Geeb's Book Club

The Passage

2011-07-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wow. November 13th was my last post... I am so sorry for all of you that have followed my blog. I did not die, I had a baby {a healthy 6lb 9oz adorable baby boy}! Yep, from November - February I was reading TONS of "preparing for baby" books and no fiction what-so-ever. Then after he was born in March I never had any time between poopy diapers, spit up, and learning to be a Mommy {along with running my business, and being a wife}. Now that we are settling into a routine I have some more time to read and now I am just finding time to blog. I have read quite a few books in the last few months. I bought a Kindle so reading is much easier now that I have to have one arm to hold the little guy. Luckily most of the books I have read recently have all be spectacular {only one FAIL among them}. So in the next few days I'll try and crank out some reviews so you can read and discuss! First on the agenda is The Passage by Justin Cronin...

Oh. My. Goodness. This book knocked my socks off!!! Dystopia, vampires {not the sexy glittery kind, but the terrifying bat like kind that suck you dry or turn you into a monster}, survival, adventure; I was riveted from page one. The book starts off with a series of emails between two scientists discussing a trip to the Amazon {I believe}, then the emails take a turn as one of the scientists heads out on this trip and bad things start to happen and everyone dies or nearly dies {death by bats - the flying kind not the Louisville Slugger kind}. Then the book jumps to a private investigator that is commissioned to finding death row inmates and giving them the option to die by the needle or to be used in a military experiment. Then you jump to a chapter in the eyes of a little girl that is left in a convent. Then finally the P.I. and the girl cross paths because the P.I. gets the job of picking up this orphaned little girl at the convent so the military could do the same experiments on a child {newly orphaned, no paper trail, very shady, you get the picture}. Then we jump to the military base where these experiments are taking place and we learn that the scientist from the beginning of the book is helping the military create an indestructible soldier, however the experiment has gone totally bad and the inmates/bat people {i.e. vampires, kinda} break out of their labs and start killing everyone or at least changing them into the vampire-beast things too. Well it doesn't take to long before the United States is infested with these beasts like the plague and then the Nuclear Bombs drop.

OK now we jump 100 years into the future after the Nuclear fallout to this little settlement of survivors. They have created this little settlement and have been happy and well for years but as always there is the question "is there anyone else out there?", plus lights what were created to keep the vampires out are starting to fail, so they have to head out into the wilderness in search of help or a new power source. Well that is the rest of the story. They set off to find the answer in this vampire-beast infested world. And let me tell you it makes for an amazing read! And even though this book is nearly around 800 pages you just want more when the last page is finished, but have no fear this is the beginning of a TRILOGY!! Woot woot!!

Something else I have to mention is that the writing is out of this world. The wording, the details, the cadence of the whole book is perfection. There were times that I got so caught up in the flow of the writing that I had to go back and read it again to get the content. And characters are very fleshed out, the prose are deep, and the mix of everything makes this one of the best books I have read in the last couple years. This book has landed on my top 5 books of all times.

I don't think this book is for everyone though. There is a lot of scary bits where I had to stop reading and wait for the day to come to read some more. And there is a religious undertone that was very interesting that some may not get or very much like {but I enjoyed}. I really really want my book club to read this so I can discuss it with someone because there is a lot to discuss in this book. So if you want to chat with me about the book in the comment section please do! Just let people know in the beginning of your post if you are including a spoiler.

All in all this is a must read if you are into scary, thriller, dystopia kind of stuff. If you are more of a light hearted, fluffy, unicorn kind of person steer clear of this one it may just scare the dickens out of you.

RATING: 5 Stars

3 more reviews of The Passage:

books i done read

Lovely Little Shelf

Charlotte Chase

The Passage by Justin Cronin

{Purchased on Amazon.com for my Kindle}

ISBN 0345504968

Pages 784

If you liked The Passage by Justin Cronin than read The Road by Cormic McCarthy

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-11-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Okay. I give all of you permission to string me up by my toes and throw rotten veggies at me. I have neglecting you and my blog for WAY. TO. LONG. I have been reading though, but the reason for this hiatus has been because the only reading materials that have passed though my hands in the last few months have been What to Expect When Your Expecting, and The Joys of Breastfeeding and other such reference books. And while that is very very interesting and enjoyable reading material for a mom-to-be it isn't great fodder for this blog. I am sure you don't want to know (especially my male followers) my thoughts on birth plans, placentas, and the joys my breasts are going to bring to my future prodigy. However, I have been able to squeeze in some pleasure reading so I am going to give you a few reviews here in the next few weeks.

Lets start with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I finally jumped on the Dragon Tattoo bandwagon and picked this story up as an audio book. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised but a little let down at the same time. With all they hype around this book and the others in the series I was expecting to fall head over heels in love with this book like I did with Time Travelers Wife. However, I enjoyed the book immensely but I don't know that it was worth all the hype that it has received in the past few years. The long and short of it, is the book is a murder mystery. That is it. A VERY VERY good murder mystery but a murder mystery non-the-less. Some how my ears had escaped all spoilers and all synopsis's of this book so I really had NO IDEA what it was about when I started it. For some reason I thought it was about Swedish stock brokers (I have no idea why) and had no idea it was a thriller/murder mystery (which I must say was a peasant surprise because I just couldn't see what I would like about a book revolving around the Swedish stock market).

So it starts off rather dry and I was thinking "oh hell, how I am I going to get through this whole thing??" We meet Mikael Blomkvist, he is a financial/political journalist and he has just published an article in his magazine about Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. When Wennerstrom charges Blomkvist with writing a hurtful article that isn't entirely true Blomkvist is sentenced to prison time. To clear his head Blomkvist takes a job on the tiny island of Hedeby to write the family history of the prominent Vanger family. To the public it looks like Blomkvist is writing this families memoirs but in truth he is investigating a murder that happened 40 years earlier on that very island. The cold case murder happened to a 16 year old girl that lived on the island with her uncle Henrik Vanger. Along the way Blomkvist and his unlikely friend Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo), unravel the mystery of the missing girl, uncover the serial murderer of dozens of other missing women that span over a 50 year time span, and uncover the truth behind the Wennerstrom Corporation.

This book really is a whirlwind of plot twists, love connections, and mystery. The characters are extremely well developed and the story telling style is very interesting and flows very nicely. I would recommend this book to almost anyone (unless you have a weak stomach when it comes to violence towards women, I know that hits strong nerves with some people). Book clubs could discuss the heck out of it and it is equally good if you take it on vacation with you or if you are doing some more serious reading. I am really looking forward to reading the other books in the series, however, I don't think the book lives up to the hype, so don't be surprised if you feel a little let down after you read it.

RATING: 4 Stars

3 more reviews on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo:

All About {n}

Advance Booking

Lovely Little Shelf

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

{Library Audio Book}

ISBN: 0307577580

16hours 19minutes

Read by Martin Wenner

If you liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo you should also read: The Disappearing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O' Farrell

This is Where I Leave You {Book Club Pick}

2010-09-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

So I had heard about This is Where I Leave You from quite a few reliable sources and I had heard about Jonathan Tropper in general from quite a few reliable sources so of course Tropper and this book were on my ever growing TBR list. However, I knew that if I wasn't pushed to read this book I probably never would because even though it was on my TBR list I have so many other books that looked much more appealing to me! So when my book club decided that this would be the September book I was excited!!! Just what I needed, a little push in the direction of Tropper and now I am hooked!!! One of my earlier mentioned "Reliable Sources" is a fellow book blogger Greg from The New Dork Review. Greg is a big Tropper fan and he said in one of his reviews on Tropper that he is the mans equivalent of Chick Lit. Well, I couldn't agree with you more Greg. This is 100% Dude Lit for sure. Tropper writes an easy to read witty story full of family angst, self image, sex, and betrayal (throw in some Louboutins, and a Dolce and Gabbana handbag and you have full fledged Chick Lit). Now don't think for a moment comparing this book to Chick Lit makes this book fluff. It isn't, it is a touching look in to a dysfunctional family and realizing that it really isn't that dysfunctional. Tropper also builds very 3 dimensional characters, and while the book is easy to read it isn't mindless reading.

In This is Where I Leave You you meet Judd Foxman at the lowest point in his life. His dearly loved wife just cheated on him with his Alpha male boss (think Howard Stern). His Dad passed away after a fight with stomach cancer. And to top it all off his Mother has called to tell her children that their fathers dying wish was to have the whole non-religious family sit Shiva. The last thing Judd wants to do is spend 7 days locked in his childhood home with his body image obsessed older sister Wendy (and her Wall Street husband and 3 loud obnoxious kids), his self pitting older brother Paul, who holds Judd accountable for the end of his baseball career (along with his wife Alice who is desperate for a child), his younger brother Phillip who is a play boy with out direction in his life (and his 2 times older girlfriend/therapist), not to mentioned his sexually charged Therapist Mother who may or may not have become a lesbian. On top of this week from hell his soon-to-be ex-wife shows up to tell Judd she is pregnant. I mean come on, this book is jam packed with crazy!!! It is like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and it is worth every page!!! I promise you will LOL at least once if not continuously though this whole story!!

I don't know if I would recommend this to book clubs. It is full of shocking and graphic sexual scenes and where that doesn't ever bother me (or my book club) at all I could see some people getting a little up in arms over the whole thing. However, I would recommend this book to someone that wants to read something different for a change. I would recommend it to just about any guy, because I would bet most would love it and tell you that this book pegs the male point of view.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: So this book has been snatched up for a movie in 2011. I think that the movie will be nothing short of hilarious. I will be purchasing $10 tickets and $50 popcorn to check this one out for sure.

RATING: 4 stars

3 More reviews on this book:

The New Dork Review

Reading My Books

Beattie's Book Blog

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

{Borrowed from a friend}

ISBN 0452296366

Pages 352

If you liked This is Where I Leave You then try: Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

Mockingjay

2010-09-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my. This one is a long time coming for sure. After my obsession with Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins last year I just could not wait for Mockingjay. So on the day it came out I rushed out before work and bought it (even though I couldn't read a word of it until after work). And guess what? I was NOT disappointed people!! I may be one of the rare readers that didn't have a problem with this book at all! I thought that every thing that happened needed to happen. Every death, every match made, every battle, every thing. I was shocked in the appropriate places, outraged in the correct spots, and at the edge of my seat during the right parts. Now saying all that; Mockingjay was not my favorite book of the Hunger Games Trilogy. I liked them in the order they were released for sure. I felt like Hunger Games even though it was politically charged it was pure adventure and action. Catching Fire again was full of adventure and action but it dealt with even heavier issues than the first book. Now with Mockingjay it is complete and total political propaganda and the characters seem a little jaded and lost (but that is what makes the book feel so real), if you were going though what these young people were going though you would not be yourself anymore either. Don't get me wrong, there is enough action and adventure in Mockingjay to go around, it is just deeper and a little more mature than the other two books.

I am going to write this synopsis with out any spoilers to Mockingjay but be warned that there is going to have to be some spoilers from the first two installments (don't say I didn't warn you, and if you haven't read any of the trilogy I would recommend you turn back now and go get the books). Anyway, in Mockingjay you are brought back to Panem after Katniss has been rescued from her second time in the arena by the survivors of district 13. She is kind of an empty shell of the Katniss we know but who can blame her. Peeta has been taken by the Capitol, and her District has been blown to smithereens and she is just totally lost and doesn't know who to trust. The Districts are in full scale rebellion now, and the Capitol is losing it's foot hold of power. District 13 know that the rebellion needs a leader or "mascot" and of course Katniss is the obvious choice. And because Katniss now has a death wish and just doesn't care anymore she decides to become the Mockingjay, the face of the rebellion. Something I thought was interesting was that Collins opted to not tie everything up in a pretty little bow. She left a few strands and she left some messy strands, but in a situation like this one you can't have everything hunky dory on the end.

I have read a lot of reviews about Mockingjay and most of them have something negative to say about Katniss's character in this book. She isn't the go getter she was in the first two books, but after the beat down she has received in the first two stories you can't really blame her, after all she is only 17 years old, and has already spent 2 years fighting for her life, and the 5 years before keeping her family alive. When I read books like Twilight and Hunger Games I have to remind myself that the characters are teenagers, so their fickleness and their feelings, and their drama, and selfcenteredness come with the hormonal territory. When you think of it like that you start to like the characters a little more.

I am sad to see this series come to an end but I am glad that Collins didn't drag it out to the point of annoyingness to make a few more dollars. She kept it to the point and a perfect length in my opinion. I am anxious to see what the movie will be like next year and that they cast it correctly. I'm up for the job if Lionsgate wants me!!

Rating: 5 Stars

3 More reviews:
Books i Done Read
Lovely Little Self
Forever Young

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
{Purchased at Target}
ISBN 0439023513
Pages 400

If you liked Mockingjay then you need to read: Tomorrow when the War Began by John Marsden

The Plague

2010-09-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well with a title like The Plague you know that the book is gonna have a lot to do with pain and pestilence, and mortality. But would you think it would have to also do with compassion, community, and survival? Well this book had it all and it was really rather unexpectantly interesting! Now I have to admit that if I had read this book I would have put it down almost immediately so I am glad I picked it up at the library as an audio book otherwise I would have never experienced this little gem. The Plague by Albert Camus was published in 1947 and originally it was written in French but was then later translated to English and I feel there was nothing really lost in translation, because the book was quite wonderful and beautifully written. The novel is believed to be loosely based on a Cholera Outbreak that killed a large percentage of the Algerian city Oran in 1849 following the French colonization (information from Wikipedia).

Now that the little history lesson is over I'll clue you in to what the book is about. Wait... I bet you can guess... It's about the bubonic plague (shocking I know). Anyway, the story takes place in the town of Oran in the 1940s. First the rats start surfacing. They are everywhere, in the gutters, in the alleys, in peoples homes, in the restaurants, and they aren't just out and swarming they are out and dying sad little rat deaths. The people of Oran can't make heads nor tails of this little rat infestation but they are concerned as the Health Department keeps tallying up the little rat deaths and publishing how many they picked up in their morning rat scoop. The numbers are climbing up to the tens of thousands and then as quickly as they made their appearance they are gone. Then the first wave of fever, sweats, and buboes start to pop up in the town. People are dying of some strange horrific death and then the Health Department starts tallying up those deaths too and they are reaching almost as high as the rat deaths. Doctors are helpless as they watch the town fall to the Bubonic Plague that soon turns into the Mnemonic Plague. Meanwhile, the town very early on becomes quarantined from the rest of the country so there is the longing for family members that are now separated from their loved ones. This book isn't just about the plague and the death and destruction of Oran but about the relationships built out of this disaster, and how a community comes together to pick up the pieces of this horrible catastrophe.

I would recommend this book to anyone that really enjoys literature, not just a good read but real honest to goodness literature. The writing in the book is truly a treat. Book clubs might want to give this one a try as well. There would be lots to discuss and I am sure the discussion would get lively. Or if you just are interested in the Bubonic Plague (like I am) this is a good one to add on your TBR pile for sure.

RATING: 4 stars

1 more reviews on The Plague (I couldn't find any more than this)
Tony's Book World

The Plague by Albert Camus
(Library Audio Book)
ISBN 9780679720218
9 Discs {8 Hours 30 Minutes}

If you liked The Plague then read: The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

2010-08-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

HELLO MY FRIENDS!!!!! It has been sooooo long and we haven't chatted!!!! I am oh so sorry, I only have one excuse... I am 2 and a half months pregnant and all I want to do is sleep and sleep and sleep! And when I do have time to read, I decide I should tackle my neglected house hold chores because even though my hubby is trying to be super patient and helpful with my non-existent energy he is a HORRIBLE house cleaner (he tries but seriously that man should stick with Firefighting)! But anyway, I digress, I then realized that I haven't told you about 2 audio books I listened to recently so I simply must share them with you! And I am almost finished with Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins so look for that review in a few days!

Soooo.... The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell was a very quick story with lots of angles, and lots to like and lots to dislike. The writing was fantastic, and I love stories that jump back and forth through time and give you multiple plot lines. However, the content of this story was a little sad and disturbing in both of the said plot lines. And the ending.... Oh boy if you read this are you in for a surprise!! Holy cow! I was just minding my own business and I started to put things together in my mind and was like "no, the story isn't going there is it? Really....? Oh my goodness!! No she didn't!!! Yes she did!!!" (Literally that is what I said you can ask my husband he was sitting right next to me in the car.)

OK so here is the story. Esme Lennox is in an insane asylum in current time. She is a very old lady and has been in this asylum for pretty much her entire life. When the asylum has to close it's doors they notify Esme's great-grandniece Iris, but Iris has never even heard her family so much as mention Esme before. She decides to go and see Esme and help by letting Esme live with her until she can find something to do with her. Iris tries to get answers from her grandmother Kitty but Kitty has Alzheimer's and only gives Iris snippets of who Esme is. Each chapter is told through either Iris's eyes and these chapters tell of her frustration behind the mystery of Esme, Iris's affair with a married man, and the sexual tension between her and her step-brother (kinda weird). Or the chapter is told from Esme's point of view and these chapters send you back in time to the 1930s and to Esme's childhood with her sister Kitty and her family in India and later in England. Or it is told from Kitty's point of view (which in my opinion was the most interesting chapters to read because O'Farrell really caught the mind of an Alzheimer's patient) Kitty's point of view just tells the same story as Esme but from the family's opinion of Esme. Kitty's chapters also kind of fill in the holes to why Esme was sent to the asylum in the first place. Then the ending! You just have to read to find out about the ending.

I really really enjoyed this book. It wasn't a literary masterpiece but it was very enjoyable and very interesting. I would highly recommend this to a book club because the discussion would be fantastic! I would also recommend this book to anyone that enjoys books written in different points of view or historical fiction buffs.

RATING: 4 Stars

3 more reviews of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox:

On The Shelf

A Rat in the Book Pile

She Treads Softly

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

(Library Copy of Audio Book)

ISBN 1433209721

6 Discs {7 hours 30 minutes}

If you liked The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox then you should read: The Guernsey and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Borrows

On Folly Beach

2010-07-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well this is an exciting review for me because it is the very first review I have ever done for a publisher! A few months ago a very nice lady from Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media contacted me, and wanted to see if I would like to read a few of their new releases and blog to all you wonderful readers about them. I eagerly accepted her generous offer and then proceeded to blog about all the horrid books I had been reading lately. I am sure that this wonderful publishing lady was kicking herself in the butt wondering why she gave these books to a snarky blogger that has nothing good to say about anything she had read recently {but what can I say I'm an honest blogger and I'm going to tell it like it is}.

