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.

Read during October 2011

The Invisible Bridge                    
author:  Julie Orringer                    
finished:  Oct 11      
5

Too long, too many words, not enough highs and lows, a little too blah. This is about Hungary at the time of the beginning of WW2. A poor family, one son wants to be an architect, the other wants to be a doctor. They both get some scholarships to go to school in France and Italy. The architect meets a lovely woman, falls in love. The book circles around their love story. War is hard, bad, unforgiving. Lots of sad things happen.

The Orchard                     
author:  Theresa Weir                             
finished:  Oct 11  
NF  9

She marries a man she hardly knows. The book goes back and forth between the present and the past in telling the story of these apple farmers. The husband has owned the land with his family “forever”. It is an interesting story. The wife is NOT well received by his family. She really doesn’t have family. It is a hard existence but they learn to know and love each other.

September 2011

Left Neglected           
by: Lisa Genova                              
finished: Sept 11             
10 LOVED

This is the 2^nd novel of the author. She writes so well. She writes about parenting what we have all experienced. She is funny, and light, yet with a great story, great meaning great lessons. This book is about a woman how is a Harvard MBA, works 70 hours a week, has 3 children including a 9 month old. A husband that she loves who also works like crazy. They have a high moving, high cost lifestyle. While driving to work one rainy morning and trying to make  a phone call, she gets in an awful car accident and has a brain injury. When she wakes up a week later in the hospital, she feels fine, mostly. What she does not realize is that she can no longer recognize her left side, or the left side of anything. It is a syndrome called Left Neglect. This is one of my TOP books I’ve read this year. All read it!!

Unbroken                 

author: Laura Hillenbrand                      

finished: Sept 11          

8 Good  NF

NF story of an Olympic athlete in the 1936 games. One mile was his event. He was VERY good. Then he went to WW2, was a bomber, his plane crashed in the ocean, he was stranded for 27 or more days, captured by the Japanese, held for 2 ½ years; was tortured. Interesting to see what people have done for our country’s freedom. I am grateful I read it, but at times it was a bit boring and kind of like a history book. The man’s name is Louie Zamperini. Really, a very interesting man.

Heaven is for Real             

author: Todd Burpo                              

finished: Sept 11     

NF  7

I really wanted this to be good, but it was a little better than ok.  It is a true story of a Preacher and his family. The preacher had 3 hard medical issues, then his son had appendicitis that was not diagnosed and almost killed the boy. The boy was in the hospital for 3 weeks. While he was in surgery, he went to Heaven. The book is about the unveiling about that and all that he saw. Unsettling: angels have wings, the Preacher was amazed at the revelations of heaven. Like he had some faith that it existed, but was amazed when his son proved that Heaven really was.

The Other Wes Moore        

author: Wes Moore                                       

finshed: Sept 11  

NF  9

Two boys are born about the same time, same neighborhood. Both lost their fathers very early in their lifes. The 1^st Wes learned about the second when he read a story about his hold neighborhood and a robbery and shooting of a cop. One of the suspects was named Wes Moore. He began to wonder about that other Wes Moore and this is some of both their story. One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, army, work for the government (Condalisa Rice). The other went on the sell drugs and end up  in jail for life. Interesting, thoughtful story.

The Buddha in the Attic              

author: Julie Otsuka                      

finished: Sept 11       

9

This book is like poetry, but it is not written in that style or rhyme. It just feels that every sentence matters and means something. No skip reading here. It is a small book, but very densely packed. It is about many Japanese women that were matched up with Japanese men in America. The women were in Japan and only got letters and pictures from there intended husbands. As it turned out, the pictures were very outdated and the offered descriptions were not true. The women thought they were marry bankers, or well to do men. In reality the men were farm workers and the women’s lives would be very hard. I was impressed by the women’s sense of sacrifice so their children could have a better life. It is an interesting story, told in a very poetic way. I believe it is historical fiction.

Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children   

author: Ransom Riggs      

finished: Sept 11  

REALLY LIKED   9

A grandfather and grandson are close. The Grandfather dies in a hard way. All are sad. The grandson in particular. The grandfather always told the grandson peculiar stories. The Grandson, (oh, I can’t remember his name! Let’s call him Carl), Carl and his father go to and Island by England to try and learn some of the Grandfather’s secrets of his life. I really enjoyed this book. VERY different. It has fantastic pictures. Please read and tell me how you liked it. It is off center, not your usual novel.

The Quickie                              

author: James Patterson                 

finished: Sept 11        

5

A woman believes her husband cheated on her. There relationship has not been good for awhile. A co-worker has been flirting with her, so she decided to call him over and see where it leads.

