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Joy for Beginners
author:  Erica Bauermeister

I am on about page 120. Enjoying it.
Give it a try, then let's talk!!

Read June 2012

Objects of my affection               
author:  Jill Smolinski             
finished:  June  12     
8 pretty good

She helps clean out an old and famous women’s house. The woman hardly wants her house cleaned; it is her son that wants to work done. The woman is also dealing with a drug addicted son and a boyfriend that she loves but is no longer with. It was good enough.

Unraveling                

author:  Elizabeth Norris                 

finished:  June  12

Young Adult    

9 REALLY LIKED**

World is coming to an end; very sci/fi. Girl starts her junior year in school an she is suddenly hit by a car. She feels that she dies, then suddenly is is alive and she feels that it is all because of the help and healing of the boy! I did like it, but, by  the end of the book, the writer really starts using bad language. That didn’t need to be so.

The language of flowers       

author:  Vanessa Diffenbaugh

finished:  June 12     

9 Really Liked

I think I really loved this book. I loved the information about flowers. The story is about the foster care system. A young girl is in the system and ages out. She chooses to become homeless; she finds a job with a florist. Working with flowers is the thing she loves most. She rediscovers a boy, friend, and they help each other heal. The part I did not relate to was she had a baby and had a very hard time adjusting to her baby. Maybe that’s what “no parenting” does for you.

The year of wonders          

author:  Geraldine Brooks               

finished:  June 12      

9 Really Liked

This was VERY good too! About the black plague in the 1600’s. The town decides to cut itself off from the rest of the area so they won’t spread the sickness. The town is mostly puritan. Their preacher is everything to them. The last 35 pages is where suddenly the story takes an unbelieveable turn. The rest of the book did not go with the last part; that was my only problem. I WOULD recommend this book though.

Insurgent                          

author:  Veronica Roth           

finished:   June 12 

Young Adult     

9 Really Liked

2^nd in a series. First is Divergent. It was a good “next” part of the story. A war starts in this America. They discover that there is more outside the “fence”. The end of the story is: I am Edith Pryor.

The Cat’s Table                 

author:  Michael Ondaatje      

finished:   June 12     

DNF

This was supposed to be so good. It just went no where for me. A young boy is sent on a ship across the ocean. It is a 21 day voyage. The table he is assigned to sit is called the Cat’s Table because it holds all the misfits. There just did not seem to be a story. It went no where. I was not enjoying it. I read pass the 100 page mark.

Cry, The Beloved Country   

author:  alan Paton                

finished:  June 12     

DNF

A recommendation from a friend. Her book group read it. I don’t think she loved it, but wanted me to read it. I REALLY tried. I read past page 100. It just did not keep me. I got to where I did not enjoy my reading. I had to move onto a book that really grabbed me. This book is about South America and Apartied.

Before I go to Sleep            

author:  S.J. Watson                       

finished:  June 12     

10 LOVED

Every morning, the woman (Christina) wakes up and has no idea who she is! The man she sleeps with tells her he is her husband, they have been married for many years. She may ask questions, learn some things about her life. She goes to sleep and she wakes up the next morning not remembering anything! Shocking. Very good.

This book really got me to thinking about what I would write. I have mostly stopped blogging; I feel like my life has turned into "same old thing". What different was there to write about. But Christine cherished every little thing she did every day and loved to read what she did the day before. Maybe what I do is not boring, but I shows what mothers do day in and day out. It doesn't have to be boring, ugly  or frustrating. It is satisfing knowing I have satisfied my family, and yes, myself too. There; I have now updates some blogs!! Thanks S.J. Watson.

Read May 2012

The Good Earth         
author:  Pearl Buck                         
finished:  May 12  
9    REALLY LIKED

Back in the 1800’s (?) china; poor man gets wife; she is needed to do cooking, cleaning and child bearing. Story about their life together. Shockingly, I really liked it!!

Dust and Decay         

author:  jonathan maberry              

finished:  May  12

Young Adult    

9 Really Liked

2^nd in series...about the kids that go out to the rot and ruin; what happends to them; what happened to the world; what disease happened. I like it!

