Happiness Sold Separately - Lolly Winston

This was an interesting book for me to read, being at the place and time I am in my life right now. It deals with a topic I was fearful of - infertility. I have previously read Good Grief, by Winston, and really liked it. So, I figured this book was a good bet.

This book is about Elinor and Ted, an older, but recently maried, couple coping with infertility and infidelity. Can this couple survive these two very powerful forces that have entered their lives?

I love this book, and Lolly Winston, so much because she writes with so much honesty and realism. Her words and stories are so real to read. It's like the story hapenning to someone you know. And that is so truly refreshing. Not a light read, by any means. These are topics that are a little difficult to swallow. But Lolly Winston is truly a great writer and much recommended.

Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer

I finished Breaking Dawn just in time for all of the Twilight movie hype - great timing! So, Breaking Dawn is the final installment in the Twilight series. And it's quite a finale!

In Breaking Dawn, Bella and Edward finally marry and begin their "happily ever after" with each other. Only to find out that Bella is pregnant - with what? Vampire, or human? The story unfolds as Bella gives birth, Jacob becomes even more firmly entrenched into their lives, and the Volturi are back for revenge.

The story was entertaining and contained a lot of twists and turns as the story progressed. The story ended up being very different than I thought it would be going in. One thing I didn't love about this book, though, was the random chapters in the middle narrated by Jacob. I'm not completely sure what the purpose of that was. Hmmm. Overall, I was satisfied and am looking forward to the movie adaptions.

Belly Laughs - Jenny McCarthy

When I found out I was pregnant six weeks ago, this is one of the first books I picked up. It recounts Jenny's experience with her first pregnancy - the good, the bad, and the ugly. The really ugly. Jenny describes the ups and downs of pregnancy - everything your doctor doesn't tell you - with humor. I found myself reading chapter after chapter, enthralled, grossed out, and laughing hysterically. I must read for all soon to be moms. And a super easy read - I think I read the whole book in under two hours.

Whoa - Long Time

So, I haven't posted in eons. I have been preoccupied by all things baby since I found out I was pregnant six weeks ago today. I think all I read for over a month was pregnancy book after pregnancy book.

However, the good news is that I finished Breaking Dawn and am most of the way through Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston. I will be posting more book reviews soon, so stay tuned!!!

Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer

I've been really trying to space out the Twilight series books. I have been trying to make them last a bit, especially since there are only four total books in the series. It's always so sad to finish a series you really like. But I couldn't wait any longer, and I finally go around to reading the third book in the series, Eclipse.

The books keep getting better and better as the series goes on. The story builds and really starts to come into its own. The characters grow and become more rounded. You get more and more attached to them as the series continues.

Eclipse tells the continuing story of Edward, Bella, and Jacob as they encounter new dangers. In Eclipse, a crop of new vampires are on the loose in Seattle and eventually make their way to Forks to come after Bella. Edward and Bella grow closer to marriage and eternal life. And Bella is forced to confront her feelings about Jacob once and for all.

This was really a great book. I have liked each of the books, but I am really liking them more and more as the story grows. I am very anious to find out what happens next. How long will I be able to hold out before I buy the next book?

Love Walked In - Mariso de los Santos

I feel so sad. I got back from vacation and the amount of time I had to read plummeted. It took me over two weeks to get through this book. And it's a book I really liked.

"My life -my real life - started when a man walked into it, a handsome stranger in a perfectly cut suit, and, yes, I know how that sounds." So begins Love Walked In. This book really just touched my heart in so many ways. I feel like I really connected in some way with the lead character, Cornelia. The book drew me in from the very first sentence and kept my hooked the entire way through.

This was an emotional book. One of those books were you just root and root for the two main characters, Cornelia and Clair. Scared and alone, each in their own way, Claire and Cornelia are drawn together finding the strength and love that both are looking and yearning for. Just when they start to believe that their lives just couldn't get any better, life throws them several "curve balls" testing the love, strength, courage and trust they've come to depend on from one another and those close to them.

I don't have enough good things to say about this book. Maybe it hit me at the right time. At a time when I was already feeling emotional and sappy. But it was really, really good.

The Gatecrasher - Madeleine Wickham

The premise of this book is a little uncomfortable. It is about a woman (Fleur Daxney) who creashes the funerals of people she does not know to pick up wealthy men. Fleur's ultimate goal is to seduce the men and then move in after their money. Fluer is a mysterious woman with a past, and a thirteen year old daughter, that threatens to haunt her has she hones in on her current target, Richard Favour.

Madeline Wickham is most famous for the books she wrote under the pen name Sophie Kinsella. She has recently begun to write ane release books under her real name. The books she has released under her real name, although still in the chick lit genre, are very different from the books she writes as Sophie Kinsella. These books, including this one, are quite a bit edgier in both the writing style and content. There is not a lot of likeness between the books released as Madeline and the books released as Sophie. This is especially true if you are looking for something that is light and laugh out loud funny. You will find very little of Sophie Kinsella in The Gatecrasher. But, at least in my opinion, this is a very worthy read. And it actually shows that Wickham depth as a writer.

The Stranger - Albert Camus

I figured since I was on vacation, I would attempt to read something a little bit deeper. I took quite a few philosophy classes in college and was familiar with Camus, but never read any of his books. I chose The Stranger because it looked promising.

The Stranger tells the story of an emotionally detached, amoral young man named Meursault. When the book opens, Mersault has just found out his mother has passed away. He does not cry at his mother's funeral, he does not believe in God, and, a day after he attends his mother's funeral, he kills a man he barely knows without any discernible motive. For his crime, Meursault is deemed a threat to society and sentenced to death. When he comes to accept the “gentle indifference of the world,” he finds peace with himself and with the society that persecutes him.

The Stranger illustrates Camus' philosophy of the absurd. Camus's absurdist philosophy implies that moral orders have no rational or natural basis, which differs slightly from exestentialism, which implies there is no “higher” meaning to the universe or to man's existence, and no rational order to the events of the world.