One Good, One LOVED Book

Minding Ben
by: Victoria Brown
Finished: Sept 2011
rating: 8/9 Language

I really liked this book. Kind of reminded me of The Help. I don’t give it a full 9 because the author used language in parts that I did not like. It is a story of a young girl, 16, that leaves Trinidad to be a nanny in New York City. Her experiences are amazing. She worked for 2 different families, but the book mostly tells of her life with the 2nd family. I really liked her writing. You could hear and see what she was telling about. I would recommend it.

Left Neglected
by: Lisa Genova
Finished: Sept 2011
rating: 10 LOVED

This is the 2nd novel of the author. She writes so well. She writes about parenting in a funny way and if you are a parent, you can relate to. She is funny, and light, yet with a great story, great meaning great lessons. This book is about a woman how is a Harvard MBA, works 70 hours a week, has 3 children including a 9 month old. A husband that she loves who also works like crazy. They have a high moving, high cost lifestyle. While driving to work one rainy morning and trying to make a phone call, she gets in an awful car accident and has a brain injury. When she wakes up a week later in the hospital, she feels fine, mostly. What she does not realize is that she can no longer recognize her left side, or the left side of anything. It is a syndrome called Left Neglect. This is one of my TOP books I’ve read this year. All read it!!

37 Books Since January....my Last Blog!

Ok, I will publish, but I am coming back later to edit, and put it all in the correct format!
August 28, 2011

Caught
Author: Harlan Coben
Finished: Jan 11
Rating: 6-7
It ended up getting my attention. The beginning was not that good. Regular murder/mystery. I like Lee Child’s books better. A guy is set up to look like a child molester; a TV journalist was duped into believing he was a bad guy; she eventually helps to find out the real truth. I don’t think I will read any more of his books.


The Dressmaker
Posie Graeme-Evans
Jan 11
8 Liked
I did enjoy this book. It has a different style, vibe, rhythm. It reminded me of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Hard life, moving forward, good and bad things happen; strong people. This book was set in the same time; England. This girl has a happy family. One day things go terribly wrong; father dies, they are poor, try to get a long. The mother is a fabulous seamstress. Teaches the daughter. She grows up to be a great seamstress herself. She marries at 15 to a bad guy; has a baby. I did enjoy the story and I would recommend it.

One Day
David Nicholls
Jan 11
5-6
Frustrating because it could have been SO good. I find that I have less and less patience with reading books with twenty-somethings living their lives with low or no moral value. Then they wonder why they are sad, depressed and going no where! This book starts with a couple meeting the day after graduation. The girl really likes the boy, the boy is a complete philanderer and neither think that’s wrong. I read some and skipped some. The book is set up that every chapter is the anniversary of when they met, but another year or more has passed. The boy continues to lead the same traveling, no commitment life, the girl takes terrible jobs. They continue to write and are friendly. I don’t like books that “wind you up” emotionally then drop you off a cliff, so I did skip to the end, the middle, back to where I really was, back to the end. SPOILER: they get married 20 years later, the girl dies 8 months later, he is devastated. Hmm, who really wants to read that? I don’t get it.


The Scorch Trials
James Dashner
Jan 11
By the same author as The Maze Runner. I read that in Sept 10. This is the 2nd installment. Really enjoyed the continuation of the story. The kids got out of the maze, now they must make it 100 miles through the “scorch”. There must be another book coming. The story really didn’t end, but I did enjoy it!

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight
by Brad Barkley
Feb 11
5-6
Fine, teenagers unhappy with their odd parents; a boy and a girl; they find love; work out their troubles. Entertaining. Would be embarrassed to recommend.


Infidel
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Feb 11
9
N/F Girl born in Somalia, moved to Saudi Arabia and Kenya in her youth. Muslim. Very interesting. Enjoyed learning about that life that exists right at this time! She was born around 1972, something like that! I really enjoyed this book.


The Typist
Michael Knight
Feb 11
6-7
Ok, short book. WW2, guy in the army, can type well, goes to Japan and works as a typist. Mostly interesting; sometimes dull. It was short. The guy was 18 when he went to the army, got married just before he was shipped out. It’s a little weird.


Gonzalez & Daughter Trucking Co
by Maria Amparo Escandon
Feb 11
6
library group reading book. Was fine. Woman is in jail and through the story telling we find that her parents were truckers; mother killed in accident when she was very young, father continued on as trucker; never had a house, only lived in truck; father schooled her; got in an awful accident; was sent to jail. It was fine but not great.


The Nobodies Album
by Carolyn Parkhurst
Mar 11
9 really liked!
Octavia Frost is a best selling author. She had a husband and daughter, they died. She still has a son, famous singer, Milo. They are estranged. He is arrested for killings his girlfriend/fiancé. Mother tries to reconcile with son; tries to help him. Very good story. It is all interwoven with her current novel. Her own life is woven in the words of her novels. Very interestingly written!


