I'm So Happy For You

So glad to be done reading this book.

It was a quick read, but not a GOOD read. It was melodramatic and just not the kind of "chick lit" that I have enjoyed in the past. The story was ok. I mean there are a lot of women out there with 'friend-enemies". However this plot was just too much. I found it to be predictable and boring. It is not something I would recommend. I read this for a light summer read for book club.

Read August 2009

Such A Pretty Fat

I feel like finally a book has been written that explains what it is like to LIKE yourself.. but maybe not the way people expect you to.
This book made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. Jen's trials with her size an self worth are right on target for me. I think that it took a while for the book to hit on losing the weight, however when it did.. it was a quick page turner for me. I wasn't fond of the footnotes. I tend to read them first when I would turn the page. However they were funny in some instances. This is the first book I have read by Lancaster and I plan to read some more of her work.

Read August 2009

Chocolat

This was one of the strange times where I have seen the movie before I read the book. I liked the movie, yet I loved the book. I think the author, Harris, really caught me up in the 'voices' of each character.
This is the story about an outsider moving into a small town in France. The locals are curious however the town Priest is not happy about her arrival. The Priest seems to be trying (in vain) to get his parishioners to like him and come back to god. He views the woman and her child as sinners and possibly a witch. He believes that unless she is run out of town, the town will be come tarnished and indulge in immoral acts.
Vianne is a strong single mother. She is a business woman as well as a friend. The way that she is described and narrates her story through out the book you really get a sense of who she is as a person. In many ways she becomes a friend to the villagers and to the people passing through the town.
I think that the story is a quick read. I am glad I read the book after the movie. The movie is different from the book, yet both are a fun and fast story.
Read July 2009

Big Cherry Holler

We are back in the Mountains with Ave and Jack. This story takes place 8 years from the end of the last story (Big Stone Gap).

We learn even more about Ave, Jack, their families and how their marriage works and what is holding them back from happiness. This story really develops Ave into an adult woman who still has not completely 'found herself'. We learn about the dynamic of a family that is wounded and still struggling to be living in the present.

Once again the readers get to go on a journey with Ave to Italy. The way that the author, Adriana Trigiani, describes these different area's really take you deep into the countryside of Italy as well as the Mountains that Ave grew up in.

I love these books. I am a big fan of Adriana Trigiani and really appreciate her story telling abilities!

Read July 2009

Hunger Games

I found this story to be a quick read and very disturbing at the same time.

This book is about the country of Panem, which is the former United States of America. In the 12 districts that make up Panem, every year 2 children between 12-18 years old are sent to fight for their lives in the arena known as Hunger Games. Who ever makes it to the end.. after all the other 23 kids have been killed is the winner.

This 'game' is to remind the districts that the Government is in control and can take away anything they want to. The Game, which includes children murdering each other as well as other disturbing events is shown across Panem for the districts to view.

Katniss is the main character in the story and is the District 12 female tribute for the games. She is clever and rough around the edges. The stories that are shared about her childhood through the games really give you insight into the world to which she lives in.

I liked the book. I know there is a second book after this one revolving around the same story and I plan on reading that one too. This was a selection for one of my book clubs and I would not have read it other wise. I am glad that I did.

Read July 2009

Living Dead in Dallas

I think after reading the first book in this series, and HATING it, I am pleased that this one flew by!I read Dead Until Dark and then watched season 1 of True Blood. I really liked the show and the book wasn't to bad after that. In this book Sookie is loan out for use of her abilities. She gets out of her small town life and takes on Dallas, Texas. She is very naive compared to the characters that she meets.I found this book to be much more interesting then the first. I am still not a fan of the writing style. I feel that it jumps around a lot and things have to be re-read (as if I missed a paragraph).

Read July 2009

Memoirs of a Geisha

I was highly reluctant to read this book. This was chosen as a Book Club selection. I thought that I had no interest in the world of a Geisha or Japan, with in 50 pages I was hooked!

I was quickly entertained and interested in the life of these Geisha. I had no idea of what being a Geisha involved. Although this book is not 100% accurate to what a Geisha would do or go through, I have learned a lot from it.The details of their daily lives and the struggles during the war were very interesting. I was very happy with the style of writing and the way that the story was told. You learned about a girl through most of her life until adulthood. Sayuri is faced with many challenges from when she lived in her crooked house with her family, till she made her way to New York.

This book was great! I know I will recommend it to my family and friends. I read it with in a few days and was shocked on how much I really did enjoy it.

Read June 2009