well, it is not too awful

I have stuck it out with "The Other Queen", and though it does occasionally make me yell into the air that "I picked up that four disks ago", I have also enjoyed it. There are three perspectives, each read by a different narrator. We see the story from Mary Stuart, Bess of Hardwick, and Lord Talbert's viewpoint. Not bad, and I am thankful that they use different people to help me to be focused. :)

Other books on my list on in progress:
"Two Old Women" a book that is rather interesting. It is based on a legend in a native culture in the Pacific North West. The old women in the band are left behind because there is not enough food, and they have not been able bodied for years. After they realize that this was really happening, they are determined to survive. Though they still have the aches and pains from a few days before, they work through them, and move to a safer place. I actually am looking forward to picking this up again.

"The Lace Reader" is a novel. It based out of Salem, MA, and I haven't gotten too far into it. I think it is a mystery of sorts, and related to talents we are afraid of trusting with in ourselves.

"The Last Lecture", this is a hard read for me at this point. I have set it aside for now.

My car book continues to be the one written by an adolescent with Dyspraxia. I am close to being done with it though.

My next audio book will be "The Memory Keeper's Daughter".

It's Been a While...

I think the last time I posted I had started The Bell Jar, which i very much enjoyed. I only had a vague idea about the book when I started and there were times when I really related to the main character, Esther, particularly in the way she looks at the world and the people around her. It turns out the book is semi-autobiographical, following Sylvia Plath's own descent into mental illness. (Interesting side fact: It was Plath's first and I think only novel and she published it under a pseudonym because she didn't think it had any relevance, literary or otherwise.) Go figure. It was a very interesting read and did not end as tragically as I thought it would. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Sylvia Plath's own life, which she ended very shortly after this novel was published.

After that, I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, another book Paige lent me from her collection. It took a little while for me to get into it--it was very intellectual and deep and philosophical and I had a hard time relating to the characters for a while, but as is often the case, it picked up and I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of interesting points made about society in general and the behavior of people, particularly between the classes. It was a very good example of the bonds that can be made between unlikely people and how those bonds can affect the course of a person's life. It touches on how even the smallest of things can have the biggest effect on people. I definitely recommend it to anyone who can fit it in.

I didn't bring anything new with me to Colorado but I managed to find a small collection of books in the housing common area and picked out The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber. It's a very Dan Brown-esque novel that centers around a mysterious and presumably very valuable piece of literature. Already a scholar with important information has been tortured to death! It should keep me entertained at the very least until I get more books in my possession, which I know are coming!

Listening

I finished the Twilight Saga, and was rather disappointed with the ending.

Now, I am listening to books, rather than reading. Well, OK, I am still reading... Just haven't decided which book to discuss....

Any way has any one read "The Other Queen" by Phillipa Gregory? Please tell me it gains some momentum and they stop repeating themselves.... Other wise, I will be shifting to "The Memory Keeper's Daughter"....

My reading at this point is focused on gaining some perspective for my upcoming sermon.
Some Joyce Rupp, Bible, and well Bible Commentary... The Joyce Rupp is more for the PLF worship service I will do on Tuesday night. The others will help in June. :)

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!