The Sentry
by Robert Crais
Mar 11
8 enjoyed
Regular “Joe Pike” book. Joe sees someone who needs help; he helps them. As it turned out those people were not as they presented themselves. Lots of bad people looking for money in the book. Elvis Coles come to help Joe. For me, it ended oddly but the book did keep my attention the whole way through. There are some language issues in the book. Beware.

Middlesex
Mar 11
DNF! -3
Too yucky; it goes on and on about a brother and sister that get married. Really! Gross. Could not keep reading. Why all the “great” reviews??


In The Woods
Tana French
March 11
5 fine/ok
A dark, mystery. It did compel me to keep reading it, it was a hard read, so dark, people so mentally tortured. There were some language issues that bugged me. She does have another mystery, but I will not read it now, not sure if ever. This story is about 3 children that went into the woods; 2 were never seen again, one was found, but was never the same. Does not remember anything from before he was found. He becomes a murder detective; can never really connect with another person; not sure if he is really happy. They get a murder case that takes place in the same woods. Brings things up for this detective. I cannot recommend.


Damage
John Lescroart
April
ok
For some reason, the Lescroart dragged for me a bit. It was a fine story. A really bad guy gets out of jail on a technicality and then begins killing and threatening all the people that sent him to jail. The family is rich and owns a big newspaper. They have a lot of pull. I hope his next book is better.

The Memory Palace
Mira Bartok
April 11
8/9
2 sisters have a mother that has schizophrenia. N/F about their life. Sisters find mother dangerous and have to hide from her. The mother lives until she is about 80 years old. At the last few weeks of her life, the sisters find the mother, help her end her life with dignity. Very interesting; sad; to be grateful for your own life. I do recommend this book.


Confections of a closet master baker
gesine Bullock-Prado
May 11
8/9
Author is Sandra Bullock’s sister! Interesting N/F talks a little about the film business which she did not like; loves to back; opened a bakery in Vermont. Hard work. Stories from her childhood and running the bakery. Very easy and good read.


The Solitude of Prime Numbers
Paolo Giordano
May 11
6/7
I really can’t remember what this book was about! I have read another 2 books after this one, but just a minute while I look it up…..Oh yes, another dark book. Mattia has a sister; the sister is mentally handicapped. Mattia has to take care of his sister; he leaves her at a park instead of taking her to a party. When he returns she is gone. He suffers with this his whole life. Then there is Alice. She was forced to take skiing lessons, she hated them, she fell and badly broke her leg. She was haunted by this her whole life. Mattia (a boy) and Alice met; become friends, but are really too broken to have a relationship. Friends during teens; they move on with their lives; he moving to the U.S. Then many years later Alice thinks she sees Mattia’s sister, she calls Mattia, Mattia comes to Alice. Alice never tells Mattia about the possible seeing of his sister. Odd, dark book. I enjoyed the beginning, but really, it was dark.


Still Missing
Chevy Stevens
May 11
9*
There are language issues….I started this book; just couldn’t get passed the girls attitude and some language. I stopped and ready other books. I looked into this book again, it seemed that I would like it and so I started it again and just started reading from where I last left off. I really enjoyed it the second time. Really liked it! The language was awful, but it seemed to fit her circumstances so it didn’t bother me that much. 32 yr. old woman, real estate agent. Has an open house, a man there kidnaps her, takes her up to a cabin on a mountain and keeps her for 1 year!! She has a baby, the baby dies mysteriously. We don’t know if her kidnapper killed it or the baby died from being sick. Very sad. A couple of weeks later, she has an opportunity to kill her kidnapper and she does and escapes. The book is written from the perspective of her talking to her therapist. Each chapter is another session. That is how we find out her story. She is a strong, hard woman. I enjoyed the book, but feel not quite right in recommending it because of the language.

A visit from the Goon squad
Jennifer Egan
May 11
DNF
Just too odd. Different people, all have difficulties; drugs, etc. Too dark, lost interest. Moved on.

Sixkill
Robert B. Parker
May 11
usual 8
Sat comfortably in the Robert B. Parker style of books. There is a murder of a young woman. Accused is a movie star that is obnoxious, fat, mean, and arrogant. But did he do it? Spencer must find out and he comes across lots of bad guys that want to kill him.


Peace from Broken Pieces
Iyanla Vanzant
June 11
NF 8/9
At first I loved it, thought all should read it. Really, it is the story of this woman’s life, hard life, hard choices, hard growing up. She is the type of woman that knows what works in life, but just has a hard time doing it. Her story was interesting, shocking. Her life would be so much better if she lived the gospel. If she knew and was taught about morals, vaules, self-worth. She had it all, she lost it all. I recommend to all; then please let’s talk!!

