Why I have this book: A friend recommended it, so I put it on my Amazon Wish List. Then one day, the price dropped a ton, so I bought it. :)
Cute story with a couple of cute characters, a couple of annoying characters, a sprinkling of scripture and words of faith, and happy endings all around. If you go into it expecting nothing more or less than that, you will enjoy this book as much as I did. It was interesting enough to keep me picking it up every time I had to put it down (chores, you know), and was just an easy, relaxing read.
It also helped me get my quilting groove again, so that is a huge plus.
If it was a real book, I'd pass it along to friends.
Clean.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Lucy Cousins Book of Nursery Rhymes (Lucy Cousins)
Why I have this book: I bought it years ago after reading a review of how awesome the illustrations are.
I agree... the book contains bright and colorful illustrations. Having said that, last night I pulled it out to read to my two younguns, and was reminded of something important: For the most part, I don't really like nursery rhymes.
I mean, there are the few that we all know and love... Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Hickory, Dickory, Dock. Mary Had a Little Lamb. Etc.
Some are downright stupid. (There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.) She didn't know what to do, so she won't let her kids eat dinner, spanks them, and sends them to bed? (My son said, "That is not very nice!")
Some make no sense because here in America, we just don't relate to the words of the rhyme... we don't use the same terminology as our British friends. Sometimes the rhymes don't even rhyme because we don't pronounce things the same way.
So, all-in-all... even though the illustrations are fun, this book isn't one that I need to keep around. I'm donating it to the library.
Clean.
I agree... the book contains bright and colorful illustrations. Having said that, last night I pulled it out to read to my two younguns, and was reminded of something important: For the most part, I don't really like nursery rhymes.
I mean, there are the few that we all know and love... Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Hickory, Dickory, Dock. Mary Had a Little Lamb. Etc.
Some are downright stupid. (There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.) She didn't know what to do, so she won't let her kids eat dinner, spanks them, and sends them to bed? (My son said, "That is not very nice!")
Some make no sense because here in America, we just don't relate to the words of the rhyme... we don't use the same terminology as our British friends. Sometimes the rhymes don't even rhyme because we don't pronounce things the same way.
So, all-in-all... even though the illustrations are fun, this book isn't one that I need to keep around. I'm donating it to the library.
Clean.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Secrets of Crittenden County Series (Shelley Shephard Gray)
Three books:
Missing
The Search
Found
The titles remind me of the Missing Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, but the stories aren't anything alike. :)
Why I have these books: One of them was on sale for Kindle for 99 cents, and since a friend has recommended the author, I decided to give them a try.
To be honest, I thought the series started out way stronger than it ended. I liked the cryptic quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I thought there was a lot of promise to make this Amish series better than most.
I think I'll point out that this is an Amish mystery series... a murder story.
Here's what I didn't like:
- The romances weren't very believable. Well, one of them was okay. The others... not really.
- There were inconsistencies in the storyline. Nothing major... just little things that the editors should have caught.
- Emotions seemed to come and go pretty easily, considering the seriousness of the situation.
- The "truth" of what happened in the case of the murder didn't make sense. The way the "victim" died, according to the person who did it, would have actually made another person guilty of at least some kind of charge. It just didn't wrap up really well.
- The ending pretty much fell flat for me all the way around.
Other than that (lol), the books were fine. Entertaining enough. If they were "real" books, I'd donate them to the library.
Clean.
Missing
The Search
Found
The titles remind me of the Missing Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, but the stories aren't anything alike. :)
Why I have these books: One of them was on sale for Kindle for 99 cents, and since a friend has recommended the author, I decided to give them a try.
To be honest, I thought the series started out way stronger than it ended. I liked the cryptic quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I thought there was a lot of promise to make this Amish series better than most.
I think I'll point out that this is an Amish mystery series... a murder story.
Here's what I didn't like:
- The romances weren't very believable. Well, one of them was okay. The others... not really.
- There were inconsistencies in the storyline. Nothing major... just little things that the editors should have caught.
- Emotions seemed to come and go pretty easily, considering the seriousness of the situation.
