Walking Around in Cirles Before Lying Down

I loved this book. It was funny and unexpected. There were names that I recognized, and I forgot for a moment that this book was fiction. I loved that the dog had a voice and said all the things that I know my dogs say on a daily basis, though I am not tuned in enough to hear them. Please read this book. I wish I could write more about how much I love it, but alas, I am a student again and school has to take precedence.

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

I just finished this book and it seems fitting since I just moved into a first floor apartment in a rather large city with a high crime rate. Honestly, the book made me feel safer, not by teaching me how to fight off an attacker, but to trust my instinct when I feel I am not safe. It taught me not to fear just because of where I am, but to really listen and see and take in what is around me, because that is where the most valuable information can be found.

This book was interesting because it provided both facts and interesting incidents of aberrational behavior ranging from domestic violence to serial killers to kids who kill. I also learned that if you are in a situation in which teens are involved, especially more than one, you are really in danger because they are most likely to kill.

This book was a self-help, but not in the traditional way. It is a book that can be used to help you live in situations where you may otherwise face death. I hope I never have to apply the things I learned while reading this book, but I am glad that it was recommended and that I took the time to really dig into what De Becker had to say.

I can 100% recommend this book to any reader. My sister has read it and I told my best friend that she also needs to read it. Take the time to go through. It does take quite a bit of time, and not everything will apply to every reader, but it really is worth it.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

I read Shiver only because I saw it at Walmart one day and it looked like something a younger kid might like. Little did I know that it would be GREAT! The book is about a girl who loves wolves and has her fantasy realized when her favorite wolf turns out to be a human. This book is not the traditional werewolf story. It is a book that highlights young love, and for me, a late 20's woman, it really transported me  back to the fantasies I had when I was 14, 15, 16 years old. There are alternating viewpoints, both from the male and female perspective.

 I am slightly disappointed that there is a series because I wanted the book to end where it did and let me imagine the rest, but there are more. I will have to read them eventually, namely because I just thought of more questions that I wanted answers to, but I would have been content to let this book stand alone.

Recommendation? Read it! Be 14 again. Love again. Hide away for the few hours this book lasts.

Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast

I finished this book today. I am still really enjoying this series. There is a lot of repetition, and that can get old, but there are big punches of action in each book. I forgot about Zoey's love life being a big source of conflict in the last book. In this book, it really played a large part in the plot. Zoey, bless her heart, is struggling with her relationship with three beautiful men who all seem to adore her, an everyday problem for all of us, I'm sure... In this book, her love life continues to spiral out of control, as does her relationship with Neferet. There is a huge climax at the end that made me happy to have the rest of the series in my house so I can keep going. I was waiting for this moment, so I am glad it actually ended the way it did, though it was a major cliff hanger.

Recommendation? Keep reading! : )

Chosen by P.C. and Kristin Cast

I admit I finished this book about a week ago. I was sick and didn't feel like typing. Now, I still don't feel like typing, but I finished the next book, so I am going to go ahead and write what I need to write. I can't remember Chosen as well as the most recent book I finished. I know that Stevie Rae was a main character in this book in a big way. I liked it well enough to immediately request the next at the library, so get started with this series and keep reading. So far, I am enjoying it.

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

I read this book because I wanted to know about Sookie. Surprisingly, I finished half of it while I was waiting in the pharmacy for three prescriptions. It was truly a collection of short stories. I remembered some of the main characters, but there were more minor characters that I didn't remember or didn't care about. I plan on sharing this book with J, who loves Sookie and so many other books. I think it is one to read if you have some spare time, but it isn't memorable enough to keep.

Betrayed by P.C. and Kristin Cast

I read this book over the course of a day. I also carried it to the pool, balcony, and beach. This book is about Zoey's progress through her first year at The House of Night. Some major things happen, including more deaths, and Zoey finds out what the ghosts she is seeing really are. Zoey and her best friend's relationship evolves in a way I couldn't predict, and the one big event I had been waiting for finally takes place with Neferet. When I finished this book in the car, I immediately requested the next one from the library. When I checked my library, I was incredibly excited to find that I had the next one, so I will just cancel that request and move on to the next book. Read these if you can. They are getting better.

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin

I vacationed at the beach and I carried this book with me to the beach and the pool and the balcony. I didn't want to read it, because I have no real interest in children and I thought this book would be all about that, maybe more like Something Blue than any of Giffin's other, better books. It is not about babies. There are children in the book, but they are minor characters, and the real story is a romance. It is a sad and beautiful story. I don't want to give away what happens, so I will just say that this book is one of strength and hope and love. I am super excited to pass this on to Sister. Read it and love it.

Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

I have been resisting this series for years. I didn't want to read it, but when I found a couple of the books at Goodwill, I decided I would try them. I really liked this book. I finished it quickly. It is about a young girl who is marked as a vampyre and who discovers that she is far from normal. She struggles with supernatural issues (drinking blood, ghosts, Imprinting, etc.) as well as crushes, best friends, boyfriends, fights, and more. I enjoyed reading it and was ready for the next one.

I recommend this to a more mature reader. It is not for someone with delicate sensibilities, as it contains sexual references and also, it may not be for easily swayed children, as it focuses heavily on goddess worship rather than a focus on God as I know Him. I encourage a preview of this book before it is shared with anyone else.

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

I picked this book up for a couple of dollars from a discount store. Within two hours of getting it home, I had finished it. I didn't want to put this book down. It focuses on a young man who is relatively poor who has this secret romance with a rich girl from up the mountain. He reads her journal for a year after a significant event.

This book covers being a teen. There is a love story, broken hearts, grief, unrequited love, unfaithful romances, embarrassment, and so much more. I took it to my sister and while she and cousin S and I were playing cards, S read through at least 100 pages, only stopping to play her hand. She couldn't put it down, either, and it is being returned to Sister when she finishes. I do recommend this book. It was really good.

Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Oh, Sookie... I love the True Blood series, but the last two books have been disappointing. I started reading this early this week, but put it down to start and finish Why We Broke Up. The book wasn't bad, but it just wasn't great. I read it, but there was reluctance in picking it up. I felt almost like I did when I read Steven King novels in high school, not because I liked him, but because my friends read the books and I wanted to be able to talk to them about those things we could share.

Harris seems to include a lot of action lately, but it makes it hard for me to remember was is going on. Who does Sookie love? Is it Eric? Bill? Quinn? Sam? Who? I never can keep up. I tire of hearing how attractive Sookie is and I am also tired of the stupid Fae. Alcide is changing and I don't like that. What happened to the sexy lumberjack (okay, that's what is in my head) who drives a pick-up truck and washes dishes? *sigh* Harris, I am not your biggest fan these days. Maybe I will just watch the HBO series and skip your next novels. I doubt I'd be missing much.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Why We Broke Up is a long and rambling letter to Ed from Min, explaining why she is returning all these wonderfully sentimental items to him and finally getting to why they broke up. Before I go on, I just have to say that immediately upon finishing this book, I texted my best friend, J, to tell her she had to read this book. I revealed that it hurt me to go to sleep and to church this morning because I wasn't able to finish this in one sitting. Truth be told, I actually sat in the church parking lot until the last possible minute so I could read more of this book before the service started.

I want to be as witty as Min and I want to have a love affair like the one described in the pages of this novel. Obviously, the relationship did not end well, but it burned bright, super nova style until it exploded. This book will transport you back into high school. Almost immediately, I was feeling everything Min did, excitement, hope, anxiety, sadness, fear, everything. I was there, was digging through a box, holding things and talking about things and cringing at moments when Min was cringing.

I LOVE this book, love love love. I like the style in which it is written, long and rambling, urgent, sad, underpunctuated. It is not just for young adults. I think it is appropriate for anyone who is 16 or older, perhaps younger. I have trouble believing that the man who wrote the Lemony Snickett books wrote this. It is beautiful.

I found the book at Barnes and Noble and flipped through it, but was hooked when I saw the beautifully sparse drawings. The art is beautiful, but the story... It is such a beautiful book, so carefully woven together, that it happens without your knowledge or permission, the story unfolding with ease. I was falling in love, but I had that nagging feeling in the back of my mind, that was verified at the end of several sections, that this would not be good.

The characters are complex and surprise you, just when you think you know them. The roles that are set forth here do not play out like you would expect, but that adds to the majesty of this book. I can't say enough wonderful things. I just really love it. I love the book. Please read it and share it.

Mortified

I bought this book because of the goofy picture on the cover. I am SO glad I judged this book by the cover. I laughed, cried, and cringed along with the authors of terrible journal entries and letters contained in this book. At one point, I really thought someone had stolen my own journal and used it as theirs. Oh, yes, there were many moments like this.

