May 2008 Blog Posts (79)

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This weeks reading.

The title should read,'This weeks reading or lack of it...'

I'm going to blame the weather for lack of pageturning this week. It has been unusually warm here in U.K. so I proceeded to venture into the garden. This is something I haven't done for a while, consequently the weeds were appalling, lol! Anyhow I got it done and planted a few new flowers .

I did start a new book, 'The Revolt of the Eaglets' by Jean Plaidy. This novel follows the life of Henry11 in 1100's after the murder of… Continue

Added by MOG on May 11, 2008 at 9:02am — No Comments

New Here!

I just found this site, this morning, through a friend in the Yahoo! group, "A Novel Challenge". And, I'm grateful! I've already found lots of my book-friends on here! :)

I belong to other online book groups like my own TBR Challenge (Yahoo!) group and Book-a-Week.

Added by MizB on May 11, 2008 at 9:00am — 1 Comment


Blogger Good Harbor

I've actually delayed writing about this book for a few days so I could let it settle. And, I'm not very settled still.



I liked the premise of the book--two middle-aged women facing various health, religious, marriage, and family crises becoming friends amidst the backdrop of their shared Jewish faith in Cape Ann. I was totally into the book until about 3/4 the way through and then Diamant lost me. Of course, by then I had to finish. But, I remember thinking, "There is not enough… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:44pm — No Comments


Blogger The Invention of Hugo Cabret

This gem of a book is 533 pages long. I told Dan he needed to read it, and that it only takes an hour or two and he looked at me like I was INSANE. I don't actually read that fast, but this novel is told in both pictures and words. If you haven't read a graphic novel yet, this is a great one to try first.



You will find it in the juvenile section of the library. If I hadn't looked it up, I would say this book would be great starting around 5th grade--Publisher's Weekly says ages… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:44pm — No Comments


Blogger One Thousand White Women

I've got a thing for books written in journal form and books that are historical fiction to boot. While this book does not come close to supplanting my favorite of this style, These is My Words, I did enjoy it quite a bit.



I'm kind of surprised I decided to pick this book up. I read Fergus' Wild Girl last year and wasn't particularly enthralled. It took me months to finish Wild Girl, and I think I only did because I actually purchased the book and felt some sort of obligation to see… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:43pm — No Comments


Blogger The Devil in the White City

This book was simply amazing.



Erik Larson takes you on a journey of Chicago through the Gilded Age--from the inception of the idea of a World Fair through its ultimate conclusion in the 1890s. This non-fiction book reads like fiction and it is truly staggering to realize that it is all true and appropriately cited.



The book revolves mainly around Daniel Burnham, architect of the fair and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who lived in Chicago during the same period. The… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:43pm — 3 Comments


Blogger Behind the Scenes at the Museum

Set in Yorkshire England, this book follows 4 generations of women through two world wars and concludes in 1992. The story is narrated through the voice of Ruby Lennox, who represents the 4th generation.



Atkinson has a witty, clever writing style and I always enjoy following family histories. There are some plot surprises, some of which I guessed early and some I missed completely, even after all had been revealed. The writing weaves back and forth between the generations so you do… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:42pm — No Comments


Blogger The Star Garden

I was so happy when I got to bring this book home from the library! I was the first reader of my copy, and I was happy to be the one to crack the book open and turn each page for the first time. On to the review...



I just love Sarah. Even though she is 43 now, there is a lot I feel I can relate to in her personality. But there is enough that I can't relate to which keeps her interesting. This book picks up right where Sarah's Quilt left off. It's been a two years since I read Sarah's… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:41pm — No Comments


Blogger The Road

Earlier this year The Road was given the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was also picked by Oprah for her book club, which quite frankly was a strike against it for me. You kind of know going into an Oprah book that it is going to be about some kind of depressing struggle and hopefully a triumph of some kind at the end.



This book takes place in post-apocalyptic America (apparently in the Southeast after a nuclear holocaust, although the cataclysmic event is never specifically… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:41pm — No Comments


Blogger The Tale of Despereaux

Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread



This Newbery Medal winner is the delightful story my kids and I have been enjoying in the car for the last few weeks. I figure we spend so much time in the car, we might as well make it worth our while. The book is recommended for third grade and up, but both Courtney and Carter really enjoyed listening. (Jonah did not. Bella doesn't count.) Personally, I think a good story is a good story and this is one that I… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:40pm — No Comments


Blogger A Walk in the Woods

I loved Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. He just has a way of explaining difficult or bland concepts in a way that is interesting and amusing.



