Happy Thanksgiving

I am still reading...I finished Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins right before I left on vacation. It was recommended by Stephenie Meyer...and so I thought I would give it a try. Very interesting plot, it finished with an open for another book...and this is definitely something I haven't read before. I wasn't sure how I felt about it...the topic that is...but I don't want to give it away. Imagine living in a district where everyone is poor and starving. When you are between 12 and 18 years of age you are put in a drawing and if your name is drawn you compete to the DEATH with several other districts for food for your district. Interesting, huh? Let the games begin!

Also just finished reading A J Jacobs, A Year of Living Biblically...a man decides to try to live the bible as literally as possible. Whether you are a believer or a skeptic...I think you will find this book interesting and amusing...he tries to find as many of the rules and then tries to add them into his life. He does this for 380+ days and this is very hard on his wife and family as well. Definitely read it...and if you haven't already he has also written a book about reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z...called KNOW IT ALL...it is also very good!

I have started TRUMAN by David McCullough and so far it is incredible! I will add more about it later! Happy Turkey Day!

AMERICAN WIFE

by Curtis Sittenfeld, I read this book because someone said to me that it was loosely based on Laura Bush's life...and that intrigued me. Obviously this book is a work of fiction and any parallels are interesting but not necessarily intentional. The first 430 pages are about growing up, dating and marriage, it isn't until part 4 of the book that the white house and being a president's wife is mentioned. In the end of the book the author notes that she did some research about being the first lady...but it looks limited to the Clinton Family and the Bush Family. The Blackwell family has one daughter, not two...they are from Wisconsin, not Texas...and the differences continue from there, however, knowing what I knew before starting the book I couldn't help but wonder about the possibility of how much reality and fiction were intersecting. I recommend this book...as I recommend her previous book PREP!

Inspirational Reads

I just finished reading JUST WHO WILL YOU BE by Maria Shriver and THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch. If you are looking for some inspiration, some drive, something to give you a kick in the pants (a gentle one), these are books for you. Sometimes we get so comfortable in our lives and don't really consider if we are doing what we should, or if we are following our dreams, or if we are even listening to our inner voices about what we should be doing...these books may give you the motivation you need to make either a small change for you, or something huge! I recommend both of them. And...if you haven't seen the OPRAH with Randy Pausch or the one with Maria Shriver...I recommend watching those episodes as well!

The Last Chinese Chef

By Nicole Mones...I loved every minute of this book, both about a widow whose husband left her a secret and about a man who was raised in America but is half Chinese, discovering his talent for Chinese cuisine...it made me hungry to read about the dishes prepared and it made me sad to read about a woman who thought she knew her husband...

I can't spoil the end of the book so I won't say more...I will say that even though this book is fiction the author did her research about Chinese cuisine and made me want to visit China and eat! And, I am on page 237 of AMERICAN WIFE...hope to finish it today or tomorrow!

Am I Reading?

I haven't posted anything as of late on the blog, I was going through some books right and left...here is what has happened to me....I started Brisingr, the next in the Eragon series and got to about page 256 when I noticed there was a wait list on it at the Library (since I work in a library I notice these things) so I returned the book, LOVED it so far, just haven't finished it. THEN, I started reading AMERICAN WIFE, and got about 2 chapters into the book, and I am hooked...but then I noticed people waiting on it, so I returned the book and put myself back to the bottom of the list...this weekend I went and found the hardback for 1/2 off...so I should have an opinion about it soon. Well, in the meantime I was recommended THE LAST CHINESE CHEF...and so I am halfway through that book as well. And, to make things even more interesting my name came up on HUNGER GAMES, a book that Stephenie Meyer has recommended on her website...so I think I have some reading to do. Also, I was very curious about the John Adams mini-series on HBO...I got that 2 weeks ago and just finished it last night...so naturally I am interested in reading the book OR reading a book by David McCullough...I have picked out TRUMAN, which is HUGE. I anticipate reading that on my flight to Ohio in a couple weeks. SO...I am reading...just not finishing anything yet. I promise to get something finished this weekend for sure!

Peter and the Starcatchers

By Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, I LOVED listening to this book. Read by Jim Dale (who also reads the Harry Potter Books)...very entertaining. My first experience included driving by my destination not once, but TWICE!! This is a great new telling of Peter Pan, well it is supposed to be pre-Peter Pan, how he got to where he was when he meets Wendy, Michael, and John. I loved it and cannot wait to read the other two in the series (or rather listen to them!).

Save Karyn

One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back by Karyn Bosnak. Okay, I LOVED this book. I have been there...watching your life cycle out of control with the spending, the borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, the promises to yourself and then something happening to keep you from doing what you know is right! UGH! I could have used this book in my 20s. It is so easy to see how out of control it gets when it is happening to someone else. I really like her way of getting things out of control...and I don't want to give anything away...so I can't say how she gets there. But, I really enjoyed this book and my friend who recommended it, thanks! I really liked it! Often I am tempted to try and sell everything I own for $1...I think it would help!

Such a Pretty Fat

or Why Pie is not the Answer by Jen Lancaster...okay, this is the book a friend of mine recommended...now after reading the first two books I FINALLY got to read this one...and I laughed and commiserated with her. I have been dieting (well I say that, but really I am adapting to a new lifestyle)...for over a year now. I started in May 2007 and between then and May 2008 I lost 50 lbs. I have lost 5 lbs since May and it is now November. I still have 20 lbs to go and this seems even more daunting than the original 50. Of course the holidays are approaching...and while I have found some yummy food in my new lifestyle, there is a part of me that still craves the other food...and sometimes I still have to have it. Jen Lancaster takes you on a journey of a woman who is fine with who she is, but realizes if she wants to live, she needs to be healthier. Her love hate relationship with food, exercise and just trying to find a lifestyle that she can live with is just great...and something I can TOTALLY understand. So, laughing and crying with her through this was perfect for me. I recommend this book for anyone struggling with their weight...or maybe if you aren't but you have a friend that is...maybe this will help you understand their struggle!