Reading Schedule on Target

Even during the excitement of the biggest social event of the year, I have managed to keep up with my reading. Lesson learned last year. I will not want until the last minute to meet my reading goal. My goal this year is two books a week. I am over my goal for the month of January.
I am very excited about the quality of books I have read this year. It is easier to stay motivated to read when I have good books. The Old Lady gave me a tiny journal type book. I have turned it into my place to keep my must read book list. Easy to carry in my purse. Whenever I find myself in a book store, I just pull out the list. I never seem to get to all the books on my list. Last week I figured out why. Even with the list in my hand, I can become easily distracted. It was a good distraction, but still not on my list.
I picked up, Life Without Summer by Lynn Griffin. The first thing I noticed about all the books I bought is they were all so SAD!! I am not sure why so many good books are tragic. That does not stop me from picking the books up!
This book was about a mother coping with the loss of her 4 year old daughter. She was killed by a hit and run driver. What makes the story unique is that it was written through the Mother's journal. It is also written through the Counselor's journal. It was such an interesting way to tell the story.
When I logged this book in my journal, I rated it a 5. When I started writing the blog I realized it could not be a 5. I figured out the ending of the book very early in the story. I had to take points off for that. I still stayed interested in the book. It was good from the first page to the last page. I recommend this if you want a uniquely told story.
I rate the book a 4.

A Walk On The Beach

I just finished my last book of 2010. The next book I start will probably be a long one. The old lady suggested this book to me, A Walk On The Beach by Joan Anderson. It was the perfect end for a year of good reading. It reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love without leaving the country and for older people. This is a true story.
Joan Anderson took a year off from her life. She went to live in Cape Cod for a year at the beach. It would be nice to have a beach house to run away to. I would run away and write a book about the experience too. There would be more wine in my book. Maybe cigarettes too. Alright, not cigarettes but a girl can dream.
A Walk On The Beach is about Joan Anderson and her chance meeting with an elderly woman, Joan Erikson. They meet walking on the beach. They become close friends. The elder, Joan, becomes a mentor to the younger Joan. She helps her to learn to embrace life and live for herself. It is a great journey. I gave the book a 4 rating.

Here are some of the life lines from Joan Erikson's unconventional wisdom:

Overdose on the sense: Get our of your body, absorbing all that you come in contact with.

Sponsor Yourself: Don't deny yourself to please others. You only lose yourself in the promise.

Reach For Satisfaction: Does what you are doing (in work or play) satisfy you? Does it make you laugh? Does it make you sing? If so latch on to it.

Always Be Willing To Embrace Challenges: A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension. The struggle, the pull and tug are everything.

So food for thought in this last day of 2010. A day to reflect on the past year. A day to look ahead with hopes and dreams for the future. Everything seems possible today! Even if we don't make official resolutions, we usually look towards the future.

I hope all my friends and family have a safe and Happy New Year! We like to have a quiet New Year. Nice steak dinner at home. Some good wine. There will probably be a good book in that mix!

Happy Anniversary

Tonight was The Page Turner Club's one year anniversary. We do not have the same people we started with. Our numbers are smaller. But it still works. Tonight our discussion was, Flowers For Algernon. This book is a classic. Several of us had read it before. The first time I read it was in high school. I am sure I read it without any major revelations. I probably took from the book whatever we were told we needed to pass the test. I know I liked the story. Reading this time I saw so much more in the story. The ugliness of human nature. That would not have been as easy to see when I was 17. Hard to see through the brightness of youth. This time when I read it the dark side of human nature jumped out at me. People being cruel to mentally challenged. People aligning themselves with people that they feel superior to in some way. Help boost their own self-esteem on the flaws in other people. This is such a great example of how a story is not just a story. Our emotions and life experiences can enter into our interpretations of what we are reading.

We had a great discussion from this book. Many levels to look at. Everyone had something to add to the discussion. The discussion was rated high. A friend I have known since about 1982 has joined our group. She still feels like an outsider. I think she will feel like part of the group soon. I hope so. Over the years she and I have shared many deep discussions about books, life, music, whatever. She is quiet but intelligent. I cannot say I will look forward to her book pick. She loves psychology and self-help. That said, this is what book club is about. Stretching ourselves, opening up to new things.