This was an interesting book to read. It really made me think a little about life and about just how much I disagree with Camus' philosophy. I would highly recommend reading this book. It is short and a fairly simple read with lots of great thought provoking themes.

The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros

This is the second book I have completed thusfar during my vacation week. I pretty much finished it in one reading sitting by the pool. This is a short book of vignettes that add up to tell the larger overall story of Esperanza, who lives on Mango Street in Chicago.

The House on Mango Street is a wonderfully poetic book that is so written so simply, but, yet, tackles so many deep themes. It is a book about culture, about upbrining, about love, feminism, and oppression. It is a story about a girl coming into her own and having a bright future in front of her.

This was a really great book to read on vacation. It was so beautifully written and poetic that it just touched my heart in so many ways. I did not read this book in school and it I book I have been meaning to read for some time. I am so glad I finally read it.

Picture Perfect - Jodi Picoult

I believe this may have been one of Jodi Picoult's first books. It was published in 1995. I have read quite a few of Picoult's books now, and was curious to see how this early book compared to her more recent work.

Picture Perfect tells the story of Cassie, who, when the book starts, wakes up to find she has been beaten, but has amnesia, so she can't remember how she got where she is, or what happened to her. As the story begins to unravel, Cassie begins to piece back her memory, including the mystery of how she got beat up, who beat her up, and why she was out on the streets of LA alone.

I'm not sure that I loved this book. It didn't feel very realistic to me. The subject matter - a famous actor beating his wife - just wasn't quite told in a way that convinced me it was a "real" story. It was a fairly typical Picoult book. So, if you like her stuff in general, you will probably like this one, as well. It just left a little to be desired, for me.

Vacation or Bust!

We are leaving Tuesday for a week long trip out to Lake Havasu. We have rented a gorgeous home with a lake view for the week. The home has a killer patio with a heated salt water pool, a jacuzzi, and a fire pit (see image to the left). I think we plan on spending the majority of the week by the pool and on the lake in our boat.

As a result of all of this relaxation time (so, so needed after a month from hell at work), I am taking a hefty pile of books to occupy my time. Yay for the opportunity to read as much as I want for an entire week. Yes, I know that my excitement for wanting to read every spare minute for a week straight makes me the biggest nerd on the face of the planet. To each his own, right?

So, this is my book list for the week. I am fairly confident I will be able to get through all, if not most of these, books:

1. I need to finish Picture Perfect - Jodi Picoult

2. The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros

3. The Stranger - Albert Camus

4. The Gatecrasher - Madeleine Wickham

5. The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle (Now I doubt I will get through this one completely, but I plan on starting it and reading bits here and there throughout the week)

6.Buffalo Soldier - Chris bohjalian (This is my back up book in case I read everything above)

Stay tuned for a blizzard of blog entries as I read each of these!

Such a Pretty Fat - Jen Lancaster

I love Jen Lancaster. I mean I really, really, really love her. Her first two books, Bright Lights, Big Ass and Bitter is the New Black, were fantastic, laugh out loud, hilariously funny peeks into her life. Such a Pretty Fat picks up where Bitter left off, with Jen wanting to tackle the little issue she has with her weight.

Jen has no issues whatsoever with her size or her self-esteem. She carries a few, or more than a few, extra pounds around with her. She has for a long time, and yet it doesn't bother her in the least. She is happy and confident with the person she is. What a concept! A woman being happy with who she is despite not being stick thin. Did I already say that I love Jen Lancaster?!

Well, a visit to the doctor reveals some frightening health news, and Jen decides she really should do something to be a little healthier. And, hey, why not turn the project into another best selling book?

Jen has the ability to say outloud what each and every one of us is thinking, but just never ever says outloud, with spunk and charisma. And the result is absolutely hysterical. She is brutally honest, and it is so refreshing and comforting to know that it is possible to be happy despite all of the pressure we get as women to be thinner, prettier, and, yes, even thinner.

Every woman should read this book. I laughed out loud so many times that my poor husband thought I was loosing my mind.

The Emperor's Children - Claire Messud

I picked this book up and read the back cover, like I always do, and thought, hey, this sounds like a really great interesting book to read. Fast forward about a year when the book finally rose to the top of the To Be Read pile. I was really interested in this book. and I was especially wanting to read something a little smarter and a little less mind numbing this summer. Note to self - smarter isn't always better.

The basic plot of this book is the intersection of the lives of three 30-somethings making it - and not making it - in New York City. The three friends are trying to find their way and find themselves until a twist is thrown into their lives that changes each of them forever.

This book got some really great literary reviews. It was a New York Times Book of the Year. However, I just didn't like it. I found the characters dull and the story line utterly lacking. Who knows, maybe I'm not intellectual enought to really "get" the book. But I thought it was bad from beginning to end.

New Moon - Stephanie Meyer

I have jumped on the Twilight bandwagon, see post below on Twilight, and when I jump on a bandwagon, I usually buckle down and get 'er done. What? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have now finished New Moon, the second book in the Twilight Series. I am oddly fascinated with these books. After I finished the first, I ran right out and bought the second. Now, I want to run right out and buy the third book, Eclipse.

In New Moon, the story deviates a bit to tell Jacob's story. Sadly, Edward is pretty much out of the picture in this book. That being said, I actually thought this book was a little better written and the characters a bit more fleshed out than Twilight. I kind of feel like the overall story is starting to get in stride. But, without Edward, the book just wasn't as good, overall. Frankly, Edward makes the story pop.

That being said, I am anxiously awaiting the next chapter, or, should I say, the next book in the series, and the return of Edward.

The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman

This book has intrigued me for a while. I bought it a few months back and have been meaning to get to it. Still being somewhat of a newlywed, I figured any and all information I could learn on how to communicate better could only help me in the long run.

In this book, Gary Chapman, a Christian marriage counselor, asserts that each indivual speaks and expresses love in one of five ways: words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. He says that one of the biggest problems in marriages is that often times partners speak different love languages and do not understand the language of each other, which causes conflict and misunderstanding. This book asserts that most problems in marriages can be fixed by learning your spouces love language.

