The Host

By Stephenie Meyer...okay, this was my second read! I read this when it first came out and I had just watched the movie INVASION the most recent Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie and I made a lot of parallels...so now, nearly a year and a half later, I started listening to the book. It is 20 discs long...and WHEW! it took a long time to finish! But I enjoyed it the second time as well. Of the Stephenie Meyer books, this is my ABSOLUTE favorite! She writes an interesting tale of earth...invaded by souls, who live like parasites attached to the bodies of their humans...they are attached to their spine and brain...and their eyes change color. We meet Wanderer, who has just been attached to a human...and much to her frustration, the human mind is STILL THERE...and very angry about her being there! What follows is a tale about human kind...what we think is alien...something about souls...how some believe they are making things better for others when the others think that it is an invasion of their lifestyle and they aren't interested in the change. So many parallels can be drawn with what is going on in the world today...in spite of this being more of a science fiction...I highly recommend. I guess my husband still says that Stephenie can't write...or she sounds too childish...but I think everyone should give it a go!

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight

By Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler...to all of my friends who enjoy teen novels...this is the book for you! Such a sweet story about two people who meet in some unlikely circumstances and fall in love. Calliope travels all of the time with her mother. They go from Renaissance festival to festival working and selling...they never stay in one place for long. Eliot works with his dad at a God will safe you Fat Camp! He loves to build fireworks. They happen to glance at each other as they passed in cars...and then ran into each other in a book store...it is a match made in heaven. The romance is sweet, the problems are realistic...what an incredible read!

Madame Pamplemousse and her Incredible Edibles

By Rupert Kingfisher...what an adorable book! I loved it! A young girl has to spend time in France with her mean uncle Monsieur Lard while her parents travel...she is a secret cook and loves to create yummy things. Her uncle owns a restaurant and refuses to let her cook...she has to run out and purchase some pate for an event...and discovers Madame Pamplemousse's shoppe! A restaurant critic is coming to her uncle's restaurant and they need to serve something special...Monsieur Lard makes his niece work for Madame Pamplemousse to learn the secrets of her incredible food...and of course I am not going to tell you how it ends. But, if you have children ages 6-10 they may love this tale!

Knit Two

By Kate Jacobs...this pretty much picks up where Friday Night Knitting Club left off...although Dakota is older and headed to college...romance STILL hasn't happened for Cat...we find out something new about Anita...no she hasn't married yet...and all of the characters return to their lives and struggles. I definitely felt like hugging my friends after reading this book. The drama, the emotion, the situations all seemed vaguely familiar...and as a woman, if you haven't experienced something like it one of your girlfriends have...I really can't wait to read the holiday one! And, yes, I still want to learn to knit!

Dead until Dark

By Charlaine Harris...Sookie Stackhouse book 1, So I did start the series...and I plan to read book two soon! But this was interesting...I had already watched the entire first season of TRUE BLOOD and read this book after. Maybe I should do this the other way around. Much of the book/show is similar...although the show tends to add characters and situations that the book didn't have...although the book was full of situations not in the show. I am still undecided as to which I prefer. I think I will have to read the book (book 2) without knowing what is happening...and then see what I think. For a mystery that keeps the plot rolling, adds some vampire fun and some humor...this is a great read. If you aren't into the vampires...I think you may still enjoy it because it says a lot about how people who aren't mainstream are treated here in America. Maybe it will heighten your awareness. Maybe you will agree...the most exciting thing about books is they keep us talking!

A Touch of Dead

By Charlaine Harris...a collection of Sookie Stackhouse stories. I have started watching TRUE BLOOD the HBO series based on this author's vampire novels...and picked this book up in the library to see what the fuss was all about. I haven't read any of the series...but thought I would try this out. For those of you who love fantasy (genre) you are going to love this. Apparently the world as we know it is full of fantastical creatures...but some of them are more dangerous than others...meet them through Sookie Stackhouse's eyes...and solve some short story mysteries. Entertaining for sure...and got me more interested in reading the book series!

The National Parks

America's Best Idea by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns...okay...I read this in bits...pictures were AMAZING and I definitely want to come back to this book when school is out! But...what an incredible book both for the reader and the non-reader. For the non-reader there are some INCREDIBLE pictures of the National parks and the people who helped make it all happen...and for the readers there is history, politics, stories, and much more about how the parks came into being! I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love the history and then the stories of different families both past and present who have visited the parks! It made me think of the parks that I have visited and the ones I hope to visit in the future!

The Friday Night Knitting Club

By Kate Jacobs...so, last weekend I headed to Seattle once again...on my way there I finished off another JA Jance book...but on my way home I brought something different. I took advantage of our Library's down loadable books and tried this book. Now, I usually don't listen to regular fiction on audio. Most of the time I find the subject matter and the reader to be more lulling than wakeful...and often the content isn't enough to keep me alert on the road. Well, I started the book on the road. And didn't want to quit reading it! When I got home, the NEXT day I was in the Library checking out the book because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I was blown away by the friendships, relationships and bonds formed by the characters in the book. It made me want to reconnect with old friends and make sure my bonds with new friends were taking off. I wanted to take up knitting...which I am not even sure I have the patience to do...it was incredible! Different people from different walks of life meeting in a Knitting shop and talking about projects and sometimes personal things. The concern for every one's well being made me ache for my girlfriends who live so far away! I can't talk about the book in its entirety or it will spoil the ending and you may not want to know how it ends. Needless to say I will say that I am reading the second book about the characters now...and definitely feel that connection again with the book!

Partner in Crime

By J A Jance...yes, another audio book for me! Listened to it while going to Seattle again. Loved it. This time JP Beaumont meets Joanna Brady and man to do the sparks FLY!! A case that both of them need to work on! It was great! Of course you aren't sure who done it until later in the book, which is always good...and there is always lots of family drama and small town drama as well! I recommend even if you have never read any of the other books!

Stop in the Name of Pants (Book 9)

By Louise Rennison...Ah, book 10 was released and it IS the final one...so I am now able to enjoy book 9. I had been waiting...I really don't want it to be over. My fave brit teen is at it again with plenty of drama, heartache, and fun for everyone! I love all of the language...fun words like lippy, piddly diddly, and poo division. Jimjams, Vati and yes...even her red bottomosity! LOVE IT! Enjoyed the story, enjoyed her inability to decide what she wants...and yes, she is left yet again on the rack of lurve! I can't wait to read book 10!

The Pulitzer Prize Fiction Runners Up

So here is the list of the runners up that I have read...all of them I would recommend!
1986 The Accidental Tourist by Ann Tyler
1999 The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
2002 The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

As it turns out I have read less of them...and when I look over the list of authors who have won...I may not have read the book that won...but have read their other work!

Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories

By Elizabeth Strout...LOVED it. Went to hear Nancy Pearl give a talk on book talks...and several people recommended it. It is the Pulitzer Prize winner...and so, I purchased it and have been reading it over the last month and a half or so. I was immediately hooked because it is similar to William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Each chapter is told from the point of view of another character...which is cool! And..their lives do intertwine...which is also great. It was the perfect book to read in parts...a chapter at a time...because once the chapter was over...that part of the story was over. I had better not say much else about this...but while I am here and mentioning Pulitzer Prize winners...I will list the ones I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. As it turns out these weren't winners without reason...all were well written, interesting and totally suck you in!
1953 The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
1961 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
1975 The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
1981 A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
1983 The Color Purple by Alice Walker
1988 Beloved by Toni Morrison
1992 A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
1994 The Shipping News by E Annie Proulx
1998 American Pastorial by Philip Roth
1999 The Hours by Michael Cunningham
2003 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
2006 March by Geraldine Brooks

Damage Control (Joanna Brady #13)

By J A Jance...went from the J P Beaumont right into this one..audios keep me occupied when going to and from school, road trips and it is the one mode of "reading" I can justify while in school. I was definitely hooked from the start...and definitely wasn't sure who done it...but more of the drama between Joanna and her mother....relationships between Joanna and Jenny and Joanna and Butch (her husband), things come up from the past...and all while there are mysteries to be solved. Makes for a great read/listen! I thoroughly enjoyed it once again! Looking forward to more!

Injustice For All (J P Beaumont #2)

By J A Jance...okay...headed to Seattle for my sister's surprise weekend...wanted something to keep me awake and guessing...grabbed this audio for my trip thinking it was #2 of the Joanna Brady, imagine my surprise listening to a male character...but I got sucked in none the less. He is a little more rough than Joanna Brady...and he lives and works in Seattle. That made it interesting as I was driving to Seattle listening to a mystery that takes place in and around Seattle! I would definitely listen to another J P Beaumont audio...and I would recommend the mystery to someone who isn't too offended by sex...not that there was a lot in it...but still.

Tuck

By Stephen Lawhead...the third in the King Raven Trilogy! I was excited to finally finish this trilogy started with Hood (Book 1) and Scarlet (Book 2). I finally had a road trip that needed a good book to listen to. I LOVED this final chapter in this marvelous retelling of the Robin Hood. I have always enjoyed the Robin Hood stories and when I heard about this one I was happy to start the series. As always I have a difficult time waiting for the NEXT book to come out...and this time was no different! I would recommend this book to ANYONE! Definitely read the whole series. I have never read a Stephen Lawhead book before...this was incredible. The characters, the plot, the descriptions. I laughed, I cried...and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next! Thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend for sure!

Desert Heat #1 Joanna Brady

By J A Jance...so I finally read the first book of the Joanna Brady series...twists and turns and a great mystery...of course since I already knew what happened (after reading some of the later books) it was less exciting...but it definitely helped set the scene of how Joanna ends up a sheriff! I plan to listen to book 2 soon! I recommend this series...it is a great, easy, fun read with some interesting plot twists and sometimes it keeps you guessing, yes, there were a couple things revealed that I didn't see coming! Winter is coming...so curl up with a great mystery!

Dead and Alive

By Dean R Koontz...the third and VERY anticipated book in the Frankenstein series...yes, even I emailed My Koontz and asked, WHERE IS THE BOOK??????? Once I finally started it...I was worried that things wouldn't end and I would have to wait for a 4th book. One and Two were awesome...but I had hesitated even starting the series because I hate to wait for books to come out...Harry Potter and Georgia Nicholson have nearly killed me with the suspense of what would happen next. Anyway...thoroughly enjoyed this book...lots of humor (dark as it was) and of course gross and shocking as Mr Koontz tends to be at times...and while things were wrapped up...well a little too quickly I might add...there is room for the saga to continue. But..the story that started with book one did finish. If you have never read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, do that first...then start the series...it was an interesting take on a classic.

The Lovely Bones

By Alice Sebold...I re-read this book recently in preparation for the movie. It is being released soon and I wanted to relive this amazing book about a murdered girl who watches life unfold after her death...she thinks about the things she wished she could have done. She sees her family move on, her killer go on with life...the boy she liked and her sister...all go on with their lives. We see the story from her point of view...and it is an interesting perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time...and I enjoyed reading it the second.

Talk Before Sleep:A Novel

By Elizabeth Berg...okay, I admit, I have tried reading her novels without success. I guess I just can't get into them...but this one was given to me by my best friend as a beach read the weekend of her wedding. I finally started it on the way home, on the plane...by the time we landed in Atlanta...I was sobbing...my husband looked and me and asked me What is wrong? I told him this is just so, sad, touching, inspiring...all of the above. It made me want to run out and hug my friends...call my mom and be there for the people I love...read it...I won't even tell you what its about!

Paradise Lost (Joanna Brady #9)

By J A Jance...okay I mentioned that I LOVED my first taste Jance...so my next road trip I got another of the Joanna Brady series...once again...not the first one, but number 9. Joanna's daughter Jenny goes on a girl scout camp out and finds a body...Joanna spends this book trying to protect her daughter from someone she thinks may know that Jenny found the body and may have seen something. Relationships between Joanna, Jenny and the grandparents are revealed in a little more detail as well as the man in Joanna's life...but the mystery still keeps you on your toes, especially when the girl who discovered the body with Jenny ends up dead as well. What an incredible mystery...keeps you guessing right up to the end!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

By Brian Selznick...this is a story for younger readers but the story kept me captivated as well. A boy, Hugo, is an orphan, lives at the train station and spends his time making sure the clocks in the station are the correct time. The author tells this story in both words and pictures...the book is thick (Harry Potter thick) but most of the pages have the most incredible pictures. Kids will learn a little about the mechanics of clocks and gears and how they work. Hugo meets a girl and her grandfather and learns about a connection from his dead father and something that the grandfather created....a little mystery, a little adventure, a lot of interesting topics I recommend for readers of all ages...

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

By Ally Carter...What a cute story! Listened to most of it, then had to read the rest of it, too impatient about the ending! Regardless this is a mixture of all girl's school, spies, so James Bond meets girls! Cammie Morgan goes to the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women...a school that appears to take only the richest...but in fact takes girls who are training for a life as a spy. She can speak 14 languages and she can kill a man several ways...but what happens when on a mission she meets the boy of her dreams? Can she keep up the double life? Will she end up telling him too much and jeopardizing the future of the school. Can a spy find love and remain a spy? Perfect for teens of all ages! Good Clean Fun!

