Rants 'N Random Readings

Water for Elephants - The Movie!!

2010-06-07T22:07:00.004-06:00

So, ummm, this book that I read back when I first started this blog, which has been sadly neglected, I'm sorry to say, is being made into a movie! It will be starring Reese Witherspoon (whom I love) as Marlena, and Robert Pattinson, who I love as Edward. I think he will actually play the lead character of Jacob Jankowski just fine, I have a feeling he will suit this character, and can't wait to see this movie! The book was so good, I just hope the movie lives up! Check out this fan made trailer:

And here is a short interview with Reese Witherspoon discussing the film:

I have also read so many books since I last updated this blog I'm so far behind! I'll have to go look at my "done" book shelf and give a quick list update to what I've read and a thumbs up or thumbs down just to get caught up!!

Plain Truth

2009-10-24T19:31:00.002-06:00

So I finished reading Plain Truth yesterday. This was a good book. I recommend it!! The story is about a lawyer, that is sucked into defending a young Amish girl that is up for murder...the murder of her newborn. {gasp!} I know. This was an intriguing story, the characters were real and believable, and the best part for me, was that the lawyer had to live on the Amish farm while preparing for the trial, with no power, no email, no phones or fax machines! I can't imagine living like that. I'd feel bereft without my laptop!! It goes into the depths of the Amish culture, their beliefs and the clash that is inevitable in a case like this one. It also touches on the fact that no matter how we are raised or what we believe in, we are intrinsically the same, we all feel pain, we all grieve, there are commonalities throughout the human race. And although the book touches on religion in both the Amish culture and the English world, it's not a religious book. It touches more on the fact that we all believe, and that we want to have faith. It's about trust, and relationships. The only part I had a little trouble with was during the trial, where they kind of re-hash everything you've already read in the book, court-room style. It would be great as a movie I think, but in book form, I wanted to skip past it. It was still ok to read through it, and it wasn't a significant part of the book. And there was a shocking twist at the end that I honestly didn't see coming. I won't spill the beans, but it was a good ending I think. If you read it, please let me know, I'd love to know what you thought, if you liked how it ended. I don't know if there is any possibility of me doing this book justice in the small paragraph that I've written, but I always feel like Jodi Picoult's books are so intense, and the story so intricate, so well written, that even as I understand all the levels as I'm reading it, when I try to explain how good the books are, I fail miserably. So do yourself and me a favour, and read one of her books!!

My next read is called The Various Flavours of Coffee by Anthony Capella. I have to tell you, I was not sure I made a good decision in regards to buying this book when I started reading it, as the language is sooo not what I like. It's stuffy, and English sounding, and very poetic sounding, which is not my style at all for what I like to read. I've gotten a few chapters in though, and now that I'm getting used to the flow of the language, I'm getting into the story a little bit more. And because I love coffee so much, I'm finding it quite interesting as well! I'll let you know how it turns out!

Vampire Diaries and Silver Birches

2009-10-15T16:11:00.004-06:00

Wow, I need to start updating as soon as I'm finished reading a book! So I finished reading the first two parts to The Vampire Diaries. I honestly have to say that the only reason I started reading this book was because I'm watching the tv show:

and I think it's good! SO I figured if the show is good, the books must be better. Right? Not so much. I know with Twilight, they have them categorized as juvenile reading, but I don't think the Twilight series reads like a juvenile book. The Vampire Diaries on the other hand feels more...high school-ish to me. With enemy cliques of friends, and just the whole mentality of the characters. It quickly progresses through the story line, and after reading the first two books in the series, I do find myself wanting to finish reading the series, purely to see what happens, and not because the book is so engrossing that I can't stop reading. Would I recommend someone else to read it? Maybe, if you think you'd like it. There were many similarities to Twilight, (human girl falls in love with vampire boy for example) but there were lots of differences too. It's not a bad book overall, but I wouldn't call it substantial reading. If I wanted something to really sink my teeth into (hehe) this wouldn't be it. It was nice for a light quick read though. And I do want to know what happens! Lots of differences between the book and the tv series too, like the fact that Elena is blond and blue eyed in the book, has a 4 year old sister instead of a teenage druggie brother, and so far there has been no mention of the secret "club" of townspeople that know how to stop the Salvatores from the tv show in the book. Hence my curiosity to see what happens in the novels. I feel like I'm repeating myself now, so I'll move on to the book that I just finished reading, Silver Birches.Silver Birches was TOTALLY not what I expected going off the description on the back of the book. I thought it was more about someone who has experienced a great loss, and is struggling to find their way through it, which it kind of is, but it had a "Christian" theme to the whole novel. The main character goes on a weekend retreat of sorts and meets up with a group of people he hasn't seen since their early bible school days. There is a lot of discussion about faith, what God and Jesus and salvation mean to each of them, and how their faith has shaped their lives. There were great passages like this one:

