitecotton ... they were all wonderful. Moses is kind of a pass through character in the movie, but in the book he's much more of a centeral focus, as he gives Novalee her career and her passion (photography) and helps her get back on her feet after the storm comes through.

I really liked this book. I flew through it. I had loved the characters already but I loved them more for having spent more time with them. The movie, if you are interested, is fairly faithful to the book. There are some things that are left out but that's to be expected. But I was surprised to see that a majority of the dialogue from the film is lifted straight from the book.

If I were Billie Letts, I'd be proud of that fact.

Definitely pick this up if you're a fan of the genre, live in Oklahoma (or drive through), or loved the movie. It's fun and uplifting and just sort of leaves you feeling like all will be right with the world if we keep doing our best with what we've got.

The Lady Elizabeth

2009-11-29T08:04:00.000-08:00

The Lady Elizabeth, By Alison Weir

Elizabeth's mother, Ann Boleyn has just been executed. Mary, her half sister, has come to visit to tell the toddler the news. At 3 years old, Elizabeth is surprisingly (and somewhat unbelievable) aware of what's going on, and understands what she's being told. And thus opens the story of Elizabeth's childhood.

We go from the time that Ann dies to Mary's death and Elizabeth's famous quote, "This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes" when she is proclaimed Queen of England.

There is so much information out there about this woman, that I find all the different opinions of her muddle in my brain and I get confused about what is fact and what is fiction. Weir, quite obviously, is a fan of Elizabeth. And does not portray her to have many, if any, flaws at all.

Which is ridiculous.

Elizabeth got in so much trouble throughout her youth I find it hard to believe that she wasn't actively guilty in some of it. The affair with Thomas Seymour, the Dowager Queen Catherine's husband, is shown as to be entirely his fault and she the innocent victim. Save for the fact that the author admits Elizabeth was more than likely infatuated with him.

At 13, of marriageable age by the times standards, Elizabeth would have, and should have, known better. Was Thomas Seymour scheming to have more influence in the realm? Sure. Definitely. He was clearly at fault. But Elizabeth was not blameless, and her later fame for flirtation would indicate that she was partly culpable, and deserved the stricture that she was given when the affair came to light.

The next ... all the protestant plots to put her on the throne during her sister's reign. Weir writes that Elizabeth had nothing to do with any of them, and was just the rallying point for the rebels and she had no part in planning. I. Don't. Know. I just don't believe it. Even in the novel she is actively planning her government should Mary die (when Mary died, for they start talking of it as a foregone conclusion).

So here's my big problem with the book ... the author wrote Elizabeth sort of as a hypocrit. Which I have no doubt that she was. She attended Mass to keep her sister appeased even though she pretty openly reviled the Catholic faith. She feigned illness when called to court to keep from being punished, and she openly manipulated pretty much any man that came into her path. Any person, for that matter.

But the part that bugs me, is that Elizabeth (in the novel) reads as a hypocrit but still believes herself to be innocent of all wrong doing. "I love the Queen!" but "She is a dreadful Queen, I hope one day to be Queen!" but "I would never threaten the Queen's reign!" but "I love and cultivate the love of the people I hope to one day rule!" but "I'm so shocked that they rally to me! I had no idea!"

What poppycock.

This was probably the other side of Philippa Gregory's version (Virgin Queen) which is sort of an ironic title since Gregory pretty openly thinks that Elizabeth was ... um ... loose with her morals. Weir on the other hand believes Elizabeth to have been a true virgin, dispite the escapades with Thomas Seymour. Wier thinks she's good and just, Gregory thinks she was petty and fickle.

The truth is probably somewhere closer to the middle.

The book, as fiction, was good up until the last 150 or so pages. It has never taken me so long to finish a book. It was as if all action ceased. And primarily that's because - it did. She was in the tower and under house arrest for the better part of Mary's reign, so there wasn't much of a story to tell except, "Woe is me, I love the Queen, but I hate the way she rules, and the people love me, but I did not act traiterously! No not me! Never! Hurry Cecil, devout protestant and known enemy of the throne, tell me what to do!" Over and over and over again.

On the whole, glad I read it, enjoyed the different point of view up until Elizabeth was in her 20s. Then, the virtuous act just got old. I can love Elizabeth I and still believe that she was flawed. And for all the animosity that Mary had toward Elizabeth, it stands to reason that Elizabeth harbored some herself. But not Weir's Elizabeth. But, to each his own.

If you like historical fiction on the Tudors, you should read this. It's well done. Despite my bickering with the author.

The Weight of Silence

2009-11-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf

Calli Clark is 7 years old. She has not spoken a word since she was four. Petra Gregory is her best friend, who has taken to speaking for her, and protecting her.

Early one morning, Petra's parents wake up to discover her missing. Looking for her at Calli's, they discover that Calli is missing too.

The novel is told from different narrators points of view. And I can't really put my finger on it, but I think that it changes from 3rd person to 1st quite a bit? A little bit distracting, mostly in Calli's chapters, but I think this was done because Calli doesn't talk? I don't know.

Spoilers below ... minor ones.

The bulk of the story is the investigation, and looking into the parents. Primarily Griff Clark, who has a history of alcholism and being a bully. But even, albeit briefly, Calli's older brother Ben. Antonia doesn't really come to the conclusion that her abusive husband is, in fact, abusive, until the very end of the novel. Which was a little disheartening to me. At the end she grieves over the choice she has made to stay with him through it all when looking at what it has done to her children. This seemed dense to me. Lady, he threw you down the stairs in front of your 4 year old daughter. You just now put it together that that may have scarred your daughter (who doesn't talk, mind you - sheesh) for life?

There were other odds and ends about the Gregory's family, told from the Dad's point of view, but it didn't resonate and I skimmed a bunch. Thought it was useful in moving the plot, looking back.

The story was fast paced and engaging. I literally read the final 200 pages in one sitting. Antonia and Louis were the most interesting characters, even though I think the author wanted me to think that Martin was really interesting, he wasn't. He felt like a literary tool for moving action forward.

I was surprised by the ending, which is always fun because usually you can spot where they are taking you. I recommend this for people that like mysteries, or small town stories. The subject matter is disturbing, and honestly I don't usually read stuff that involves hurting children because I just can't stomach it. There is enough hardship in the world I don't need to read about it in my recreation time.

Kindle Books

2009-11-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

Okay there is so much out there I want to read. But between buying maternity clothes and planning for baby, I haven't bought a book in a while. I'm struggling! So much on this list I want to read ...

Books I want to buy on the Kindle:

Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater
Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Wings, Aprilyne Pike
Shadowlands, Alyson Noel
The Queen's Mistake, Diane Haeger
The White Queen, Phillippa Gregory
Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffeneger
City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass (Mortal Instrument Series)
Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosney
Same kind of Different as Me, Ron Hall
Those who Save us, Jenna Blum
Knit Two, Kate Jacobs
Knit the Season, Kate Jacobs
Nanny Returns, Emma McLaughlin

To read before I start buying these:

Weight of Silence - reading now
The Lady Elizabeth, Alison Weir
A Great and Terrible Beauty

If I get through those three ... I'll be pleased.

The 19th Wife

2009-11-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff

Excerpt from GoodReads:

It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of a family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how a young woman became a plural wife.

Soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death.

And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love and faith.

I received this book through the giveaways section over at GoodReads. I had no idea what it was about and then one day my mom said she was reading it and I was surprised so I picked it up and plowed through it.

We start off in present day Utah, a member of the reculsive "Firsts" has been shot through the chest at close range with a shot gun. His 19th wife, has been charged with his murder. Jordan Scott reads this at the online paper (he is in California) and recognizes his mother as the woman charged. Jordan Scott was excommunicated from the compound when he was young (12? 13?) and has not seen either his mother or his father (the deceased) since.

He's compelled to help her, drives out to Utah to see what's what. Intertwined within that, is the store of Elilzabeth Webb and her daughter Ann Eliza Young, Brigham Young's 19th wife, taking place in the mid-1800s and into the 1809s, when the LDS church banned polygamy.

Parts of this back history were dry and meandering so I skimmed, but towards the middle and end it was very compelling. You could fill a lot of bathtubs with what I do not know about early Mormonism and it's early leaders, and this book did not paint them in a very favorable light. At one point I turned to my husband and said, "There's a major university in this country named after this guy?" But I imagine there is probably more to his story than this one books fictional account.

The present day story was full of bad language that just seemed gratutious. But I think what the author was trying to do, was show how the early adults entered into polygamy willingly, for their faith, and then how that decision shaped the children that were affected. Several times the main character says adults should do what they want but when children are involved they can't.

The resolution of the murder in the present day arc ended rather ubruptly, but it was kind of like, "oh I see," when it did. The clue that led the police to BeckyLynn was an online chat her husband was having, someone was knocking on the door and the other individual asked "who?" and he replied "#19". BeckyLynn was his 19th wife. The clues that led up to the ending were kind of pointless, and didn't really help tie anything up, as it all happens quickly when Jordan finally finds the one important piece of information.

It's galling to me that polygamy and child brides still exists today. It amazes me that still, to do this day, we have no idea how many "wives" Brigham Young or Joseph Smith had. And it amazes me further that these groups claim religious peity and that it has nothing to do with their baser urges, and yet they excommunicate the young boys from their compounds.

The clue that solves the murder for Jordan, it sort of helped me figure out how we have no idea how many wives these men had. Or other men like them for that matter. They don't count them all. They don't count the ones they are not currently "visiting." So if they no longer visit a wife, she is no longer counted as a wife. Though she has no recourse, can't marry anyone else, and is stuck trying to scrap by a living through whatever means necessary.

I enjoyed the book as it's subject matter fascinates me the same way train wrecks hold an audience. If you are at all into religious history I would recommend this to you.

Lament

2009-09-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Lament, by Maggie Stiefvater

From the author's website:

Deirdre, a gifted musician, finds herself infatuated with Luke, a mysterious boy who enters her life, at the same time she discovers she's a Cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Trouble is, Luke is a faerie assassin—and Deirdre is meant to be his next mark.

I found this book through a book blog website I frequent, and a review for Stiefvater's most recent book, Shiver.

I enjoyed this and it took me no time at all to read. Probably because the intended reader is about 12 years younger than me. Some of the Folk Lore stuff went over my head, and the book ended on a pretty mean cliff-hanger that is somewhat annoying. The physical book itself ... some what distracting. The paper is that stark white and the book itself is a wierd size. And the binding just didn't want to break. Which was wierd for me.

Overall I'm intrigued. And I love a series. Over at good reads I'm going to give it a 3. Even though I should probably rank it higher as I'll probably be scouring the book stores for when the next one comes out. The story moved, Luke and Dee were a nice little eternal couple to root for against the bad guys, and Ms. Stiefvater's dialogue wasn't annoying or campy. At least, if it was it didn't distract. If you liked Twilight or Evermore, I'd say pick this one up. I stay away from the Vampire ones because ... well .... just eww. But theis fairies were pretty creepy too. I was thinking Tinkerbell, but apparently these fairies are much darker than that. Much. Darker.

I put this one above Evermore I think. Because the backdrop of Fairies, and Ireland, and music, and four leaf clovers is more attainable than Immortals.

Worth picking up if this is your genre of choice.

The Thirteenth Tale

2009-09-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield

Margaret Lea lives a quiet life in the apartment above her father's beloved bookshop. She's spent her life hiding away there, devouring books of all sorts, to hide from the secret she discovered about her birth when she was ten; she was born a twin, and her sister died.

Vida Winter is the most prolific writer of the age (think JK Rowling with 100s of novels), and is a curiousity. She has never given an honest interview, and no one can discover the roots of her past.

Miss Winter is dying, and is tortured by the past she has written novels to escape from thinking about. She sends for Miss Lea to write her biography (something Margaret plays at) and begins to tell her a story about Charlie and Isabelle, twins Emmeline and Adeline, Missus, John-the-dig, Hester, a haunted house nestled crookedly in the English moors, loss, heartbreak, suffering, and a devestating fire that changes everything.

Written as an homage to great writers (mostly Charlotte and Emily Bronte), it's clear that Diane Setterfield has a love for both reading and writing, the art of doing both. Both characters have escaped from their private pains within the pages of books, one by reading, one by writing.

The beginnings of Miss Winter's story are disturbing, but I couldn't put it down. Unlike other novels Setterfield expects a certain intelligence from her reader, and she does not plainly spell things out. You are left to assume based on clues for much of the novel, and then there'd be a line somewhere that would confirm what you assumed. This helped pace the story I thought, and got the reader involved.