Dead Wrong Joanna Brady #12

By J A Jance...my first Jance mystery and I LOVED it. I listened to it on my way to and from Seattle...it kept my attention...Joanna Brady is a sheriff, she's pregnant, she's got two dead bodies on her hands...and her due date is coming soon...I have never read a Joanna Brady mystery...but this explained everything I needed to know...and the twists and turns kept me guessing...I really didn't know who done it until the last minute! I loved the characters...the reader (as I listened on audio) and the mystery. This all takes place in the Southwest (Arizona) which made me feel thirsty with the descriptions of the dry hot desert! Anyway, I highly recommend!!

The Great Depression Ahead

How to Prosper in the Crash Following the Greatest Boom in History...by Harry S Dent, well I almost feel like I should have been reading him all along. Harry Dent has written a series of books predicting the biggest boom in history and how to make money...as well as a warning that there is a depression coming soon...and it predicts all of what is happening now. He wrote this book in 2008...and said that people would say that the recession is ending now...but in fact the worst is yet to come...read this stunning insight into our economy, how it works and how patterns may be traced from our history!

Evermore The Immortals #1

By Alyson Noel...a great teen read! If your teen loves Twilight books and those that are similar this first book in the Immortal series will draw them in with the romance and the immortal aspects. Ever can see auras, read minds and feels very different ever since a horrible accident where her family dies...she meets Damen...one of the first people she can't tell things about...and he intrigues her and scares her a little...he is gorgeous, exotic and sexy...and drives her wild...but he has a secret too...can't wait to read more of this series!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

By Lisa See...What an incredible read. A book about the friendship between two girls that grow into women together through a match called laotong. They will communicate using fans and they will marry better due to their match. Of course it isn't as simple as that...there are secrets that they keep from each other....and there is betrayal that threatens their bond. An incredible story of friendship that also explains some Chinese traditions. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Moby Dick

By Herman Melville....so I finally read this book. I left for Ohio a week ago and needed something I wouldn't finish in an hour...my husband suggested that I try reading it. He said it wasn't like some of the other classics I had read...and that maybe I would find it interesting. After all...I had experienced two Moby Dick references in the past few weeks...one in an episode of XFiles...Scully's dog...and one other I can't recall. So I thought, what the heck...I will try reading it. Boy...it was NOT what I expected at all! I learned so much about the whaling industry...what do they do with the whale once it has been harpooned...a little history about whaling..types of whales...the ships the sailors...so much information. Oh, and references about whales from the Bible and many other works of literature from before Herman Melville wrote the book...as well as many different parallels between whaling and the world. I actually finished it...and could honestly say I enjoyed it...not for the story of the white whale and the captain who was obsessed...but for the history and information about whales.

Rebel Angels

By Libba Bray...second in the series that started with A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY...it is Christmas and the girls are home for the holidays...but the mysteries of the Order and the Rakshana are still there...Gemma is definitely coming into her own, more confident and more sure of herself...but yet the new teacher at Spence seems like she could be Circe...and there is the girl in the sanitarium...Ann, Felicity and Pippa search for the temple and deal with society's rules all at the same time! Great book! Can't wait to finish the series!

Scat

By Carl Hiaasen....LOVED it! I have loved his adult novels for their quirky characters and interesting plot lines...and I love his young adult titles as well. This is the third young adult title and of course it takes place in Florida...there are kids, quirky characters and some kind of environmental trouble...I didn't quite know what to think until it was revealed...which was nice...and I listened to the book...read by Ed Asner...did a great job! What an awesome combination of suspense, mystery, environmental awareness, and nutty characters!

Half of a Yellow Sun

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie...FINALLY finished this book today...I had heard an author discussion on World Book Club through BBC Podcast and felt like it was something I would enjoy...after all I have read the memoir A LONG WAY GONE...and this book, while fiction, may shed some more light on some of the conflicts in Africa, which I know very little about. This is a fictional account of Biafra's struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria. The characters are well developed and you find yourself on the roller coaster ride of your life...this is effecting the characters in a variety of ways. They witness horrors and yet go through life in other ways so normally. I especially loved Ugwu the house boy and his struggles being from a village, yet also getting an education that somewhat removes him from his village life. Highly recommend this book! I am anxious to read more by this author.

Goosebumps Welcome to Dead House

By R L Stine...well, I can honestly say I had never read a Goosebumps before last night. I had finished my stats and decided a little light reading was in order. And...I had promised one of the kids at the Library I would read the first book by today. So...I read it. Okay, if I had read it when I was younger I would have thought it creepy...and even now I found it a little creepy...chapters end with slight suspense...some of it ended up being nothing...sometimes it was something horrifying...Josh and his sister move to a big creepy old house...they think it is creepy right away...then they start seeing things and feeling things that don't seem right. And what about those kids who say they have lived in their house? And why is their dog acting so bizarre? Read it and find out!

Eight Grade Bites

Chronicles of Vladmir Tod Book 1 by Heather Brewer...so, many vampire books are coming out in the wake of Twilight's success...and I find myself wanting to read some of them. My measure is still Anne Rice as the queen of all vampire writing...and to be honest you can't go wrong with Bram Stoker's Dracula either. But...these are teen books so I definitely want to try them out. So, I picked this first of a series out the other day and read it in an evening. Vladmir Tod is an eighth grade boy going through typical eighth grade things...but he is also half vampire, half human (is this even possible?). He survives because his guardian, an aunt, is a nurse and takes blood that is about to expire and brings it home for him to eat. She fills sandwiches, etc with blood so he can eat regular food with regular people. His best friend knows he is a vampire (why doesn't he tell everyone?) and keeps his secret. Someone is after Vladmir and killing people to get to him...but Vladmir is concerned about the school dance and a certain girl he is falling for...typical teenage issues packed into a book with vampires on the prowl...I will definitely read the next one...but I can't say I recommend it highly or anything. Sometimes I really enjoy a teen read...this was just okay. But I am sure there are plenty of teens out there who would enjoy this...and since this is from a guy's perspective, I think recommending to tween and teen guys would work just fine!

My Life in France

By Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme...I have been meaning to read this book for a long time, and now, with Julie and Julia coming to the big screen and part of this book being in the movie, I felt I wanted to read this sooner rather than later. I went on vacation and finished a couple of the books I had planned to read while I was gone, so I picked this one up to read on the way home. Ah, I admire Julia Child...I love that she married a man that took her to France to live away from her family...I love that she jumped into cooking with both feet...she admits she wasn't much of a cook before she was married and was inspired by eating a meal in France. From personal experience, I concur! Eating food in France will make you want to become a better cook and will also make you want to lift your nose in the air every time you taste sub par food. Hearing about her experience, learning to cook, trying out new recipes...thinking of writing a book...makes me want to do more with my cooking and baking! This doesn't cover her whole life...it was co-wrote with an author who finished the book after Julia passed away...and while there are snippets of her childhood, this picks up right about the time she is married and then carries the reader until her husband passes away. I highly recommend the book...read Julie and Julia if you haven't...it is also really good and makes you want to run out and buy Mastering the Art of French Cooking and taking a crack at it!

