In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Sean and Leigh Anne Touhy with Sally Jenkins
Another book about the Michael Oher story, only this one is told by his adoptive parents. I love reading more about their family dynamic and the relationship each family member has with Michael. Sean seems very down to earth and there was a lot that I liked about Leigh Anne too but she did get on my nerves sometimes. I agreed with some of their parenting methods. They do not allow locked doors or privacy for children. Neither do I. I do not even allow TV's in bedrooms. It is my business to know what my kids are doing and like the Touhy's I prefer for my kids and their friends to play here where I can hover. I also disagreed with some of their methods....like forcing their kids to go to Ole Miss and even forbidding their daughter from joining any sorority other than the one her mom was in. They have their quirks but you can tell that they love each other and that they love God and are using the wealth they have been blessed with to do his work.
Canon EOS Rebel T2i: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Jeff Revell
Yes, another camera book. I liked this one a lot better than the Dummies one. This told you not only how to use all the features on the camera, but when and why to use them. I will read it again and refer to it often because camera speak is still not a fluent dialect for me.
Rainbow Valley by LM Montgomery
I told you before that I have read the first 4 Anne books a couple times but I never read any further because the first set I had only included those 4. My friend, Jessica recommended the whole series so I decided to read more. I decided to read them in the order they were written since book 4 is actually book 5 now and I had skipped what ended up being book 4 in the end. Confused? So anyway, in the order that she wrote them Rainbow Valley was next up. It was okay. I like her writing and characters but none of it ever really hooked me in with this book. I think for me, the first 3 Anne books say it all. Once she finally accepts Gilbert, I am good. The next book is cute but not necessary and this one just didn't do anything for me. I have heard however that Rilla of Ingleside is really good, so I will read one last Anne book and let you know what I think.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
A couple of my cousins blogged about this book a few years ago so it has been on my list. I am so glad I finally picked it up. It is about the editor-in -chief of French Elle magazine. He has a stroke at 43 and suffers from locked in syndrome, meaning he is locked in his body with no way to care for himself and can blink only one eye to communicate. This book was written using that blinking method. It takes you inside the frustration of someone who is mentally all there but can not even do the simplest things like turn down the TV or feed himself. He is fully aware of how people look at him and feel uncomfortable. It is heartbreaking but beautiful to hear how he copes and learns to find meaning and understanding. Pick it up if you get a chance...it'll only take you about an hour to read and it is well worth it.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
My mother in law sent me a stack of books a few years ago with a note that said that the writing in some of them reminded her of my style. I have to say that the biggest fans of my writing are Seth's parents. They both encourage me continually and even though I do not plan to make a career of writing, it means a lot to me. Anyway, her note said that one author in particular reminded her of me so I read his stuff first, and sadly, it got on my every last nerve. It sounded contrived and cheesy to the point of being corny. Was I that nauseating to read? I ended up not reading the other books she sent until a few weeks ago when I was picking around for something to read and remembered that I had this book. I decided to give it a look and I enjoyed it. The title had always had me thinking it was a book about a Relief Society cooking club or something and I was pleased to find that it wasn't about that at all. It is about the German occupation of the island of Guernsey during WWII which was interesting to me because my family (on my mom's side) is from that very island. This is another super quick read, as it is all written in letters. Ha,ha...that sounds stupid...all books are written in letters but you know what I mean, right? Like Dear So and So letters, not letters of the alphabet, although the letters are written in letters so I guess those are there too. I admit that I enjoyed the war/historical stuff better than the romance that they weaved in to it but overall it was pretty good.
The Anne Boleyn Collection by Claire Ridgway
Okay, sometimes Kindle suckers me in to buying stuff. It recommended this to me and offered it for only $2 so I bit. It turned out to just be a collection of blog posts from a blog about Anne Boleyn which attempts to uncover what is and is not true about her. I had read a lot about The Tudors and Anne so not a lot was new to me but I do still find it interesting because I am a geek like that. However, since it was blog posts there was A LOT of repetition. Each new topic had to be written as it's own separate entity so there is a lot of the same background and history running through it. There was some decent info there, but it would have been better if it had been sorted and reformatted to read more cohesively.