An interesting note, timing is never discussed. What era are these stories set in? Miss Winter's childhood takes place on a great estate in the English countryside with servants, governesses, and cottages set on the property paid rent to the man in the big house. All that made me think .... sometime in the 1800s? Since Jane Eyre is so prevelant throughout, it had be sometime after the novel was published, so mid-1800s. They also discuss the The Women in White, which was published in 1860. So it would have to be even later 1800s.

But what about the older Miss Winter? What time is it then? Well she's in her early 70s, so if her childhood was 1880, it'd be 1950. Which fits with the other clues of hand written letters, no telephone, few cars, and lots of trains. Anyway, that little side mystery of "what time is this?" kept me going too.

**SPOILER**
The question of Emmeline and Adeline's parentage. Isabelle and Charlie were brother and sister, but Charlie was obsessively and violently in love with her. Isabelle believes the twin girls are daughters from her late husband, but the teller of the story (Miss Winter) believes their father is Charlie. The twins are never "right in the head" (said throughout the book) and I thought this was the author using more clues to get us to believe incest had occurred. They weren't right in the head because they were inbreed, and had mental abnormalities. Which lead to another clue about the age, the medical science was not extensive on behavior disorders or mental conditions.

All told, the book is a dark and twisting story that's incredibly well written. I'm still in awe over some of it. The change of use in pronouns, they, we, I. Such a subtle thing that I did pick up on, and is pointed out by Miss Lea, but after the truth is revealed, wow does it all make more sense.

Makes me want to read Jane Eyre and Wurthering Heights. Recommended. Especially for those of us that love reading and a good story.

The Sugar Queen

2009-08-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen

Josey Cirrini has lived in this small ski town her entire life. At 27, she lives at home with her mother and takes care of her, driving her to meetings, picking up groceries, and being her companion. It's a dull life, and her mother is not nice. The highlight of her day is when the mail is delivered, and she rushes down to have a two sentence conversation with the mailman.

To cope, Josey keeps a stash of snacks and romance novels in her closet. But one day she opens it to find a stowaway, Della Lee Baker, the town vagrant, is squatting there hiding from her life.

This starts off a series of events that pushes Josey out of her comfort zone, away from her steady, boring and meanial life of servitude to her mother, and into her own.

I loved this book. Josey is loveable and relateable and the little side mystery keeps things moving. The chapters all being named after sweets was very cute, and like Allen's last novel, the magic is all here.

Chloe becomes Josey's first friend. Chloe has this wonderful little habit that books appear before her whenever she is in need of them. As a child, bored over the summer, a book of magic tricks and card games appeared at her feet. As an adult, dealing with a cheating boyfriend, the book Finding Forgiveness haunts her as she sorts it all out.

It was endearing. I liked it a lot and the twist at the end ... I should have seen coming, but I didn't. Which that moment when you go, "Oh my gosh I should have known!" is just awesome. I can't wait for Allen's next book, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, next March!

My Sister's Keeper

2009-08-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult

Katie is 2 years old when she is diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. The doctor informs her parents that she will need a bone marrow transplant in order to surivive for even a few months or years, and neither her parents nor her brother is a perfect match.

The doctor tells her parents not to despair, that perhaps other siblings will be a match.

This sends Sara and Brian (Kate's parents) to a clinic to genetically engineer a perfect match for Kate. Months later, Anna is born.

Fast foward 13 years and Kate is 16 and Anna is 13. After all the treatments, Kate's kidney's are giving out and she needs a transplant. After years of transplants, transfusions, and donations, Anna is expected to participate in this procedure to. She surprises them all by hiring a lawyer, and filing for medical emancipation from her parents for the rights to her own body.

I have stayed away from Jodi Picoult because of the smaltzy titles and high drama themes. But she is a favorite author of a good friend of mine, and this book in particular has intrigued me. So I picked it up. Dialogue, characters and side stories all aside ... this book really made me question what I would do. What anyone would do. Because honestly ... how far would you go to save your child?

It is very easy to judge Sara. To say she's a monster for treating Ana and Jesse (her oldest son) this way; for abandoning and neglecting them to care for Kate. But the world isn't fair. And when one child requires 1000% more attention than the others ... how do you manage? What do you do? And when one child can save the other ... don't you persue it?

One thing bothered me about this book ... the absence of religion. I got the impression by a few flippant comments that were made that Picoult doesn't set a lot of store by religion. But at a few points (maybe only two) characters say to Kate, "you'll watch us from Heaven," "We'll see you in Heaven," etc. It felt like the author was picking and choosing which parts of religion she favored.

And really, she uses astrology in place of religion. The stars as a substitute for scripture.

It wasn't bad or great. It just was.

I've read many reviews that feel the ending of this book was a major cop out. It didn't bother me in that way. It was just the way these characters story ended. I won't go further than that as I don't want to spoil it.

I can't say I enjoyed this, but I am glad I read it. One of the best lines of the novel is this:

I realize then that we never have children, we receive them. And sometimes it's not for quite as long as we would have expected or hoped. But it is still far better than never having had those children at all. Pg 395.

I really got to thinking about some pretty serious stuff after reading this novel, and how much we all take for granted. For that reason alone it's worth the read. The fact that Picoult's a decent writer doesn't hurt either.

Bitsy's Bait and BBQ

2009-08-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

Bitsy's Bait and BBQ, Pamela Morsi

Emma and Katy and Katy's son Josh, are driving into the Ozarks to look at a Bed and Breakfast that Emma just purchased with her divorce settlement. On eBay. Turns out, B&B has different meanings, the girls find themselves learning about spinners, lures and smokers.

Several months in, just as they are getting settled in, Katy's mamma's boy ex-husband and mother-in-law show up wanting to take custody of 5-year-old Josh.

The usual is what happens, I guess. The rich, urban, socialite Mom thinks Katy is down home trash and not good enough for her son. She also happens to think her son isn't good enough to be her son, and sees a second chance in trying to raise her grandson.

Emma is the overprotective older sister who thinks the rich-boy Sean (ex-husband) isn't good enough for her sister, whom she secretly sort of resents because she's always making sacrifices for her.

The rest of the characters - the people who live in Warbler Lake - are brilliant. And the stuff about fishing and barbecue was a lot of fun and made the other formulaic stuff tolerable. The romance between Sean and Katy sort of felt contrived, and the last "epilogue" chapter was a hodge podge wrap up that I skimmed through.

Nadine and her three kids were more interesting than either of the two main characters, and I would have liked to see or hear more about her and how she resolved things. In truth, I think the novel spent more time on backstory for the interesting side characters than it did the two leads. Which maybe is a bit backwards?

Any who. I liked it. It's not really Southern but its very Fannie Flagg. It was fun to read about the fishing and bbq, and some of it was realy brilliant.

Seducing an Angel

2009-07-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Seducing an Angel, Mary Balogh

I have a guilty pleasure. I read romance novels. I know, I know.

I'm not going into detail here, because ... well it's a romance novel and it's not winning any awards any time soon (except maybe romance novel awards, which there are bunches of, I know).

But this little series set in Regency London is really quite fun. It's a whole bunch of recurring characters (my favorite thing) and this is the 4th book. Not my favorite one in the series, the first one may well be the best.

I have high hopes for the 5th one ... the cousins story. But her website is wierd on when that one is due out.

With everyone married, and my traveling done, I am hoping to read some more in the last few days of July than I did in the mid days of July. But if you look romance novels, specifically those with recurring characters where a whole family gets a happy ever after complete with 2.5 kids ... this series is the one for you!

Blue Moon

2009-07-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Blue Moon, Alyson Noel

It's three weeks after we last left Ever and Damen in Evermore, and Ever has decided that she will become an Immortal and spend eternity with Damen. He's teaching her how to use her powers and blend in, when at school there's a new student, and suddenly Damen isn't the same, and the whole school turns on her.

Ever goes to Summerland seeking answers to set things back right and is shown a way to save her parents and sister from the horrible crash the year or so before. She'd lose Damen, but her family would be alive.

I liked this one. It was an interesting story that kept me wondering what the heck she was going to do. Parts of it dragged (descriptions of Summerland. I get it. It's perfect.) and I couldn't understand why she would trust Roman and Ava. I never trusted either one of them. Especially after Ava's behavior in Summerland. So some character inconsistencies maybe? Or plot twists? You decide.

And since the comparison is completely unavoidable, let me tell you something I discovered about this and the entire series while reading; I would let my daughters read this book before I let them read New Moon by Stephenie Meyer.

Why? Because in New Moon, Bella goes apocolyptic over a boy. Granted, it's a fairy tale and she's like the princess locked in the tower because her one true love abandoned her, but it's a bit too dramatic for any teenage daughter of mine. Mine specifically. Because she will definitely have moody, dramatic tendencies, and come by it naturally, because she's mine.

The other three Twilight novels, I'm okay with. They have their own issues, don't get me wrong, but New Moon in particular worries me.

Anyway I digress. But in Alyson Noel's novels, not only is sex only alluded to and the word never said (I think virginity was used once), but Ever has a life that involves more than Damen. And yeah she loves him and he's her true love, but she has Haven and Miles, and Sabine, and her family, school, etc, and what it means to lose all of that for Damen and vice versa.

The question itself is dramatic, I know, but at least it's more normal than the year of sadness in New Moon. That is a book that would require some serious conversations between me and any child of mine that read it. Because the concept of doing scary things to move on from a love is really not that uncommon, and really dangerous for a teenage kid to read and have to contemplate without, ya know, adult supervision.

Back to Blue Moon. It's YA, and distinctly different from it's unavoidable comparison cousin Twilight, and a series in a way that Twilight is more of a ... saga. Hahaha, see what I did there? I make myself laugh.

I liked it enough to think that waiting till January to find out how Ever deals with the revelations in this one is just mean. Noel commented recently that Shadowlands went into editing just this month so I guess it takes 6 months to edit something into publication. I'll be buying the next one. It's worth reading if you liked Twilight and are into the whole teenage angst, love triangle, supernatural stuff. And I am, at least perhiperhally.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, JK Rowling

As I said in a previous post, I read this novel in July of 2005 the week that it came out. And I remember that after the somewhat (IMO) disjointed and frazzled Order of the Phoenix, that this book was much more structured and orderly plot wise and made much more sense.

And was intensely hard to read. Well, not all of it, just the last three chapters.

Harry Potter is now in his 6th year at Hogwarts and as he arrives, Professor Dumbledore, still Headmaster at Hogwarts, has invited him to private lessons so that Harry may learn more about the Dark Lord and the prophecy that he was after in OotP.

In these lessons, Harry glimpses the past and Lord Voldomort's early years, and what his overall plan may be. These educational classes show Voldy's parents, his upbringing in the orphanage, and his attempts to get a position at Hogwarts. Through these trips into the Pensieve, Harry and Dumbledore see and guess / estimate at how best to vanquish him (to borrow a word from Charmed!).

There's so much going on in this novel, all of it wonderful, that you should just really read it for yourself. I love these books and every time I visit them I laugh and remember how wonderful they are and why I love them. It's the ultimate in comfort reading.

I'm excited about the movie coming out next week, and I've seen some reviews so far (I haven't read them! I just saw headlines!) and they say things like best HP yet.

I can't wait. The entire series should be read. But don't take my word for it, I'm Dumbledore's man, through and through.

Scene from Harry Potter and HBP

2009-07-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

This scene is actually pretty close to how it happens in the book! (I know, I just looked it up again, and I just read it yesterday!) But ... WHO is that person sitting on the stairs with the dark hair? Is that meant to be Tonks?

But ... this makes me happy on a couple of levels. Because in the trailer when Lupin says "Draco Malfoy was been given the task by the Dark Lord" that irked me because we do not learn that until the very end, and Lupin most certainly didn't tell anyone that. But this scene clears that up nicely. He's mimicking back Harry's theory to Harry. So all is well with the world.

So excited about the movie folks ... so excited. Can't wait for next Wednesday! I will forever associate Megan's wedding with "the week HBP came out in theaters!"

Which ... and this is sort of sad really. Because my Grandfather died on July 14, 2005, three days before the book came out. And his funeral is tied to that book for me too. Not in any real important way ... just that my Dad went to the book store at midnight to pick up our books and then flew to Kansas the next day and was irritated that he stayed up so late to get them when they were all OVER the place at the airport.

And then we all sort of peripherally glanced at our books during that weekend. I read mine at home, in my bedroom, and I remember during the final fight scenes I was leaning over my book hitting my fists into the bed. And then I cried.