Fortunately I only have very fabulous things to say about On Folly Beach by Karen White. The Characters were all delightful, the story was interesting and you wanted to keep reading "one more chapter" before you had to do something else {and then one more chapter after that}. And like most Southern Literature it made you want to move on down to the deep south and get wrapped up into their easy way of life. Plus {and this is a big ol' bonus for moi} but half of the story was in modern time and the other half was in the 1940s during WWII! I had no idea that it would be jumping back and forth between two stories and two time eras and I was quite pleasantly surprised because I heart historical fiction especially anything having to do with WWII!

So let me give you a little run down so you know what to expect with On Folly Beach. In the very beginning we meet Emmy {in modern time}, she has just learned that her husband Ben has been killed in Afghanistan, and her life simply stops. She can't get over his tragic death and her Mom Paige talks her into leaving their family home in Indiana and move to Folly Beach South Carolina to purchase a book shop that is for sale there. Emmy is a literature and book lover and she has a degree in Library Science, and she begrudgingly takes her mothers advice and heads to South Carolina to start a new life and run the book shop Folly's Finds. When she arrives she slowly falls in love with the people there, and her new shop, but only through the help of some long lost love letters that she finds between the pages of some of the old books in the shop. The love letters are written by two star crossed lovers and Emmy is determined to find out who these lovers were and what happened to them. As the mystery unravels you learn a lot about Folly, the lovers, and Emmy's pain of letting go. The story jumps between Emmy and her sleuthing and the lovers and their lives on Folly during WWII.

This book is a perfect summer read. Grab it before your next vacation and find a shady place in the sand with a good drink at your fingertips and enjoy every sentence of this beautiful story. I highly recommend this to anyone that love Southern Literature, Historical Fiction, Book Club groups. Enjoy it and review it and let the reading world know that it is a great read!!!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: No movie but if there were I'd bet it would be a tear jerker!

RATING: 4 stars

3 More Reviews of On Folly Beach:

Cafe of Dreams

Books and Movies

Bermudaonian's Weblog

On Folly Beach by Karen White

{Publisher Copy}

ISBN 9780451229212

Pages 416

If you liked On Folly Beach then please read: The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

In The Woods

2010-07-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Oh Tana French, you better put up your dukes because you and I are in a fight, and I have a mean left hook! How can you write such an exquisite book and leave us so unsatisfied? It really is just unfair! I mean we read and read this semi-chunkster of a mystery novel and the "whodoneit" is riveting, and extraordinarily frightening, and then as the mystery unravels you leave us with more questions than answers! Oh. My. Gosh. I just need one more chapter please!!! I am begging you, just give me one more little chapter!!! Maybe an epilogue, another installment, something I beg you! Please!!

I must mention here that I don't really like mystery novels but if Tana French wrote another 429 page sequel, or even added another 429 pages to In The Woods I would have devoured every last word. French is a beautiful writer, this story was heart wrenching, scary has hell, and so real. In fact {even though Tana and I won't be on speaking terms for a bit, while I try and forgive her for not satisfying my reading experience} I understand why Tana didn't tie up all the loose ends, because in reality life isn't perfect, there are always dangley bits and bad decisions, and cold cases. And most of the time you don't expect that from a book. You can start a book and be pretty sure that there will be a "Once upon a time" and a "Happily ever after", but French takes that theory and stomps on it. And I guess I'm coming around as I write this because I guess I kinda want to say "Thank you Tana" maybe I'm not as mad at you as I was before. I understand why you left us with more questions than answers. I LOVED your book dangley bits and all.

So I guess you are wondering what all that was about so I have to give you a little synopsis here. Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox are Murder detectives in Ireland {oh by the way my Irish brogue got really good in my mind}. They are given a case of a murdered 12 year old girl in a little town called Knocknaree in County Dublin. The girl was found murdered and sexually assaulted on an archeological dig site in the town right out side of the forest. However, Detective Ryan secretly has a strange connection to the case, because about 20 years before hand, Ryan and his two best friends went into those very same woods to play and 2 of them disappeared never to be seen again. The only one that knows about Detective Ryan's connection to the case is his partner Cassie, and as the two detectives unravel the modern case, detective Ryan is trying to make sense of the old cold case that he had been involved in years before.

If you like mystery novels, if you like Ireland, if you like things that go bump in the night, if you don't like things that go bump in the night, heck if you like to read, you should pick this book up. Like I mentioned before, the story telling is exquisite, reading this book was a treat, and Tana French is a jewel of an author. And even though I am still a little sore with her, I would recommend this book to anyone. I read this for our book club and we had a great time discussing our theories, thoughts, and opinions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did despite the fact you might want to cry with frustration at the end. And Tana, if I ever meet you "in the woods" I'm going to tie you to a tree until you give me some answers!! I'm just joking. Maybe. (:

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I am really surprised that this book hasn't been optioned for a film yet. For a couple of reasons, first, the book would make an amazing movie. The suspense alone would keep people on the edge of their seats. Second, the author is actually an actor. You would think that she would want to have this made into some sort of film. Maybe even play Cassie {I pictured Cassie looking just exactly like French's picture on the book jacket}.

RATING: 4 starts {I just couldn't give it 5 because I wanted so much more}

3 more reviews of In The Woods by Tana French:

Books i Done Read

Lovely Little Shelf

Des Shoe

In The Woods by Tana French

(Library Copy)

ISBN 9780670038602

Pages 429

If you liked In The Woods then read: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Lullaby

2010-07-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been a room where someone is watching TV, and someone is playing a computer game, and someone else is talking to someone else, and the phone is ringing, and the dog is barking, and micro-wave is dinging, and a baby is crying, and you just want to stand on a chair and scream at the top of you lungs to just "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP"! Well that is how Lullaby is but in literary form. And the funny thing is... I kinda loved it!! I mean the big kind of love where you can't stop talking about it, you wanna buy it in hardback, you want to sleep with it under your pillow, and you want everyone else to love it just as hard as you do. I just have to say, Chuck Palahniuk, where have you been all my life?? I think most of us would recognize Chuck Palahniuk's work from Fight Club which is one of my favorite movies of all time (though I haven't read the book yet), and if you can picture the darkness of Fight Club you can understand the darkness of Lullaby. The humor is DARK, and DRY, and the story is DISTURBING, and the prose are GRUESOME, but even so this book is hysterical (even though sometimes you feel like it is inappropriate to laugh, and you might feel the need to take a shower after reading it), and it really gets you thinking about life and death. If you have a weak stomach move on, you won't want to digest this book. But if you are up for some mind Olympics, and some amazing writing dive right in please!

So in this book we meet Carl Streator, investigative journalist extraodinaire. He prides himself on not missing the details when he is on an assignment and that is how he gets himself into the mess in this story. Carl is assigned a 5 part article on SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), he heads out to a families house that sadly have just lost their little one to this strange Syndrome. While Carl is looking over the nursery he notes a library book on the bedside table opened to a nursery rhyme (a culling song) on page 27. On the second house call to a victim of SIDS he notices the same library book, and on and on it goes. So he reads the rhyme on the page and recites it to his editor who dies. Now Carl is off on a wild goose chase through the U.S. (with 2 Wiccans {Mona & Oyster}, and an eccentric real estate agent that sells haunted houses{Helen Hoover Boyle}) to find the remaining copies of this book and destroy them. The only thing is, that every time Carl recites the Culling Song (even in his head) someone dies. That is all I'm gonna say. There is SOOOOOOO much more to this book than the little bit I have just mentioned. There is Carl's story, Helen's Story, Mona and Oysters story, the characters fight for power, twists, turns, dead ends, death, carnage, cell phone calls, talking cows, flying Virgins, more twists, more turns, more dead ends, and can you tell why I gave the loud room analogy earlier?

Like I mentioned before, don't read this book if you are easily sick or if you are easily offended. There is gore and offensiveness a plenty. But do pick this book up if you want something SUPER different to read. Or if you want to laugh out loud. Or if you want to discuss the heck out of it with me! The only regret I have is that I didn't actually read this book but listened to the Audiobook. Though the reader Richard Poe was FANTASTIC! You won't regret reading this little gem, unless of course you do regret it, and then I warned you about the gore.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There has been some interest in this book for a movie adaption by the director of Fight Club. There is also a rumor that a Swedish director may pick up the project. All I can say is that if it is done as well as Fight Club (and remember I haven't read that book yet, so don't judge me for a comparison yet), I would be at the theater to see it.

RATING: 5 Stars

3 more reviews of Lullaby:

I'm A Book Worm

MegaLung

Smitten

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk {Audo Book}

ISBN 1402524978

6 Disc {3 Hours 29 Minutes}

Read by Richard Poe

If you liked Lullaby then you should read: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

The Mermaid Chair

2010-07-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends {and I have quite a few new friends it looks like}. First I wanna say thanks for following and welcome! Now that little bit is out of the way let me jump right into my review on The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. The very first thing I have to say is IT IS ABOUT BLOODY TIME!!!!! I have been reading and listening to tons and tons of horrid books lately and I am sure you all are sick and tired of me writing reviews on books I hated! But while The Mermaid Chair isn't going to leap to the top of my favorites list, at least it was extraordinarily well written and the story was captivating. Why I haven't picked up a book by Kidd before is beyond me, but I am so so glad I did! She paints such a pretty picture and develops her characters so well that I felt like I wanted to move to Egret Island, become part of this little community and raise my unborn children there! I was enthralled with this book by the first paragraph because it has a very surprising start and I wanted to find out "what the heck??" Here is the first line...

"In the middle of my marriage, when I was above all Hugh's wife and Dee's mother, one of those unambiguous women with no desire to disturb the universe, I fell in love with a Benedictine monk."

So I mean come on... How do you not read more and figure out how this woman who is happily married falls in love with a Benedictine monk that is cloistered on a little Island off the cost of South Carolina? I'll give you a little hint but that's it. It has to do with a purposely severed finger. A special needs adult that has a knack for knowing the things you are thinking. A very devout mother. Mermaids, a chair, and a 20 year old family secret that is resurfacing after all the years it has been buried under the sea. On top of this intriguing story is the wit and voice of a charming southern woman named Jessie, and I really really liked her! Most the time, when I read books about unfaithfulness in marriage, I get so mad at the guilty party but I really loved this lady, and felt like I was rooting for her no matter what her decision was. I really liked her husband Hugh and the Benedictine monk so I didn't really know how I wanted it to end. Also, I always always figure out what is going to happen on the end of the book, way before the end of the book, but I was surprised when Kidd tied up all the loose ends and some of those little ends weren't exactly what I had thought they would be! So do you wanna read it? Huh? Huh?

I would recommend this book to just about anyone. It isn't that long and her writing is so beautiful that it is easy to read, so consider this book if you are headed to the beach. Book clubs would love it and discuss the heck out of it because it is chalked full of literary, religious, and mythical symbolism. So all in all I am elated that I finally read a book I liked after so many others I wanted to chuck in the bin! I thought that maybe The Road had ruined it for me and nothing would ever again compare. I remember feeling the same way after I read The Time Travelers Wife for the first time, it took me a long time to find another good book after that one. But it looks like I am out of my reading rut because I have another fantastic audio book review for you waiting in the wings, and I am reading 2 amazing books right now! So in the next few weeks you will see some glowing recommendations!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There was a Lifetime movie made on The Mermaid Chair in 2006 staring Kim Basinger. It didn't really get great reviews but I'd give it a try if I ran across it on TV.

RATING: 4 Stars

3 more reviews on The Mermaid Chair:

The Literate Housewife

A Book Sanctuary

Tillabooks

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

ISBN: 0143057421

10 Hour and 22 Minutes

Eliza Foss

If you liked The Mermaid Chair you should also read: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Blog Hop

2010-07-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hey Welcome Hoppers! My name is Lauren {click on my name to read a little more about me} and I started blogging because about 10 months ago I thought it would be a good idea to keep a journal about the books I've read. I had NO IDEA there was this amazing community of readers and writers out there that agreed with me so I was pleasantly surprised to fall into this group of fabulous book bloggers! I have met so many wonderful bibliophiles/bloggers that love reading and love blogging as much as I do. Take a look around. Leave a comment or two. Find some good reads. Become a follower!!

Warm Regards,

Lauren

A Soft Place to Land

2010-06-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

I obediently trudged though A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White for my book club a few weeks ago and I decided to have mixed reviews about it. The book takes a little while to get into and a little after the half way point I really did had to find out what happened to our poor protagonist so I continued reading. But had I not been reading this for my book club I probably would have disregarded the book after the first few chapters. {Side note: I promise that I usually do like the books I read it just seams that 2010 is the year of bad books for me, I am not typically a Debbie Downer or a Nagging Nancy like my recent book reviews make me sound, and I currently reading 3 VERY good books so stay tuned}. I had some serious character issues with this book. Ruthie the main character seemed flat, not fleshed out enough to be a main character. Her sister Julia seemed a little more interesting and I enjoyed reading about her but the story was about Ruthie mostly and you would think that White would have made Ruthie the interesting one. She just seemed to float through life, taking the joy and sorrow with the same even tone. In other words she was the Melba Toast of literary Characters. Every one else in the story had some flavor (bland flavor but at least you could taste them), they all had some interesting quirk but poor Ruthie was just kinda blah. I really didn't like anyone of importance in this whole book really. They seemed disconnected with life, not real, not deep.

So we meet Ruthie and her half sister Julia when they are young. Ruthie is in 7th grade and is a rule follower; and Julia is in High School and is rule breaker. During Spring Break their parents head off to Los Vegas for a little alone time and while they are there they decide to go on a little trip to the Grand Canyon for a airplane tour. But unfortunately they die in a fiery plane crash. So Ruthie and Julia are split up, Ruthie going to live with her aunt and uncle (the only characters I kinda liked) in San Francisco, and Julia going to live with her Dad and wicked step-mom in Virginia. Over the next few years the once very close sisters have a falling out. Julia's reckless behavior, and Ruthie's pent up resentment for her sister drive a wedge between their relationship. Later when another plane crash occurs the two grow closer only to be ripped apart again. Finally a third plane crash gives the reader hope that these two girls will get their act together and remember they are sisters. How many plane crashes can one family endure you ask? The answer is that 3 plane crashes in one life time bring you full circle I suppose.

I guess the story kind of board me. Nothing much happens and like I said Ruthie was Melba Toasty, but the writing was fantastic so that was a redeeming factor. I would probably recommend this book to book clubs but other than that I don't think I would recommend it to anyone else. However, I would read another one of Whites books. As I said I liked her writing style, so maybe another story would speak to me a little better than A Soft Place to Land did.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There isn't a movie but if there were I'd bet it would be one on Lifetime.

RATING: 3 Stars

3 More Reviews on A Soft Place to Land:

Along Plumb Creek

Designed to Live

Booking Mama

A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White

(Purchased at Target)

ISBN 9781439194812

Pages328

If you liked this book you should read: Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

2010-06-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I start a book, get through a chapter and then toss it to the side because the first chapter sucked, or the main character was whiny, or there was too much back story, or all of the above. Then I feel like a quitter, and feel guilty that I didn't give it a fair chance, and I feel like I hurt the books feelings {I know, right???}. So that is usually when I head to the library and get the audio book. I would say that 99% of the audio books I listen to are books I tried to read and just couldn't get past the first few chapters. And usually I end up hearting the story after all!! This is exactly the scenario I had with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. The first few chapters weren't so hot, it starts out in modern time and I was expecting historical fiction all the way. I thought the main character was whiny and needy, and there was too much of a back story. I read 20 pages and tossed it to the side. Then the guilt came and I rushed out to pick up the audio book at my library. I really enjoyed it! I mean it isn't great literature, the historical part of the book is utterly and truly fiction, but Lauren Willig wrote a great book that was full of mystery, espionage, and romance and.... onomatopoeias. Yes this story is chalked full of WHACKS, POWS, CRUNCHES, OOMPHS, BANGS, and WHOPS.. At some points I felt like I was in one of those old Batman TV shows. However, besides the assortment of expressive sound words I rather "guilty pleasure" enjoyed The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.

Let me just say it. This book is kind of a romance novel in a not so Harlequin form. The writing (besides the random POW), is very well done, and the plot is clever and interesting, but on the whole this is a story about a boy and girl falling in love and sometimes getting to second and third base rather descriptively (fortunately for the reader there were no sounds mentioned at these parts). We start out in modern day London where we meet Eloise. Poor Eloise is trying to write her dissertation on the Pink Carnation, the most cunning and successful British spy during the Napoleonic wars. But no one knows the true identity of this fabulous sleuth, the identities of the other great spies of the time (the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian) have been revealed but no where in history has anyone unmasked the Pink Carnation. So Eloise is on a mission, she tracks down an old lady living in London who is a descendant of the Purple Gentian, and the lady gives Eloise diaries, and correspondence that shed some light on who this wonderful Pink Carnation might be. At this point in the story we are flung back through time to the 1830s where we meet Amy and Jane. These two English Victorian young women are getting ready to journey to France to live with Amy's brother Edward, their main goal in France is to find the Purple Gentian and help him restore the French Crown. Amy is the protagonist here and she blunders her way from one thing to another until she accidentally meets and falls in love with the Purple Gentian. Meanwhile she is in deep social drama with a excruciatingly handsome, but irkingly impossible man named Richard Selwick. Espionage ensues and Napoleon's plans are curtailed, identities are revealed, there is much POW BOP BANGING, and there is even a cliff hangerish type ending {because this is a series people}! It is quite a funny ride!

If you are in the mood for some light hearted summer reading I would give this one a chance. I was expecting a serious piece of historical fiction so maybe that is why my first impression was blah. But after I got the audio book I really enjoyed it. The characters cracked me up! Read it on the beach, don't expect a challenge, but do expect to be at least a little bit entertained.

On a side note, I am sorry for all these audio book reviews!! I feel like such a slacker in my reading but I have been doing A LOT of driving to and from work and then A LOT of working and in my free time I sleep {between the hours of 1:30am - 7:00am}, so I am grateful for my longish commute to work so I have time to indulge in books! I can't wait for wedding season to slow down a tad bit so I can pick up a real live book again!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There isn't a Pink Carnation movie but if there were I don't think I'd be camping out in line to be the first to see it. I would however pick it up at Redbox for a buck.