"The books should be returned to the bookcase, but the exact order and positioning of them on the bedside table, the sheer disarray of them, is a unique product of her hands, of her attention and her inattention, and will be forever lost as soon as they are moved or removed. Her lips were still warm when they touched the cold, hard smoothness of that glass as she sipped from it. The amount of water that remains was precisely determined by the extent of her thirst...These tiny museums of personal randomness are all that is left to me."

"I had decided, even at that early stage of our acquaintance, that I wanted to marry her and take up residence way back inside her beautiful eyes for the rest of my life. Later, amazingly, that was exactly what I had managed to do, except that her sudden illness meant it had turned out to be for the rest of her life. Just at the moment there seemed to be an awful lot of mine left."

These passages are perfect examples of why I bought the book, but the rest of the book I found extremely boring, and had I known it had a whole Christian theme, I don't know that I would have read it. I have nothing against books like this, I actually have a number of books on religion, praying and spirituality. Judging from the back of the book, and the first few pages, there was no mention that indicated the teaching tone of the whole book. I didn't enjoy reading it fully, and only really finished it to find out what the main characters wife left to him through a friend of hers that they both knew when they were younger. The story felt forced. I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone unless they were looking for something specific in the religious realm! I found it almost painful to read at times, and had to push myself to finish it.

My next read, therefore is by a trusted favorite author, Jodi Picoult, called Plain Truth, about a dead baby found on an Amish farm, and the lawyer that is involved in the case. This is going to be a good book!! One I can really dig into and enjoy. Just what I need after Silver Birches blithering nonsense!!

Eclipse, Breaking Dawn

2009-10-01T22:54:00.003-06:00

Wow, ok, so I'm done them...again. This is the first time I've ever read a book for a second time. I keep many of the books I really like, in case I ever want to re-read them, but to be honest, this is the first time in my entire life that I have ever read the same book (let alone the whole series!) over again. I guess I used to think that because I knew what was going to happen that it meant I wouldn't enjoy the book as much. That being said, it was different reading the book for the second time. I anticipated my favorite parts (the blood typing biology scene for one, and especially since it wasn't in the movie) and I really enjoyed re-reading it and hearing it in my head, the way Edward moves his lips, or smiles, how Bella feels or what she is thinking...all those things that made me fall in love with the books in the first place. I realized this time though, that parts of Breaking Dawn felt a little hokey to me, and I can't put my finger on it. Don't get me wrong, these are still my favorite books, but that last one...maybe it's just that it is so much inside the "vampire/werewolves" world, rather than just a love story like Twilight started out as. I don't consider Twilight a vampire book, rather a simple love story, where the guy just happens to be a vampire, which throws a wrench into things and makes the story unique. That being said, one of the things I enjoyed the most about the last book, was how Bella takes to being a vampire so easily. The way it's described for her to spin off the table so gracefully, and how she keeps surprising herself at being graceful, that her clumsiness is gone. The ending is terrific, I felt the same at the end this time than last time. And I think it really ends the story that "the end" are the last two words of the series. It really closes it, so I could just sigh and be content that the story was wrapped up all nice and neat. SO all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed these books the first time, and they were definitely worth my time to read them a second time. And to think I'll probably go through all of them again when Eclipse comes out!! hehe.

My current read is now the Vampire Diaries, I'm really enjoying the tv series, and I may even go on a little vampire kick now, as I found another book called Mr.Darcy, Vampyre that looked interesting...

The Flying Troutmans...and the Cullens

2009-09-21T22:56:00.004-06:00

So I finished reading The Flying Troutmans...funny thing, I started reading it, it was a good read, but about a quarter of the way through I made the mistake of starting Twilight again, and read Twilight. Then I re-read New Moon. Then I made my way back to the Troutmans. It's funny, as I usually start a book, read the book, and finish the book, I don't like to leave the characters and start something else, as I lose the momentum of the story and forget things about the plot and the characters. But Twilight, I mean, can you blame me??