It was a bit more quiet than we are used to. The hole that The Bride usually filled up. We missed you tonight. Hope you are spending a warm night, enjoying a Florida evening. Congratulations to our the Bride! She moved to Florida last week. She had a small wedding on the beach. Larger ceremony will take place back here in the Spring. I hope you are able to find a group to share your passion for books down there. Until you do, send e-mails to me. You know I love to talk about a good book!

Good food, great discussion, good book. Happy One Year to Us!



Dear Old Lady: I read that book Oxygen on September 3rd. Since that date I have read, 25 books. I barely remember what I did yesterday, what I read last week. 25 books ago? Are you kidding me. I will have to go back and read the blog entry about the book.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoos

I finished this audio book today. I finally had to take the CD's into work and listen to them while I worked. I could not wait for the ending anymore. This is a good book. Long book. It took too long to introduce the characters. When it finally got where it was going, it was a great story. A mystery, a story filled with intrigue, espionage. It was unpredictable. I like it when I cannot see where the story is going. I do not see myself immediately grabbing the next book in this series. I will get around to the second book next year.

The Count is: 21

The Obsession - The Confession

This is going to feel like a job if and when I finally complete my task of 100 books. Yesterday I started reading The Confession, by John Grisham. Tonight I finished it. In between I tried to enjoy some of my week-end. I hope at the end of this quest I still enjoy reading.
Most of the Grisham book was predictable. I have read other books of his regarding the death penalty. He is not a fan. His writing reinforces my belief that the death penalty is wrong.
This is the story of an innocent boy who became a man in prison. He was wrongly convicted of murder. Days before his execution, the real killer steps forward and confesses. Seems like that would make it a short story. Not so. This story takes place in Texas. A state known for loving the death penalty. The story goes into how death penalty cases are very political. There were several surprises in the book. I still agree with my the reason I stopped reading Grisham's legal books a few years ago. I feel like it is the same story, just rewritten.
I will say I think Grisham is a great writer. He wrote The Painted House. That is one of my favorite books. I also enjoyed: Skipping Christmas, The Bleachers, and his recent book of short stories called Ford County. I loved all of Grisham's early books that are related to the law.
I am going to give this story a 4. I do not want to go too low. It is a great story. I am just bored of the legal stuff. I think most people will enjoy it.
I know it is a short blog. Unfortunately, I have some laundry to fold. Reading is cutting into my life! Not that that is a bad thing.
Happy Halloween! I had some adorable fairies at my house. They brought their older brother, The Alien with them.

The Count is: 26

Keeping My Eye On The Prize

I finished another book today. This book was recommended to me by my high school composition teacher. The best teacher I had in high school. Whenever I see her, she gives me reading suggestions. The book is, Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas.
Tallgrass is about a Japanese internment camp that was set up in Colorado. This story is about the small town and people that were near the camp. It is about prejudices. It is about ignorance. How war can affect a country without the fighting taking place in that country.
The story is told through the eyes of Rennie a thirteen year old girl that lived near the camp. Rennie sees and hears how her family and friends are affected by the camp. By the war. I thought of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. Rennie grows up quickly. It is a time that families have to do whatever they can to make sure everything gets done on the family farm. I felt like I knew the family. I could picture their house, the farm.
It was a sad time in our country. It is hard to believe it was real. My husband's Grandfather lived in San Francisco at the time. He talked about how terrible it was when they put the Japanese in camps. They took citizens of our country, born in the United States and locked them up. Certainly not a proud time to be an American.
There are many stories within this story. It is not just about the Japanese camp. There are stories of families struggling to get through hard times. Families facing addictions, abuse, children killed in war. A child murdered. It is a riveting, cannot put down book.
You are probably thinking to yourself, did you read all day? Answer, yes. I need to read 31 books to hit 100 this year. It is almost impossible, yet......I have not completely given up on the goal yet. I might start picking thin books. Does that still count?

