Winter Garden

I' m not usually a Kristin Hannah fan, but this looked intriguing so I thought I would give it a try. This is the story of a woman and her two grown daughters who don't feel like they know their mother at all. The only connection they have is the love of a man (the girl's father) and a fairy tale that the girls have been told over and over again throughout their childhood.

Eventually, the girls come to realize that the fairy tale is more than it seems. The story is really a retelling of their mother's life in Stalin- era Russia.

The depth of the characters and the relationship development between characters make this book well worth the effort.

One More Day

In 1988, Dex and Emma have only just met. He's a bit of a player. She's a bit of a hippy. Their friendship seems unlikely and yet, the book follows Emma and Dex, the various ups and downs of their friendship, over the next twenty years. It is a very interesting concept because the book only focusing on that one day, so we only get a glimpse into their lives, but it is enough of a look, from both perspectives to get an understanding of what is happening. This was a difficult book for me because I found Dex to be a bit of a pratt. I didn't know why he and Emma just couldn't work it out.
Still the book was well written, with an interesting concept. It is worth checking out.

Something Borrowed

I don't usually read this type of book, but it was light and I thought I would give it a try. This is a story about love and friendship. Darcy and Rachel have been best friends Forever. Then Rachel introduces selfish, party girl Darcy to her law school Crush, Dex. Dex and Darcy become involved and later we found out, as Dex and Darcy are planning their wedding, that Dex and Rachel still have feelings for one another. The result is a complicated story of love, friendship and following your heart.

I will say that this is one of the rare instances where I felt the movie was better. I loved the cast and they even managed to make wishy-washy Rachel and passive- aggressive Dex appealing characters. This is a pass for a book, but a cute movie.

So, what else have I been reading?

So just like almost everyone else on the planet, I loved Katherine Stockett's novel The Help. The story, in case you haven't heard, takes place in the deep south, pre-civil rights Mississippi to be exact. It is about a young, white woman who wants to evaluate the society around her through a different lens, through the eyes of the "help". In this book, Skeeter assists Abilene, Minny and other black maids working for white families and raising white children, put their experiences into words. I really enjoy works of fiction that allow you to step out of yourself and see life through a completely different lens. This book helped me relate to the characters of Abileen and Minny, in particular, in ways that I had previously not experienced. This makes for a great book club discussion and I would highly recommend this book to all. If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?

Update

So I wasn't kidding when I said that Game of Thrones was my new obsession. It happens so rarely that a book completely engrosses me and the characters in it seem like a part of my life. In fact, it has happened to this magnitude on only one other occassion -- when I was reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time.
When I read Lord of the Rings, I even dreamed about the events and characters in the story, it was that real for me. And though everyone that reads my blog knows that I LOVE Harry Potter, my degree of involvement in the story was not the same. While I was engaged in what happened to Harry and co., I was an observer and with both Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, I truly felt like I was "in" the story.
I had all these plans for all the wonderful reading I was going to do over the summer now that I had more time on my hands. I have been reading, but not quite as much as I had planned.
Literally almost 4,000 pages later, I am up to the latest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series called "A Dance with Dragons". I had to make myself step away from the story and take a little break. Read some other things. As a Christmas gift to myself, I will pick "Dance" up in time for the Christmas holidays, though since it is sitting on my NOOK - RIGHT NOW - it will be difficult to wait. Look for more updates in the coming days and weeks as I spread my wings into new literary horizons! :)

My New Obsession

I kept hearing about this book and then I saw it chatted up on one of the Barnes and Noble book blogs. I haven't seen the show on TV, but this book is my obsession. There are so many characters, that I needed to keep a journal at first to keep track of them all. It's important to know and understand who all the players all and how they relate.

This book has it all: intrigue, mystery, politics, treachery, love, magic, wolves, dragons, princes and kings and so much more! The characters are real, you almost feel as if you know them. It's one of those stories whose very depth and breadth is all encompassing. I loved this story and I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially those who love fantasy writing. I am mid - way through book two now and I just can't wait to see the show on HBO, though I am glad that I read the book first.

Night is coming...

Shutter Island

To be honest, this is not usually the type of story that I enjoy reading. However, there was something about it that seemed appealing and I found myself coming back to this book over and over. Finally, I determined to read it.

It was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. It was absolutely riveting. I lived and breathed it, felt every twist and turn. It was emotionally exhausting but one of the most amazing suspense books that I have ever read - a true masterpiece of the genre. I loved it!