HP and tDH was released in paperback on Tuesday so I have my complete set of those FINALLY. My husband thinks it's a tad ridiculous that I have three sets of these things but I couldn't NOT have the final one in paperback. I mean really.

And you know, DH is the only one I haven't re-read. I've read HBP like 3 times (this is my 4th) and the others I've lost track. The one I've probably re-read the least (aside from DH of course) is OotP.

But as I approach page 600 of HBP I'm stealing myself up for the end. I will cry. Big horrible tears.

Excited for the movie! I really love this book.

Evermore

2009-07-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Evermore , Alyson Noel

Ever lost her parents and little sister in a car crash, and her entire life is completely different. Not only does she have to move to California to live with her Aunt, but ever since the accident she's had pyschic abilities and can read people's minds. When a new boy comes to school and everyone goes gaga over him, things get even stranger.

This is a YA book that I read the review for and had to read it. It's Twilight-esque, but it doesn't really compare. What I mean is, Twilight is way better. But this is basically the Twilight story without the vamps and our main girl character has magic powers. It's a cross between Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries and Twilight. Which ... I like both of those so yeah for me.

Immortals (the series name) are just creatures that live forever and have magic powers. More like dark fairies, and not like vampires. Though there are similarities.

It took me 4-5 hours to read this book. I enjoyed it, it's light, fun, ice cream fare and I really want to read the second one, Blue Moon, which comes out on Tuesday! I like Ever, she's got a strange name but I like it, and I like Damen and her's relationship, and I like the aura's and flowers (red tulips!) and the symbolism. It's all fun stuff.

Fans of Twilight will like this one, as that's who it's marketed towards (Blue Moon? Really? Couldn't have at least TRIED to name it something else? It even RYHMES with NEW MOON). It was very similar, but that didn't bother me. It was a bunch of fun and I'm excited to read the next in the series!

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria

2009-07-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria, by Eve Brown-Waite

Lewis recommended this non-fiction book to me after he read a review that said it was pretty cool. I read it on the Kindle and it took me quite a while to finish it. Part of that was life getting busy, part of it was ... it sometimes wasn't that interesting.

Eve graduates from high school and goes to the Peace Corps recruiting office to see about a career there. John Waite is her recruiter who leads her through the selection process, and they fall in love. They date for several months while she works on getting a peace corps placement.

When she's shipped off it's with a mixed heart as she's now set up to be away from John for 2 years, at least. But she has a panic attack and is sent home, and they are together again.

They end up getting married, and he takes a job with CARE that sends them to Arua, Africa. The rest of the novel is her experience there and how her pregnancy went and how a civil war forces them to leave.

But here's the thing ... his tour with CARE was only 2 years to begin with. And then he extends for one year, and then they move just after three years. So, to my ears / eyes, that to me meant they lived out their obligation and were going to move anyway.

And her getting "sick" in South America was due to repressed memories. I'm a cynic. I don't have a lot of repressed memories. It just felt ... silly. She spent like 6 weeks in a hospital for panic attacks? Those are some serious attacks.

It was just an "okay" book for me. John did most of the actual work with the needy, etc. and she kind of spoke about it like, and this is my impression of it, that because she was living in Africa and doing without Starbucks, she was morally superior to those of us who watch movies at Tinseltown and have running water.

I didn't get that impression the entire time, just a couple of points. It's worth the read if you're interested in Peace Corps or overseas work, but it felt kind of shallow. She gets all sorts of job offers helping with HIV / AIDS and I never understood why. She didn't really talk about why she was so reverred in those fields. It would have been nice to hear more about what she did early on and why she has such a valued opinion in that area. Which I'm assuming she still does.

Anyway ... glad I read it. Definitely a different read for me. But just okay.

Kindle

2009-06-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

So after I wrote that last post about books I'm going to read in July, I went to Amazon to see if Harry Potter is available on the Kindle. To my dismay. It is not.

And apparently JKR has a "philosophical" reason for not wanting her books on e-readers.

To which I say ... grow up and into the next century please.

I love my Kindle. It in no way replaces my actual books. Nor does it assuage my book buying addiction. But I love my Kindle. I love the idea that I have my library with me, at all times, and with the flick of a finger I could summon up the words to my favorite stories.

I also love that carrying it in my purse doesn't put a stitch in my back for two weeks.

Everyone I show my Kindle to is enthralled. I was recommending it to someone else just this past weekend. And I continue to visit Amazon.com and hit the "I want to read this on my Kindle!" button in the hopes that enough of those will wake publishers up to the new millenia.

So JK and Scholastic ... 1980 called. They said it really was okay to move on.

What's on Your Nightstand - June

2009-06-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hosted by 5 Minutes for Books this is the post where I tell you all about what I read this past month. And this month, I'm actually on time!

So this past June I read:

Queen of Babble in the Big City

Dead to the World

Made in the U.S.A.

Friday Night Knitting Club

And I'm currently reading, First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria. Which, I should have finished before the 30th, personal and work life permitting.

So how does this fare against what I said I would read? AWESOME, that's how it fares. I read everything on that list (if I finished FCL,TCM that is). I should get a medal. Granted, to make it easy on myself, I only had 4 books on that list and two of them were Chick Lit.

But, where do we go from here? Next month I would like to read:

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, JK Rowling

The Tory Widow, Christine Blevins

The Girl from Junchow, Kate Furnivall

Run, Anne Patchett

Evermore, Alyson Noel

The Tea Rose, Jennifer Donnelly

This list is ambitious. One - because two of those books I don't own. Two - because I have two weddings to go to in July, one of which is my sister's so I'm heavily involved in the planning, and who knows when I'll find time to read.

SNAP! I just remembered. I have to read (and I mean have to read) Harry Potter 6! Wow. This list IS ambitious!

What's in a Name: Friday Night Knitting Club

2009-06-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs

Georgia Walker runs Walker and Daughter, a premier knitting shop in downtown New York. She's been raising her 12 year old daughter, Dakota, alone and running the shop and has been doing just fine thank you, with help from her friends.

Kind of accidentally, a group of strangers starts meeting every Friday night to get tips on knitting projects, to escape lonely apartments and procrastinate from school work. And the knitting club is born.

There is a large cast of characters here, all revolving around Georgia and the knitting shop. There's the married Darwin who's husband is away doing a residency, the single Lucie who desperately wants a baby, K.C. who's been laid off and looking for a new direction, wise Anita, widowed and looking at her future, and Peri, the entrepeneur who makes purses out of the shop and runs the cashier. And James, Georgia's long lost love (and Dakota's father) and Cat, Georgia's long lost friend from high school.

As is often a problem in these novels ... the multiple points of view gets old for me. And some of the characters were more interesting then others. The story itself was often slow, and meandering, and not very cohesive.

The best part was the knitting, and the yarn, and Anita. Many of the other characters felt cliche to me. Including Georgia, who's saint act wore on. Everyone loves her, she's such a great person, she's never annoying, she's always right, and everyone admires her and dotes on her. She's the perfect mother, friend and girlfriend. And yet, in her POV, she's unaware of this constant barrage of attention? Please.

I think I'll give this one 3 stars. It was pleasant, in a sugar-sweet, rush to the end kind of way. It took me a week to finish which means I didn't like it that much. But it did get me knitting again. Which is cool. I liked the knitting part. And I think I even learned something. Or rather, I read about something that made me curious so I researched and learned something. Which is always fun.

Beach read, definitely. If you're a knitter, it'll make you want to find a nice eccentric shop and see if they have classes.

Made in the U.S.A.

2009-06-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

Made in the U.S.A, by Billie Letts

I was able to win a copy of this book from All About {N} last month. I started it yesterday and finished it this evening.

Lutie and Fate McFee (15 and 11, respectively) are living in Spearfish, SD with their father's ex-girlfriend when she unexpectedly dies in the check-out line at Walmart. Questioned by the police and faced with the foster care system, Lutie and Fate steal her car and head out to find their Dad in Las Vegas. What they find is dark, distrubing, and hopeful. They end up in Hugo, OK, with a circus family, where they try to find a place to belong.

Billie Letts first novel was Where The Heart Is, which honestly, I can't remember if I've read. Since I can't remember, I'm going to say that I haven't. But I have read, Honk and Holler Opening Soon, which I adored. She has a talent for (strange names that for some reason work) believable, marginalized characters that are usually on the raw end of hopeless and almost always need just a little bit of help to get themselves back to rights.

In Made, Lutie and Fate have lost both their parents to one thing or another, and been neglected their entire lives. Scared and not sure how to remain safe and fed, they make terrible decisions. It was really hard to read the beginning parts of this book because you just want to scoop them both up and hug them and say, "here, let me help you." And you want to save them from themselves.

It didn't "fix" itself enough for me, and the ending felt a tad rushed. Or ... I'm not sure. I was so uncomfortable yet riveted to the first parts of the novel I think I expected an equal measure of relief when they finally came to a place to settle and when that didn't happen I was a tad disappointed.

I will say that her description of Las Vegas was a bit ... dramatic. It is called Sin City but there are many houses off the strip and an Air Force Base and regular people that live there too. I think the Governor of that state would take issue with her descriptions. And at some points she makes it sound like all that stuff is only possible in Vegas ... and it really, sadly, happens everywhere.

All in, a good book. Very glad I read it. Obviously I was caught up in the story and characters as I flew through it, and it's got some pretty dark subject matter. I read the author's note / short story at the end and the interview and Lett's personal story explains a great deal of why she wrote some of this. Her and her husband took on some foster kids for a time, and some of this is what she feared for them, or maybe even what she heard of from them.

But the last question from Lett's was really sad. Her husband of 50 years died last year. This book was dedicated to him. When asked what she was working on next, Letts answered that she was unsure, because she's adjusting to life alone. She admits, she may have lost her muse.

I say read this one. And then hug your children. And your grandmother.

Dead to the World

2009-06-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

It's been a month since Sookie was in Jackson trying to save her cheating, now ex-boyfriend from a crazy group of vampires that were trying to kill him. So it's somewhat surprising when Bill (cheating ex) shows up on her porch step telling her he's off to Peru of all places for the forseeable future, oh and could she watch his house for him?

Adding to it, driving home from Merlotte's one night she comes across a half naked man running down the side of the road. Low and behold it's the haughty Eric; only he has no idea who he is or why he's running or who Sookie is.

When the Shreveport Vamps find out Sookie has Eric, they ask her to hide him in her home while they sort through the mess with some crazy, wacked out witches. Sookie and her brother Jason agree, but then Jason myseteriously disappears and Sookie is left (mostly) alone trying to help Eric, search for her brother, and try to stick to her New Years Resolution of not getting beat up.

This is the 4th in the series and it was much better than Club Dead. Eric was probably the best part of Club Dead and I looked forward to more of him in this book, even if his character wasn't really ... him. I had a hard time liking this new Eric becaue he lacked that sarcastic, egocentric wit that Eric just exudes. There are a light spoilers ahead so please be warned ...

And then there's Sookie and Bill. This is hard because I realize the author wants/wanted to move past Bill but ... I just don't believe Sookie cares about Eric the way she cared about Bill. Maybe that's intentional. Or maybe I'm just biased. But the believability was there for me in the first two novels with Sookie and Bill and with Sookie and Eric it's just sort of ... not there.

As also happens in series novels, the author spends several annoying paragraphs doing the "Last time on Sookie Stackhouse..." routine which I realize is necessary but it kind of gets old. I skip those parts. As I'm probably expected too.

I like this series and I think the whole storyline is interesting and worth following along. Louisianna is a good backdrop and I can imagine quite clearly what some of these characters are like. Definitely worth picking up and at 290 pages it's a breeze to finish and easy (light!) to carry around with you.

2009-06-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

I won another book! The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff, through the Good Reads First Reader program!

I love this winning books bit! I have to review them though, or you stop winning. Because the whole reason publishers give places like Good Reads and book bloggers books to give away is they want people to talk about them and review them.

Still ... what a very pleasant start to my weekend!

Chick Lit: Queen of Babble in the Big City

2009-06-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Queen of Babble in the Big City, Meg Cabot (3rd book for Chick Lit Challenge!)

The second book in the Queen of Babble series, we find Lizzie in New York City after her summer in France with her best friend Shari, Shari's boyfriend Chaz, and Luke, Lizzie's new boyfriend.

So everything's great, except that Lizzie has no job, no money, and no place to live. Deathly afraid that the big bad city is going to chew her up and spit her out like it did some girl from Anne Arbor named Kathy, Lizzie takes a job that earns no pay, and agrees to live with Luke, who she's known for 3 months.

