Boo

From: Julie

Boo by Rene Gutteridge

I got this book because it was next the the book Riding Lessons in the library. I liked the cover, thought I would try it. Apparently it is a series, and I am glad.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, cute with a bit of a romance. Easy read with funny character names. The author does not take herself so seriously. I will definitely read more of this series...after I finish my tome, World Without End.

Riding Lessons

from: Julie

Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen

This is by the same author as Water For Elephants. This was her first book. Could it be good?? IT WAS GREAT. I really liked it. It reminded me of The Horse Whisperer. If you haven't read that book, it is great too. I thought this was a compelling story, one that I had a hard time putting down.

Balzak and the Little Chinese Seamstress

From: Julie


Balzak and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by Dai Sijie

I heard about this book awhile ago and found it on the shelves on my libary. Very interesting story about the "re-education" of Chinese citizens. This happened in the 1990's! The story is fiction, but the re-education did occur.

The story is about two friends who were sent to be re-educated in a very remote mountain village. Their parents were highly educated, doctors, dentist. Therefore the boys needed to be re-educated. Interesting story.

One Thousand White Women

From Julie

One Thousand White Women

by Jim Fergus

Fiction, but written as a woman's diary who volunteered to live with the Cherokee Indians for two years. She was to marry an Indian and have a baby.

The Chief of the tribe meets with the President of the United States to say that they will trade 1,000 horses to the U.S. government in return for 1,000 white women to marry and give birth to Cherokee babies. That is true, in real like the President does not agree, but in this book, the President agrees. The book is the diary of one of those women.

I heard about this book about 10 years ago, thought it was fascinating, but my library never had it! Then suddenly, there it was and I scooped it up. The beginning was GREAT. Then the author got too carried away with himself and the story, it dragged and was too slow for me. I skipped to the more interesting parts and then the end. I liked it, just wish it was 150 pages shorter. It is a hefty book.

Read it if you have a lot of time.