Splendor

A Luxe Novel by Anna Godberson...the long awaited 4th book in this series that takes place at the turn of the century...love the dresses, love the scandal and love the characters. This book didn't take as many twists and turns as some of the other books but the characters you love to hate were there, Penelope tries to hook up with a prince, the former maid Carolina Broad is getting ready to marry into wealth, and our favorite characters Elizabeth and Diana have things to deal with of their own. It is all very twisted and scandalous...and still makes me what more!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

By Jeff Kinney....if you have a child in grades 2nd to 7th, they may have read this book...or all four books in the series. Especially boys...they LOVE this series. The book is written as a journal of a middle school boy...and he draws as well as writes in his journal. The movie based on the book comes out March 19th (pushed back from its original date of April 2nd due to the release of CLASH OF THE TITANS!) Well, I wanted to know what all of the fuss was about. So I read it. What a hilarious book! No wonder so many kids love it. I have two copies of each of the books at the library and I am lucky if one is ever in! I was fortunate enough to snag this one a couple days ago...and read it in about 45 minutes! I recommend. The family is fun! Mom, Dad, older brother, and younger brother support Greg. He has a best friend and of course wants to find a girlfriend...and keep away from the bullies! First in a series of four (so far)...I recommend as a family read or for a child ages 8 to 11...

Carrion Comfort

By Dan Simmons...a book that was recommended by my best friend of several years! She wanted us to read and discuss...I wasn't too excited about reading ANOTHER vampire book...the world seems saturated with them right now. But, I read that Stephen King endorsed it, it has won some awards and was written in 1989...so it seemed like there could be some promise. I was hooked from the first moment I started reading. My friend said she couldn't get into it...I was having difficulty doing anything I was supposed to do. Delightfully creepy and definitely a new take on being a vampire...not the bloodsucking variety at all! Ties to the Holocaust and Hollywood...and several twists and turns along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed it. THIS is a vampire book I can recommend along with my favorite, the queen of vampires, Anne Rice!

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

By Alexander McCall Smith...speared on by watching the HBO series...I decided to listen to the first book in the series. I was not disappointed. Of course there were differences between the series and the book. I loved both. Some of the book was altered for the series. I loved the characters, the plot, the mysteries and the exposure to life in Botswana. The main character Ma Precious Ramotswe...is awesome. She has life and she is not afraid of anything...well if she is she gets over it quickly! Her relationships with others, her inquiring mind, and her love of bush tea are some of the things I loved about the book. This is a series...and I look forward to reading more! (or listening as the case may be)

Push

By Sapphire...meet Precious Jones, she is an illiterate 16 year old who has been abused by her father and mother. She is pregnant with her second child and gets kicked out of school. She is sent to a different school where she meets a teacher who is determined to give Precious some hope. This is a powerful book, with a powerful message. I will also warn that it is very graphic and may not be suitable for all audiences...though I would argue that this is something everyone should read. This book has been made into a movie PRECIOUS. After reading the book I am anxious to see the movie.

The Patron Saint of Liars

By Ann Patchett...a few years ago I picked up a book called Bel Canto by this author and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. It was unlike anything I had ever read before and I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I am not sure what genre it would fall in...perhaps just well written fiction with a plot that really sucks you in. I was hesitant to read another book by this author because that one was so good. This is also one of her earlier books...so sometimes authors aren't as polished. Well I picked up the book Monday and finished it two days later. What an incredible story.

I will just quote the back cover of the book

St Elizabeth's is a home for unwed mothers in the 1960s. Life there is not unpleasant, and for most it is temporary. Not so for Rose, a beautiful, mysterious woman who comes to the home pregnant but not unwed. She plans to give up her baby because she knows she cannot be the mother it needs. But St Elizabeth's is near a healing spring, when Rose's time draws near she cannot go through with her plans, not all of them. And she cannot remain forever untouched by what she has left behind...and who she has become in the leaving.

I recommend!

Things Fall Apart

By Chinua Achebe...What a book! My first exposure to this book was listening to the BBC's World Book Club and listening to a discussion about the book. I guess some people would think this would ruin the book for them. Turns out that this book was not exactly what I expected. I also noticed that a lot of schools have this book on their recommended reading list. So..I got it and listened to it on audio. If you are looking for a happy story, this isn't it. We follow the rise and fall of a man named Okonkwo. We learn about tribal life in Nigeria. We learn about how colonialism effects this tribe in particular and how it effects this man. We rise and fall with Okonkwo...his triumphs, his failures, his struggles...and while I didn't connect with the character, I did see things through the eyes of the tribe and their customs. It was educational and interesting...

Shutter Island

By Dennis Lehane...this author has written some great books that have been made into some great movies (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone)...this book is made into a movie as well...but after reading the book, I am not sure I want to see the movie. Now, the book was so good, so suspenseful, so unpredictable...but now that I have read the book, I think that the movie won't have the same suspense factor. Although...the book keeps you guessing, right up until the very end. Two US Marshalls are called to an island to investigate the disappearance of a mental patient...from the moment they arrive things are weird...the staff seem unhelpful, protocol hasn't been followed...what is going on? Things from one of the marshall's past comes to the surface and things take a totally different twist...it definitely kept me guessing and page turning all the way to the end! Incredible especially if you love suspense and like to be kept guessing!