I finished half the book in the parking lot of Target. I sat there and started reading and did not want to stop. When it really hit home, I had to put it aside, but not before I decided that my best friend, co-author of some amazingly embarrassing correspondence had to read the book. I took it with me everywhere, reading tiny snippets while waiting to go into the doctor or in the parking lot when I was early for lunch with a friend or even while I was waiting for my small group to start in the church parking lot.

If you journaled at all, you need to read this book. It is so amazingly funny and current and wonderful. It is okay to shudder a little about the stupid things you remember and relate to. It will make you feel 12, 14, 16, or however old again. That is a really great thing. Even if it does make you feel a little sick for a moment to remember how obsessed you were with that all-consuming crush, it is nice to remember that feeling of love and desire and even hurt that is not so easy to experience as an adult.

Please read this book and share it if you can.

Is the B*tch Dead or What?

I didn't want to read this book. A casual acquaintance loaned it to me because she thought I enjoyed the first one, mostly because I actually read the first one. We are having lunch today, so I wanted to finish it up. It was a good as the first in this series, and by that, I mean it was terrible. I struggled to get through it. The only redeeming character in the book is Tracee, the best friend, who is discovering Jesus.

There are so many characters in this book, it is difficult to keep up. Each chapter (which are generally 2-3 pages long) is from another point of view. There are such gems of writing as this:

"The nurses were on their toes, but Ritz would rather have Tracee help her to the bathroom, help her eat, and other personal stuff like that."

I would not accept a sentence like than in a freshman comp class. Really?!? Please, Wendy Williams, stop writing. It would help the world.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

I just finished this novel. I had already seen the movie, but wanted to finish the book because I borrowed it from the library and it was due today. It didn't take long to read the book, but while I was read it, I was  not totally involved. I don't particularly like the story, not because he is a war vet or because she is a teacher, but because the characters are quite static. There is no great revelation, and while there is a death, because there is always a death in every Nicholas Sparks book, it really isn't that gripping. I am sure that old Nick wants to pump out novels while he is hot, but this is really just a miss, at least for me. I was not impressed and I am really glad that I was able to take it back to the library and did not get stuck spending my own money on it.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

I wasn't sure what to read when I grabbed this book from the overwhelming stack sitting in the guest bedroom that houses just books now. Fortunately, I picked Me Talk Pretty One Day because I thought it might be something that would be entertaining. Honestly, I laughed out loud and nearly cried many times while reading the witty essays. There were times when I wanted to share the book with others and times when I thought I should keep it for reference for something else, including my ENG 090 class. I was afraid one would take offense and I would get in trouble, though.

I think my favorite essay was the final one about Sedaris's father's obsession with hoarding food until it was unrecognizable and then eating it. I laughed and laughed. I was talking about this book at work and a coworker told me that she had read some of Sedaris's other works but not this one. I couldn't wait to rush home, finish it, and take it back to her. I was excited to share the book, happy to give that little bit of my life to her.

Read and enjoy!

The Vow by Kimmer and Krickitt Carpenter

I watched this movie and LOVED it. I am anxiously awaiting when it comes out on blu-ray because I want to buy it and keep it forever. I read the book because I heard that there was more to the story that wasn't revealed in the movie. The source was correct. The movie makes the husband seem perfect and the book sheds light on his being human. The book is actually VERY different than the movie. It is more focused on Krickitt (the wife) and her prayer journal and spiritual life rather than just the time when the memory was lost. It is actually really beautiful. It inspired me and made me want to be as devout as she was. The courtship between Krickitt and Kimmer was this beautiful story.  Don't read on if you don't want the book spoiled.

They met when Kim was a coach for a college baseball team and Krickitt worked for a sports business. They talked on the phone, then wrote letters, then exchanged photos, then met in person. It seemed like a true courtship, with both of them being virgins when they were married. The book was great, not better than the movie, but quite different. I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

Romancing the Dead by Tate Hallaway

I bought this book for $2.99 from a discount store, and trust me, it was too much. I read this book, only because I had started it and I felt like it was wasteful to just stop reading it. I wish I had. It referred to gods and goddesses and vampires that were turned through alchemy and witches. All I can say is: don't waste your time.

Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin

So, first off, I just realized that her name is Emily Giffin, not Griffin, so for the mistakes in my last posts, I apologize. Now on to my review of this book. Wow. I didn't expect this book to be this good.

I liked Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and even that other book she did that I just read about the doctor and his wife and the little boy and Carol... You know the book? Well, Carol makes her cameo here. She is a minor character in a book that fills out the minor character in that book.

