Book Review Bloggers

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The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

I was in kind of a reading slump for a while, starting lots of books but not finishing any. If I am not interested in the first few pages I have a tendency to skip ahead, sometimes read the ending, or sometimes not finish at all. I have no problem not finishing a book. Since I was in a reading slump, some friends suggested reading "The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins. I could not put it down...the book grabbed me from the beginning and I raced through it, finishing it in one day. It's kind of futuristic but not too Sci-Fi. It's the first in a series of three. Two thumbs up. Let me know if you read it and if you love it.

East of Eden

One of my all time favorite books. I read this about 6 years ago when I was living in NYC and became a frequenter of the subway. One good thing about public transit - its a great way to catch up on reading.




I love anything by Steinbeck and think he is a fabulous writer.

Here is the plot as stolen by Amazon.com:

Novel by John Steinbeck, published in 1952. It is a symbolic recreation of the biblical story of Cain and Abel woven into a history of California's Salinas Valley. With East of Eden Steinbeck hoped to reclaim his standing as a major novelist, but his broad depictions of good and evil come at the expense of subtlety in characterization and plot and it was not a critical success. Spanning the period between the American Civil War and the end of World War I, the novel highlights the conflicts of two generations of brothers; the first being the kind, gentle Adam Trask and his wild brother Charles.

It isn't the easiest of reads - but everyone should give it a try. Don't be intimidated. It is so beautiful, I can't wait to read it again.

First they Killed my Father

I just finished a memoir called First they Killed my Father. Its about a little girl who grew up in Cambodia during a war. Loung Ung, the author and subject of the book, writes the memoir from a childs point of view. I couldn't put the book down, and often found myself staying up until 3:00AM reading. Books like these are sad and unbelievable, but they also empower me. They help me to realize - if people can live through situations like these and survive and make something positive of their lives, then why can't I - with my feeble trials that I do have.

Here is the synopsis:

From a childhood survivor of Cambodia's brutal Pol Pot regime comes an unforgettable narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit.

Until the age of five, Lounge Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official. She was a precocious child who loved the open city markets, fried crickets, chicken fights, and sassing her parents. While her beautiful mother worried that Loung was a troublemaker--that she stomped around like a thirsty cow--her beloved father knew Lounge was a clever girl.

When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into Phnom Penh in April 1975, Ung's family fled their home and moved from village to village to hide their identity, their education, their former life of privilege. Eventually, the family dispersed in order to survive.

Because Lounge was resilient and determined, she was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, while other siblings were sent to labor camps. As the Vietnamese penetrated Cambodia, destroying the Khmer Rouge, Loung and her surviving siblings were slowly reunited.

These Is My Words

This book is one of those "I can't put it down" books. My friend Karen Burbank recommended it and lent it to me. I read it on an airplane ride home from a trip and didn't even notice how long the plane ride was, it was that good. Then I read it when I got home and stayed up until 2 am reading it, full well knowing that I had to get up at 6:30 in the morning. Basically, it is the story of Sarah Prine, as told to us through the words of her diary. She lives on the Arizona frontier, wants desperately to learn and to be educated, and loves her family. Oh yeah, and it's a romance. The author, Nancy Turner, bases the story loosely on one of her own relatives. It's a great story, but it's also beautifully written. You should read it!

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith

What a lovely book! It follows Precious (Mma) Ramotswe as she opens the one and only detective agency in Botswana. Mma Ramotswe is a wise and clever woman who loves Africa and is very good at her job as a detective. I loved reading about her different clients, how she "cracked" the cases, the scenery of Africa, her family and past....it was all so good. Put this book on your to-read list, you won't be sorry!

Bird by Bird

Recently I ordered three books on Amazon. One I didn't like (a book of essays by Barbara Kingsolver. I like her writing, but these were too shove-my-liberal-agenda-down-your-throat-minded) and two I did. They are both on writing, and so if you are not at all interested in writing, then you might not be interested in these. However, both books have a lot to say about other things besides writing and are inspiring, albeit in distinctly different ways.

First:

On Writing, by Stephen King - I have not read any of his books except this one, and yes, there is plenty of profanity to be found. There is also plenty of wit, good advice and a fantastic personal memoir

Second (and my favorite book about writing, ever):

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott - this book has made me laugh out loud as well as given me serious food for thought. It has great insight into the writing process and it's just a beautiful read. (warning: she also is keen on cussing)

I think I am the only one posting here, but I like to read, so I will continue to post books that I have read.

I like to get on Amazon.com and browse through the best seller lists or recommendation lists to get some ideas about new books or authors I may not have heard of. One such recommendation was for “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

This delightful little book takes place in London and on Guernsey Island in the English Channel at the end of WWII. The book is comprised entirely of letters written back and forth, with each letter telling a bit of the story of life in a Nazi occupied town.

Although the book is written only through letters, it flows well and the story line is easy to follow. There are humorous anecdotes about the quirky characters but also heartbreaking letters about humanity and heroism as the islanders helped each other during the war.

Don’t let the weird title scare you away…this book is witty, engaging, sad, thought provoking, and kept me gripped to the end. I loved all the characters and wanted to continue reading about their lives. So…read it!

Sophie Kinsella Books

I have to admit I have thoroughly enjoyed reading (er..listening to) Sophie Kinsella's books recently. The hapless heroine of each book is always getting into predicaments that make you cringe out of embarrassment for her and laugh out loud. If you are in the mood for a funny, easy to read, entertaining, bit of romance book, here's a little list for you:
The Undomestic Goddess
Can you Keep a Secret?
Remember Me?
Confessions of a Shopaholic

I also love an English accent...the narrator on the audio books does such a good job and it is fun listening to her accent. Everything seems funnier in an English accent for some reason.

Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

I thought I would give this book a try as I had nothing else to read and it was a small paperback. What a waste of time! It's confusing and makes vampire history confusing and the names in the book honestly drive me crazy!! I had to buzzz through and the end was left wide open so you have no choice but to read the next book if the story interests you.

I cannot get myself to even want to fell obligated to read the next book. The first was so awful, I can't imagine what I might learn in the second that would make me appreciate the first. Major Thumbs Down.