This was an interesting book, but very much common sense to me. I went into marriage knowing that communication is the key. If you can't communicate with your partner, your marriage is not going to last. Maybe I've been reading too many of these types of books lately. Or maybe I just waited so long in life to get married that I learned these lessons long ago. But, nevertheless, it was a simple and easy read and I could see how it could be a good starting point for learning how to better communicate with your spouse.

Many Lives Many Masters - Brian Weiss

I am always looking for something new and fresh and different to read. I have a neighbor who is a life coach, and she is always recommending new metaphysical, inspirational, and self help books for me to read. When she recommended this one and told me I wouldn't be able to put it down, I figured I should give it a shot.

This book is about a phychiatrist, Dr. Weiss, who begins to treat a patient suffering from severe anxiety and phobia issues. After treating her for 18 months and not making any significant breakthroughs with her and her condition, he decides to try hypnosis.

When Dr. Weiss puts the patient under hypnosis, his intent is to regress her back to her childhood and uncover any possible traumatic events that happened to her. Instead, she regresses back 2,000 years, shocking Dr. Weiss. The rest of the book details many of the hypnosis sessions and describes the many different lives the patient has experienced before the one she is living today. These hypnosis therapy sessions complete cure the patient of all of her anxiety and phobia issues. During the hypnosis sessions, Dr. Weiss is also able to communicate with master spirits, who give a lot of insight into our purpose here on earth as humans.

I've never been on board with the idea of reincarnation. However, this book was extremely interesting. I read the entire thing in two sessions and it really made me wonder what if? I am still on the fence in regard to the idea of reincarnation.

But beyond the reincarnation discussion this book does a good job of dealing with "the meaning of life" so to speak, and what our purpose is while we are here in human form. I actually got a lot out of those discussions. I would definitely recommend this book. If nothing else, it will really make you think about your life and they way you are living it.

Books Read Survey

This is circulating throughout blogs all over the internet, so I thought I would join in for the fun.

Here's how it works:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read. I italicised books that have been on my TBR pile for years. I swear I will get to them all some day.

The premise of this exercise is that the National Endowment for the Arts says that the average American has only read 6 books from the list below. Wow! I have read about of third of them, and I thought that was a low number.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (not the whole thing front to back, but sections)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare – I have read many plays, but not the complete works!
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood4
9 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer

Well, I bit the bullet and finally gave into all of the hype surrounding the Twilight series. I have never much been into vampire stories, so I really didn't have any expectations going into this book.

I think most people know the plot of this book already, since I am sooo way behind the times. Girl meets boy. Boy is a vampire. Girl's life is endangered because vampires like to drink human blood. Vampire saves the day. So starts the series!

My biggest issue with the book is the heroine, Bella. She is a little weak for my taste. I think she could have been a much stronger and compelling character, and that would have only made the book better overall. But I liked the book, despite my feelings for Bella. And I must say I did love Edward. He totally made the book, in my opinion.

All in all I have to say that I ended up liking this book much much more than I thought I ever would. It was very entertaining read and I have already picked up the second book, New Moon.

Many people have compared this book series to the Harry Potter series. In my opinion this series is no where near as good as Harry Potter. But Stephanie Meyer has created a wonderfully entertaining story to keep me reading, and buying, more books.

Barefoot - Elin Hilderbrand

Yes, I read back to back books centering around characters living on Nantucket. It is July and I am in a summer beach book mood! I was actually very curious to read this book after reading The Beach House (see post below), as I am a huge Jane Green fan.

This book revolves around three women who pack up and head to Nantucked for the summer. Each woman is escaping her own life and hoping to deal with her problems by spending the summer at the beach. The story follows Vicki as she deals with cancer treatment, Brenda as she deals with the fallout of being fired after having an affair with one of her students, and Melanie who, after a long battle with infertility, is finally pregnant, only to find out that her husband is having an affair.

This book really kept my attention, as I read the whole book over the course of a weekend. The characters and the story were interesting and kept me wanting to read and find out what happens next. It was a light read. There is no brain surgery here. But after spending my days ad weeks at work, it's books like this that keep me going and allow my mind to relax and get swept up and away from all of the everyday mundane details of life.

The Beach House - Jane Green

I am a big fan of Jane Green. I have read all of her books to date. So, when this one was release, of course I ran right out and purchased my hardcover copy.

This book tells the story of Nan, who lives in an old house called Windermere in Nantucket by herself. In an attempt to earn some extra money, she decides to rent out the extra rooms in her home for one summer. The rest of the story revolves around Nan and the characters that fill her home with their lives.

Like most of her books, I really liked this one. It was a light and breezy read. The characters were varied and likeable, each with their own story that kept the book flowing from beginning to end. Jane Green is the epitome of chick lit. But it's not ditzy name dropping chick lit. Her stories are real and fresh and relatable. This book is a great summer beach read. I can't wait for her next one!

Cocktails for Three - Madeiline Wickham

I have really liked all of the books written by Sophie Kinsella. They are light, fun, easy reads without being too dumb and ditzy. Tell-tale chick lit. But good reads nonetheless. When I found out that Sophie has another set of books written under the name Madeiline Wickham (written before the Sophie Kinsella books), I figured it couldn't hurt to give one a try.

Cocktails follows the lives of three friends, Candice, Roxanne, and Maggie, as they live their lives in London. All three women work for a magazine, The Londoner, but are in vastly different places in their lives. Candice is trying to repair damage done by her father, Roxanne is trying to come to terms with an affair with a married man, and Maggie is dealing with new motherhood and a move to the country with her husband.

This book is a good, light read. Not as good as her work as Sophie Kinsella. The characters were a little more flat, and not quite as loveable and likeable as they could have been. But, overall, I'd still recommend this book as a good light, quick read.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Set during the 1930's, Water for Elephants tells the story of Jacob Jankowski who leaves his life as a Cornell University veterinary student for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth after a freak accident kills both of his parents. The book tells the story of Jacob's life with the circus in a series of flashbacks as a 91 or 93 year old man in a rest home.

