Veil of Roses

Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald is a novel about a woman from Iran that is sent to America on a short stay visa and given instructions to find a husband so she can stay in America and have a better life than women are allowed to have in Iran. I found it a fascinating book - I did not know all of the cultural standards for women in the Middle East and it was eye-opening for me. I thought it was well-written and quite a wonderful story of first love. Tami is a naive gal in a new country and her "finds" in this new country are quite inspiring and funny. As usual, I need to put a disclaimer out there because there was some very vulgar language and "racy"descriptions in a few parts as Tami meets up with Eva - a woman well-versed in American sexual culture - and tries to teach her a thing or two!! All-in-all, I thought it was a great read that really made me think about the freedoms we have here in America that other countries will do ANYTHING to have as well.

Water for Elephants

This will be a harder post for me - I have heard so many good things about this book, Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. So, as soon as it came up ready for me - I started right in - well, I got MAYBE 20 pages and ran into quite a descriptive scene - WAY TOO MUCH info. for me. I thought, "No, people really like this - I'm going to keep going." Another 50 pages and yep, ANOTHER OVERLY descriptive scene - needless to say, I skipped to the end to get the main storyline figured out and ran into a few more "scenes" along the way so - no, I didn't finish it. I liked the storyline - set in the early part of the Great Depression - college veterinary student making his way through school - his parents are killed - he runs out of money for college - he decides to look for another path - happens upon a circus train - joins up with the circus as their "vet" - meets the girl of his dreams (who is already married), etc. I don't read much about circus life and that intrigued me AND the fact that many people have told me it was a good read, but with circus life comes raunchy sex scenes, I guess. I don't need those so I give up the book. (Yep, my conservative side is coming out!!)

The Myth of You and Me

Having just finished The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart, I almost want to pick it up and read it again. I know I missed so many good things the first time around - it was just one of those books - the characters were deep, the storyline was wonderful, and the whole "take" on friendship was one you just want to think over again and again. Now, as often is the case, I don't condone everything that happened in the book, it is definately NOT a christian novel, but it was a great story leaving you with a lot to think about!!!

Never Too Little To Love

Here's a "goodie" for Valentine's Day (or any day for that matter) - Never Too Little To Love by Jeanne Willis. This is just a wonderful children's book about a little mouse that loves something too tall to reach. We find out later in the book that it is a giraffe and the giraffe will have to bend down to make this work!! Absolutely adorable illustrations by Jan Fearnley - the pages are cleverly done with the mouse climbing on things to try to reach the giraffe. It's a good one - you won't be disappointed!!!

The Birth House

Just finished The Birth House by Ami McKay - it was one of those I could not put down. I love the concept - a midwife going around to all the local women and helping them give birth - she knew the tricks and the secrets and she was successful. However, advancements happen and an "experienced" doctor moves into town and threatens to end the midwife's trade. The story is enthralling - all of the details are wonderful and add to the authenticity of the novel. The main character, Dora Rare, learns her trade of midwifery from Miss Babineau and she strives to keep that trade alive even though the new doctor wants it ended. We follow Dora's very tough life - from a loser-of-a-husband to a scandal that forces her to leave her hometown - she leads a hard life, but comes out stronger. I'd love to see it end differently - maybe more resolved, but it is still a pleasing-ending and a book I thoroughly enjoyed!!

The Children Of Men

Surprise Today - We have a guest reviewer - my husband, Joe, read this one and I asked him to give a review. So here it is: The Children of Men by P.D. James.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The story was set about twenty or so years in the future and focused on a major dilemma for the human race. For some
unknown reason the entire human race became infertile and no one on earth was capable of producing children. The author effectively communicates the
distress that would be caused if one knew their species was about to become extinct. The author spends a considerable amount of time discussing the diminishing influence of Christianity and seems to attribute the infertility
problem with the lack of a moral center. I enjoyed the story and would
love to see a sequel written.

Online Novel - The Gecko and Sticky

I just found this online and I love it - I think I'm going to have my boys read along, in fact. The Gecko and Sticky in.....the Villian's Lair is an online novel where the author, Wendelin Van Draanen, publishes one chapter each week - complete with discussion questions and classroom activities. VanDraanen is the author of a wonderful series for 3rd-6th Grades/Jr. High called Shredderman. This series is always checked out at our library so although I haven't read it - I am assuming it is well-liked! Looks fun to me and very boy-friendly - and sometimes "boy" novels are hard to come by!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I have been told to read this book for some time now and finally got around to it. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is the story of an autistic child told through his eyes. There are few books I've read that tell the story of an autistic person through his/her words. This one does - it is very interesting - just reading from his viewpoint open new understanding for me and what he can do mathematically almost frightens me!! It was a hard book to read though - it is absolutely amazing how hard his life is with autism and then how it's made even harder by parents that are having affairs, getting divorced, can't get along, etc. I hated the ending - it just left me with no resolution and I really wanted him to have a resolved future with his dad and mom, but all-in-all it was an enlightening read. Went very quickly too - a great, short read.