Envy A Luxe Novel

By Anna Godbersen...the third book in a series that I am enjoying immensely. It is Gossip Girls taking place at the turn of the century! The dresses, the proper behavior, and the scandals...it is all very interesting. We continue with characters from the previous two books The Luxe, and Rumors...and there is just as much back stabbing, romance, betrayals, and intrigue...and of course the book ends leaving you wanting more! With excerpts from gossip columns and high society papers...it makes it even more fun!

Jemima J

By Jane Green...what a fun Chick Lit read! So, overweight woman dreams of being with Mr. Perfect and discovers online dating. With some quick photo shop skills she looks INCREDIBLE on the Internet...but then he wants to meet her in person!! What will happen? Also discussed is friendships, being the person you are and not being something you are not, and some cultural themes (Jemima is from England, her love interest is Californian). I had fun reading it and felt that many of her thoughts about food and eating went right along with my struggles!

Tricky Business

By Dave Barry...okay, I laughed a lot while listening to this book. I guess among the funny stuff was the constant poking fun at news stations and their "breaking coverage" of things. If you are like me and roll your eyes every time the BREAKING NEWS comes on...well you will appreciate this! Okay, if you don't like language...maybe this isn't the book for you, but this is funny like Carl Hiaasen funny...and the characters are fun! Old men, washed up waitresses, mob guys, a man trying to make a buck...a man trying to not live with his mom...it has it all. A hurricane is coming in...but the casino boat still goes out...mostly because the mob who owns it needs to make an exchange...but there are tons of innocent bystanders who go out in the storm as well. Funny and a little bit of a mystery to boot!

Does My Head Look Big In This?

By Randa Abdel-Fattah...I have been anxiously waiting to read this book and FINALLY finished it today! I was not disappointed. TONS of issues, religion, being different, popularity, sex and dating, friendship, relationship with parents...just tons of great things addressed in a very non-threatening way! I loved it! I can't wait to read her other book! In many ways I remember growing up as a teen and feeling like the characters in the book...so I really liked that as well! I HIGHLY recommend this book!

The Chosen

By Chaim Potok..recommended reading for 10th grade AP class, and I was told to read it and THE PROMISE...so here I am finishing this book. All of my Judaic studies background helped prepare me for a lengthy discussion between Hasidic Jews and orthodox Jews...very fascinating. It is also about the friendship between two boys...and that has its ups and downs. It also addresses differences in people and how people cope with those differences, both in good ways and bad.

The Worst Hard Time

The Untold Story of those who survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan...what a book, what a story. At times this book made me feel like I had dust in my mouth and I needed to drink water...it was sad and frustrating and just horrifying at times...but I felt it definitely opened my eyes to the horrors of the Dust Bowl...it gave a back story about how it all happened...there were even pictures of what it looked like. This event effected the whole US...which I wasn't aware of. There are excerpts from personal journals, news stories, and personal accounts that make this nonfiction read a great read!!

When you are Engulfed in Flames

By David Sedaris...another hilarious, sad, thought provoking collection of short essays by David Sedaris...focusing on more recent events I think...but still some flashbacks about his family and childhood. I enjoy reading him...but must admit there is something even more hilarious about listening to him read...I have decided I may need to reread this book in audio sometime soon! But, if you love David, you will love this book!!

The Kingdom Keepers

By Ridley Pearson...I finished this awhile ago. It was recommended by SEVERAL of my young adult readers as a MUST READ! Anyway, it turns out that 5 kids have been hired by the Magic Kingdom to be holograms in the park, directing guests to different attractions. One of them finds out that when they go to sleep at night they can reappear in the park. There are evil forces at work and these 5 kids must stop the evil forces from taking over the park. Personally I loved reliving my experience at the Magic Kingdom, remembering rides and characters. There is a fabulously scary and twisted moment in Its a Small World...I can't wait to read book 2 in the series. Oh, and by the way it has my FAVE Disney Villain, Malificent (sp?) as well!!

Starvation Heights

A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest by Gregg Olsen. I came across this book while shelving about a week ago...and thought it looked interesting. And, since it had taken place here in the Pacific Northwest I thought I would give it a go... It was interesting...I have read about John Kellogg's place in Michigan...and of course many people go to doctors who tell them that fasting or certain diets will certainly cure them. Well, this book takes it a little further and a doctor near Seattle starved her patients to death...well, she strongly influenced them anyway. These two sisters from Great Britain come to the US and travel, hear about her cure and come to see her...and then stay with her...one dies. The other is finally rescued by a family nurse...and then charges are brought up on the doctor...what happens next is creepy, terrifying and just hard to believe...check it out! Definitely not for the weak of stomach!

The Surgeon

By Tess Gerritsen...full of mystery and suspense...this is a great read! Well, again I am listening to it...and it has definitely kept my interest. You follow the characters through these twists and turns wondering who done it and when will they figure it out...it was the final CD before things really started coming together...and I prefer it that way! A surgeon from Savannah has moved to Boston and apparently so has a killer...although she shot the one who tried to kill her in Savannah, so who is this person? He knows everything about her, he knows how to access her email and get into her office, but how could he know so much? The police officers helping her on the case are equally confused...and sometimes think it could be her...one of the police officers is getting a little too close to the surgeon....and the killer calls himself the surgeon as well...

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

By David Sedaris...okay, maybe listening to David Sedaris in the car can be dangerous. There were parts where I nearly drove off the road it was so funny. Something about the way he reads his books...I don't know. I have read his books and found them funny...but when listening, I find them HYSTERICAL. I have been fortunate enough to see him in person...also funny! If you haven't read or listened to him before...you should! Start with Holidays on Ice or Naked and go from there! I had never heard his imitation of his brother and in this book, he does it. I nearly peed my pants! Some of what he has to say is funny, but a lot of it is serious and reflective...and makes you think about your relationships.

The Penderwicks

A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall. So, believe it or not I HAVE been reading....so here will be a sequence of books I have been LISTENING to on my drive to and from classes! I don't normally drive much so I have missed the listening to books in the car. My husband and I do it on trips...but that is about it. So once I went back to school and had to be in the car for longer than 5 minutes...the books on CD have returned. So...I finished this one in May...probably mid May...it was a great story about four sisters who have lost their mother...their dad is raising them and they spend summers in a cottage. This year they didn't get their usual space and their dad found them a cottage close to a huge mansion with beautiful gardens. You have Rosalind the oldest at 12 who is more like a mother than a sister at times, Skye at 11 who loves sports and is very tomboyish, loud and opinionated sometimes at not especially good times, Jane at 10 who is an aspiring author, likes to write mysteries and the youngest is Batty, at 4 who enjoys wearing wings and talking to animals, people sometimes scare her..and then they have Hound, their dog...who is very wise as well! I immediately loved the characters and the story! I recommend it to anyone who loves a good read...or if you have daughters read it to them...it is fun!