This book was wonderfully researched and written. Gruen illustrates the life of a circus worker in the 1930's in a manner that makes you really feel like you are there and a part of the story. It is a somber time period, and you can feel the diffuculty of life for each of these characters. As a reader, you really grow to love Jacob's character and his care and concern for the other circus workers and for the animals he works with, especially Rosie (the elephant).

This is such a good book. I loved it from the first page to the last. I can not say enough good things about this book. A definite must read.

Self Storage - Gayle Brandeis

I've been sitting here trying to figure out what to say about this book, but I am having a difficult time. This book really just rubbed me the wrong way.

Self Storage was published shortly after 9/11 and tells the story of Flannery "Flan" Parker and her family as they navigate through their lives post-9/11. The Parkers are sort of foundering through their lives, living in student housing on the UC Riverside campus with an eclectic and culturally diverse group of neighbors, including one couple from Afghanistan. Flan supports her family purchasing the contents of self storage lockers in auctions when the owner of the unit ceases to pay. Several of her self storage "finds" sends her in odd directions, ultimately requiring her to do some soul searching to find meaning in her life.

The book was poetic in its writing. I will give the author that. But Flan's character really bugged me. I just could not relate or connect with her character at all. Her husband (Shae or "Shake") bugged me even more. The way the book delt with the treatment of the couple from Afghanistan really rubbed me the wrong way. It was a good thought, but it just did not come across well in the book.

Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin

I was excited about reading this book. Emily Giffiin has several other books out, all of which I have read and liked. So, I bit the bullet and purchased this one in hardback when I was released.

The concept of this book is very interesting. There are those people in all of our lives. You know - those people from our past who we always wonder "what if" about. What if I had stuck it out in that relationship? Would it have worked out in the long run? Would I be in a different place in my life if we had stayed together?

I thought the book was pretty good and believable. It made me think a little about my past. The thing I like about Emily Giffins books is that, even though it is chick lit, the main characters are a little more down to earth and believable. Yeah, there were a few fluffy characters in there. But the main character was believable and likeable and I could understand the delimma she was facing. I have read some reviews from people who didn't like the choice she made at the end, but I will say (without giving the ending away) that I did.

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson

Well, damn, work and the general busy-ness of life has really gotten in the way of my passion for reading lately. Between work deadlines and shopping for a new home, I have barely been able to crack a book the last couple of weeks. Now that is something to be sad about!

So, in between the appointments, meetings, and to-do list, I was able to sneak in a page or two here and there. I've been hearing a lot about Three Cups of Tea and when I happened upon it in a thrift store (a virtually brand new copy!) I picked it up and decided to give it a go. Having read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splended Suns in the last year, I was looking forward to reading this book.

This book chronicles Greg Mortenson's experiences in Pakistan while attempting to climb K2, and then in Pakistan and Afghanistan as he helped build over 50 schools in some of the most desolate areas on earth. As a human being, his accomplishments and dedication to his cause are really remarkable and amazing. This was a remarkably amazing and inspiring book that I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell

This book was the selection for my June bookclub. The subject looked intriguing, and most of the reviews for the book were pretty good. So, when I finally picked this book up to read, I ended up reading it in two days. It is a pretty short, easy read. But the mystery behind the story really keeps you reading until the end.

This book revolves around the lives of three women: Iris, Esme, and Kitty. Kitty and Esme are sisters, raised in a strict family in the 1930s, while Iris is Kitty's grandaughter.

Iris is young and single, currently dating a married man, and knows very little about her past. When she is contacted by a state asylum in regards to a long lost great aunt, Esme, whom she has never heard of, her life is turned upside down. She is shocked that her grandmother, Kitty, never mentioned her sister.

Esme was a rebellious young girl who was institutionalized by her family at a young age for simply being "free spirited" and "difficult." Iris decides it is the right thing to do to take her great aunt into her home following her release from the asylum. This is when the true mystery in this story begins to unravel, as Iris begins to put the pieces of the past together and discovers the details her long lost family secrets.

This book is written in an unconventional manner as one long story with no chapters. The book also frequently changes narrators between Kitty, Esme, and Iris in a manner that a few times I forgot who's point of view the story was being narrated from. But it was an overall good read that stirred up many emotions. The book was a little sad, as none of the characters seemed to really ever find their "good place" in life. Each character seems a little haunted by their own demons. But the mystery keeps you reading and, overall, I would recommend this book.

Between the Tides - Patti Callahan Henry

Between the Tides is another book I picked up off the clearance table at Barnes and Noble. The subject looked intriguing. At it's core, this is a book about a girl who has to confront her past, unravel a shocking family secret, and, ultimately, start a new chapter in her life.

In this book Catherine, "Cappy," has to return to the place she spent the first twelve years of her life to scatter her father's ashes. A tragedy drove her family from that place when she was twelve, and Catherine hasn't been back since. She is shocked when her father dies and she finds out he wants his ashes scattered there. So she returns, only to discover a shocking family secret that forcers her to confront her past.

This book was a quick and easy read, and the story was pretty good. Henry's writing style is very soft and lyrical. Not a must read, but a good easy summer beach read.

Bitter is the New Black - Jen Lancaster

About a month back I read Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster and laughed out loud through several chunks of the book. It was by far one of the funniest books I had read in a long time. So, after my last few "heavier" books, I decided I needed to lighten it up with another good laugh and picked up Bitter.

Bitter is the New Black is actually the prequil to Bright Lights and details the time in Jen's life when she devolves from a VP in a large corporation to being laid off and almost homeless. It was during her time being laid off that she decided that writing was her new direction, and hence, Bitter was born.

This book wasn't as funny as Bright Lights, but it was extremely entertaining and a good read. This book smacked of a little more realism as you really started to really feel bad for Jen and Fletch (her boyfriend/husband in this book) as they had to make their way through some pretty tough times in an impossible job market. I would definitely recommend this book, and will definitely be picking up Jen's newest book, Such a Pretty Fat.

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

This book sat on my to be read pile for a good two years before I finally decided to pick it up and give it a go. In all honesty, the content (hermaphroditism) really just creeped me out a bit and I just wasn't sure if I wanted to read it at all. But on a whim I picked it up last weekend and gave it a whirl.