The Dive From Clausen's Pier

A friend from work that is getting back into reading after a lapse, recommended this book to me. It was written by Ann Packer. This was such an interesting book to read. I loved the writing style. I felt like I was a part of the story, along for the ride. I could not see where it was going to go. A very "in the moment" book.
Carrie Bell has spent her entire life in Madison, WI. She has the same best friend she has always had. She is still with her high school sweetheart. They are engaged, and she knows it is not what she wants. She has been drifting a way from him. Mike is paralyzed in a diving accident. It seems completely wrong for Carrie to leave him now, but she feels like now is the time she has to leave.
Mike being paralyzed seems like it should be such a huge part of the story. When I was reading the story, I felt like it was really about Carrie. About being someone for a long time and knowing she wanted to be someone else. I think that can so easily happen in a small town. Carrie was so brave to leave and yet leaving the way she did showed her weaknesses.
The is a story about Carrie. About the twist and turns in her life. Carrie is trying to figure out who she is, where she belongs. What she should do with her life. I think she had to leave the role she was type cast in to find her true self.
I really enjoyed this read. Even when I disagreed with choices she was making, I enjoyed the story. When I finished it I felt like I had just been on a long trip. It was a good feeling. It was a ride to somewhere unknown and such a great surprise!

The Red Thread by Ann Hood

Last week I listened to The Red Thread on audio. When I pick an audio book, I try to grab light reading. I want stories that are easy to follow. I need to be able to concentrate on driving as well as getting involved in a story. Because of this, I do not have high expectations of my audio reads. This book is a huge exception.

The story is centered on a Rhode Island adoption agency called, The Red Thread. Named after the Chinese belief that all babies are connected to their parents through a red thread. The story is told through Maya, the owner of the agency. She had a child that she lost through a tragic accident. She opens the agency to deal with her grieving.

The story is about six couples that are adopting babies. It is also the story of how and why the Chinese mothers give up their baby girls. I really enjoyed the way the story is woven together through three different perspectives. It keeps the story very interesting. Now it can be confusing trying to learn the names since it was audio.

The most amazing thing about the story is it came from the author's own story. She had a 5 yr. old child that died from a strep infection. She ends up adopting a Chinese baby. This story is part of her healing process. Knowing that personal information, makes this story even more amazing. It must have been so hard to write about the loss of a child.

I rate this book a 4. Read it, listen to it on audio, just hear the story. It is a good one!

Winner, Winner.......

I just finished a Pulitzer Prize winning book. I am really not sure how a book wins the Pulitzer Prize but it sounds impressive. I heard of this book from googling popular book club reads. I kept putting off buying it. Finally, got lucky and found it on clearance. The book is Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. It was such an interesting read. Olive Kitteridge is a retired schoolteacher. She lives in a little town, Crosby, Maine. The book is about the people of Crosby, Maine. Every chapter is a different story. It felt like I was reading short stories. Every chapter brings Olive into the story. Sometimes the story is told through Olive's view. Sometimes it is told through someone else. If the story is about someone else, that person might talk about Olive, or see Olive somewhere. If the story was not about Olive, I would be looking forward to how Olive would be worked into the story. This is an easy read. If you like to read slow, this is perfect. I could put the book down between chapters and not lose the story. I am giving this book a 4. I think I will read it again. It is unique. So interesting. I highly recommend it to everyone!! I think there is something for everyone in this book. Read it and let me know what you think!

Eat, Pray, Finally Finished the Book

These are japa malas. Prayer beads. They have been used in India by Buddhists and Hindus. If you can believe what Elizabeth Gilbert wrote in Eat, Pray, Love; rosary beads came from japa malas. I want a set of japa malas. I believe they can help me focus. I can feel the beads in my hands already. I do not think there is a Japa Malas R Us store in Bloomington. I know there are Buddhists in Bloomington. They can't all order their beads on-line. What if there is a bead emergency? Anyway, I digress. Tomorrow on my lunch, I will hunt for the beads. I want my beads to be pretty and feel smooth. I would like a cute bag to keep the beads in. What does all of this mean? I was once again sucked in by the book, Eat, Pray, Love. Those of you who do not get it, I say I do not get how you do not get it. This book is an amazing journey. For the really young people, I can understand that this book is not for you. You have not lost yourself. You have not gone off the course you wanted your life on. I am old. I am desperate. I want beads to help me find my center.