This was a touching story about a woman, named Nettie with a mentally disturbed sister, named Min. Nettie gets dumped by her boyfriend and also gets a call from her niece, Thebes, asking her to come home and help take care of Min. They end up with Min hospitalized, and Nettie not knowing how to take care of her eccentric 11 year old niece Thebes, and 15 year old depressed nephew Logan. Nettie decides to take to the road to help the kids find their father, and the rest of the story is sort of how they connect to each other, their fears, their joys, and their love for Min. I think for me, the main thing I took away from it is the message that we never give up on those we love, no matter how bleak it looks. It was a good book, and well worth reading.

I also re-read Twilight. I loved it just as much as the first time. I was able to read it a little slower this time than last time. (It only took me a day last time!) I read it over Christmas break last year, and it was in my first post on this book blog. Can you believe I didn't mention hardly anything about the series at all?! This is my all time, favorite book, of like, all time. Did I mention this is my favorite book of ALL TIME!? The thing that gets me is that people that don't like this book don't get it. At least I think they don't get it. It's totally Romeo and Juliet. The impossible love that shouldn't be, but is. How everything they do makes them gravitate towards one another, and how protective Edward is of Bella, how they both only want what makes the other happy. Ahhh. Sigh. The beautiful love of fiction books!! What I really love about this story is also how Stephenie Meyer tells it, the way the story flows, and really at each chapter, I think, "I should put this down" but it never feels like there is really a pause in the story, and I just want to keep reading. And when I'm not reading it, I want to be reading it. I just ♥ this book.

My main reason for re-reading Twilight (besides the obvious reasons of re-living it and visiting Edward again) was because I really wanted to re-read New Moon, which I couldn't re-read without re-reading Twilight. With all the new previews coming out, I wanted it fresh in my mind what "really" happened in the book versus the movie. I really love these books so much that if the movie was 10 hours long it would be fine, as long as it was just like the book. I know that's not going to happen, and in the New Moon movie I know there are already scenes that have been changed for entertainment value. (The end scene for one!!) For anyone that stumbles across my tiny book blog that hasn't read New Moon or Twilight {gasp!} I'll just explain that New Moon is basically a continuation of the Twilight story, except this book explores Bella's relationship with Jacob and the Quileute people on the reservation at La Push outside of Forks. After a mishap with Jasper at the beginning of the story, Edward leaves Bella, thinking it is in her best interest, and she is left to her own devices, and she doesn't think she's going to survive. Jacob throws her a lifeline through his friendship (although he wants more) and Bella makes it through most of her time without Edward by endangering her life, so that she is able to hear Edwards voice in her delusions! Talk about true love lol. I won't ruin the ending, but I will tell you that the first time I read this book, I was so hungry for more Edward, I actually skipped forward to see when he came back into the story!! Bad reader, bad reader!! I hate skippers! I never skip!!

So I am currently on Eclipse, and then I'll be on to Breaking Dawn, and then I want to read The Vampire Diaries. I bought the first two, as the show looks like it might be good. I tried to watch the show with Sookie (can't remember what it's called at the moment) and it had too much raunchiness and gore for my taste. I like my vampires nice, thanks very much lol. Til next time, happy reading!

Just Between Us

2009-08-21T23:35:00.006-06:00

Wow. There just aren't words. I did NOT like this book! I rarely come across a book I can't finish reading. (Although there is one other one that I got half way through, called Middlesex and Oprah recommended it, but that's another story for another time, plus I do plan on finishing it!) This story just didn't grab me at all. It is fluff. A lot of conversation between people and not a whole lot happening. Seriously, 151 pages and 6 chapters in, and I still have no idea what the hell the plot line is! There is just so much "she said" and then "he said" blah blah blah, and the language is weird too, like when they call the bathroom "the loo" instead of bathroom, or washroom, or restroom even! I found it irritating, as it wasn't throughout everything, just select phrases here and there. I've read the odd romance novel that was set in Scotland, or Ireland, where most of the dialogue is written so you hear the accent in your head, but that doesn't bother me, as it's consistent.

The other thing is, there is so much wasted time...like one whole section that is devoted to a scene where the daughter is in the washroom at an awards ceremony talking to one of the stars that acts on the TV show she writes for...so pointless, and it sounds convoluted just writing it out here.