I have to say this was a really, really great book. One of the best written books I have ever read. I can see why it won the Pulitzer. Yes - I can check another book off of that Pulizer list!

This book really contains two stories in one book. There is the backstory of Callie/Cal's grandparents and parents, narrated by Callie/Cal. Then there is Callie/Cal's story. Both stories are intricately woven into a wonderfully tangled mess of who's related to whom and what actually caused the genetic mutation that transformed Callie into Cal.

My favorite part of the novel was the backstory of Callie/Cal's grandparents and parents. It was so wonderful and mesmerizing. So intricately told that I could visualize every detail. We aren't really fully introduced to Callie/Cal until half way through the book. By the time we are introduced to Callie, the topic of hermaphroditism is so understated that it almost gets lost in the intricacy of the whole of the storyline.

In Middlesex, Eugenides tells the tale of the immigration of assimilation, of suburban America, of social awkwardness and survival. The more I read, the more I was convinced that the book was a memoir, and not a novel. It was that believable. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splended Suns is Hosseini's follow up to his previously published and critically acclaimed book, The Kite Runner. I actually read this book when it was first published, but recently reread it for my bookclub.

This book, like Kite Runner, is set in Afghanistan and depicts events covering the last thirty years from the Soviet invasion, to the reign of the Taliban, to the post-Taliban rebuilding. These events serve as a backdrop and play an important part of the story as we follow the lives of two women - Miriam and Laila. Their stories are so raw, so wraught with emotion, so real that I had a very difficult time reading this book. At the same time, the story was so profound and so powerful that I couldn't put it down.

Growing up in the United States, it never ceases to amaze me just how sheltered a life I lead. I am a college educated woman with the freedom and capability to do anything with my life that I want to do. It is so disheartening to me to confront the true realities of what happens in other parts of the world. I realize how blessed and lucky I am to have been born where I was born. There are so many women like Miriam and Laila with no choices who have to settle for whatever is destined for them.

This book tore my heart out. Even though it is a work of fiction, there are women who live the lives described in this book. As heartwrenching as this book was for me, there was a lot of hope that I took from the book. The love and bond between the two women was inspiring to me. Books like this one open our eyes to a lot of things that all of us living in this country really need to see. And for that I am truly grateful to Khaled Hosseini. I hope that he continues to create wonderful stories like this one.

Julie & Julia - Julie Powell

Ok, so I finally finished this book. I was really excited to read this book. Anything that has to do with cooking and food, I am excited to read. Reading and cooking/baking are the two things I love to do the most.

In this book, Julie Powell, who is at somewhat of a crossroads in her life, cooks all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days. A briallint concept, in my mind. This is one of those ideas that would cross my mind, but I would quickly brush away due to the amount of time and dedication it would require.

Unfortunately, I just didn't love this book. As much as I really, really wanted to love it, I just didn't. I guess I wanted to read more about her experiences with the food. I was less interested in her personal life, and the personal lives of those around her. And that's what the bulk of the book focused on. I just didn't find her life all that interesting. She depressed me at times. Where are the stories about the food and about the recipes? I forced myself to keep reading, and I did. But I had a hard time finishing this book. And I was oh so sad when I finished because I expected so much more.

Bright Lights, Big Ass - Jen Lancaster

I have heard a lot about the two books that Jen Lancaster has out, the other being Bitter is the New Black. I picked up Bright Lights at Barnes and Noble on the clearance table and set to work reading it over my first wedding anniversary weekend trip down to Oceanside this last weekend.

This book chronicles the time in her life after she was layed off from her dot com job and before Bitter was published when she was working temp jobs to pay the bills. Jen is so straighforward and honest about her self-indulgent, superficial life that it's impossible to NOT love her. I think many of us have been where she is, working temp jobs, surviving in the City, living for Trader Joes. She really has a nack for humor and it shines through in this book.

I have nothing but praise for this book. It was seriously laugh out loud funny the whole way through. One of the best and funniest books I have read in a long time. I will be picking up Bitter very soon. For more of Jen's day to day life, check out her blog Jennsylvania.

Founding Brothers - Joseph J. Ellis

This was my book club book for April. It's a book I have had sitting on my bookshelf for probably two years, and I had just never had the chance to get to it. I always get these urges to read smarter books, so I go out and buy a bunch. Then I bring them home and they sit on my shelf because when it comes time to pick a new book, I just never seem to be in the mood for something deep. I research, read, write, and interpret government codes, regulations, and laws all day long. By the time I get home, I just want to sit and read some good chick lit.

So, I was actually very happy when this came up as a book club selection. It meant I finally had to read it.

It took me a bit longer to get through than my usual books. This was a book written at the college level - and I must admit there were lots of words that I had to look up because I didn't know what they meant. But in the end I really liked it. I have always had an interest in American Politics, and especially presidential biographies, and such. I do have a degree in Political Science, after all. I really just love that period of American History.

I really loved how this book was organized into stories. The book contained six stories including the famous duel between Hamilton and Burr, the Secret Dinner where the location of the Capital was decided, Washington's Farewell Address, Slavery, and the Adams/Jefferson Friendship. The book was well organized, extremely well researched, and an overall great read. I learned a lot of new things from this book, and the parallels that can be drawn between then and now are amazing.

Oh, and even better, I can count this as my first Pulitzer book, since my goal for the rest of the year is to read more Pulizer Prize winning books. Now I just need to get to that 600-page Ben Franklin biography on my shelf.

The Second Assistant - Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare

I was looking for something fluffy to read on my recent trip up to Santa Clara, and ended up throwing this book into my bag on the way out the door. I figured it would be a good vacation/pool/car read.

This book is about Lizzie, a former intern in Washington, D.C., who decides to head out to Los Angeles and accept a job as a Second Assistant at The Agency (a big firm that represents Hollywood's biggest stars). Lizzie experiences her share of stuggles with the Hollywood lifestyle, including the superficiality of everyone she meets, and especially the men she meets. But, of course she triumphs in the end, landing the one "good" man in town and getting a promotion to First Assistant.