RATING: 3.95 stars

3 More reviews on The Secret History of the Pink Carnation:

Good Books and Good Wine

A Life in Books

Firefly's Book Blog

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

ISBN 0143057324

13 Hours and 36 minutes

Read by Kate Reading

If you liked The Secret History of the Pink Carnation you may also like: Wideacre by Philippa Gregory

A Little of This A little of That

2010-06-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Alrighty people this isn't a book review. I know I know, don't be mad, but I had a bunch of things I wanted to tell you all about so I decided to stray from my normal routine and write a non-book-review blog for once. So bear with me and I promise it won't be so bad :). Or if you are already getting board reading this blog entry just skip ahead to the bits that interest you (an award, a review of The Road {movie}, a complaint about SPAM in my comments, back-up reminder), I promise it won't hurt my feelings if you don't hang on my every word..

First things first. I want to thank Elisabeth over at Babbette's Book Blog for sending me the Oh My Blog Award!! Elisabeth you made my day!! So here are the rules for the Oh My Blog award...

1... Get really really excited that you just had the best blog award in the world bestowed upon you.

2... Choose one of the following options to except the award.

a) Get really really drunk and blog for 15 minutes straight or until you loose focus.

b) Write about your most embarrassing moment.

c) Write a "Soundtrack of Your Childhood" post.

d) Make your next post a Vlog (Video Blog)

e) Take a picture of yourself first thing in the morning before you have done your makeup and hair.

3... Pass the award on to at least 3 (but hopefully more) fabulous bloggers and don't forget to tell them!

So I decided to except this award I was going to do choice E, but I don't really have a picture on hand so I scoured my Facebook pictures until I came up with one that I don't really want anyone to see. Actually it is one that I untagged myself in, so I think this one will suffice for a picture of me with out my pretties on.

View this picture at your own risk. And then after you look at this picture take a look the picture of me at the top of my blog so you aren't picturing me looking like this all the time (: haha!

AAAAAHHHHH!!!! I hope I didn't blind you!!! Everything in this picture is BAD, bad hair, bad makeup, bad clothes, bad bad bad. YIKES!!! OK now that I have totally shown you the most unflattering picture on the planet of myself I get to honor 3 more fabulous bloggers with this award!

And the winner is...

1... Books i Done Read

2... {Insert Suitably Snappy Title Here}

3... Bookend Diaries

Next on the agenda is The Road {movie} review. I read and reviewed The Road by Cormac McCarthy back in March and I have been in a reading rut ever since. Nothing I have read lately has lived up to The Road so I feel like my measuring stick for good books is so long that everything else falls way short. So when the movie hit Redbox last month I was SOOOOO excited but I also was going into my movie viewing experience skeptical because come on, how many movies surpass the book? Or even live up to the book? I can tell you the answer to those questions... NONE. I have to say though, The Road held it's own as far as move from book goes. The scenes were the correct amount of bleakness, the dialog was short and clipped like the prose in the book, things that happened in the book also happened in the movie. There were somethings that weren't executed as well but that is expected. And there were some things that were left out and I think it was a good thing because to actually see a baby on a spit over a fire would have been a little much for people. Over all though this movie was an A+, and if you had strong enough stomach to read The Road then you can probably watch it too, and I recommend that you do!!

The next order of business is SPAM y'all!! I have been getting it like whoa on my comment sections!! I have been deleting deleting deleting like crazy! So now unfortunately you all have to type a secret word thing every time you leave a comment, and I hate that! So I apologize for having to make you type more with the crazy secret word but it really is helping. Do any of you know how to stop the SPAM from happening? I mean, people are posting links to Publishing Houses, Book stores, Win a Free Kindle, Etc. They are all book related but they are most defiantly SPAM. Let me know my friends and tell me what I need to do to kick these SPAMMERS to the curb!

The last bit of business I want to tell you about is the most important. I follow a blog called Books i Done Read, and she always reminds us to back up our blogs. This is SOOOOOOOOO important because sometimes the interweb wants to eat our blogs for lunch and then you are with out all your hard work! So I want to get up on a soapbox and preach to you about backing up your blog. I am very grateful for the lovely lady on Books i Done Read for her soapbox preaching about it and she does it oh-so-much better than I can so I am sending you to her blog to read all about the phenomenon of disappearing blogs and how to back up yours! So check out her post here: Books i Done Read - Backing Up Your Blog.

OK I am releasing your from my clutches now and you can go on about your business. I am glad we had this little talk about all things not book review related!! Have a wonderful day my friends!!!

The Last Days of Dogtown

2010-06-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

I had tried to read this book a few years back and only got about 2 chapters into it before something else caught my fancy and I wondered that-a-way instead. I had always meant to go back and read it but as I was perusing the audio book shelf at my library the other day I happened upon it and grabbed it. Thus bringing me to the realization that most of the books I listen to are books I didn't get through on paper, but I digress. I very much enjoyed learning about the last days of Dogtown. The entire plot of the book is in the title so there weren't any big surprises there, but the characters were well developed, their stories were interesting, and I was glad to learn some new tidbits to tuck away in the back of my mind for that one day that I might end up on a game show. The Last Days Of Dogtown by Anita Diamant (author of The Red Tent {one or my favorites}) is a semi-fictional account of the last years of a small community on the outskirts of Gloucester on Cape Ann in Massachusetts. Dogtown was a very poor cluster of hovels, a few taverns, a church, and a whorehouse that stood a few miles outside of Gloucester and that had a unique collection of residents as well as a pack of stray dogs. The little community was very poor and the people in the neighboring towns looked at these people with disdain and pity.

The story starts off when one of the residents is found dead and is brought to Easter Carter's home/boarding house. The whole community of Dogtown turns out to view the dead man and here begins the introduction of all the characters. The rest of the story explores each of the members of this little society and how their days ended or how they eventually left Dogtown for a better life. Each chapter focuses on a particular person and tells a little antidote about their lives in Dogtown. Toward the end of the book the chapters switch gears and revisits these same characters but it depicts them at the end of their time in Dogtown whether that be death or other circumstance. Along the way all their paths cross each other and you realize the alliances, romances, and animosity among them all. It is a very interesting examination of the dynamics of a small town in the early 1800s.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Days of Dogtown. I love historical fiction and this time period and location of history especially. And like The Red Tent Anita Daimant has done a dang good job of painting a picture with her words. The book is beautifully written; by the time it is over you really feel a connection with a few of the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a soft spot for historical fiction as well as book clubs, I think there could be a lot of discussion on this book. I have been to Gloucester before but now I would like to go back having read this book and visit the remains of Dogtown. I hear there isn't much to see but you can explore the area and see the foundations of some of the homes. Some of the characters in the book were based off of real members of this community and it would be interesting to see where they really lived.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There isn't a movie (not even one brewing) but if there were I would go and see it. And really there wouldn't be anything to mess up because this is a story that would only be better if the characters were fleshed out a little bit more.

RATING: 4 stars

2 More Reviews of The Last Days of Dogtown ( I couldn't find 3 reviews!!):

Curled Up

Just Another Day in Paradise

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant

(got at the library)

ISBN 0743550986
9 Discs (10hours 30 minutes)
Narrated by Kate Nelligan

If you liked The Last Days of Dogtown then please read: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

2010-06-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

OK here is a little relationship tip for all you guys and gals out there. Ladies if you are pregnant and you get stuck in a freak snow storm and your husband has to deliver your child, make sure you stay awake through out the whole ordeal. And fella's if your wife is pregnant and you get stuck in a freak snow storm and you have to deliver your own child don't claim the baby died and then send it off to live with the nurse that helped with the delivery. This isn't good for your marriage. It causes problems, and tension, and walls to be built up. And I'm no psychologist people, but I do know that this may lead to divorce some where down the line! You may snicker at this little scenario and tell yourself well that won't ever happen to me, but be warned my friends, because this is just what happened in The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards.

So here is a little run down on what happens in this story. David Henry is very much in love with his wife Nora. So in love in fact that he wants to shelter her from heartbreak and a life of struggle, so when he has to deliver his twins on one cold and blustery night he keeps their perfect son (Paul) and sends off his less than perfect (in his opinion) daughter (Pheobe, she has Down Syndrome) off with the nurse (Caroline) while his wife is still passed out from the gas they gave delivering mothers back in the '60s (ummm... What happened to that gas). When Nora wakes up David tells his wife that their daughter was born dead and that he had sent her little body with the nurse to dispose of. This starts a downward spiral in to a life of depression for Nora. She loves Paul with all her heart but she always has a missing part of her soul for her daughter that she never even got to see. Mean while David is living with this horrible secret that his daughter is alive and well and living with Caroline somewhere out there in the world.

The story hops back and forth from one Characters point of view to another and I really enjoyed getting into all the characters heads. Except for Nora's; I was so annoyed with Nora's life, I know I was supposed to feel sorry for her because she was unaware that her daughter was out there somewhere and she was struggling with an unhappy marriage and depression, but I got really tired of her depression, and her "whoa as me" attitude. I enjoyed the chapters about Pheobe and Caroline the best. I have always had a soft place in my heart for people with Down Syndrome and they depicted Pheobe perfectly with a big heart and an sweet and inquisitive personality, I just instantly fell in love with her. Also, I loved that the book took place in Kentucky between Lexington and Louisville. There are so few books that take place here in Kentucky so when one does I LOVE it because I can picture the people and the places they live so vividly! I was listening to the book not reading it and it felt like it took me 27 years (the span on the book) to listen to it. It was LONG in other words. Even though I enjoyed it I was SOOOOOO ready for it to be over by the end. In a nut shell it was well written, and a good book to discuss so if you are in a book club you should probably suggest this as your next read!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: Lifetime made this a TV movie back in 2008 and I am sure it is a tear jerker because most Lifetime movies are. I haven't seen it but I think I might search it out. I would love to see how it compares. I hope it doesn't feel as long as the book felt.

RATING: 3 stars

3 More reviews on The Memory Keepers Daughter:

Sophisticated Dorkiness

Adventures in Reading

Shelf Love

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

ISBN 1428125558

14 Discs (16 hours 15 minutes)

Narrated by Martha Plimpton

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

2010-05-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Oh my! It has been quite a long time since my last post! I am so sorry for the hiatus but I have a good excuse this time. I own a bridal boutique and guess what season it is? (Let me give you a hint... "Here comes the bride...."). It has been completely out of control for a couple weeks now so I have had no time to blog much less read!!! Have no fear though, I have been listening to audio books on my commute to and from work so I have a couple waiting in the wings. However the last book I read was The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and even though I am not a YA lover this book was about Zombies!!! I mean come on y'all ZOMBIES!!!! And they snack on people! And it is gruesome and there is unrequited love and then the love is requited, and there is some young adult drama; and did I mention there are Zombies EVERYWHERE??? They are just waiting to take a wee bite out of someones arm and turn them in to the living dead too!! And there are some parts that are uber intense, and made me sleep with my light on when my husband was on shift at the firehouse. Whooo... (*big breath*).

OK so here it goes ladies and gents... The world has been taken over by the "Unconsecrated" and the survivors are forced to live in these little villages that are fortified by fences. However, it has been so long sense the world has been over run by the living dead that the villages are isolated from each other and none of the villages are sure if the other villages are still around or if they have been taken over by the flesh eaters. This story takes place in one such village and that is where we meet Mary. She is restless and wants more in life than what is between the fortified fence. But she knows that there is no way to get past the Forest of Hands and Teeth (an unfortunate name by the way) and explore what else is out there. Eventually there is a breach in the fence and the village is over run by the zombies, and you guys this isn't a spoiler because there has to be a breach or else this story would suck. Anyway Mary and her friends are on the run through the deadly forest being chased by the cast from Dawn of the Dead. Will they find another village? Will they all make it? Will there be some twists and turns? I am not telling! You will have to find out for your selves.

Alright I am not saying that this book is fabulous, the writing is eh, and the story has some dangly bits that don't really get resolved or really have a point to the story; but what do you expect from a Zombie story? I mean you don't really expect a zombie flick to win an Oscar, am I right? It is what it is and just take it as a quick read that would be good for summer vacation. I am waiting for the second book (did I mention this is a series?) to become available at my library so I can see what else is going on with these characters. You all will be the first to know what I think about book 2 (The Dead Tossed Waves) I promise.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: This book has been picked up by Seven Star Pictures for a film adaption. There is even some talk that Twilight star Kristen Stewart may play the lead (the horror! Isn't one teen book series turn movie series enough for one person?) Will I go and see it? Yeah probably. I'm always down for a good zombie movie on the big screen.

RATING: 3 stars

3 More Reviews of The Forest of Hands and Teeth:

The Neverending Shelf

Books i Done Read

All About {n}

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

(purchased at a used book shop)

ISBN 9780385736817

Pages 308

If you liked The Forest of Hands and Teeth then read: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Her Fearful Symmetry (ranting a bit... Sorry)

2010-05-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

**Disclaimer** Whenever I give a book a bad review I write my review and then I don't post it for quite a few days because I want to make sure that I really mean what I am saying and not giving a sort of deserving book a bad wrap. So if I sound terrible and snarky it is because this book made me this way. I chose and rechose my words carefully and this is purely my opinion.

You know when you were a kid and Christmas or your Birthday rolled around and there was that one great big box dressed all in bright beautiful paper that you were just dying to rip into? The one that you just knew was that most coveted toy or that puppy you asked for? Then when you were given the OK you tore off the wrapping paper and opened the lid only to be confronted with a few pairs of rolled up sock that our Aunt Hilda knitted you. Well that doesn't even slightly compare to the disappointment I was in store for when I set out to read Her Fearful Symmetry. I was looking forward to this book so much and I wanted to love it really really hard despite the bad reviews it was getting, but alas, the reviews were bad for a reason people! After The Time Travelers Wife (which I consider my all time favorite book, and have read almost 8 times) I was expecting my mind to be blown with her amazing story telling skills and genius mind like I was the first time I read TTTW, but y'all, it was blown because the book was utter garbage! Audrey can tell a story I will give her that, her writing is BEAUTIFUL with a capital B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L and her mind goes place that no one else's can go but this story was so disjointed and so pointless that I wanted to beat myself with the book rather than read it. I know I sound hateful but my heart is broken with disappointment and like a child I don't want to wear my disappointment with dignity, I want to through a temper tantrum!

So I guess I have to tell you what this book is about a little bit. And there might be some spoilers here but I edited out all the twisty bits. Ok so, Elspeth and Edie are twins. They have a big falling out and one moves to the Untied States (Edie) and one stays in London (Elspeth). Elspeth gets the cancer and she dies. Edie has twin girls of her own (Julia and Valentina) and they are lazy, whiney, 20 year olds that just sit around all day watching HGTV (seriously). Anyway, Elspeth dies of the cancer like I said and leaves her nieces (Julia and Valentina) her flat in London with the stipulation that they live in it for a year before they sell it and that their parents are not allowed to come into the flat, ever. Meanwhile, Elspeth's boyfriend Robert is devastated by Elspeths death and can't get over her at all so he does some really naughty things with her shoes (umm yes he did). Julia and Valentina move in to their aunts flat but guess what? Elspeth is a ghost and she lives (errr.. haunts) in the flat too. Then Robert falls in love with Valentina which is creepy and Elspeth gets a little jealous. Elspeth learns how to communicate with the girls and Robert via a Ouija Board (I am dead serious) and she also learns how to take the souls out of living things and then put them back (and she practices on a poor little kitten that Valentina loves). Throughout this whole train wreck of a story Valentina has some pent up resentment for her sister Julia and decided she has to kill herself to get away from her (ummm... because that's what I feel like I have to do when I'm annoyed with my sibling). So Valentine concocts this brilliant plan to have Elspeth rip her soul out of her body, keep it safe, and then replace it once her sister and her parents think she is dead and buried in the cemetery that is next door (and is probably the most important character in this book -um the cemetery not Valentina). (Come on!!! Seriously?? I mean decay?? Gross??) Elspeth is happy to oblige because Valentina is getting a little too cozy with Robert. Now about this time the story starts to take some crazy twists and turns that will leave you scratching your head and muttering WTF under your breath but believe me you are better off not wasting your time. Unless you are like me and want to find out for yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you.

Obviously you can tell that I am in deep hate with this book, so here is where I usually tell you who I would recommend this book to. NO ONE. Don't waist your time. If you feel the itch to read Her Fearful Symmetry just pick up The Time Travelers Wife instead. I can't believe that the same person wrote both of these books! I mean TTTW was so ingenious, Niffenegger told that story with so much detail and the whole idea of that story was so thought out and just perfect but Her Fearful Symmetry felt like she used up all her creative juices with TTTW and just threw HFS together at the last minute because Simon and Schuster gave her a FIVE MILLION DOLLAR advance and she forgot when the deadline was, then all of a sudden she looked at her calendar and was like "crap I have to write a book by next Thrusday! Whatever am I going to do?"

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I might watch this as if it came out as a movie. Because the book was so terrible that the movie would probably be really good! I mean movies made about great books usually suck so maybe we would get a blockbuster with this bad book.

RATING: 1 and a half star (the half star is for the fact that the writing was done well just not the story part)

3 More Reviews of Her Fearful Symmetry:

Books I Done Read (She LURVED the book so I wanted to give you the flip side)

Gus Greeper

Well Read Reviews

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger:

9781439165393

Pages: 401

If you liked this book than read: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Girls In Trucks

2010-04-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

So last week I went on a cruise and I was in the mood for sitting in the sun drinking a Pina Colada and reading a brainless hunk of chick lit. And that is precisely what I did. The sun was wonderful, the Pina Colada was delicious but the book... Meh... I tend to like my chick lit a little more funny, a lot more steamy, and a little less of a downer. Girls In Trucks just didn't bring that to the table, and I finished it with a sun tan, a fabulous Pina Colada induced buzz, and a real need to fling the book into the ocean (I didn't do that by the way). The writing was beautiful and the cover was swoonable, but the story was inconsistent and it felt like a bunch of episodes of a sitcom that weren't in order.

