A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

Well I ended up really enjoying this one!

This one was for book club and I was a bit worried at first cause this was my pick and it started off real slow...

I had mixed feelings on this one early on.

At first, I could not get into it at all.  I found it to be waaaaaay too much detail.

Then, I found myself just powering through, just to get it done.

But after awhile, I really wanted to know what was going on with Francie and the people in her life.

While it was sad at times and times were tough, I liked that it wasn't completely depressing (like some of the other books we've read).

There was a hopefulness in every part of the story and kept me wanting to know more.

I think the author did a nice job of balancing between Francie's growing up and out of Brooklyn with not leaving her Brooklyn roots behind. 

She wanted more for herself, but she did not let go of herself or lose herself.

I really ended up enjoying this book and am so glad I finished it!  I'm glad I didn't let myself get caught up in the slowness of the detail in the beginning!  :)

Half Broke Horses - Jeannette Walls

Love!  Love!  Loved this book! 

Another great story from Jeannette Walls. 

This one was for Book Club and we all LOVED it!

I'm so glad we read The Glass Castle last year because it really helped set the scenery & characters for this story.

Jeannette's grandmother really was quite a woman and a character!

She was very strong and modern for her time.

Even if this story is embellished, it is a great tale of a different time and place!

Their life on the ranch is so fascinating to me just 'cause it's so different than what I know.  And I find it even more interesting that they found 'city life' so odd!

I'm really glad we read this book and I'd absolutely read it again.

I'd read more from Jeannette Walls!  Tell us more great stories!!!  :)

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Rhoda Janzen

Well this is terrible but, I did read this and I didn't give it my all...

I read this as a filler between 'Bookclub Books' and I was dying to try something on the new Kindle!

I did enjoy this book and I did finish it!

It just took me waaaay longer than it should have.

And not 'cause of the book, either!

But just 'cause it ended up being a crazy-busy time.

I started this book around the time that my hubby busted his ankle surfing and my dad went into the ICU (both on the same weekend).

You'd think that I'd have had plenty of reading time at the hospital while visiting my dad but I really didn't!

I'd read this in bits and pieces whenever I could...

Like while waiting for hubby at his Physical Therapy appointments, or while waiting a few minutes at the hospital while my dad was sleeping.

Needless to say, I didn't give this book my full attention and it's safe to say I wasn't really 'all there' while reading it.

I did like it though!  She is witty and funny.  Her story is quite interesting.  I thought this would be more "Eat Pray Love"-ish and it's not quite.  But that's not a bad thing.

It's just another type of interesting story told in a different way.

I did enjoy reading about her mother and her sister.  If she really does have that kind of relationship with both, then I do envy her!  They sound and seem great and I'm glad for her that she has them in her life, especially during her hardest times.

As for reading on the Kindle... I love it!

I will say though... It's a bit of a double-edged sword on the whole dictionary thing.

It's great that the feature exists (where you can move the cursor in front of the first letter of any word and it'll give you a mini definition).  I loved learning new words.

The downside is that her book had a TON of words that I didn't know (or I'm just that dumb) but I was stopping every few minutes to see what a word meant!

That was great and slowing all at the same time.

:)

Amazon Kindle

It's here!  IT'S HERE!!!

Our new baby!  The 6" Kindle (with 3G and Wi-Fi) is here!!!  It came and I am so excited!!!

I'd been tracking it's progress and when I knew it'd be arriving this week, I really started powering through my existing 'book' book so that once it showed up, I could start fresh with a new Kindle book!

I will admit... I had been hesitant about the Kindle (or any e-reader for that matter).

El Hub has been asking me since February if I wanted one and I just kept being wishy-washy and saying "I dunno..."

Well he finally got so sick of my flip-flopping that he just went ahead and made the decision for me and ordered it!

I have (or had) my reasons for being unsure about it.

