When We Were Grown Ups

I recently read this novel by Anne Tyler. She's been around for awhile and this is the first I've heard of her. It was an interesting book. A women reflects on what would have been if she married a different man. It was thought provoking. I liked her reasoning at the end. I'm reading another of hers right now called Dinner at the Homesick Resteraunt. I don't know that I'll keep reading more because most of the summaries of her titles talk about sad family lives. We'll see!

Oh.. and I'm reading another book by the Chinese author that my last post was about. The book is about the life of Mao. We'll see if I can get through it. It reads more like a text book then the last one. Maybe after Christmas!

Wild Swans

I just finished reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang. This book was recommended at our Relief Society book social. The book was so amazing! The author wrote the story of her family in China, beginning a short time before Communism took over, until Mao died. I learned so much about China, and what Mao really did to that country. It was such an interesting read, I couldn't put it down. I finished it last night, and I was so sad that it was over. I highly recommend this book!

Cold Sassy Tree

I just finished listening to Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. I've read this book a couple times now, and I just love it! Its about a boy in Georgia, his feisty grandpa and the trouble he stirs up in the community.

The author talks about religion in the book quite a bit. She talks about praying for things and the scripture.. Ask and ye shall recieve. What she said made a lot of sense and it was great to hear it in such a fun setting.

This is definately one of my favorite books!

A Room With a View

I liked this book. Its about a girl in England, who is trying to figure out who she wants to be. There were a couple different lines in there that made me think. The author talked about music a bit because the main character played the piano well. It was fun to relate... I don't read about pianists in novels very often. It was a really good read!

Constant Princess

Okay.. so I haven't been reading as much lately, for a couple reasons. I'm currently on page 40 of Kim, by Rudyard Kipling, and I just can't get into it. I've told myself not to start anything else until I finish, but I can't get through 2 pages without wanting to fall asleep. So I am now going to send it back to the library. Its about a boy in India who follows a "lama" (not the animal.. think Dali Lama) on a religious quest and gets mixed up in intrigue. It is just hard to follow.

I have been listening to "A Constant Princess" by Phillippa Gregory. It is about Queen Catherine (daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand) who ends up marrying Henry VIII in England. I have no idea how historically accurate it is, but even if the details are wrong, I have become familiar with different monarchs and how they came to power. There are a few too many references to sex, but they actually do have to do with the plot. It was just kind of weird to listen to it.. I skipped over some things. Anyways, overall and interesting read.

My next books to read are "A Room With a View" and "Howards End" by E.M. Forster

Relief Society Social

Last month I went to a Relief Society Social where everyone talked about the books they've read this summer. I wrote everything down.. and here is the list. Some I've already read, but most are new to me!

Almost Sisters (The Company of Good Women) by Nancy Anderson (Author), Lael Littke (Author), Carroll Hofeling Morris (Author
Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero- Ashley Smith
Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Patterson and Donna Diamond
Esperanza Rising- Pam Munoz Ryan
Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse- Stephenie Meyer
The Wild Swans- Jung Chang
The Constant Princess- Phillipa Gregory
The Secret- Rhonda Byrne
Anything by Richard Paul Evans
Stolen Lives: My Family’s Twenty-Year Struggle in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir, Michele Fitoussi, and Ross Schwartz
The Princess Trilogy- Jean P Sasson
The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Hearts and Homes- James L Ferrell
Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life- Queen Noor
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time - Greg Mortensen
Children of the Promise- Dean Hughes
Rachael & Leah - Orson Scott Card
Fire of the Covenant: The Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies- Gerald Lund
Digging To America- Anne Tyler
To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
A Train to Potevka- Michael Ramsdell
Out of Darkness / Into The Light- Keith Terry
Pride & Prejudice- Jane Austen
Zipporah, Wife of Moses – Marek Halter
Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody
Rose Daughter / Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast – Robin McKinney
Inkheart / Inkspell- Cornelia Funke
Dark Road Home- Karen Harper
Princess Academy- Shannon Hale
Seedfolks- Paul Fleischman
The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom- Slavomir Rawicz
Winter Fire – Rachel Ann Nunes

A Passage to India

This was a great book about India during the British occupation. It was very informative.. I really didn't know anything about Indian culture. I actually listened to this book on cd... actually I put it on my mp3 player and listened while I cleaned and played with the kids. It was great because I could turn up the volume loud when I needed to ignore their whining! It was written by E.M. Forster.. and I will definately read his other books!

