Wait Till Helen Comes, by Mary Downing Hahn

I read this when I was in 5th grade and it terrified me! I've been trying to get my kids to read it, for a while, now and they finally did.  Well, my daughter did.  She's in 4th grade and you know what she said about it? 

"That wasn't scary, Mom."

*sigh* 

Well, whatever.  hahaha

I read it, again, to see if I remembered it correctly.  It did seem to be more of a mystery, now, than a scary story.  It still scared me when I was younger, nonetheless.  ;)

If your kids are into suspenseful books, this would be a good one for them to read.  See if they think it's scary! ;)

A Winter Dream, by Richard Paul Evans

"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void."

Not a quote from this book, but from one of my all-time favorite movies, "You've Got Mail".  This is the quote I think of when I realize I haven't read a good book in a long time.

I make exceptions for RPE books, though... I can devour his in less than 24 hours - all while momming, wifing, housekeeping, cheffing, etc.  That's how good they are!

This one was awesome, of course.  It's a modern day Joseph and the coat of many colors story.  Very cool.  It was well-written, and just plain good.

I'd highly recommend it! :)

My Lie: A True Story of False Memory, by Meredith Maran

 

I attempted to read this.  I got almost half-way through when I decided it really was just too disturbing to read.  Not so much the fact that she somehow convinced herself that her father molested her when she was a child, then realized it wasn't true, but all of the case studies and articles printed and evidence and theories and whatever she cited on child sexual abuse. 

 

It's just sick.  That's what it is.  I couldn't stomach it.  So, I closed it, returned it, and now I hope to never have to think about it, again. 

 

If you're curious, now, it's about this woman who, like I said, comes up with the false memory of her father molesting her.  She confronts him, which makes things horrible between her and her family, then she's like, whoa... that's not true, after all.  So, this is her story.  It talks about how she was lead to come to this conclusion in the first place.  Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for women (mostly) and children to come to this conclusion in the late 80's, early 90's.  It's just wrong.  That it happened for real and that people made it so others merely thought it happened, is just wrong.  The whole thing was just so hard to read, but if you're the type who can detach from your book, then by all means... go for it.  I can't, so I didn't.  ;) 

Don't get me wrong; it was very well-written, well-researched and was probably somewhat difficult to not only face, but face publicly.  I hope this woman can find happiness and forgiveness and all she seeks in writing this book. 

 

Happy reading!

The Second Empress, by Michelle Moran

True to form, this book rocked! MM really knows her stuff when it comes to writing historical fiction.  One is prone to forget that it's fiction... or historical, for that matter.

It was so well-written and educational - I learned a lot about Napoleon that I hadn't known, which was actually quite a bit.  (Yeah, I don't like that guy.)

Even with my busy life, these days, I found myself reading whenever I could - late at night, in the car, during meals.... it was so good! I highly recommend reading this one, and any of her others if you haven't already.

Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse

By far one of the best books I have ever read.

I am so fascinated by stories of survival.  Although this one is fiction, it is written so well, one forgets that the narrator, if you will, never existed.

It's written in prose; my new favorite form of writing, I've decided.  It's quick to read, keeps you turning pages from the beginning with its realness; and though simple, is full of profound.  It perfectly portrays what life must've been like for those who chose to hang on and keep trying during what I can only imagine to be one of this nation's toughest times.

I would highly recommend it and am going to try to find non-fiction stories of survival from this era.

For those who may never read this, I want to share my favorite part (pages 220-221):

Thanksgiving List

Prairie birds, the whistle of gophers, the wind blowing,

the smell of grass

and spicy earth,

friends like Mad Dong, the cattle down in the river,

water washing over their hooves,

the sky so

big, so full of

shifting clouds,

the cloud shadows creeping

over the fields,

Daddy's smile,

and his laugh,

and his songs,

Louise,

food without dust,

Daddy seeing to Ma's piano,

newly cleaned and tuned,

the days when my hands don't hurt at all,

the thank-you note from Lucille in Moline, Kansas,

the sound of rain,

Daddy's hole staying full of water

as the windmill turns,

the smell of green,

of damp earth,

of hope returning to our farm.