- The "truth" of what happened in the case of the murder didn't make sense. The way the "victim" died, according to the person who did it, would have actually made another person guilty of at least some kind of charge. It just didn't wrap up really well.
- The ending pretty much fell flat for me all the way around.
Other than that (lol), the books were fine. Entertaining enough. If they were "real" books, I'd donate them to the library.
Clean.
Friday, September 14, 2012
The Paris Wife (Paula McLain)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
I'm not even sure how to review this book. I liked it. A lot.
The writing is so good. I was completely absorbed into the time period, the locations, and the characters.
Ernest Hemingway was such a complicated personality. This book makes him seem so likeable, even though he was also very self-absorbed. I found myself puzzled by his behavior and so completely perplexed by how things played out in their marriage. At the same time, I could feel the intense devotion his wife, Hadley, had for him. He needed her so desperately, and she took care of him (and loved him fiercely)... even though he seemed to give so much less than she did.
This book is a novel, told from the perspective of Hadley. It's really very interesting to assign emotions and words to a person who really existed in a work of fiction. How much of the personality and dynamic and feelings really existed? I don't know... but this book made it all seem so real and consuming.
In any case, . It made me want to go back and read some Ernest Hemingway again. (I've only read A Farewell to Arms, and that was a long time ago.) I even looked him up online to see images of him and Hadley when I noticed the hardback edition contained photos. There were also photos of other people who played a part in their lives. So interesting.
This book had a sensual feel about it at times. There are several references to both married and unmarried sex... more than implied, but not overly graphic. There are also more than a few swear words, and the name of God is used several times as an exclamation of emotion.
PS. I would feel very uncomfortable writing about the intimate relationship of a real-life couple in a fiction novel. Is that a weird thing to do? Sort of... invasive?
I'm not even sure how to review this book. I liked it. A lot.
The writing is so good. I was completely absorbed into the time period, the locations, and the characters.
Ernest Hemingway was such a complicated personality. This book makes him seem so likeable, even though he was also very self-absorbed. I found myself puzzled by his behavior and so completely perplexed by how things played out in their marriage. At the same time, I could feel the intense devotion his wife, Hadley, had for him. He needed her so desperately, and she took care of him (and loved him fiercely)... even though he seemed to give so much less than she did.
This book is a novel, told from the perspective of Hadley. It's really very interesting to assign emotions and words to a person who really existed in a work of fiction. How much of the personality and dynamic and feelings really existed? I don't know... but this book made it all seem so real and consuming.
In any case, . It made me want to go back and read some Ernest Hemingway again. (I've only read A Farewell to Arms, and that was a long time ago.) I even looked him up online to see images of him and Hadley when I noticed the hardback edition contained photos. There were also photos of other people who played a part in their lives. So interesting.
This book had a sensual feel about it at times. There are several references to both married and unmarried sex... more than implied, but not overly graphic. There are also more than a few swear words, and the name of God is used several times as an exclamation of emotion.
PS. I would feel very uncomfortable writing about the intimate relationship of a real-life couple in a fiction novel. Is that a weird thing to do? Sort of... invasive?
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Noticer (Andy Andrews)
Why I have this book: My friend gifted it to me on my Kindle. I bet you wish you had a friend gifting you books all the time, too. :)
Would this book be considered an allegory? I don't know. That was my first thought as I was a few chapters into it.
Books that are like this... where the author suggests this really happened to him (he plays himself, his wife in the book is the same as his wife in real life, etc.)... confuse me. How much is true and how much is made up? I don't know.
I do know that I enjoyed this book a lot. Great little insights and words of wisdom. Some I had heard before (like the similarity to The Five Love Languages in one chapter and some of the concepts in other chapters that I've heard here and there), but some chapters had thoughts that were new and meaningful to me with experiences in my own life. Maybe "new" is the wrong word. Maybe just hearing it now when I need it makes if feel "new" again, even if it's something I already know.
I didn't realize the author is an "internationally known speaker" and a bestselling author. I had never heard of him before. I looked him up online so I could find out if his name is really Andy Andrews. I didn't find the answer, btw. Did his parents name him Andrew Andrews? Andy Andrews? Or is it his "professional" name? I guess I could have researched more, but I got sidetracked in the book itself. That's a good thing, right?
