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.

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale

What a fun read...actually a fun listen, since I listened to this audiobook on my Zune. Lately I have been downloading audiobooks from Overdrive.com, a free service from most libraries that has free audiobooks to download. Anywhoo....

"The Goose Girl" is Young Adult fiction based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm (but even as a 30-something mother of three I immensely enjoyed it). Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee is to be the next queen of Kildenree, but when the king dies, the queen announces that her brother will be the next king. She sends Ani off to the next kingdom to wed the crown prince of Bayern. As she starts out on her month long journey to Bayern, betrayal, mistaken identity and danger ensue.

This book has just the right mix of suspense, action and romance. Turns out it is the first in a trilogy so now I have to read the other two!

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

I read this book a couple months ago and really enjoyed it. It gives 3 different accounts of three women just trying to survive during the most ruthless time of Henry VIII's reign.

The first account is from his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves, which was an arranged marriage to keep peace between Germany and England. Her story ends the best of the three.

The second account is from his 5th wife, Katherine Howard, a 15 year old girl, who was forced to marry him and is known by Tudor scholars as a shallow, simple-minded girl way in over her head.

The third account is given by Jane Rochford, sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn. She was the one who gave evidence against Anne Boleyn and her husband George Boleyn that caused their death. In this book, she continues to work for the enemy thinking she will get monetary gain out of it, but because she is a woman it's impossible for her to obtain anything of her own and no man in Europe would trust her after the way she betrayed her own husband.

It is a fascinating book that looks deep into the end of Henry VIII's reign, tyranny, and death. But the way these poor women are abused makes it a little depressing to read. But if you love Tudor history, Philippa Gregory is your woman.

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!


You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great
importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be
sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and
appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks

I LOVED this book. I could not put it down and finished it in 2 days, sometimes (gasp) ignoring the children a bit so I could get in a chapter or two.

The book describes the 17th-century plague that is carried from London to a small village by an unknowing tailor on a bolt of cloth. The result: the villagers, one by one, become infected and begin to die. The minister of the village boldly declares that in order to spare surrounding villages from contracting the plague, the people should stay to contain the disease and prevent it from spreading further.

The book focuses on one villager, Anna Firth, a housemaid, and her growth and determination through it all.

READ IT!! It was great.

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory

This book was really good. It's about Elizabeth I and the first two years of her reign. The history is amazing but the book contained quite a bit of sex and innuendos that I didn't think was necessary.

I have always been interested in The Royal Family from those early centuries and when Henry VIII reformed the church.

Philippa Gregory knows amazing things about that time period and completely dedicated to making her books as historically accurate as possible. She travels to the actual places she writes about and does so much research to make sure nothing is falsified.

I love her writing but this wasn't my favorite book of hers. I'm currently reading The Boleyn Inheritance and so far it's my favorite and once I finish I will give a good report.