Sarah is a débutante in Charleston and she just doesn't feel like she belongs. Her high society family is all about Southern appearance and Sarah tries to go against the grain whenever humanly possible. After she graduates from high school and has her coming out party she heads to New York where she slaves away at a job she isn't happy with while she searches for Mr. Right the whole time sleeping with a football teams worth of Mr. Wrongs. She falls in love hard with Max and he is alright for a little while until he wants her to have very rough sex with him and at first she thinks it is scary and weird and then she kinda likes it because it makes him happy. Pretty much she needs a good kick in the butt to get her out of that very unhealthy relationship and he needs some meds because he is one twist short of a Slinky. There is a lot of booze and a lot more sex with a lot more men and a lot more self pity and nothing really gets resolved... ever. The one thing Sarah has going for her are her dysfunctional group of friends, they are interesting at least, but they are just as big of a mess as she is.

I wasn't expecting the next great american novel here but I was expecting a little laugh like that hilarious Shopaholic gal or at least the Southern charm of the YaYa Sisterhood, but I didn't get any of that. Unfortunately this book just sort of fizzled out for me and I don't think I would recommend it to anyone.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: Nope.

RATING: 2 Star

3 More Reviews on Girls In Trucks:

Gently Read Literature

A Novel Menagerie

Babbette's Book Blog

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

(given to me by my Sister-in-law)

ISBN 0316002119

Pages: 256

If you liked Girls in Trucks then read: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

Little Bee

2010-04-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

I think Little Bee by Chris Cleave was a classic case of over expectations for me. I saw this book in Borders a few months ago and loved the cover. When I turned the book over to read the summery I was very intrigued by what it said and so it went directly on the top of my TBR list. Then my book club decided that it would be the book for April and I was SO excited to sink my teeth into it. I devoured it and after I was finished I was just like "eh". The story is interesting, and the writing is extraordinarily well done but I think I hyped myself up so much and then I felt a little let down in the end. I also really couldn't find a character that I connected with very well. The book is written in 2 voices and I did enjoy the chapters written by Little Bee best but I really couldn't connect with her, and the other characters just annoyed me. Another thing that might have kept me from falling in love with this book is the fact that this one was right on the heels of The Road and I was kinda obsessed with that book so Little Bee might not even had a snowballs chance in hell with me at that point..

I have never given y'all a summery before that wasn't in my very own words but I feel with this book I am going to have to give you the back of the book. So here it goes...

We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this: This a the story of two women. Their lives collide on fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two year later, they meet again - the story starts there... Once you've read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.

Are you intrigued like I was? How can you not be? It really was a decent read but I just didn't really feel it after it was all said and done. Like The Story of Edgar Sawtelle I would highly recommend the book to a Book Club (even though I didn't love the book) because there is a TON that you can discuss. But if you are looking for a light read DON'T go here as the subject matter is pretty heavy. If you are looking for unique then go for it because it is quite a unique story. I am sorry I couldn't give it a better review because I really really really wanted to love this book when I saw it in the book store.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There is a movie coming out next year it looks like and it will be staring Nicole Kidman. I will probably see it because I feel it maybe a story that should have been told on film. I think Nicole Kidman was a good choice for the roll of Sarah O'Rourke.

RATING: 3 Stars

3 More Reviews of Little Bee:

Lovely Little Shelf

Kiss A Cloud

Rhapsody in Books

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

ISBN 1416589635

Pages: 288

If you liked Little Bee than read: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

The Hour I First Believed

2010-04-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I am sorry I have been absent for a few weeks but seriously The Road blew me away so much that I just couldn't get into another book and so I was in a little bit of a rut. And The Hour I First Believed was SOOOOO long that it took me a while to listen to the whole darn thing during my work commute. But I finished it and so now I must tell you all about it!

I don't really know what to think about Wally Lamb sometimes honestly. I like him, I have read all his books, but I always have a moment in all his stories that I ask my self "where in the hell is this going" or "what the hell did I just read". First of all his books are chunksters and The Hour I First Believed came in at 750 pages (or 20 HOURS on the audio book) so you have to like a hefty read to enjoy any of his tomes. The writing was beautiful and the stories are poignant and he always tackles hard issues and very heavy topics. Something that I really enjoy about Wally Lambs fiction is that all his stories take place in the fictional town of Three Rivers Connecticut, and because Three Rivers isn't a very large town apparently, some of the characters from each book kinda make cameo appearance in the other books but by no means do the stories go together as a series. The other thing that these books have in common are their page count and the fact that Lamb likes to write about disturbed people with a collection of psychological disorders such as schizophrenia (I Know This Much is True), Eating disorders (She's Come Undone), and post traumatic stress disorder (The Hour I First Believed). And almost all the time there is someone getting committed to some sort of "retreat" to get their act together. But all in all the books are interesting and SO full of layers that you start to wonder if you are reading an onion and how in the crap are all the layers going to come together in the end.

The Hour I First Believe is about a man named Caelum Quirk, a literary teacher that has an issue with intimacy (he is on wife number 3). After Caelum's third wife, Maureen, has an affair, they decide to move away from Three Rivers Connecticut and start fresh in Littleton Colorado. The year is 1999 and I am sure you can see where all this is going (and you are just screaming for it not to go there). While Caelum is back home in Connecticut making arrangements for his Aunts funeral he turns on the TV to see Columbine High School (the school where he teaches and his wife is a nurse) being shot up by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. He rushes back to Colorado that night not knowing if his wife is alive or dead. When he finds her alive he is relieved beyond words but over the next few days he realizes that life as they know it is over for them. Maureen is suffering from a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Eventually they choose to move back to Three Rivers and move into the Quirk family farm but though things get better for a while Maureen's life starts to spiral out of control as does Caelum's as they deal with this terrible disorder, family secrets, and complicated relationships with each other and their loved ones.

I can't really describe to you exactly what the book is about because the PTSD and Columbine High School and Maureen's issues are only a very small part of this story yet they are the catalyst for everything else in this multi layered book. There is so much more that you would just have to read it for yourself to understand exactly what I am saying. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in psychology, sociology, or anthropology. I would also recommend this book (and anything by Wally Lamb) to those who like a challenge, as Lamb provides his readers with meaty books not fluff. On a side note (and one just about the audio version) I LOVED the reader George Guidall. He brought each character alive so well it was amazing! I will search out other audio books he has read just to hear him again!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I don't really think books by Lamb are really movie quality. You can't get into the dimensions that are in his writing in a 2 hour movie. Also, I think even though it was so many years ago the Columbine presence in this book would be very disturbing for people to watch.

RATING: 4 Stars

Three More Reviews of The Hour I First Believed:

books i done read

Babbette's Book Blog

Booking Mama

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

ISBN 9780061703034

20 Discs (20 Hours 15 Minutes)

Narrated by George Guidall

If you liked The Hour I First Believed then try reading: I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

The Road

2010-03-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow. Seriously. This book blew my mind. My mind is officially blown. Whoo. I don't really even have words. I have been sitting on this review for a few days so that I could digest this book and think about everything that I had just finished reading and then I went back and reread quite a bit of the book again. And after the second reading I had to redigest what I read again. Now I am exhausted and I hope that the apocalypse doesn't happen tonight because I am emotionally spent after reading The Road. On top of all the darkness that is The Road, Cormac McCarthy has written a beautiful piece of work, the imagery and depth of feeling in this book is remarkable. Seriously y'all. My mind is blown. Thank you thank you Greg (over at The New Dork Review of Books) for putting this book on my radar. I owe you a good book suggestion now!

The Road is a story of survival, dystopia, the love between a parent and their child, and also a little bit about hope. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where vegetation and animals are extinct, the sun doesn't shine through the fall out ash, and the few people that are left roaming the land are DANGEROUS. You follow the story of father and son that are headed south on The Road hoping that when they get to their undetermined destination something will be at the other end. All the while they are trying to survive and "carry the fire" (the phrase that symbolizes goodness through out the book) even though the odds aren't in their favor. Food is scarce, roving gangs of cannibals are everywhere, and the climate is HARSH. The end of this crazy story is AMAZING!!!! I was freaking the heck out when I read the last few pages, and I think that is when I can pin point when my mind became blown.

Something that I though was so appropriate was the fact that McCarthy didn't name his characters. They were simply referred to as the man and the boy. In a time where identity isn't important anymore it just fit perfectly. I don't know that another story could be told with out character names. At least not as well as The Road was. In most reviews on this book you will read about how the landscape was a character in this book and I have to agree. McCarthy painted a pretty bleak picture of what a post-apocalyptic world would look like. I don't really know if you could have anything BUT a bleak picture of a post-apocalyptic world but McCarthy executes it superbly. I devour dystopic and post-apocalyptic survival stories but The Road is by far the cream of the crop when it comes to this genera. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 and it surely deserved it.

There is so much I would love to discuss about this book but I can't do that with out giving away some spoilers so I am letting you know if you are reading and don't want the book to be spoiled stop reading this next paragraph. I am going to just run through my mind blowing thought and then I am going to stop. So don't read further if you don't want to know about then end....

OK, so at the end when the man dies and the boy steps out on the road and sees the man in the yellow parka. The yellow parka man mentions that his group had been watching the man and the boy for a while. It killed me that the whole time the boy and the man had been headed south to find "the good guys" and "the good guys" were behind them the entire time. I don't know why this blew my mind, the irony in that just killed me. After all that happened why couldn't they have figured that out before. Then I was thinking that when the man and the boy were in the town where the boy saw the other little boy and he wanted to go back and make sure that the other little boy wasn't lost and scared, could that have been the same group? The yellow parka man mentions that he has a little boy and a little girl. Also something else that intrigued me was the way the boy was somewhat religious though religion was all but gone by the time he was born. "Carrying the Fire" to me was kind of an ichthys symbol of "the good" or of God. There are so many other little questions I would like a second opinion on. Geez.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There is a movie of The Road that has fairly new and I have't had the chance to see it yet. Actually I can't find it anywhere. But I can't wait to get my hands on it because I am sure it is more intense than the book. The book was intense but if you could see the pictures unfold in front of your eyes I would believe that it would be an edge of your seat kinda movie. I'll review the movie when I finally find a copy to watch.

RATING: 5 Stars

3 More Reviews on The Road:

The New Dork Review of Books

{Insert Suitably Snappy Title Here}

About Writing

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

ISBN 0307476316

Pages: 304

If you liked The Road you should try: The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Monstrumologist

2010-03-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

I didn't know what to expect with The Monstrumologist but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised! Rick Yancy certainly told a fabulous action packed story from cover to cover with this one! I was captivated with it from the first line and then I read greedily until the last line. There are a few things that I found interesting about this book the first of witch was the fact that this is considered YA Fiction. I have never experienced YA quite like this before and I want to point out that this is YA at it's finest in my opinion. No vampire romances, no sorcery schools, no prom nights, no fighting with your best friend over a boy friend, actually no high school at all, and where I do enjoy an occasional trip down Twilight Lane I think sometimes YA Fiction gets pigeonholed when it comes to content. The Monstrumologist is just so different from anything I have read in YA that it was certainly a nice surprise. Another thing that I found very interesting was the amount of words I had to look up. In the first few chapters I had already made a list of 20 or so words that I needed to look up. I love a book that challenges the mind like that! And being YA, this book would be great to read right before SAT's because it will stretch your vocabulary for sure!

The Monstrumologist starts out in modern time, when a nursing home director stumbles across a big bundle of leather bound journals in a recently deceased patients room. When the patient arrived at the nursing home a few years before he only identified himself as William Henry and told everyone that he was over 130 years old. Because Will Henry had no living relatives there was no way to confirm or deny his identity but the coordinator was certain that he couldn't 130 year old. When he starts to read the journals he thinks what he is reading is a work or fiction but is it? Then the book flips over to a time in the late 1800s when Will Henry is only a boy of 12. Will Henry's parents had passed away a year before in a fire and he went to live with his fathers employer Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. Dr. Warthrop is a very strange man who's profession is Monstrumology (the study of Monsters). And when a graver robber arrives at the Doctors door step one dark and stormy night with evidence that proves that the small New England town has an infestation of Anthropophagi, (a large beast with razor sharp teeth, deadly claws, and no heads) Will Henry is thrown into the horrible adventure! The story gives some answers to not only what the beast is but also a clue to who Jack the Ripper might be, as well as an explanation to the longevity of Will Henry.

As I mentioned before I loved this book from cover to cover and I would recommend it to anyone that loves adventure, horror, and drama. I would not recommend this to anyone that is easily scared or has a weak stomach as some of the book is a bit gory. The story ends with a little bit of a cliff hanger, or at least an open ended invitation for another book to come, and when I was checking out Rick Yancy's website earlier I noticed that the saga continues in September 2010! So I am excited to see what the next journal of Will Henry holds. I sure hope it is as riveting of an adventure as the Anthropophagi brought!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I think this is a rare case where the movie could outshine the book. As far as I know there is no plans so far to turn this into a screen play but seriously people! Snap to!!!! Get it done! I wanna see an Anthropophagus!!!!

RATING: 5 Stars

3 More reviews of The Monstrumologist:

Opinionated? Me?

The Book Smugglers

A Book Dork

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy

ISBN 9781416984481

Pages: 448

If you liked The Monstrumologist then read: Monster by Frank Peretti

Son of a Witch

2010-03-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Oh Gregory Maguire how you make me want to put my house on the market and move to Oz. I am SO intrigued by what goes on between Maguires ears when he writes about a place so real to me now, that I want to look for real estate. I can not even fathom how he has created such a vivid world with a religious, political, and cultural structure so fictional yet so believable. I marvel at how he has created a world that the reader is already familiar with and expound on it so drastically giving answers to questions such as: What the heck is the Yellow Brick Road? Why are there flying monkeys? Why do lions (or might I say Lions) talk? In our childhood stories of Oz we have the Wizard, the Wicked Witch of the West, Glenda the good Witch, and the Wicked Witch of the East. These characters were all part of a fairy tale, but in Maguires Oz they are politicians, and extremists. The citizens of Oz are all of different political minds (some like the Wizard, some like Glenda, some like the Emperor Apostle, some like Elphaba - the Wicked Witch of the West). All are unhappy with the unrest of their world. They belong to different religions (Tick-Tockism, The Pleasure Faith, Unionism, Lorleanists). They belong to different cultures (The Scrow, Yunimata, and Arjikis, Quadlings, Munchkins, and Animals). Maguire threads together a world so complex that it can only be compared to our own society. There is nothing flat about Maguires tales of Oz, they are so 3 dimensional, the story lines and the society are so deep and intricate that you feel like you are reading a history book (albeit a very entertaining one).

In Son of a Witch you return to Oz a few minutes after Elphaba has melted into a big green puddle. Elphaba's son Liir, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow head out of Kiamo Ko and start the long trek to the Emerald City. When Liir gets to the Emerald City he starts off on his quest to find his lost childhood friend Nor, find out his origins (he doesn't know for sure if he is Elphaba's Son), and just generally trying to find his place in life. Along the way he gets mixed up in the politics of Oz, falls in love with a girl and falls in love with a guy. Tries to live up to Elphaba's legend, rids Oz of dragons, joins the Oz military, and maybe fathers a child (not necessarily all in that order).

Something I LOVE about Gregory Maguire's Oz stories is the language. He has created such great words for the places and people in his stories. Kiamo Ko, the Vinkas, Liir, Elphaba, Princess Nastoya, Yackle, Iskinarry. The list can go on and on. The names of places and people joined with Maguires fantastic word choices make all his writing poetic. Can you tell that I heart Gregory Maguire's Oz?

Something that I have to say negative about my experience with Son of a Witch was that I didn't enjoy the audio book version. The story was read by the author himself and I have to stay that he should stick with writing. I just didn't love his voices and every few minutes he would take a HUGE intake of breath and it was rather distracting because I would wait for it.

MOVIE vs. BOOK: I would love to see a movie of Wicked and Son of a Witch. Not a musical like the play but a dramatic version of both Wicked and Son of a Witch. I think they would be extremely interesting and entertaining.

RATING: 5 Stars

3 More reviews of Son of a Witch: (none very positive)

Cucullus non Facit Monachum

The Melbury Gentlemen's Club

The Literate Housewife

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire {Audio Book}

ISBN 9781419362743

12 Discs {14 hours 15 minutes}

Narrated by Gregory Maguire

If you like this book you would enjoy: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

Shanghai Girls

2010-03-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

Lisa See just knows how to bring it when she writes a book about the culture of Chinese women. She caught my interest with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, then I fell in love with her writing when I read Peony in Love and now I want to go steady after reading Shanghai Girls. I have never experienced books like the ones I just mentioned. As the reader you can tell that she did the research and wrote each book with so much love. The subject of each book has love just pouring out of them and you can tell that each one meant a lot for her to write about being a Chinese American Woman (that's right y'all even though she looks 100% causation she is part Chinese, she says that she has hundreds of relatives but only about 12 people in her family that look like her)! As always this book was beautifully written and the story was a page turner!

When you first meet Pearl and her younger sister May they are high class, fashionable, modern, socialites in Shanghai in the 1930s. They go to parties, night clubs, shop, and pose for "beautiful-girl" paintings. Their father has a successful rickshaw business and life is just grand... So they think. When they find out that their father has gambled away all the families money and had to sell his rickshaw business and his daughters to a Chinese American man in California the girls worlds are turned upside down. Now they have to come to terms with their arranged marriages, and their fall from high society. Before they leave China for their new home the Japanese invade Shanghai and the girls must escape the city and find their way to the boat that will take them to Los Angeles. Then a lot of bad things happen (gotta read to find out) and finally they end up in America! But when they get here they are imprisoned on Angel Island (the Ellis Island of the West), where they are questioned and detained until the authorities figure out if they are coming here legally. After months of torment and a wonderful and beautiful thing happens (I'm being vague on purpose) they are finally released and sent to their new family in Hollywood. Again the girls must adjust to life as daughters-in-law in a very traditional Chinese American Family. Through out the entire story the even though there are so many things that happen the one thing that is constant is Pearl and Mays love for each other. They are sisters through and through and even though there is rivalry and harsh words that pass between them they have each other and that is the most important theme throughout the whole story.