Eat, Pray, Love is not the usual book. I feel the journey. I feel like I get on a wave and ride it with Elizabeth. The beauty of her words surround me like warm water. I have been on the cold bathroom floor. I have cried until I could not cry anymore. I have looked in the mirror and not recognized the person looking back at me. I have jumped on the train of life with an open ended ticket and not bothered to get off the train. This book is not about Italy. It is not about India. It is not about Bali. You do not have to practice meditation or yoga. The purpose of the book is to remind us to get off the train. Elizabeth's story tells us how she was able to do that. If meditation is not your thing, what is. Some people run.

I am talking to you Mrs. I remember the blog you wrote when you started running again. How it reminded you of why you loved to run. That was your Italy Mrs. When you run, you are you. You are not the Mom, Teacher, Wife. You get to remember when life was about you.

Tru Stories has yoga. She also has her blog. She has creativity and that is her true self. When she is decorating her house. Writing a story that makes us all laugh or cry. Planning a dance once a year that people wait for. That is her true self. The first time she read the book, she got it. This book inspired her.

The Page Turner's is part of my journey. It inspires me. The blog. The club. The reading. The discussions. It is all part of the journey to find me. To inspire. To make me be a better person. To find more joy. To live a life with more laughter and hope. To enjoy more moments everyday.

To my dear friend, Milhouse. Read the book. Take the journey. Read it slow. Take it one chapter at a time. One bead at a time. She uses lots of words. If a few of them reach you, it is worth it. You have been on this journey for awhile already. Your brave move. Taking a chance at a crazy love. You are starting to believe you are special. I have always thought you were. Love yourself more. Do great things for you. I hope the book inspires you.

The first time Tru Stories and I read the book, she put together a group of women to walk to the next town. Crazy thing to do. I did it. I am proud I did it. This time I want the book to inspire me to work harder on me.

I am rating the book #4. I know it is not going to do well at the meeting tomorrow night. I really believe it reaches the people that need to be reached. If you are already getting off the train, you do not need this book. Unfortunately, most people do not remember to live life. I hope it inspires a few people to work on that.

Great Summer Day

I had a great day today. The Kid spent the night. We got up early and went downtown to the Train Depot. The organization I am involved in is doing a HUGE landscaping project. Today volunteers were coming to help with the planting. We had people show up. That was amazing and exciting. We were able to get all the plants in. It is going to be beautiful. After a couple hours of hard, hot work, we headed home for lunch before an afternoon at the pool. We picked Tink up to go with us to the pool. We spent 3 hours in the warm pool water. The only time we got out was for one break. It was a great time. The Kid kept swimming under me and Tink. Over and over. Feels like yesterday I would play that game with my Mom. My daughter did it with me. I stood there holding little Tink, laughing while The Kid swam under us remembering so many wonderful times in the water.
After I dropped the kids off at their house, I headed home for an afternoon nap. Nothing better than a nap after being in the sun. After my nap, I decided to finish my book.
I finished reading Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. The back of the book describes the story as, "One of the most touching, irresistible, and feel-good road trips I've been on in a long, long while." The story is around Amy Curry. She is having a bad year. Her Mother is moving the family from California to Connecticut. Amy's brother is in rehab. Her Dad recently passed away.
There were so many times in this book I felt like I was in the moment with the characters. I could smell Kentucky. I think I read this is a first book for the author, Morgan Matson. Fantastic story. It is a journey across the country. It is also a journey for Amy to come to terms with her grief. Roger is dealing with a relationship that ended. He was hired by Amy's Mom to drive the family car and Amy to Connecticut. Amy is afriad to drive.
It was a great read. Felt like it was timely for me. Not sure what I am suppose to gleam from this book. I feel like it will come to me. For now I am basking in the glow of finishing a good story.
I am going to give this book a 4. It might be that I am feeling generous at the end of a good day. Or maybe it really is a 4!