The Girl in Hyacinth Blue

This one by Susan Vreeland was interesting. It is about a painting that has passed to various owners over hundreds of years. The stories were good, but each chapter was a different family so it was a little disjointed.. not enough info about some families, where I wanted to know more. I've read another one by this author.. Girl With the Pearl Earings.. which was also interesting. Not my favorite books of all time, but I'll probably read another of hers in the future.

Eclipse

This was the 3rd of the Twilight series. It was good.. but I did have some issues with it. There were definately some "racey" scenes for being a young adult book. I wouldn't let my 15 year old read it! And it was a little sad in some parts.. but overall it was a pretty good book.

Harry Potter!

I've now read the book twice! I'm so sad that the series had to end. I love how Rowling developed the characters and tied everything together so nicely! I hope she writes another series someday!

Anne Perry

For about 2 weeks I was slowly reading the Rebels of Ireland, but not really getting anywhere with it. Its not that I don't like the book, I just don't think to pick it up. And I've been scrapbooking like crazy! I've put the book aside for a while and started reading some mysteries by Anne Perry. The first one was the Cater Street Hangman, and the second Callendar Square. They were pretty good. They are based in the late 1800's in England, but they talk a lot about men sleeping with the "help". I'm going to read a third and if it follows the same line, I probably won't read anymore. We'll see!

New Moon

This is the sequal to Twilight. I really liked it... it was such a fast read. I started it last night and finished this morning. It was more "intellectual" (for a teen book) then the first. Its silly, but I'm sad its over! I'll have to wait until August for the 3rd book.

The Princes of Ireland

While on our trip I got this book. It is a historical fiction novel about Medieval Ireland. It was interesting and informative. I liked learning about the Celts and then also about the Catholic/Protestand church evolving there. The only downside was that because it spanned over 1000 years, you had a lot of new characters.

I'm starting the sequal now: The Rebels of Ireland.

(Author Edward Sutherland)

Twilight

This teen book by Stephanie Meyer was really good! It was a very easy read and really enjoyable. The story line was interesting and new. Its about a teenage girl and her relationship with a vampire. Thanks Emilee for letting me know about this fun book.

The Templar Legacy

Ehhh. It was okay. I liked the main character and his personal family issues, but the rest was just a copy of Da Vinci Code. It was all about the Knights Templar and the modern day search for their "Great Devise". It talked a lot about Jesus at the end and how He might not have been resurrected. Not worth the read.

Kabul Beauty School

This was an interesting book about Afghanistan in the recent years. It is a book by an American woman who opened a beauty school. The Taliban forbid salons during the years they were in power so there were none available to the woman. This book talks about the cultural issues woman face. It was very interesting.. I read it quickly. Just to note, it does talk about sex throughout the book and swears a little. All in all a very informative read!

Walk Two Moons

I read this teenage novel today while we were celebrating my belated Mother's Day. (So while Kurt was making dinner, I finished it!) It was a quick and easy read, but a very sweet story. It is about a teenage girl who is on a trip with her grandparents, dealing with losing her mother. Sweet, a little sad, but very good!

Oh, and because I loved Fannie Flagg's other books, I had to read Fried Green Tomatoes. It was too funny! Now I need to check the movie out from the library.

These Is My Words

Thank you Judy for recommending this book. It was so good! I read it during the drive to Las Vegas and loved every minute of it. It was about a woman living in Tucson in the 1800's. I loved this theme about strength and love. After reading it, I am truly grateful to live with the modern conveniences we have today!

Fannie Flagg

While we were travelling this last week, I read two books that I absolutely loved! They were Standing in the Rainbow and Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg. She was the author who wrote Fried Green Tomatoes. I haven't read it yet, but I've requested it from the library. These two books were so funny! She really tells a great easy story about a family from Missouri. Read Standing in the Rainbow first, then Can't Wait to Get to Heaven is sort of a sequel. These books made the first part of our drive fly by!

New Link

I decided to list the books I'm reading so I can keep track. I read a lot and when people ask me what I've read I sometimes forget! A lot of people also ask how I find time to read... and I don't really know the answer to that.. I just read when I get the chance. Sometimes I put off housework to read a book that I can't put down, and sometimes I read while playing trains or cars. (I feel guilty when I do this, because I know Andrew gets mad and often tells me to put it away. I hope that he sees that I love to read and will develop this for himself.) Luckily I am a fast reader and move through books quickly. Reading does get me into trouble though, because we'll often go to bed very late. Kurt will stay up doing Sudoku until I'm done with my chapter, but I'll finish and he'll need to finish his puzzle so I'll go back to my book.

Anyways, I love books and I am excited to record my favorites!