Overview:
Friendship. Sisterhood. Secrets. For two girls, an incredible journey is about to begin…
Wisconsin, 1961. Evelyn “Button” Peters is nine the summer Winnalee and her fiery-spirited older sister, Freeda, blow into her small town–and from the moment she sees them, Button knows this will be a summer unlike any other.
Much to her mother’s dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mother’s ashes and a tome she calls “The Book of Bright Ideas.” It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. And when a devastating secret is suddenly revealed, dividing loyalties and uprooting lives, no one–from Winnalee and her sister to Button and her family–will ever be the same.
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Amy's Review:
I liked this book. I had to push myself to read it. I was hard to get into but I was curious as to why she carried around the book. Towards the end an explanation is given as to why. I was also intriqued by her sister and why she was the way she was. Towards the end it explains that as well. As for the mother that the two girls ran away from, I can't see how she can could turn a blind eye to what was going on right in front of her nose practically right before her eyes. The ending of the book is fitting for the two girls. I liked what the older sister did for one of the local ladies as far as helping her with her hair and makeup and making her feel like a woman again. Seemed to me she wasn't so mean to her daughter after that. I would recommend this book to others. It wasn't a page turner for me but it kept my curiosity enough to keep reading to see what was going to happen.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simmons
Overview:
Leningrad 1941: the white nights of summer illuminate a city of fallen grandeur whose beautiful palaces and stately avenues speak of a different age, when Leningrad was known as St Petersburg.
Two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha, share the same bed, living in one room with their brother and parents. It is a hard, impoverished life, yet the Metanovs know many who are not as fortunate as they.
The family routine is shattered on 22 June 1941 when Hitler invades Russia. For the Metanovs, for Leningrad and for Tatiana, life will never be the same again. On the fateful day, Tatiana meets a brash young officer named Alexander.
Tatiana and her family suffer as Hitler’s army advances on Leningrad, and the Russian winter closes in. With bombs falling and the city under siege, Tatiana and Alexander are drawn to each other in an impossible love. It is a love that could tear Tatiana’s family apart, a love that carries a secret that could mean death for anyone who hears it.
Confronted on the one hand by Hitler’s unstoppable war machine, and on the other by a Soviet system determined to crush the human spirit, Tatiana and Alexander are pitted against the very tide of history, at a turning point in the century that made the modern world.
Mesmerizing from the very first page to the final, breathtaking end, The Bronze Horseman brings alive the story of two indomitable, heroic spirits and their great love that triumphs over the devastation of a country at war.
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Amy's Review:
This was not my favorite book. I had to push myself to read it and keep reading it. It was very confusing and Tatiana made me mad. I couldn't identify with her character and why she did some of the things that she did. The book was almost 700 pages and to me the author could have left out about 300 pages. I was happy to see that Dimitri got what was coming to him. He was such an idiot. As for Alexander, did he live? Did he die? The book left me wondering what became of him. It didn't say. I would assume he died but I can't say that for sure. I wouldn't recommend this book to other people unless you are a good skimmer!
Leningrad 1941: the white nights of summer illuminate a city of fallen grandeur whose beautiful palaces and stately avenues speak of a different age, when Leningrad was known as St Petersburg.
Two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha, share the same bed, living in one room with their brother and parents. It is a hard, impoverished life, yet the Metanovs know many who are not as fortunate as they.
The family routine is shattered on 22 June 1941 when Hitler invades Russia. For the Metanovs, for Leningrad and for Tatiana, life will never be the same again. On the fateful day, Tatiana meets a brash young officer named Alexander.
Tatiana and her family suffer as Hitler’s army advances on Leningrad, and the Russian winter closes in. With bombs falling and the city under siege, Tatiana and Alexander are drawn to each other in an impossible love. It is a love that could tear Tatiana’s family apart, a love that carries a secret that could mean death for anyone who hears it.
Confronted on the one hand by Hitler’s unstoppable war machine, and on the other by a Soviet system determined to crush the human spirit, Tatiana and Alexander are pitted against the very tide of history, at a turning point in the century that made the modern world.
Mesmerizing from the very first page to the final, breathtaking end, The Bronze Horseman brings alive the story of two indomitable, heroic spirits and their great love that triumphs over the devastation of a country at war.
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Amy's Review:
This was not my favorite book. I had to push myself to read it and keep reading it. It was very confusing and Tatiana made me mad. I couldn't identify with her character and why she did some of the things that she did. The book was almost 700 pages and to me the author could have left out about 300 pages. I was happy to see that Dimitri got what was coming to him. He was such an idiot. As for Alexander, did he live? Did he die? The book left me wondering what became of him. It didn't say. I would assume he died but I can't say that for sure. I wouldn't recommend this book to other people unless you are a good skimmer!
