Room

I've read quite a few books lately and haven't written any reviews or mentioned them here, so in the coming days/weeks you'll have to put up with hearing about what I've been reading. Sorry if you don't like books reviews, you can just by pass those days.

Today we'll start with the book Room by Emma Donoghue.

As with all of my reviews, I'm going to be a little vague (nothing more revealed than what is on the book jacket). That way if you choose to read the book I won't give it all away.

Room is written from the viewpoint of a 5 year old boy, Jack, who has never been outside an 11' x 11' room, he's locked in there with his mother, who gave birth to him in that room. At first it takes a little bit to get the cadence of the way the book is written. It would be like going and talking to a 5 year old that you don't know. It takes a little bit, but after awhile you understand his manner of speech. The book is full of great desperation and great hope. While we think the outcome is wonderful and inspiring, Jack is still sad and longs for all he knows as home. While the situation is tragic and horrible to us, to Jack it's the only life he's ever know.

The book is full of the conflict of human emotion. What would you do? How would you feel? How do you help your child recover and cope when the very thing that he is longing for is the one thing you despise?

I kind of had wished that the book had a different ending. There wasn't much resolve and if there was it was left up to the reader. I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book. I found it very depressing and that of many of the life situations presented there was no good answer. I will say that it was thought provoking, but I still found the underlying depressive mood of the book to be a bit overwhelming. There was just so much going on that it seemed like the book needed to be a little longer to address some of the issues. The author did a great job of attaching the reader to the characters, that's why I felt there needed to be more. More answers, more resolve.

On a scale of 1 to 5 stars. I'd give it about a 3.

Readin', Readin', Readin'

Again, I'm going to lump my book reviews into one big ol post so if you're not so into book reviews you can just bypass this ONE post and come back tomorrow. But I've read a couple good ones lately, so here ya go.

OH--these are going to be very, VERY abbreviated. Yogi does much, much better book review than I. I'm pretty much a "love it" or "didn't like it" kind of reviewer, but I'll try to give you a teeny bit more.

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas. This was a nice, sweet read about two women living in the mountains of Colorado in the 1930's. One of women was in the twilight of her life (in her late 80s, her name is Hennie) and the other was just beginning her life as a new wife and mother (her name is Nit). They bonded and the elder woman helped guide and prepare the younger woman for the hard life in a mining town in the mountains through her "stories" of her experiences and about the people in their town. This was a delightful, quick read that in the end will have you asking yourself if you could forgive someone after they caused you decades of pain?

I liked this book, I give it 4.5 out of Five Stars.

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. This was a good book, but like all (or at least most) Jodi Picoult books, was fairly predictable. This one was about a young girl born with Osteogenesis Inperfecta, the a disease that causes a person's bones to break very easily...a sneeze can fracture a rib or the simple act of jumping can break a bone in the foot/ankle/leg. Anyway...the book is about whether this family (mother) would have carried the baby had she known about the baby's diagnosis early in the pregnancy. There's all sorts of secondary story lines going on...the older sister and her problems, the mother and father and their marital problems, the mother and her best friend and a lawsuit, the mother's attorney and her desire to find her birth mother, etc., etc. It almost gets to be too much at times and dilutes the intensity of the mother's plight to better her child's life. I won't give away more of the book, but I'll just say it was good, just kind of dragged on a bit.

I give this a 3.5 out of Five Stars.

Okay--intermission time. Sing a little song, go get a drink, use the restroom, go answer the phone (oh, never mind, don't do that...if you live in Oklahoma, it's probably just another political campaign asking for your vote).