What I've learned so far: The mother is unhappy in her marriage, although everyone thinks their life is perfect (she gets a call Christmas eve from a woman she thinks is cheating with her husband). The one daughter has low self esteem. The other is happily married but doesn't enjoy being at her in laws, as she has a monster in law, and I honestly don't remember what the story was with the other daughter. One of them has a little girl and is being a single parent, but I can't remember who.

This book bored me to tears, and the only reason I tried so hard to read it was because it was from my very bestest friend (who would apologize to me for it not being any good, even though it wasn't her fault!) I also kept thinking it would get better, which it didn't. SO I feel like I gave it a fair shake, and since it just isn't grabbing me, I decided to give up on it (and this is the first book I have EVER given up on, I always finish reading it, even if it's just to say it sucked!). So sorry Cathy Kelly, your book stinks. Two thumbs so far down, they're trailing behind me and I look like a monkey. Or an ape. Or whatever. I am not a writer, just a reader!! The book I really wanted to start on next was Silver Birches, I read the first page and was very intrigued, but now I can't find the book. So strange, I don't lose books! It was sitting on top of the book stand, and now it's just gone. I didn't take it anywhere, but I have no idea where it went! I think there may be a 4 year old culprit, but we'll see if I ever find it. It irritates me to no end when I can't find something! I don't even know where to look for it though, as I didn't take it anywhere!! So since I couldn't find Silver Birches, I decided to read The Flying Troutmans. This one is good so far, I find myself wanting to take time to read it (unlike the last one where I was forcing myself to keep going!) I bought it at the same time as Silver Birches at Costco, as the books there are way cheap!!
So hopefully I'll find my other one, finish the other unfinished one, and be able to tell you all about it. Til next time, happy reading!

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2009-06-05T23:05:00.009-06:00

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was a book about dogs...or so I had thought. This book is the story of a boy, from the time before he is born and throughout his life. It's about the major turning points that happen to shape his life, and the decisions that he makes that shape his life as well. Oh, and did I mention that he is mute? His family owns a kennel and has for generations, and they are known for the "Sawtelle" dogs they sell. His own dog, Almondine, speaks for him in a way from the time he is born. Sensing his inability to speak, she nudges Edgar's mother when he is hungry as an infant and takes her role as Edgar's guardian very seriously. They are inseparable.

Edgar's mother, Trudy, is the epitome of a typical woman. A strong woman, yet soft, someone Edgar loves unconditionally, someone who knows how to take care of things, even though she has seen her fair share of tragedy. It is his mother that trains the dogs and prepares them and grooms them for their sale. The puppies are never sold, only trained yearlings.

Edgar's father, Gar, is just a nice man, a man with a soft spot for all animals, loving and kind. He decides which dogs to mate to bring about the best litter, records all the details about each dog, height, weight, personality traits, keeping track for generations. He teaches Edgar the workings of the kennel, and Edgar is given many responsibilities as a young man in the kennel, and he is being shown how to run it, as it will one day be his legacy, handed down to him as it was to his own father.

Claude is Edgar's uncle. Claude and Gar don't get along well, and when he is first introduced to the story, we really don't know what to make of him. The two brothers have a fight and Claude leaves...until... ugh. It is so hard to write this review without spilling the beans about all the things that happen, through all the eyes of the characters.

This book goes into the intricacies of the kennel, dog breeding and training. The canine mind, the teenage boy's mind, and the workings of the relationships in a family. The way a boy grows up and one day his mother realizes how separate he is from her, when once they were so connected. Life and death. Birth and re-birth.

The plot takes many twists and turns, and I never saw any of them coming. I have to say the first part of the book was interesting, but I was slow reading it, not sure if it was because the story wasn't enough to make me want more at that point or if I just wasn't dedicating my time to it. I sat down last night and started reading it, and 4 hours later, I just wanted to finish it, but it was late and it had to wait til today. But something happened, the story gripped me like nothing has since Twilight (and that may sound theatrical, but Twilight totally absorbed me for four days while I read the entire saga, so much so that I'm actually afraid to start reading them again.) I couldn't stop thinking about Edgar, and his dogs, and what he was going to do next, what was going to happen to him next. What his mother was thinking about what was happening. What Claude was really all about. I kept finding myself skipping forward several pages to see if the story was given away, so I could go back and read knowing, but it never was.

