7th Son Descent

This book is very fast paced. It starts out with the President of the United States, getting his throat slit by a 4 year old. There is not a dull moment after that. Imagine secret organizations in the military, cloning, memory transfers.... You get the point. There is a sequel, but it is not out yet. Can't wait though.

Loving Frank

Loving Frank was the book club choice for November. It was based on the life of Frank Loyd Wright. Hated it! Now with that said I can go on. It follows the life of the women he left his wife for, more than his life. But it takes place during the time they were together. Others may have a different take on this book. If so don't hesitate to comment.

The Housekeeper and the Professor

I am always deeply suspicious of translations not done by an author, but this was a Beautiful translation from the original Japanese! This is the story of a housekeeper called upon to care for a mathematician who, since an auto accident, only has 80 minutes of memory. The housekeeper and her son learn the beauty of numbers. Here is an example of the language:

"Eternal truths are ultimately invisible, and you won't find them in material things or natural phenomena, or even in human emotions. Mathematics, however, can illuminate them, can give them expression-in fact, nothing can prevent it from doing so."

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

By the same authors who brought us Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This one is about two best friends, Naomi (straight) and Ely (gay), who have grown up across the hall from on another and can't imagine a future without one another. Then Ely kisses Naomi's boyfriend and it rocks their friendship to the core. Less of everything in this book compared to Nick and Norah, but oh the cleverness. (Also, many Buffy the Vampire Slayer references! In case you needed an extra reason to read it.)

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire

These pictures are out of order, but I'm too lazy to fix it right now. This series by Suzanne Collins is very well done! She takes us to a future time where each year there is a reality TV show in which 24 kids between the ages of 12-18 (2 from each of the 12 districts the land seems to be divided into) fight to the death. One cannot read these book without thinking about modern day television. Told from the perspective of a teenage girl but with enough action in them that my teenage son was equally hooked.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

I am torn by this book (which I picked up right after I watched the movie.) Were it not for the EXCESSIVE use of the "f" word, I would probably give it top marks. It catches being a teen in the tri-state area Perfectly! It gets the music scene on the lower east side exactly right. It gets emotional trauma after exes just right. Honestly, it gets the language just right, too. New Jersey folk do tend to curse like sailors. There's just so much of said language. It's one case where I would say that even though the book does a far better job with character development, it might be better to just watch the movie. I wasn't comfortable having this book lying around where my kids could pick it up and glance at the verbal and for that matter sexual education within.

Make sure you look at all the pictures

http://totallylookslike.com/2009/11/04/loloween-look-alike-costume-contest-winners/

Blah, blah, blah.

It isn't as if we have stopped reading books. Perhaps it is just that we are ashamed of what we are reading. I know that is the case for me. I have read, or am reading, just about every book to do with vampires and their (mostly infuriating) love lives. I am not proud. These books are the popcorn equivalent of reading. Light, crunchy and they fill you up with mostly hot air, butter and salt. Ok. So the similarities aren't that great. I just thought it had been far too long since someone posted anything, and , when confronted with a big expanse of white, virgin snow I will be the first to pee in it. (Not really, but I will stomp around in it with great glee).
Love,
Heather

I recently listened to this. It has the following stories, including my MOST FAVORITE EVER!!! Listen to it, and laugh. A lot.

Yma Dream by Thomas Meehan (MY FAVORITE!!)
Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara
The Fix by Percival Everett
The H Street Sledding Record by Ron Carlson (This would be my second favorite from this collection.)
The Third and Final Continent by Jhumpa Lahiri
Valor by Richard Bausch
Enough by Alice McDermott

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Some of you have already read this one, but I thought for those of you that haven't I would throw this out there again. It is a stunner. The premise is suicide, so for those of you sensitive to that you may get pretty pissed off at the character, and may want to bypass this one. But, for me, one of the attractions of this story was how the author was able to portray the emotions and perspectives of Hannah, the girl who does the deed (not giving anything away here folks). So, anyway, just to give a wee morsel of the book, Clay--teenage boy, somewhat shy and gawky, but cool--comes home from school and finds a box on his doorstep. Excited, he rushes in, opens the box, and inside finds 7 cassette tapes, numbered 1 through 13. Curious, he goes to the garage, pops the tape in the player, and hears Hannah--who killed herself 2 weeks earlier. The tapes are her last words, and her 13 reasons why she killed herself. The problem is, these tapes are only being sent to those 13 people; but Clay loved Hannah--so why did he get the tapes? And does he have the courage to listen to them?