The Search By Nora Roberts
The Search
Putnam Hardcover | 978-0-399-15657-1
July 6, 2010 | $26.95
To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle's coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare...
Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona's cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.
On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He's the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon's house, and he's at his wit's end.
To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can't handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he's a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn't want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones.
As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona's life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands...
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Amy's Review:
I liked this book. Love mystery and suspense. Nora is one of my favorite authors. I was a little disappointed in the ending of the book. To me it could of have ended a little better. This was a page turner for me and kept me interested until the end. I would recommend it to others.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah
The Things We Do for Love Summary:
The youngest of three daughters, Angela DeSaria Malone was always "the princess" of the family, a girl who thought she knew how her life would unfold. High School. College. Marriage. Motherhood. That was how it had gone for her sisters, her cousins, her friends. But it didn't work out that way for Angie. She and her husband tried desperately to have a child; year after year, their perfectly decorated nursery remained empty. Finally, their marriage collapsed under the weight of lost dreams.
After the divorce, Angie moved back to her hometown and rejoined her loud, loving, slightly crazy family. In West End, a place where life rises and falls in time with the tides, she will find the man who once again will open her heart to love…and meet the girl who will change Angie's life.
Lauren Ribido lives in a rundown apartment in a bad part of town with a mother who cares more about her next drink than about her daughter. At seventeen, Lauren knows that her aspirations in life may never come to pass.
From the moment they meet, Angie sees something special in Lauren. They form a quick connection, this woman who is desperate for a daughter and the girl who has never known a mother's love. When Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie doesn't hesitate to offer the girl a place to stay.
But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. In a dramatic turn of events, she and Lauren will be tested in a way that mothers and daughters seldom are. Together they will embark on an intensely moving, deeply emotional journey to the very heart of what it means to be a family.
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Amy's Review:
This book was a page turner for me. It captured my curiosity from the beginning and kept me turning the pages. I was impressed by Lauren's strength and passion and how she strived to not become what her mother was. It was heartbreaking that her mother thought of her as just a duty and something that she could just throw away when it suited her. It opened my eyes that there are people out there like that and that this is a common occurence in today's world. Same thing with Angie. There are people out there that desperately want to have a child and for whatever reason they can't. They are not bad people they just can't. It pulls at your heart strings because you know that there are people out there having babies that probably shouldn't and doing bad things to them and then there are people like Angie that want a child so badly but can't have one of their own. This story was a very moving story and I had three endings in my head about how it was going to end and none of them happened. I'd have to say I was surprised at the end and did like the ending. It was a fitting ending. Another good book for me. This one is also in my top 5.
The youngest of three daughters, Angela DeSaria Malone was always "the princess" of the family, a girl who thought she knew how her life would unfold. High School. College. Marriage. Motherhood. That was how it had gone for her sisters, her cousins, her friends. But it didn't work out that way for Angie. She and her husband tried desperately to have a child; year after year, their perfectly decorated nursery remained empty. Finally, their marriage collapsed under the weight of lost dreams.
After the divorce, Angie moved back to her hometown and rejoined her loud, loving, slightly crazy family. In West End, a place where life rises and falls in time with the tides, she will find the man who once again will open her heart to love…and meet the girl who will change Angie's life.
Lauren Ribido lives in a rundown apartment in a bad part of town with a mother who cares more about her next drink than about her daughter. At seventeen, Lauren knows that her aspirations in life may never come to pass.
From the moment they meet, Angie sees something special in Lauren. They form a quick connection, this woman who is desperate for a daughter and the girl who has never known a mother's love. When Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie doesn't hesitate to offer the girl a place to stay.
But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. In a dramatic turn of events, she and Lauren will be tested in a way that mothers and daughters seldom are. Together they will embark on an intensely moving, deeply emotional journey to the very heart of what it means to be a family.
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Amy's Review:
This book was a page turner for me. It captured my curiosity from the beginning and kept me turning the pages. I was impressed by Lauren's strength and passion and how she strived to not become what her mother was. It was heartbreaking that her mother thought of her as just a duty and something that she could just throw away when it suited her. It opened my eyes that there are people out there like that and that this is a common occurence in today's world. Same thing with Angie. There are people out there that desperately want to have a child and for whatever reason they can't. They are not bad people they just can't. It pulls at your heart strings because you know that there are people out there having babies that probably shouldn't and doing bad things to them and then there are people like Angie that want a child so badly but can't have one of their own. This story was a very moving story and I had three endings in my head about how it was going to end and none of them happened. I'd have to say I was surprised at the end and did like the ending. It was a fitting ending. Another good book for me. This one is also in my top 5.