1. I love feeling books.  You know... those square papery things they still sell at Costco.  Nothing makes me happier than browsing books for hours at Barnes & Noble or the book section at Costco.  I love feeling them.  I love holding them.  I love the smell of the paper.  I was afraid I'd really miss that!
2. The Library... I grew up at the library.  I remember when I was little, my mom would take me all the time!  And we'd sit there, between the rows of books and the homeless people.  I loved it!!!  AND!  The city also had a Book-mobile!  I dunno if they still do that but I LOVED the book-mobile!  I just thought that was the most fascinating thing every!  I traveling library!  They'd stop at the local park by my house and my mom would walk me down there & let me pick out a few books to check out.  Loved It!  I hope such a thing still exists.
3. Do I really need another gadget.  Between the phone and the ipod (which I rarely use anymore as I am going a bit deaf... too much of the Rock 'n Roll...) and the laptop.  Did I/we need another techy gadget with wires and cables laying around the house?  Well to El Hub, the obvious answer was Yes.  :)  But I wasn't sure.  

Well... let me just say, I am over ALL of that! 

I quickly got 'over it' the day our new baby came!  :)

It is easy to hold.  I like being able to hold it with just my left hand and flip pages forward with my thumb (of my left hand) and the little 'forward' button.

It is easy to read.  I like that you can make the font bigger or smaller.  It seems that reading goes a bit quicker and is a bit more fluid as you don't think twice about flipping to the next page.  You just keep reading and before you know it, you've read so much!

I do like that the cute bright pink case El Hub got me for the Kindle comes with a light.  That has been a tough thing for us in that, if he wants to sleep and I want to read a book at night, I'd need to leave my bedside light on and he'd bury his head under the covers.

I am LOVING the definition feature!  I can't tell you how many times I've wondered what a word meant and was just too lazy to stop reading and go look it up.

I was able to learn 2 new words yesterday and continue reading my Chapter without even stopping or thinking twice about it!  That, for me is huge!

I am most excited about it being a space saver for us.  As much as I love having books around and I want our house to be a home of books, there are just so many you can keep and only so much space (at least for us) that we can give to our books! 

There are some books I'll NEVER part with (like my whole Anne of Green Gables series which I still have from when I was in the 8th grade) or my favorite Catcher in the Rye.

El Hub loves his computer books and I love my old Art History books from school.

But the rest just end up being big paperweights and space takers.  I have tried passing them along and they end up coming back!

Both my sis-n-law and my good friend Dianne are readers and I always pass my books along to them.  They read them and then they give them right back!

I have tried selling my books on Amazon and it's fine when they sell but when they don't, then they just sit here.  I recently sold a book and it had been the first time in like 4 months! (I'd actually forgotten that I even had a little Amazon 'book store').  :)

I was really getting to the point of just donating my books to the Library, which I'll most likely do with the books I have left to pass along.

I am really excited about the Kindle.  I read so much (about 1-2 books a month) that it just makes sense for us.

And everyone we know who has one, just loves it!  So that is good to know!

As I read it more, I'll let you know how I'm liking it and what I'm learning about it!  :)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Ok, how cute was this story?!?!?!

I really enjoyed this one and I was sad to see it end.

This one was for book club and I'm so glad it was chosen 'cause I really enjoyed it!

What a charming story!

I wasn't sure, at first about it being in 'letter form' and I did get a bit confused in the beginning with who's who...

I wished that I had made myself a lil cheat sheet of all the characters just 'cause they are all so charming and I didn't want to miss anything on any of them!

I love! love! love! the letters back and forth (and the relationship) between Juliet and her male BFF, Sidney.  They had such a witty and funny repartee and I loved those letters in particular between the two.

The main gal, Juliet is a great character!  I guess that's to say that she has a lot of personality!  She's a real character...  ;-)

I really enjoy these stories that incorporate real life events into an attention-keeping setting and, it's true what I once read somewhere which is that...

(To paraphrase) - When done/written well, sad or depressing can be really good and fun to read!

There's no doubt that the war (WWII) was incredibly sad and to read the things that went on during the German Occupation of Guernsey (or any place, for that matter) is an important reminder of our history and the past. 

But it's done so well here!  It's told in a way that doesn't dismiss the sadness of the reality of our history.  But it doesn't make you depressed and want to hide your head under the covers and forget the whole thing!

It's done with wit and charm... and hope and inspiration.

This makes me think of Jeannette Wall's The Glass Castle, which I also loved and could not put down.

And even Katheryn Stockett's The Help, which again, I could not put down and could not get enough of.

These stories are so incredibly well told and filled with hope, even in their darkest reality.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

Wow...

Incredible.