{sigh.} I know I am not doing this book justice. The story is so delicately woven, you do not realize how you have arrived at the point you are at, but you are able to look back and see all the fine threads leading you there. I didn't realize things until Edgar realized them, I didn't understand until he did, and that needing to know had me reading all afternoon, until I had finished it.

I must say if you're all about the happy ending, then this book is not for you. Although I suppose it depends on your perception of whether or not it was a happy ending. It didn't wrap up nicely the way I had thought it was going to, and I felt like the story wasn't over. I felt gypped, on behalf of Edgar, because I didn't know if his mother knew, or if she eventually figured it out. (Knew what? you ask? you'll have to read it to find out hehe) and I was left wondering what his mother was thinking, what she did after the last page. It felt unfair, so that if everyone didn't know, then it was all pointless. I felt like the epilogue was missing, those 4 or 5 or 10 little pages that tell you what happened to all the characters, (and the dogs) so it's a neat little package you can tuck away labelled "Happy Ending".

I cried several times reading this. It seemed to me to be an emotional and intellectual journey (for Edgar as well as myself) and there was a lot of soul searching, with Edgar trying to find his place in his family, in his kennel and in the world. It was so deep. Again, I know I am not doing justice to this book. So my parting words are these: pick up this book and read it, and if you can't afford to buy it, borrow it. It's well worth the time and the effort to find out The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

Songs of the Humpback Whale

2009-04-07T01:19:00.005-06:00

This is a story that delves into family relationships, coming of age and falling in love. It's the story of Jane Jones and her oceanographer husband Oliver Jones who has spent more time on his career than their relationship throughout the course of their marriage. It's also the story of their daughter Rebecca, and how she is affected by the decisions her mother makes. The book follows their journey across the states to an apple farm where her brother Joley works, and surprising self discoveries await.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Joley's character and the letters he wrote to his sister at each post office leading her on her journey to him. Although I wasn't really sure if he didn't "love" his sister too much, as at the end of the book he seemed to have a very possessive tone to his thinking and in his speaking to her. Since they were from an abusive home, this added depth to the characters and even though I can't imagine going through a childhood like that, I really felt for the brother and sister and enjoyed their bond and how close they were even though it had been years since they had seen one another.

I also really liked how the book was written from different perspectives rather than just one voice. Rebecca says at the beginning of the book that she always sees things in reverse, she doesn't know why she sees things this way, she just does. Jane, Joley, Sam and Oliver all see things along the same timeline and it was neat the way you get some bits from the end of the story through Rebecca but you still don't know the whole picture til you get to the end of the book. I really like Jodi Picoult's story's, and they are always so much more intricate than I can describe. All in all, it was a good read and I would recommend reading it.

My next read is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. This one is one of Oprah's picks and I had purchased it quite a while ago, and all I knew of it was that it was about dogs. We'll see I suppose if that's all it's about! So far I think it has much more to say.

Water For Elephants

2009-02-05T22:53:00.011-07:00

I really enjoyed this book. It was a love story, set with a travelling train circus during the height of the Depression as the background.

The story is told through the recollections of Jacob Jankowski, an elderly veterinarian living in an old folks home. The first page of chapter one made me laugh out loud...

"I am ninety. Or ninety three. One or the other. When you're five, you know your age down to the month. Even in your twenties you know how old you are. I'm twenty-three, you say, or maybe twenty-seven. But then in your thirties something strange starts to happen. It's a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I'm-you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you're not. You're thirty-five. And then you're bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it's decades before you admit it.

You start to forget words: they're on the tip of your tongue, but instead of eventually dislodging, they stay there. You go upstairs to fetch something, and by the time you get there you can't remember what it was you were after. You call your child by the names of all your other children and finally the dog before you get to his. Sometimes you forget what day it is. And finally you forget the year.

Actually, it's not so much that I've forgotten. It's more like I've stopped keeping track. We're past the millennium, that much I know-such a fuss and bother over nothing, all those young folks clucking with worry and buying canned food because somebody was too lazy to leave space for four digits instead of two-but that could have been last month or three years ago. And besides, what does it really matter? What's the difference between three weeks or three years or even three decades of mushy peas, tapioca, and Depends undergarments?

I am ninety, or ninety-three. One or the other."