Feeling better? Refreshed? Let's get back to it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Ok, this is going to be a quickie. I LOVED this book! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!!! It's a novel about a situation that too many people wanted to turn their backs on for a long time. It's about white women in the South (takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963) and their "colored" (that's not my word, that's the term used in the book) house maids. These maids who cooked, cleaned, polished, shopped and raised their children. And who were treated like poo (99% of the time). It's also about a white woman, "Skeeter" who is an aspiring writer and who somehow convinces these maid to tell their stories to her, despite the known consequences of what would happen if they were to be found out. That's all I'm going to tell you. You MUST read this book. It's was very thought provoking to me, I was constantly thinking about my grandmother's maid, Jessie Mae, and wondering, "what if...?", "do you think...?," "I wonder if....?" I knew Jessie Mae in the 70's and I think "no" none of that stuff happened here in Oklahoma. But still, it made me rethink what I always thought to be true about a situation. I loved this book so much that I went out and bought it because I'm sure I will read it again and I want it to be part of my personal library (I like to support our library, so normally I get my books from the library).

I give this book a 5+++ out of Five Stars. Actually I'd give it more if I could.

Embraced by the Light by Betty J. Eadie. This is a book about a woman's near-death experience. Actually it shouldn't be called "near" death...more like her death experience. She died and came back. This is a very thought provoking book that makes you think or re-think what you believed about Heaven and the spiritual life. Some of it I was like "huh? no, I don't think so," but other parts of it made complete sense to me. It really could be a life changing book. I just finished it this morning, and it's going to take me a while to wrap my brain around it and digest everything she talks about in the book. I liked it, it was quite interesting, I just don't really know what to think about all of it. I'd love to hear if there's anyone else out there who has read it and what your thoughts are on it. This is a toughie for me to rate, but I guess...

I give it a 4 out of Five Stars.

Thank you for putting up with this long post. I've got some more books lined up to read and several on hold at the library, so stand-by, I'll be doing another "group review" in August.

Also, I'd love to hear of any good books any of you out there have read. I'm always looking for something good to read. I'm not particular about genre, definitely like some over others, but I'm open to anything.

Happy Reading!

Lots and Lots of Readin' Goin' On

It's been awhile since I've done a book review, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading. I just haven't done any reviews. So I decided to just lump them into one looooooooong post. If you're not a reader then you can just come back tomorrow...I'm hoping to have my SWIMSUIT post ready by tomorrow. But for today, here's the last four books I've read...

Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon

This is one of the strangest books I've read, it has this weird story line about a little girl who was kidnapped and murdered by a rabbit--a person dressed as rabbit (i.e. like what people dress up at Easter). Then there's this whole cast of trashy characters that are intermingled without much explanation, so you're always getting confused about who goes with who and how each character belongs in the story. It's supposed to be a mystery, which I guess it is, because you're trying to figure out who took this little girl, but I didn't think of it as a mystery. I thought of it as a story of a bunch of dysfunctional people. In the end, of course, the person who ends up being the kidnapper/killer is never who'd you expect. It was quite ridiculous. Don't waste your time on this book. The characters are yucky, the story is a little unbelievable and my biggest thing was the story was mainly about this group of kids who would just go off in the woods to play all day long and the parents never wondered where they were. The parents were just awful. But...I guess I shouldn't judge other people (but theses people aren't real). You definitely could read a worse book, but...

I give Island of Lost Girls 1 out of 5 stars.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I'm not going to even give this book any justice by giving it much space. This is one of the worst books I've ever read. I checked it out because the story takes place in a small town in Kansas and I thought it would be fun to read a book that takes place where I grew up. The town the book takes place in is a fictional town, but all the other places they were talking about was real. I'll just say there isn't one character in this book that you'll like, they are all awful mean, people. The story is hideous--a family is basically butchered in the night--and the family's oldest son is convicted of the murders. There's one survivor, the youngest sister. The book is about her. It's just awful. Don't read it, it's terrible, dark, ugly, mean.

I give Dark Places a rare 0 out of 5 stars.

Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon

This is the second book by this author that I read in about a month's time (the other is that one at the top of this post). Now, I should've learned after reading Island of Lost Girls that I wouldn't like this book, but I thought I'd give this author another chance, reading the synopsis of the book I thought it looked different. Nope. Yucky characters who you are supposed to sympathize with but really you just want to grab them by the shoulders and shake the poo out of them. This book has a little girl being murdered (again, same as with the other book) and a whole slew of characters that the author tries to get you to like or dislike or think that they were the ones who did it. And just like the other book, at the very end, the person who did is the one person you don't expect and don't really read much about. So, if I read another of this author's books (which I won't), I'll probably guess the child killer by page 2. There's a lot of meanness and bullying in this book. It's just one of those books that makes you feel uck--dirty. It's not the worst book I've ever read, so I won't give it one star, but...