In Every Heartbeat
Kim Vogel Sawyer
June 11
7/8
I think this is a Christian writer. Easy read. 3 friends from an orphanage. All those friends were there by different circumstances. Each had to come to terms with their life and decide how to move on from there. The story starts when they are all 18 and just beginning college. One girl; 2 boys. The girl wants to be a writer, one boy; his leg was cut off in a trolly accident, he wants to be a preacher, the other boy is not sure. He wants to be liked and fed. Good, easy story.

The Miracle Stealer
Neil Connelly
June 11
2/3
A girl is frustrated that the town believes her little brother is a being that can make miracles for others. They pray to him ask him to pray, expect him to perform that miracle. She makes a plan to make them stop believing that he is that type of boy. We, the reader, do not know if he really does do these things. I don’t think the writer likes religion.

Breathless
Dean Koontz
June 11
3
Hardly remember reading this book. Weird. Mythical animals. Twin kills other twin. Too weird for me.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
Helen Simonson
June 11
7
Set in England. An older man’s brother dies just as the book opens. He meets a shop owner that day. She is (her ethnicity) Pakistan. She has lived in England her whole life. The book addresses prejudice. The major likes the shop owner. He is part of a stuffy golf club. There are issued with his brother’s rifle. There are issues with his son. It is an easy move along book, sometimes boring, but I could really picture where it all took place and the people. Maybe you’ll like it.

My Korean Deli
Ben Ryder Howe
July 11
N/F 10 LOVED
I really enjoyed this book! Ben marries a Korean woman and is drawn into her culture. It is fascinating! It takes place in New York City. Ben is an editor with a literary magazine. The wife, Gab, is a lawyer. The wife gets the idea that she needs to repay her mother for all her sacrifice by buying her mother a deli! It is an interesting time, what they go through. Ben and Gab move in with the mother, Kay. They do buy a deli. It is quite an experience. I loved the drama and that it was real! Highly recommend. You will learn interesting things about the Korean Culture.



A State of Wonder
Ann Patchett
July 11
10 LOVED
Best book so far this year. I really enjoyed it. Dr. Marina Singh works in a lab. Her partner in the lab is sent to find information in the Amazon forest. They are informed months later that he is dead. Dr. Singh is then asked to go to the Amazon and find out information on her partner, on the work that is going on in the lab. It is all fascinating. Ann Patchett is a great story teller. I read through it fast. I really liked it.


A Paper Life
Tatum O’Neal
July 11
NF
9 Really LIKED



The Magician’s Assistant
Ann Patchett
July 11
8 Liked
I really did enjoy this book…until the end when the author thought she would see if the main character wanted to try to like girls….what a bug! BUT, the main book was interesting. She was the magician’s assistant. Loved him, the magician, but he was gay. The magician was very loving and kind to the assistant. When he died suddenly, they discovered things about his past that they did not know; shocking. I like learning about all the characters. I enjoyed all the info on the illusions.

Evermore
Alyson Noel
July 11
6-7 fine
Girl has a bad car accident; she is made an “immortal” by a boy that has loved her for 600 years. It is just like Twilght; not original. I did like it; it has some compelling parts, but it reads like a teen book (which it is). I also read the 2nd book…Blue Moon.

Blue Moon
Alyson Noel
August 11
6-7
Continuation of Evermore. Liked just fine. Stopped reading it, but came back to finish. I MIGHT read the next one.

Shadowland
Alyson Noel
August 11
6-7
3rd in series…ok…so teenager


The Peach Keeper
August 11
9 LIKED
Like this one, easy. Old town secrets; people are not always who or what they say they are. Message: give people a change, they may just surprise you. I really liked it!


Dreams of Joy
Lisa See
HFIC
August 11
10
A continuation of The Shanghai Girls. Really liked it. Such a different life. The daughter grows up and wants different things; thinks she knows better, decides to go BACK to China and help “the cause”. She certainly does and gets her fill. It is a great story of mother love, choices. Big recommend!

The Year We Were Famous
Carole Estby Dagg
August 11
5-6
Interesting story; just a little boring; I did skim….based a on a true story, 1800’s, family going to lose the farm; need money. The mother comes up with a scheme to walk from Washington State across the United States to New York. A publisher says she will pay them $10,000 if they do it! The story is about their adventures. The story is based on the actual happenings of the authors great grandmother!

Never Knowing
Chevy Stevens
August 11
7/8
This book did get too violent. I stopped reading them started reading from the back; that was easier. I eventually started up again from my “real” spot and finished it. A woman is adopted but is always wondering who her “real” parents are. She does eventually find out, but the results are not what she hoped for. Scary, frustrating, kidnapping, violence.