I could tell from the first page of the prologue that this was going to be a story that would hold my interest. This was the first book since Twilight that I felt that I wanted to keep reading, and at the end of the chapter I would just think, okay, one more chapter, and then get to the end of the chapter, and keep reading and so on. My famous last words to my husband are "yeah I'm just about done" hehe.

And that first page of chapter one, where it talks about your age, I totally have done that. In the ambulance after the at-home emergency 20 minute birth of my daughter (all is well, she just came two weeks early and so fast that we didn't make it out of my bedroom) the paramedics asked me how old I was, and I answered, "Thirty one. No, wait, I'm thirty two". Then I was worried they would think I didn't have all my marbles because I didn't know how old I was. Ask me my birthday on the other hand and I can tell you that no problem. I had lost a lot of blood, but if you ask me on a good day, I still hesitate. So when I read that page, I smiled and nodded, and couldn't wait to keep on reading.

One of the things I liked about this book, was how vividly Jacob recalls his life, and his time with the circus. Waking up in the old folks home was really disorienting for him, and makes you feel like your own bones are creaking and you can almost see your face, wrinkled with age, and your hair white and wispy when you look in the mirror. The jarring difference between being a young person in your twenties, and being a senior citizen, robbed of simple choices like what you would like to eat that day.

I also really enjoyed all the details regarding the circus, how it travelled and how they set up and packed up in each town, the differences in the classes regarding the general labourers and the performers. How they travelled with and fed the animals, including the baffling elephant Rosie, and how the men and women slept and lived on the train. At the beginning of each chapter there were also pictures of circuses ranging from Ringling Brothers to the Tegge Circus, and I love old pictures and found the images intriguing.

I really liked the ending of the story too, not because the book was over, but because it didn't end the way I thought it would, and I didn't even see it coming. I generally don't think ahead a lot with stories, I don't try to figure out the endings, although sometimes it is so obvious where a book is headed it's hard not to think that I saw it coming. But with Water For Elephants I really wasn't sure where the story was headed during those last few pages.

So if you haven't read this book, I would definitely recommend it. It will be well worth your time, and I guess what I took away from this book was an appreciation for the life I have right now, for my health and the time with my children. To be able to have the things we have and live the life our parents or grandparents only dreamed of. Five Stars!!

My next read is "real sex for real women" by Dr. Laura Berman. It was featured on Oprah, and in the interest of gaining more intimacy in my marriage as well as making a great relationship even better, I decided to choose this as my next read. My husband and I have been together for eleven years, and married for six, and I think anyone out there in a long committed relationship can understand the need to re-evaluate, and change things up once in a while, especially after you add kids to the mix!

So far, I think this will be a great resource, but I'll let you know what I think if it once I'm done reading it!

P.S. I hate blogger for not keeping my spacing and punctuation the way I see it in my previews!! AUGH!

Keeping Faith

2009-01-31T16:13:00.007-07:00

Well, I'm not really sure how to actually do a book review, except to just share my thoughts on how the book affected me, made me feel, and whether overall, I enjoyed the book and how much I enjoyed it. The book I just finished reading was Keeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult. I chose this book as I usually really enjoy Jodi Picoult's books, and I needed a really good book to take me out of the Cullen fog I was in after reading the entire Twilight series.

Sadly, this book didn't quite do the trick! Overall I did enjoy the story, which is about a seven year old girl named Faith that develops stigmata and visions of a female God after her parents split due to her father's unfaithful ways. There was a lot of different views on religion offered, as well as speculation as to whether or not to believe the girl. The story is told through different points of view, which is nice as you get an insight into each of the characters. There is even a little romance, which I can't seem to get enough of in my reading material. Fictional men are just so much better!! Ha.

I guess after reading this book, I just felt a little flat, and I don't think it is one I would strongly recommend to someone as one of this author's better books. I have read several of her books and this one is not my favorite. When I compare it to "My Sister's Keeper" and "The Tenth Circle", this one definitely isn't up to par, in my opinion.

I enjoyed the second half of the book, especially the trial for custody. The lawyer scenes made me feel tense, and my reading pace picked up the farther I read. I also enjoyed the ending of the book, and how Jodi Picoult leaves it up to the reader as to what they believe, whether Faith is a little girl touched by God or a little girl desperate for some attention from a mother who was never there for her. Overall I did enjoy this book, there were moments that I identified with Faith's mother Mariah, and it was an ok read. It definitely wasn't awful, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed reading Jodi's other stories. I have read lots of books where after I finished reading, I realized they were a complete waste of time, and that they didn't get any better!! I always finish reading a book, even if I think it sucks halfway through, as there is always a chance that it might get better.