The novel is interesting because it takes place between 1937 - 1957. The girls not only have to face the Japanese in their home land of China but also in their new home when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. You also get to see what life was like in Chinatown during this time when the Chinese people had to deal with a large amount of prejudice from the American people. It was a part of history that I was unfamiliar with so it was interesting to read and research how the Chinese endured these prejudices. Also, I love how Lisa See always paints such a vivid and realistic picture of her characters surroundings. When she is describing Shanghai she does a good job of showing the reader that it is glamorous, and glittering, but also that there is poverty, crime, and ugliness. There is a page in the book that describes the girls riding a rickshaw through the streets of Shanghai and they are describing the city with beautiful boulevards, dirty children begging, expensive cars, and crime, smells of rich food and French perfume, and also the smells of death and decay. She even goes so far as describing the sisters walking down the street and stepping over a dead baby on the sidewalk just like it was nothing at all. Though disturbing you get the full picture of Shanghai during this time in history and I appreciate See capturing this picture for us.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I really really enjoyed this book but I don't think a movie would be very interesting. I feel like it is a story best told with words. There is no movie in the works right now and I hope they don't try it. I feel like it they would ruin it like they did to Memoirs of a Geisha.

RATING: 4 Stars

3 More reviews of Shanghai Girls:

Coffee Stained Pages

A Novel Menagerie

Peeking Between the Pages

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

ISBN 9780812980530

Pages: 309

If you liked this then read: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The Great Gatsby

2010-03-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

Oh I have been a bad bad blogger. I am so sorry that I have been MIA for a while but it is a busy time of year at my shop so I have been working long hours and I have no weekends so my blogging (and reading - oh the shame!) has suffered tremendously. But have no fear I am back and ready to blog!!!! Woohoo!!

I don't know what in the heck I did in high school but I never got around to reading the books that were on everyone's mandatory summer reading lists. I have been a reader all my life so if I had been assigned to read any of the classic high school lit I would have happily obliged. So I guess what I am trying to say is that for 27 years The Great Gatsby has escaped me for some unknown reason (the same goes for Jane Eyre but that is a whole other story). I do have to say though that I can't picture a high school student actually putting up with The Great Gatsby. The writing was superb (as is F. Scott Fitzgerald style) and the story was amusing but I don't see my 17 year old self chomping at the bit to finished the assigned chapters each night for homework. But I did enjoy it now some what, being 10 years older and a little more of a literature aficionado.

Here's the plot (like I really need to tell you all, you probably did your homework), Nick Carraway moves to New York as a young man after fighting in WWI. He rents a little cottage in Long Island between two HUGE mansion. One of his neighbors is Jay Gatsby, a young mysterious bachelor that throws large elaborate parties every weekend; after a while Nick and Gatsby become chummy. Across the bay from Nicks home is another community that houses his very rich cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan. This is where the drama subtly ensues. Gatsby and Daisy have a secret saucy past ,in Louisville Kentucky, and they are still in love, Tom is cheating on Daisy and she know it, and Nick is thrown in the middle of the whole mess with his new gal Jordan. Drama drama drama, until someone gets killed accidentally, the truth about Gatsby and his riches are reviled, and then some one gets murdered.

I LOVED all the references to Louisville Kentucky (my home sweet home - which makes it even stranger that I wasn't required to read this in high school). I could picture the streets and the Seelbach hotel and the Ohio River. It made the story a little more personal to me. And then New York is my secret lover (ssshhh don't tell Louisville), so geographically I have a fondness for this book. However, I didn't much like any of the characters except for Nick, and there was just too much nasty high society shallow drama for me. If I were a literary scholar I would probably be able to argue symbolism, themes, and hidden morals (this just seems like a story that is chalked full of them), but I have never been good at deciphering those things out of a story, so I can't tell you if Fitzgerald mastered them successfully (except for the obvious one Money can't by happiness Old Sport) . But I can tell you that I enjoyed (but really didn't love) the quick read, and that I feel much more accomplished for having checked this classic off my To Be Read List.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I haven't seen The Great Gatsby on film but it has been done in 1974 starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow (I must get my hands on a copy of that movie)! And then again in 2000 staring some people I haven't heard of (except Nick is played by Paul Rudd which I just can't picture him being serious enough to pull that off).

RATING: 3 Stars

3 More Reviews on The Great Gatsby:

Words by Annie

Book to the Ceiling

What I've Been Reading

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald {Audio Book}

ISBN 9781402523076

4 Discs {4 hours 8 minutes}

Narrated by Frank Muller

If you liked this book that check out: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2010-02-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

I am very torn about this book, on one hand I couldn't get enough of it, on the other there were times I felt like skimming (and I am NOT a skimmer by any stretch of the imagination). The writing was tre magnifique so that bumps it up a few notches but the story was a little slow moving, and let me think.... Ummm... Familiar? Yes yes, that's it, it was very familiar, I think I have read it before... Now let me think... Who was the author? Oh that's right Shakespeare! This story was a modern day version of Hamlet... but with well trained dogs instead of kins men, and mid-western farm folk instead of royalty. And though the story line was almost exact, the main character and the fabulous writing made up for the predictable plot line. I know you can always argue that almost every modern day story has a little Shakespeare in it; I mean the man was the foundation on which modern day literature was built, but this story followed the plot of Hamlet so close I was waiting for the main character to break out in a soliloquy. But alas, that wouldn't happen because unlike Shakespeare's Hamlet, David Wrobelwski's protagonist was a little boy named Edgar and he was MUTE!

So here is the plot line... Do I really need to tell you? Okay I'll make is short and sweet. Edgar is mute (has been from birth, genius idea making this boy mute, in my opinion), he lives on a farm with his mother Trudy and father Gar, and their family dog Almondine (Almondine is cast as Ophilia if you'd like to know). The family breeds a fictional boutique style dog (think a cross breed like labradoodles but these are more shepherd type dogs). These dogs are known as The Sawtelle Dogs and these loyal mutts are extremely well trained. Anyway, Edgar's uncle Claude moves to town and he comes off as a rough neck kinda fella. Then mysteriously Edgar's father dies, his mother falls in love with Claude and Edgar knows there was foul play involved. Edgar goes a little nuts runs away with a pack of dogs into the wilderness and we know that if we were reading Hamlet that the end doesn't come out all hunky dory. There is a ghost, there is a broken hearted female (dog), there is poison, there is fighting, there is death.

Now don't get me wrong, there are some twists and unexpected turns along the way but this is a LONG book and I felt like there were lots of pages to tell a not very long story. If you read my blog regularly you know how much I love a well written piece of work and this was just that. It was a masterpiece between the covers (and the cover wasn't too shabby either). If you like books about dogs, if you like Shakespeare, if you like stories about simple mid-west farm folks, if you are in a book club, then you will probably like The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. So read it and let me know if you are as conflicted with it as I am.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I did a little research, as I always do for this section, and found out that The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is in fact being adapted to a screenplay by William Broyles Jr. for Universal Studios and will be produced by Oprah and Tom Hanks through their production companies Harpo and Playtone. I would LOVE to see this book made into a well done movie, I may really like the screen version better than the book or at least be less conflicted by it. It would be fascinating to see how they would portray Edgar seeing as he is mute and for the vast majority of the book he is alone with a bunch of dogs that also don't say much. :)

RATING: Ummmm..... Lets say 3.75 Stars (I have never given a fractional rating before)

3 More Reviews of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobelwski

ISBN: 9780061374227

Pages: 576

If you liked this book than read: From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz

Lolita

2010-02-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

Oh Vladimir Nabokov you dirty, dirty, witty, genius you. You had me laughing, you had me gagging, you had me hanging on your every lushes word with your masterpiece Lolita. I was told that Lolita was a must read and so it went on my list of books to be read in 2010. I have to admit that when I first realized what the story was about I was pretty much repulsed. I was listening to the audio book and I almost shut it off but something (probably a perverse curiosity of where the story could possibly be going or the narrators witty and poetic dialogue) kept me from hitting the eject button on the CD player. I couldn't believe that the content in the book was actually published in the mid 1950s, as it is scandalous even by todays standards!! With vocabulary that one might encounter in a Harlequin Romance or a dirty movie, you can be sure that I blushed every now and then. But despite the off colored subject matter I can't say enough how beautiful the words in this book are. I LOVED the contrast between the ugly story and the beautiful writing.

Lolita is narrated by Humbert Humbert, a European literary scholar that when you first meet him is in prison. The story that he tells is actually his written statement to the jury that will be used in his trial, where he is being accused for murder and statutory rape. His statement takes you through his young years when he was 13 years old and living in Europe. That summer he meets a beautiful girl named Annabelle and he falls in love and enters into a young love affair that starts to become physical as some young relationships do. But right before Annabelle and Humbert Humbert consummate their young relationship, summer ends and then Annabelle tragically dies. This affects H.H. so badly that he becomes obsessed with 13 year old girls to replace the feeling he had with his dear Annabelle. Obviously this starts to become quite a nasty little obsession as he gets older and older. Soon he moves to the US and struggles with his attraction to young girls (nymphets as he calls them), he finds himself in and out of psychiatric facilities and eventually he finds himself in a small little town and boarding with a single woman Charlotte and her dangerously prepubescent daughter Doloris (Lolita) Haze. H.H marries Doloris's mother all the while lusting heavily for this 13 year old girl. When Charlotte dies H.H. jumps at the chance to become Lolita's "Daddy" and he pretty much detains her in his car as he travels around the country for a year with this little girl carrying on an illicit love affair. Surprisingly precocious Lolita is well versed in physical relationships (some encounters at summer camp) and she becomes a somewhat willing party in this "romance". Eventually Lolita leaves H.H. and he goes a little insane.

Before you write this book off as Classic Smut I have to say that the writing is superb and as I mentioned earlier the witty dialogue had me riveted despite the content. I would absolutely recommend this book to certain people (I understand that this isn't everybody's cup 'o tea.)

BOOK vs. MOVIE: This book as been adapted to film twice once in 1962, then again in 1997. And as shocking as it that the book was written and published in the 1950s I am equally astounded that they made the film version in the 1960s!!!! I haven't seen either film adaption but I have put them on my "to see" list. I would like to see both versions so I can compare the different time eras and how they tackle this sensitive subject.

RATING: 4 Stars

3 More Reviews of Lolita:

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov {Audio Book}

ISBN: 9780739322062

10 Discs {11 hours 32 minutes}

If you liked this book I really don't know what to recommend.

In Cold Blood

2010-02-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure what to expect from of this book. I am not a huge "true crime" fan. And the only thing I know about Truman Capote is Breakfast at Tiffany's (the movie not even the novella), and I was sure that In Cold Blood wasn't going to give me any quirky characters such as Holly Golightly. So I had no expectations and because of that I think, I enjoyed In Cold Blood... A lot. And I added Truman Capote into my medium length list of fabulous writers. The story was written with such a great voice that I could picture every horrible detail unfolding in front of me. What I found very interesting is that Truman Capote took a true story and wrote it in novel form (he called it a Nonfictional Novel). Capote made the real people involved in the event characters with thoughts, feelings, and habits. Which I find ironic because authors so many times try to make their characters passable as real people. Capote made this true account into a well rounded story not a dry recollection of interviews and recorded court room scenes.

The plot is very very simple, two bad men, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, kill a prominent well loved family (the Clutters) in cold blood (hence the title) in a sleepy little town in Kansas. Then these hooligans hop from state to state and eventually get caught, sentenced, and hung. Don't worry I didn't spoil anything for you because the genius of this book is that you know that what is to come from the very beginning. You know that yes the Clutters are killed, yes you know who the murders are, and yes you know they get caught before you even open the book. So it really isn't a "who done it" book but a book about a crime, the criminals, and the events that lead up to their arrest and execution. Even though you know all the details up front you are still kept in suspense as the little details unfold. Something that I think is really interesting is that Capote makes you feel a little sorry for one or both of the killers at different points in the book. Even though these boys did the unthinkable you still are routing for them to maybe not get the death sentence up to the moment they are taking the walk to up the stairs of the scaffold. At least I was and if you aren't routing for them then please don't judge my character... ;)

All in all I believe I would highly recommend this book to many people. If you like mystery, history, psychology, or thrillers, I think you would like In Cold Blood. Also, I am so excited to be introduced (more formally) to the works of Truman Capote. I will absolutely seek out more of his masterpieces in the near future.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: There as been 2 versions of this story made into a movie. Once in 1967 and then again in 1996 as a made of TV movie. I don't think I am going to go out of my way to see either one because I feel like the writing was so vivid that a movie couldn't do it justice.

RATING: 4 Stars

3 More reviews on In Cold Blood:

Sophisticated Dorkiness

Ramblings of a Bibliophile

Books Books Books Review

In Cold Blood {Audio Book}

ISBN 9780739333648

12 CDs {14 hours 27 minutes}

If you like this book then read: Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd

2010-01-29T19:16:00.000-08:00

This was such a random book for me to read. My Mom gave it to me and told me I should read it and so I stuck it in my TBR pile and didn't think I would get to it any time soon. Then a few days later I picked it up off my coffee table and read the first couple pages and I was intrigued. What intrigued me was that One Thousand White Women is a fictional "what if" story. Apparently, in 1875 (and this is actual history) the Chief of a Cheyenne Indian tribe came to Washington DC and asked President Ulysses S. Grant to trade 1,000 white women as brides for 1,000 wild horses. The logic behind the Chief's grand idea was that the babies born of these women would be more accepted into the white race there for bridging the gap between the whites and the Indians Though sound logic, (um no) Grant said no (I would hope with no hesitation). But, One Thousand White Women is the fictional account of what happened had he said yes.

This story unfolds through the journals of one of the women that volunteered to become an Indian "Bride". Her name is May Dodd, and the reason she decided to leave her Chicago home for the wild wild west is because her family had her committed to an asylum for being promiscuous (oh the horror). After a few brutal and medicated months in the asylum a man from the government came and asked her if she would like to join the "Brides for Indians" program, a government experiment. She was to join a handful of women and head out to the wilderness to become the wife of a Cheyenne Indian for 2 years and bear him some children. After the 2 years were up she was free to go and do whatever she liked. May thought that this was her chance at freedom so she jumped on board and headed out on the first train west. She meets the other "brides" on her journey to the camp and befriends them all (and boy are they a group of great characters). Eventually they end up at their new homes and through the next few months they acclimate to the new rough lifestyle, become super close to each other as well as their new Cheyenne families, fall in love with their "husbands", and realize they are pawns in some very shady political games.

Though I thought this book was good I didn't think it was great. I don't know that I would recommend it to a ton of people (maybe if you were interested in Native American culture it would be a good read for you). It was entertaining to say the least but I didn't feel the urge to pick it up like I do when I read other books (must be why it took me all crappen' month to read the dag on thing). But I did feel that it was worth finishing. I thought it was pretty predictable, there wasn't many surprises, and there was little to no suspense. I felt like I was reading the Abridged version of this book (I wasn't I checked) because I wanted more details, I felt like we needed to hear a little more about some events that happened during their stay with the tribe. Over all I thought the book was just an average read.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: Lets just say that if I was flipping through channels on the TV and came across this as a Hallmark Movie I would probably stop and watch, but if it came out on the big screen I probably wouldn't drop the $8.50 for the ticket and the other $12,000 on candy and popcorn. :)

RATING: 3 Stars

3 More Reviews on One Thousand White Women:

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

ISBN 9780312199432

Pages 304

If you liked this book then read: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

2010-01-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Just like the book Wicked, Gregory Maguire has taken my breath away once again with his outstanding writing style. After I read Wicked I could hardly wait to experience another of Maguire's masterpieces but I wasn't sure whether to read one and let my eyes feast on his wonderful words or again listen to one of the audio versions. In the end I decided to listen to Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and I am glad I did because I now have decided that his writing is such a treat for the ears, that I may never actually read one of his books. His writing is so clever and so lyrical that everything just flows like poetry yet it tells such a wonderful and rich and detailed story. I also love how he takes these well known childhood fairy tales and turns them into such deep political adult themed stories. In Wicked you meet the Wicked Witch of the West and learn about the political climate in Oz. In Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister you learn of Cinderella and her family and how they suffer economically from the 1630s Tulip Crash in Haarlem Holland. In both fantastic tales you see the well known stories from the point of view of a not so prominent character.

Obviously from the title you can deduce that this story is going to be told from the point of view of one of the Ugly Stepsisters in the Cinderella tale. As with every story this one has two sides, and it was quite enjoyable to be privy to the minds of these infamous characters. The stepsisters names are Iris and Ruth, and in the beginning of the story they are fleeing to Holland with their mother Margarethe after calamity in their home of England. The story follows Iris, full of spirit, creativity, and a very good heart, but frightfully plain looking bordering on ugly. She must take care of her older sister Ruth who at first Maguire makes out to be someone who is very mentally challenged. I pictured Ruth as having Down's Syndrome because of the physical and mental picture that Maguire paints of her. Their mother Margaretha only wants the very best for her daughters so when they arrive in Holland she begins to look for work as a house maid. Eventually Margaretha finds employment at the van den Meer household (Haarlem's biggest Tulip trader), and she and her daughters take up the kitchen chores. One of Iris's jobs at the van den Meer house is to befriend the van den Meer's daughter Clara, because Clara is a very odd and very anti-social little girl. Eventually Clara's mother passes away and Margaretha manipulates her way into becoming the next Mrs. van den Meer, and so begins the story we all know and love only with a few little twists. Clara choses to be Cinderella, she wants a life of cloister and a life of house hold work. Second, she goes unwillingly to the ball and once she is there it is unclear weather she is a willing party in the prince falling in love with her. Third, Iris and Ruth love Clara very much, the three of them are sisters to the core. Margaretha is however still the evil, over ambitious step-mother from the Disney movie we all know and love.

I love the way Maguire tells not only the fairy tale as we know it, but also tells a story of 1600 Holland, Dutch Art, politics, European superstitions, and financial ruin. He keeps all the same fairy tale themes but the fairy godmother is the old local crone that dubs herself Queen of the Hairy Chinned Gypsies, and the little mice that make the gown and become the foot men is the local artist's apprentice, Caspar. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves historical fiction and those that love a good old fashioned fairy tale. Again I applaud you Mr. Maguire for your fantastic recreation of one of my childhood favorites!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I would love to see this story as a movie. There was a made for TV movie of it a few years back and I am going to try and get my hands on it for sure. I don't know much about seventeenth century Holland so it would be interesting to see what life was like then. I think Gregory Maguire developed such great characters that it would be easy to develop a script from his writing.