The Inheritance of Loss

About all I can on this one is, "I finished it." I was reading it for an online book club I like to take part in, but wow - it was one of those books that I had to literally push through to finish. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai is set mostly in India and deals with a conflict there between India and Nepal - but that is almost all I can tell you about the conflict and I read the whole book - I never quite understood what was going on. The characters could have been so much more appealing with stronger characterization - I never felt connected to any of them - the only reason I kept reading was to see how it all ended up. Guess I could have skipped to the ending for that! Beautiful writing - but really lacking in appeal to me - shoot, I was hoping for a good one.

We've All Got Bellybuttons

I rarely do a review on a children's book, but Chloe and I enjoyed this one SO much today, I just couldn't resist. We've All Got Bellybuttons by David Martin is WONDERFUL!!! The story goes through different body parts and different animals and shows how each can use that body part - then it asks the child if they can use the body part the same way - we were stretching our necks, closing our eyes, and even finding our bellybuttons - it was a great story and the illustrations help to "make" this book!

Summer of the War

Summer of the War by Gloria Whelan is another wonderful Junior High/Teen book that I just finished. I usually do enjoy Whelan's work so I wasn't surprised that this one scored high on my list. This book is set in Michigan during the summer of 1942. It is the story of Belle and how each summer she and her siblings go to the Upper Peninsula to spend some time on "their island". It is usually a summer filled with family time and lots of fun outdoors but this summer is different - their wealthy, Parisian cousin, Carrie plans to come and stay. It turns their summer upside down and Belle has to learn what it means to live with someone you have a hard time getting along with. Consequently - since it is set during 1942 we have two "wars" going on during this summer! The end takes quite a turn but really clinches the story - I enjoyed this one.

Tomorrow, The River

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dianne E. Gray as an author!! I just finished Tomorrow, the River and once again she has mastered the fine art of fiction. I love her writing - this one is very interesting to me as it is set mostly in Iowa - along the eastern side - but that is where I am from so I could relate to a lot of that area. The story takes Megan Barnett from all she knows on her farm to the Mississippi River with her sister and her husband. The adventures they encounter on the river are interesting and mysterious. All in all - she leaves us with a wonderfully-told story of a girl growing up, finding out what she wants to do with her life, and meeting a man she may spend the rest of her life with. And if you enjoy this one - RUN out and read Holding up the Earth and Together Apart as well!

A Drowned Maiden's Hair

Whew - I FINALLY found a good read - wouldn't you know - just go to the Junior High section!!! A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz is my latest GREAT find. I had read somewhere that it was a good one and wherever it was, they were right!! This is a great tale of an orphan that is adopted by three sisters. It all seems like a fine arrangement until Maud - the orphan - is told she must stay in the upstairs and not be seen. That strikes an odd chord and begins Maud on her search to find out what the sisters are up to. Maud ultimately becomes "part" of their secrets and must decide just how much she is willing to endure for the sake of being loved. It is a tale with many twists and turns - even the ending will keep you going!! I highly recommend this one!

Disappointing

I AM NOT A QUITTER, but lately I sure feel like one. I started The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - I LOVE Jane Eyre so thought I would love this one as well. Disappointingly - no, I did not love it, could barely get into it and so I gave up. I am wondering if I should try it again however, since on Amazon it got high reviews. SO - on to my next read - I really need a good one!!!

The Thirteenth Tale

I just finished this one and I am coming to the computer while it's still fresh in my brain to share about it. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is all that AND MORE!! I just loved it! It is an incredible book that with every page turn made me wonder - what is going on here?!?! I hesitiate to call it a mystery since it involves so much more, but yes, it will satisfy mystery-lovers as well. Here is a brief description from Amazon.com:

There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth. Because of a biography that Margaret has written about
brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins:
"You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two
years alone." She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller." "I am a biographer, I work with facts." The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually
ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan.

I was hooked from the start and it really kept me guessing right up until the very end when - I WAS WRONG!!! The descriptions and story line are strong, characters are well-built. It is certainly not a "McNovel" - this one is full of literary quality!

The Other Side of the Bridge

Remember Crow Lake?? Well this is Mary Lawson's most recent novel, The Other Side of the Bridge.

It was a book that kept me going all the way through - now you may ask, "Was it as good as Crow Lake?" I would say I didn't think so. But it was another great story about a family - which I loved about Crow Lake. Her characters are so strong - you really "get to know" them throughout her books. This one was a little more "raw" as the main characters are boys at that puberty stage and there are some "more explicit" scenes than in Crow Lake. In the story you are switching back and forth from past to present - I love it when authors do that - and you are piecing it all together because - it does all fit together - I love that when authors do that too!! It takes some unexpected turns and even in some spots I was so upset with the storyline I couldn't put it down - I had to keep reading to see that it all worked out ok. You won't be disappointed with this Mary Lawson novel!

The Book Thief

Here it is....one of my favorites this year!!! I finished this some time ago but never posted about it - now I'm finally getting to it. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak ~ I can not even hardly tell you how much I enjoyed this book. Was it that the narrator of the story is "death"? Was it the author's choice of wording and powerful description? Was it that the main character LOVES, LOVES, LOVES books and loves them so much she even resorts to stealing them? Was it that it was set during WWII in Germany and it deals with the Jewish Holocaust?? I do not know all of my reasons - just that I think it is one of the best books I've read this year and I'm telling everyone to read it!! (And as a side note - to those that I have had read it - they've loved it!!!) In our library - this book is in Young Adult - but I do think it crosses over into adult as well. A side note my husband said I should add - (By the way - HE LOVED IT TOO) there is quite a bit of swearing in the book - it's in German, but it is translated the first time it is used. Just wanted to give a heads-up on that. I would say it would not stop me from giving it to my boys to read though. An even better description of the book can be found here. One other note - I loved this one so much that I ran and read his next book I Am the Messenger. HATED IT!!! It is filled with "trash", in my opinion, very slow starting, and when I forced myself to keep reading - I never felt it redeemed itself. He should have stuck with history!! If you want discussion questions, the only place I have found them is here.

When Crickets Cry

I just finished When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. This was a very good book - it does claim to be a Christian novel - but it is not too "pushy" on the Christian aspect - you can take that as a good or bad thing. The story is quite good and very well-told. You meet a man who is mourning the loss of his wife to heart issues. Of course, since he was a doctor, her death was extremely difficult on him - especially so since he was working in the cardiac/heart specialty to cure her. As he is trying to "hide" from his past, he relocates and meets a little girl, Annie, who is also suffering from a heart issue. The only way Annie will survive is if a renowned surgeon - known for his specialty with smaller, intricate spaces - will operate on her - now, if only that surgeon will step forward......I'm not giving anything away - you know very early on who that surgeon is - it just takes the novel unfolding to tell us what happens to Annie and the doctor recovering from his wife's death. I did enjoy this story - in fact, I was near tears in a few parts - for the most part, I thought it was very easy to figure out what would happen, but the end does take a very dramatic and unexpected turn which lends for an interesting ending. I did enjoy this book and would recommend it - touching, well-told story.

The House of the Scorpion

Well - I finished House of the Scorpion today - after weeks of pushing through - which is very unlike me! First of all - I am NOT a science fiction fan - that was a big hold back for me - secondly, I had another book I really WANTED to read at the same time- that's not fair, is it??? But it did not reach out and grab me - the only reasons I kept plugging along were that 1) my husband LOVED it and I wanted to give it a good "go" and 2) I have to discuss it with teens in a program coming up here shortly. So - I did finish - I'm glad I did but I must say it just never held me. It does explore the issue of cloning and yes, as my husband said, I did empathize with the main character, Matt, who is "built" just for "parts" for a very wealthy landowner. Beyond that - I would have a hard time telling others to run right out and read it - but since my husband really enjoyed it - I will put a disclaimer on - If you love science fiction, I bet you'll really enjoy this one - if not, hang on - it's a long read!!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

A friend that has also adopted a daughter from China suggested I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. She told me that it has so much information on how women feel that are born in China - and, after finishing it, all I can say is "Wow!!" This book is so powerful. I have heard of foot binding and other aspects of "older" China culture - but this is so real when you read it - almost as if you are living with these ladies in China. In this story you follow Lily as she grows up in a typical poor Chinese home - from her foot binding to her arranged marriage to her arrangement with her laotung (her match with another woman friend - they are typically even closer than husband and wife in China just because of the roles that men and women are allowed to play). It was powerful and touching and ends full of regret and longing - it makes you look at all of your relationships in a whole new light. I am so glad I read it - not only to share a part of her culture with my daughter someday, but also because it is just another glimpse into friendships.