*The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Of course I had to re-read this before the movie. I may have liked it even better than the first time I read it.
*Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Once I started I had to keep going. There are parts of this one that I really like and I do still feel like this one will make a way better movie. I was writing the screenplay in my head as I read it, so if they need suggestions? Ha,ha! I still like the first one best. I didn't get to Mockingjay in March but I will round out the series in April. Seth read all 3 in March and liked the first two but not the third. I get it. The 3rd is my least favorite, too but I still liked it.
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O' Reilly
Okay I only bought this because of the reviews. I try not to read reviews until I read a book because I do not like to be swayed one way or the other, but I noticed that this book had all 1 star or 5 star ratings so everyone loved it or hated it, no one was in between? Unlikely. So I read on and found that the 5 stars were from fans of O'Reilly and the 1 stars were people who admitted that they had not read it and would not read it and just wanted to spew hate about Bill O'Reilly. I am not a huge O'Reilly fan. Sometimes I agree with him and sometimes I don't but I also think he is rude and cuts people off when they are talking. I get that you have to keep the show moving but even if you disagree with someone you have to let them finish their point before you start to rebut. But to hate on a book you haven't read just because you hate the author? Weird. I admit that there are people whose books I would not read but I also wouldn't review a book I hadn't read. The reviews piqued my curiosity and I read. I liked the book. I didn't jump up and down but it read more like a novel than history and took you inside the story. It made all of the key players in the Lincoln assassination feel more real to me. Yes, we all know the story already but this did a good job bringing it to life in a non text book kind of way. It takes you through the end of the civil war, through the assassination, and through the chase and capture of John Wilkes Booth. I wish there had been more about the changes in the country that came about because of the life and death of Abraham Lincoln, since that was the subtitle of the book, but I still thought it was pretty good.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
A handful of people have recommended this over the past few years and I was intrigued but gun shy. Since I live in Chicagoland and because I am a dork I was interested in the history of the fair but I knew that a serial killer was part of the story. I do not do so well with books about murder. My brother convinced me to read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood like 15 years ago and it still haunts me. Fantastic book though, FYI. Then I accidentally read a book about a serial killer about a year ago. My friend, Jen suggested Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, and told me it was about communist Russia. It was, but it was also about a serial killer. I started reading one night and just read straight through til morning because I knew I wouldn't sleep until the murders were resolved. So when I picked up The Devil in the White City I knew it would bring with it nightmares until I was done reading it. It did. I woke up in the night sweating and sick to my stomach. I have issues, but I still think it was a good book. I actually really liked learning the history of the fair and thankfully that is what most of the book was about. So many fun facts and famous people involved. The serial killer stuff was beyond horrifying to me. It was well written but never have I read about someone who I found to be as evil as this man. I could feel my eyes opening wider in true shock. I finished it on Friday and the nightmares are still with me but they are growing less intense.
And that's a wrap for March, although I am trying really hard each day to not read ANYTHING ELSE until I have read my scriptures and I have succeeded about half the time this month. It is hard to have reading as a hobby because I always feel like I should read my scriptures more and other stuff less. I think most people spend more time on leisure activites than scripture study but when reading is your hobby the contrast is more noticeable and the guilt sets in. I have had some really good scripture sessions this month though and have been reading each chapter 3 times before moving on. It is amazing how much there still is to learn there even after so many trips through the pages.
Alright, that's it for March? Did you read anything good last month? I would love to hear about it. I'm not just saying that either. I really would.