Rating: 4 Stars

3 More Reviews on Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister:

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister {Audio Book}

ISBN 978-1-4193-8990-0

11 CDs {11.75 hours}

If you liked this book then read: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Haiti

2010-01-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

My intention for this blog was to keep everything on Geeb's Book Club 100% book review related, but sometimes something much bigger than our intentions happen and we have to go with our guts. I am sure everyone on the planet is aware of what is going on right now in Haiti. Something like 20,000 people and counting are dead, bodies being moved and dumped by front end loaders into massive graves. Water and food becoming scarce and people rioting because that's what people do when they are at the end of their ropes. I have a friend in Haiti right now and he told me that mothers are leaving their babies at the airport in hopes that someone will pick them up and take them home! He said that there were abandoned babies laying on the floors of the airport! Their families knowing that they will die if the stay there. My heart is broken. I have no words to describe how my guts are feeling tonight.

In the middle of this nightmare is a group of people that I wanted to tell you about tonight. These people are an extension of my family and some are in fact my actual family. I am so proud of them all. This group is EDGE Outreach, they are a growing organization located in Louisville Kentucky that (among other things) specializes in bringing clean water to third world countries, and when they heard about Haiti the first thing that they asked was how do we get a team of people down there to bring the people of Haiti some small comfort. Water. After a week of scraping together funds, we all witnessed a miracle. Today the first team left for the disaster zone. With them they bring water purifiers and capable hands to help in any way they can. In 10 days EDGE will send another team to relieve the first group and we will continue to send people until they don't need us any more.

I know I only have about 50 followers but that is 50 more people that may not have known about this organization and that may want to help. If you would like to donate any amount of money or your prayers or thoughts to EDGE Outreach please click the link below to visit EDGE's website. If you like what you see there, help. If you don't than all I ask is that you keep the people of Haiti in your foremost thoughts and prayers. It is an awful thing when we see human suffering, but it is an amazing thing when we see a people come together to help in anyway they know how.

Lets all try and do the next right thing.

EDGE Outreach

The Book Thief

2010-01-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

First, before I review The Book Thief (and oh how I can't wait to review The Book Thief), I wanted to apologize to anyone that has been following my blog from the beginning. It seems that about 3 months ago I lost my voice. Not my literal voice (obviously) but my blogging voice. I have been in a little ginormous writing rut the last few months and I feel like with the new year I was granted a fountain of renewed inspiration to write again. I am apologizing because I know that my reviews have been a little dry, but I am back and ready to blog. So... With out further ado... The Book Thief...

Heavens, where do I even begin!? There were so many elements to this book and I want to discuss them all so that you all feel the need to stop what your doing (after you leave a comment of course), and run sprint to your nearest book shop and pick up a copy or two of The Book Thief. (Can you tell I enjoyed this book? Maybe... Just a little...). Mark Zusak hit the ball out of the park and across the street with this little gem of a novel. His writing is beautiful and he paints a beautiful picture with his words. To describe The Book Thief to someone without summarizing the story I would say that it is a tribute to reading, set in Nazi Germany, narrated by Death. Then if you were still not interested in reading The Book Thief I may resort to hitting you upside the head with volume and calling you a Saumench (OK so probably I wouldn't resort to violence, but I would probably still call you a Saumench, since it is my new favorite word thanks to this book).

So the plot is very simple and goes like this... Liesel Meminger is a young German girl that is being taken to live with a new foster family in Molching Germany during WWII. On the way to Molching her little brother passes away and when they bury him she steals her first book. When she arrives at her new home alone, confused, and afraid, her new Papa Hans Hubermann, teaches Liesel to read using her stolen book. Thus begins Liesel's fascination with words, reading, and stealing books. Through out the story Liesel encounters a great group of characters such as her best fiend Rudy who is obsessed with American Track star Jessie Owens. Max, the Jewish man that is hiding in her basement. Rosa, her foul mouthed foster mother. And of course in a round about way Death. Death sums up the plot of this book perfectly when he says in the beginning:

"It's just a small story really, about, among other things:

*A Girl

*Some words

*An accordionist

*Some fanatical Germans

*A Jewish fist fighter

*And quite a lot of thievery"

Anyway, if you couldn't tell, The Book Thief really it is one of the best books I have experienced in quite a while, I have been on a roll of bad books lately, so I am really excited about finally finding a good piece of literature. The plot line was unique, the writing style was unique, the point of view was unique, and the characters were developed really well. Thank you Markus Zusak for getting me out of my reading (and writing) rut!!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I am sure this movie will need to be watched with a hand full of tissue. I see that 2010 is supposed to be the release year for this movie but I don't see a production house or a cast list anywhere so it probably is just a rumor at this point. I hope they do the book justice though, because I am sure it would make a good film adaption.

RATING: 5 Stars

3 More review on The Book Thief:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

ISBN 9780375842207

Pages 560

If you liked this book try: Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

Tomorrow, When the War Began

2010-01-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Wow! I flew through this book!! It was a very easy quick read and the story was fantastic! I really enjoy survival/dystopic stories and this is a good one (and really realistic, not to far fetched). And the best part is that this is the beginning of a pretty big series of books, so I have quite a long way to go with these characters and that's great because I wasn't ready to say good bye to my new Aussie friends. The story wasn't a masterpiece as far as writing goes but the story was VERY entertaining so that made up for it.

So here is the plot. Ellie, Homer, Fi, Corrie, Kevin, Lee, and Robyn decide it would be great fun to go camping during the Christmas break (which by the way is Summer time in Australia). They head out on their week long camping trip to a place called Hell, a secluded wild area surrounded by cliffs and hills. When they return home after their little adventure they find their houses abandoned, their animals dead, and their families no where in sight. They head into town and start to realize that something has gone terribly a-rye. Military from some other non-English speaking country has invaded their town and are holding their the entire town prisoner at the fair grounds. The 7 friends have to find a way to survive for an undetermined amount of time by pillaging houses, and literally moving to Hell. The story ended with a HUGE cliff hanger that I am not going to talk about, because I want you to read it for your self!

I loved this book. Like I said before it was easy to read, and though it wasn't very challenging (I LOVE challenging books), there were enough Australian words to keep my brain stimulated. I loved how the enemy was up to your imagination, they never mention the way they look or the way their language sounds. I found this quite interesting that they were facing this nameless army. I am looking so forward to reading the second installment called The Dead of Night. Bravo John Marsden for such a creative and exciting tale!

BOOK vs. MOVIE: I would absolutely LOVE to see a movie version of Tomorrow, When the War Began. And it looks like we won't have to wait too long either. The movie adaption is in post-production and is scheduled for a 2010 release!!! Woot woot!!!

RATING: 4 Stars

3 More Reviews on Tomorrow, When the War Began:

Tomorrow, When the War Began

by John Marsden

ISBN 0-439-82910-0

Pages 279

If you liked this book read: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Immortal

2010-01-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

I hate to start the New Year off with a poor review but I must. As some of you may have noticed I have had Immortal by Traci Slatton on my "Currently Reading" sidebar since November (November!!!). I just struggled and struggled through this book and sadly I couldn't finish it. Nothing burns me more than not being able to finish a book, I'll have you know. What was the most disappointing to me is that this was at the very tip top of my TBR list for ages, but I was unable to find the book anywhere (should have been my first indication that it wasn't a winner). Anyway, I finally scored the book for my birthday back in November and dove right in, unfortunately for me I dove into the shallow end.

The story of Immortal is told by Luca Bastardo (Luca the Bastard). Luca was lost from his noble family as a small child and so he grew up on the streets of 14th century Florence Italy. Eventually he was taken prisoner by an evil man named Silvano who ran a brothel that catered to men who had a taste for young boy and girls. Luca learns while he is there in the brothel that he isn't like other people. He grows older very very slowly, at 27 he still looks to be 15 years old, and because of this unusual trait Silvano wants to keep him around to earn him money and to eventually bring to the Pope in exchange for a reward (his people are legend to have a mark on their chest, that the Catholic Church is interested in). Luca fights his way out of the brothel, survives the Plague, and continues searching for the truth of his slow aging, his parents, God, Alchemy, and love on and on through the decades.

From reading the summery of the book you understand why I thought this book would be fabulous; a historical fiction lovers dream! But the thing is, it just fell super flat (flat like a pancake flat). The writing was choppy and hard to read. The dialog seemed to be unnatural and it didn't flow (almost like it was being translated straight from Italian into English using Bablefish). I kept thinking to myself that people don't talk like that, it sounds too proper, too scripted, like a bad TV show. The plot moved way to slow and after 300 pages I couldn't see the point of continuing (it's a long one). I am not going to give up all hope on this book though. I will finish it...eventually! But for right now I am going to set my sights on something else.

BOOK vs. MOVIE: Actually I think I would love to see a movie based on this book. I think the premise is very interesting but it just wasn't executed very well in writing. I read on Traci Slatton's website that the book has been optioned for a film by Vast Entertainment. No word yet on release date though.

RATING: 2 Star

3 More Reviews on Immortal by Traci Slatton:

Immortal by Traci L. Slatton

ISBN: 978-0-385-33974-2

Pages 513

If you enjoyed this book then check out: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

So I just wanted to wish you all a Happy and Wonderful New Year!!! I have a good feeling about 2010. I have set New Years goals (resolutions if you may) for the first time in my life and I feel like they are doable, practical, and in some cases necessary. I look forward to checking them off my list! As far as any reading resolutions, I plan on counting the books I read. I have never done this before so I have no idea how many I can get through in a given year. This will be interesting for me to find out. As for blogging goals, I resolve to bringing you more reviews per week than I have in the past, I will host my first giveaway though I am not sure when that might be, I will participate in an ARC tour, and I will have an author interview somewhere along the way. I am super excited to see what this year has in store for me!

My "Best Books" list, read in 2009:

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Again, I wish all of you a bright and happy New Year! May 2010 be the best year you have experianced yet.

The Lovely Bones

2009-12-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

Though the subject manner of this book is hard to choke down, I thoroughly enjoyed The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I had seen this book floating around the Book Review Blogs and message boards for a while but for some reason I had no preconceived notions about what this book was about or what to expect. I happened upon it one day when I was at the Goodwill (a great place to beef up your books shelf, with 50 cent books... But I digress), and so I snatched it up and started reading it feverishly for the next few hours. With in the first few pages I the flood gates of emotions opened and I was happy, humored, sad, furious, and nauseated all at the same time.

So here is the plot. Susie Salmon (like the fish) is walking home from school one day when she is brutally raped and then violently murdered. After her horrible demise she tells her story while she is looking down at her family and murderer from heaven and watching how they all deal with the aftermath of her death. Her sister is heart broken, her father sets off on a mission to find the man who did this to her, her crush at school is accused, the murder starts thinking about who his next victim will be, and the school loner sees Susie's ghost every so often. All the while Susie is getting used to her new home in heaven. She meets a new friend and starts to figure out how heaven works and what she can and can't do up there.

I thought that even though the subject matter is VERY heavy, the story is told with a touch of humor and is quite easy to digest. Usually something very violent would turn me off but the story felt complete and right when Susie finished telling her story. There is a little bit of a fantasy/paranormal plot line twist on the end that I thought was strange and didn't flow well with the story but I kind of enjoyed that part as well. I was glad that Susie had the chance to do what she did on the end. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone really that can stomach the first few chapters (it really isn't for everyone).

Book vs. Movie: Well I am eagerly awaiting The Lovely Bones movie that comes out January 15th. I hope they do the book justice though I won't hold my breath as I am ALWAYS disappointed in movies made from books. Here is the trailer. Enjoy!

The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold

If you liked this book then read: Peony in Love by Lisa See

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! I must have been a very good girl this year because I received some great books that were on my TBR list!!! Hush, Hush; Tomorrow When the War Began; The Host; and Her Fearful Symmetry! I am looking forward to some good reading over the next few weeks. WooHoo!

The Monsters of Templeton

2009-12-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

I had been on such a good roll! I had been reading some really amazing stories, one right after another, but I guess it had to end somewhere, and so it came to a screeching halt with The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. Wow... I mean just wow... This book rambled on and on and was just so bizarre that I had to keep reading to see what other crazy thing was going to happen.

So anyway lets cut to the chase... Here is the plot line... When the story opens we are in a picturesque little town in upstate New York called Templeton (based loosely on the authors home town of Cooperstown NY). It is one of those places with a lot of history (apparently the birth place of baseball), where everyone knows everyone else's business, and most people don't ever leave. In the town there is a HUGE glacial lake called Lake Glimmerglass. On this particular morning on the lake a rower finds the legendary lake monster Glimmey floating belly up. On this same morning Willie Upton comes home from her life in Stanford University, pregnant with her professors baby and feeling like it is the end of her world. While she is home her mother, an aging hippie turned evangelis, Vi, sets Willie working on a project that will keep her mind off all her troubles. Vi tells Willie that her father is an upstanding man from Templeton (not just a past fling from her Hippie days), but the kick is that Vi isn't telling who. The only clue that Willie has is that her father is in a very round about illegitimate way related to the Temples that founded this little town, while Willie is a direct descendant of the founding father Marmaduke Temple. To solve the mystery Willie has to dive deep into her family history that stretches back across 2 centuries to the first citizens of Templeton.

The story wasn't all bad it was just weird and I though the plot was flimsy. The characters weren't all that fleshed out and the only real interesting thing to me was the lake monster but as unique of an angle as that could have been there wasn't much going on with poor dead Glimmey. I did like that the chapters were all in different voices, some times in Willies, sometimes in Willies relatives that span across 2 centuries. And I did like that they gave a little tiny shout out to my home town Louisville Kentucky (small mention of the Louisville Bats)!! All and all it isn't one that will leave a lasting impression on me that is for sure.

Annoying Book Moment: Lauren Groff was a bit obsessed with the "he said", "she said" bit. During a conversation between characters it was getting a bit redundent when the page read like this:

"Bla diddy blah blah" She said

"Blah Blah Blah" He said

"Yadda Yadda Yadda Blah" She said

"Smakety smakety yadda bla" He said.

"Bla Ba diddy yadda bla" She said.

"blah blah blah" He said.

It was down right maddening with all the "said said said" on every other page.

Book vs. Movie: I don't think that this book would make a good screen play. While the story was somewhat interesting I don't think I could see it on the big screen. It would be WAY too slow moving for me.

The Monsters of Templeton
by Lauren Groff

If you like this book you should read: Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

TBR Challenge 2010 - My First Challenge Ever!

2009-12-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

So I have decided to participate in my first ever book reading challenge, and I am super excited!!! The challenge I have accepted is the 2010 TBR (To Be Read) Challenge set up by MizB (though, I heard about the challenge over on Babbette's Book Blog).

Here are the Rules:

Make a list of books that have been sitting on your TBR shelf for 6 months or longer.
Publish the list on your blog before January 1st, 2010.
Audio and E-books are allowed.
Re-reads are not allowed.
Create a Alternate List (a list of other titles) just in case something on your TBR list doesn't tickle your fancy at the time.
Read them all before the last day of 2010.
You can check out the Yahoo group that MizB has set up for this challenge if you'd like.
You can overlap this Challenge with any other you are doing this year!
Happy Reading!

My 2010 TBR Challenge List:

Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
~~Shanghai Girls~~ ~~by Lisa See~~
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (yeah I know I am a bad book a-holic)
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets by Garth Stein
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
~~The Montrumologist~~ ~~by Rick Yancy~~
The Book Theif by Markus Zusak
Lolita by Valdimir Vladimirovich Nabokov

Alternate List:

Sunday's At Tiffany's By James Patterson
The Heretics Daughter by Kathleen Kate
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George

The Time Travlers Wife

2009-12-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

Okay. I think it is finally time... I have been waiting for just the right moment to review my #1 favorite book on my book shelf. It is the book that changed reading for me forever. I put books into two categories, before Time Travelers Wife, and after Time Travelers Wife. Before The Time Travelers Wife I didn't really know how much I could actually LOVE and appreciate a book. After Time Travelers Wife I have found other books that rival this one in either writing or plot (but never really both). The reason it has taken me this long to write my review is because I just didn't know how to put my love into words. I am still not sure I am up to the task but I think I am going to finally give it a whirl. The first thing I want to say is that when you pick up The Time Travelers Wife you have to clear your mind of any expectations you may have for this story and start completely fresh. I have read this book multiple times and every time I flip open the cover I have to forget what I already know. I have to pretend I have never met Clare or Henry before, that I don't know about their unique love story, that I don't know the fate of these two characters, I have to start fresh Every. Single. Time. And every time I read this brilliant piece of writing by Audrey Niffenegger, I laugh at the funny parts, and I cry at the sad ones, and even though I know all of them by heart, I fall in love again.

Bear with me and try to wrap your head around this creative plot... When Clare meets Henry for the first time, Clare is a very little girl and Henry is a middle aged man, and Henry at the time of Clare's first meeting is married to Clare in the future. When Henry meets Clare for the first time, Clare is in her early twenties and Henry is on the brink of thirty, but Clare has known Henry for her entire life and Henry is just meeting her for the first time. Henry has a genetic disorder that hurls him (unwillingly) back and forth through time so a meeting like this can be possible. We follow Henry and Clare through their unique lives, through both of the first meetings, through their marriage, their family, and life as a Time Traveler. And there is no way in heck you are going to pry more information out of me about this story. You will just have to read it yourself to find out more about this amazing love story that takes place in the past, present, and future.

I know the plot sounds complicated but Niffenegger has penned a tale that is so easy to follow yet so intricate in nature that you are instantly drawn into the story. Every time I read this book I am flabbergasted that someones brain works the way that Audrey Niffenegger's does. She is a genius to be able to come up with a story line so complicated, and yet so beautifully written that you can follow it so well. I only wish I could have her brain for an hour or two so I could experience how it works.

Book vs. Movie: Sadly (like always) the movie did no justice to this story. If you have seen this movie please don't judge book. There is so much information packed into the pages of the novel that it would be nearly impossible to put it into a 2 hour movie. When we went to see the movie my husband (who has not read the book) leaned over to me and said "this is a great movie". I turned to him and looked at him like he was crazy. I was so disappointed. At least he enjoyed the show but if he ever reads the book (highly unlikely) I am sure he would agree that there is not even the slightest comparison.