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe  

author:  gayle tzemach lemmon  
N/F         
finished:  may  12            
8 LIKED

It wasn’t written in the greatest style. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a long (sort of) boring newpaper article instead of a book. I liked the information, though.

The Brave                 

author:  Nicholas Evans                  

finished:  May  12    

REALLY LIKED!!

An 8 year old boy, raised in London, is being sent off to boarding school that in Latin is called the brave. He is scared; he wets the bed; he did get terribly teased and sometimes beaten for punishment. Later it is discovered that his sister is his mother! The book is written in the style of starting from the end of his life now, then back to the beginning, then each moving toward the other. I really liked it. Very full story.

Read April 2012

Little Princes: One man’s promise to bring home the lost children of Nepal
author:  Conor Grennan                
finished:  April 12 
NF 9 Really Liked

Guy takes a break from working in Germany for 8 years. Going to travel for 1 year. Starts off by volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal. Loves the work; kids; the helping. Eventually re-unites kids and parents. Really interesting!

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter  

author:  Tom Franklin                   

finished:  April  12      

8/9       Liked

Takes place in Mississippi. Guy accused at 18 of raping and killing a neighborhood girl. It is never proven, just what people believe. He is shuned; unwanted in community. He has a hard father; he makes friends with a black boy; that boy eventually ignores Guy too. Very hard, sad life. The real story unfolds as you read the book. I liked it; but it is a little slow and is a very dark tale.

Before the Poison                       

author:  peter robinson                   

finished:  april 12     

7      ok

Really, can hardly remember! In know I finished because I started. Ok..man’s wife dies. He buys a house in England, finds out the earilier occupant was killed by the Country because she “murdered” her husband. Man investigates the “murder”.

Spoiler: wife did kill husband. Husband was very bad/cruel/making chemical warfare. She hated that. So, he had a heartatack..died..I think she may have given poisen.

The Hunter                               

author:  John Lescroart                   

finished:  April 12    

8      fine

Usual lescroart book. Was a “Hunt Club”.  The main hunt guy, lets call him Will, learned about this biological parents. He knew he was adopted and was prompted to discover the truth about his bio parents. His mother was murdered and his father was tried for the crime. In the end, Will cleared his fathers name.

Hide                        

author:  Lisa Gardner                             

finished:  April 12     

6     hardly

abandoned Massachusetts mental hospital, the gruesome discovery of six mummified corpses; Annabelle Granger has been in hiding for as long as she can remember: reads in paper that she is “dead”. Her father had them constantly moving and changing names. As an adult she tries to find out what really happened. Her crazy uncle was after them; ruined their lives. Weird, crazy, unfulfilling, disturbing book.

The Divide               

author:  Nicholas Evans                   

finished:  April 12   

9   REALLY LIKED

Family goes to same dude ranch for many years for vacation; I think it is called The divide. They love it. Husband falls in love with other woman there. What happens to family, why he fell in love with other woman. REAL THINKER!

Read March 2012

Forbidden lessons in a Kabul guesthouse 
author:  Suraya Sadeed       
finished:  Mar 12   
NF   7/8 interesting

An Afghanistan woman has a charity and collects money and distributes goods right to the people who need it most.

The Thirteenth Tale            

author:  Diane setterfield                 

finished: Mar 12           

OK – 5

Ok story, rambled on.

A secret kept                     

author:  Tatiana DeRosnay              

finished:  Mar  12            

4-5

Held my attention for awhile.....realized it was a book about depressed and sad people who had secrets...their mother was gay..i began skip reading.

Unorthodox the scandalous rejection of my Hasidic Roots    

author:  Deborah Felman                

Finished:  Mar  12    

NF   9 Really Liked

Very interesting book about the Hasidic religion. I really enjoyed this book!      

The Affair                         

author:  Lee Child                          

finished:  Mar  12    

9 Really Liked

Good Jack Reacher book. This explains why he left the army and started his vagabond ways. His (last) assignment in the army...go to a town, find out why a woman was murdered. He finds 2 or 3 other murders; falls for the beautiful town sheriff; says in a hotel; works with the army.