I had heard of one of his books - How Do You Kill 11 Million People? I don't know much about it other than hearing talk of it on a couple of radio or tv shows.
I would read other books by Andy Andrews. I would recommend this book to others.
Clean. There is one scene where there is a discussion about marriage and one teenager suggests that you know you want to get married because you want to "do it" with the other person.
Would this book be considered an allegory? I don't know. That was my first thought as I was a few chapters into it.
Books that are like this... where the author suggests this really happened to him (he plays himself, his wife in the book is the same as his wife in real life, etc.)... confuse me. How much is true and how much is made up? I don't know.
I do know that I enjoyed this book a lot. Great little insights and words of wisdom. Some I had heard before (like the similarity to The Five Love Languages in one chapter and some of the concepts in other chapters that I've heard here and there), but some chapters had thoughts that were new and meaningful to me with experiences in my own life. Maybe "new" is the wrong word. Maybe just hearing it now when I need it makes if feel "new" again, even if it's something I already know.
I didn't realize the author is an "internationally known speaker" and a bestselling author. I had never heard of him before. I looked him up online so I could find out if his name is really Andy Andrews. I didn't find the answer, btw. Did his parents name him Andrew Andrews? Andy Andrews? Or is it his "professional" name? I guess I could have researched more, but I got sidetracked in the book itself. That's a good thing, right?
I had heard of one of his books - How Do You Kill 11 Million People? I don't know much about it other than hearing talk of it on a couple of radio or tv shows.
I would read other books by Andy Andrews. I would recommend this book to others.
Clean. There is one scene where there is a discussion about marriage and one teenager suggests that you know you want to get married because you want to "do it" with the other person.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui)
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from my ebook library.
The book was written more by Delphine Minoui than by Nujood, I'm guessing, as she is only about 12 years old at the time of publication and has relatively little education.
The story is definitely an important one to tell. Nujood was married off at about age 10 to a man three times her age. She endured rape and abuse at his hands until she devised a way to run away to the courthouse and request help of the judges. Her courage and the willingness of the judges and attorneys to rescue her has helped other young girls in similar circumstances in her region of the world. (She is from Yemen.)
Maybe if the story had been told directly in her words when she was older, it would have more depth. As it was, it read more at the level of a magazine article. The strength of the culture, family circumstances, family dynamics, etc... there just wasn't enough depth to really understand how or why this all played out the way it did. I'm sure at her young age, she doesn't really see all of that herself, and maybe it was written to reflect that.
Beyond her story, there are so much more that could have been told... the relationship of her parents, what "honor" really reflects in that culture, why the female attorney had such a different lifestyle than Nujood's family did, why Nujood had the strength and gumption to actually go to the courthouse. That was pretty big for a 10-year-old girl who had very little education. If they had taken the "book club" questions included at the back of the book and explored those questions (and answered them) within the story, it would have made for a much better read.
There's a part of me that wonders about this story. I think I'll look it up online. Apparently, journalists from all over the world ended up covering Nujood's story, so there's sure to be information online.
All in all, it was eye-opening and interesting. If it was a "real" book, I would probably donate it to the library, though.
There is some discussion about rape, virginity, and adultery... nothing graphic, however. I don't think there was any swearing, but since it's been a couple of hours since I finished it, I can't remember. (Haha) I'm pretty sure there wasn't, but if there was, it was maybe once.
The book was written more by Delphine Minoui than by Nujood, I'm guessing, as she is only about 12 years old at the time of publication and has relatively little education.
The story is definitely an important one to tell. Nujood was married off at about age 10 to a man three times her age. She endured rape and abuse at his hands until she devised a way to run away to the courthouse and request help of the judges. Her courage and the willingness of the judges and attorneys to rescue her has helped other young girls in similar circumstances in her region of the world. (She is from Yemen.)