Beautiful Boy

By David Sheff...what an incredible story. I have read TWEAK by his son Nic Sheff which details a boy's struggle with addiction...starting with drinking at a young age, experimenting with drugs and then finally becoming addicted to meth. It was a heart wrenching story and very harsh as it really went into the mind of an addict. So...I had been excited about reading about this addiction from the parent's point of view. It was a different read...it was sad and hard to read. A father constantly questioning his choices to let his son experiment...and yet knowing when to step in and say enough is enough. Nic's father chose to let his son know he had tried drugs when he was younger...thinking it was a rite of passage...people go through that experimental phase...but thinking later that maybe he shouldn't have told him. Maybe telling Nic made him think that it was okay. Nic's father goes through Al-Anon to try and get some perspective...he thinks for awhile he can help his son if he loves him enough...and he struggles with putting too much attention on Nic and not enough on his immediate family. It made me cry...it made me think...it was an incredible book! I do recommend reading both...eventhough TWEAK may be a little harsh for some with content, language, sexuality, etc...

Haters

By Alisa Valdez-Rodrigues, yep another young adult title. I went to another library and started listening to a few YA titles. I have a drive now two nights a week so I have switched to audio books for a little while while I am taking classes. Meet Paski...who has moved from Taos, NM to Orange County CA...she is being raised by her dad, who tries really hard, too hard to be hip and happening. She was popular at her old high school but fitting in with the popular crowd in this school will be difficult as she is already in love with the hottest boy in school who has been dating Jessica, the most popular girl in school. Jessica has it out for Paski...but Paski wants to be accepted. What will she do to become accepted? Will she stand up for herself? read it and find out! This book was recommended for grades 9 and up. There is a hot and heavy scene that made me giggle...

I should take this opportunity to plug two of her adult fiction books...THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB and PLAYING WITH BOYS, both were really good...strong female Latina characters and lots of fun! I read both of them when I lived in Cincinnati and thoroughly enjoyed both of them!

Sunny Tuesday...

It is a BEAUTIFUL day today...the sun is warm...the sky is blue...and I have a cold. More specifically I can't breathe. You see I am a nose breather...if I can't breathe through my nose I feel like I am being suffocated. So...it is day three of being on a quest to find something that will allow me to breathe. If I can't breathe...there are several things I cannot do! It is really hard to do yoga...since the core of yoga is breathing...it is hard to sleep...as if I sleep with my mouth open I cough...and that wakes me up. I have tried several decongestants...because as it turns out my sinuses and head in general feel like it is in a vice. To relieve the pressure I hoped that would also open up my nasal passages. As it turns out...I feel dry...I feel pressure, and I still can't breathe. I can't use cough drops because unless I have a severe cough I can't stomach them. They make me nauseous. So...any ideas? I still need to function. I have work to go to, classes to attend...etc.

A Step from Heaven

By An Na...what an incredible book. I admit to listening to it rather than reading it. I am driving a little more than normal now that school has started. So...I will be blogging about some audio books! So, this was my first in a long time. I laughed, I cried. It was an incredible story about a family from Korea who moves to the United States, California...for a better life. We follow the story of Young Ju as she grows from 4 years old to an adult. We see the relationship she has with her parents, her friends, her brother...and how she grows up in America. Her education is first in her parents eyes...especially her mother. Her father struggles with multiple jobs and not owning anything. Her brother feels the pressure of being the only male child...I recommend this book to anyone 8 years old and older. I am thinking of reading a couple more of An Na's books as well! If this first book is any indication...I think I will enjoy her others.

The Other Woman

By Jane Green....okay...so look at the title, I am thinking other woman, affair? Well, it is definitely the other woman...especially in your husband's life if you are married...your mother in law. I am blessed and I have an awesome mother in law...but I know people out there whose lives are full of anger, resentment, regret, etc due to a mother in law who is entirely TOO involved in their son's life. So...this is a great book. I loved the characters...and the author gives the mother in law both likable and hate able traits...as with our main character. So Ellie is from a home where her mother was an alcoholic and dies when Ellie is a teen...so naturally when she finds the right man, and his family welcomes her in, she feels very grateful and doesn't want to rock the boat...but things happen...things escalate...and you will have to read it to find out what happens! It was a quick and easy read...and definitely another book by Jane Green that I have enjoyed!

Reading Lolita in Tehran

By Azar Nafisi...I started this book YEARS ago...and then on Thursday decided that I wanted to read it cover to cover...now it is Sunday evening...I have enjoyed my time reading this book partially because I have read at least a few of the books she discusses in the memoir. My mother in law once said she wanted to read the book only after she had read the books she talks about in it...so here is a short list...there are many more.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Daisy Miller by Henry James (I haven't read this one)
I have recently read PERSEPOLIS and am in the process of reading PERSEPOLIS 2...so reading this novel reminded me of my impressions reading the graphic novel...

Living in Iran would be such a different experience...there are so many things that we take for granted about our lives here in the United States...and so many things that seem insignificant to us but were major cause for alarm in Iran. Women are treated as insignificant...this is the theme I got from reading this book...I guess my favorite story (not particularly funny but yet a little) was one the author's friend tells her in a cafe...

"Let's celebrate!" is how the author's friend starts..."Today, after nine years, eight and a half to be exact, I was formally expelled from the university. I am now officially irrelevant, as you would put it, so lunch is on me! Since we can't drink publicly to my newly acquired status, let's eat ourselves to death..." then she proceeds to tell a story that is both horrifying and funny at the same time. (page 160)

Imagine a strand of hair being seductive...wearing colorful clothing..no makeup or nail polish and the punishment for these crimes, severe! Yet, this group of women met and discussed literature in the apartment of the author for awhile...kind of letting their hair down and opening up in a country where being open was a crime. For me this book was interesting, funny, sad, horrifying, and a peek a one woman's view of Iran and the government that controls it. I know it is only part of the story...and I can't help but want to learn more!

The Ultimate Edition Eloise

by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight...so I never read these books as a child...or I don't remember reading them at all. I have heard all sorts of interesting things about them...perhaps Eloise was patterned after Liza Minnelli or something...for a book made in the 50s this was quite something...a girl of 6 and her nanny, living in the Plaza Hotel...with tons of hotel personnel at her beck and call...but no mother to be found. She visits Paris, London and Moscow as well. Incredible illustrations with the carefree life of a 6 year old without rules! It was fun to read...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

By Sherman Alexie. I can't believe that I am JUST NOW reading this book. I have heard of it in several different ways, but now, it is even more important that I read it because he is coming to Liberty Lake Municipal Library. We are featuring him for our ONE BOOK this year...and I will get to meet him. One of my co-workers actually went to school with him! So...that will be exciting! Sherman Alexie grew up on an Indian Reservation here in the state of Washington! The book is a fictional tale...but I guess based a little in truth as well. How does an American Indian fit in with an all white town? How does this effect his life on the reservation? How does it effect the way he grows up as a stranger in a strange land? I thought this was a good book, humorous, sad, interesting all words I would use to describe the book! This book is a Young Adult read...but is appropriate for adults as well! I recommend it! I need to read some of his other books as well!