The poppies set to

bloom on Ma and Franklin's grave,

the morning with the whole day waiting,

full of promise,

the night

of quiet, of no expectations, of rest.

And the certainty of home, the one I live in,

and the one

that lives in me.

November 1935

Save Me From Myself, by Brian "Head" Welch

This was an amazing autobiography.  I truly love reading real people's real stories.

"Head" was the founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal group "Korn".  I never listened to them, growing up, so I ventured onto Netflix to view one of their concerts. 

Whoa.

This man found God after being a member of quite a "colorful" band that sang songs that had "colorful" lyrics in them. 

Amazing.

His story and testimony are deep and powerful.  It's awesome to me, a fellow Christian, to see how God reaches out to all of His children, no matter where they are in their lives. 

This was a wonderful testament of God's love for His children and the many ways He uses His other children to reach out and show His love to all.  That this man was able to change his life around the way he did is truly miraculous.  It just goes to show that good always does conquer over evil.

I would recommend reading it.  :)

Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal

I finally found time to start (and finish!) a book! And this one was a great one to get me back in the game, again!

If you like Jane Austen, you'll love this romance.  It's not mush and gush; it's just lovely.  :)  It sort of has a Sense and Sensibility feel to it.  There's a twist, though:  the author has her characters practicing magic as if it were just another talent young women learn to catch a beau.  I generally don't go for the magic-type books, but this one was worth the read.  I would take it with me in the car or to bed or wherever I could get a spare minute to read! I have the sequel on hold at the library, so stay tuned for the next one! :)

***Added July 13, 2012***

Tried reading the sequel.  Not as good as the first.  Didn't captivate me like the first one did.  Never finished it.

Hiatus

As you may have noticed, I haven't blogged about a book, lately. 

I had a baby January 24th and he's healthy and cries a lot.  ;) 

My MIL has confirmed that he is NOT a calm baby.  None of my babies are calm babies. 

They grow up to be healthy, independent, smart and confident kids, though.

Until then, my time is being taken up by this smallish person who's quite needy.

I look forward to the time when I can lose myself in a world other than my own.  :)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, by Jeff Kinney

This is Kinney's most recent addition to his much-loved series.

I read it because I read the other ones and I'm anal enough to have them all read. 

I think this one was my favorite in that it was the least obnoxious.  It wasn't the funniest one, though.  It's a quick read, does have some funny parts, and will surely be a favorite to your son or daughter if they liked the other ones.  :)

Matched, by Ally Condie

This, I guess, is the first of a trilogy... of which I will not be finishing.

It was an ok book - took me a while to get it read due to my having a baby (!!!) and not being that interested in it.

It greatly reminded me of the Hunger Games - taking place in the future, a girl who has to choose between two guys (one she's paired with, one she's not), an all-powerful government that pretty much controls everything that happens because of chaos that happened in the past resulting in war, teenagers rebelling against the system, everyone being seperated into districts or providences... VERY similar. 

It's about a girl who's matched with a guy, her best friend.  But, she falls in love with someone she's not supposed to fall in love with and wants to rebel and make her own choices.  The government she has to answer to controls everything - from the food they eat, the songs they listen to, to when they die.  It was mildly entertaining, but not enough to get me to want to finish the series to find out what happens.  Maybe some day.  Who knows.  :)

It's a Book, by Lane Smith

This is one of the best books I have ever read.  Not kidding.

It's a children's book that my husband found at our local library... it's perfect for this day and age, he says.  So, I read it.  And laugh... and laugh! It's perfectly cute and funny and just perfect.  ;)

If you want to read it, click here - I highly recommend that you do, it'll only take you two minutes.  **You have to read the very first page it shows for the ending to be as funny as I thought it was.

Love it!