This book felt like a continuation of the other book. Which, hello, it should as it's a series. But more than that, it felt like it was supposed to be part of the same book. Like Cabot wrote it all at one time, her publisher got a hold of it and said "I bet we can make three books" and chopped it up at the desireable points.

This is beneficial for one reason - I didn't have to sit through a chapter of "previously, on Queen of Babble." Which gets soooo annoying.

It's also irritating, for one reason - the ending does not feel like an ending but more like an annoying cliff hanger from a prime time soap opera. What will happen to Lizzie now? What will her answer be? How will she get out of this jam?

And, I can see the end from here. It's not a bad ending, and really with Chick Lit, who can't see the end from 50 pages in? It's part of it's charm. It's comfort food in that you know what it tastes like, and it tastes good. Chocolate ice cream for the book lover soul.

I still miss Luke. He had that one charming scene on the train in the first book and it's like he's never been heard from again. It makes me sad. Shari, also, took a big jump out of this story, and was replaced by Tiffany and the lovely french people that own the bridal store. Both of these are very funny characters, and I hope they are present in the next one.

I enjoyed the book, finished it in no time, and I enjoyed the back story of the wedding dress refurbishment and all the wedding info / quotes throughout. Like I said, we're sort of in "wedding mode" around here so it's fitting and fun. Definitely worth picking up at the library or the used book store.

Chick Lit: Queen of Babble

2009-05-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

Queen of Babble, Meg Cabot

Lizzie Nichols has just (sort of) graduated from college and is going to England to meet her (sort of) boyfriend, Andrew, and spend the summer with him. Andrew "rescued" her from a fire in her college dorm earlier that fall but then had to leave Anne Arbor, MI, when his student visa had problems. In the land across the pond, Lizzie is horrified to find out that not only is he not the man of her dreams, but he told his mom she liked tomatoes, which she vehemently, does not.

Mildly heartbroken, Lizzie gets on a train to France where she meets up with her college roommate who is volunteering at a chateau that does weddings. She runs into Luke on the train, the owner's son, not knowing it's him, and confesses her entire sordid story with college and the ex-boyfriend Andy.

Embarrassment, humor, and a wedding dress maid entirely of doilies follows.

Meg Cabot is most famous for The Princess Diaries and other YA books. The Queen of Babble series was recommended to me by my sister and while it was quick and fun, the writing isn't my usual thing. It's entirely too stream of conscious, and that's coming from a person that writes stream of conscious.

One other pet peev ... I was never sure how to pronounce some of the names. She helps you out with this when characters are first mentioned, but it bugs me sometimes. I liked that Lizzie got her foot in her mouth a lot (I do that - in far more embarrassing was than Miss Lizzie) and I liked Luke though there wasn't enough of him. There was more the idea of him that was discussed. So we'll see if he's more involved (he should be) in the next one.

It was good but different. One of its best attributes, coming off a spell of books that are multiple POVs is that it stayed entirely in the first person. Which seems to be really rare lately.

I'm definitely going to finish the other one (Queen of Babble in the Big City ). And look! I finished one more book in May!

The Piano Teacher

2009-05-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y. K. Lee

In 1950s Hong Kong, Claire Pendleton arrives with her husband Martin who works for the Water Board. Claire becomes board or anxious and begins teaching piano lessons to an affluent Chinese family, Victor and Melody Chen and their young daughter Locket. Here she meets the driver, Will Truesdale, and begins having an affair.

Will has been in Hong Kong for many years and was in love with Trudy Liang, a Euroasian of Chinese and Portugese decent. Trudy is the belle of the ball in pre-WWII Hong Kong, the daughter of an heiress and a debutante (or something similar, I searched for a word). She is vivacious and tenacious and all those "acious" words that people use to describe the life of the party. Read: the girl everyone hates but secretly wants to be.

The more I read about this region during this time period the more I want to read. The history framing the central story was really interesting, if the characters themselves were less compelling. It started off really slowly, and then sort of raced to the finish line. I felt sort of confused as it wrapped up and didn't quite understand all that was happening.

Specifically at one point, where a plot is revealed while in a certain persons perspective that this individual could not have known. This bothered me throughout the last 20% of the book. Why did the author reveal this fact at this point and then have the "ta-da" moment at the very end? It confused me. As I'm probably confusing you but trying not to reveal too much.

I didn't like a single character in this book. They were all unloveable. Your classic anti-hero story where Will refuses to do something, making him a good guy, but pays for it the rest of his life by regretting not doing that which would have made him evil. It was hard to like him for his principles when he hated himself for not breaking them.

Claire is a theif and that's never explained fully. Obviously she's a bored housewife who is confused by Asia but yet doesn't miss England.

Trudy is mean spirited and selfish and petty. The author tries at the end to reverse this opinion of her, by showing her actions as sacrificial rather than self-serving. I don't see it. She still seems the petulant child to me, who let it go when she didn't get her way but refused to save herself or others with her petulance.

All that having been said ... me not liking the characters did not stop me from enjoying the book. Odd, I know. But the story carries itself and the historical backdrop of Asia in WWII is fascinating. Dark, sad, scary and horrible in some cases, but fascinating.

Point of note though, it changes perspective in almost a dizzing way. And at first I didn't mind. But than it became more and more annoying as the author used it to build suspense. She would get half way through a story in one time period (1953) and then break in the middle and go back to the past (1940s). It was disorienting.

Definitely worth picking up, despite it's faults. It was a compelling story.

What's On Your Night Stand? May 2009

2009-05-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Every month I wish that this post was just a day or two away. But alas, it's not. I still contend that I might be able to finish one more book in May. But it's a slim hope.

What's on your nightstand is hosted by 5 Minutes for Books.

So, what did I read? Only one book that was on my original list.

I read, Vision in White, Nora Roberts, and Mary Balogh's marriage series (which I didn't review). So that's a total of 4 books. Boo hiss. (Again, more than likely 5 books, as I'm 60% done with The Piano Teacher according to my Kindle)

In my defense, May was a very busy month for me. And June and July are going to be just as bad.

But, there's lots of airport / plane time coming up in June, so with that in mind, here is what I really must finish for June:

First Comes Love, than Comes Malaria

Queen of Babble (must return to Megan)

Queen of Babble in the Big City (must return to Megan)

Dead to the World (must get further in this series so can intelligently discuss with cousin)

I'm leaving it at that. Oh wait ... the 4th Mary Balogh book came out last week and Girl from Junchow (sequal to Russian Concubine) comes out on June 2nd.

There is no shot of my TBR getting any smaller.

Edited on May 31st: I finished The Piano Teacher (May 27) and Queen of Babble (May 31), so that's 6 books in May. Not too shabby!

Teaser Tuesday - May 20

2009-05-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm always a day late ...

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Currently Reading: The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y.K. Lee.

Pg. 123

"They can hang out in the kitchen and be part of it a bit. You don't want to leave them alone-they might not be there when you come back!"

Chick Lit: Vision in White

2009-05-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

For my first book for the Chick Lit challenge, Vision in White, by Nora Roberts.

Nora Roberts one millionth book? No but it's close. So close that many think she's writing by committee now which is why so much of her work sounds completely different than her earlier work. But whatever. I still pick up whatever trilogy she has going. I'm a sucker for a story that doesn't end.

Which brings us to Vision in White.

This new quartet is about a wedding planning company and the four women that work there. This was fun for me because we are in the midst of my sister's wedding extravaganza and I can relate to the crazy requests that were brought up in the book. And, more pointedly, the opinions that are requested and then disregarded immediately.

The love interest is formulaic in that comforting, peanut butter and jelly sandwhich kind of way so that's not all that interesting. The dialogue (what I think Roberts is best at) is witty and fun between the four girlfriends. Which is really the best part of this book, aside from the frilly, tulle ridden wedding backdrop of course.

This will probably end up being my least favorite in the series as the constant photography (not well researched I don't think) angle was just not good. But, I'll bring it for my sister to read. It's like a tub of ice cream ... a guilty pleasure that isn't helping you in anyway but it's very fun to partake. I recommend for beach reading or warm bubble bath (with already mentioned ice cream) reading.

Monday Musings May 18th

2009-05-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Just One More Page ... Today's musing is ...

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? Was it from a particular person, or person(s)? Do you remember any books that you read, or were read to you, as a young child? (question courtesy of Diane).

I sort of do. I was probably in second grade or so and wasn't doing so hot in reading. My parents got me Super Solvers Midnight Rescue! What, you don't know what this is?! Well I'll tell you.

You are the Super Solver on a quest to save Shady Glen school. Morty Maxwell, your arch nemesis, is trying to erase the school. Only great reading, comprehension, deductive reasoning and problem solving can save Shady Glen. You explore the school to find clues hidden in stories and notes. Take pictures of Marty's robots and compare the pictures to your clues to find the right robot. If you are a super reader and solver you can stop Morty, but you only have until midnight.

And it was awesome. And I think my reading improved? I'm not sure. But I loved the game. Then there was Baby Sitters Club and a host of other books that I love and still remember. It's amazing how comforting books have become for me. And I really want to surround myself with the books I had as a child and just sort of relive me reading them as a child.

But the number one thing that founded my reading would be my mother. She was never without a book. There were books under beds, under tables, under the couch (always one under the couch). And she usually had one in her purse. Her reasoning, "you never know when you're going to have to wait in line."

It's just as sound today.

The other thing I remember, is we could ask for toys or candy or stuffed animals and be denied. But if we asked for books ... she would never say no. And we were always at the library. In fact, in like 5th grade my family participated in a week without TV sponsored by the school. And it was all about encouraging kids to read. And I did the summer reading program at the library most summers. Free (important for thrifty moms!) and time consuming for often bored children.

My mom was (is) a genius!

Book Update

2009-05-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

Okay so here's what's going on ...

I read 3 romance novels in as many days, and finished Nora Roberts Vision in White on the airplane to and from Denver. I recommend it to those getting married. The back story and info on the weddings and picking colors and flowers is oh so fun. I think I'm going to enjoy the next four books for that reason alone.

So my absence from here is not that I'm not reading (not possible) it's that I'm not reading anything worth reviewing. Except maybe Vision in White ... a review may come for that one as I think it fits my Chick Lit challenge. And I'll tell you why ...

The only difference between Chick Lit and traditional romance novels is ... drum roll ... the size of the book. Chick Lit is published in Trade Paperback size and traditional romance is in mass market paperback. I think Miss Roberts got fed up with being cast into the Rom category while other, lesser writers are in the societal acceptable airplane reading category of Chick Lit. So she published ViW in Trade.

Which ticks. me. off.

Trade is ridiculoulys expensive and just ... stupid. Nothing goes to Mass anymore. Harry Potter 7 is just NOW going to Trade in July and probably won't hit Mass for another 2 years, if then (I should fact check that). But Trade is stupid. I hate paying $15+ for paperbacks.

Which is why I will always love my kindle.

But anyway I digress. The fact that ViW is in Trade I think qualifies it was Chick Lit so I may use it for that challenge. But really, oh Chick Lit readers that think you aren't reading Romance novels. You truly are. There is no difference. There's just as much adult content in Chick Lit as traditional Romance (more so in some cases) so please, quit thinking your better than Rom.

Back to my update ...

Currently I'm reading The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee and I have on tap to read First Comes Love, Than Comes Malaria. This one is non-fic (gasp!) and is recommended by my husband (who hasn't read it, but wants me to read it?). But I'll read it and see if it might be good to recommend to my friend that is on her way to Africa this week on a mission trip. Speaking of which ... please pray for her and her group. This is going to be a life altering trip for them and I pray for the safest of visits for them.

Then I have the always scary TBR pile that grows every day.

So I'll have lots of reviews for you shortly. I swear.

Thank you!

2009-05-18T10:29:00.000-07:00

I won another giveaway! I know, I know, you can't believe it either. When I say another, I mean my first giveaway win was from Jessica over at Bluestocking Society when I won Nights in Rodanthe. Which, to my ultimate dismay, I still have not read.

Le sigh.

But thank you to Ms.Nelly from All About {n} for hosting the giveaway for Made in the U.S.A by Billie Letts. And yeah for winning! Thanks!

Musing Mondays

2009-05-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Musing Mondays is hosted by Just One More Page.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about your tbr pile…

How many books (roughly) are in your tbr pile? Is this in increasing number or does it stay stable? Do you ever experience tbr anxiety in the face of this pile? (question courtesy of Wendy)

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your opinion in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks.