The Forgotten Garden
Kate Morton
August 11
9
Mostly, really liked this one! It got a little creapy at the end, so I couldn’t give it a whole “10”. BUT, I will read her earlier book, The House at Riverton. I really like this author’s style. Kind of Mark Twain-ish. A little girl is found alone on the docks after a big ship has docked, no one is there to pick her up. The dock master must decide what to do. He takes her home. No one looks for her, so the Dock Master and his wife keep her, love her. The little girl never knows any of this until the father tells her on her 21st birthday. The news breaks her heart and almost her spirit. She is on a quest for the rest of her life to find out her true story. The woman, Nell, and her granddaughter work to solve the mystery. VERY GOOD!

First Book of 2011! Ape House

Ape House
by: Sara Gruen
Finished: Jan 2011
rating: 6+
I wanted it to be better! At first it was good, then it got a little slapstick. The writing was good, the initial story was good. Water for Elephants and Riding Lessons were WAY better.

A woman, Isabelle, works with Bonobo apes. People protest, there is a bomb, the apes are sold. Isabelle is injured and devastated about the loss (they didn't die, they were sold) of the apes. The story is about their and her recovery. There is also a journalist, John, who is married and his wife, who is an author. It seemed like a serious book, then she put in the silly slapstick stuff. It was like she was trying to make her serious book to be more silly. Didn’t work for me.


The Passage
by: Justin Cronin
finished: Dec 2010
rating: 6 thru 9

Honestly, I can't decide my feelings about this book! I have complained that it is way too long...800 pages! I would have liked this book way better if the author had made this one book into two. I have read several reviews and that has helped me understand better what I read. Here is a synopsis:

In the future at least in the 2014. Colorado got infected with bad virus that turns people into something like vampires…strong, they infect others by biting, hard to kill. They are called Virals. The virals finish off most of the human race. Just a few people left. They try to save what they have. It was good. Interesting story. Interesting people. It was just too long.

It was like telling the story of Noah and the Ark, but starting with Adam and Eve. What the inside cover tells of the book finally happens around page 500. Then at the end, it ends badly. You have hope; things will be ok, then that last sentence you read you find out that probably everybody that you care about dies. About an 800 page book.

Now, I have found out that this book is a TRILOGY! It must have been an intriguing book because I keep thinking about it! In the Twilight books, the vampires are handsome, kind, and desirable. Here the vampires are as they should be, scary, dangerous, deadly. After I have let the book marinate in my head for awhile, I think I like the book better. There is a good chance I will read the next installment.

If you see Tatia, tell her to read this book...we can discuss!

Top Ten Books I Read in 2010

I have read 68 books in 2010!
Mostly a delightful experience, some weeks it was a drag. But the bad ones just make you appreciate the really good books.

It was hard to pick just my top ten, but here goes:
(They are in no real order)

TOP BOOKS OF 2010:

Still Alice by: Lisa Genova
Woman 50 diagnosed with early on set Alzheimer’s. She is a brilliant Harvard professor. Book told from Her, Alice’s, perspective. It’s about husband relationships, family, hardships. It is a fabulous book with a great look inside this awful disease. Beautifully written.
What I learned: you can be strong even in the heart of a terrible circumstance.


The Art of Racing in the Rain by: Garth Stein
Good, moral person in very heavy circumstances, loves his dog; book told from dog perspective
What I learned: keep your standards high even if other around you don't!

Girl in Translation by: Jean Kwok
Well written, Chinese girl & mother come to US with help from aunt. Hard life; how they live; school, learn, work. Difference from Chinese culture and ours. Very good.
What I learned: keep pressing forward, you can get to the other side, keep moving

Every Last One by: Anna Quindlen
There are some difficult parts to the book, BUT I loved it! It is a REAL think piece! It is how my brain works, thinks; this book deals with death, how everyone reacts to it. Book about a mother with 3 children; their different needs and how she sees and deals with them.
What I learned: listen to your instincts, be strong, choose wisely, press forward

The Happiness Project by: Gretchen Rubin
Non-fiction - Highly recommend! I will read again. I recommend this book to everybody. It is a delightful read, very thought provoking.
What I learned: Keep improving!