E-Reader Review

I just finished reading, The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. This is my first read on my new Sony E-Reader. It is the only book I have downloaded to date. It was a book I had on my list of reading. It is not the type of book I really want to put on my reader. I read fast. Too fast. To the point it can be hard for me to savour the books. My plan is to put non-fiction on the reader. Easy to carry. Something I usually only read a little at a time. This was the first book I came across to get downloaded quickly to try out the reader.

Let me list the what I liked about the reader:

It is much easier on my wrists. So easy to turn the pages.

I feel like I read slower and can take the time to enjoy it. I can't see the ending so I do not rush through to get to the end.

Easy to carry in my purse.

Do not have to figure out if I want to keep the book or share the book.

At this point, the cons are winning.

I miss holding the book.

I do not have as much satisfaction from finishing the book.

Hard to remember the name of the book or author because I am not looking at the cover.

I cannot find anything I want to download on the reader.

Virtual bookstores are not nearly as exciting as real bookstores. When I come out of a real bookstore I have anywhere from 2-10 books.

It feels like I just read a blog, not a book.

It is going to take time. I think it will become more enjoyable. I think I will read more often when I have a few spare minutes. I hope, eventually, there will always be a few books downloaded to pick from. I am not disappointed, it was about what I expected.

Now to review the book. This was a good story. It was about a wealthy family of ranchers. Their oldest son was murdered and daughter-in-law missing, assumed dead. The book jumps from the time of the murder to 23 years later when the person convicted of the murder was released from prison. The story is told through the eyes of the daughter of the victims. This is a great light read. Part romance, part mystery.... The ending took me by total surprise!!! I never saw it coming. That is always a huge bonus for a book. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants an easy week-end read. Find a comfy chair, put your feet up, and enjoy a book read. I am going to give it a 4. Normally, I would not do that for what is just a simple book. Usually save that type of rating for deeper reads. This books gets an extra point for completely surprising me. If I had it in paperback, I would make it a keeper on my bookshelves. Can't do that with the reader.

Happy Book Club Day!!

Tonight is our monthly book club meeting! I missed last month. I am very ready for an evening with The Page Turners. I did not finish the book until after 9:00 last night. Really went to the last minute on this one. Next month is a long book. I am not going to wait until the last minute for that read. I will give my In Cold Blood review tonight after the meeting.
Did not have time to post last night. Another baseball game. Another game rained out. Made dinner for grandkids and their father. The Kid managed to wrangle himself an overnight stay. Did not leave me any extra time.

Counting Our Blessings

Two nights ago our town was hit by a tornado. They say it was a Level 2. Whatever that means! The destruction is shocking. It is tragic. Seeing people's homes destroyed, so terribly sad. Every time I see the destruction, I still see the blessings. There were no deaths! I do not know how it is possible. My family did not have damage to our homes. We will continue to count our blessings in the days to come.
We were without power for almost 24 hours. I finally finished a book. I even tried to read by candle light in the early hours of the morning. Much respect for Abe Lincoln. It is not an easy task.

The book I read was, Love, Greg & Lauren by Greg Manning. This book was a suggested read from The Old Lady. It was a good suggestion. I am going to rate it a 4. It is a husband's day-by-day account of his wife's recovery after she was burned in the September 11th attack. She was burned over 82.5% of her body.

The book is a compilation of the e-mails that Greg sent to family and friends to keep them updated on Lauren's struggle and recovery. It is an amazing love story. It is inspirational to read about Lauren's strength. It is a reminder that the struggles for many people after the attacks are going to last a lifetime. The book was also very educational without being too graphic regarding the medical care required for severe burn patients.

I think there was a point where Greg knew what he was writing would end up being a book. The e-mails were always very well written. Greg focused on the positive. He was honest without being too graphic. It was a tragic story about a terrible time in our country. It ended up being an inspirational look at brave, loving people.

Not a book to read sitting on the beach. It is a reminder to count our blessings. If you like to read about human strength and what people can overcome, this is the story.

