Well, first, you should know - I had a birthday! Now I am officially 39. Guess this means it is now "12 going on 40." I'm officially on my way!
We're close to the end of the month, so it is time to update you on my books.
26. Read 50 books or more.
I read 2 last month, and 8 this month, so 10 down and 40 to go. Here are the books I've been plowing through in the last few weeks!
3. Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It by Sark
http://www.amazon.com/Juicy-Pens-Thirsty-Paper-Creating/dp/0307341704/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285709146&sr=8-1
I picked this book up at Barnes and Noble on a date night with my husband. It seemed like perfect timing, with the blog and my writing projects. It was fun, another enjoyable and encouraging read from Sark. But, I must say, I think I was not so much in need of the exercises and ideas she set forth at this point. Some of it was helpful, but I didn't feel too indulged. All in all, a light read about writing. Fun!
4. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
http://www.amazon.com/Something-Blue-Emily-Giffin/dp/0312323867/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285709300&sr=8-1
This was another book I got from paperbackswap.com. You should really check it out if you haven't yet. I had read the first Emily Giffin book, so I read this one also. Light, a little sleazy, nothing that will make a huge difference in my life - but a fun read, especially if you read the context of the first book. A happy ending - everyone needs one of those!
5. The Time Thief (#2 in The Gideon Trilogy) by Linda Buckley-Archer
http://www.amazon.com/Time-Thief-Gideon-Trilogy/dp/1416915281/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285709463&sr=8-1
The children and I read this - we liked the first one. A great idea for a story, but incredibly tedious. Honestly, I had to start skimming and summarizing in the last few chapters just so they could figure out what was going on. We all want to know what happens in the end, but I don't think I can swallow another book that is so thick and marshy.
6. Fever 1793 by Louise Halse Anderson
http://www.amazon.com/Fever-1793-Laurie-Halse-Anderson/dp/0689848919/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285709779&sr=8-1
Taylor's 4th grade teacher assigned him this book last year and he's been asking me to read it ever since. A fast read, and very good historical fiction for kids. The story is about a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. I love this line on the cover - the New York Times Book Review quotes, "The plot rages like the epidemic itself." Seriously, who wouldn't want to read THAT? Very educational and well written, but feels like a good story hidden!
7. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
http://www.amazon.com/Bel-Canto-Ann-Patchett/dp/0060838728/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285709944&sr=8-1
I've wanted to read this book for years, and I'd heard many good reviews. It has a great premise - a widely varied group of people are celebrating a birthday in a third world and unnamed country, when terrorists decide to take over. But that is where the good plot ends. The book never really goes anywhere, and has a really bad ending. I don't think the author knew where to go with the story, and finally just ran out of steam. Ugh.
8. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Academy-Shannon-Hale/dp/1599900734/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285710138&sr=8-1
Doesn't that sound like a great and sweet little title? Well, it isn't. This book was nothing like what I expected. Let me just say, terrorists again. And a mean old teacher. And all kinds of weird stuff. Bailey wanted me to read this, and I did, so when we talked about it afterward I was surprised at how weird she thought it was too. Why did we wait to so long to discuss this? Bizarro.
9. Being a Feminist in Georgia by Margaret Curtis
This was written by my dear friend Margaret, who kindly sent me a copy. It was fascinating to read about her work in the Equal Rights movement in Georgia, along with other women I have the good fortune to know. The photographs, personal letters, and memorabilia in these pages is a treasure to me. I'm so very grateful to Margaret for her work, and for sharing her book with me! I am so glad there were women like her then to stick up for women like me now!
10. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Racing-Rain-Novel/dp/0061537969/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285710416&sr=1-1
Go out RIGHT NOW AND BUY THIS BOOK! It was beautifully written and I had a very fulfilling and good and hopeful cry at the end. That is all I am saying, because I do not want to spoil a second of the story. I read it in just two days and would read it again right now. Let me know if you check it out! Wonderful!
As you can tell, I love kids books as much as adult ones - so you'll be seeing both in my monthly review posts. Happy reading!
I was like you about reading Fever. I "won" it in a giveaway in grad school and it sat on the shelf for several weeks before I finally picked it up to read. The cover freaked me out, but the story was one of those hidden treasures.
ReplyDeleteAnother historical fiction book you might like is "The Green Glass Sea". I learned a lot after reading that one, too.