Same Kind of Different as Me
Same Kind of Different as Me Summary:
Same Kind of Different As Me is an unusual autobiography in that it combines the lives of two disparate men, a wealthy, disaffected art dealer and an angry, black homeless man, with that of the woman whose love for God drew them together.
Ron’s wife, Debbie Hall was a woman called of God to step outside the boundaries of $1000 per plate charity dinners and high society to take follow in Christ’s steps and take His love to "the least of these". Devoting herself to working with the homeless community of Forth Worth, Texas, she related to those she met as individuals and people with a purpose, loving them for who they were.
This flowing, authentic love was much more difficult for her husband Ron Hall to grasp hold of. Coerced into joining his wife’s ministering efforts, his initial attempts were stilted. Focused more upon assuaging guilt and generating a warm, fuzzy sense of do-gooding, it was only when his friendship with Denver Moore blossomed that he experienced the depths of true compassion.
Raised in informal, modern-day slavery, Moore worked hard growing and picking cotton until some time in his late twenties when he left the only life he knew in search of a better one. The new life he found resulted in thirty years on the streets, homeless and without work. Over these years he became angry, his heart hardened and he slipped into darkness. When God placed the Halls in his life he resisted their tapping at his heart. Survival skills learned from years on the streets launched his automatic defense system. Through prayer, persistence and love the lives of these three individuals would weave a new story that would inspire and touch the lives of thousands.
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Amy's Review:
This books makes you think. In a way Ron and Denver have some of the same characteristics. They both do what they have to do to make it. The difference is that Ron is doing what he has to do to make more money and attain a better way of life. Denver on the hand is doing what he has to do to survive. Denver believes in God and it not afraid to share what he believes with others. Ron's wife is the connection between the two and from there a very powerful story is created. This book inspired me. It reminded me that it is good to help out other people and not expect anything in return. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own lives that we over look our friends and neighbors and the fact that they themselves may need a little help. Because of my busy life it took me a while to read this book. I didn't finish it until this past Sunday night and I am glad that it took me that long to read it because during the time that it took me to read this book we found ourselves needind some help with our bathroom and I had posted a request on facebook but only received one response. The response led us to someone that was able to help us and didn't ask for anything in return even though I tried to give him something. My payment to him came this past friday in the form of a pay it forward. I must admit that I didn't want to help but I did. And I am glad that I did because I came away from it with a thought that if that was me I hope that I am blessed enough that someone will help me if I ever find myself in that situation. I also came away from my pay it forward with a very good feeling, one that I can't describe. I then finished Same Kind of Different as me on Sunday and I got the same feeling that I felt on Saturday. I would definately recommend this book to people. It reminds you of who you are and what you have and to not take anything for granted as well as to remember that it is good to do something nice for someone and not expect anything in return. And when the opportunity comes to pay it forward you should not turn it down.
Same Kind of Different As Me is an unusual autobiography in that it combines the lives of two disparate men, a wealthy, disaffected art dealer and an angry, black homeless man, with that of the woman whose love for God drew them together.
Ron’s wife, Debbie Hall was a woman called of God to step outside the boundaries of $1000 per plate charity dinners and high society to take follow in Christ’s steps and take His love to "the least of these". Devoting herself to working with the homeless community of Forth Worth, Texas, she related to those she met as individuals and people with a purpose, loving them for who they were.
This flowing, authentic love was much more difficult for her husband Ron Hall to grasp hold of. Coerced into joining his wife’s ministering efforts, his initial attempts were stilted. Focused more upon assuaging guilt and generating a warm, fuzzy sense of do-gooding, it was only when his friendship with Denver Moore blossomed that he experienced the depths of true compassion.
Raised in informal, modern-day slavery, Moore worked hard growing and picking cotton until some time in his late twenties when he left the only life he knew in search of a better one. The new life he found resulted in thirty years on the streets, homeless and without work. Over these years he became angry, his heart hardened and he slipped into darkness. When God placed the Halls in his life he resisted their tapping at his heart. Survival skills learned from years on the streets launched his automatic defense system. Through prayer, persistence and love the lives of these three individuals would weave a new story that would inspire and touch the lives of thousands.