Read February 2012

My Name is Mary Sutter    
author:  Robin Oliveira                                         
finished:  Feb  12    
VERY GOOD  9

Great book about a woman that wanted to become a surgeon during the time of the civil war. Woman just did not do that. She persevered. She WAS a midwife. Very good book about what the civil war was about; about women’s lives during that time. I really enjoyed the education!

The Taker                                 

author:  Alma Katsu                               

finished:  Feb  12         

LOVED **

Sometimes “way out there” books appeal to me. This is one. It is a more adult book with adult themes. The book goes back and forth between the current day and the 1800’s. An ER doctor comes into the hospital. Works with a girl that has just been accused of murder. Through the visit, she tells the doctor her story and that is when the book begins looking in the 1800’s. This is a bit dark, but I was very sucked in.

The Train of Small Mercies   

author:  David Rowell                   

finished:  Feb 12              

7

Was a fine book. About the Train that took the body of RFK from one state to Washington for his burial. It has a lot of difference story lines, many different people.  What bothered me was that we just a got a glimpse into their lives, but not ending to the story.

Mudbound                        

author:  Hillary Jordan                   

finished:  Feb 12              

LOVED

set in the 1940's, kind of during and after WW2; a woman raised in Memphis meets a man, they get married, live their first year or so of marriage in a big city. The husband then goes and buys a large farm in Mississippi. The house has no plumbing, electricity, no windows. It does have an outhouse and a woodburning stove! The book is told from several character's perspectives. There are also some black character's in the book and they deal with so much racism. It all makes me so grateful to have been born during these times!

Rot and Ruin                     

author:  jonathan maberry              

finished:  Feb  12

Young Adult     

9 Really Liked

Apopaliptic time period. There was a terrible virus that killed most the people in the U.S. Few are left. They live behind heavily guarded gates to protect them from the zombies. Really, it's a good interesting story. I read the 2nd in the series; watiing for the third.

Divergent                          

author:   Veronica Roth                   

finished:  Feb  12 

Young Adult     

9 Really Liked

Apopaliptic time period.  These people must chose their group during their teen age years. There are 5 - 7 different groups to choose from. Don't make me name them. I did really enjoy the story. I reccomend!

Books Read January 2011

The Marriage Plot              
author:  Jeffrey Eugenides                               
finished:  Jan 12            
DNF

I was hoping to like this book, but I didn’t. It just meandered, then it would start to move for a few pages, then stall out again. It made me crazy so I skipped 600 pages to the end, and at the end of the book, the people are pretty much in the same place where the author started the book. Glad I didn’t waste my time!

**My husband DID LISTEN to this book on tape. He enjoyed it. hmm...different tastes...

How I Got This Way          

author:  Regis Philbin                             

finished:  Jan 12   

LOVED

LOVED this book!

What Alice Forgot              

author:  Liane Moriarty                  

finished:  Jan  12     

LOVED

Alice was in a very acrimonious divorce. Been married about 12+ years. She fell, hit her head. When she woke up, she did not remember any of the last 10 years. To her: She loved her husband, they were expecting their 1 child, they were very excited and loved each other completely. This is the way she acted and treated her husband. At first everyone was a little put off, including her husband. It is a great question in life; what would we do/act if we could not remember any of the bad/upsetting stuff?

The Last Anniversary          

author:  Liane Moriarty                  

finished:  Jan  12               

7/8

This is not a married anniversary. A bit of a trick. It is about the anniversary of a “murder” on a small island that has now become folklore. This is the story of a family; they live on this small island. There is also a story about a woman trying to find love. This book is fine; acceptable.

2011 Wrap Up!

I looks like 2011 was the year of the Non-Fiction! My most loved books fall into that catagory!
I have 4 Fiction books that I really loved, and even one of those has issues (language >: /)  If you want more information on the book, go down in the list where it was originally written up.

Still Missing                                       

author:  Chevy Stevens            

finished: May 11            

rated: 9*  language issues...

A State of Wonder             

author:  Ann Patchett             

finished:  July 11              

10 LOVED

Dreams of Joy             

author:  Lisa See                             

finished:  August 11               

10  LOVED

Left Neglected

author: Lisa Genova

finished: Sept 11

10 LOVED

Now these are the 6 books I really liked...not quite loved:

The Nobodies Album         

author: Carolyn Parkhurst 

finished: Mar 11              

9 really liked!