I give Promise Not to Tell 1 out of 5 stars.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

I don't even like to put this book in the same company as those other three yuck books. This one actually deserves it's own post. It's so drastically different that you'd wonder how the same person would end up reading such different kinds of books. Anyway, here it is. This book has a very sad, dark story line...it's about the round up of French Jews in Paris on July 16, 1942 and what happened to them. (Google that and you can read more about the history). But it's about a young Jewish girl, Sarah, who is 10 years old when her family is taken away by the French police and what happens to them. The story weaves it's way through decades and families. I'm not going to tell you much about it because I want you to read this and I don't want to ruin it for you. It's a touching story not just about Sarah, but about those who are part of her life long after she's gone. I really liked this book.

I give Sarah's Key 5 out of 5 stars.

What are you reading this summer...I always love to know what other's are reading!

The Silent Gift

I recently finished a book, The Silent Gift by Michael Landon, Jr. and Cindy Kelley. Normally I do a review the day I finish the book or the day right after, that way I don't forget anything. But with this one I've waited a few days. I needed time for this one to settle, for me to roll it around in my brain and come to terms with it. I haven't decided if you all want me to give away the story with an in depth review or if you want an overview of the book and my thoughts. Please tell me what you want. I don't want to be a spoiler if you're going to go out and read these books. So today, in keeping with my "vagueness" theme of book review, I won't give anything away.

This book takes place in the late 1930's, when America is still battling the Great Depression. The main characters are Mary and her deaf-mute son, Jack. Jack has a special gift (I won't tell you what it is so not to ruin the book) that would be considered a divine gift and makes Jack's messages somewhat of a prophecy. I will tell you that when this first came up in the book, I about put it down--I actually returned it to the library. To me, it was coming too close to crystal balls, tarot cards and fortune telling with the words "God's Gift" slapped on it. I didn't like that one bit--so back to the library it went. But two days later I went back and rechecked it out. Something about it was still intriguing to me. The was a very human story being told and I wanted to find out what happened to Mary and Jack.

I'm glad I did. I was a touching story of a mother's commitment to her son during a very troubling time in her life and in our country. It was also a story of a mother's struggle with her trust in God. Her guilt in using His gift to secure a future for her son which ultimately takes him away from her and her relentless search to get him back into her arms and life. As probably most parents who go through what she endures she loses trust in God, is angry at God, challenges God. But in the end, defeated, she gives up and just when she is freed from the blindness of her battle with God, He divinely answers her desperate call for help.

The book has a beautiful cast of periphery characters who add charm and anger to the book. You despise some of the characters, are reserved about the intentions of others and grow to love Mary, Jack and those that truly have their best interest at heart.

Many people I think will relate to the struggle that Mary has with God, that when they are at their lowest or when life throws a curve ball their way they wonder where God is and why they trusted Him in the first place, yet, they know, somewhere in the depths of their heart that He will not leave them.

The Silent Gift is a beautiful story about a mother's devotion, trust in God, and human nature--both good and bad. Sure, there were parts that I thought "that would never happen" but it's a book--that's how authors keep us engaged. I am so glad that I went back and rechecked out the book and finished it. It is very touching and I would definitely recommend it.

While this book certainly isn't one of my "favorites of all time," I most definitely give it a FIVE out of FIVE stars.

Best Friends Forever--A review

You're going to want to sit down for this. Are you sitting? Good. I actually finally finished a book that I started over a month (possibly two months) ago. I LOVE to read, but my Three Little Lams keep me busy so I don't have much time to just sit and read. But I'm finding time, I'm carving out little bits of my day to just read a chapter or two. Or maybe I've stayed up a little later at night than I should to catch up on my reading. But, finally, I finished a book I've been working on. So, like I've said in the past, if you don't like book reviews, just click on the little red "x" and closer 'er on down...see ya tomorrow.