Apparently, according to this post, this question caused some tummy aches for several readers.

My TBR pile is a constant tummy ache for me to, so I understand.

There are probably 15-20 books in my TBR pile. It's constantly fluctuating. I take one away, I add three, I read two, I add seven. I face some of anxiety in the face of this pile. One, because it represents cash money that I've spent, in many cases, and two, because some of those books I just don't want to read anymore.

Like Fall on Your Knees. Having read 4 or 5 of Oprah's book club picks, I have no faith that this one is any good. And it just looks so looooooonnnnggg.

So, what I should do is just pick out the ones I know I'm not going to read and trade them in at the used book store. That would be the intelligent, and indeed healthy, thing to do. But it would also be admitting that I can not - ever - get through this pile of particular books.

When did my pile get to be so unmanageable? When I actually started piling it up in a place where I see it all the time. Used to be, books that I bought would get put away on the book shelf. In the craft room. Which is in a part of the house I don't ever have to visit if I don't want to.

Now that I'm making a conscious effort not to buy more books until I read the ones I have (hear that brain! I'm talking to you!) the pile is in my bedroom on a chair next to my bed. And visible. Constantly.

But that's okay. At some point I'll read them. For now I just like having them around. Knowing they are there if I want them.

What's On Your Nightstand April 2009

2009-04-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hosted by 5MinutesforBooks.

In April I read:
Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society,
Midwife of the Blue Ridge,
Club Dead,
Belong to Me,
The Birth of Venus

Sadly, only one of those was on my list to read last month, The Birth of Venus. Which is cool I guess, except that I specifically said I wanted to read three on my pile to consider it a victory. Oh well. Guess I failed!

Last night I caved and after probably 5 weeks without, I went and bought books. I bought the new Nora Roberts and a series by Mary Balogh. So those will take me however long and then I'll move on to something that actually requires thought. Or not ... I told Megan I'd read the Queen of Babble books and then send them back to her. So ...

For May, I plan to read:
The Queen of Babble
The Queen of Babble in the Big City
Vision in White
Friday Night Knitting Club
and perchance, finishing The Tea Rose, which I like, but it's such a big book it does not lend itself well to being in the purse.

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2009-04-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society , by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Juliet Ashton is a writer in WWII London. During the war, she wrote a successful, humorus column that was later published as a book that sold well too. She receives a letter from a resident of Guernsey, an island off the coast of England, asking for her opinion on author Charles Lamb. She begins a friendship over letters between him and the other residents of Guernsey who make up the Literary society, and learns about how the channel islands endured the German occupation during the war.

This may be the best book I've read all year (and I've read 19). It was funny, heart breaking, and warming. The greatness of the human spirit and how kindness and love took people (and still do) through the most trying times.

The novel is a succession of letters between Juliet, her publisher, her dear school friend, and the locals of Guernsey, and it was really wonderful. I felt more involved, like I was reading part of a living conversation or reading through a relatives hidden letters. There are so many complexities going on here, the characters inherent sadness over what's happened to their beloved island and country, the displacement of friends and relatives, loss of the same, and the sudden reapparance of food and freedom in their lives. And then the relationships between them all!

When we were in Germany, it was amazing to think about ... but all of Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt ... they are less than 50 years old. While that's true of much of Texas, it's not because of a crushing war, but because of newly inhabited frontier. And one of the quotes in the book struck me too, that the Americans were affected but not as haunted by the war, by the sadness. There's not blame laid in that statement, it's more like an observation.

Another blessing laid at our feets ... we are far enough away (usually) to avoid trouble. How will life change when that is no longer true? What would it be like to have Mexican Federalis (HA!) walking through Dallas and enforcing curfews? Stealing our bread?

And this book totally made me want to go back through my old letters. From my husband, Grandmother, cards from friends overseas ... I've kept them all. I still have a few errant pen pals ... but I wish the art of letter writing wasn't a dying thing.

Honestly I had stayed away from this novel because of the funny name and rather bleek looking cover. But it's beyond wonderful. I got it from the library but I'm going to have to own it. Definitely worth a read.

Midwife of the Blue Ridge, by Christine Blevins

2009-04-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

Midwife of the Blue Ridge, by Christine Blevins

Maggie Duncan is the sole survivor when her Scottish village is ransacked. She is adopted by a midwife, who teaches her everything she knows. When the midwife dies, Maggie goes as an indentured servant to Virginia and the American colonies. Her contract is bought by another Scotts man, Seth Martin, to help with the chores as his wife is ill with child.

Maggie learns about new plants and medical techniques in the new world, and her and her new family deal with the uncertain life on the frontier.

I really liked this. Blevins has another novel out this year, The Tory Widow, and I read this first as it's her first novel. It's light, it's quick, and I liked reading about Kenta-ke and some of the other "funny" names that gave us the names we still call our states and cities. It was nice to read historical fiction about my own continent too, even if the characters were fictitious. And her second book (obviously) is from this time period or just later so that makes me happy too.

The book is divided into three parts, and really I flew through the thing. The beginning two parts were better than the last, but I liked the characters, and while the plotline was predictable, it was enjoyable.

Parts are graphic (I skipped those) and she spends a lot of time on plants and herbs and medicine. And the accent took some getting used to (Scottish). But it was great.

Worth a read. I'll definitely be picking up her second book.

What's in a Name Challenge: Club Dead

2009-04-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

To fulfill the "medical condition" of my What's in a Name challenge ... Club Dead, by Charlaine Harris

In our third Sookie Stackhouse novel, Sookie and Bill are home from their scary trip to Dallas, and settled into a routine. But then Bill start retreating from her, and then suddenly disappears. She is informed by Eric and Pam that Bill has been kidnapped and taken to Jackson, Mississippi, and he may or may not be shacking up with his former hottie vampire girlfriend.

Sookie sets off with a werewolf, Alcide, to try and find her betraying boyfriend and save him - or kill him - however the mood strikes.

The new characters introduced are interesting, but after 3 books it is getting to be a bit much keeping up with them all. The author seems to have a lot of fun just inventing new people and it's not hard to fall in and like them with her. Though Tara showing up at the bar in Mississippi kind of threw me, and I wasn't sure how or why that fit? And since this is fiction / fantasy I understand why a heroine is desired by everyone and just thought to be so beautiful ... that's what the author wants. But it's not realistic. Since we're talking about telepaths and werewolves and vamps, I think it's pretty easy to let this one slide. Though it's a major complaint from reviews I've read.

These are 300 pages of campy drama fun. It's mindless, thoughtless and most of the time it's not that scary. The great thing about books though ... you can skip the scary parts and not have nightmares. The same is not true about HBO TV shows that took a great series and made it ... well completely different. The books are definitely worth picking up from the library or used book store.

Belong to Me

2009-04-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Belong to Me, Marisa de los Santos

Sigh. You know when you're reading a good book and you are equal parts riveted, moved and entertained? That is the writing of Marisa de los Santos. At least for me. I was so sad when this one ended.

I loved, Loved Walked In. Belong to Me is the continuation of those main characters - Cornelia, Teo, and Claire's - story. Though one doesn't necessarily have to go with the other.

Cornelia and Teo are married and moving into the suburbs. She runs into the "HOA lady" (my phrasing, not hers - no mention of HOA in this novel) and it doesn't go well, and then we have Dev, the 13 year old boy-genius who is being raised by a single mother. The novel is told from these three narrators perspectives. And I think what makes this work for Santos and crash and burn for others, is that each of these three has an individual story line that is independent of the others, but also intertwines. Piper (HOA lady) is dealing with her best friend's fatal cancer, and that's really just all her. But in the background Cornelia will watch the kids from time to time for her, so she's there, but she's not part of the main action. For Dev, he has a huge crush on Claire, who stays with Cornelia from time to time, but she's not involved in his exact story, just the peripheral edges.

And each voice is unique. Cornelia is ... well Cornelia. I can't explain her she is too complex. Piper is the perfect housewife who is holding her world together by a thread, and everything isn't all that perfect. Dev is a 13 year old wonder-kid who loves science and to learn. They are all very cool.

What did get old - and this is such a minor thing it's almost not worth mentioning - Cornelia and Teo always say the perfect things, for every situation they are completely in tune, always in sync always making everyone feel at ease. While I have no doubt that there probably is someone out there like that ... I've never met them.

What I LOVED about this novel was the main character (Cornelia) doesn't have man trouble. So often in novels where women are the main character the central thesis is my husband is this, or my boyfriend did that, or we can't get married, my parents hate him ... what have you. This is not true here.

Teo is in the background for most of the novel as this completley supportive, giving, working husband, while Claire sorts out life in the burbs. Now at the end conflict does strike, but even then the cruxt of it isn't life threatening, it's just a hurdle. And the main purpose of the novel isn't conflict, but the relationships that we have in our lives, and how we all belong.

I was hooked to this book from the word go. The first chapter could have been my first week in my new house, could have been me talking to the neighbors. Neighbor at front door: "Hi! Welcome to the neighborhood! Do you have any children?" Me, with a bright smile: "Hi! Thank you! No we don't." Neighbor frowns, "Too bad." And turns to leave. I stand slack jawed. This happened more than once. And was funniest when the neighborhood kids (all dozen or so of them) showed up at our front door demanding to know where the kids we had were hiding. The moans when I informed them of their absence from existence were defeaning.

I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved. It's just so good. Heartache, loss, joy, love, surprise twist, everything. It's a great story. And I related to all of it - which is probably why I loved it so much. And Santos is just a great writer. I hope to hear she has something new out soon.

And yet again ... doesn't help me with any challenges. But I did mention it on my books to read for April!

The Birth of Venus

2009-04-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

The Birth of Venus, by Sarah Dunant

The novel takes place in 15th century Florence and a family that is once wealthy from the sale of fabrics to wealthy and opulent Florentine's. Alessandra Checci is 14 years old and is a virgin in Florence with limited freedom and no hope of a future outside of marriage. And all she wants to do is paint. Then, a fundamentalist monk begins preaching on the evils that he feels are overtaking the city, and she is forced into a marriage that is not what she expected.

The first 20 pages of this book almost lost me, and it really took me like two days to get through the first 20 pages. But after that it was a quick, sharp succession of events that kept me interested, and I finished it relatively quickly (a plane flight to Wisconsin helped with that).

The middle of this novel is really great. The begging is eh and the end is eh. I don't understand why it ended the way it did. It just seemed, odd. The ending is part fairy tale and part gothic horror story, and I just didn't understand it. I don't want to ruin it for anyone that is planning on reading it, because I do recommend the book. It was interesting and the familiar and definitely female themes were captivating. I've read complaints about the quality of the writing, and I can agree as the novel gets toward the conclusion. But mostly it was good.

So I would say overall, definitely worth the read, and a good book. Worth the half price I paid at the used book store. I'd be happier if it fit one of my challenges. But alas ... at least it's on my TBR pile and on my list of to-reads for April!

Historical Fiction Challenge ReCap

2009-03-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

As you recall I committed to the Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by Royal Reviews. The challenge was to read three historical fiction books in 3 months, and the only rule was it had to take place prior to WWII.

I had set out to read The Other Queen, The Lady Elizabeth, and To Hold The Crown. As many of you know, I have a terrible time with book lists.

I actually read the following:
The Other Queen
To Hold the Crown
The Russian Concubine
The Widow of the South
and Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.

What happened was, I read (skimmed) the first two and hated them and then felt like that didn't really complete the challenge and so then I read the final three. And sigh, I didn't read what I originally set out to read. But two out of 3 ain't bad.

So, another challenge complete! This is one of my favorite genres of literature so it's not like I won't be reading any of this in the future. Thanks to Royal Reviews for hosting! I enjoyed!

What's on Your Night Stand March 2009

2009-03-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hosted by 5 Minutes for Books

Otherwise known as ... why can I not remember to do this on the last Tuesday of the month? Or why can't I plan what I will read in any given month?

Last month I said I would read, The Birth of Venus, The Queen of Babble books, Friday Night Knitting Club, the Sugar Queen and Quicksand.

What I actually read? Widow of the South, Countdown, Between Sisters, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, and The Host.

I am terrible at this. The good news? I still read 5 books this past month. The bad news? All but one of them were light reads, and um ... none of them were on my TBR pile.

So for next month ...