Can I just reveal that I related to this book to the point that I was talking out loud to myself and blushing hard core because I understood very much what the main character was going through. She was married to a great man, but in love with a man in her past, a man she had an intense love for, and though things were touch and go with their relationship, there was something she had to find out, regardless of everything else that was going on in her life. There was one particular passage that really struck me, and against my better judgement, because I know this will come back to haunt me one day because everything I have ever posted has, I am going to post it, if only to take it out of my head:

                Time passes, but neither of us speaks, as Leo’s hand completely covers mine. The weight and warmth of it is the same as it was as the diner, the day all of this began, but the gesture feels completely different. This contact is not incidental to a conversation. It is the conversation. It is also an invitation. An invitation I accept with a languid turn of my wrist until my palm is up, facing his, and we are officially holding hands. I tell myself that it is the most innocent of gestures. Grade-school crushes hold hands. Parents and children hold hands. Friends hold hands.

                But not like this. Never like this.

                I listen to the sound of Leo breathing, his face close to mine, as our fingers interlock, unlace, rearrange. And we fly east that way, eventually drifting off, suspended in the sky, in time, together. 

So here it is. I offer this section to you in an attempt to get you to read this book, to love it as much as I almost loved it. There were parts that I wanted to be different, but isn't that the way with life? If only some small little thing were changed, it could could all turn out differently. 

Anyway, this book it making the trip to my sister's apartment, and hopefully back here, so I can guard what I have found and think about what has been excavated.  Read it and enjoy it. Then, safely store up what you got from it. 

Drama is Her Middle Name

I recently joined a book club. This was the selection chosen, with the one merit that there were enough copies for each of the members and it was free due to Wendy Williams doing a book signing/promotion at a college where one of the group members has a child in attendance. The book was okay. It wasn't super exciting, but it was an okay enough read. I think it felt like the beginning of a story, not enough for an entire book, but it was interesting. I was able to come up with several questions for discussion, but I realize that many of the questions were about the necessity of all the characters that were given prominent roles and the possibility of the constant brand name dropping becoming distracting. I would not recommend this book to anyone, particularly not for a book club, but I am glad to say that I have finished it so we can move on to our next selection.

Heart of the Matter

I finished this book last night. It is written by Emily Giffin, the same author who wrote Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I wasn't sure if it would be as good, but there are moments where Dexter and Rachel are mentioned and I really enjoyed those, until I became fully involved with the two main characters - Tessa and Valerie. Both women run in the same circles, mainly due to their children, but their lives become more involved when Valerie's son, Charlie, has an accident, and is treated by Tessa's husband, Nick. Each chapter is from a different point of view, alternative from Tessa to Valerie. I related more to Valerie, but I didn't dislike Tessa. It is strange how you know both women and feel such a connection to them as their stories become more and more intertwined. I really enjoyed the book, although I was heartbroken at times and am still ambivalent about the ending. I am saving this book for my sister who loved Emily's first two novels. I think she will continue to enjoy these books.

I Just Want My Pants Back

I finished this book on the beach, too. It has no easy resolutions, no clean ending, no real summation. It is a journey that you take with the main character as he takes drugs and drinks and follows his friends through the city. He grows up a bit as he wanders through his life, just as any of us do as we move through life on a daily basis. This book is a meandering walk through a life that I am glad I don't have and desperately want sometimes, the life of an underachiever living in the city, just having fun. I felt a part of this book, felt as though I was a bit different after finishing it, the mark of a good book, I believe. I am passing it on to my friend, K, when she finally is settled in a new apartment in the UK. It is good enough to pay the shipping on.

The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc

I was blessed to be able to take a mini-vacation this weekend. Because it was cold and I was at the beach, much of my time was spent reading. I brought this book with me, not sure if it was going to be something I would enjoy or one that I would just drop off in the room for the next visitor or the maid. Fortunately, it was a good read. The book focused on Sissy LeBlanc, a married woman and essentially her youth and one summer that changed her life.

There were moments when I thought this was going to be a Harlequin novel at certain points from the purple prose that riddled a few pages, but it really wasn't. It was a coming of age story, mostly based in the 1950's, but with a few detours here and there. The feeling I got from the book was that of a person living a too small life who is finally able to burst out of it and live. I needed to read it when I did. I left it in the hallway so that someone else can pick it up. It was good enough to pass on.