Rainbow Valley by LM Montgomery
I told you before that I have read the first 4 Anne books a couple times but I never read any further because the first set I had only included those 4. My friend, Jessica recommended the whole series so I decided to read more. I decided to read them in the order they were written since book 4 is actually book 5 now and I had skipped what ended up being book 4 in the end. Confused? So anyway, in the order that she wrote them Rainbow Valley was next up. It was okay. I like her writing and characters but none of it ever really hooked me in with this book. I think for me, the first 3 Anne books say it all. Once she finally accepts Gilbert, I am good. The next book is cute but not necessary and this one just didn't do anything for me. I have heard however that Rilla of Ingleside is really good, so I will read one last Anne book and let you know what I think.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
A couple of my cousins blogged about this book a few years ago so it has been on my list. I am so glad I finally picked it up. It is about the editor-in -chief of French Elle magazine. He has a stroke at 43 and suffers from locked in syndrome, meaning he is locked in his body with no way to care for himself and can blink only one eye to communicate. This book was written using that blinking method. It takes you inside the frustration of someone who is mentally all there but can not even do the simplest things like turn down the TV or feed himself. He is fully aware of how people look at him and feel uncomfortable. It is heartbreaking but beautiful to hear how he copes and learns to find meaning and understanding. Pick it up if you get a chance...it'll only take you about an hour to read and it is well worth it.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
My mother in law sent me a stack of books a few years ago with a note that said that the writing in some of them reminded her of my style. I have to say that the biggest fans of my writing are Seth's parents. They both encourage me continually and even though I do not plan to make a career of writing, it means a lot to me. Anyway, her note said that one author in particular reminded her of me so I read his stuff first, and sadly, it got on my every last nerve. It sounded contrived and cheesy to the point of being corny. Was I that nauseating to read? I ended up not reading the other books she sent until a few weeks ago when I was picking around for something to read and remembered that I had this book. I decided to give it a look and I enjoyed it. The title had always had me thinking it was a book about a Relief Society cooking club or something and I was pleased to find that it wasn't about that at all. It is about the German occupation of the island of Guernsey during WWII which was interesting to me because my family (on my mom's side) is from that very island. This is another super quick read, as it is all written in letters. Ha,ha...that sounds stupid...all books are written in letters but you know what I mean, right? Like Dear So and So letters, not letters of the alphabet, although the letters are written in letters so I guess those are there too. I admit that I enjoyed the war/historical stuff better than the romance that they weaved in to it but overall it was pretty good.
The Anne Boleyn Collection by Claire Ridgway
Okay, sometimes Kindle suckers me in to buying stuff. It recommended this to me and offered it for only $2 so I bit. It turned out to just be a collection of blog posts from a blog about Anne Boleyn which attempts to uncover what is and is not true about her. I had read a lot about The Tudors and Anne so not a lot was new to me but I do still find it interesting because I am a geek like that. However, since it was blog posts there was A LOT of repetition. Each new topic had to be written as it's own separate entity so there is a lot of the same background and history running through it. There was some decent info there, but it would have been better if it had been sorted and reformatted to read more cohesively.
*The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Of course I had to re-read this before the movie. I may have liked it even better than the first time I read it.
*Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Once I started I had to keep going. There are parts of this one that I really like and I do still feel like this one will make a way better movie. I was writing the screenplay in my head as I read it, so if they need suggestions? Ha,ha! I still like the first one best. I didn't get to Mockingjay in March but I will round out the series in April. Seth read all 3 in March and liked the first two but not the third. I get it. The 3rd is my least favorite, too but I still liked it.