Eat Pray Love by: Elizabeth Gilbert
If you saw the movie, this is NOT the movie! Movie = yuck, Book = great!
Sad, sad divorce; she goes to Italy-eat/food, India-an ashram; Bali–-balance/love Non-fiction. Very insightful.
What I learned: so glad to understand and know why I am on this earth; what the purpose of it all is, without that knowledge you could drown. If you want to know more, go to: mormon.org


Unwind by: Neal Shusterman
Sci/fi no more abortion, but at 13 yrs old parents can consent to have their child unwound. All would be better if the child used its parts on others than be whole…that is the premise. 3 kids run away; story is about their life. Choices, forgiveness, going too far in any direction. I really liked it! YA Fiction
What I Learned: glad I am loved

The Maze Runner by: James Dashner
Sci fi YA – I really enjoyed this book! Future; boy wakes up and finds himself in an odd community of teens. They live in an area, just outside the gates is a huge maze that they have to figure out. They do not know why they are they, but are trying to understand and figure out how to get out. This is in the same vein as The Hunger Games. The second book is The Scorch Trials. Out Oct 2010
What I learned: sometimes it is nice to read Young Adult Fiction

Heir to Sevenwaters by: Juliet Marillier
Read the other 3 earlier books. Clodagh’s baby brother gets kidnapped, she meets Aidan & Cathal; she must find her brother & falls in love
What I learned: it is so nice to go back to a series that you love and find out that the next book is just as good.

Heart’s Blood by: Juliet Marillier
Fairies; humans; girl in bad situation, runs away, finds job in castle; kind like re-telling of beauty & Beast
What I learned: nothing, really; just enjoyed the story; oh and romance in books is really romantic and ugly beasts in books can really be handsome.

These next 2 books were so good, they had to be mentioned:

Pictures of Hollis Woods by: Patricia Reilly Giff
Really YA book. Very short. LOVED. Many years ago, little girl from ages 6 – 10 going through the foster care system. How she copes, what happens to her, people she meets. I loved it. Very short. Please read.
I just fell upon this book; I felt lucky.

Crank by: Ellen Hopkins
Daughter visits missing father; while there meets boy who shows her meth amphetamine…the monster, insight into teenage mind and choices, drugs, lieing, quick read; recommend to mothers. I do not think it is appropriate for teenagers. Teenagers are very impressionable. I think it great for mothers to read the books and and great discussions with their children.


Non-Fiction Honorable Mentions. I really loved these books!
Born to Run by: Christopher McDougall
Enjoyed 9! Full of info running information. I really enjoyed it.Guy, runner, finds hidden people in Mexico, wants to race

Not Without Hope by: Nick Schuyler
2 pro nfl & 2 others got together; fishing; stuck anchor; capsized boat; storm one survived

Easy/enjoyable….I know will not appeal to the masses:
The Second Short life of Bree Tanner by: Stephenie Meyers
I know, I know; but I really liked this book and it got me to re-read her whole series again. I really liked that too.

OTHER TOP BOOKS IN 2010:
The Enemy by: Lee Childs Don’t know 9 really enjoyed
Gone Tomorrow by: Lee Childs Jan 10 9 really enjoyed
The Killing Floor by: Lee Childs Jan 10 9 really enjoyed
Worth Dieing For by: Lee Childs Dec 10 really enjoyed
One Amazing Thing by: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Mar 10 Liked 8-9
The School of Essential Ingredients by: Erica Bauermeister april 10 Enjoyed 9
Secrets of Eden by: Chris Bohjalian may 10 Enjoyed 8 well written
A Plague of Secrets by: John Lescroart July 10 9 Enjoyed!
Glass by: Ellen Hopkins July 10 LIKED 9 sequal to Crank
Stolen by: Lucy Christopher August 10 9 REALLY LIKED!
City of Tranquil Light by: Bo Caldwell Oct 10 Liked a Lot 9
The Housekeeper and the Professor by: Yoko Ogawa Oct 10 Like a Lot 9
Lost by: Alice Lichtenstein Oct 10 Liked 8
Mockingjay by: Suzanne Collins Oct 10 Liked a lot! 9-10


YUCK! DO NOT READ:
Listen by: Rene Gutteridge feb 10
Mini shopaholic by: Sophie Kinsella Nov 10 DNF 1
Fall of Giants by: Ken Follett Nov 10 ok…6-7
Listen by: Rene Gutteridge feb 10 Yuck 2; slow, could have been good
Dexter by: ?mar 10 sorry 3
Perfection by: Julie Metz June 10 awful 3 NF
Before You Know Kindness by: Chris Bohjalian June 10 a drag 3 can’t even remember
Thirteen Reasons Why by: Jay Asher June 10 3 whinny
Burned by: Ellen Hopkins
Dr. Stranger by: Meg Mullins
Peony in Love by: Lisa See
Why I Became a Famous Novelist by: Steve Heley Sept 10
Last Night in Montreal by: Emily St. John Mandel sept 10 dark 3
McNally’s Alibi by: Lawrence Sanders

Books from August to December

SORRY!

I didn't realize I had not put books up in 4 months!!