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Amy's Review:
This books makes you think. In a way Ron and Denver have some of the same characteristics. They both do what they have to do to make it. The difference is that Ron is doing what he has to do to make more money and attain a better way of life. Denver on the hand is doing what he has to do to survive. Denver believes in God and it not afraid to share what he believes with others. Ron's wife is the connection between the two and from there a very powerful story is created. This book inspired me. It reminded me that it is good to help out other people and not expect anything in return. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own lives that we over look our friends and neighbors and the fact that they themselves may need a little help. Because of my busy life it took me a while to read this book. I didn't finish it until this past Sunday night and I am glad that it took me that long to read it because during the time that it took me to read this book we found ourselves needind some help with our bathroom and I had posted a request on facebook but only received one response. The response led us to someone that was able to help us and didn't ask for anything in return even though I tried to give him something. My payment to him came this past friday in the form of a pay it forward. I must admit that I didn't want to help but I did. And I am glad that I did because I came away from it with a thought that if that was me I hope that I am blessed enough that someone will help me if I ever find myself in that situation. I also came away from my pay it forward with a very good feeling, one that I can't describe. I then finished Same Kind of Different as me on Sunday and I got the same feeling that I felt on Saturday. I would definately recommend this book to people. It reminds you of who you are and what you have and to not take anything for granted as well as to remember that it is good to do something nice for someone and not expect anything in return. And when the opportunity comes to pay it forward you should not turn it down.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
Amy's Review:
This was a great book. I am surprised that she got rejected by 45 publishers before it got published. I found myself cheering the maids and skeeter on. I must say that each time I eat chocolate pie I will think of this book! I didn't like Hilly one bit. I am not fond of that type of person. I am a firm believer in what goes around comes around and I found myself hoping throughout the book that she would get what was coming to her. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I won't say if she did or if she didn't but I sure got a big laugh out of what happened to her! My favorite character in the book was Minnie. It is said in the book that she can't keep her mouth shut but she can cook. Which is why she doesn't keep a job very long. I am glad that she stood up to Hilly. As I said earlier I really didn't like Hilly. She was a good mom to her kids but a nasty employer. I also like that Minnie found an employer that she could stick with regardless of her mouth. I loved the ending but again won't give it away. I by no means think that the book was based on a true story but it is a good fiction book that gives you some insight into what it was like back then. I recommended this book to my mom on the phone last night and I would recommend it to others. It was a good book and falls in my top five list!
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
Amy's Review:
This was a great book. I am surprised that she got rejected by 45 publishers before it got published. I found myself cheering the maids and skeeter on. I must say that each time I eat chocolate pie I will think of this book! I didn't like Hilly one bit. I am not fond of that type of person. I am a firm believer in what goes around comes around and I found myself hoping throughout the book that she would get what was coming to her. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I won't say if she did or if she didn't but I sure got a big laugh out of what happened to her! My favorite character in the book was Minnie. It is said in the book that she can't keep her mouth shut but she can cook. Which is why she doesn't keep a job very long. I am glad that she stood up to Hilly. As I said earlier I really didn't like Hilly. She was a good mom to her kids but a nasty employer. I also like that Minnie found an employer that she could stick with regardless of her mouth. I loved the ending but again won't give it away. I by no means think that the book was based on a true story but it is a good fiction book that gives you some insight into what it was like back then. I recommended this book to my mom on the phone last night and I would recommend it to others. It was a good book and falls in my top five list!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Water for Elephants Summary:
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.
When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.
Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.
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Amy's Review:
I loved this book! I learned a lot about the circus that I never knew. I also loved Rosie the elephant. Plus I am a sucker for romance. In the end I think that August and the owner of the circus got what they deserved. I also loved how it was kind of like the movie Titanic. In Titanic there is an elderly lady telling her tale of her time on the ship Titanic before it sunk. In this book there is an elderly man in a nursing home telling his tale of his time spent on the circus. I like how it flips from the story he is telling about his life on the circus back to present day where he is in the nursing home. I also loved the very end of the story but I won't give it away on here, you will have to read the book or see the movie or do both! I can't wait to see the movie at the end of the month. This is definately a good read and has promise to be an excellent movie!
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.
When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.
Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.
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Amy's Review:
I loved this book! I learned a lot about the circus that I never knew. I also loved Rosie the elephant. Plus I am a sucker for romance. In the end I think that August and the owner of the circus got what they deserved. I also loved how it was kind of like the movie Titanic. In Titanic there is an elderly lady telling her tale of her time on the ship Titanic before it sunk. In this book there is an elderly man in a nursing home telling his tale of his time spent on the circus. I like how it flips from the story he is telling about his life on the circus back to present day where he is in the nursing home. I also loved the very end of the story but I won't give it away on here, you will have to read the book or see the movie or do both! I can't wait to see the movie at the end of the month. This is definately a good read and has promise to be an excellent movie!
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