The book is very predictable and formulaic. But, living in southern California, I could relate to a lot of the things in this book. I had a lot of laughs, and "oh, I've seen that" moments. So, it was an entertaining read for me. Definitely a good book for the pool or the beach.

A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle

After several weeks, I finally finished this book. I have spent the last couple of weeks reading the book, going through the workbook, and also watching the online classes. I have never been one who has been into "self-help" books. In fact, I believe this is the only "self-help"I have ever read cover to cover. I actually picked this one up on the recommendation of a neighbor.

This was a life changing book. It was extremely well written and easy to read, although more difficult to digest and actually put into practice. I have nothing but good things to say about this book and will definitely recommend it to everyone I know.

For me, a lot of what Tolle says is almost common sense. He says things I think I knew on some level, but never would have realized if I hadn't read the book. It opened my eyes on so many levels to my actions and the actions of those around me. I feel like I am so much more well equipped to deal with life and all of of its difficulties after reading this book.

By nature, I am a worrier. I worry about everything. This book has been the only thing that has allowed me to see worrying for what it really is - useless. I feel less stress and more positive than I ever have in my life after reading this book. I feel like I have so many more tools available to me to help me cope with everyday life.

I really, truly feel like a different person since finishing this book. It is, without a doubt, a book I will read over and over throughout the years.

The Pulitzer Prize

Ok, so I never read two books at one time, but I am currently reading Founding Brothers (Joseph J. Ellis) and A New Earth (Eckhart Tolle). I am not finished with either book yet (both books are a little heavier and require a little more time to fully digest and understand) and I wanted to make a new post.

A topic that is always on my mind is appropriate reading material. Maybe it's the years and years and years of college, but I constantly struggle with these questions. Am I reading books that are challening my intellect, or am I reading crap? Should I be reading more challenging book? I have this constant internal struggle to read smarter and more literary books.

I always have had this lofty goal of reading all of the Pulitzer Prize winning books. Yet, looking at the list of Pulitzer Prize winning books dating back to 1986 (see the sidebar) I realize I have only read two of those: The Road and A Thousand Acres. Although, at least I do have several of the books sitting on my bookshelf, ready to be read at a moment's notice.

So, I hereby declare that I will make a more conscious effort to read a few more of those prize winning books this year.

The Wonder Spot - Melissa Bank

I was exited about reading this book. So excited that I actually read the entire thing over one weekend.

This book covers a serious amount of time - two entire decades worth of time. It centers around a jewish girl, Sophie Applebaum, who is raised in a Pennsylvania suburb and later moves to New York. The story follows her through twenty years of life - through her relationships with her family and with men, through her career, and through the tedious day to day life she lived. I was especially touched by the relationship she developed with her grandmother.

The main reason I was so excited about this book because I could relate so much to Sophie. Her character just spoke to me in a lot of ways. Sophie was very ordinary. She enjoyed reading, but was never the smartest kid in school. She wants to find a relationsip, but isn't sure if she really wants to get married. She was never the best at anything in life. She just kind of floats through life, being there, but never being the center of attention.

This isn't one of those in your face books that you will never forget. It was an ordinary book about an ordinary girl. Perfection! I really liked this book and definitely plan on moving Bank's other well-known book, The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing, to the top of my to be read pile.

The Boleyn Inheritance - Phillipa Gregory

I have never really been a fan of historic fiction. So, when my bookclub picked The Other Boleyn Girl as a selection, I was not particularly interested. When I finally picked it up, however, my tune quickly changed and I ended up reading the entire book in two days, give or take a few hours. It was one of the most entertaining books I had read in a long time. TOBG got me so interested in Tudor history, that I ended up doing tons of research to figure out who was who and what happened when. Why, may I ask, were there so dang many men named Thomas? I had a difficult time keeping everyone straight.

That being said, I precently picked up The Boleyn Inheritance and was very anxious to delve right in. I have to say that I liked this book almost as much at The Other Boleyn Girl. I found this book a little more difficult to follow, being written from the point of view of three different women (Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Jane Rochford). There were several times when I would start reading a chapter and forget whose voice it was being told from. But, overall, this book had the same wit, charm, charisma, scandal, and intrigue as The Other Boleyn Girl. I am anxiously awaiting my next Gregory read.

Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella

I have been on a chick lit kick lately. It's really all I have felt like reading with all of the stress and deadlines I have going on at work right now. I have read all of Sophie Kinsella's books, so I just couldn't pass by the bookstore without picking up her latest.

This book was everything I was hoping for. It was like watching a Meg Ryan film - sweet, funny, wholesome. Great "get your mind off of everything" reading.

The story is very simple - 28 year old Lexi wakes up in the hospital and can't remember the last three years of her life. The twist is that her life has completely changed in the last three years (she is now married and the head of her department at work) and she can not remember any of it.

The book is pure fluff - but I loved every page. There is just something about Sophie Kinsella's writing that brings a smile to my face and keeps me reading book after book.

Second Chance - Jane Green

So, life has been a little on the stressful side for the last couple of weeks. I have a lot of deadlines at work, and I've been really focusing on getting things done. Sometimes by the time I get home in the evening, my eyes are just too tired to pick up and book and read.

I picked this book up a couple of weeks ago, desperately needing something light and fun to read. I have read and enjoyed all of Jane Green's books, so I figured now was as good as time as any to tackle her latest. The perfect "get you mind off of everything" reading.

This book tells the story of a group of people who haven’t seen each other in many years - since they were best friends at school. When one of them dies in a terrible tragedy, the reunited friends work through their grief together and find that each of their lives is impacted in ways they could have never foreseen.

I really enjoyed this book. I did have a few doubts about 50 pages in. I was having a difficult time keeping the characters straight. But I kept reading, and the more I read, the more I started to enjoy the book. I found the characers in this book very personable and likeable.

I tend to be a little picky about chic lit. I love to read it, but find that so much of it is just too over the top cutsy, or just poorly written. But I have really liked everything Jane Green has written. I like her writing style. I like that her story lines have a little more depth and her characters seem more like real people.