A Walk in the Woods is the story of Bryson's journey along the Appalachian Trail in the late 1990s. Interspersed with his travelogue are facts and figures about the flora and fauna, weather, National Park Service, mining, etc. etc. When I think I can't stand anymore trail talking, he gets down to facts and vice… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:39pm — No Comments


Blogger Austenland

Calling all Jane Austen fans! If you love Mr. Darcy (and who doesn't) this book is for you.

How an LDS author pulled off an adult romance book, I'll never know. But this book is pure unadulterated mindless enjoyment. Perfectly yummy in every way.

I read it in one sitting (when I should have been sleeping) and I might even have to read it again.

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:39pm — 2 Comments


Blogger I'm a Stranger Here Myself

Still on my Bill Bryson kick, I decided to check out the LARGE PRINT version of I'm a Stranger Here Myself so I didn't have to wait in the queue. I've decided that reading large print is kind of like watching a black and white movie--you just don't notice it after awhile.



I was super excited to read this book because Bryson lived in England for 20 years, and this book was supposedly his reflections on coming back to America. What I found out when I opened the book is that this is… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:39pm — No Comments


Blogger Gilead

The book is set in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa in the mid-1950s. Reverend John Ames has been diagnosed with a terminal heart condition in his late 70s. The book is an autobiographical account written to his 7-year old son, the product of a marriage late in life to a much younger woman. The Reverend is a third-generation preacher, and speaks mostly of his rather eccentric grandfather in reflection of his upbringing.



The plot moves slowly through the first half of the book, but… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:38pm — No Comments


Blogger The White

I should say at the outset that I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. This book is based on the story of real-life character, Mary Jemison, who lived near Gettysburg during the pre-Revolutionary period. Her family was taken by Indians, and Mary goes on to live among the Seneca, eventually settling in the Genesee Valley of New York.



The story, told in both the first and third person, is really a story of courage about accepting the past and finding peace, fulfillment and beauty in the… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:37pm — No Comments


Blogger Love, Stargirl

Loved Stargirl.

Loved Love, Stargirl.

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:35pm — No Comments


Blogger Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

It was kind of strange to read this book on the heels of Devil in the White City and Star Garden because all of these books are set in such different locations, but during basically the same time period. It was a refreshing change to move from dusty Arizona to tropical Hawaii and interesting to see how life varied from place to place.



The Bad News: This book took me about 150 pages to get into. Normally I would have given up, but my mother-in-law recommended it, and my book club… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:34pm — No Comments


Blogger Father Knows Less: Or, Can I Cook My Sister?

This book is part-memoir part-trivia. A New York Times reporter seeks to answer questions from children, including his own son, such as:



* What happens when you eat gum?

* Do nose hairs turn gray?

* Is George Bush evil? Mommy says so.



He then takes these questions to an expert in the appropriate field to get the answers--making for interesting and entertaining light reading.



Personally, I skipped about half the memoir/reflective part. I couldn't care… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:33pm — No Comments


Blogger The Year of Living Biblically

This book is explained fully by its subtitle: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. AJ Jacobs, a native New Yorker (as Jewish as the Olive Garden is Italian), decides he is going to live all the laws of the Old Testament and New Testament during the course of a year. He takes trips to Israel, a creationism museum in Wisconsin and a snake-handler's church in Tennessee as part of his spiritual journey. He consults with various rabbis and priests that guide him and… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:33pm — No Comments


Blogger The Book Thief

This book was apparently the "most talked-about book of 2006", so I must have been asleep that year. This book has won numerous awards, including the Printz for 2007. I don't know that I can say that the book was "life changing" like the NYTimes said it could be. But, I will say that I am forever enriched because I read it.



I should say up front that I loved it even though I didn't find it particularly "fun" or easy to read. I knew next to nothing about the book before I started… Continue

Added by Tricia on May 10, 2008 at 8:31pm — No Comments

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