War Horse by Michael Marpurgo

Last year I had several students - boys - who loved to read about history. I saw the previews for this at the movies and I realized that it was based on a book. Stories about animals always really choke me up, but I knew that I had to read this book.

I'm SO glad that I did!!! I love horses and if for no other reason, this book is a wonderful horse story. That said, it is also so much more than that! It's a story of love, trust, friendship, courage and loyalty. The personification used by the author for the horse, Joey, represents the best in all of us and all we hope to be. It reminded me much of the timeless classic, Black Beauty, but of course, more from a boys perspective. Like Black Beauty, it is told from the perspective of the horse, Joey. It is a brilliant story but if you read it ( and I highly recommend that you do!) better have the tissues handy! Joey and all the characters of this treasure are unforgettable.

I recommend this for readers of all ages, especially those with an interest in history. Great book for boys!

2011 - A Book List

This is simply a list of books that I read in 2010. Reviews on those not already commented upon previously to follow. Here there are, in no particular order:
1. Citizen Washington by William Martin
2. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
3. Game of Thrones - GRR Martin
4. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
5. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
6. Please Stop Laughing at me by Jodi Blanco
7.Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
8. Crossed by Ally Condie
9. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
10. The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
11.Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by tom Franklin
12. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
13. Room by Emma Donoghue
14. Winter Garden by Kristin hannah
15. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
16. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
17. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
18. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
19. Start with Why by Simon Sinek
20. the Iron King by Julie Kagawa
21. A Feast for Crows by GRR Martin
22. A Storm of Swords GRR Martin
23. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
24. A Clash of Kings by GRR Martin
25. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
26. Juliet by Anne Fortier
27. Beastly by Alex Flinn
28. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
29. Love Walked In by marisa de los Santos
30. Matched by Ally Conde
31. The Women by T.C. Boyle
32. Murphy's Boy
33. The Night Strangers
34. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
35. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
36. One More Day by David Nichols
37. Witch and Wizard by james patterson
38. Nose Down, Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe
39. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
40. Shutter Island

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! :)