Lady Audley's Secret

This was acutally a book club selection. I was irritated with this choice, at first. When I read the synopsis of the book, I thought I had it all figured out. It was so obvious, after all. Then, I started reading. The writers craft was so beautiful it was almost lyrical. The descriptions were moving, like painting a picture with words. The descriptions reminded me of the descriptions of the Manderly estate in Rebecca, by Dauphne du Maurier (if you haven't read Rebecca, it's a MUST!).
Even though the plot seemed obvious, the story reels you in. I find myself caring about the characters, especially Robert, almost in spite of myself. In the end, this book managed to surprise me, several times in fact and I found myself pleasantly surprised. It's a little slow, at first, but if you give it a few chapters to develop, the story is well worth it!

Juliet

We all know the tale of Romeo and Juliet, but what if the story were true? What if Shakespeare based his tale of star crossed lovers on real people?

Julie Jacobs is devastated when her aunt passes away leaving her nothing more than a key and a ticket to Italy. What starts off as a journey of self discovery turns into a quest to answer a centuries old mystery. This is a wonderful, riveting page turner. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good mystery or love story.

An Update

Now that my Master's degree is finally finished, I can return to reading for enjoyment. My reading for the last couple of months has been sporadic, but I mean to change all that this summer. Here are a few of the books that I have been reading:

American Adulterer by Jed Mercurio. This is an interesting work in that the main characters are never mentioned by name. The main character is referred to only as the subject or the President. His wife is named as the First Lady or his wife. Even though names are never specifically mentioned; however, it is clear that the author is dicussing John F. Kennedy. The details discussed in the book are interesting even though the facts of Kennedy's life and adultery are mostly well known by now. I would rate this book a 2 out of 5. No more.

Beastly by Alex Finn. This is the fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, told with an interesting modern twist. It is of course, completely transparent to anyone familiar with the story. This book is perfect for tween girls who enjoy reading about romance and the supernatural.

Finally Finished!

My youngest daughter and I started reading this series in the fall of 2010. We have so enjoyed reading them, and I highly recommend the entire series to lovers of magic everywhere! There are 15 books in the series, so, with my Master's degree and other reading, it did take me some time to finish the entire series. Finally though, the story has reached a most satisfactory conclusion! I loved the wolves, the owls and all the characters throughout the series. At times I thought that Kathryn Lasky was wandering with the story, but she always managed to bring the story back to the main characters and refocus the attention. This series is so much more than meets the eye....

Matched

For those of you who enjoyed the Hunger Games, this is a great book. It isn't as violent in the real sense of the word, but it makes you think about the direction we are going and who really makes the choices in our lives, and more importantly who should be.

This is the story of a young girl. She lives in a future society that selects your "match" based on your genenic makeup to ensure citizens who are both smart and healthy. Sounds like a perfect society where they have eradicated disease right? But then why do all the older people all die on their 80th birthday? Why are the relics from the past civilization taken? And who gets to decide what works of art should be preserved or not?

Cassia's "match" turns out differently than she expects that it will, and this causes her to question everything she was raised to believe. Which would you choose - the society who tells you it only wants what is best for you, or the freedom to make your own choice? It's a great book.

This One Should be Mandatory Reading for Every 5th - 8th Grader

I say that this book should be required reading for every 5th -8th grader, but truly every person should read this book. It is the tramatic yet inspiring story of one girl who survived being bullied in middle school/ early highschool. She experienced events that just made me shake with anger and amazement at how children could possibly be so cruel to one another.

This story really brings home that impact that bullying has - not just on the victims, but also their families. The implications are far reaching and long lasting. Some victims never overcome the trauma that they experienced in a place that is supposed to be safe.

If you have children, please, please, please talk to them about the repurcussions that their words and actions have on other people. Let's create a world that has zero toleriance for bullying.

It's been a while

Oh, I've been reading - like a fool, actually, I just haven't been blogging. Too much going on with work, school, kids, moving.... LIFE. Here is a brief pictoral of what I have been reading with short synopsises where appropriate.




The author has a very unique view of angels, demons and everything in between. The story is original and entertaining, but it didn't make my MUST list.







Both of these are part of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. It is a wonderful series, very entertaining with real depth to the characters and the plot. This story has so much more to it than initially meets the eye. Everyone in our family has loved the entier series and I can't recommend it highly enough. I have three more books in the series to go and I am looking forward to each one.