The book I finished was Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. It's a book I picked up at the library (they are probably wondering what happened to it--it's being returned today, I promise library people). I got it because I've like Ms. (or Mrs.-I don't know) Weiner's books in the past...In Her Shoes, Little Earthquakes, Good in Bed, etc., etc. They are quick, easy, chick lit reads. This was no different. It was not a deep, thought provoking book. It was about a childhood friendship that went off course in high school and came back together later in the girls' lives. It's totally predictable, yet some parts are completely unbelievable. The main character, Addie, who has a quiet, stable, boring (to her) life in suburban Chicago ends up going on a cross country road trip with her childhood best friend, Valerie, to help Valerie escape from what she thought was a crime. To me, from the development of her character, it didn't seem likely that she would take such risks. There are a few other characters, Jordan, the detective who is following the girls across the country. Jon, Addie's brother who was hurt in a car accident as a teen and has brain damage and depends on Addie's care. Dan, the guy whom the crime was committed against. His character could've been (should've been) a major player, but he was just mentioned briefly here and there and then at the end of the book has a life changing revelation--that the reader is never really let in on. That was frustrating, here's this guy who was a total, jerk athlete in high school, did something terrible to Valerie, was still a jerk at their reunion, but then has a life changing turn around? Come on, let us know what exactly made him turn that corner, because it was a little unbelievable that a guy like that would just instantly change.

Best Friends Forever would make a great book for a gal to take the beach or sit by the pool and read. Very light, just entertainment. Like I said, not thought provoking or world changing. What I did like about it was that at the end, the message was that you didn't have to have the perfect, cookie-cutter life to be happy.

If it was summertime, I'd probably give it a 4 out of 5 stars...like I said, it would be excellent beach/pool/airplane reading. But since I was reading it during snow storms and cold weather (when I like something with a little more depth), I'm going to give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Monday Morning Book Review

I know, I know, probably the best way to get people to quit reading your blog is to do a book review first thing on a Monday morning. But...I gotta do it now before I lose my thoughts on this book. I'll say it again...if you don't like book reviews...just come on back tomorrow for something new, fun and exciting!

A couple days ago I (finally) finished reading The Host by Stephenie Meyers. That is the same author who wrote the Twilight series. I really liked the Twilight series so I was a little curious to see how she'd do with another book...different story.

I'm not going to give away anything about the book, but by reading the inside flap you'll get the basic story line...aliens have taken over earth by being "inserted" into human bodies. I know it sounds hokey--kind of is--but she did a pretty good job with this aspect of it. Basically the humans are "hosts" for these aliens and take over their brains. These aliens have zero violent tendencies, can't lie, share equally, etc. So basically earth is changed because there is no need for money, police, etc. This is the part of the book that I think would've been really interesting if she would have expanded on it. What would it be like if there basically was no economy? But she just mentions those types of things here and there.

Her main character, Melanie, is taken over by an alien...but Melanie is a fighter and doesn't completely give way to the alien and the alien can hear her in her head. Talk about being of two minds.

Without giving away too much, the story then is then basically 600+ pages of how she is brought into a cove of humans who are hiding in caves and how she (the alien) comes to have human emotions and how those emotions and the way we (humans) interact with each other is what makes us a superior species and makes our love and/or hate for each other or anyone who might hurt us the strongest species in the universe.

There definitely some very hokey parts...when Melanie the Alien (Melanie the person couldn't make her body talk--only the alien could hear her) would talk about the other worlds she'd been on. That part seemed a little silly to me, but I guess you needed that part to realize how complex and wonderful humans are.

It was a good story...a little long, and I guess I'd recommend it to others. It doesn't have that captivating component that the author's Twilight series had. You certainly wouldn't stay up all night reading this. It wraps up nicely at the end, but is also definitely left open for the possibility of a sequel.

So, on my scale so of 0-5 stars, I'd give this one a 3 1/2, maybe a 3.75 (can you do that)?