The Birth of Venus (if I don't get it done before Wednesday)
Friday Night Knitting Club
The Sugar Queen

I'm going to just try and stick to those three. If I get those three read in April I will consider it a victory. Because I also know that Nora Roberts new series comes out next month and I'm a sucker for those. And Marisa de los Santos has a new book coming out on the 1st which I know I won't be able to pass up. And in perusing Amazon right now I found this: Romanov Bride, which just came out last month, which I may have to pick up as well.

See? I can't even stick to a list when I'm making the list. I'm hopeless.

The Host

2009-03-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

If you live under a rock and are not familiar with Stephenie Meyer, she is the woman responsible for the Twilight series ... those black books with red pictures on the front that take up entire bookshelves at your barnes and noble. May of last year (two months before the final Twilight book came out) The Host was published.

I bought it for my Kindle as my inaugral read on the new device. And I really enjoyed it.

It's some time in the future and earth has been inhabited by Souls, an alien species that are parasites and require a host body to survive. They are thousands of years old and the little creatures can pretty much live forever, jumping hosts and planets as they see fit.

Wanderer is placed inside a human host, Melanie, and takes over all of Melanie's memories. Well Melanie doesn't want to disappear, so Wanderer and Melanie inhabit the same body / brain at great cost to them both. Wanderer takes on the same emotions Melanie has, falling in love with Melanie's boyfriend and brother, and wanting to find them and the rest of the human resistance.

It's billed as sci-fi but it really isn't. Meyer's talent is in character development and not so much background or technical plot lines. I have to say though, as a novel this was far superior to the Twilight books, and much better written. You still had some cheesy moments and some melodrama, but nothing at the level of Twilight.

Overall, a good quick read for a rainy afternoon. Just wish it fit one of my challenges! Though I have now heard there is an eReader challenge ... so if I decide to join that ... well I've already got one done!

Kindle-ing!

2009-03-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, my husband bought me a Kindle. The Kindle is Amazon.com's eReader. And technologically speaking, it's fairly cool. The screen is some sort of e-ink. It's not a normal screen, it's designed to look more like a printed page of a book. And it really succeeds at that. It's not back lit, so it's easy on the eyes (but you can't read in the dark - which shouldn't be an issue cause you can't read a traditional book in the dark either).

This is the second version of this device. The first one is much boxier. This new kindle is thinner than my ipod or my iphone, and it lasts 4 times as long. I got it on Friday, and didn't have to plug it in until yesterday (Wednesday). And I've been using it.

Okay so if you want a full download of all the tech specs check out Amazon's site (link above). But to the more important question ... what do I think of it?

I like it. It's sleek, it's cool, its easy to read. I finished my first book on it yesterday (review coming next). It's going to be great for traveling. And I'm pretty sure that after my dad sees it he'll want one too. I might almost be ready to up my like to love, because I do love it. I asked my husband for books for my birthday ... and he decided that translated to a kindle. And I think that's pretty cute.

But when I first opened it, he did have to assure me that it did not replace my book buying. It did not replace my trips to the library. It did not replace the used book store. It's an addendum. An additional way to read / purchase / enjoy literature. Because I still love my books. I just love my kindle too.

In conclusion: if you read a lot and travel a lot, it's a cool device that will save you space. If you're like me and pack 3 paperbacks for a weekend trip (just in case you can't get into one of them and need a back-up!) you'll probably love it. If you're like me and you always have a book in your purse and maybe you're backs starting to hurt ... the kindle might be for you!

Historical Fiction: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

2009-03-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler

Courtney Stone wakes up in Regency England and has no idea how she got there. She had been in L.A. hiding from a former fiancee and his traiterous friend who helped him "impose" on her.

With no understand of what's going on, Miss Courtney now inhabits Miss Jane Mansfield's day to day life; including her mother who's trying to arrange a marriage, the suitor who seems to be a "libertine," and his mousey sister who is the epitome of decorum and propriety. Things which Miss Mansfield, or Courtney, care very little about.

This was fun and quick and painless. It got a bit redundant, "or those my thoughts, or Jane's?" "since when did I use words like 'thither'?" but it was harmless entertainment. My favorite parts were when she comments about bleeding and when they go to Bath and the waters there. I can only imagine how disgusting it would have been with no chlorine, antiseptic, or filters. Eww.

Some of the characters did feel a little flat but I have high hopes for the second installment, which takes us to 21st Century LA and Jane Mansfield inhabiting Courtney's rough and tumble life.

It's definitely worth getting from the library or the used book store. And it's a good distraction.

Teaser Tuesday March 10

2009-03-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

Between Sisters, Kristin Hannah

Pg. 205

"Meghann? You're getting that mushy look again. ARe you thinking about the hors d'oeuvres?"

Pg. 289

Nuclear. Claire felt Meghann's grip tighten.
"Here we are." The nurse paused outside yet another closed door.

Happy Tuesday!

Libraries

2009-03-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Are awesome. They are the greatest of all the inventions, of all the public buildings, of all things that my taxes pay for ... libraries by far are the thing I most enjoy.

The internet has made libraries even more awesome. Now I can peruse their shelves online, find what I want, and reserve it! I can extend my kidnapping of the books already in my care, and I can determine what's new and what's coming soon.

Sigh. I love libraries. Did I mention they are free?

I've moved frequently in my young life. 12 times in 18 years. And I can say, pretty certainly, that one of the first places we visited at each new destination, was the public library. Some were better than others. New Hampshire's library was the bestest. They had reading clubs for kids, storyhour, and a large (in my 11 year old mind) kids section.

When I moved back to Boston, my first stop was the Waltham Public Library. Oh I still love that library. It was within walking distance of my house. And look at it! It was breath taking. They were part of the Minute Man Network too so any book - really, almost any book - I could have at that library within 24 hours.

Libraries are an awesome resource. They offer computer classes (for nominal fees), movie screenings, book groups, and the staff are almost always nice and friendly and knowledgable. Both about the library and about the community in general! I think they are nice because they get to hang out with books all day. I would be nice too!

I go on like this, because yesterday I made a visit to our local library. It does not have near the selection the library in Waltham had, but it's still very nice. I got Countdown (90% certain I'd already read this, but couldn't be sure), Stalemate and Quicksand. All part of a series I started years ago. And after some of the dry stuff I've been reading (see Midwives, To Hold the Crown, Widow of the South) I needed light, quick fare. These books that take me over 3 days to complete are for the birds!

I also got Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. Now, sadly, none of these help me with my challenges this year. And only one is on my TBR pile. I find I can not stay dedicated to any list of books I create.

Still. I finished Countdown in half a day, the other two in that Eve Duncan series will be as quick (they're really good, but not worth a review). Confessions ought to be similar. Than I think I'm attacking The Friday Night Knitting Club for the What's in a Name Challenge.

I love the library. I quenched my book addiction and didn't spend a penny!

Historical Fiction Challenge: The Widow of the South

2009-03-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks.

In an attempt to actually finish a book for the Historical Fiction challenge, I picked this one up. I had had enough of Tudor England and Europe in general so I thought I might try and find some his. fic. centering on life closer to home.

This book is about Carrie McGavock and The Second Battle of Franklin, TN in 1864. We used to live near there, about an hour south, so I thought it might be cool to read about it. Even though, in the two summers I spent in Tennessee, I never made it over there, and in fact, never knew this battle even existed. I blame my government school education.

In summary, the Confederates suffer devestating losses at Franklin, including 6 Generals (that Carrie lays out on her front porch) and the McGavock plantation is used as a makeshift hospital for the injured. Carrie nurses some back to health, and in a fictional twist, has a very bizarre relationship with one of them, Zacariah Cashwell. Later, two years after the war, Carrie and her husband oversea the moving of the dead from their group burial ground to a part of their own land, which is where the cemetary still exists today.

Reading this book, I imagine is how many Europeans feel reading books like The Other Boleyn Girl which are just filled with errors. Hicks claims 9,000+ people died that day in Franklin, but everything I've read said it was a 2-3,000. Hicks says Carrie cared for thousands, wikipedia says 300. Obviously dramatic license was taking to make things seem more dire, or more disasterous. But 300 men, fighting in the tail end of a war that was about to end is a story of itself, and I don't think it needed dressing up.

He also tries to make a villian for his narrative, out of a character named Mr. Baylor. Some fictional drama ensues and a supposedly climatic confrontation result in him "allowing" Carrie to remove the dead from their original graves to the McGavock's land. According to what I've read, a couple of years after the battle the original grave markers (wooden) were detereorating and it was becoming difficult to identify the dead. So the McGavock's donated their land, and the city raised funds to arrange for the plots to be moved.

What I don't understand, is why Hicks villianize the town of Franklin. In his novel, they city is full of horrible people who would as soon shoot each other as soon as lend a hand, and if the truth is that they all raised the money to honor the fallen boys of the South ... well isn't that worth telling? Isn't that better than reducing Franklin to a town of villeanous, angry, racists? No doubt they were racist - but I'm sure that's not all they were. Especially not when it concerned the young men that had died within their city limits.

I finished the book through, but it was long and drug on and I didn't care for any of the characters. Carrie made absolutely no sense and was crazy and inconsistent. She lost three children to fever and became a recluse and strange. While I can only imagine that such a thing is a fate worse than death, in the late 1800s it was common, and the infant mortality rate was very high. It just wasn't believable to me.

And ... spoiler coming ... somewhere near the middle of the book as Cashwell and Carrie are forming their very odd and unbelievable (literally - I didn't beleive it at all) friendship, they are yelling at each other about something and then Cashwell says inadvertently that he loves her. She then decides that she will hit him repeatedly with a shovel and almost kills him. She sits outside with his beaten corpse for several days, and when he finally comes to, it's like it never happened.

I couldn't get passed it. I know that Hicks intended for this to be some sort of emotional, dramatic cresendo that releases Carrie from her doom and gloom morbidity and awaken to the prospect of life and love, but it just felt odd to me, and wrong. And strange.

It was worth a read for the history of it all, but it was far too long and the author is too in love with the sound of his own voice. That was the other thing ... we start off with several different POVs, Carrie's, Cashwells, and unsundry Confederates and Yankees as we go through the battle and it's diversities. This was good. I liked hearing all the different sides. But then the author gets lazy, especially in the third part of the novel. We have Carrie, Cashwell, and the Carnton and then Franklin. In the Carnton and Franklin chapters he switches back and forth between either John McGavock, Mariah their former slave, Theopolis, her son, Eli (fictional back story), Becky (ditto), and I think that's it. But it just felt lazy.

I think I'm going to have to develop a scale for rating these books. But I have to think on it. I don't want to do numbers or stars ... I have to think on it. If you've read this book let me know what you thought. Maybe I'm just ... silly.

2009-03-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

TEASER TUESDAYS (hosted by Should be Reading) asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

The Widow of the South, Robert Hicks

Pg 121
And so I spent some time just paying attention to the way the floor moved under me, and how I could almost feel it's grain against my shoulder blades. Those are my shoulder blades.

Pg 167
I straightened the dresser: moving the miror to one corner, a tin of matches to another, a stocky littlecandle in its holder to another corner, and Cashwell's belt--rolled up tighlty like a snail's shell or a snake--to the very middle. I thougth he was sleeping, but he must have been watching me.

"What are you doing, Mrs. McGavock?"

Happy Tuesday!

What's on My Night Stand? February 2009

2009-02-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

5 Minutes for Books Hosts: What's on My Nightstand the 4th Tuesday of every month. And I always miss them! Well not this month!

My nightstand is figurative now, as I relocated the bookshelf (that's right, I used an entire bookshelf as my nightstand!) to another room.

But my TBR pile is ever growing. Right now, I'm reading: The Widow of the South. But next month I'd like to finish up the following (in no particular order):

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (His Fic Challenge)
The Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot (Chick Lit Challenge)
The Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot (Chick Lit Challenge)
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (What's in a Name Challenge)
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (because I loved Garden Spells)
Quicksand by Iris Johansen (for fun)

Since I only finished 4.5 books in February (I finished the Russian Concubine on February 1st so I think that should count as a January read - 6 books), I think this list is in line with how much time I provide myself for reading. At least 3 of these books are quick, 2 day reads.

Happy book blogging!

What's in a Name: Anne of Green Gables

2009-02-24T07:27:00.000-08:00

I finally found a book that had a building in the title! Actually, I found two, in the same series, and I decided book 1 was a more logical place to start.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montogmery is home of one of my favorite characters in all of literature. There are millions of women just like me who just relate and love little Anne Shirley, but I like to think I'm special and I'm the only one in all the world who understands and sees herself in the spirited 11 year old girl.

