Past Reads

I feel I should write about some good reads I've had in the past. I can't think of any new books I've read that aren't already on here.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. So Good! If you like memoirs, this is a must read.

I also just finished another book by Jeannette Walls. It is about her grandmother this time, called Half Broke Horse

Her Grandmother was born in 1901, it tells her story. It is not as good as The Glass Castle, but still worth a read.

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

Haven is an excellent story teller and this book is so fun. It is another memoir about her life in Indiana, she was born in 1965. Very FUNNY. If you like this book (which you will), then you'll also love the sequel.

She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel

I liked this book just as much as the first, although it was more sad.

I love Amy Tan. Her older books especially.

My two favorites are:

The Kitchen God's Wife - Amy Tan

and The Joy Luck Club.

She writes well about mother daughter relationships.

What are some of your favorite past reads - or current?

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This was a fascinating book that I completely loved. It's definitely for those who love history and can keep their attention with exclusive historic details. The fictional story wraps intricately around the legend of Dracula and portrays it from a completely different perspective. It takes you in and out of eastern European countries showing the ties they potentially had to the legend of Vlad Dracula.

It's far fetched, but keeps you interested to the very end. I highly reccommend it.

oldies but goodies

I never get sick of these two books by the Bronte sisters.
"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte and
"The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Bronte

A Long Way Gone

At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. At sixteen, he was removed from fighting by UNICEF, and through the help of the staff at his rehabilitation center, he learned how to forgive himself, to regain his humanity, and, finally, to heal.

SOOOO good! Defintely must read. Let me know what you think of it.

the Help, by Kathryn Stockett

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, was an excellent read! I loved it and read it in about 2 days. It was one of those books I wish hadn't ended. Put it on your to-read list now!!

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)