Fiction
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) Incredible story I've read before and listened to on audio-book this year. It's LONG, but extremely applicable in our current political climate. Don't be scared off, though. I love this story simply for it's story. The characters and plot are captivating!
Surface of Earth (Reynolds Price) Honest story of the history that makes up family. Reminds me in theme of Liars and Saints (Meloy) which I read last year and loved. The first 1/4 of this book is complicated, forced, and uninspiring...until you get into the rest of the story and realize how important it was to start as far back as the author did. The author quite obviously had a deep connection with the the later generations of this family, but had to introduce you to their predecessors first. The deeper I read into this book, the more deeply I forgave him for the lack of connection in the beginning.
Source of Light-(Reynolds Price) Nowhere near as dynamic as the first book. The story lines that carried over from the first book stayed strong, but the new focus on the older youngest character was muddled and less than gripping. Even so, I'd have enjoyed it much more if I'd not had to skip 4 sections due to homosexual content.
The Promise of Rest-(Reynolds Price) Of the three books in this series, this one best fits the bill of being a stand-alone story with a solid and poignant tale to tell. As part of a series, it is probably the weakest at bringing in the previous storyline, but it does not suffer in the least bit because of that. Reading this story did a great service in assuaging my disappointments in the content of the second book-it's amazing how the way a topic is presented can make ALL the difference.This book is beautiful. The series of three books moved me. If it was a common practice to know our own family histories in this way, I think it would make a huge impact on society. (To recap: this series as stand-alone stories were just alright, but the series as a whole story is extremely beautiful and heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. I would tell you 100 times to read it.)
State Fair-(Phil Strong) Set in Iowa, it made me nostalgic for home (it even mentions my little town) A great job of capturing all the magic of the Iowa State Fair, and descriptive enough to take me back to the buildings and events still standing there, even though it was written in the early 1900's.
The Bell Jar-(Sylvia Plath) Disturbing.
Leaping: Revelations & Epiphanies-(Brian Doyle) I'm really not a fan of compilation books. This one contained essays the author had written over many years. The book lacked continuity as the age of his children jumped from birth to 3 years back to 1 years up to six years and back again and again. However, the anchovy chapter and chapter directly following it were heart-warming and funny.
Charlotte's Web-(E.B. White) The first chapter book I've read with my son. Simple and yet it made me cry.
Breakfast at Tiffany's-(Truman Capote) I've never been able to concentrate on this movie but it seems like the book and the movie are very different. I'm not a short-story reader-I get really annoyed-but the short stories in the second half of this book held my attention.
The Wednesday Sisters-(Meg Waite Clayton) A book about writer's and women-motivating in my life right now.
The Faraday Girls-(Monica McInerney) This author is one of my guilty pleasures. Her books are never deep reads, but I love her as an author. Her characters are always families of girls and I connect with them that way. This was my least favorite of the three books I've read from her, but it still comes around in the end.
Non-Fiction
Tilt-(Nicholas Shrady) A very readable history of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Interesting and engaging, not too much information, but enough to clear up rumors and teach you something. Made me want to head back there right away.
The Children's Blizzard-(David Laskin) The story of a tragic historical event that few people have probably ever learned about. Very smooth read, but the author admits that he took "poetic license" with some of the stories. Takes away from the credibility when you're telling me in detail what a dead person was feeling moments before they perished.
Personal Stories
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place-(Terry Tempest Williams) I enjoy reading books located in my own environment and so the Utah places in this book felt like home. An interesting point of view on the floods from the 1980's and I learned a lot about the history of that time. While I did not feel the emotional connection with the author's personal tragedies, it did help me to get a better perspective of my own husband's similar tragedy happening at the exact same time as her mother. A good read.
The Hiding Place- (Corrie ten Boom) Amazing amount of courage and conviction during WWII.
The Tale of the Rose: The Love Story Behind The Little Prince-(Consuelo de Saint Exupery) The most honest and candid (without a trace of sensationalism) I've seen portrayed in writing. Not superb writing, but the tumultuous fervor of their relationship was gripping. A sad life of love.
The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment-(A.J. Jacobs)I LOVE AJ Jacobs and his brand of experimental journalism. Not all the month-long experiments recorded in this book are entertaining or intriguing, but the good ones by far made up for it. I can't wait to see what he does next!
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana-(Gayle Tzemach Lemmon) Set in Afghanistan, refreshing to hear a story of local people making a difference rather than a foreigner coming in to bring about change.
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life-(Amy Krouse Rosenthal) Inspiring idea-anybody could take it and create their own encyclopedia. Beginning is quirky and accurate enough to take you back to the way the world was 5 years ago.The rest of the book gets mundane. The stories and insights are still fun and unique to her, but after awhile her outside-the-box way of looking at life just isn't realistic anymore.
Parenting
I Didn't Plan To Be A Witch : And Other Surprises of a Joyful Mother-(Linda Eyre) I love Linda Eyre, but this book did absolutely nothing for me. Too many stories that didn't relate to my stage in life (which isn't to say I don't understand the witch part...)
5 Spiritual Solutions for Everyday Parenting Challenges- (Richard Eyre) The best parenting book I've ever read-Focuses on LDS principles but good for any parent of any faith. Chapters 1&2 applied especially to me now as I deal with young children, but I can 100% see how other chapters will help me as my kids grow. A definite book I'll always keep in my home.
Parenting With Love and Logic-(Foster Cline) Great training, but too much. It was overwhelming and I got lost in trying to think of implementing it.
Spiritual
The Migrations, Alliances, and Power of Israel in Western Europe and Central Asia: A Latter-day Saint Perspective on the Lost Tribes-(Dale Nelson) I won't lie-this is incredibly dry reading. But it was fascinating! I've never paid much attention to the history of Israel and the Lost Tribes. This book gives a perspective on how the tribes scattered and how current heritages might track back to those ancient days.
Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News-(Stephen E Robinson) I know people LOVE this book. The teachings are sound, but it didn't move me. Perhaps when my life is in a different place...
Travel
How Did You Get This Number-(Sloane Crosley) The travel tales resonated because I've experienced the exact same places. The life stories interjected in between the traveling were quirky. I'd love to read an entire travel book by Crosley, but the going back and forth in this book jarred me out of the fun she was trying to create.
Backpacking with a Husband: Chasin' Murphy's Law-(Lesley Boutilier) Fabulous 1st chapter...this girl is just like me!!! The rest of the book consists of all the European McDonald's she eats at, all the dreams her husband has that she squashes, and all the times the two of them do not have sex. Plus, she's an English teacher and there are so many typos and grammatical errors that she'd have to give herself an F. Awful!
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