What can I say?!  This was soooooo good that I finished it in just one week! 

I could not put this one down.  At all!!!

My house is a mess.  Kitchen is a disaster.  Laundry is not washed. 

I literally could not put this one down. 

I don't even know where to begin on how good it is or why it's so good.

This one was for bookclub and I have to admit, when it was first picked, I rolled my eyes and was like, "ugh..." 

I guess I thought it was gonna be another depressing bummer story (um, much like our last one).

It was far from it though!

While the general history in the story is sad, this story itself is very inspiring and hopeful.

It is amazing to think that this really was only about 40 years ago...  It's a bit scary.

More scary is the knowledge that this old thinking still goes on in some places.

Not to get off on a random tangent but, I was reading (my news source) People.com over the weekend and there was a quick story about one of the members of Def Leppard that got married over the weekend (congrats to them!  I love Def Leppard!).  :)  With the article is a photo of the newlyweds.  They are an interracial couple.

Anyway, I was reading the comments at the bottom (as I like to do) and there were so many well wishers saying their congrats to the new couple.  So cute!  Then, all of a sudden, the comments turn ugly towards one person who's comment obviously did not sit well with all the other commenters.

Well naturally I need to see what this person said and sure enough, this one person had to write in their comment that "Marriage should only be between opposite sex and same race."  They also said that "inner racial marriage" is wrong.

(I just looked now to try and pull the exact comment up but they've taken them down.) 

Inner!  I'm not sure which is scarier.  The fact that this kind of thinking still does exist.  Or that our educational system is so bad (or this person really is such an idiot) that they think it's "inner racial" and not interracial.

The big long point is... that it was terrible thinking 40 years ago and it's terrible thinking now.

The terrible thinking being that there's no seeing beyond our own closed mindedness.  Terrible that there is injustice because of age or race or sex (or even religion, for that matter).

Where/when does it end?  I dunno. 

I've completely gotten off topic and onto some crazy tangent.  Sorry!

I'll stop here.  Read the book.  It's EXCELLENT!

:)

The Carrie Diaries - Candace Bushnell

Well this was a nice quick fun summer read!  :)

This one wasn't for bookclub.  Just for me.  I bought this as a B-day gift for two of my BFF's as we are all crazy SATC fans!

Now, I've never read the actual Sex and the City book by Candace Bushnell but I know it is quite different than the series (from what Amazon readers have posted in comments).

So I wasn't surprised or bothered that there are differences between things in this story vs. the TV show (for example - towards the end of Season 4 on the show, it is revealed that Carrie's father skipped out on her when she was little.  In this book, Carrie is raised by her father, as her mother has passed away). 

Anyway, don't get caught up in all that.  Just enjoy the book for what it is.  A fun summer read. 

I like that Candace Bushnell didn't mold the High School Carrie into the TV version of Carrie.

This makes me want to read the SATC novel to see how the author portrays Carrie and the rest of the characters (as opposed to the TV show).

I will say, I find it interesting that this book is categorized under "Young Adult". 

I supposed that's because when I was a 'young adult' I was busy reading Anne of Green Gables.  :)

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Well, hmm... Let's see...

What to say on this one...

Alright.  I'm just gonna say it.

This was not one of my favorites.

So this one was for bookclub.  And this one came highly recommended by some of the co-workers of one of our bookclubbers.

I'm not sure why. 

Keep in mind that this could just be me, though.

First of all, I am not a sci-fi gal AT ALL... I just don't get into it.

Second, I really just wasn't sure sometimes what we were talkin' about!

I tried explaining the book to El Hub and I couldn't even put it into words.

He was like, "Are you sure you're reading it?"  :+)

So me not being into the sci-fi, on top of me being confused... yes it could just be me.

We meet day after tomorrow (here this time!) to discuss it so I'm dying to hear what everyone else thinks and has to say about it.

I had a really hard time getting into this one.  From the beginning, I just wasn't into it.

I got through the first chapter and then just set it down for about 2 weeks.

Then, one of our other bookclubbers said to keep going and power through cause it gets interesting.

And so I did!  And it never got interesting!!!!  (for/to me, anyway)

You know what bums me out the most?  I was gonna check this one out from the library and instead I went and bought it.

And not even at Costco for cheap!  I bought it at B&N at full-price!

