8 posts tagged “books”

Late last night I finished Sarah Dessen's, Lock and Key. Ruby, a 17 year old girl, is abandoned by her mother. Ruby slowly builds new relationships with her sister and brother-in-law. In Ruby's struggle to adjust to her new life, she learns to trust others and develops her understanding of what family means to her.

The following synopsis is from Sarah Dessen's homepage:

"Lock and Key: "Ruby, where is your mother?" Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future—it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?"

Sarah Dessen's Homepage

My thoughts:

Regardless of age, most young adults and adults will get something out of Sarah Dessen's story. Dessen's characters deal with real life issues and hardships that make her story full of life lessons.

I also recommend:  Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

What Next? I'm reading several books at the moment. At this time, I'm not sure what I'll be writing about next week.

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So far my weekend has been fantastic. No, I'm not being sarcastic. I've been reading a few new books--I'll eventually finish Breaking Dawn. It's just that I read more than one book at a time, so I rotate books based on my mood. At night, I don't want to read anything too suspenseful--unless I plan on staying up late. Same goes for watching TV at night. My rule is nothing too action packed or gory before sleeping. Anyway, in my opinion, Breaking

Dawn doesn't fit the latter description. Nope. If anything, the first half of the book reminds me of the movie, Alien. I'll write more about that once I finish the book.

Back to my weekend. I've been out and about a bit. I'm only doing the bare minimum--grocery shopping. Other than that, I've been watching some of the Olympics--rowing, swimming, gymnastics, and volleyball. Tomorrow will probably look the same, except there will be other sports games, etc..

Tonight I went out to buy coffee--my other top necessity. I've had a headache all day. I really didn't feel like moving until late this afternoon. I told myself that after dinner that I'd go out. I had some coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. My headache is gone. Funny how they say caffeine can intensify headaches. Sometimes that happens with me. Thankfully, now I'm no longer suffering.

 

I recommend these titles:

 

Cassandra Clare's: City of Bones and City of Ashes        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piers Anthony's Xanth Series (I've read the first 7 books) 

                     

 

 

          

 

 

 

 

   Ah, what can I say? I've been patiently

   waiting for David Sedaris's latest book.

   It was well worth the wait.      

                                                                      

            

                                                                               

 

                                             

 

                                                                              

      Maeve Binchy produces       

      another pleasurable read.

 

 

 

 

 

The Other Boleyn Girl~ The historical aspect

is interesting.

 Philippa Gregory's, The Other Boleyn Girl, is a story filled with corruption, deceit, lust, and loss when the Boleyn family forces the young Boleyn girls to pursue the highest position of power in the court of Henry VIII. The Boleyn sisters, Mary and Anne, are ordered to fulfill their family's duties by offering their services to the royal family. Mary and Anne compete for the attention of Henry VIII. Even though the plight of Anne Boleyn is inevitable, Gregory delivers an enticing story from Mary Boleyn's perspective on the 

success and folly of the Boleyn family.

 

 

 

***** Yummy vampire series! Anita Blake

kicks major butt--this tough female character

 is a breath of fresh air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm now reading The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. I saw this author speak about her work at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy event here in Texas (http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/). Jeannette Walls caught my attention when she read an excerpt from her book about her wearing "homemade" braces that she created as a teen because her family couldn't afford orthodontic work. Jeannette Walls's down-to-earth style of expression and insight captured my attention. Anyway, now I'm continuing her book and enjoying every chapter. She has an unforgettable story.     

This past week has been challenging in more than one way. Physically, I've been completely drained. I went to the doctor and was prescribed antibiotics. I can breathe through my nose again. Anyway, I've been keeping busy this weekend with reading, sleeping, and spending time with my fiance, dog, and bunny.

I'm currently reading The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (sequel to The Golden Compass)

and Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Pullman's work is entertaining.

 From what I understand Into the Wild has been made into a film that is not yet released (I think). I was curious to see what the book was like. I'm about half way through and I'm finding it hard to stay interested in the story. The main character is interesting, but the author has added so many related, yet unrelated side stories describing others who have made poor decisions to venture into the Alaskan wild. I can do without the comparisons. At this rate, I don't know if I want to finish the book. There's so many other books I want to read. 

Over this past week I've been reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Time and time again, I'd see this book displayed at most bookstores I wandered into. Usually this book would be somewhere in the front of the store greeting me as I walked in. And so, with that said, I decided to read the book. Somehow, this book not only became a part of my "to read" list, it also got bumped to the top of this list. Why? Well, I thought it looked interesting. I have to be in the mood to read certain stories. I can't read "heavy" drama and so forth right before I go to sleep. It just doesn't work.

So far, the story isn't bad. Perhaps it's a bit odd and drawn out. I like odd plots. However, I have little patience for most anything longer than necessary--like long descriptive paragraphs about something that could be summed up in 2 short paragraphs. I try to overlook aspects such as these because I enjoy being exposed to different authors and different writing styles. To me, that's what makes reading worthwhile. I'm hoping that the story will have some sort of suspenseful twist. I'll find out soon.

In Germany, many people are concerned about the possible threat of chain book stores forcing local and small book shops, as well as, small publishers out of business. I thought this was very interesting considering I was not aware of how Germany's book business operated. Anyway, information pertaining to this can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/arts/24book.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1. 

It is illegal in Germany to discount books, therefore, all bookstores are on an equal "playing ground" without the competitive edge that bargain books or discounts can create. I can't imagine not having Amazon, Half Price Books, and so forth. However, at the same time I do enjoy discovering small bookstores. Tough call.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally watched The Da Vinci Code. It wasn't bad. I think that particular parts of the movie could have been elaborated on. Other than that, it was good. I really tried not to compare the movie with the book. Easier said than done! =) What can I say? Dan Brown makes the story much more interesting and suspenseful in his book. =)) With that said, the movie was definitely worth seeing. And besides, Tom Hanks rocks. =)