For those that have not been introduced, siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert live on Prince Edward Island in a house called Green Gables. They are both getting on in years and decide that for help on the land they will adopt a young orphan boy. A mix up in the message brings them a little orphan girl, and the young girl who was never wanted anywhere starts her adventure on Prince Edward Island and at Green Gables.

Some of the most memorable characters in literature are thus introduced; Anne meets her bosom friend Diana Barry, her mortal enemy Gilbert Blythe at school, her inspiration teacher Miss Stacy and half a dozen other girls from Avonlea. She goes to the top of her class, passes her entrance exam to Queens, and gets a scholarship to college to receive her BA. Alas sadness hits in the end, and Anne and Gilbert forgive their differences and Anne takes the teaching job at Avonlea. Her and Gilbert will take their college courses correspondence, and will now be good friends.

I love this book. I love Anne Shirley, I love Gilbert. Reading this book is like sitting down with a blanket and a fire place and just a warm feeling in your heart.

"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting." - Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery

And if you aren't aware, there are films of this and the first two are very, very enjoyable. The third one is garbage, don't waste your money or your time. But the first one and second one are worth every minute. Meghan Fellows is a terrific Anne.

Teaser Tuesdays: Anne of Green Gables

2009-02-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

Pg. 57

"Marilla," she demanded presently, "do you think that I shall ever have a bosom friend in Avonlea?"

"A--a what kind of friend?"

"A bosom friend - an intimate friend, you know - a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inner most soul."

Pg. 101

"You'll feel remorse of conscience some day, I expect, for breakin it, Marilla, but I forgive you. Remember when the time comes that I forgive you. But please don't ask me to eat anything, especially boiled pork and greens. Boiled pork and greens are so unromantic when one is in affliction."

I know they are both long but I couldn't help myself. I love Anne. Her ramblings remind me of my own brain and all her drama and feverishness and absolute thrilled excitments and her loathsome, terrible, despairing sadness just make me laugh. I was Anne at 13.

Books Made for Walking: February

2009-02-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

I saw this meme while I was perusing the book blogs ... and it spoke to me!

Is there a place that you have always dreamed of visiting specifically because of a book you read? It can be any kind of book: fiction, non-fiction, travelogue, you name it. If you have been to the place, did it live up to your expectations? If you haven't been, do you think you'll ever make it there?

Umm ... yes! Prince Edward Island if you please! Reading about Avonlea and all the beautiful places that surround Anne and her childhood just makes me want to go! And more than that, the scenes in the movie versions just make my passport itch!

Also, I really need to go to London England and do the Tudor thing. And then, I really want to do the Jane Austen tour and look at all the country homes she espouses about in her novels. I fully expect I will make it to London, and I really see no reason why I couldn't go to PEI. All it takes is a plan. I'm a determined sort of person in that way.

I'm not sure if any of the other places I've been where inspired by novels. I would say that I read books on Marie Antoinette and when I visited Versaille and her bedchamber it was interesting. The crowds kind of ruin the pleasant feeling, but I loved the gardens. I would say it lived up to my expectations.

Lit Flicks Challenge: Wrap Up

2009-02-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

What I read:

Confessions of a Shopaholic- Sophie Kinsella

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin and Nicole Kraus

The Golden Compass - Phillip Pullman

The Jane Austen Book Club - Karen Joy Fowler

Of those 5, only one is on my original list. Which is a terrible travesty I do say. Consequently, the good thing is, I did not buy any of those other books so they are not currently in my TBR pile, save Nights in Rodanthe, which I recently recieved from Jessica at Bluestockings! (Thanks again).

I loved this challenge. I am a big fan of reading books and seeing what movie makers make of them. I enjoy the high and mighty feeling of being in a movie theater and knowing full well what will happen, and saying to myself, "oh that wasn't in the book." I like seeing a visual representation of what my mind creates. In my mind, Harry Potter is not very similar to Daniel Radcliffe. His hair is different, and he doesn't have the cocky demeanor that Radcliffe seems to put into the character (maybe that's just my interpretation of him). Or, more recently Twilight. Jacob looked nothing like that actor to me. And I didn't ... I don't know. My minds version of Twilight is oh so much more satisfying than the movie version. Though, achem, I will be first in line to buy the movie when it comes out on March 21st (my birthday! /end shameless plug).

Of what I read, I'd have to say I enjoyed Secret Life of Bees the most. Nanny Diaries was a re-read for me, and Confessions was just so campy and silly it won't make a repeat performance. Compass dragged on (both the literary and film version) and JA Club made a terrific movie (with creative license) and sort of a bland book. Bees was a quick enjoyable read with great prose and the movie was entertaining and watching Dakota Fanning grow up is sort of marvelous. She's going to be a terrific little actress some day (stay away from drugs! And Britney Spears! And Paris! And anyone else who works in Holly-wierd!). The movie was faithful to the story and it was well done. Latifah and Keys were fabulous.

I will continue to read books that are being turned into movies and I will continue to review movies that were made from books. Thank you to Jessica for hosting a terrific challenge and I hope you do another one soon!

Historical Fiction Challenge: To Hold the Crown

2009-02-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

To Hold the Crown, Jean Plaidy.

I picked this up at Target. You know they have a section of books dedicated to Tudor England and I saw this there and thought ... oooh, surely it might be good!

It's not.

It's a republished book. I know mother, I failed you. My mother, also an avid reader, taught me very early to always check publication dates. Her point was to make sure she didn't buy something she had read years earlier (who can remember everything one reads? Especially before the internet!). I should have followed her sage example.

The write up on the back is misleading. And calling this fiction is a bit of a stretch. The story is told to us. There is no action. And the chapters are repetitive. By page 150 I was bored, and had very little interest in the Queen (who was heard from rarely) and had more interest in Henry VII but he was such a minor character in a book supposedly about him that I just skipped to the chapters that I wanted to read.

I'm posting this for the Historical Fiction Challenge but I'm so sad that two of the books I've read have been bad. Not to worry, I have more His. Fic. to read and will add those when they are finished. Here's hoping they are better. But like I said on twitter; life is too short to spend too much time on bad books.

Teaser Tuesday: To Hold The Crown

2009-02-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

To Hold the Crown, Jean Plaidy (pg. 91)
It was better if death came swiftly. Who wanted to outlive one's power? Certainly not one who had enjoyed so much as Elizabeth Woodville.

For the uniniatated ... Elizabeth Woodville.

Not Sure Which Challenge: Garden Spells

2009-02-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen

This isn't technically chick lit, and it's not historical fiction. Can "garden" be a building? It may not fit. And since it only took me three hours to finish, that's all right with me.

Claire and Sydney Waverley's mother was whacked out and left them with their grandmother in Bascom, NC when they were small. In Bascom, the Waverley women are known for their "magical" cooking with the plants from their garden. And the apple tree produces fruit that gives people visions of the most important moment in their life.

Sydney runs away when shes 18, gets into trouble, and the book revolves around how both girls lives are turned around when Sydney and her young daughter move back to Bascom and live with Claire.

It was really cute and fun. I finished it in three hours (the plane ride to Utah). If you need a beach read or something light, I recommend this. She has another novel, the Sugar Queen. Her first novel was good enough I will pick up the second.

What's in a Name Challenge: Midwives

2009-02-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

For my first book for the "What's in a Name Challenge" (see my original post HERE) I choose Midwives by Chris Bohjalian for my "Profession" category. I wrapped it up this evening and it actually took me a bit longer to finish than I anticipated.

As you can see from the picture it's one of Oprah's book club books. My mother was the one that bought this and she could never get into it, so I swiped it in my "I want to read adult books that look cultured and deep" phase. I was probably 18 or so. It was published in 1998.

The book is about a midwife (duh) named Sybil Danforth who is delivering a baby on a really stormy night in Vermont and the mother dies in labor. Sybil attempts CPR and the phones are down and the roads are covered in ice and they can't get to the ER, so she does an emergency C-section to save the child.

The following day, questions arise about what killed the mother, and Sybil is later charged with involuntary manslaughter, as the coroner believes that the C-section killed the patient.

The story is told from the point of view of Sybil's daughter, who was 14 at the time but is now 30. So it's all past tense. And in an effort to create suspense, Bohjalian tells us mysterious cryptic things over and over and over again. And it gets tiresome. In truth I think the last chapter is the first chapter repeated. It felt like de ja vu reading it.

The book was slow and tried to put this big show of home birth versus doctor's on display but it was kind of flat. He never made a very good case for either and I'm left feeling sort of as if he found a controversial subject that he thought would sell novels and attempted to exploit it. The book contained all of the appropriate body part references and procedural things, but it sort of was missing emotion. I just couldn't be bothered to care.

I wouldn't say it was a bad book, I'm not sorry I read it, but it's not my typical cup of tea. It was dark and moody and sad. Even when it was happy it was sad. If I were rating this on a scale, I would give it like a 3 out of 5. Somewhere in the middle. It wasn't bad ... but to say I enjoyed it would be overstepping.

I read lots of reviews on amazon and they kept saying how graphic it was. Eh. I find I can skim through "graphic" parts and get the jist and not be offended. But the real issue in this book was (like I mentioned earlier) I just didn't care that much. And it didn't seem (and this may be because birth and babies and labor aren't anything I've experienced myself) wholly realistic.

But others loved it and raved. So maybe it just didn't speak to me.

Lunch Time Reading

2009-02-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

This was funny:

"Or how about just feeling the most incredible, awesome love for people - all people - just because they're human and therefore amazingly magic? Ever felt that?"

"Probably not sober."
~ Midwives, Bohjalian, pg 193

Cute. In a book that's almost irritatingly downbeat, the rare moments of glib humor stand out.

Thank you Jessica!

2009-02-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

I won the January Lit Flick's Give Away over at The Bluestockings! I know I can hardly believe it myself! Thank you so much Jessica!

Jessica's January Callenge update is HERE. She's sending me Nights in Rodanthe which is pitch perfect because I didn't get around to reading that one!

Thanks again Jessica, and thanks for hosting a terrific challenge!

Teaser Tuesdays: Midwives

2009-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Midwives , Chris Bohjalian

Pg. 35
She went to Mount Holyoke for two years, but met a slightly older man while waitressing on Cape Cod the summer between her sophomore and junior years and decided to drop out and spend the winter in a cottage with him on the ocean. It didn't last long. By Thanksgiving she was settled in Jamaica Plain in Boston, helping the Black Panthers start a breakfast program for the poor, while answering telephones for an alternative newspaper.

Musing Mondays

2009-02-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Musing Mondays are hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page ... this weeks question ...

How do you choose what do buy from your local bookstore? Do you have a list, or just browse? What is the selection in your book store like? Do you find what you're looking for? Do you feel pressured to buy the kind of books the store makes prominent? (question courtesy of MizB)

This question spoke to me as I was just wondering this while I wandered around BN wondering what to buy with my $25 gift card. What would I buy? I have a want to read pile a thousand titles long, but I didn't have it with me at the time and I knew some of the books on that list, but they were mostly Tudor historical fiction and I can not stomach paying full price for one more book on Elizabeth, Ann or Henry, even though I love them. There has to be a limit!

So ... my process is generally thus ... peruse the new releases. This can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 depending on what's new. Then I look at the staff picks. Usually these are pretty lame (my opinion). But occasionally there are jewels hidden between the random indie picks and the biographies. If nothing is there, then I look at the tables. These are my favorite. They have more new releases, and are typically newer writers that don't always get into that front shelf with the Dan Browns and John Grishams.

So if there's nothing on these tables, then I check the old faithfuls. The writers I've read for years who's new releases don't always make the front shelf or who I may have missed throughout the year. I check Czerneda in the science fiction section, Crusie in romance, Rinaldi in YA. And some others that I can't remember... Barbara Michaels.

Usually, if I can't find anything that peaks my interest in the Lit / Fic section I hang out in the children's section.

My new favorite bookstore (aside from Amazon, where I can shop for books at work! Joy!) is the used bookstore just south of my house. And there I take a list. If I can. Because otherwise I'd be there for hours.

What's on Your Night Stand?

2009-02-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

I always seem to miss these! But my TBR list has grown so much!

Currently:
Midwives, Chris Bohjalian

Next:
The Lady Elizabeth, Allison Weir
Firefly Lane, Elizabeth Hannah (which I picked up at BN with a gift card and I'm afraid is going to be very like Summer Sisters by Judy Blume. Which, if you haven't read Summer Sisters you really must.)
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield

And then pretty much everything else on my TBR pile. Which grows weekly and daily as I read more reviews and visit the used book store. But I can't help it! I have a compulsion! Buying books just makes me happy!