Overall, a very good book. I highly recommend this little gem.

Marley & Me - John Grogan

This book has been sitting on my to be read pile for quite a while, and I was finally in the mood to read it this last weekend. I grew up always having a family dog, and have always loved them. The bond between a dog and their owner is undescribable - they truly are man's best friend. My parents had a golden lab, and she was such a great dog with such a loveable personality.

This is a must read book for all dog lovers. It is a heartwarming story of a growing family and their loveable golden lab, Marley. Marley is quite a dog with quite a large personality. He never really does learn to "behave," which just made him that much more charming. His antics had me laughing out loud several times over. He is laughable, lovable, and unforgettable. This book is a true gem. It is one of those rare books that you will remember for a long time after you put it down.

The Pact - Jodi Picoult

I decided to read another Jodi Picoult book. I keep stumbling across her books when I'm out shopping at the thrift stores, so I keep picking them up. Because they are a relatively easy read, I have read a good number of her books in the recent months. They are generally easy to read, albiet a little predictable, now that I have read several others.

This book is based on the Romeo and Juliet tragedy, but with a twist. It's about two kids (Chris and Emily), who grow up together as best friends. The families are best friends and neighbors, and the two kids follow suit. To the delight and approval of both sets of parents, Chris and Emily start to date and fall in love in high school. However, this story-book romance tragically ends when Emily is shot in the head and dies as a result of a suicide pact between the two friends. The rest of the book follows the story of the two families and how they deal with the aftermath of this tragedy, including Chris' arrest for the murder of Emily.

This book was in the ok range for me. Not my favorite Jodi Picoult book, but definitely not the worst I've read. The subject matter was intriguing and new to me. However, the book was fairly predictable. A good mindless read, but not much else.

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

This was my first McCarthy book. I did not know a whole lot about him and his work. The little I did know, did not really appeal to me. I avoided this book for a long time. But, on a whim, I finally decided to pick it up and see what all of the talk was about.

At its simplest, this is a book about the relationship between father and son. It is about survival and unconditional love and the lengths a father will go through to protect a child. The father and son live in a postapocolyptic world where we are never completely sure what happened. McCarthy lets your mind wander and form your own opinions about a lot of these details.

The bottom line was that I really did not like this book. I admire McCarthy for the creation of this book, for giving us this story. It was cutting edge, it really makes you think about so many difficult and disturbing issues and situations. But I just did not like the book. This book so deeply disturbed me that I had a difficult time sleeping the few days I was reading it. I actually ended up reading this book through very quickly just to get to the end and get it over with. I just couldn't handle it emotionally.

The Year of Fog - Michelle Richmond

I packed this book for the mini 3-day Mexico cruise my husband gave to me as a Christmas present. We had a balcony room and I had visions of sitting on the balcony with this book.

The plot to this book looked engaging - the story revolves around a life changing moment when a child is lost. She simply vanishes into the San Franciso fog. It's every parent's worst nightmare. Where did she go? Will she ever be found?

This book really kept my attention. I wanted so badly to turn to the end of the book and "prepare" myself for what could possibly happen to Emma. I was hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. I was able to really feel what these characters were feeling as they delt with the loss and search for Emma.

The book did drag a little through the middle section. And I found the ending a little too "convenient." But it was a good novel. It held my attention and was difficult to put down. I was always anxious to pick it back up and find out what happened next. I felt emotionally attached to the characters, and really wanted the best for all of them. A good overall read.

P.S. I Love You - Cecilia Ahern

I picked this book up on a recommendation from a friend. I was told it was a book that would both make you laugh and cry. That's my kind of book.

Going in, I was a little leary of the subject matter. Holly looses her husband, Gerry, to a brain tumor at the ripe old age of 30. I got married 9 months ago, am a tad over 30, and the thought of something like this happening to me was almost more than I could wrap my brain around.

Turns out I really enjoyed this book. I loved her twist on a very basic story, with the series of monthly envelopes detailing a list to help Holly move on. The minute Holly opened the first envelope from Gerry, I lost it. This book was well written and it really tugged at my heart. It was funny and simple. A very easy read. I could really relate to Holly and I really felt what she was going through. I would definitely recommend this book.

Wicked - The Book AND the Musical

The Book

I have been excited about Wicked for a very long time - at least since the musical debuted on Broadway. Broadway is a little far for me, being I live in southern California, so I settled for the next best thing - the book. I purchased my copy of Wicked, sat down, and excitedly began to read.

What I did like - the story was very detailed. Gregory Maguire has some imagination to create a story about the Wicked Witch of the West - who she was, where she came from, what made her tick, and, most importantly, what made her green. The story has a great message. People are not always what they seem, you really can not judge a person by what they look like. There's also a great debate about good versus evil and what really makes someone evil.

What I didn't like - as I read further and further into the book, I had a difficult time sticking with it. I could only read a couple of pages at a time. The first half of the book just really dragged for me and I finally ended up putting it down. I did hear that the book picks up in the second half, but I didn't stick with it long enough to find out. Overall, I was a disappointed in the book.

The Musical

Last week was my birthday and I told my husband I really only wanted one thing - to go and see Wicked (the musical) at the Pantages in Hollywood. I was so excited when he told me he got the tickets (front row, might I add). I felt like a little girl waiting for Santa to come for the first time. This was really a treat for me. I geared up for the show by listening to the soundtrack in my car for weeks and weeks beforehand.

So the day of the musical came and I was excited as I have ever been about anything. The show did not disappoint. The music, the costumes, the story. I loved everything about the show. It was worth every second of the wait. I actually teared up a few time because I was so overwhelmed by the production. A must see!!

Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris

This was my first David Sedaris book. It was a quick, easy, and fun read after I finished Eat, Pray, Love. I was looking for something light, funny, and different, and this book caught my eye. This book has been sitting on my To Be Read pile for quite some time, and the right moment finally struck, so I picked it up and read it.

I went into this one not quite knowing what to expect. I didn't know a lot about Sedaris, other than his books were supposed to be funny. Sedaris first became known for his stint on National Public Radio, and later went on to publish a number of books based on his different life experiences.

