John Locke: Saving Rachel
I have never read anything by this author before. It's a crime novel and apparently he has an entire series written from the perspective of one of his characters -- Donovan Creed. It was a fast read, but that was probably the highlight for me. I will definitely skip on the rest of the series!
Todd Burpo: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, Deluxe Edition
I saw this one a while ago, but just around to finally reading it. What a nice story. I also think it spoke to me at the right time, when I was needing a little encouragement. I think I will probably have Leah and Jackson read this one too.
Stephanie Meyer: Breaking Dawn(The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
After having it sit near my bedside table for a year, I finally picked it up to finish the Twilight saga. It was a fast read and now I know what people are talking about when they say Team Edward or Team Jacob. I'm so in the loop now!
Joan Didion: The Year of Magical Thinking
I read this book for a different reason than usual. A few months before my mother-in-law passed away, I drew her name for Christmas. She had only a few ideas on her list and this book was one of them. I gave it to her as part of her gift. The book is an account of the first year after the death of the author's husband. I recently saw it at the library and felt drawn to read it. I wanted to understand a little bit more of why my MIL wanted it. I don't think she ever had a chance to read it, but I can only guess that she wanted to read it to see a glimpse into what my father-in-law would be experiencing after her death. I didn't expect this, but it brought up so many memories of my dad's death and the feelings I had in those first few years. I could relate to so many experiences. It was an interesting read.
David Ebershoff: The 19th Wife: A Novel
I know nothing about polygamy. I know nothing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But, I love learning! This historical fiction books tells the life story of Ann Eliza Young, the supposed 19th wife of Brigham Young. She leaves the church and basically goes on the lecture circuit telling the stories behind the walls of polygamy. It was well-written and packed full of history and embellished history. A good read!
Michael Oher: I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond
I haven't seen the Blind Side movie or read the book, but I read Michael's book. It tells the story of his life, leading up to the movie. I really enjoyed it. What an amazing life he led! He had such focus and determination and the Touhy family helped him reach those goals. I have to see this movie now!
Rebecca Skloot: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
A great, great book! Back in the 40's, doctors at Johns Hopkins took a cancerous tissue sample from a woman named Henrietta Lacks. It was the first time that researchers were able to keep cells alive in the lab. To this day, those same cells are alive around the world. Those cells are what have allowed doctors to test millions of treatments and have a vast understanding of diseases. The book tells that story, as well as the story of Henrietta and how her family never even knew the tissue sample was taken. A really great book!
Kathy Freston: Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World
I started reading it over the summer and spent a few months reading and re-reading parts. There was so much interesting information in this book. After reading so much about the benefits of a plant-based diet (and the negative effects of a meat-based diet), I decided to stop eating meat. It's been surprisingly easy to do. I still make meat for the kids and Joe some days, but not too often. For the last 18 months, I had already cut our meat consumption back to 2 or 3 nights a week. So, it's been pretty simple to transition.
Jim Quillen: Alcatraz from Inside: The Hard Years 1942-1952
After Joe and I toured Alcatraz, I had a huge curiosity to learn more about the prison. This book was written by a former inmate and it was fascinating! Not only did it give insight into the workings of the prison, but it also shed some light on how someone can end up in the most feared prison in the US. Jim Quillen was in his early 20's when he was sent there. He spent 10 years at Alcatraz, 18 years incarcerated and then went on to live another 40 or so years after serving his time. He completely changed his life and even received a Presidential Pardon. I really enjoyed this book and learning about this individual man's transformation.
Jean Hanff Korelitz: Admission
This story is written from the perspective of an Admissions counselor at Princeton University. While it sheds some light on the elite process of college admissions, there is also a storyline of a young woman dealing with some dark secrets from her past. It was a bit long and slow, but the pace picked up as it went on. Interesting.
Chelsea Handler: My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
Raunchy, but funny! If you're looking for a laugh. . . it's a good one.
Tim O'Brien: The Things They Carried
I just recently heard about this book. It showed up on a high school reading list that was mentioned on another blog. It's the story of one platoon of young men in Vietnam. As the title implies, the book tells stories of each of the young men and what they carried in their packs. . . the things that got them through each day. I enjoyed reading this one, because I know so very little about Vietnam. The author refers to it as a work of nonfiction, but it is based on his own experiences in Vietnam. An interesting read.
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Little House in the Big Woods Book and Charm (Charming Classics)
Leah checked this one out at the library, so I read it after her. Took me back to when I was a kid and read these. Every once in awhile, we will catch Little House on the Prairie on and even the boys get interested. Not sure if we'll read all the books, but it was a fun quick read.
Greg Mortenson: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
I loved, loved, loved this book! Proof that one man and his determination can make a tremendous difference. He believes that educating boys and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan is what will help reduce the violence and offer them an alternative to becoming a rebel fighter. It's an incredible story!