The Time Travelers Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger

If you liked this book read: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Read & Reviewed

2009-12-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

Books that I have read and reviewed in alphabetical order by title:

{a}

Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White

{b}

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

{c}

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

{d}

{e}

{f}

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

{g}

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Borrows

{h}

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

{i}

Immortal by Traci L. Slatton
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
In The Woods by Tana French

{j}

{k}

{l}

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diament
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

{m}
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

{n}

{o}

One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
On Folly Beach by Karen White
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

{p}

The Passage by Justin Cronin
Peony in Love by Lisa See
The Plague by Albert Camus

{q}

{r}

Rococo by Adriana Trigiani
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

{s}

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

{t}
The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

{u}

{v}

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

{w}

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Why We Suck by Denis Leary

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

{x}

{y}

{z}

Review Policy

2009-12-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

Reading your book would be my honor, so if you would like to send me a copy of your book for review please email me at geeb.bookblog@gmail.com. When I receive your book it will go to the top of my "To Be Read Pile". I will then read it as quickly as I can and post a review as soon as I am finished. In addition I usually Tweet about the books I am reading, and these tweets are displayed on my blog as little teasers.

The books I typically enjoy the best are Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Chick-Lit, Contemporary Fiction, Horror, Adventure and some Biographies (if the person is of interest to me). I am open to reviewing other types of work as well so email me, and I will let you know if it is a book that might interest me.

I look forward to hearing from you and diving into your great work!

Abundance

2009-12-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

I would expect nothing but the best from Sena Jeter Naslund, and she brought it with Abundance! I know you are all sick of hearing me say it, but to me it is about a beautifully written piece of work, and Abundance had that as well as a great story of Marie Antoinette. I was hypnotized by her writing and I was addicted to the story to see what was going to happen to Marie (I mean besides visiting the guillotine and all). French history is something I didn't know much about so I was also excited to learn some new things about the French Revolution and the royal family.

Abundance starts as Marie Antoinette leaves Austria as a girl of only 14 and enters into France to become the Dauphine and wife of the Dauphin, Louie-Auguste. The story is told through the eyes of Antoinette and I think it was interesting to see how Naslund made her mature in her voice through out the story. In the beginning she is self absorbed, and frivolous in her thoughts and speech but then as the story goes on and she grows older she matures and you hear it in the way Naslund writes. The way Naslund tells the story, Marie Antoinette wanted nothing but good for the people of France, and tabloidish type pamphlets muddied her name and made her an enemy to the people. The people of France needed someone to blame their condition on and so it was an obvious choice to blame the extreme hunger and poverty on the Queen that had everything. Naslund created her Marie Antoinette walking a thin line between frivolity and responsibility to her country. Even at the end, while she was preparing to die to appease the people of France, she loved her country and its people but she was also worried about how her plum colored silk slippers looked.

If you like historical fiction than this is a great book for you to read. If you don't like historical fiction I feel like you would find this book interesting still, because it reminds me of chick-lit at its best (shopping, pretty things, romance, sex, girl friends, little dogs, etc). If you are like me and will read a book because the writing is mesmerizing then this is a good book for you too!

Annoying word of Abundance: Besmirched. The only compliant I have of Abundance is that Naslund uses the word Besmirched extraordinarily too many times in this book. I hate when an author repeats a word over and over and over again. Midway through the book we understood loud and clear that Marie Antoinette didn't want her name, her friends names, her clothes, her reputations, her bedding, to be Besmirched. Blah.

Book vs. Movie: If you ever saw the 2006 movie Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst you, saw the frivolous side of Abundance. But if you were to truly make Abundance into a movie I think you would need to do it better than this Sophia Coppola version. Marie Anoinette only showed one layer of the Queen that Naslund wrote about. It would be interesting to dive into the other layers of the last Queen of France.

Abundance
by Sena Jeter Naslund

If you liked this book please read: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Help {Book Club Read}

2009-12-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

I am on a roll with AMAZING books! I read this book for our December Book Club and I couldn't put it down!!! I truthfully wasn't really excited to read the book at first but that's what book clubs are for, branching out your reading list, right? Anyway, I bought the book, took it home, read the first chapter and it was all over from that point. I was hooked big time with the writing, again for me, most of the time, it is about OUT OF THIS WORLD writing, and this book has it as well as a wonderful story. This debut novel by Kathryn Stockett held me captive with the amazing dialect she used with each character. She really new how to develop her characters and it made the book so enjoyable. Each chapter of the book was written in one of the characters points of view, and that kept the story fresh and exciting with every turn of the page.

The story takes place in Jackson Mississippi during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The Society ladies run the town of Jackson, and their houses are ran by their "colored" hired help. The ladies trust the raising of their children to their maids but they don't trust them to polish their silver (a line from the book jacket that has stuck with me). It is a horrible time of segregation, racism, and cruelty in Jackson and three women take it upon themselves to try and change things. The story follows these three women Skeeter (a society lady that thinks things need to change), Aibileen (a black lady that works as a maid for one of Skeeters best friends), and Minny (Aibileen's best friend and also a maid for another crazy rich lady in town). Skeeter is troubled by the way her friends treat their maids and decides that she is going to write a book about the relationships between the maids and the ladies that employ them, from the maids point of view. This is a dangerous project that could end up getting Aibileen and Minny killed, as severe beatings are common in Jackson at this point in time for people that speak out against segregation and civil rights. When the book becomes a best seller things get out of control in Jackson as accusations fly, friends ships are broken, and the maids are terrified of loosing their jobs (or their lives).

While I read this book I felt a profound sense of sadness. I can't believe that there was ever a time of such hatred and cruelty. And then after that I felt ashamed with the realization that a lot of people still think this way. I give great applause to Kathryn Stockett for treading a thin line to write this story. There is a lesson in her words and I am a better person for reading The Help. I have already started recommending this book to anyone that will listen, so if you haven't go out and buy this book ASAP!!

Book vs. Movie: I would absolutely watch a movie based on The Help. The writing is so well done that I could actually see this story unfolding before my eyes, so to really see it on the screen would be amazing. I am sure that a screenplay will be in the works real soon.

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett

If you like this book than read: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Honest Scrap Award

2009-12-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

So today I was given my second blog award! Thank you oh-so-much Jazz at About Book Blog for thinking of me for the Honest Scrap Award, you made my day! So there is a something you have to do when accepting this award and that is to write 10 Honest Things about yourself (make sure they aren't 10 boring things about yourself), and then pass the award on to 10 honest bloggers! So here it goes:

1. I have TONS of unread books on my book shelf but when I finish a book I go out and buy new ones because I just can't seem to find anything else to read.

2. I am crazy addicted to Farmville on Facebook.

3. I own my own business, a bridal boutique called The Couture Closet.

4. I have a dog named Martini and I am kind of annoyingly obsessed with her. I talk about her like she is my child and I know it's annoying but I can't stop.

5. When my house is super clean I don't ever want to leave it.

6. My husband is a firefighter and that makes me so proud.

7. I was born in sunny California but now I live in Kentucky and I don't ever want to leave.

8. I HATE skiing. And this is something I just learned about myself recently when I was on top of a mountain in Colorado and had to ski down.

9. I am the author of 4 blogs. Classic Whimsy, Geebs Book Club, The Couture Closet Blog, and Montgomery KY.

10. I really really really want to be on the Amazing Race.

And the Award goes too.....

A Good Addiction
Coffee Stained Pages
Confessions of a Book Whore
Reading is Sexy
Fiction Fanatic
With a Good Book
Ukkiwibookgirl
Tales of Whimsy
Mindful Musings
The Neverending Shelf

The Boleyn Inheritance

2009-11-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

So here is my promised review of the last installment of Philippa Gregory's King Henry VIII novels. I think that I enjoyed The Boleyn Inheritance better than any of the other two books on King Henry's wives. I thought that this book was just clever in how it depicted the repercussions of Anne Boleyn and how it effected all of the English Court, through the eyes of three women. After Anne visited the chopping block, the King's life changed forever and there were few people in the country that weren't effected by the aftermath. The King has now divorced his first wife, killed his second wife, and lost is third wife in childbirth. He is lonely, ill, loosing his good looks, at odds with the Catholic Church, and at odds with his people, all these things make this part of his history very entertaining.

This book is written in the point of view of Anne of Cleves (Henry's 4th wife), Katherine Howard (Henry's 5th wife), and Jane Boleyn (George Boleyn's horrible crazy wife). So when we open this book the king is mourning over the death of his beloved wife Jane Seymour. He needs to find a new wife and Queen of England so he sends out his royal match makers to find him the perfect spouse. He settles on Anne of Cleves, and when he meets her (and marries her) he realizes that this woman will just not do (surprise surprise) and he divorces her. During this quick marriage he is occupying his time with a young somewhat slutty immature girl named Katherine Howard, cousin to the King's infamous wife Anne (and you know with that combo, this can't end well). In the end there are accusations, treason, and heads rolling once again.

Like I said before, I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to go into too much detail about the plot because it would sound like a history lesson, but don't let that turn you off from reading this book. Because out of all the families in history the Tudor's story most resembles a steamy soap opera. King Henry and his wives invented the word drama I am sure.

Book vs. Movie: I don't know if I would watch a movie just based off this book. And I don't think that a 2 hour movie could quite catch a glimpse of the entire reign of King Henry VIII; but, the Showtime series The Tudors is doing a VERY VERY good job. And if you don't want to watch the show for the history then at least watch it for Jonathan Rhys Meyers... Yum...

The Boleyn Inheritance

by Philippa Gregory

If you liked this book read: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Catching Fire

2009-11-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

Oh. My. Gosh. If Suzanne Collins was sitting next to me right now I would give her a big ol' kiss on the lips!!! Not only did she hit it out of the park with Hunger Games but then she out did her self with this little gem. I was so excited to see what was going on with Katniss and Peeta that I feel like I flew through this book and really didn't have time to digest it. I even had to go back and skim back through chapters to pick up some details that I flew past the first time on my anxious pursuit to see what was going to happen next!

In this second installment of Suzanne Collins Hunger Game trilogy we start out back in District 12 after Katniss and Peeta have survived the Hunger Games. After they come back home and readjust to life in District 12 they have to head out on their mandatory winners tour of the districts, unfortunately President Snow is oh-so-angry about their little rebellious move in the Hunger Games arena and he is out to make an example out of Katniss and Peeta. With rebellion rumors bubbling up in the some of the districts and the "Quarter Quell" just around the corner, we are right back in the thick of things with Katniss and Peeta. You don't really know what is going on until about page 175 but when you get there you are like OH MY GOSH, HOLY MOLY, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT JUST HAPPENED, WHAT THE HECK!!!!!

I think that this book may even top the Hunger Games if you can believe it! I LOVED the ride that Suzanne Collins took me on with this one. The only 2 things I can complain about is that I can't wait a whole year for the final story to be told and I still don't know if I am Team Peeta or Team Gale!!

Book vs. Movie: Yes please! Hurry!!

Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
ISBN-13: 9780439023498

If you liked this book please read: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Wicked {The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West}

2009-11-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

There is oh-so-much I can say about Wicked. But the very first thing I have to say is that Gregory Maguire is a genius with words. A genius I tell you! The writing in this book is probably the most beautiful and clever writing I have ever experienced. In the past I had tried to read the book and for whatever reasons would get distracted with something else so I decided to try the audio book and to actually hear the reader tell this story in Maguire's words is something I hope to experience again and again with more of Maguires masterpieces. The story is so unique in the way he took a character (The Wicked Witch of the West) of a well known story (The Wizard of Oz) and expounded on her life. You get reacquainted with some old characters and get to see them in a new light. And the most interesting thing of it all is you get to see the political and religious life in Oz.

Throughout the story you learn who the dreaded Wicked Witch of the West really was, a good friend to Glinda, sister to Nessarose (The Wicked Witch of the East), lover to Fiyero, Mother to Liir, a strong willed woman who sympathized with the mistreatment and segregation of the Animals (groups of animals with human spirits..think the Cowardly Lion), and a rebel that wants to over through the Wizard of Oz. I loved the fun play on words and the great names of towns and people in this book.

All in all it was a magical journey and I am looking forward to reading Son of a Witch (about Elphaba's son Liir), and Lion Among Men (about the Cowardly Lion). I also think it would be great fun the read the tales Maguire spins on stories such as Cinderella and Snow White. Look for more reviews to come as my To Be Read list just grew a mile or so longer!!! :)

Book vs. Movie: OK so I know this is a HUGE HUGE Broadway hit and I haven't seen it yet!!!! But I have to say that I would absolutely have to see this if it came in movie format! I wasn't a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz when I was growing up (I mean the flying monkeys scared the hell out of me quite frankly) but this has such adult story lines that I think I would find if very amusing if in fact was done well.

Wicked
by Gregory Maguire

Book Club {review of The Handmaid's Tale}

2009-11-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was our first official meeting as a Book Club! It was so much fun!!! It looks like we will have about 14 lovely ladies in all and the dynamics seem very good. We read and discussed The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and everyone had a lot to say about the themes, plot lines, and characters. This book has a lot to talk about so the meeting started at 7pm and after about 30min. of chatting, snacking, and a little wine we started our discussion. We wrapped up around 9:45 and I am sure we could have chatted for another hour at least!

The main topic of conversation stemmed on the fact that we decided this could actually happen and how easily. At first there were some in the group that didn't think it would be possible but then one girl mentioned the Holocaust and how millions of Jewish people throughout an entire continent were rounded up and forced to live a certain way, families torn apart, millions killed. I mentioned that it would be easy for every debit and credit card belonging to a female to be "turned off" of be considered invalid (just like the compucards in The Handmaid's Tale) and seeing as we only carry little bits of cash (if any) in our purses what would be able to do then? At by the end of the discussion I think everyone decided that these things happening in The Handmaid's Tale could infact become a reality today.

Another thing we talked about for quite a while is whether we would want to be Marthas, Wives, or Handmaids. We decided that NONE of us wanted to be Wives and most of us wanted to be Marthas. We also decided that we might be more rebellious than Offred had been.

Over all I think the discussion was very interesting and I think we will do well as a group. I can hardly wait until next month!!!

Email from Author Garth Stein

2009-11-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

So exciting!! Today, I got an email form Garth Stein (author of The Art of Racing in the Rain). He read my review on the book and wrote me an email back saying that he was glad that Enzo's story had touched me and to keep spreading the word! The email just made my day! How exciting this new world of blogging is!!

The Constant Princess

2009-11-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

So a few weeks ago I posted my review for The Other Boleyn Girl, and I promised in that review that I would post a review for the other King Henry books by Philippa Gregory. I am here to partially fulfill that promise by reviewing The Constant Princess. Whenever I read a novel by Philippa Gregory I really become lost in the history, I become much more educated by the time I am finished with one of her stories because I am always on Wikipedia looking up some diplomat or lady at Court, or prince, or princess I had never heard of before. I feel like each of her books become a personal history lesson for me. My husband (being a history major) is amused and maybe slightly irritated by my conversations beginning with "did you know..." about some person or event I am reading about in Gregory's books. When I started reading The Constant Princess the only thing I really knew about Katherine of Aragon was that she was King Henry VIII first wife (and that she didn't have her head chopped off), but from there I couldn't tell you much of anything else.

A lot of what I know (pre reading) about the life of King Henry VIII and his wives, I had learned from the Showtime Series The Tudors (you must tune into this show if you would like to see a very sexy version of the reign of King Henry VIII, though I would imagine that his reign was even spicier than the TV show depicts). In this TV show they show Kathrine of Aragon as an older lady with a VERY strong Catholic faith that never stopped loving Henry until the day she died. In The Constant Princess you get to know Katherine as a strong willed little girl that grew up on the battlefields of Spain, as a young woman married to Aurthur prince of Wales, and finally as a cunning woman who becomes the Queen of England and tries to hold onto her position.

Out of all the books by Gregory I think that The Constant Princess has been my least favorite. Her writing style drew me in as always but it took me A L-O-N-G time to read this book. The characters didn't really capture my attention. I loved to hate Henry in the other books but in this one he was so young he just annoyed me. And I really enjoyed the love story between Katherine and Aurthur but after he died I wasn't too into the rest of the book. I would say absolutely read this book if you want to get the real story of the whole King Henry mess reign, it will only educate you or inspire you to learn more about this great time in history.

The Constant Princess

by Philippa Gregory
ISBN:0743272498

If you liked this book then read: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Handmaid's Tale - Book Club Read

2009-11-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

So this evening I finished The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I have read this book before but I suppose I had forgotten the details because I felt like I was reading it for the first time. I could only sort of remember what was going to happen next so when the story unfolded it was like reading it anew! I had to read this one for my book club and I am sure that it will encourage a lot of discussion because of the controversial nature of this story (I will post the outcome of the discussion next week after our meeting). I kind of have a love/hate relationship with Margaret Atwood. I feel that she is a very important writer in literary history and I went through a time when I owned all her novels (even her collections of short stories) but I started to really dislike her writing style after reading about 6 or so of her novels. Sometimes she would capture my attention and her writing (The Blind Assassin)was organized and easy to read and other times I felt she rambled and there was no point to the story she was trying to tell (The Robber Bride). The Handmaid's Tale was one of the stories that I could fallow without boredom and while the ending isn't really satisfying, the story as a whole does make sense.

In The Handmaid's Tale we are introduced to a society that has taken hold after the fall of The United States. A new government takes power and they are totally and staunchly biblically based. Women loose all their rights including the right to read the written word, and they are kept as possessions of the men either as Wives, Handmaids (birthing machines), or Marthas (servants). This book is the story of one Handmaid named Offred (a name given to her meaning possession Of Fred), it is told from her point of view, and it is the story of her life as a first generation Handmaid in the new land of Gilead. Because she is a first generation Handmaid she remembers life as it was before the fall of the U.S. so it makes it much harder for her to adjust to her new life as a Handmaid her "Commanders" house.

I remember enjoying this book a lot when I read it the first time and I feel the same about it now. It really is interesting to see a glimpse into society once life as we know it is over. Could these things really happen? Would we as a society let them? Maybe stories like The Hunger Games, The Handmaids Tale, and The Giver are a warning to us all.