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O' Reilly
Okay I only bought this because of the reviews. I try not to read reviews until I read a book because I do not like to be swayed one way or the other, but I noticed that this book had all 1 star or 5 star ratings so everyone loved it or hated it, no one was in between? Unlikely. So I read on and found that the 5 stars were from fans of O'Reilly and the 1 stars were people who admitted that they had not read it and would not read it and just wanted to spew hate about Bill O'Reilly. I am not a huge O'Reilly fan. Sometimes I agree with him and sometimes I don't but I also think he is rude and cuts people off when they are talking. I get that you have to keep the show moving but even if you disagree with someone you have to let them finish their point before you start to rebut. But to hate on a book you haven't read just because you hate the author? Weird. I admit that there are people whose books I would not read but I also wouldn't review a book I hadn't read. The reviews piqued my curiosity and I read. I liked the book. I didn't jump up and down but it read more like a novel than history and took you inside the story. It made all of the key players in the Lincoln assassination feel more real to me. Yes, we all know the story already but this did a good job bringing it to life in a non text book kind of way. It takes you through the end of the civil war, through the assassination, and through the chase and capture of John Wilkes Booth. I wish there had been more about the changes in the country that came about because of the life and death of Abraham Lincoln, since that was the subtitle of the book, but I still thought it was pretty good.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
A handful of people have recommended this over the past few years and I was intrigued but gun shy. Since I live in Chicagoland and because I am a dork I was interested in the history of the fair but I knew that a serial killer was part of the story. I do not do so well with books about murder. My brother convinced me to read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood like 15 years ago and it still haunts me. Fantastic book though, FYI. Then I accidentally read a book about a serial killer about a year ago. My friend, Jen suggested Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, and told me it was about communist Russia. It was, but it was also about a serial killer. I started reading one night and just read straight through til morning because I knew I wouldn't sleep until the murders were resolved. So when I picked up The Devil in the White City I knew it would bring with it nightmares until I was done reading it. It did. I woke up in the night sweating and sick to my stomach. I have issues, but I still think it was a good book. I actually really liked learning the history of the fair and thankfully that is what most of the book was about. So many fun facts and famous people involved. The serial killer stuff was beyond horrifying to me. It was well written but never have I read about someone who I found to be as evil as this man. I could feel my eyes opening wider in true shock. I finished it on Friday and the nightmares are still with me but they are growing less intense.
And that's a wrap for March, although I am trying really hard each day to not read ANYTHING ELSE until I have read my scriptures and I have succeeded about half the time this month. It is hard to have reading as a hobby because I always feel like I should read my scriptures more and other stuff less. I think most people spend more time on leisure activites than scripture study but when reading is your hobby the contrast is more noticeable and the guilt sets in. I have had some really good scripture sessions this month though and have been reading each chapter 3 times before moving on. It is amazing how much there still is to learn there even after so many trips through the pages.
Alright, that's it for March? Did you read anything good last month? I would love to hear about it. I'm not just saying that either. I really would.
9 comments:
I have had the Guernsey book on my radar for awhile now but haven't got around to it.
I love the whole Anne series but I don't always read all the books when I re-read. Rilla of Ingleside is one of my favorites though so I hope you enjoy it. I thought Rainbow Valley was 2nd to last.
The best books I read this month were my re-read of Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched and Crossed, and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I think you would like the middle 3 (maybe)but not the last one.
Yay Yay Yay Yay! I am so glad you kept on reading the Anne Books!! My favorite series of all time! I will admit that a couple of books are kind of slow paced once you pass Anne & Gilbert etc... but Rilla WILL make up for that!
You actually listened to me, even though you didn't enjoy the book. No one ever does that. Awe you love me! See how I translated that into my co-dependant issues?!? LOL
And the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society is one of my favs as well. It was such a surprise to me when I read it how cute, quirky, funny & sweet it was. I loved the whole concept.
As for books w/ serial killers I LOVE them...but I also love horror movies...there is definitely something wrong with me, I wonder if my mom dropped me or something? Hmmm...
Keep the reviews coming!
Okay, so many of your reads look fascinating. I even am intrigued by the last book that has you freaking out at night. I think I'll stay away though because I may never recover.
For now I'm going to consider your book reviews as books read by me. Right now anything I pick up lulls me quickly to sleep. It's that sitting down in one position just reading and thinking... and then I'm out.