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you've read this and have some huge/great insight into it, PLEASE let me know!

I am begging you!

:0)

On a side note, they have made a movie of this book which is to be released soon...

I watched the trailer thinking it would give me some great clue... And it didn't!

x-(

Here it is... (this book has me slightly bitter...)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

How sweet is this story?!?!?!!

This is just about the nicest, most charming read I've read in awhile.

It's quaint!  If a book can be quaint, this is the book!

I have been wanting to read this for awhile now and I'm so glad I finally did!

This one isn't for bookclub.  It's just for me.

I absolutely loved the simplicity of this story.

That's not to say that this is a simple story.  It is just written in a simple manner that is to the point, yet incredibly descriptive and lovely.

I love love love the cuteness and sweetness of the characters.

I also love reading about the pride and beauty of the land.  How nice!

I am tired so I can't go on much more but I absolutely loved this one and I could not put it down.

I like that these mysteries are solved in a very sweet manner.  They are mysterious, though!  It keeps you guessing.

I think I'll run to Costco tomorrow and buy the next one!

I have to see what happens between Precious and Mr. JLB Matekoni!

:)

And on a side note, I know there is the show on HBO.  We do not have cable (as we do not have TV) so I can't see it.

I wish I could , tho.

Everything I've read about it seems to give it good reviews.

In the meantime, here's a nice trailer of the HBO show.

I think Jill Scott is a perfect pick for Mma Ramotswe (not to mention that I've loved her since her "Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1)... :)

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford

Aww...

This was a nice one.

And it reallly is a bittersweet story!

This one is for bookclub and I finished it in like 2 weeks!

I dunno if it's the short quick chapters, or that it really is a good story (or both) but I read through this one fast and I could not put it down!

Again, I feel like I'm surrounded by Identity Politics and roles within roles.

Henry was an American born Chinese boy.  At school he was the only Chinese boy in an all white school.  In his Chinatown neighborhood, he was an American schooled boy.  His parents wanted him to only speak English at home, though they only spoke Chinese. 

I really appreciate and relate to this aspect of the story (especially these days!).  I myself don't seem to have a 'box' that I fit in.

Anyway, the sweet friendship and love story between Henry and Keiko is charming and frustrating!

Frustrating in that it would be terrible to want so much to be with someone and know you can't.  I could not even imagine not being able to be married to El Hub because of our uncontrollable differences.

I have to admit, I didn't really know much about the Japanese Internment camps during World War II... It is incredibly sad that they were treated that way as they were Americans themselves!

Makes me think of post 9/11 and how there was a bit of a lash out towards Middle Easterners, even if they really weren't Middle Eastern but just had dark hair and dark skin... (again... something I've come across.).

Anyway, I really enjoyed this one and I'm most happy that I finished it early enough to allow me time to read a non-bookclub book, which I'll tell ya about next/when I'm done with it!  :)

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Well...  For someone who was dragging her feet on reading this one, I now can't seem to walk away from it!!!

Writing this opinion/review would be like closing the door on it and moving on. 

And I'm not ready to leave it!

This one wasn't for bookclub.  It was just for me.

Since we had so much time between our last book and our next meeting (oh let's see... we chose the book in December and we met last week - March 23rd!!!), I needed something else to read in the meantime.

I'd always heard good things about Eat, Pray Love and I'd seen it everywhere!

But for some reason, it just wasn't grabbing my attention.  I thought it would be frou-frou or shi-shi... like fluff and earthy granola-ness...

While on a 3 hour layover in Baltimore and bored outta my mind, I picked it up and then could not put it down!

Anyway, the second we got home, I ran right out (to Costco, of course) and bought it!

Her story is amazing!  It's broken down into three parts and it's the first part that's the real reason I picked it up to begin with!

Italy
I love Italy!  Unfortunately, I've only been there once, but I'm grateful I've even been and it is one of the most amazing, wonderful, beautiful, delicious places I've ever seen!  (Florence, in particular!)  :)

I thought she did a great job of describing the wonderful culture that is Italy!  From the food to the handsome men!  The stylish women.  She was able to put into words all the things I came to love about Italy!

There is definitely a culture to it that is beautiful and simple.  They do have a love for living that comes in the pleasures of food and good company!