Here's my catch-up:

(Oh, and I have HIGHLIGHTED the really good books!)

Dr. Stranger
by: Meg Mullins
Read: August 10
Rating: 4 or 5
I really liked her first book, the Rug Merchant. I did not like this one so much. I think I liked 75 pages in the middle. It is about a family that was going to adopt a baby. The father died the day before. They got the baby. They mother couldn’t cope, so she sent it off to another house. The little boy for the original family couldn’t emotionally let the baby go. He looked his whole life to find that baby. He finally finds him when the baby was 21 years old. It was not so satisfying.

Pictures of Hollis Woods
by: Patricia Reilly Giff
Read: August 10
Rating: LOVED 10
Really YA book. Very short. LOVED. Many years ago, little girl from ages 6 – 10 going through the foster care system. How she copes, what happens to her, people she meets. I loved it. Very short.

Peony in Love
by: Lisa See
Read: Sept 10
Rating: DNF 3 (Did Not finish)
Very Chinese culture filled with this opera “Peony in Love”. Wanted to like it, just didn’t.

Why I Became a Famous Novelist
Author: Steve Heley
Read: Sept 10
Rating: DNF 4

Read that this was a very funny book. It just plodded for me. It was ok, but I was not excited to read it so I quit!

The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Read: Sept 10
Rated: Really LIKED! 9
Sci fi YA – I really enjoyed this book! Future; boy wakes up and finds himself in an odd community of teens. They live in an area, just outside the gates is a huge maze that they have to figure out. They do not know why they are they, but are trying to understand and figure out how to get out. This is in the same vein as The Hunger Games. The second book is The Scorch Trials. Out Oct 2010

Lilly’s Crossing
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Read: Sept 10
Rating: ok 4
Wasn’t so good. I read it because I saw on many of her other books how great this one was. WW2. little girl; no friends until she finds Albert. Father off to war, grandmother watching her; mother dead. Ugh.

Last Night in Montreal
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
read: sept 10
Rating: dark 3
Too dark for me; wanted to like it and for it to be better. Woman was raised by her father that took her away from her dangerous mother so she spent her life running. As an adult, she realized that she did not know how to “stay”. She felt compelled to run and leave without notice. She made a big impact on the people she stayed with; kind of haunted them; left them grieving. The story hinges around the last man she lived with; when she left how he tried to find her; what he went through.

McNally’s Alibi
Author: Lawrence Sanders
Read: Sept 10
Rating: boring 3
Ugh; another book not so good! I have enjoyed Sander’s other books, this one just didn’t do it for me. I did enjoy the first 20 pages. Same protagonist; he is funny and somewhat enjoyable but really I don’t agree with nor like his lifestyle. He lives with his parents; he is probably in his 30’s, he has a girlfriend that he does not want to marry; doesn’t want the responsibility but sure wants the perks. Really, that is gross to me. GROW UP! I really hope to like my next book!!

Lost
Author: Alice Lichtenstein
Read: Oct 10
Rating: Liked 8
Marriage; man has dementia; he was brilliant architect; now very difficult; wife trying to care for him alone. He leaves the house and gets lost. There is a search. Also side story of one of the rescue people; about his life. It is a sad story, but I liked how the author ended it; tied it up.

Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Read: Oct 10
Rating: Liked a lot! 9-10
3rd in series the Hunger Games. Really liked this series. About war, relationships, hardships; power, control. Deep in the future; girl must be the face of a rebellion.

Still Alice
Author: Lisa Genova
Read: Oct 10
Rating: LOVED! 10
Woman 50 diagnosed with early on set Alzheimer’s. She is a brilliant Harvard professor. Book told from Her, Alice’s, perspective. It’s about husband relationships, family, hardships. It is a fabulous book with a great look inside this awful disease. Beautifully written.

Crossfire
Author: Dick Francis
Read: Oct 10
Rating: fine 7
Usual Dick Francis. Guy in Afghanistan is wounded; loses his foot; comes home to hard, awful mother and step father. They are in financial trouble…blackmailed…the mother is a horse trainer. The son (guy, Thomas Forsyth) tries to help and solve all problems.

City of Tranquil Light
Author: Bo Caldwell
Read: Oct 10
Rating: Liked a Lot 9
I loved this author’s firs book The Distant Land of my Father. This book was VERY hard to get into until around page 75…then it turned good. I was glad I persevered. It is about Mennonite missionaries from America traveling and living in China. The span of time is 1909 forward. I loved the lessons learned. The story is so similar to Ammon in the book of Mormon. I recommend reading this book. Just hold on for the first little bit; it is worth it.