In this book, Sedaris details his upbringing in in North Carolina, his bizarre career path, and his move with his lover to France.

The book was quite funny and entertaining, and yet relatable at the same time. Funny, smart, and simple, Sedaris kept me intrigued and laughing from beginning to end. This guy has a natural ease to his writing that kept me wanting to continue reading after I finished the last page. I will definitely be checking out his other books.

The To Be Read Pile

I have a love hate relationship with my To Be Read (TBR) pile. This is an evergrowing stack of books that contains all of the books I have the best intentions of reading. Even though I have only the best intentions, I have serious doubts that I will ever actually get through this pile.

What is the problem, you might ask?

The problem is that I am constantly adding books to this pile more quickly than I can read them. Too many books, too little time. I have books that have been sitting in this pile for years and years. Case in point the Benjamin Franklin (Walter Isaacson) book I added to the pile over a year ago. I am fascinated in learning more about Benjamin Franklin and this book is supposed to be very good. But apparently Benjamin Franklin is not as fascinating as the 25 other books I have read since I added to the pile. Will I ever get to this book? I have my doubts.

So, why do I keep adding books?

I have a problem. I do not deny this problem. I have an addiction to buying books. Especially since I discovered thrift stores and all of their book glory where I often find brand new books at very small prices.

I love my TBR pile. I really, really do. If only I could actually read everything I have piled up...

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

This book has received so much hype, I just had to read it, right? I just finished this book yesterday afternoon, sitting outside on my sunny 75 degree front porch. I guess that's why I live in southern California, huh?

I expected a lot from this book about a woman who finds her self on a year-long journey to Italy, India, and Indonesia. I had heard that it would be a "life changing" read. Heck, she was hailed by Oprah, so it had to be good, right?

I wouldn't go quite that far.

I did find it to be an interesting read. An interesting story with lots of fun and quirky characters. Who didn't love Richard from Texas? But that was the end of it for me. I found this book in no way "life changing." In fact, her back story irritated me a little bit. Or maybe a lot. I mean, haven't we all been there at one time or another? Haven't we all had to deal with and work through tough issues in our lives? Haven't we all made mistakes and had to learn things the hard way? It was all just a little over dramatic for my taste.

Life changing, no. A fun story to read on the front porch on a sunny Sunday afternoon in January, yes. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Lost and Found - Carolyn Parkhurst

This book was an impulse buy when I was wandering around Target one day. Isn't everything you buy at Taget an impulse buy, though? Anyway, I read Dogs of Babel and really liked it, so I thought I would give this book a try. I had a long flight to Oregon ahead of me and figured it would make good airplane reading.

This book is about a mother/daughter team who embark on an Amazing-race style reality show where the goal is to find items in diffent cities around the world. The mother/daughter have differences and one large issue driving a wedge between them.

The problem I have with this book is that each chapter is wrote from a different persons point of view. The book is really about all seven teams that are a part of the competetion. I thought Parkhurst just spread herself too thin in this book. There was never a real opportunity flesh out all of the different characters through their different chapters. I think the novel would have been much better if she had just stuck to the mother/daughter story as the main story arc, and included each of the other teams as secondary arcs.

This book just didn't cut it for me. I just didn't feel the story was all that believable, and none of the characters had enough depth for my taste. It was a quick and easy read, but just not that great of a story.

The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory

I just finished this book, which is the January selection for my book club. In general, I am not a huge fan of historic fiction, so it took me a while to get around to this book. I think it sat on my to be read pile for about eight months before I picked it up. I picked it up about a week before I had a reservation to fly up to see my family in Oregon over the holidays thinking this is a nice thick book - perfect for the plane ride!

Well, let me just say, this book never made it onto the plane. I read it straight through in about four days and had to find another book to take with me. One of the best - and possibly the best - book I read in 2007.

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne.

This book was fasinating, engrossing, and completely captivating, and as a result, I have put Philippa Gregory's other books, especially the others in this series, on the top of my to be read pile for 2008. A must, must, must read!

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

This book was the December selection for my book club. Like most everyone, I have seen a million and two different adaptations of this book on TV and in the movies. But I had never sat down and read through the story. Boy, I'm sure glad I did!

Most everyone already knows the plot to this story. Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four ghosts early Christmas morning. Jacob Marley, Scrooge's former partner, returns in spirit form to warn Scrooge of the ponderous chain he is forging in life by his penny-pinching, selfish, Christmas-hating ways. Then, of course, the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future come to call for an increasingly troubled soul who comes to see the worthlessness of his purely materialistic life.

With an extremely simple plot, Dickens has created one of the enduring triumphs of world literature. The book a robust mix of humor, horror, and (most of all) hope, all leavened with a healthy dash of Dicken's progressive social criticism. It is a feel good bood suitable for all ages and a must read for families every year.

Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is one of "those" authors for me. I have really liked a few of her books, and I have really disliked a few of her books. The rest just fall somewhere in the middle for me. For the most part, her books are easy to read and I do find her to be a fairly decent writer.

So, when this book was published, I made a mental note that the subject actually looked pretty interesting, and I filed that mental note away for a later date. I came across a copy of this book at a thrift store and purchased it.

The two main characters are Josie and Peter, who are old childhood friends. However, as time passed by, they grew apart and now that the two are in high school, Josie is popular and Peter is not.

The book is set in Sterling, New Hampshire, where 17-year-old high school student Peter Houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of classmates. His former best friend, Josie Cormier, succumbed to peer pressure and now hangs out with the popular crowd that often instigates the harassment. One final incident of bullying sends Peter over the edge and leads him to commit an act of violence that forever changes the lives of Sterling’s residents.

The book tackes the very disturbing, and unfortunately, most current topic of school shootings. Jodi Picoult tackes the subject with grace and is really able to give us a look inside the minds of the people involved on all sides, from the shooter himself, to the victims, to the parents of the shooter, to the cops involved in the investigation.

I don't know that I love how the book ended, but it was an overall interesting read for me. Not my favorite Jodi Picoult book, but better than most of the others I have read.