Paper Towns

After a reading slump, I am back in the saddle.  I've been whipping through about one YA novel a day.  Up first is my beloved John Green.  Reading John Green is like hanging out with all my favorite guy friends from high school and college.   John's latest book "Paper Towns" is about Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and the adventures that follow after his next door neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman climbs in his window one night.  John Green tells coming of age stories for the geeky, witty boy.  As those are my favorite types of boys, I love everything he writes.  He is crass.  But he is exactly as crass as all those high school and college boys I was hanging out with, so it works for me.  

My two favorite quotes from this book, (Although much of it had me laughing aloud last night.  After the fifth outburst, Todd gave up asking why I was laughing.):

"Getting you a prom date is so hard that the hypothetical idea itself is actually used to cut diamonds"

AND

Boys discussing how to kiss a girl- "As far as I can tell, there are two basic rules: 1. Don't bite anything without permission, and 2. The human tongue is like wasabi: it's very powerful, and should be used sparingly."

Oh, that John Green had been writing 15 years ago so some of my former boyfriends could have benefitted from such wisdom!

On a side note, the same themes keep popping up in John Green's books.  An idea that was underdeveloped in the last book becomes fully developed in the next one.   I just mention it because I could see being annoyed by that.  I think with Green the equation either works for you or doesn't.  I don't think you're likely to love one of his books and hate another.     

The House

I've spent the last few years trying to let go of author snobbery.  There are many authors who I considered too popular to read.  I've spent the last several years getting over it.

With this in mind at the library a few weeks ago, I picked up this book by Danielle Steel.  I've never read anything by her since I also have a thing about authors whose names are bigger than the title.  (I'm against it, in case you're wondering.)  But this story was about San Francisco and the restoration of a turn of the century home.  I am fans of both of those things, so I figured 'What the heck?'.

I think I may stick to my guns on my author snobbery from now on.  This book was awful.  A friend asked me if it was a trashy bodice ripper.  The answer is no.  There's nothing trashy in the story.  It's just poorly written.  Everything was said and said and said again.  She could have shaved off 75 pages by not repeating herself every other page.

Maybe she has better books, but I'm not sure I'm willing to try any more to find out.

Falling In Love

I listened to this collection of "Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story" while doing chores.  One story was about equal to one room.  When we were in NJ and devotees of WNYC, we listened to Selected Shorts every Sunday morning.  We just recently found it broadcast here in Columbus, and are so excited to have it again.  Check it out wherever you are and enjoy the readings.  

This particular collection was called "Falling in Love" and included:

"Fires" by Rick Bass

"The Winnowing of Mrs. Schuping" by Padgett Powell

"The Lone Pilgrim" by Laurie Colwin

"Melisande" by E. Nesbit (and read by Jane Curtain.  My boys listened to and really enjoyed this one with me.)

"Violets" by Edna O'Brien

"Travis, B."  by Maile Maloy

Selected Shorts is an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by acclaimed actors.  The readings are recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City.  The Selected Shorts radio series is a co-production of Symphony Space and WNYC, New York Public Radio, and is heard on public radion stations nationwide.

Life As We Knew It

Dena suggested this one to me. I couldn't put it down. It's a teen novel, and written as a young girl's diary. An asteroid hit's the moon and knocks it out of it's orbit, which changes the earths tides and magnetic pull. This is the diary of a young girl, living with her mom and 2 brothers, during these events. I won't go into the story, because I would probably give too much away, but.. it's a good story and stays with you.

Half-Broken Things

I really don't know how I came to read this book. No one recommened it to me, I hadn't heard of the author, I just happened to see it at the library and grabbed it because I was wanting something to read. Didn't even check to see what it was about. (which is strange for me) Anyway, it's about an elderly house sitter who is staying in the perfect house. She has just been informed that the company will no longer need her services due to her age. She has no family, or place to go. She makes up a son, and places an advertisement in the paper looking for him. A man who has no family, no job, and makes a living stealing from people, answers her ad. He also brings along a pregnant girl he has just met. Together the 3 of them become a family and make each other something better. They have found their place together. Only problem- not their house.