Trite and unnecessary retelling of The Blind Side. I loved the Toughy's after reading the Blind Side, I didn't need further in depth analysis of why they did what they did for Michael Oher to love them more or find their story inspiring.




Completely unbelievable. Sorry I wasted my time....



This story was completely original and showed so much promise initially. Two totally disparate events and stories, woven together in a way that finally makes sense - it's a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, Card gets caught up with too many plot tangents and the books is at least 150 pages too long. It gets interesting, then it drags, interesting, then it drags. I really had to struggle to get through it and in the end, it simply wasn't worth the effort.

The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader

~ Readers are not born, they are made.

I love that quote because it sounds so hopeful to me. I love to read and I want everyone to feel the same way about books that I do! The idea that readers are made means that almost every person has an equal opportunity to be an avid reader.

This book, by Donalyn Miller, a sixth grade teacher in Texas, reaffirmed everything I believe about teaching and about the love of reading. My love of reading was a gift that my mother gave me. I believe it to be, quite possibly, the most wonderful gift, aside from life, that she has ever given me. I have escaped into books since I was a child, found friends there and experienced whole new worlds. Book for me are quite literally just like magic!

Ms. Miller espouses the idea that to make readers, our children have to - wait for it.... Read more. Since most are not reading at home, as teachers, we need to find the time for these children to read in school. Hopefully by modeling and teaching the love of reading, our students will be so excited by this whole new world that soon they will also be reading at home.

It has been my honor to see this very technique put into practice in several fourth grade classrooms this year. I have witnessed two very different but both wonderful teachers uses similar techniques to inspire the love of reading. I have seen the results, first hand. I have watched students BLOSSOM in just a few short months from being reluctant readers to avid ones.

There is so much in this book that is chalk full of wonderful advice, whether you are a teacher or a parent. I think my favorite piece of advice in the book is to read more children's books. I read a lot of young adult works because it helps me connect with my daughters and my students. I like to know what they are reading and I enjoy being able to make recommendations for them. I used to be ashamed to read so many young adult titles - crazy, I know. But Ms. Miller really helped me see the importance of this connection that I am creating with my children and my students. If you have children in your life, reluctant or avid reader, this book really does change perspectives on so many things. If you are a person working on becoming a teacher, or a classroom teacher right now, I can't recommend this book highly enough!

In the seventh book of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, Lasky steps away from our cast of favorites at the great Ga'Hoole tree to introduce some new characters.

This is the story of Nyroc, hatching of that despised Kludd and his evil mate, Nyra. Born under the auspicious sign of the eclipse, Nyroc is portended to have a great capacity for good, or a terrible capacity for evil. As Nyroc grows, he experiences all the typical Owl ceremonies and awaits his Pure Ones "special" ceremony - or Tupsi - with great anticipation. But what does it all have to do with his best friend, Phillip? And what are the strange images he sees in the fires of his father's burial ceremony blaze? What is the truth? His visions, or the stories his mother has told him?

This is a great book about love, the power of friendship and what it means to have free will.

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

This is the story of a brother and sister, Whit and Wisty Allgood, who are taken from their beds in the dead of night by the New World Order. They stand accused, of all things, of being a Witch and a Wizard. Oddly enough, they actually are

The best part of the story is references to "the one who is the One". Considering the time frame in which the story was written, the references to a man who has the power over the masses with his words is both timely and scary. I am looking forward to the second book in the series to see if Whit and Witsy can save the children of the future and take down the New World order. Witsy is a red-head, so I have no doubt that she is going to kick some ass and take names.

Nose Down, Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe

This is a hysterical story about a somewhat loser - ish guy with a Peter Pan complex and his relationships with women and his four talking dogs. The primary character in the book, Jimmy, is a dog. His owner discovers him giving seminars on how to understand and manipulate humans to the other dogs on his block. Jimmy's insight into humans in laugh out loud funny! Jimmy goes through an identity crisis when he realizes that he is, in fact, a dog.

Gale, his human owner, doesn't have many character traits to recommend him. He is a loser that never achieved much with his life and who treats women horribly - to say the least. He even goes so far as to exploit his dogs, especially Jimmy. In the end though, he does realize what impact his actions have on others and the importance of his relationship with his dogs.

Even though the main human character isn't very appealing, this book is well worth the read for the canine conversations alone!