So that is it! My first book review on my book blog. Thanks for visiting to hear my thoughts, and stay tuned for the next one, on Water For Elephants!!

A Good Hook

2009-01-19T23:29:00.001-07:00

A good hook is always how a good book starts. I don't have a good hook. Or maybe that was my hook. Anyways, this is my first post on my new blog, for my book reviews and anything book related. I stole this idea from a blog I read, Five Funny Feet, and it is going to be a spot mainly for myself to look back and see what books I have read this year. I am going to post how many books I have read, how many pages in total I have read, and what I thought of each book (starting now. I have already read 5 books and don't want to go back and do reviews at this point.) The five books I have read since Christmas 2008 were :

1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
2. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
3. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
4. Wifey by Judy Blume
5. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

I will tell you though, that the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer had me in their grip, and I read each book in a day (except for Breaking Dawn and only due to the sheer size of it's 740 odd pages - that one took me two days). I originally borrowed the set from a friend that liked them, and after I read them, I immediately wanted to go back and start all over again. I bought the hardcover set (the only books I own in hardcover, and plan to read again.) Also, I am not counting the twenty or so pages I read to my son each night (eg. Berenstain Bears or Super Friends - I've almost got these ones memorized as we read them so often, and since they only have a paragraph on each page, I don't really think they count!! lol)

One thing about me with books, is that I love books. I have a what I consider to be a healthy respect for books, I don't like dog-ears, (always use a book mark, looooove book marks), don't like folded corners on pages (I HATE it when people do this to books of mine they borrow!!) and I don't like to crack the spine if I can help it. Usually after I am done with a book, you can barely even tell that I opened it. I never re-read books either, with Twilight being the exception. I trade my books in at the used book store, as once I've read the book I don't feel the need to go down that road again.

So, with that said, and my first five reads of the year listed, I am going to also say that my interests are very....varied. I go on stretches where I read book after book after book. But then I get in crafty mode, and start sewing. Or cross stitching. Or crocheting. Or quilting. I can not seem to do both. If I start reading a book, my craftiness takes the back seat, so this page really will serve as only a listing place for my books, and my thoughts on the books I read when and if I finish one!! My current read is Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult. The synopsis reads:

Somewhere between belief and doubt lies faith. For the second time in her marriage, Mariah White catches her husband with another woman and Faith, their seven year old daughter, witnesses every painful minute. In the aftermath of a sudden divorce, Mariah struggles with depression and Faith seeks solace in a new friend… a friend who may or may not be imaginary.
Faith talks to her "Guard"constantly; begins to recite passages from the Bible— a book she's never read. Fearful for her daughter's sanity, Mariah sends her to several psychiatrists. Yet when Faith develops stigmata and begins to perform miraculous healings, Mariah wonders if her daughter-- a girl with no religious background-- might indeed be seeing God. As word spreads and controversy heightens, Mariah and Faith are besieged by believers and disbelievers alike, caught in a media circus that threatens what little stability they have left.
What are you willing to believe? Is Faith a prophet or a troubled little girl? Is Mariah a good mother facing an impossible crisis— or a charlatan using her daughter to reclaim the attention her unfaithful husband withheld? As the story builds to a climactic battle for custody, Mariah must discover that spirit is not necessarily something that comes from religion, but from inside oneself.
Fascinating, thoughtful, and suspenseful, Keeping Faith explores a family plagued by the media, the medical profession, and organized religion in a world where everyone has an opinion but no one knows the truth. At her controversial and compelling best, Jodi Picoult masterfully explores the moment when boundaries break down, when illusions become reality, and when the only step left to take is a leap of faith.

I am about halfway through this one at the moment and decided to read this one as I like Jodi Picoult as an author, and have read several of her books already. I needed something that could re-direct my brain out of the Twilight fog I was in! And this book was completely different from that series. It's pretty good so far, and I will be posting my review here once I'm done reading it. it might be the only review for a little bit, as I promised my mom some pillow covers and a couple table runners for her birthday at the end of February, so I'll have to put my reading aside til I get a couple projects done!