This book has won the Silver Dagger Award. (I really don't know what that is) This is not a mystery, drama or romance. Maybe a little of each? It draws you into the lives of these characters and makes you ask "What would I do to keep my family together?".

The War of Gifts

If you like the Ender series, you will enjoy this short story by Orson Scott Card. It takes place at the Battle School during Christmas, where all religious observance is forbidden. There is only one purpose, only one curriculum: the strategy and tactics of war. The children are drawn from all nations, all races, all religions, and are expected to leave all their cultural differences on earth. But they are kids. One boy leaves a Sinterklaas Day gift in his best friend's shoe and that quiet act of rebellion becomes the first shot in a war of wills with the staff of the Battle School.

It's only 126 pages, but was an enjoyable holiday read.

The Worst Hard Times

This is a terrific book. I must admit, I had not a clue about the Depression. I had listened to my Granny talk about what they went through during the Depression, and they had it better than a lot. They lived on a farm in Kentucky. But after reading this book, I went back and asked her and my parents about the dust storms that traveled across the nation. They could remember the days the storms came across. This was dust from Oklahoma and neighboring states covering Kentucky and all the way to New York. I can't imagine. The author Timothy Egan, has a special showing on the History Channel, where he tries to recreate the conditions that these people were living in. This book makes it come alive for you. It generalizes the times, but also follows the lives of several people in a small town, in the heart of the Dust Bowl. Best Nonfiction I have read in a while.

Thanksgiving

Like every other Evanovich story I've read: girl meets boy under slightly zany circumstances. Boy is instantly attracted to her but scared of committment. Further zany circumstances draw them together until they are in love but are too afraid to admit it. Silly fight. Zany circumstances bring them back together where love is declared and committment made.

This particular one takes place in Williamsburg.

Utterly ridiculous. And perfect for listening to while hiding in one's room folding laundry to escape the "whole house light saber battles" which my four sons currently stage.

The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday

This is book 5 in the Isabel Dalhousie Series. I love these books. I love most of what Alexander McCall Smith writes. ("The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, and "44 Scotland Street" series.) Most books I attack with voraciousness and gorge myself on. These books I can appreciate at my lesiure. They seem to be written to simultaneously calm and entertain me.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This was our book group selection for December. I think we all universally agree that we loved it. Recommended for women and book groups everywhere.

Montana Sky

I've never read a book by Nora Roberts before. Upon admitting this, one of my guy friends was appalled. I was informed that Nora Roberts is as requisite for women as John Grisham/Michael Chrichton/whomever else is writing books to be read on an airplane flight these days.

I was unaware that there were gender requirements for these authors, but I'll take the comparison.

"Montana Sky" is the story of three sisters who meet for the first time at the funeral of their father. He married and divorced their mothers before the daughters ever knew him. Now these three very different women are required to spend one year on his ranch in Montana to receive any inheritance. I will admit that I had low expectations when the three beautiful sisters all had three gorgeous cowboys to spend time with, but honestly the story was very suspenseful and enjoyable.

My largest complaint is that I listened to this story. Why is it that every actor believes that people in the west speak with southern accents? It was extremely irritating to listen to the reader make everyone sound like they were from the deep south. And frankly, even people in the deep south don't really talk like that. People in Montana have an accent. I've never heard anyone correctly immitate it, though.

Let It Snow

When one is faced with amazing amounts of stress, what should one do?

In my opinion, one should read light and fluffy books. If I want intense, I will kindly check back into my own life, thank you very much.

In that vein, I thoroughly enjoyed "Let It Snow". It's a series of short stories written by three different YA authors. The stories have a few things in common and should be read in order since they are sort of connected. (I read the one by John Green first, because he is my favorite. I was confused by a few wierd references until I went back and read the first story...um, first.) The three stories take place when a huge blizzard hits a small town in North Carolina.

Yes, I read it while it was snowing outside.

And, yes, it made me happy inside.