Stephenie Meyer: Eclipse (The Twilight Saga)
I read the first two in this series last year and had the third sitting around, but never took the time to read it. It was interesting too. Basic style of writing.. . definitely geared toward young adults. . . but a quick read.
Tom Rachman: The Imperfectionists: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle)
It was so-so for me. Interesting characters. It looks at the lives of many of the key players at an English-language newspaper in Rome. The idea of a bustling newspaper seems so exciting, but in reality the characters are filled with despair and loss. I know this one is on the NYT Bestseller's list, but I'm not sure why. Not sure who this book speaks to.
Anne Frank: Diary of Anne Frank (Imprint Books)
I read this one in school years ago. . . but wanted to read it again for Book Club. It's amazing how different a book can be, at a different age. It was fascinating and made me wonder so much about her short life, after she and her family were captured. I am so glad that I re-read this one and look forward to revisiting some other I had to read long ago!
Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage)
So good. . I didn't want to put it down! I stayed up until 1 and 2 too many school nights, but it was so interesting that I didn't want to stop. I plan to read the next one, but have a few others to read before that one.
Nicholas Sparks: The Rescue
Someone gave this to me. Not my kind of book, but it was light and fast reading. As are all his books. . . love story, very predictable and wrapped in a simple little bundle. I think I've read 3 of his and they are all the same formula.
Stewart O'Nan: Songs for the Missing: A Novel
I really, really, really enjoyed this one. It is a simple plot. . . a young woman goes missing in a small town. . . but the book tells the story from the family's perspective. I had never really thought about the process of searching for someone, but it is such an incredibly complex and difficult process filled with endless details. The author did a great story of capturing the emotion of the family. I felt their despair in every chapter.
Kate Jacobs: Knit Two
I read the first one -- Friday Night Knitting Club -- a few years ago and it was pretty good. This one was a little too neatly wrapped up into a syrupy type of story for my taste. OK, but not a favorite.
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
I thought Jackson and Leah would like reading this book,but wanted to read it myself to make sure it was okay for them. It was a cute book. I'm not sure why people went nuts for it, but it was a good read. I think they will both enjoy it!
Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It
I first watched this documentary back in March and that's when we started making changes to the foods we eat. I spent the last few months reading through this book and making even more changes. I thought it was great! I learned so much from it. A great read for anyone wanting to know more about pesticides, growth hormones and our food supply.
Maggie O'Farrell: The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox
Few authors can master the art of telling a story with two timelines -- past and present -- without confusing the reader. Unfortunately, this one didn't do well at it. It's an interesting story of a young woman who finds out she has a great aunt who has been in a mental facility for 60 years. She becomes the only family member who can take this woman in and learns years of secrets in the process. Nice plot, but I was more often confused than not, during trips into the past.
Stieg Larsson: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
This is a long book. . . took me 100 pages or so to get into, but it paid off in the other 500 + pages. It was a really, really interesting crime fiction book. I am intrigued to read more in the series.
Alicia Silverstone: The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet
OK. . . not interested in becoming a vegan, but in our continuing quest to improve our eating habits. . . I am still increasing our fruits/vegetables. I enjoyed this book a lot and she convinced me to try a few more types of greens. (Kale, anyone?) I'm not a milk drinker and greens are a great source of calcium. Good info and whether her info is accurate or not, I still switched us over to organic milk and almond milk.
Stephenie Meyer: New Moon (The Twilight Saga)
I can't believe that I read the first one, but it sucked me in and I had to read the second one too. Fast reads, simple and entertaining!
Stephenie Meyer: Twilight (The Twilight Saga)
The author's story is a neat one. Stay-at-home mom turned bestselling author. I was feeling like I was out of the loop and so I had to read this one. A really fast read and I can now see why women went nuts over this one. It's kind of the vampire version of "The Bridges of Madison County." Forbidden love and all that. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I might now.
Katrina Kenison: The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir
The book shares the story of how Kenison was itching for change and made an abrupt decision to uproot her family from the city to the country, in search of a simpler life. I really enjoyed it, because she writes about how she had to learn to adjust her role in life as a mother. She had a difficult time changing from being the mother of toddlers to the mother of young adults. She writes about she had to almost rediscover herself and understand her contributions to society again. While I did enjoy it, it could have been shorter. . . she tends to say the same things in many different ways. It's a good read, especially for any mother of teens or close to teens.
Kathryn Stockett: The Help
I had heard a lot about this one and I loved it! The characters are so believable and the author did a great job of capturing their voices. It is set in the early 1960's in Jackson, MS and tells the story of the black maids and the white families they cared for. I wonder how I would have felt living then. Knowing myself and how I'm not shy about sharing my opinion, I wonder how vocal I would have been about my opinions on civil rights. Hhhhmmmm. . .