Reading Binge

I finished another book today. Once in awhile I go on a reading binge. This is one of those times. Reading is one of my escapes. Today I felt the need to escape.
I used to have this other life. I am not going to pretend I liked it better than my current life. For 31 years I lived somewhere else. When the nice weather starts, I miss my old yard. I had an area enclosed by a privacy fence. For years, I had some kind of above ground pool. It got smaller as the years passed and the kids left. It was always my favorite place to be. Laying on an air mattress looking at a blue sky. My neighbors had a big beautiful tree I liked to look at. It was so peaceful. My little world. Could not even begin to guess how many books I read in or next to the pool. Sitting in the sun and reading. Floating in a pool and relaxing. No privacy in my backyard now. No pool. Not even a place to sit and read without the possibility of being watched by all the neighbors. Don't get me wrong. There are more positives about my new life than negatives. Today I felt like mourning the loss of my pool. That explains why two books were finished today.
There was also a pattern in the titles of my books. I feel like I read this book before. I did not recognize all of it. Parts of it felt familiar. Usually, if I have already read a book I know on the first page. This was not the case. If I did not read it before, I read a similar story. That can happen when someone reads as many books as I read. Here is a short synopsis from the back of the book:
Every summer the Newton family retreats to their beloved home on Nantucket for three months of sunshine, cookouts, and bonfires on the beach. This summer will not be like any other. When prominent attorney Arch Newton dies in a plane crash his beautiful widow, Beth, can hardly keep things together. She decides that she must continue the family tradition of going to Nantucket, and at the same time fulfill a promise that Arch made before he died.
This is a good story. It is filled with the theme of first loves and love lost. There are teenagers that fall in love for the first time. Adults that never got over their first love. Plus the main character dealing with the loss of her husband. It is a nice story. Easy to read. Hard to put down. Great book to take on vacation. Obviously, it was a good book to lose myself in this afternoon.

Sad Subject, Great Book

This was my week-end read. It was not a light, happy read. It is a terrible subject matter. A young boy sexually abused. A family friend takes him in as a Foster Child. Chapters are written from the perspective of characters in the family. Jordan, the abused child. Sarah, the friend that becomes Jordan's Foster Mother. Nate, Sarah's oldest son. Sarah became close friends with Jordan's Mother after Sarah's husband dies. The book does not just cover the subject of the abuse. The story is also about Sarah still dealing with the loss of her husband. Nate, dealing with the loss of his father and struggling with school problems. It is a book I did not want to put down. This is an example of an author taking a number of struggles that a family is enduring and weaves them together into a wonderful book.
There are several reasons I love this book. I bought it for less than $5.00 from the bargain books!! I picked it up based on the cover. I read the back of the book and bought it. I would not have picked it if the back of the book described what the story was about. Here is a small
sample of the book description:
A young widow raising two boys, Sarah Laden is struggling to keep her family together. But when a shocking revelation rips apart the family of her closest friend, Sarah finds herself welcoming yet another troubled young boy into her already tumultuous life.
I will be on the look out for more books by Katrina Kittle. She is a wonderful story teller. She made the story seem fresh. It flowed from the first page to the last. It is not a book I would suggest for a book club read. It is a good book for people that do not mind a long story.
Still need that light happy read for my week-end.

The Last Snow I Want To Discuss

In honor of our last week-end of snow, I will discuss, Light on Snow. This book was referred to me by my doctor. Pap smear and a book discussion. A full service doctor. Judging from her recommendations, she has an eclectic reading selection. I can appreciate that. I have enjoyed all the recommendations she has given me that I have read.
I have read a couple of Anita Shreve's books. She is an easy read. This book is about a father and his 11 year old daughter. After a terrible tragedy the father takes his daughter to live in a remote area to grieve. One evening they go for a walk and find an abandoned baby. This event changes their lives. It is a beautiful story. Once again, I liked the fact it was not completely predictable. Because I read so much, I am always excited to find a book with a unique story. I would consider it a love story. Not in the conventional manner. Not a boy meets girls and falls in love story. More realistic story about living through life when things do not go as planned.
It is a quick read. Nice change from some of the other books I have read lately. Not a happily ever after book. I hope to come across one of those very soon! I also have to get through this month's book club pick. That is not going to be easy! More on that to come.
If my blog causes you to read one of my book suggestions, please let me know. Or if you have read one of the books, I reviewed, let me know if you agree or disagree with me. Don't just leave me hanging out here. Want to know what you are thinking, reading, read. Let me hear your comments.