I sit all amazed

This is our book club book for this month. It is a short read and very good. This is the story of Steve Mikita's conversion to the LDS church and his struggle with life in a wheel chair. His perseverance is incredible. This book reminds me of how good my life is. This man has had such a difficult life, and is so positive! He shows that you really can do anything you set your mind to, no matter the circumstances.

The winter of our disconnect

THis is one of my all time favorite resources. This story is a true story about a mother who pulls the plug on all screens in her home, as a research project for this book. She then studies and documents so much research on technology in our homes and how it affects our children. It is truly fascinating I read it all with a highlighter. I want to look and read all the studies that she quotes from. I think this should be a must read for parents. It was an eye opener for me, and we are a home with no cable and limited screen times. This would be a great book for book clubs.

Matched

So this is my new favorite book of the month. If you are a fan of The Giver, you will love this story. It almost feels like it could be another part of the city in The Giver. This story is about a girl who lives in a time where cities are controlled, chance and choice have been removed. Even who they love is a pre-arranged choice. Except she want to make her own choices. She wants to pick her job, her location, and who she will love. But the Society will try to stop her every way they can. I finished it tonight and I am so sad I can't get the sequel "Crossed" until tomorrow at the library. It is a must read, it is also very clean and though provoking.

The other Boleyn Girl

So this book was a train wreck from start to finish. I could not put it down or look away. I don't know if I should tell everyone to read it or not. It is extremely well written, and really transports you back to the courts of Henry the 8th. I feel like I understand the history of that time from reading this story. But it is very trashy. It has everything it it, homosexuality, murder, adultery, incest, and more. You name it and this book has it, and it's actual history which is why it is hard to look away. It is actually the second in a series. I plan on reading the whole series after how well written this one was.

Ophelia

This book is wonderful!!1 What a great way to enjoy Shakespeare. If you have read Hamlet you will love this point of view. If you have not, you now will want to read Hamlet. This story is the story of Hamlet from Ophelia's perspective, with some twists. It is written in modern language, but still has a little hint of the Shakespearean play in it. My favorite part is the ending...which may surprise you if you are familiar with Hamlet. This is a great book, I want to read more of her books. She also has written one called THE DAUGHTER OF MACBETH. What a great way to introduce Shakespeare.

A Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet

So this is one of our book club books that I was really excited about. The story takes place in Seattle, when the United States removed all the Japanese to camps. I think that this is a subject matter that should be shared. This book is not a biography it is a novel,which may have made me lose some interest as I got reading. While the history is very sad and interesting the novel itself is a little slow. The story line for me just did not keep my attention. However, my interest is peaked to read more about this historical event.

Memoires of a Geisha

This book is on our book club list for next year so I decided to get an early start on it. For those that don't know a Geisha is pretty much an expensive and talented Japanese prostitute. Most are sold into this position at a very young age and trained in the arts of music and dance for years before becoming a geisha. This story follows the life of a geisha. It was very fascinating to read about the culture and Japanese culture. While this book is written about an unpleasant life style it is written very tastefully. I really liked most of the book, but the ending was just sad to me. It seemed like she never found happiness to me, even after a very challenging life. But maybe my idea of happiness and the authors idea of happiness differ.

The 17 second miracle

This was our book club book for this month. It is a quick read with a great story in it. It would be in the inspirational fiction category. The story is about a tragedy that is then changed into many miracles. It is really one of those warm fuzzy books that you should read when you are having a bad day. It also has a great idea in it too keep your spirits up.

The Good Earth

This book was given to me by a friend after she heard of my love for China. It was very fascinating to me, I couldn't put it down. But I don't know if all would feel that way. This story takes place in China and follows a poor man throughout his life. He lives through much adversity and suffering, only to become a rich lord. It was very interesting to read about their customs, and their hardships. The treatment of women was very sad to me, even though he was not a mean hearted man. It was also interesting to read the cycle of poverty to wealth. If you love china I highly recommend it, if you don't you may find it a little slow. I do think though that it would be a good book club book. There were a lot of issues to discuss.

The Glass Castle

This is one of the few books I have read twice. I read it about 3 years ago, then after reading Half-Broke Horses, I had to read it again. I was hoping the second time it would be less disturbing after knowing a little more background. I was wrong. It was still just as disturbing. This is a true story written about the author's childhood in extreme poverty. She spent her childhood with a crazy mother, and a drunk father. They moved from place to place until she was 12 and they settled in a small town in West Virginia. Food was rare, as was clothing or heat. The most disturbing part of this book for me was the choices made by her parents. It was self imposed poverty. The mother owned a 2 carat diamond, and a house. She also inherited property worth a million dollars, with oil rights. She had a college education, and inherited a large sum of money when her parents died. She had more given to her than most people accumulate in a life time, and yet she still choose to let her children starve and freeze. After reading how hard it was for the mothers family, and how she was raised (in Half -Broke Horses) it has really made me ponder the whole nature vs. nurture. It is a hard to read story but it is one of the most well written and thought provoking stories I have ever read.