Historical Fiction: The Russian Concubine

2009-02-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

For my second book in the Historical Fiction Challenge, I read the Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall. Set in 1920s China in the International Settlement, Lydia Ivanova is a Russian ... immigrant? Refugee? Her and her mother fled Russia when the Bolsheviks took over.

Lydia's mother wants her daughter to recieve a great education and grow up and go to college and be a doctor or a lawyer and never have to rely on a man for anything, as Valentina (her mother) has had to do. She's stopped short of being a prostitute, but has really relyed on her beauty and charm to have men feed and provide for her an her daughter.

So anyway, Valentina is a bit of a drunk and during these periods Lydia steals so they can eat and pay rent. On one of these such excursions in Junchow, she runs into a gang who try to kidnap her and sell her into slavery when she is rescused by Chang An Lo. Chaos ensues from this point as the gang is angry with Chang for interfering and defending the foreigner above them, and there's a whole side story on the poppy trade, but you'll have to read it to get to all of that.

The first 200 pages were a bit of a chore, but it got good after that and I finished it rather quickly. I did do a lot of skimming. So clearly not my favorite book. I can tell you why ... Chang is a Communist Freedom Fighter and soon Lydia (who's just been kicked out of Russia by Communists!?!) is wanting to become one too. For no reason other than, well what's fair is fair and there has to be "balance."

While I can appreciate the backdrop of this story and the romance and the relationships, the political points in it had me rolling my eyes. Russia fell into starvation and ruin when the Bolseviks took over and they still haven't fully recovered. Even with the collapse of Communism in the late 80s. Which, to be fair I'd say they are still quasi Communist today and Putin is inching ever closer to be a dictator that they can not get rid of. Anyway the author is British and clearly I'm an American who has been raised on capitolism and freedom for all and this ridiculously romantic notion of Communism helping people just ... well is just stupid.

I liked the book, aside from this one fact, and am glad I got it at the used book store. There is a sequel, The Girl from Junchow, which is set to come out in June so I'll probably pick it up. So in the end, worth picking up from the library for the story of it all, but the historical accuracy and the ridiculousness of "balance" and Communism just sort of made me want to chuck the book out the window.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Russian Concubine

2009-01-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by Should be Reading and consist of the following:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

Oh God, she didn't know what to do. What to say. Her heart was kicking like a mule in her chest and all she could think of was whether it was raining in England.

Lit Flicks: Confessions of a Shopaholic

2009-01-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

For my fifth novel for the Lit Flicks Challenge I read Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. In truth I probably won't see the film until it's in the dollar theater, but I can compare what I've read and make predictions based on the trailers I've seen!

Becky Broomwood is a finance writer at a finance magazine in or about London. She's also a compulsive shopper. Some people eat when they are depressed, Becky shops. She's also in debt and overdrawn. But yet, she continues to shop.

What ensues are ridiculous lie after ridiculous lie and ridiculous justifciation after justification on why she needs a $200 pair of jeans or a $300 scarf. In fact, the first 200 pages I did not really like Becky much, and I thought maybe this book should become required reading for many Americans I know. It would go something like this ... See how ridiculous you are? Buying things you can't afford?

In the end of our novel she gets in some scrapes and as is the way with most Chick Lit, all is well in the end. Which I happen to like in my quick reads. This is recommended beach reading if you can get past the fact that a woman that can't afford to buy bread or pay rent is paying thousands of dollars for clothes as if it's nothing.

What do I think the movie will leave out? Well ... if the trailer is to be believed I think they flatten out Luke's character and make him as shallow as Becky starts out (a particular scene in Prada) and they did something stupid with how Becky realized magic existed when she was seven and has a love affair with credit cards. Not so much in the book. Becky loves new things and just doesn't think of the expense. It's not in the equation. Because it's really an addiction. She feels bad, she needs something new to make her feel better. She shops for that high, the elation at finding the right outfit / shoe / purse / etc. It's really kind of depressing actually. Like reading about a cocaine addict only it's less messy and there's more product placement.

I worry the movie won't do well in this particular time of our American lives. The Sex and the City age of $400 shoes and couture seems to be on the way out and simpler, more humble digs seem to be what's in style. But hey, maybe that reality isn't true for everyone.

The book is a quick, fun, easy beach read. There are 4 others in this series. If they are at the used book store, they may make the TBR list!

The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry

2009-01-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

Oooooohhh was my final thought when I wrapped The Lace Reader up. I loved this book. In the same way I loved Janet Finch's White Oleander but then again in a completely different way.

Sophya Boynton travels to her childhood home of Salem, Massachusetts, after she gets news that her Great Aunt Eva is mysteriously missing. Eva raised Sophya (nicknamed Towner) for either one year or several (not clear on this detail) and was a "lace reader" herself and Towner felt a connection to her that she never felt to her own mother.

Eva later turns up dead and this raises a bunch of questions about a group of crazy cultists and Towner's Aunt's ex-husband. "Lace reader" in the title refers to reading fortunes in Ipswich lace, which is something that the gifted Whitney women have the power to do. Towner is also very intune to others and has a touch of telepathy. But seeing the future in lace is really what they talk about mostly.

My number one favorite thing about this novel was the location. Sometimes I miss New England down to my bones, and books set there are fun. I can see the wharfs and the town and the roads ... it's fun. Don't get me wrong I love Dallas and I definitely do not miss New England winters.

The one thing that I did not like or had trouble with, was all the relationships. G.G. Whitney? Married to May and Eva? Are they really related? Eva and May? Great Aunt? But Emma is her Aunt? May is her mother and is not related to Eva who is her aunt? Say huh? That was the only part I couldn't keep straight. Other than that the prose is great the descriptions wonderful I only found myself skimming a handful of times, which is good for me.

Anywho, the novel is great and interesting and intriguing and a sort of mystery but I picked up on the final exposition pretty early on. Which did not diminish the novel in anyway. It's still absolutely worth reading. And after the awfulness that was The Other Queen, this book was a welcome breeze of air.

Sadly, I don't think this helps ANY of my challenges. Is "Reader" an occupation?

2009 What's In a Name Challenge

2009-01-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

Last one and I swear I'm done! The What's in a Name Challenge information is available at the link. Basically, you have to read 6 books in 2009 that fit the following:

1. ~~A book with a "profession" in the title (Midwives, Bohjalian)~~

~~2. A book with a "time of day" in the title (Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs)~~

~~3. A book wth a "relative" in the title (Between Sisters, Kristin Hannah)~~
4. A book with a "body part" in the title (Fall On Your Knees, Ann-Marie MacDonald)
~~5. A book with a "building" in the title (Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery)~~
~~6. A book with a "medical condition" in the title (Club Dead, Charlaine Harris)~~

I've seen that many of the book bloggers I follow are participating so I thought, what the heck. That only brings me to 4 challenges for 2009 and 19 books to read for 2009. Which is, like, nothing. I also thought it might broaden my horizons a bit. And I have no idea what books I will read for what. My TBR pile is gi-normous (and not helped by my recent trip to the used book store) so I'm sure I'll find something. Does "shop" (as in Bitsy's Bait and BBQ Shop) count as a building? (Updated - sadly, shop is not in the title!)

Books vs. Movie Challenge 2009

2009-01-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

So I realize I'm not finished with the Lit Flicks Challenge, but I wanted an excuse to put Twilight on my blog so ... now I have it! The challenge is hosted by Royal Reviews and information is available HERE.

The rules are simple:

In 2009 read a minimum of 6 books that have been made into movies and then watch the movie.

Write a review on the Book vs the Movie and be honest about whether or not you think the film-maker was successful in translating the book to film. Please keep in mind that it is impossible to convey everything. You must both read the book and watch the movie within 2009. All genres are acceptable and it doesn't matter when the movie was made.

Feel free to display one of the following challenge buttons on your blog (movies shown are Pride & Prejudice, Marley & Me and Twilight.) [They also have Time Traveler's Wife buttons, but that isn't listed here.]

Please add to the comments of this post and/or the Goodreads group when you've done a review. Periodically throughout the year random prizes will be given out.

Knowing how well I stick to them, I'm not even going to bother with a list, but off the top of my head (and knowing what's coming out this year) I'll read Twilight, New Moon and Harry Potter 6 for sure.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Lace Reader

2009-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by Should be Reading and consist of the following:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Current read: The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry

pg. 19 (I'm not that far in and I didn't want to go to a page I haven't read yet!)

Of course Beezer would have looked. Of course that's the first thing they would have done. Eva wouldn't hae been reported missing unless she actually was missing, right?

Lit Flicks Challenge Update

2009-01-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on the Lit Flicks challenge that wraps up at the end of February. To date, I've read 4 of the 5 books and only one of them was on my original list. :(

For my final book, I think I will read Jumper, by Steven Gould, or Confessions of a Shopaholic. But that would mean I'd have to pay movie theater prices to see the flick. Not so much.

I could have sworn I had one more book I thought I'd want to read right now ... alas, it eludes me.

But isn't it funny that I couldn't stick to that list?

Historical Fiction: The Other Queen

2009-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

As I noted HERE , I'm participating in the Historical Fiction challenge. My first book was The Other Queen, by Philippa Gregory.

It can be sumed up in this quote:

"But in a way today, despite them all, the Scots queen has won the battle. She always said that she was not a tragic figure, not a queen from a legend, but she saw in the end that the only way she would defeat Elizabeth - fully and finally defeat her - was to be the heroine that Elizabeth could not be: a tragic heroine, the queen of suffering, cut down in her beauty and her youth. Elizabeth could name herself the Virgin Queen and claim great beauty, surrounded by admirers, but Mary Queen of Scots will be the one that everyone remembers as the beautiful martyr from this regin, whose lovers willingly died for her. Her death is Elizabeth's crime. Her betrayal is Elizabeth's single greatest shame. So she has won that crown. She lost in their constant rivalry for the throne of England, but she will win when the hisotires are written." (Gregory, 431).

Gregory is crazy. And to be honest, I read 200+ pages of this, got tired of the lazy writing and the constant point of view changes and skimmed through the rest and read the final chapters. How do I know that this book was lazily done? Aside from the POV issue, one of the major pieces of action, the treason that leads to Mary's execution, yeah that's given a paragraph of mention as Bess tells us that Elizabeth has put her to death because Mary signed an order calling for her assasination. One paragraph on the second to last page of the book.

Really? Are you kidding me? So the rest of the novel was about what?

Well in brief, the year is 1568 and Elizabeth has been Queen of England for 10 years. Mary, Queen of Scots (and briefly Queen of France) has had to fled Scottland because of an uprising against her. Seeking assylum, she runs to her cousin in England. Elizabeth, rightly nervous about a rival for her throne, keeps Mary imprisoned with George and Elizabeth Shrewsbury for a long time. The book spans the first 3 years of her imprisonement, and in the final chapter, skips from June 1572 to February 1587. To which I say, again, are you kidding me?

The book is boring. The first 200 pages are George and Bess repeating themselves incessantly. George loves the Scottish Queen, thinks his wife is a frugal crazy money grubbing peasant, and Bess (Elizabeth) is twice a widow and married to someone she now considers a fool. Over and over again they say the same things. In three page increments before Gregory goes back to the other persons POV.

Queen Mary, she's just as repetitive. "Oh I hope some man will rescue me, I have to be free." Over and over and over again. There is hardly any dialogue, it's all internal monologue and there is no action because there was no action for these guys. They were wardens. The real action was taking place in the lands in the north were armies were fighting and at court where Elizabeth ruled and made these decisions.

The bigger problem here is Gregory is so biased against Elizabeth that I'm contemplating starting a blog titled "Why Does Gregory Hate Elizabeth?" She thinks she's a spineless child that has had men / people push her into the position that she's in and that she has no mind to rule. If that's not what she thinks, that's the way she comes across. Elizabeth is an idiot, Cecil is the brains. And not very nice brains, either.

The paragraph I posted above says it all. It's as if the facts of that time period have completely avoided Gregory. Elizabeth is widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers of England, and while I know that there were probably a lot of Catholics that were sad when Henry broke with Rome, a lot of people rejoiced in it, because there were so many corruptions. Elizabeth brought peace and allowed her people to practice what they wanted without fear of religious persecution. Why Gregory seems bent on tarnishing that with novel after novel that describes her as a wanton and a spoiled brat I have no idea.

My advice is to skip this novel. And it will be a long time before I buy another one of Gregory's books without closely checking reviews.