I love your writing. Maybe we all just get something different out of it. I'd still like to submit some stuff to the Ensign. And, you can get the LM Montgomery series of short stories (several of them) for free--they are very short, very trite, very predictable, but they all have good morals and language. Great for those times you only have 5-10 minutes to read and don't want to leave a story in the middle. Also great for those "can't sleep" times.
Cheryl, I am hearing mixed opinions about Matched but it is on my list. I will add those others as well. I feel bad because I skipped Austenland for book club in March but it didn't sound like my kind of thing and then when you confirmed that you didn't think it was my kind of thing I just let it go. I have this month's pick and plan to get to it.
Jess, If I take book advice from you it says a lot, and of course I love you. We are the heckling committee in Sunday School, the captain and co-captain of the who will cry first in Beehives club and the only 2 ladies from the Hunger Games outing who were brave enough to take and post pictures of those t-shirts. We are two peas in a pod. Except for that horror stuff. More power to you but I am such a wimp. It is funny though because many of my favorite books are pretty dark and I read about war a lot, but one person out being evil just for the sake of being evil, I just can't handle it. Can't read it. Can't watch it.
LeShel, Ha,ha! I like your strategy. If you don't have time to read it, read a review and call it good.
Ann, I hope what I said didn't sound rude. I always speak before I think and now I am afraid I sounded like an ungrateful brat. I appreciated you sending me those books and comparing me to published authors, and for always reminding me that you think I have talent. Even if I didn't love that one LDS author you sent I still felt very loved knowing that you thought of me when you read it and saw potential in me, so thank you.
I'll have to check out a couple of those. It's funny that your mother-in-law recommended the potato peel one because my mother-in-law did, too. Now I feel like I've got to read it.
I tend to be drawn to suspense and murder mysteries but only if they are historically accurate and not unbelievable, so I may give your Chicago one a try.
How funny that you've read an O'Reilly book. You're the last person I would suspect would like to read his stuff. I haven't been interested in checking out his stuff, but I may now. I totally agree with you on political writer reviews. They will either get reviews from people who love the writer or hate the writer without even reading the book. I think Amazon should require some proof that you actually read the book before you're allowed to review. Otherwise, it's deceptive.
I hated, abhorred the last book I was supposed to read for book club, so I won't dare recommend it. The book for this month is one I've already read, so don't know if I'll bother re-reading and attend. I'm kind of over the book club for various reasons anyway.
Jen, You and Seth and Mike should be so proud of me, reading something from someone on FOX News. What's really funny is that we voted today and Seth asked me if I was voting in the Rebublican Primary or Democratic. I am not registered to a party but in WI I can choose one or the other but did he really need to ask? Did he think I was going to fill in a name for a Democratic nominee...because I know he didn't think I was going to vote for Obama. Of course I voted in the Republican Primary...where my vote might actually be useful but much to his dismay I still refuse to adopt a party.
Great list. And once again, most of them are books I haven't heard of. But they all sound fascinating.
Two favorite books I read in March were kind of weird books but ended up being really good: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern had very imaginative and creative imagery. This is the one I warned you about the F word in one of the early chapters but after that the language wasn't an issue.
Then I read A Drowned Maidens Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz. It is so believable and so well written I want to read it again, even knowing the ending.
I'm bogging down in The Undaunted: The Miracle of the Hole in the Rock Pioneers by Gerald Lund right now. The writing is good. I guess I've just read so many page turners lately it's hard to get involved in a story that moves to sedately into itself. So I'm also reading another book: The Snow Child by Edwyn Ivey. Just started it, but the writing is incredibly engaging.
Julie, More stuff to add to my list. I have been eyeing The Night Circus since you blogged about it but wondering if it is scary or just weird? I can do weird and even dark but not scary. I think I am also hesitating because I hated Water for Elephants and I am sure this is totally different but the circus thing is tripping me up. I know what you mean about trying to get in to other stuff after reading a page turner or two. Sometimes it takes a few hundred pages for the mind to reset and become engaged in something slower, but hopefully worth it once you get there.
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