Half Broke Horses

My new favorite book of the week. This is a True story written as a novel. If you have ever Read the book "Glass Castle" then you will already be familiar with the characters. This is about her grandmother. It is not hard to read like the "glass Castle" is. This is not a story of abuse or neglect. This is a story of an amazing women that lived 100 life times during her life. She started breaking horses at 5. She lived through drought, floods, tornado's, prohibition, womens rights, and the depression. She never lost hope, her story is one of pure inspiration. I could not put it down. This is a wonderful, wonderful book. A must read.

Snow Flower and the Secret fan

Another China historical fiction. But I loved this book. It takes place in the early 19th century. It follows the lives of two Chinese girls through childhood feet binding. (which made me sick) arranged weddings, child raising and old age. It is so interesting to see their culture and experience it with them. It brings a lot of understanding about foot binding and what was considered beautiful. After reading it and see why they did it in hopes of better lives for their children. Even though they crippled them for life. I pretty much could not put it down. After you read it pot on here what you thought. Would you have bound your children's feet? Do you think with time that you would have been a kinder mother in law? Or do you think that that was their way of avenging themselves in their old age for the way they were treated?

Mao's Last Dancer

This book was our book club book for this month. It is kind of difficult to find at stores (at least here). So you may want to check out Amazon. There are also 2 versions of this story. One is an Adult version, one is a young adult. The Adult one has more history, and is about 200 pages longer. I read the young adult and kind of want the other one just for more info.
This story is a biography of a boy that grew up in China under the reign of Mao. It talks about the cultural revolution in China from the perspective of an 11 year old. He was then trained in ballet, and found a way out of communism. It is very well written. Lots of history. It is also being made into a movie. It is a rare glimpse into that country.

Water for Elephants

So this book was suppose to be our new book club book, but I had to veto it because of content. Warning chapter 3 is a very descriptive stripper scene. Not really appropriate for a church book club. Also it is laced with the f-word. All in all it really is on the morally low books, the plot is an affair and a murder, you get the picture. While I wouldn't recommended the book, the author's notes on the book were fascinating. She studied circus's in the 1930's. There are real photo's and some of the plot was based around actual events. The circus's back then truly were a freak show. From parasitic twins, to electrocution of elephants (no animal rights) it was graphically fascinating to me. I would recommend reading the research the author put into this book. But the book itself a little to crass for me.

Jane Eyre

So this was our book club for the month. I am pretty proud that I finished it really. Not saying that it wasn't really good, but it was a difficult read. A lot of description! But the story is amazing. Whenever I ask anyone about this book the say they read it in school. I didn't but I am so glad I have read it. The one thing that stands out to me in this book is the character of Jane. She has the most pure character. She is honest with others, but more importantly with herself. That quality is one that is so precious, I want to be more like that. Throughout the book she is never dishonest with herself. I highly suggest reading it if you didn't already ion high school.

The Help

THis is one of my new favorite's. THanks Mindee for the reccomendation. This book is historical fiction, it takes place in the 1960 in Jacksonville, Mississippi. This story follows some white families and their black maids during the time of civil rights. The characters are amazing. I laughed and cried, multiple times. This is one I think I will buy because I would read it twice, and I usually never read a book twice. Because there are so many new ones to read. So I highly recommend it.

The thirteenth tale

So I am not sure what to say about this one. It is very different. It is very captivating, I could't put it down. But it is on the disturbing side. It is about a girl who was asked to write the biography of a famous writer, who seems to have no past. However, once her past unfolds it is a mystery until the very end. The book is fairly clean, as far as language goes. The plot however is disturbing, incest implied throughout. The author though is an amazing writer! Even the boring parts suck you in with her explicit writing. Definitely one of the best written books I have read in a long time. Disturbing, but I think I liked it. Anyone else read this?

Seven Miracles that Saved America

Ok you history buffs are going to love this one. It is such a good book, everyone should know this information about our country and forefathers. It truly tells of the great miracle our country is. A great gift idea! It is a little on the dry side, it is history after all. The author did try to spice it up a little, but even so. I still suggest reading it. I think I would have liked to listen to it on tape more.

The Giver

This book probably everyone has read in high school. It is such a classic, if you have not read it you really should. It is about a different world where the people are completely controlled by their government. But one boy is given the job to know the truth. It is such a good story a must read.
So even if you have read this book you may have missed the rest of the series

Gathering blue takes place in the same world, but in a more barbaric part. People are very poor uneducated, and completely wild. Such a contrast. In this series you would never know it is related to the giver until you get to book three.

The final book is the messenger. It ties both stories together in a world that tries to meet in the middle. It is such a good story. None are as good as the first, but if it left you with wanting more and wondering what happened. Book three helps that a little. I highly recommend it. It is also very appropriate for 12 and up. I own all three!

Guernsey potato peel pie Society

Love this book!! It takes place shortly after world war two. Europe in shambles. The main character is a writer and starts corresponding with a character that lives in Guernsey (little Island) in Europe. She ends up going there researching a woman that once lived there. The story is all written in letters. Which makes the first 30 pages difficult because you have no idea who is who. They are all talking about things you have no idea about. Don't stop reading it though. Keep going! The characters are amazing. The history of Guernsey is fascinating! I want to go to Guernsey!