Big Words

I just finished reading Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell...I loved it. I mentioned before that I had read some of her other children's books...and enjoyed them. I saw her on Rachael Ray and I really like her! Anyway, what a fun read and as always the illustrations are interesting and there is always something new to see! I love the encouragement of adults to teach their kids big words and not always dumb things down for them!

Mad About Madeline

Collection of Madeline stories by Ludwig Bemelmans...with an introduction by Anna Quindlen. This was a LOVELY step back in time. As a kid I enjoyed the Madeline books and yesterday I sat down with this collection while in the waiting room and relived the pleasure of reading the stories...you all know how it goes...In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines....The smallest one was Madeline. After visiting Paris and parts of France last summer, I enjoyed the illustrations of things that I had seen, Carcassonne and places in Paris. There are six books included in this, my favorite is a toss up between the original Madeline or Madeline and the Gypsies. This has made me think about re-reading other picture books from my youth...the Richard Scarry ones, or Steven Kellogg. I already re-read Dr Seuss every so often..go back and read those books that you remember fondly!

Our Only May Amelia

By Jennifer Holm...this book was recommended to me by a Library Patron...I always get such good recommendations this way! She was reading it to her kids...and mentioned it to me. What was most interesting about the book was that this was based loosely on the author's great grandmother's journals or experiences as a pioneer in Washington State...1899. Amelia is the youngest of 8 kids, all of the other children are boys. People are always complaining that she should be a proper young lady...but there is always something more fun for her to do, fishing, sheep to be herded...helping her mother as she is pregnant. Amelia is hoping for a girl! This was a quick read, but full of adventure, longing, and hope. Even though this book is for middle readers I would recommend it for all ages. And...it is also a Newberry Honor book!

40 Days to Personal Revolution

a breakthrough program to radically change your body and awaken the sacred within your soul by Baron Baptiste...I know I have already mentioned the book. I guess you can read a little about how it has impacted my life in my other blog...but I just wanted to plug it a little in this one. If you are looking to change your life in any way...this may be the book for you. It has great ideas on exercise, diet and meditation. I spent 6 weeks reading this book...taking the weeks and implementing them into my life. I have to say that I feel like this has opened my eyes a little. Made me feel a little less guilty about taking time for myself...and definitely has given me some things to think about. Our gym started this in January, it was an additional cost to the gym membership...and the price included the book, some Zrii and an extra session to talk about each week...this mixes yoga, mediation and diet in a great way! I feel much stronger now after having completed this...and not just physically. I want to keep up with it...maybe yoga in my daily life is good for me and a good focus. I will quit rambling...but will leave you with a couple quotes that I took away from the book...

"People often confuse purpose with goals, but they are not the same."

"It serves no one to strive to do better or do more. We only grow by seeking to be better every day, in every moment, both within ourselves and in the world with those around us."

Read it, try it, let me know what you think...

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

By David Wroblewski...all I have been told about this book is that I should read it. It was recommended by about 5 people and about 2 told me they thought it was boring. So...I went into it not sure what to expect. The back cover tells me it is about a boy born mute who lives on a farm with his parents where they raise a breed of dog and train them...but something happens and Edgar has to flee. In a nutshell...so, I went into the book without expectation. The description about how the dogs are trained is fascinating...the relationships between Edgar and his parents and Edgar and the other people he meets is interesting as well. Edgar can hear...but he cannot speak. He develops a technique of communication with his parents...no one else can understand him...he writes things down on paper for most other people. I got sucked into the story...I really slowed down and read it...it took me a record three weeks to read (I normally read a lot faster). I thoroughly enjoyed the book...I would love to be a part of a book discussion about it. I can see why people might not like it...and I can see how others would LOVE it! I think this is a book that you will either love or hate. It is also one of Oprah's Book Club books! Enjoy it! It is a nice long read!

Coraline...read the book before seeing the movie!

By Neil Gaiman...my husband has often recommended that I read Neil Gaiman...not just his novels but his graphic novels as well. I had already read STARDUST...and then purchased an illustrated version as well...it was incredible. I had finished reading it RIGHT before the movie. Now, with Coraline. I listened to this book over a year ago...and now with the movie released I thought it would be interesting to mention it. It is a MUST READ...and if you like to listen, the audio is perfect! It is CREEPY...I was very creeped out by the book (of course it doesn't take much). I had told my husband that the book was a juvenile or young adult...he raised his eyebrows and said REALLY? Tomorrow I plan to see it on the big screen and I am very excited!

Here is what AMAZON.COM review has to say...Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you're thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you're on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious.
What's on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of... people who pronounce her name correctly (not "Caroline"), delicious meals (not like her father's overblown "recipes"), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her "other mother" and her "other father"--people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin... and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Reading...

Okay, so it has taken me nearly 2 weeks to post. I am so sorry. I really am reading. I just haven't FINISHED anything. I am currently reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski...which is FABULOUS, but it is taking me awhile. Normally I speed through books...especially the young adult ones...but this is a little deeper and is taking me a little longer. I have been reading it for two weeks and I am only half way through. AMAZING! I am also reading THE A LIST by Zoey Dean...I am halfway, but only started it a couple of days ago because I am afraid to take the other book into the bathtub with me (more expensive and thicker). I am also reading magazines, newspapers and articles online...so, I am still reading even if I haven't posted a book recently! So, hopefully you are reading too! I hope to post a few more books before school starts...and then my frequency of reading will drop...can't read and study at the same time. I give myself a deal...do schoolwork, read the magazines, short stories, etc, and once the quarter is over...read until the next quarter starts. UGH, it is torture, but usually helps keep me on task!

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

By Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson...In this action-packed conclusion to the Starcatchers trilogy, Peter and Molly find themselves in the dangerous land of Rundoon, ruled by the evil King Zarboff, who takes great delight in watching his pet snake, Kundalini, consume anyone who displeases him. But that’s just the start of the trouble facing our heroes, who once again find themselves pitted against the evil shadow creature, Lord Ombra, in a struggle to save themselves and Molly’s father - not to mention the entire planet - from an unthinkable end. Meanwhile, back in Never Land, a tribal war is under way, and while Peter is off fighting to save the world, a young Mollusk princess has no choice but to join forces with sinister pirates to save her island from the vicious Scorpions. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon is a wild desert adventure - with flying camels, magic carpets, and evil shadows - that literally zooms toward an unforgettable and unimaginable climax. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have teamed together once again to pen a story with unrelenting action and adventure that can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages

I have finally finished this trilogy...LOVED every minute of it even though my husband claims that Jim Dale's voice puts him right to sleep. I didn't get through the audio as fast as I normally do...but that means I am driving less. Anyway, equally as good as the first two...and again, more explanations about Peter, where he comes from, how he does what he does, etc!

