Why I have this book: It was available to borrow on the ebook library, so I borrowed it. I probably don't need to browse for books to borrow right now. I have plenty to read already.
This was typical Nicholas Sparks. I felt a little bit of the plot was borrowed from Top Gun (involving the best friend), and in general, I felt like this book was just okay. I only gave it 2 stars on Goodreads.
There was a little bit of swearing, and the couple had sex before marriage. It's not really described. Again, it's all typical Nicholas Sparks.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Let's talk about "Where the Wild Things Are."
I've been cleaning my son's room today, and part of that includes going through our zillions of children's books. Some that I'm getting rid aren't even worth mentioning, but can we just talk about Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak?
This book is a 1964 Caldecott Award winner. That's probably why I bought it when my older kids were young. Or maybe everyone was reading it, so we had to join in. We've dutifully read it to each of our kids.
I really don't get this book. I never have understood what it's supposed to mean. And honestly, I have never loved it. I've only read it to our kids because I thought I should, I guess.
To be fair, Maurice Sendak also illustrated the Little Bear books, and I love those. So I have a fond spot in my heart for his work. Wild Things, though, is heading out the door. I refuse to feel guilty about it!
This book is a 1964 Caldecott Award winner. That's probably why I bought it when my older kids were young. Or maybe everyone was reading it, so we had to join in. We've dutifully read it to each of our kids.
I really don't get this book. I never have understood what it's supposed to mean. And honestly, I have never loved it. I've only read it to our kids because I thought I should, I guess.
To be fair, Maurice Sendak also illustrated the Little Bear books, and I love those. So I have a fond spot in my heart for his work. Wild Things, though, is heading out the door. I refuse to feel guilty about it!
Dad Is Fat (Jim Gaffidan)
Why I have this book: My SIL read it and recommended it to me. To be fair, she "read" it on an audio book, so I'm wondering if that makes a difference.
I thought the book was pretty funny, but for being a "clean" comedian, there was more swearing than I want to read. I've read (and liked) books with more swearing, but I guess this bothered me because it was so unnecessary and didn't fit into the rest of the book. It was about parenting and kids and being a father. Why throw in swear words??? It was meant to be a light-hearted look at family life.
I wonder if the audio version had the swear words in it. I would have given this a 4 star rating on Goodreads if there wasn't any swearing. As it is, I gave it 3 stars.
Other than the handful of swear words, including one instance of the F word, this book is clean.
I thought the book was pretty funny, but for being a "clean" comedian, there was more swearing than I want to read. I've read (and liked) books with more swearing, but I guess this bothered me because it was so unnecessary and didn't fit into the rest of the book. It was about parenting and kids and being a father. Why throw in swear words??? It was meant to be a light-hearted look at family life.
I wonder if the audio version had the swear words in it. I would have given this a 4 star rating on Goodreads if there wasn't any swearing. As it is, I gave it 3 stars.
Other than the handful of swear words, including one instance of the F word, this book is clean.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
When Grace Sings (Kim Vogel Zimmerman)
Why I have this book: I read the first book in the trilogy a long time ago, so when this one was available on the ebook library, I borrowed it. I actually re-read the first one last week because it had been so long.
I liked this one better than the first one. The adoption part of the story comes to the forefront more from the perspective of the girls who were adopted, and that's always interesting to me as an adoptive mom. I felt like I was more invested in this book than the first one, and now I'm looking forward to the third one being available for me to borrow. I want to see how everything plays out!
Clean.
I liked this one better than the first one. The adoption part of the story comes to the forefront more from the perspective of the girls who were adopted, and that's always interesting to me as an adoptive mom. I felt like I was more invested in this book than the first one, and now I'm looking forward to the third one being available for me to borrow. I want to see how everything plays out!
Clean.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Gingersnap (Patricia Reilly Giff)
Why I have this book: A friend recommended it quite a while ago, and I bought it on my Kindle when she did. I just didn't read it until now. :)
I really enjoyed this book. It's written for a younger crowd, but I liked it a lot. I don't really have much to say about it, other than it's one I hope my daughter will read someday. It's one of those books that has that comforting feels about it. Even though I never read it before, it feels like something I would have read more than once when I was a "tween."
Clean.
I really enjoyed this book. It's written for a younger crowd, but I liked it a lot. I don't really have much to say about it, other than it's one I hope my daughter will read someday. It's one of those books that has that comforting feels about it. Even though I never read it before, it feels like something I would have read more than once when I was a "tween."
Clean.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
The Only Alien on the Planet (Kristen D. Randle)
Why I have this book: Someone recommended it on an online site I used to peruse. I've had it on my Kindle for quite a while.
I gave this a 3 on Goodreads, but I'm considering going to a 4. I'd really like to go with about 3.75. I definitely got sucked into the story, so I'm not sure what's holding me back from the 4 stars...
Interestingly, it looks like the author is LDS.
I keep thinking about it, so maybe that means it needs to be a 4 star book, after all.