Maybe if the story had been told directly in her words when she was older, it would have more depth. As it was, it read more at the level of a magazine article. The strength of the culture, family circumstances, family dynamics, etc... there just wasn't enough depth to really understand how or why this all played out the way it did. I'm sure at her young age, she doesn't really see all of that herself, and maybe it was written to reflect that.
Beyond her story, there are so much more that could have been told... the relationship of her parents, what "honor" really reflects in that culture, why the female attorney had such a different lifestyle than Nujood's family did, why Nujood had the strength and gumption to actually go to the courthouse. That was pretty big for a 10-year-old girl who had very little education. If they had taken the "book club" questions included at the back of the book and explored those questions (and answered them) within the story, it would have made for a much better read.
There's a part of me that wonders about this story. I think I'll look it up online. Apparently, journalists from all over the world ended up covering Nujood's story, so there's sure to be information online.
All in all, it was eye-opening and interesting. If it was a "real" book, I would probably donate it to the library, though.
There is some discussion about rape, virginity, and adultery... nothing graphic, however. I don't think there was any swearing, but since it's been a couple of hours since I finished it, I can't remember. (Haha) I'm pretty sure there wasn't, but if there was, it was maybe once.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers (Meg Meeker, M. D. )
The complete title of this book is: The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers; Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
(Btw, all of the sudden, 3 of my on-hold books have come available... at the same time! I changed my borrowing time to three weeks, but still! I'm going to really have to keep my nose in my Kindle to get through them. I actually returned one book because I knew I wouldn't have time, and I wasn't sure enough about it to try to squeeze it in. I can always put it on hold again, you know?)
Anyway, back to this book. I thought it was going to be along the lines of being organized, reminders to play with your kids, etc. Not at all.
Honestly, even though this book is directed at mothers, it would be good for any woman. I'm not sure about men, because I don't think men generally think like women do. I'm sure there are plenty of women who don't think like I do (and like this author does... and like she seems to think most women think.) She's not a psychologist, but this book seems more like a psychology book than a parenting book. It seems the author (who is a practicing pediatrician) has spent time focusing on the mothers of her patients nearly as much as the patients themselves. Either that, or it's just how she sees things and she assumes most other women do, too.
While I can't say I related to (or agreed with) 100% to her thoughts, I did relate to probably 95% of it. It was nice to feel validated and understood! The thoughts she shares in this book are very good... a gentle nudging in the direction of more peace, more sanity, more faith. She doesn't shy away from talking about God and how important it is to have a relationship with Him.
I liked this book a lot. I actually put it on my wish list on Amazon because I'd like to have all the parts I underlined (which does carry over if I borrow the book again or purchase it.) It's a book I would recommend to my like-minded friends.
Clean.
Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library.
(Btw, all of the sudden, 3 of my on-hold books have come available... at the same time! I changed my borrowing time to three weeks, but still! I'm going to really have to keep my nose in my Kindle to get through them. I actually returned one book because I knew I wouldn't have time, and I wasn't sure enough about it to try to squeeze it in. I can always put it on hold again, you know?)
Anyway, back to this book. I thought it was going to be along the lines of being organized, reminders to play with your kids, etc. Not at all.
Honestly, even though this book is directed at mothers, it would be good for any woman. I'm not sure about men, because I don't think men generally think like women do. I'm sure there are plenty of women who don't think like I do (and like this author does... and like she seems to think most women think.) She's not a psychologist, but this book seems more like a psychology book than a parenting book. It seems the author (who is a practicing pediatrician) has spent time focusing on the mothers of her patients nearly as much as the patients themselves. Either that, or it's just how she sees things and she assumes most other women do, too.
While I can't say I related to (or agreed with) 100% to her thoughts, I did relate to probably 95% of it. It was nice to feel validated and understood! The thoughts she shares in this book are very good... a gentle nudging in the direction of more peace, more sanity, more faith. She doesn't shy away from talking about God and how important it is to have a relationship with Him.
I liked this book a lot. I actually put it on my wish list on Amazon because I'd like to have all the parts I underlined (which does carry over if I borrow the book again or purchase it.) It's a book I would recommend to my like-minded friends.
Clean.
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