The Housekeeper and the Professor
Author: Yoko Ogawa
Read: Oct 10
Rating: Like a Lot 9
You never know their real names. Japan; told by the housekeeper. She is sent by her agency to watch and care for a many with only an 80 minute memory. He was a brilliant mathematician many years ago before a terrible accident that took is memory. He only remembered things from 1976(?). It’s a story of love and caring, helping, forgiving. It’s short and I liked it.

Fall of Giants
Author: Ken Follett
Read: Nov 10
Rating: ok…6-7
WAY too long – it’s a 985 page book! Really! The story would have been fine to good in a 350 page book. It was like reading a history book! Ok, Ken, I know you researched and you like WW1. I finished the book because I usually really like Ken Follett (Pillars of the Earth; one of my favorites). I thought it would get better. I hated to quite just before it “caught on”. Really, if you like the first 200 pages, then you will like the book. It is a HUGE story of WAY too many characters. The writing is fine, but not luscious. I didn’t slurp up his sentences. I didn’t find myself reading parts allowed to Kerry. I did find myself skipping all the long and boring conversations between people talking about how the war was moving on; and war strategies. That helped me finish the book. There are TWO more books like this coming. What a drag.

Mini Shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Read: Nov 10
Rating: DNF 1
So saddened by this book. I have LOVED all of Sophie’s books. This one I just could not stomach even though it was the same character. She now has a daughter that is terribly spoiled; a husband that does not seem to connect. He only seems to connect with his business. She seems like an idiot mother, unaware and raising a daughter that will be a menace to society. Then there was the language. I just can’t read that. Can’t even think of parents speaking that way to each other in a most casual way. Really, disgusting. I stopped reading it. I did skip huge hunks to get a gist of the story; that was only ok. It wasn’t even a nice try.

Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak

Read: Nov 10
Rating: hmm 7 Very Good
WW2; Germany. It’s hard, war is hard, war is bad, there are bad people, they do bad things, it is all hard on the kids. The writing was excellent! I just couldn’t give it a bigger number because by the end of the book, it was a sad drag. I really enjoyed the beginning. I thought it would be a faster read than it was. The book is written from the point of view of “death”. Interesting. There is a little girl; loves her mother and brother, her mother is forced to leave the girl with another German home. The mother, I think was communist and was taken “away”. The brother died. The girl is sad. Her foster mother is a hard woman, the foster father is kind and gentle and teaches her how to read. He has amazing patience. She takes a fallen book, then steals another book….the book thief. It is the story of that girl, her foster family, her friends, the war and death. I would recommend. Please read it and tell me what you think.


The Passage


Author: Justin Cronin
Read: Dec 10


half way through...enjoying...very long

The Young Adult Section!

**I figured out the whole picture thing. I can put up pictures of the books, but it is far more complicated to do than is worth it. So, if you want to see a picture of the book, just google it, and there you go!

Lately, I seem to have been reading quite a few books from the Young Adult section at the library! I have really enjoyed them.

Unwind
by: Neal Shusterman
read in: August 2010 REALLY LIKED 9
Sci/fi. The book takes place way in the future when there is no more abortion, but at 13 yrs old parents can consent to have their child "unwound"! All would be better if the child used its parts on others than be whole…that is the premise. 3 kids run away; story is about their life. Choices, forgiveness, going too far in any direction. I really liked it! YA Fiction



Specials
by: Scott Westerfeld
read: August 2010 ok – 4-5ish
Sci/fi series…The series starts with #1 uglies, #2 pretties then #3 specials. I really liked the 1st two. This one, not so much. I tried to get into it, it never really got good. By the end I was very bothered by the fact that in this “time” families are of no consequence; they don’t exist. YA fiction

In The Name of Honor
by: Richard North Patterson
read: August 2010
I give it a 9 – till the end; then it gets a little creepy
I would recommend it. I liked 9/10ths of it! Just know that the twist at the end was a bit objectionable to me.
Drama, murder, Iraq war, courtroom, family drama. I really liked it, GREAT writing. Man goes to war, comes home, shoots brother in law, court martial. Great lawyer, sister involved. What bugged me: sex meant nothing, just a shake of the hand – that doesn’t really make people happy! The end was creepy where there was quite a twist. I think I would recommend it. Sometimes we read books and are very grateful for our own morals and values. We see the value in having higher standards.

Stolen
by: Lucy Christopher
read: August 2010 9 REALLY LIKED!
Cant’ give it a 10 because the book made me want to want an attraction where I shouldn’t. I wanted the person kidnapped to be with her kidnapper. He seemed so nice and caring, in real life that is NOT how it is, but I did really like the book. Enjoyed how it was written. Girl was kidnapped to Australia from a Bangkok airport. Fascinating story! It is written like a letter to her kidnapper. It's a fast read, so READ IT!!
YA fiction