Clean, although there are some disturbing elements to it. They aren't delved into very deeply, which may be why I haven't gone straight to the 4-star rating. It did feel a bit incomplete in that particular part of the story...
I gave this a 3 on Goodreads, but I'm considering going to a 4. I'd really like to go with about 3.75. I definitely got sucked into the story, so I'm not sure what's holding me back from the 4 stars...
Interestingly, it looks like the author is LDS.
I keep thinking about it, so maybe that means it needs to be a 4 star book, after all.
Clean, although there are some disturbing elements to it. They aren't delved into very deeply, which may be why I haven't gone straight to the 4-star rating. It did feel a bit incomplete in that particular part of the story...
Monday, December 19, 2016
The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ (Andrew Klavan)
Why I have this book: My son recommended it, so I put it on my Wish List on Amazon. It was $12.99 on Kindle! Too much for me. Then one day it dropped to $2.99, so I grabbed it up.
I had a hard time getting into this book at first, but that could have been because I was in school and only had so much brain power left for reading. Once the semester was over, I picked it up again from about 48%, and then I got sucked in. I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot. (I don't know if the first half wasn't as good or if it was just because I was in school.)
If I could, I would give this 4.5 stars on Goodreads, maybe even 4.75. I can't, though, so I went with 4 stars.
Pretty clean. I don't remember any swearing and though the author does indicate that he slept with a lot of women, there isn't anything graphic about it. The overall message is one of coming to faith in Christ.
I had a hard time getting into this book at first, but that could have been because I was in school and only had so much brain power left for reading. Once the semester was over, I picked it up again from about 48%, and then I got sucked in. I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot. (I don't know if the first half wasn't as good or if it was just because I was in school.)
If I could, I would give this 4.5 stars on Goodreads, maybe even 4.75. I can't, though, so I went with 4 stars.
Pretty clean. I don't remember any swearing and though the author does indicate that he slept with a lot of women, there isn't anything graphic about it. The overall message is one of coming to faith in Christ.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Echo (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
Why I have this book: My friend recommended it, so I borrowed it from the ebook library.
I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads. I wish each of the three stories were stand-alone books. They were great, and she could have continued on with each of them with no problem. The whole fantasy part of the beginning and ending didn't really do a lot for me, but I loved the historical fiction in the three stories that made up the rest of the book.
This book that is geared toward upper elementary/junior high readers is clean.
I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads. I wish each of the three stories were stand-alone books. They were great, and she could have continued on with each of them with no problem. The whole fantasy part of the beginning and ending didn't really do a lot for me, but I loved the historical fiction in the three stories that made up the rest of the book.
This book that is geared toward upper elementary/junior high readers is clean.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Love and Gelato (Jenna Evans Welch)
Why I have this book: My friend recommended it, so I borrowed it from the ebook library.
I almost stopped reading two pages in, since it became obvious that the mom was going to die. I don't do books about moms dying. My friend talked me into continuing on. (Actually, it was more like she shamed me into it.) I'm so glad she did. Today was my first day off of school for Christmas Break, and I spent pretty much the entire day reading. I couldn't get my nose out of it.
I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. I probably would have gone with 4.75 if I had that option, but I didn't, so I rounded up. I really enjoyed it, and have recommended it to four people already, and I barely finished it a couple of hours ago.
Pretty clean, although there was one or two English swear words (mild) and one Italian swear word, that you wouldn't know unless you looked it up or if you know Italian. The author is LDS, but I wouldn't have guessed that, since there are a few suggestive scenes (nothing descriptive) and storylines - pregnancy out of wedlock, sexy dancing, etc.
I almost stopped reading two pages in, since it became obvious that the mom was going to die. I don't do books about moms dying. My friend talked me into continuing on. (Actually, it was more like she shamed me into it.) I'm so glad she did. Today was my first day off of school for Christmas Break, and I spent pretty much the entire day reading. I couldn't get my nose out of it.
I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. I probably would have gone with 4.75 if I had that option, but I didn't, so I rounded up. I really enjoyed it, and have recommended it to four people already, and I barely finished it a couple of hours ago.
Pretty clean, although there was one or two English swear words (mild) and one Italian swear word, that you wouldn't know unless you looked it up or if you know Italian. The author is LDS, but I wouldn't have guessed that, since there are a few suggestive scenes (nothing descriptive) and storylines - pregnancy out of wedlock, sexy dancing, etc.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
The Orphan Keeper (Camron Wright)
Why I have this book: I saw it advertised, and as an adoptive mom, I thought it sounded interesting.
I admit, it was a little difficult to read as the mom of a child who was adopted internationally. The story is perplexing. I can't really say a lot, in case you want to read it, but it was disheartening in some ways.
The book itself is enjoyable to read... even with the heavy topic, it's written in an engaging and light-hearted manner. It certainly was thought-provoking. I'm glad I read it, but I guess I was just hoping for a little more understanding about his relationship with his adoptive parents. I know, though, that with such a complex history, it can't all tie up neatly with a bow. I'm impressed with the direction he took to embrace his Indian roots and how he has brought together his two cultures.
I do wish I knew which parts of the story are fact and which are speculation. It's written as a novel, and he later said he didn't remember much about his childhood, so what seemed real at the beginning of the book may have been more conjecture. I don't know how they pieced all that together, like the parts about the orphanage
In any case, I'm glad I read it. I am giving it 4 stars on Goodreads.
ETA: I discovered that they fictionalized some of this story. For instance, it describes his time away at college in another country, however, it turns out he was serving as a missionary for the LDS Church. I'm not sure why they felt the need to change the story; after all, it's his story. Just let it be. That bothers me, and for that, I would like to make this a 3 star book. I still feel the story is important, though, so I left it as 4 stars on Goodreads.
Clean. There may have been one or two swear words.
I admit, it was a little difficult to read as the mom of a child who was adopted internationally. The story is perplexing. I can't really say a lot, in case you want to read it, but it was disheartening in some ways.
The book itself is enjoyable to read... even with the heavy topic, it's written in an engaging and light-hearted manner. It certainly was thought-provoking. I'm glad I read it, but I guess I was just hoping for a little more understanding about his relationship with his adoptive parents. I know, though, that with such a complex history, it can't all tie up neatly with a bow. I'm impressed with the direction he took to embrace his Indian roots and how he has brought together his two cultures.
I do wish I knew which parts of the story are fact and which are speculation. It's written as a novel, and he later said he didn't remember much about his childhood, so what seemed real at the beginning of the book may have been more conjecture. I don't know how they pieced all that together, like the parts about the orphanage
In any case, I'm glad I read it. I am giving it 4 stars on Goodreads.
ETA: I discovered that they fictionalized some of this story. For instance, it describes his time away at college in another country, however, it turns out he was serving as a missionary for the LDS Church. I'm not sure why they felt the need to change the story; after all, it's his story. Just let it be. That bothers me, and for that, I would like to make this a 3 star book. I still feel the story is important, though, so I left it as 4 stars on Goodreads.
Clean. There may have been one or two swear words.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Belgravia (Julian Fellowes)
Why I have this book: A friend (the same one who seems to recommend nearly all my "recommended to me" books) recommended it to me, and it was available to borrow almost right away on the ebook library.
I enjoyed this book a lot. (4 stars on Goodreads!) It took a few chapters to sort everything out, but once I did, the curiosity of where it would all go was strong enough to keep my nose stuck firmly in my Kindle. It was a satisfying read.
Julian Fellowes is the creator of Downton Abbey, and this does have a similar feel. (It's a totally different storyline, though.)
Clean. May have been a mild swear word or two. There are some extramarital relations going on, but nothing descriptive... and they get their comeuppance.
I enjoyed this book a lot. (4 stars on Goodreads!) It took a few chapters to sort everything out, but once I did, the curiosity of where it would all go was strong enough to keep my nose stuck firmly in my Kindle. It was a satisfying read.
Julian Fellowes is the creator of Downton Abbey, and this does have a similar feel. (It's a totally different storyline, though.)
Clean. May have been a mild swear word or two. There are some extramarital relations going on, but nothing descriptive... and they get their comeuppance.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Sweet Tomorrows (Debbie Macomber)
Why I have this book: It's the last book in a series, so I had to borrow it from the ebook library to finish things up. :)
I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. It was good - it tied everything up. I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked, and the character of Mark is so different than in other books. It didn't even seem like the same person. But it was fine.
There was a gross line that one guy made about how he kissed the girl. Big turnoff. I would have broken up with him right there. Ew.
Pretty clean. No descriptions, for sure. I can't even remember if anyone "did" anything. My excuse is that the school year is winding up and my brain is fried...
I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. It was good - it tied everything up. I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked, and the character of Mark is so different than in other books. It didn't even seem like the same person. But it was fine.
There was a gross line that one guy made about how he kissed the girl. Big turnoff. I would have broken up with him right there. Ew.
Pretty clean. No descriptions, for sure. I can't even remember if anyone "did" anything. My excuse is that the school year is winding up and my brain is fried...
Friday, December 2, 2016
Hope Crossing; The Complete Ada's House Trilogy (Cindy Woodsmall)
Why I have this book: A friend recommended it, and with needing light reads during the school semester, I finally read it. (I've had it for a year on my Kindle!)
This trilogy includes:
The Hope of Refuge
The Bridge of Peace
The Harvest of Grace
I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed it as a light read. Some of the story lines were better than others, but overall, it was good for what I needed. Amish books are like that. Haha...
Clean.
This trilogy includes:
The Hope of Refuge
The Bridge of Peace
The Harvest of Grace
I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed it as a light read. Some of the story lines were better than others, but overall, it was good for what I needed. Amish books are like that. Haha...
Clean.
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