The Peach Keeper                                                                 

fauthor:  Sarah Addison Allen

inished:  August 11               

9 LIKED

The Forgotten Garden

author:  Kate Morton                             

finished:  August 11               

9

Minding Ben                     
author:  Victoria Brown                  
finished:  Sept  11               
8/9 Language

The Buddha in the Attic              

Author:  Julie Otsuka                      

finished:  Sept 11       

9

Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children   

author:  Ransom Riggs      

finished: Sept 11  

Young Adult

REALLY LIKED   9

I mostly LOVED these 9 Non-Fiction books:

Infidel                      

author:  Ayaan Hirsi Ali                  

author:  Feb 11                      

9

The Memory Palace   

author:  Mira Bartok                      

finished:  April  11        

8/9

Confections of a closet master baker     

author:  gesine Bullock-Prado  

finished:  May 11     

8/9

Peace from Broken Pieces   

author:  Iyanla Vanzant   

finished:  June 11                     

NF 8/9

My Korean Deli                 

this book brings up happy memories of floating while reading out in the pool...ahh

author:  Ben Ryder Howe               

finished:  July 11      

N/F  10 LOVED

A Paper Life              

author:  Tatum O’Neal           

finished:  July 11      

NF    9 Really LIKED

The Other Wes Moore        

author:  Wes Moore                                       

finished:  Sept 11  

NF  9

The Orchard                     

author:  Theresa Weir                             

finished:  Oct 11  

NF  9

Don’t Leave me This Way   

author:  Julia Fox Garrison                        

finished:  Nov 11     

NF   10 LOVED

Read during December 2011

Magic Study
Poison Study                     
author:  Maria V. Snyder                        
finished:  Dec 11       
8 Good
Young Adult Book

Set in about the 1500’s.     A 20 yr old girl is convicted of murder; but she is saved to be the food tester of the King. She must learn all about the poison’s she might encounter. This is a YA book. I liked the first and second book. There is a 3^rd, Fire Study. I started reading it, but it made me crazy and I didn’t care enough to finish.  The first 2 – good.

Gamble                            

author:  Felix Francis                              

finished:  Dec 11              

7

This is Dick Francis’s son. He really tried to follow the style. He did ok, but he missed the mark. This is a story about an ex jockey. He is now a finance guy. His friend is murdered right in front of him and the police continue to ask his opinion on why his friend is murdered. The guy my figure out the mystery.

Zero Day                          

author:  David Baldacci                          

finished: Dec 11

I hardly remember this book a month later…it is about a (jack bower type) guy; military, investigator, crimes. He Is sent to a no nothing town where an officer was killed. He finds out there is dangerous ingredients that will make an atomic bomb. It was fine, not great…really a “jack bower” book.

The Death Cure                 
author:  James Dashner                          
finished:  Dec 11              
7

Third in the series. Finishes the story. I liked how it ended…all is well.

The Litigators            

author: John Grisham                                    

finished: Dec  11             

8

Finley & Fig; boutique law firm,  David Zinc comes in from working for years at another big firm; frustrated; wants to practice real law. David’s wife working; his dad big lawyer. Ambulance chasing; drunks; tort law; bad case, david good case with lead filled Halloween teeth. Good book; interesting take on lawyers. I did forget I read it though….I would recommend.

Read during November 2011

The Art of Fielding             
author:  Chad Harbach                           
finished:  Nov  11        
7/8

I really enjoyed all the baseball talk. Henry, an amazing baseball player, comes to a college, Westish. Plays great for all 2 ½ years. During his 3^rd year he falls apart. Suddenly he cannot throw anymore.  He plays short stop. There are about 5 other characters, their stories are there. I didn’t care much. I did care enough to finish the 512 page book.

Don’t Leave me This Way   

author:  Julia Fox Garrison              

NF           

finished:  Nov 11     

10 LOVED

Julia takes a cold medicine and has a stroke! Left side paralysis. Takes many years to diagnose why she had the stroke. I really like this book; really liked her positive attitude.