Where else can you enjoy a four hour meal where the food is so good, you don't want it to end?!?!

I have to admit, I didn't want her time in Italy to end and I was hungry the whole time I read this section!  :)

Thank you, Liz Gilbert for making food the 'pleasure' and not sex.  There's nothing wrong with crying over the best pizza ever... :)

India
I had a bit of a hard time getting into the India part.  Ashrams and Meditation... so not me.

But I came to enjoy this section of the book because of her search for prayer. 

It's funny how things come together sometimes. 

Around the time I started reading this book, I found myself trying to understand how to pray better and learn more about it.

And it's not even why I picked this book up!

Anyway, I love how simple she is with her approach to speaking to and with God.

With her trusty journal and pen, she just writes to Him with very clear and simple intentions or requests.

Something I've started trying to be better at myself, thanks to her!

On a random side note, two things talked a lot about in Art (or Art History anyway) are the In Between and Identity Politics.

Since studying these things in school, I am super aware of them now not only in Art but in life (Identity Politics in particular... something I'd like to study more!).

I was so happy to find her paragraph at the end of # 69 (pg. 204) describe these exact things!

She finds herself in the In Between in her life!  In between places both physically (towards the end of India and close to the beginning of Indonesia) and emotionally (in between prayer and devotion)!

She questions what she is supposed to be.

"I've spent so much time these last years wondering what I'm supposed to be.  A wife?  A mother?  A lover?  A celibate?  An Italian?  A glutton?  A traveler?  An artist?  A Yogi?  But I'm not any of these things, at least not completely."

It's like a page right outta my Conceptual Art studies book, with Adrian Piper in mind!

I love it!

Indonesia
I enjoyed this section of the book and I'm so glad she met Felipe!  We all need a Felipe!  :)

I'm glad she was able to enjoy this time in this place with just being.  She allowed herself to just Be... and it all came together, once she let go.

Just wonderful.

Obviously, my favorite part of this book was Italy but I really enjoyed all of it!

I am a bit hesitant about the movie version of this book.

For one, I'm not a big Julia Roberts fan...  But I'm also afraid they will leave out the best parts/concepts/ideas of this book.

How can all of this wonderful emotion be summed up into two hours?

I dunno but, if they can do it, great!

In the meantime, here's a nice Q&A video with Elizabeth Gilbert from the Authors@Google series!



Thank you, Liz Gilbert!

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons - Lorna Landvik

I just finished this today!   YAY!!!

I know it seems like forever since we've had a bookclub meeting but with Christmas and New Years & all that, it's just been a busy time.

And this book is a thick one!!!   It took me this long to get through it!

I will say, when I first started this (um, let's see... in early December!) I couldn't seem to get into it.

I got through the Prologue and then just set it down.

Since hubby and I have been in New York for the past 3 weeks, I brought it with me (thinking, 'geez.. if I don't finish it here, then I dunno what...') and then I couldn't put it down!

I had not been in the mood to read and this put me back in the mood!

I wouldn't say this was a page-turner for me 'cause it's the best book or necessarily thought provoking.  I just found it to be a nice read.

I got into the characters.  I enjoyed a characteristic of each of them in different ways.

Does that makes sense? 

So, for example, I liked Faith in that I found her to be fairly real... (or maybe she's like me...?)  :)   She could be huffy and she had moments of jealousy.  She had resentment towards her hubby, who traveled (he was a pilot) while she stayed home to raise their twins.

She wasn't perfect.  And that's what I liked about her.

I liked Audrey's larger-than-life-ness.  Audrey's the gal you always want at your party 'cause you know the fun (and the boys) will follow.  :)

Anyway, I found things I liked in each of them.

I found it interesting (and I'm curious as to why) the author chose to give some characters their voice in first person (like Slip, Audrey and Grant) but spoke in 3rd person for others (like Merit and Keri).

And Faith's first person voice only came through her letter's to her 'mama'...

Not bad, or good... I'm just curious as to why.

Anyway, as usual, when you give quite a bit of your time to a book and spend time with characters, you get bummed that it's over.  Or at least I do.

I was sad that this book ended.  And I'm proud that I finished it!

For being a book about a bookclub, they never address if one of them never finished their book (ahem... like I tend to...)    :)