Book vs. Movie: There is a movie version of The Handmaid's Tale but judging by the pictures I have seen online it looks like a movie I am going to miss. It was made in the early 90s and it doesn't look too promising. If someone were to make a newer version of this movie I would absolutely go see it, just for a more visual idea of what Gilead and the Handmaid's looked like. There is also an Opera about The Handmaid's Tale and I think that would be very interesting!

The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
ISBN: 978-0-385-49081-8

If you liked this book than read: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Other Boleyn Girl

2009-10-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

The Other Boleyn Girl (TOBG) is one of my absolutely favorite books of all times. After reading this book by Philippa Gregory I went through a little period of obsession with King Henry VIII and his time of power. I devoured every morsel I could find on this brute and everything I read just made my obsession more acute. I mean his reign was the stuff of Fairy Tales, medieval castles, knights, princesses, jousting, extreme riches and even more extreme poverty, the whims of a pampered prince and then of a selfish king. Everything I read about King Henry and his six wives was not only history but a novel to me! I read The Other Boleyn Girl and the other King Henry books by Philippa Gregory in very quick succession and I plan on blogging about all of them but right now I am just going to focus on TOBG.

If you have watched The Tudors on Showtime or have ever studied the reign of King Henry VIII then you know the general idea of the story/history. This book focuses on Henry's relationship with the infamous Anne Boleyn, starting with her families obsession to gain power in Court and ending (no spoilers here hopefully) at the chopping block. Philippa Gregory takes historical fact and fills in the shady bits with fiction; on her website she says "By and large the fiction fills in the gaps of the known historical record and brings it to life". So the fiction part is what makes the story so interesting, spicy, and new. In TOBG you are hearing the tale of Anne through the eyes of her sister Mary. Mary is little known in history but she is said to have born one or two of Henry's bastard children (a son no less), and she was quite in love with Henry for a short time until his eyes drifted to her sister Anne. Then Mary has to play a key roll in Anne's climb to be the Queen of England and then to keep her there while Henry's ever roaming eyes wander to a multitude of other ladies at Court.

Gregory's writing is amazing. This lady has a way with words (this is why she is my most favorite author), everything that Gregory writes is a true work of art. I almost always recommend one of her works to anyone that asks me for a good read.

Book vs. Movie: I do have to say though that TOBG movie was quite disappointing (as are most books turned movie). It was fun to see the beautiful clothes and riches but the screen play fell extremely short of the actual book.

The Other Boleyn Girl

By Philippa Gregory
ISBN: 0-7432-2744-1

If you enjoyed this book, please read: The Wideacre Trilogy by Philippa Gregory

The Hunger Games

2009-10-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. I truly enjoyed every page of this book. When I wasn't reading it I was starving for what was going to happen next (I was lucky that I had some air plane traveling to do this week so I could read to keep my mind off the flying part). I have always enjoyed stories about what life is like after society as we know it collapses and this one was THE BEST I have read with that post apocalyptic theme. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a YA book because the story was pretty heavy with a lot of political undertones and a lot of propaganda.

In this story we see what life is like after the United States has collapsed and a new society, Panem, has taken hold. Once a year every boy and girl between the ages of 12 to 18 are put into a lottery and one unlucky boy and one unlucky girl are chosen from each district (12 districts in all). Then these 24 teens are thrown into a huge arena where they fight to the death. The citizens of Panem are required to watch the fight on TV each night in sort of "reality TV" show fashion, and they bet on who will win and who will die. All the while the players have to watch their backs, stay alive, and charm the audience so they can recieve sponsors that can buy them things that will keep them alive in the arena. In the end the winner will receive riches and fame beyond anything they can comprehend considering that most people live in poverty in this new communistic society. The story follows the two teens chosen from District 12, Katniss and Peeta, and how they try and survive their time in the arena, knowing in the end there can only be one winner of The Hunger Games.

I really couldn't put this book down. I just ate up every word. I feel like I want to read it over right away to see if there is anything I missed. I think the concept of The Hunger Games is so imaginative and I feel like we aren't too far from a society that would find this kind of "entertainment" amusing. There are a few points in the book where I had tears in my eyes and a few times that I was outright shocked that people could be so gruesome to each other; but the whole time I was cheering on my favorite contestants of The Hunger Games, just like the country of Panem was doing. I just can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this series Catching Fire. I hope I'm not disappointed, but I can't imagine that it could be any better than this one. Cheers to Suzanne Collins for penning such a magnificent story!

P.S. This would make an EXCELLENT movie, and it sounds like we won’t have to wait that long as Lionsgate has picked up distributing rights!!

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

If you liked this book also read: The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Gargoyle

2009-10-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

I can’t stand it when I don’t finish the book I have started. It doesn’t happen too often but once in a while I just can’t find a connection with the characters or I can’t connect with the story so I just see no need to go on. Sadly that is what happened with The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. I had such high expectations for this book because so many people had told me how great the story was, but I just don’t see it. I was disturbed by this book from the get go when the main character is being burned alive in a car accident. I am sure it is because my husband, Brendan, is a fire fighter and being burned alive is the worst thing I can think of happening to him. From that point on I couldn’t really concentrate on the story too much.

I am not going to go in to any details on this one, but I will say it was very well written and if the story was about anything else but a burn patient I would probably have been able to finish it and probably would have enjoyed it too!

The Gargoyle
by Andrew Davidson

Rococo

2009-10-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I just need to read a "no brainer" book. A book that will entertain me and that is just about it. So I gave my brain a little vacation (and took time off from Gargoyle) to read Rococo by Adriana Trigiani. If you have ever read anything by Adriana Trigiani then you know what I am talking about. She always provides you with a great heartwarming story that is easy to read and doesn't make you think too hard, and this week that is exactly what I needed.

Bartolomeo di Crespi (I LOVED this characters name -Bartolomeo- LOVE it), is an interior designer in Olaf New Jersey. He loves to surround himself with all things beautiful and occasionally his crazy family. His life long dream is to redesign his church Our Lady of Fatima. When he finally gets his dream come true he realizes that getting what you wish for isn't always what it seems. Along the way you become engulfed in his big, loud, crazy, Italian family and all the drama that comes with it.

Something that I love about anything that Adriana Trigiani writes is her descriptions of clothing (like in Lucia, Lucia), and rooms (Rococo), or towns (Queen of the Big Time). She puts so much detail in what she is describing that you can almost feel the fabrics, sit on the ottomans, and wander down the streets. Her Italian casts of characters are always people you would want to meet, and you can feel the love of the families jump out of the pages. Something else I love about Adriana Trigiani's writing is the full recipes that are peppered throughout all her novels. You could write a cookbook with all the great recipes! I am going to try out Bartolomeo's Famous Hot Cocoa complete with Bourbon Balls this winter!

I do have one negative about this book. The cast of characters was so large that I was getting confused as to who was who and what their relationship was to the story. I understand that Italian Catholic families are loud and crazy and HUGE but for a novel it gets the reader a little confused.

Over all I would say that this is just a good old quick read. It entertained me completely as do all Trigiani's stories. I would recommend this book to anyone that wanted to do some light reading; it would be great to read on an airplane or on the beach. I usually read big, old, heavy stories but this one was like a breath of fresh air. And I mean it, try some of her recipes!

Rococo
By Adriana Trigiani

If you like this read: Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani

Peony in Love

2009-10-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan so much I picked up another Lisa See novel a few weeks ago and again I was not disappointed. I devoured this novel in one sitting and was sad when it ended. I think I loved this book, where Snow Flower I just liked a lot. The culture of bound feet, quite women, and structure of ancient Chinese families had me entranced once again and I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next.

In Peony in Love we meet Peony, a very ambitious young girl that has a passion for an opera called The Peony Pavilion. She has read The Peony Pavilion several times and owns many different editions (which was down right scandalous in those days) and she becomes obsessed with the love affair of the main characters. She wants a love just as deep and passionate as the people in the play. Her obsession ends up killing her, but her doctors diagnose her with "love sickness", and she ends up in the after world. Peony in Love is the story of her "after life".

I don't want to go into any more details (though I am dying to tell you the whole story)! The book is full of twists and turns and will have keep you guessing as to what might happen next. Like Snow Flower this book had me running to Wikipedia to learn new things about ancient Chinese culture and what they believe about their after lives. I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did and as much as you liked Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I would recomend Peony in Love to anyone that has a hankering for a great love story with a twist.

Peony in Love
by Lisa See
If you liked this book please read: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

The Thirteenth Tale

2009-10-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield was somewhat of a surprise to me. I had tried to read this book a while back but just couldn't get into it, so last week I decided to check it out as an audio book at my library and I was in to it from the first few words. Diane Setterfields writing seemed to me to come from a different time era, I was wrapped up in the words and her writing style and felt as if I was reading a novel by Jane Austen or one of the Brontë sisters. All I have to say is that Diane Setterfield must be an extreme book enthusiast to have written such a lovely story about books and storytelling.

When the story opens we meet our main character Margaret Lea. She is a plain, mousey, shadow of a woman that works in a rare books book shop and occasionally writes biographies on random dead people. One day she gets a letter asking her to write the biography of the most popular modern novelist in existence Ms. Vida Winter. Vida has been avoiding her past for decades and she is now old and ailing and wants the truth to be told about her life. What Margaret gets is a story so good it just might be better than one of Vida Winter's bestsellers. Between old houses, mental illnesses, twins, ghosts, fires, governesses, and jealousy (all the making of a great Gothic Novel), Margaret sets out to make sure that Vida is telling her the truth , and along the way she comes to grips with her own painful life story.

I would probably only recommend this book to someone who enjoys the classics. The Thirteenth Tale was written to be appreciated in another time and I don't think that someone who only likes modern novels will really connect with this story. While I enjoyed it immensely I just don't think it would be for everyone. I feel like this is so unfortunate because I think this is one of the finest written pieces that I have read in a long time.

The Thirteenth Tale
by Diane Setterfield

If you liked this book then read: The Wideacre Trilogy by Philippa Gregory

The Week from Hell with a Cherry on Top

2009-10-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

So I have been absent this week in the Blog World because I had some skin cancer removed from my face and it was a much bigger deal than I thought it was going to be. Today is the first day I haven't felt like I was hit by a truck or a Louisville Slugger so I guess that means I am starting to feel better. And I felt even better when I logged into my blog account and realized that Mrs. P from A Study in Contradictions awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award! I have never received a blog award before so this honestly made my week. Thanks Mrs. P!

So now I have to pass on the torch to some other "Lovely Blogs" (15 to be exact) and let them know that I think that they lovely enough to receive The Lovely Award.

The problem is I don't think I know 15 blogs. I am a baby blogger so I haven't found many fabulous blogging pals yet. So because I can't give Mrs. P the award she so sweetly bestowed on me I think I only have about 5 or 6 bloggers to award.

Here is my list:

Reading is Sexy
Wanderings
Elly Says Opa!
The Style Collectives
About Books Blog
Froggaritaville

Racing in the Rain

2009-09-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

So I spent all my free time yesterday reading The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The story was good, but the point of view in which the story was told is what makes this book unforgetable. When I realized that the whole story was told through the eyes of a dog named Enzo I instantly fell in love. The Art of Racing in the Rain could have been narrated by any other character and it would have been just another story that I would have soon forgotten but because it was a canine narration this story is going to stick with me for awhile.

Enzo is the sweet canine and the constant companion of Denny Swift an up and coming race car driver. When we meet Enzo for the first time he is planning the events that will ultimately take him to the vet to be put down. Very sad I know, but Enzo is ready to leave this world as a very old dog with bad hips and be reincarnated as a human (a conclusion he comes upon from watching too much day time TV, especially National Geographic-so it must be true!). And as Denny makes that horrible phone call to the vet that we all dread to have to make someday, Enzo starts to recall his life with Denny and his family and the rocky road they had to travel. We get to see and understand how it must be to be a dog. How frustrating it is to not have a voice to tell your human that someone is chronically sick or someone is untrustworthy or someone did something wrong. How much he loves his companions and wants only to protect them from what ever frightens or threatens them (possessed zebras included). To remain loyal and give unconditional love. Enzo stays Denny's steadfast companion through the loss of his wife, the conviction of a crime he did not commit, and the fight for custody of his daughter. Through all the ups and downs Enzo is the one at Denny's side giving him unconditional love and comfort.

I have a sweet pup named Martini (thats her to the right) so I could empathize with Denny every time he drew comfort from Enzo. I understand how it is to love a dog just like as you would love a human, so to be put in the mind of a dog for a few hours made me understand what Martini must think of me! While I was reading The Art of Racing in the Rain I would stop every once in a while to look down at Martini and ask if she liked watching TV or if she could understand what I was saying, I was only answered with a knowing look and a few thumps of her tail, I don't know exactly what that meant but as Enzo says "Gestures are all I have."

P.S. They are making the book into a movie! Woohoo! Staring McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey). Due to release in 2012.

The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein

If you like this book you will love: Marley and Me by John Grogen

Golden Lilies

2009-09-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

One thing I am super passionate about is learning. I want to know about everything. I am known in my family to have a little nugget of information about whatever topic happens to be in discussion. So, when a story has me scurrying to Wikapedia or the library to research a new topic, that story gets a gold star in my book. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was one of those stories that made me get out my trusty notebook and dive into some research about the women in 16th century China. I was immersed in a strange world of foot binding (they call their bound feet Golden Lilies), embroidery, secret languages, and homemaking. I was stunned at the things I was learning as I finished chapter after chapter of this book.

In this story you will meet a young girl named Snow Flower and her friend Lily. These girls were paired up by a match maker as special friends (loatong - translating to "old sames") during their "foot binding years" and the story follows their lives as female soul mates from children through their marriages and finally until death separates them. Because the two girls live in neighboring villages they can only see each other a few times a year but they correspond to each other by writing in a secret language called Nu Shu that is only known to women. Snow Flower and Lily write their little notes on the back of a fan that they send back and forth to each other during their times apart. Eventually, as girl friends often do, they have a tiff and they realize during their period of giving eachother the "silent treatment" how much they truly mean to one another.

My mother-in-law recommended this book to me after she read it for her book club. Since then she has decided that Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is her favorite book and I can certainly see why. If you want a beautifully written heartwarming story you are going to get it with this one. And while it isn't in my top faves I very much appreciate this book and would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to curl up with a good book.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See

If you liked this book also read: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Why Do We Suck Dr. Leary?

2009-09-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

I heart Denis Leary. I always have. He is, in my opinion, the funniest man in the world. Whether he is playing sexy firefighter Tommy Gavin on Rescue Me (you know my thing for sexy firefighters), or hurling hockey pucks on Rachael Ray, or writing articles for Playboy (I do read Playboy for the articles by the way), I have to stop what I am doing and soak up his words because they always have me in stitches. So when I was walking through the book store and saw him gracing the cover of a book called Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy, and Stupid, I knew I was in for a treat! I waited and waited for the library to have a copy available for me to read and on Monday when they finally called to tell me it was my turn to read this book I couldn't run the 2 blocks fast enough to go and pick it up! I flew through it in 2 days and laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

This is a book that you will find in the humor section of your book store so most people would think not to take it too seriously, but the message, although funny, is spot on to the title. It guides you through the web of traits that would make other countries hate us so much they would want to fly jets into our buildings and kill thousands of people. Throughout the book you are telling yourself, 'He isn't talking about me' but then you turn the page and you think, 'Huh, I do that, I think that, I wear that.' and then you realize that you are exactly who he is talking about. He is talking about each and every one of us including himself. In his free flowing rants he shows us our decline over the past 50 years and where we are headed. He offers no suggestion on how to change, only how we are spiraling out of control.

I know this sounds like a book that would piss a lot of people off (and it probably will), but along with offensive rants and dialogue I guarantee you will laugh until you cry. Here is a little glimpse of the prologue to show you what you are in for if you pick up this book:

"It's time to shave your back and pay attention to your kids and buy a bigger-size dress and stop wearing spandex until you lose a hundred pounds. Skinny jeans are meant for skinny people. In case you don't understand the term "skinny" - if your ass doesn't fit into a seat at the ballpark, hockey rink, or football stadium - yer fat. Too fat for skinny jeans.

What would Jesus say? What I just said. Only louder.

And his hands and feet would be bleeding so he'd probably be in a very pissy mood.

So listen up. I'm trying to help you here. It won't be pretty. But it will be damn funny. Strap yourself in. It's gonna be a bumpy-assed, roller-coaster-on- fire type of ride. No helmets allowed."

So lets just say that if that little intro offended you and you didn't laugh then don't read Why We Suck. If it offended you but you did laugh then read on my friend and let me know what you think about it when you are finished.

Why We Suck: A Feelgood Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid
by Dr. Denis Leary

Ladies of the Night

2009-09-18T17:30:00.001-07:00

Every time I think about The Crimson Petal and the White I get goose bumps. I am not all together sure where those goose bumps come from but I get them all the same and that is how I know that this is in my short list for "Geeb's Favorite Books of All Times". It is a long book (895 pages) but from the very beginning you are into it deep. I love the way it starts:

"Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them. This city I am bringing you to is vast and intricate, and you have not been here before. You may imagine, from other stories you've read, that you know it well, but those stories flattered you, welcoming you as a friend, treating you as if you belonged. The truth is that you are an alien from another time and place altogether."

I feel like in this book Michel Faber became a modern day Dickens. He depicts a dark side of Victorian London with crazy characters that are up to no good and that you both love to hate and hate to love at the same time. Whores and their men; Mistresses and their servants; Masters and their Wives; Children and their Governesses. They all have an agenda here in this book and they are all using each other to get what they want.

The meat and potatoes of this store is about Sugar a lowly nasty lady of the night that catches the eye of William Rackham. Using her womanly ways she seduces William and starts to manipulate her way up the social ladder and right into William's house where he lives with his wife and daughter. I don't even want to ruin a minute of this book for you so I am not really going to expand on the plot line other than these few words.

This book is shocking, hateful, and very very sexy. Be prepared to be offended (if you are the kind that is offended even moderately), and be prepared to not be able to stop reading once you start.

P.S. I was walking through the book shop the other day and I noticed a book called The Apple by Michel Faber. It is a little hardback volume that looks like a novelty book but the back says that it is a collection of other Crimson Petal stories. I am not sure what that means but I will let you all know as soon as I read it!

The Crimson Petal and the White
by Michel Faber

If you like this book check out: I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb