Girls in Trucks

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch has such a great cover that you think it'll be a great read. But sadly, it's just so so. The main character is hard to like and you want to reach in and shake her at time. Plus, in the end it feels like a big cliche.

The Long Walk Home

At first glance, The Long Walk Home by Will North has the possibility of being a sappy melodrama in the vein of Nicholas Sparks. Luckily, strong writing and a deep insight into the characters feelings and psyche make it a far cry from a Nicholas Sparks novel.

The story takes place in North Wales and the descriptions of the landscape made me want to plan a vacation. Fiona runs a B&B in a small village on the hill her husband has farmed for years. When a handsome stranger arrives at Fiona's B&B, she feels an instant connection and begins to examine her relationship with her husband.

I recommend The Long Walk Home if you are looking for a sweet, romantic story.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows was a great summer read. It's been all the buzz and I usually avoid reading those for fear that they aren't worth the hype

But this was a great surprise and a good book. It is set right after World War II in England. The book is actual letters between Juliet, a journalist, and the residents of Guernsey Island. It's well told and easy to read. Definitely a treat!

I know this will be made into a movie, so now I'm having fun figuring out which actors and actresses will play each of the roles.

Run

I finished Ann Patchett's Run just after getting home last night. I had less than 5 pages left when the plane landed...the first time a US Air flight is on time is when I'm reading a good book, figures!

I enjoyed Run a lot. It wasn't as compelling as Bel Canto, but it definitely made me think about nature vs nurture.

The story centers around the Doyle family. Tip and Teddy are both adopted, Sullivan is the Doyle's biological son. Bernadette Doyle dies when the boys are young and they are left in the care of their father, an aspiring politician.

The story examines family relationships, expectations as well as the idea of nature vs nurture. All of this takes place within 24 hours and though not exceptionally fast paced is filled with poetic paragraphs and great descriptions.

How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life

How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life by Mameve Medwed is a light book that I'd categorize as Smart Chick lit.

The plot is kind of frustrating. I kept worrying that nothing will ever go right for Abby Randolph or that she'll never get a backbone. Luckily, things turn out in true Disney/Chick lit fashion.

There are some clever references to NPR and other writers and it's a good summer read.

No One Belongs Here More Than You

I finished Miranda July's book of short stories No One Belongs Here More Than You. This was my first collection of July's stories I've read (I did see one of her short films on Wolphin) and it wasn't what I expected.

Her stories and characters are eclectic, almost bizarre.

One "Swim Coach" is about a woman who teaches a group of seniors how to swim...even though there's not a pool for miles. She lays out bowls of water and the "students" put their faces in the bowl and "swim" around the kitchen.

The last story "How to Tell Stories to Children" doesn't end the way I thought it would, but it is touching and thought-provoking.

A Walk in the Woods

I read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson very quickly and I've been quoting him ever since.

It is a great and funny book and I can't believe I didn't read it sooner. If you like hiking or being outdoors or just find humor in the idea of someone attempting to hike the Appalachian Trail, it's a must read.

I found myself alternating between laughing out loud and worrying about Bill and his hiking companion. Luckily, all ended well! Bryson also mixes in history and background on the trail and the environment which adds another level of interest.

Plus it gives you a true appreciation when you are hiking .7 miles of the trail. I don't think I'll ever hike as much of it as Bryson did, but I do want to hike more of the little bits I've accomplished so far.

The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears

I finished The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu this weekend. It's a very beautiful book and the language is gorgeous.

The story revolves around an Ethiopian refugee in Washington DC and two of his fellow refugees. Sheba owns a small store in a "transitional" neighborhood in DC and it's interesting to hear the perspective of an insider as the neighborhood moves from being mostly burned out buildings and prostitutes, to restored homes and a white influx and then shifts back again.

It's a quick read and easy to get caught up in the lyricism of Mengestu's words.

Infidel

I finished Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali this weekend. It was a very interesting book and definitely opened my eyes to different aspects of Islam. I feel like I learned a lot and can understand somethings about Muslims that I didn't understand before.

I thought the firs two-thirds of the book was better than the last third, because it focused on her childhood through her asylum in the Netherlands. The last third was about her political career and viewpoint and I found that more difficult to follow and it was obvious that she had more of an agenda in that portion of the book.

There were also some loose ends that she never tied up. It seems that as a refugee and someone who moved so much in her life, that she doesn't have many long-term friendships/relationships, but that may be a false assumption because she didn't tell us what happened to xx person.

I'm probably the only one who would notice that, so I think it's definitely worth reading.

NPR's Summer Books 2008

I'm about two-thirds of the way through Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and really enjoying it. Hopefully, I'll have a full review by the weekend, but in the meantime I wanted to share a list of Summer Books for 2008 from NPR.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90995424

B-Mother

I also finished B-Mother by Maureen O'Brien. I don't usually read books about birthmothers, but this one was recommended and I borrowed it from the library, so the commitment was low.

It was actually a really good and compelling story of a teenager giving up her child for adoption and the intervening years until they reunite. There were bits of it that was a bit trite and the author throws a whole lot at the main character.

But the emotions are right on and it was a quick read.

Unaccustomed Earth

I just finished Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri and it was another excellent collection of stories by one of my favorite authors. Definitely 5 stars!

I had read some of them before but it was fun to read them as a collection.

Three stories about Hema and Kashuik that were published together in this collection and while I had already read two of them, it was great to read them in order. The third one was new and the ending was kind of crushing. But still worth reading.

Lahiri is at her best in her short stories and while the themes are the same or similar, each has a different spin to make it memorable.

Only Goodness

This is how the short story Only Goodness from Jhumpa Lahiri's new collection begins:
"It was Sudha who'd introduced Rahul to alcohol, one weekend he came to visit her at Penn - to his first drink from a keg and then, the next morning in the dining hall, his first cup of coffee."

Such a great start to a really good story. And, without giving too much away, what you think happens does.

Unaccustomed Earth - Part 1

I started reading Jhumpa Lahiri's new collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth.

I've read three of the stories so far and they were fabulous. I'm trying to read this slowly and savor each story!

Chidren's Book Week Bookmark

Just in time for Children's Book Week, here's a cute bookmark. And it reinforces Mrs. Sherman's teaching.

http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbweek/teachers/gramatky.html

Moving = No Time for Reading

Ugh! Moving has left me with no time for reading! I was able to finish "Water for Elephants" which was a really sweet, good read.

I should be starting Then We Came to the End for book club, but we pushed back the date and my friend is going to lend me her copy. So what to read next?? Decisions. Decisions.

I'll let you know :)

Water for Elephants

I just started reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and have only read a couple of chapters. But I thought this was great...

"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 to say 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."

Isn't that so true??

Roomates Wanted

I read Roommates Wanted by Lisa Jewell. It's completely chick lit, but in my opinion it's smarter and more creative than Candace Bushnell or the like.

In her latest novel, Jewell follows the story of Toby and his house full of random "roommates". Toby's father bought him the huge old house 15 years earlier and after his wife left him, he opened it up to creative people in need of a free/cheap place to live. After 15 years, the sitting tenant dies and Toby finally decides to grow up.

Leah, lives across the street and is intrigued by the odd assortment of tenants in the house across the street. After 3 years, she finally has a chance to talk to Toby and joins his plan to fix up the place, kick out all the tenants and sell the house. Of course everyone ends up happy and either in love or on the way there, but that's to be expected - it is chick lit after all.

Power of One

I FINALLY finished Power of One by Bryce Courtney. It ended up being a really good read and I'm glad I stuck with it.

It's the story of a young boy in South Africa and recounts his dreams of being the welterweight champion. It's touching and interesting to watch him mature.

Now I'm on to a much lighter read - Roomates Wanted by Lisa Jewell (as far as I go into chicklit) but I'm still trying to read Profiles in Courage and the Robert Kennedy, Jr book about the environment (he came to speak in Charlotte and I was fired up to know more)

Profiles in Courage and Power of One

I'm reading two books (well really 3 or 4, but who's really counting) - Profiles in Courage and Power of One.

Profiles in Courage isn't what I thought it would be, but I'm sticking with it.

Power of One is a novel set in South Africa. It's interesting but a long read. I'm only about a hundred or so pages in. I don't have anything too enticing on the horizon, so I'm trying to keep going. I hope it'll pick up soon.

Happy Reading....