Something Blue

By Emily Giffin...picks up where Something Borrowed leaves off...and tells you a little more about Darcy, a character I grew to despise in Something Borrowed. But...this book shows how a self centered, selfish, brat can change and find true love and in the same process really find herself and change into a better person. I am not sure I could buy it...but over time this whiny pregnant 29 year old grows on you. Trust me, there are several moments you wish she would just get over herself...but in the end, she ends up being a good person. If you read Something Borrowed and want to see how Darcy takes the situation, this is a good read. If you didn't like Darcy to begin with, I am not sure how much you will grow to like her in this book...but try it, who knows!

The Harmony Silk Factory

By Tash Aw...this was recommended to me by a library patron, in fact she gave me her own copy so I could read it.

From the Publishers Weekly review
Aw slices his first novel into three segments, wherein three characters dissect the nature of Johnny Lim, a controversial figure in 1940s Malaysia. Depending on the teller, Johnny was a Communist leader, an informer for the Japanese, a dangerous black-market trader, a working-class Chinese man too in awe of his aristocratic wife to have sex with her, or a loyal friend. Long after Johnny's death, we hear these conflicting accounts from his grown son, Jasper; his wife, Snow (through the lens of her 1941 diary); and his English expatriate friend, Peter Wormwood. The chief benefit of this structural trick is to make palpable the limitations of each character's perspective, and that's no mean feat. But Aw's prose, though often witty and taut, is not equally convincing in all its guises. Jasper is the typical alienated son who burns to discover all the crimes his father committed; this also makes him the typical unreliable narrator (when his father kills a mosquito that had bitten him, Jasper cites this as proof of an innate "streak of malice"). When Snow takes over, Johnny suddenly resembles a more ordinary man, while she—adored by her son, whose birth caused her death—reveals herself to be a fallible character and an unfaithful wife. The most boisterous and enjoyable thread of this story belongs to Peter, with whose chipper English patter Aw, oddly enough, seems most at home.

I haven't been able to put it down. I normally read more than one book at a time...well I have only read magazines while reading this book. You are introduced to the main character Johnny, and honestly you are not sure whether to like him, hate him, admire him, or what...he works his way up from nothing and makes something of himself in Malaysia. The book isn't written from his point of view, but from the people he meets, Peter and Snow and his son, Jasper. He makes friends, enemies and gets married along the way. I don't want to give anything away...but the history is interesting and the characters are well developed. And...through all of the book you really aren't sure what to think of Johnny. I would definitely recommend this book.

Something Borrowed

By Emily Giffin....from the back cover...Meet Rachel White, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl - until her thirtieth birthday party, when her best friend Darcy throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiance. Although she wakes up determined to put the one night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run away from. In her wildest dreams (or worst nightmare?) this is the last thing on earth Rachel could have ever imagined happening. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk it all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.

So...I wasn't sure what to think going into it...at first I am thinking, you should NEVER EVER be okay with a best friend sleeping with your fiance...but as the plot unfolds....it just isn't as cut and dry as that. And...I have been recommended this book by several friends...so I thought I would give it a shot! It definitely takes some twists and turns...and while I often disagreed with some of the decisions made...all in all I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying the novel...and I didn't want to put it down.

Because of Winn Dixie

by Kate Dicamillo...it was a great book. My goddaughter told me about this book as have several other people both kids and adults. It has been on my to read list for awhile now...I have never seen the movie. I loved the characters. I especially liked that one of the main characters was a LIBRARIAN!! I always like that...although the stereotype was a little off putting. A young girl finds a dog in the grocery...and what happens next is something you need to read for yourself. Read this to your children, read this yourself...it is a great story.

Eleven, Second Chance and 40 Days to Personal Revolution

So, what a combination of books this time....I should say right away that I lost interest in Second Chance by Jane Green. I have liked a couple of her other books...but I was either not in the mood or bored with the topic...needless to say I made it through about half of the book before I gave it up...

Eleven by Lauren Myracle...a very cute book about a girl growing up, older sister, learning about friendships and friends, who are your true ones and who aren't. LOVED it...thought it was great to recommend to the middle school or grade school age...what is great is there are TWELVE and THIRTEEN as well which I am sure are just as good. However, don't confuse Lauren Myracle's other books...ttfn, ttyl and l8r g8r with the previous books...these are great if you want to learn texting quickly...but are not really intended for all young audiences. EXTREMELY popular with teens...maybe not so popular with parents...and you know how I feel about it...they can read whatever they are interested in, I don't think it will change who they are or what they believe in!

And Finally, 40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baron Baptiste...I am reading this book and re-reading it as I embark on a 40 days of yoga practice at my local gym. I love this book because it takes some of the mysticism out of yoga and relates it to us regular folks without being too out there! I have read it through once...and part of my practice will have me rereading it throughout the next 6 weeks!

Freak

By Marcella Pixley...so, where you the person in school that everyone picked on for being too different? Miriam Fisher used to be best of friends with her older sister Deborah, but now Deborah is pretty and popular and doesn't want to be seen around her younger sister. This was a short read...I finished in a little under 45 minutes. I LOVED it!! Miriam is likable and different enough and she does have a great friend. Her protagonist is a girl named Jenny (a girl that takes after several girls I knew in High School)...the relationship between them, Miriam and her sister and then the relationship Miriam has with Artie, a boy who comes to live with them for his senior year is incredible...I recommend this to both teens and adults!!

Rumors A Luxe Novel

By Anna Godbersen...okay, just as great, scandalous, and racy as the first one. I recommend this if you love the GOSSIP GIRL books and/or TV show! I know this takes place in 1899 but trust me the twists and turns of the relationships and people in this novel are just as racy and the outfits are too cool! I am anxiously awaiting another one in this series...and I may go back and rethink what I thought about Libba Bray's trilogy. I read most of the first book and while it was OKAY...I wouldn't say that I LOVED it. Maybe I will go back and give it another chance. After all the clothing was cool in that series as well! These definitely remind me of a more racy version of the Phillipa Gregory and Phyllis Whitney books I read as a teen!

The Shack

by William P Young....Where do I begin? I was recommended this book by several friends and library patrons. So...the back of the book states (according to Amazon.com) Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

So, I wondered if this book would be similar to THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho, which was recommended to me by several people a few years ago. I read it...and while it definitely had some religious overtones...it could be read as an independent story. And, I would recommend reading it if you haven't already! This book definitely is not like that. This is definitely the book for you if you need a boost in your faith, or have been plagued with questions about why there is tragedy in the world...it is definitely a Christian based book...so other religions aren't necessarily discounted...but they aren't necessarily embraced either.

