Done with Isaac and his storm...

I finished Isaac's Storm last night. I would say that if you are squeamish about the powerful destructive force of water, whether it be in the form of a hurricane, waves, or high water, that you avoid this book. His descriptions of how the water takes over the city of Galveston are detailed, as are his descriptions of the effects the water had on bodies and buildings. Even without the crime story intertwined, like in his other books I've read, it still had a level of suspense and I can tell you my heart beat a little faster the night I was reading and there was a storm flashing lightning outside the bedroom window.

When it was over, I tried to imagine what it must have been like to be there. It nearly choked me up thinking about it. The devastation was immense, and yet that city still stands today. They rebuilt after unprecedented loss and moved forward. Amazing.

I'll be bringing The Golden Compass along with me on the trip to CO. I don't really expect to get it started along the way, but will likely be glad to have it at the airport and on the plane on Tuesday.

Vacation

You would think that with a week off from work, I would have finished one of the several books I have have going. Nope, not one.
So, I will be sneaking in some reading during the next few rainy days. :)

Lifetime Movie...?

I finished Between Sisters this weekend. I think that it could totally be a Lifetime movie. I didn't find the writing to be superb, but the story was good, and the emotion was definitely there. Yes, I cried at several parts towards the end. But hey, even Lifetime movies can move you... in fact, isn't that kind of what Lifetime movies are all about?!

I started Isaac's Storm last night. Like I said before, I loved the other Erik Larson books I've read (Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck) and although this one doesn't seem to have an intertwined crime story, I still think I'll like it a lot.

Oh, all right

I'll admit it. You all having been reading such intellectual books. ME, I have been sucked into the "Twilight" saga.
Not that I haven't read other books. In the past several weeks, I read two different Janette Oke Books, "A Woman Named Damaris" and "A Bride for Donovan".
I continue to read "Living Artfully" and "The Invitation". I can only do these a bit at a time, but I have not given them up. I actually have reread parts instead of moving forward in "The Invitation".
I have side books as well: "The Last Lecture" and "Living in Chaos" The second is a book about adolescence with dyspraxia, written by a 16 year old with the condition. It is my car book.

But, I will comment on the "Twilight" books. I think Edward is an a**. I don't find the idea of cold marble kissing to be enticing. However, I do feel there is a thread of mystery in them. There is a piece that I feel is missing and we have to figure out. I like the character of Jake, and find him to be more appealing. Who knows, maybe it is the fact that I like dogs more than bats. :)
Yeah, I know, it is truly sad that I should have an opinion about fluff books, but I do. I am not enlighten by them, just entertained.

Books, books, books!

I finished parts one and two of The Naked and the Dead (which means over 400 pages!) and then returned it today. Some day I'll take it out again and read parts three and four!

In an effort to catch up on my reading goals, I took out three books today. I don't know if I can finish them all by the return date, but I'm going to try! I chose some that I thought would be pretty quick, but enjoyable. Here they are:

1. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. I've read two of his other books and I LOVED them. I don't think this one has a crime story interwoven into the historical parts, but I'm sure it's good anyways.

2. Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah. This one was recommended by Grama. Hopefully I enjoy it and devour it as quickly as she did!

3. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. I saw the movie and really enjoyed it, but was disappointed that the sequels probably wont be made into movies any time soon. I know a lot of the subject matter is controversial, but it's also extremely creative and interesting. I'll probably read this one last so I can follow up with the sequels.

And yay, when I was leaving the library, I checked the "free books" bin and found Hold the Dream by Barbara Taylor Bradford. It's the sequel to A Woman of Substance, which I bought awhile back at the thrift store after thinking it looked good and then finding out it's one of Grama's faves. I haven't read the first one yet, but maybe I'll get through the two this summer.

Whoa.

I figured out today that I've been working on The Naked and the Dead for almost seven weeks. Like I've said, it's not taking so long due to lack of interest or enjoyment, it's just a really long book and I've not been reading much because it's not really a "can't put it down" kind of book.

So, I decided this morning that I'm going to skip to the end and see what happens, if anything. Then I'm moving on to something else. Maybe someday I'll come back and read the middle, but for now, I want to catch up on my reading goals! Plus, when warm weather hits, there's this serious desire to read lighter, move through them quickly books in the sunshine as opposed to curling up into blankets and warmth for something more serious.

I'll be going to the library tomorrow and I'll check back in to let you know what I pick out!

Books

I've never read "Poisonwood Bible" but I have read another book by Barbara Kingsolver--"Prodigal Summer". I think you would like it, Karen.


Right now I am reading a Kristen Hannah book from Grama. "The Things You Do for Love". I surprised myself and stayed awake for well over an hour last night after I went to bed! I am enjoying the book. Mom--you were right--it's a gentle read. I'm looking forward to more!

This week Christie and I discussed the book "Style Statement". It's a book about defining personal style using two descriptive words. The words are discovered through written exercises. I'd write more but Mike is turning out the lights and going to bed without me. So, more later!

Complete

I finished The Poisonwood Bible. It was absolutely incredible. I wish I could put my feelings about it into words, but I can't quite form the right sentences. (Might be the distraction of American Idol...). But really, it was such a great picture of social and cultural differences in terms of seeing a "third world country" through an upper-middle class American's point of view. It explores the differences in religion, values, and just the things we take for granted as opposed to what other people could never imagine in their wildest dreams. I'm having a hard time expressing myself, but just know that this book is a major recommendation for anybody. Definitely in my top 5 at this point.

Now I'm working on The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. More on that later when I've gotten further into it.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!!

Another Kristin Hannah book that is! I was so excited on Tuesday night to find I had gotten my order from Amazon that had my new KH book "Between Sisters" in it. I started to read right away and at 12:30 AM on Thursday I closed the book, dragged my body up the stairs and went to bed. Another totally absorbing story done. AND I had been to bed, gotten up and worked all day Wednesday as well!

This book was about a broken relationship between two sisters and what happened to bring them together one more time... Read it, you'll like it.

Still plugging along...

I'm glad to see an occasional post up here! I know we're all still reading plenty, and it's great we're finding the time to tell each other about it every now and then.

I'm still working on The Naked and The Dead. I'm actually really enjoying it, but I think I've decided the reason it's going so slowly is partly because it's not the kind of book you get all into and then devour in a couple of sittings. The writing is fantastic, I'm enjoying the characters, but it's not the suspense kind of book where you can't wait to read more.

Plus, I get to bed, read a few pages, and then find the book in my lap because I've dozed off. Ah, life is so exhausting, haha!

Because I didn't finish by the end of March, I'm a bit behind on my goal of two a month, but I'll just make the next couple books quick reads to help me catch up!