So what did I think? If you are easily offended...quit reading now!

I have had a tough relationship with religion...I grew up in a strict, nondenominational Christian home...when I say strict...I mean long hair, skirts, no makeup, no dancing of any kind, no instrumental music of any kind and especially not of a religious nature...could only sing religious songs...with the instrument of your voice. No mixed swimming, no drinking, no cussing, no drugs or sex of any kind...okay so not a bad lifestyle at all. I attended church services three times a week and often went to weekly gospel meetings. NOTHING could interfere with this...not school, not vacation, nothing. So, was I exposed to other beliefs, yes, I was, my parents felt I should be a believer because I believed not because it was expected of me...It is hard to explain it to people who haven't ever grown up in this type of background. Not to be confused with other restrictive Christian religions. And...from about birth to age 24 I was very much into it, was baptized, taught Sunday school...and then something happened...something that shook my faith to the core...I am not sure if I should explain that here...and in fact I won't, but in simple terms, I guess I would explain it as the world got hold of me and drug me out of the church...or something like that. And now, for as much faith as I thought I had at age 20, I am the opposite now. I wrestle with it constantly. I am not necessarily judging those who do embrace it...but I have difficulty with religion now,and have had difficulty for the last 15 years or so...maybe not so much with the idea of God...or Buddha or Allah, or anyone who is the higher power...but what our fellow man does with that idea. So, reading this book was like looking back into my past...and explanations of things that I already know are there...but written in a different fashion. A man who wrestles with his faith meets, the holy trinity...and that is explained as well. I am not sure what I expected to happen as I read the book...but it didn't suck me in and I wasn't feeling a renewed sense of faith when I finished. However, I will bet more than 80 percent of those who read it will feel that. I did like the part about the judging...people judging each other, God...it was a great chapter. So, I recommend this book to my religious friends...read it and embrace it! For the rest of you...you may or may not like it, understand it or even want to read it.

SMASHED

Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas. Okay, I read this because I am on a roll reading memoirs of people experiencing total chaos! I was told I should read it and I have always been a little curious about the book. I really liked it...not because it was happy or uplifting but because it talks about someones descent into a relationship with alcohol. She starts experimenting at 14 years old and by college she is drinking and blacking out and getting into all kinds of trouble. I think kids at 14 should read this, even younger. When I was that age I wasn't even thinking about alcohol, but I grew up in a house where none was ever around, my parents didn't drink, my grandparents didn't drink...when I was introduced to alcohol at 16 I said no, my friends respected me for it and I didn't really think about alcohol much again until I was in my 20s...24 to be exact. I spent two years drinking EVERY day...which looking back on it now seems odd, but I think I reached a point in my life where I couldn't deal. And...as abruptly as I started, at 26 I stopped. Okay, I still drink, but not excessively and not with the same emotions I did in my 20s. What is most inspiring about the book is that at some point she does decide that this isn't really for her and that she should stop...and how she does it. I think parents of kids should read this as well...maybe to prepare themselves for what could be...and the way that a kid can pull the wool over a parent's eyes no matter how much the parent thinks they know their kid. This book definitely brought up some demons in my past...and maybe it will for you as well. I think it is something people should read...and maybe discover that you don't have to be an alcoholic to abuse alcohol.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

by Sophie Kinsella...okay just finished this book today. LOVED IT!! I think this is another guilty pleasure like some of the other books I read...GOSSIP GIRLS, THE LUXE, etc. I am not quite the shopaholic that our character Rebecca is...but there was a time when I did my own damage shopping too much and so I could relate. I thought this was an interesting fiction take on Save Karyn's real life problem! When I heard they were making this into a movie I KNEW I had to read it first. Okay, so this is SOOOOO Chick Lit...but fun and definitely worth the time to read. Now, will I continue and read the other books in this series, probably not...but who knows! I did borrow this book from the library and as fate would have it...my husband left the windshield wiper fluid in the back of his car...I threw my bag in the back of his car and TA DA...I ruined a library book and will be paying for it this week! This will add to my laundry list of other ways I have had to replace a library book...one went in the tub...one got lost in the car...and I found it 3 days after paying for it...and my other favorite...eating while reading, dumped an entire Pepsi on a book. So yes, even Librarians pay for books!

Peter and the Shadowthieves

By Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson...read by Jim Dale. Okay, just finished listening to this one today. Started it about 2 weeks ago...didn't get as far as I would have liked. Took it on the road trip to Seattle with me...and made my husband and brother-in-law listen to it with me. Turns out they were interested in it as well. Again...it is a retelling of Peter Pan...or in some cases a completely new telling. I met one of the Darlings in this one!! And...it was just as good as the first one. I have been told to read a couple other retellings of Peter Pan, and I promise to get to them! I am anticipating the third book in this series but probably won't get to it for a little while! I listened to it yesterday and today while cleaning and taking down the Christmas decorations! It definitely helped keep me motivated! I should listen to books more often when I am working around the apartment!

The Luxe

by Anna Godbersen...okay, I must confess I read this book because it is being CHALLENGED (for those of you not in the Library world, this means that someone read this book and has asked for it to be removed or reconsidered from the Library collection). So, of course my interest was definitely piqued. All of the reviews I read recommended it for young adult readers and didn't really say anything negative about it...so I had to dig deeper. Anyway...I was 48 pages into it before someone lit a cigar or cigarette...which was one of the concerns....this book takes place in 1899...a time when most people were thinking more about how they appeared to others and less about health. Okay...so this book is a turn of the 20th century book with a lot of themes similar to GOSSIP GIRLS (a little more modern version of the same group of people). I must confess I LOVED this book...I can't wait to read the next one...and I never would have picked it up had it not been challenged at all. Interesting. As a teen I would have TOTALLY read this book. I was into the bodice ripping romance, historical romance, doomed lovers, etc at 16 years of age. I will also share that reading about sex at 16 didn't influence me to HAVE sex. But the sex scenes aren't particularly explicit and while there is drinking, partying, etc...I would say this was par for the course in this time period. The thing that REALLY hooked me was that it seems that each chapter starts with a quote from something from that time period, whether literature, magazines or newspapers from that era. I thought that was especially cool. This has made me curious about the reference to drinking, smoking, drugs and sex in many of the classics and literature that we tag as something everyone should read! So...I am on a hunt...do you know if your favorite classic or piece of literature has references to any of these things? If so, please share. I have to say that when I read something, this is not what sticks out in my mind...it is the plot, the characters and the outcome...anything that happens extra I sometimes don't notice as much...maybe I should.