Me in Place

1. Across Five Aprils; Hunt, Irene; 224; 1/4 (school)
SASR (Short Attention Span Review): This was my third time through the book, and each time it just bored me more. Just rambles. But! A great intro to what it would have been like to live through the Civil War as a kid. Rating: 5)

2. The Informant; Eichenwald, Kurt; 567; 1/3
SASR: Wow. What a crazy, crazy story! I really enjoyed this book – definitely the best book I’ve read this year. (Little joke there for ya.) Although the names can be hard to keep straight at times, this is a book about the price fixing schemes of a large corporation located close to us (ADM in Decatur). A man is used as cooperating witness with the FBI – but is he really helping? Or just confusing the matter with his lies? Made into a movie starring Matt Damon (which we haven’t seen yet – but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing it.). Additionally, here’s a Link to article in World Magazine. Rating: 8

3. Storm Surge; Gutteridge, Rene; 348; 1/5
SASR: Third book in a trilogy of mysteries written by a Christian author. Good, light entertainment. Creepy and suspenseful. A little too much focus on the romance stuff. No man I know would notice whether a girl was wearing mascara or not – and this guy kept noticing it… which, instead of being “sweet”, I found rather creepy.
Rating: 7

4. Juliet, Naked; Hornby, Nick; 390; 1/12
SASR: Book by author of High Fidelity and About a Boy – if you liked either of those books or movies, you’d like this. The title is in reference to an acoustic CD released by a musician who hasn’t done anything in about twenty years. A man and woman who are living together review the CD with two totally different views on it and….then the story happens!

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Larsson, Steig; 590; 1/14
SASR: I read this because I kept seeing it everywhere. Heavy on the R rated torture scenes, it was also a good mystery and definitely a page-turner. It centers on a journalist who is hired to write a history of a large family and to attempt to solve the mystery of a girl’s disappearance many years before.

6. Chateau of Echoes; Mitchell, Siri; 384; 1/15
SASR: I always enjoy Siri Mitchell’s books. They’re light, escape reading, but better written than most Christian lit. This one focuses on a recently widowed lady who lives in a chateau in France. Journals were found on the property written by a girl in the 1500′s. How do the two women’s lives intertwine?

7. The Other Queen; Gregory, Philippa; 438; 1/24
SASR: I have read most of Gregory’s books and have previously enjoyed them, but this one was scattered and not that interesting and  - if you know even a little English history – you know what’s going to happen, so there’s no suspense. However, I don’t want to disparage Gregory’s writing! She usually is much more interesting, so if you want a good English monarchy book to read, try her “The Other Boleyn Girl” (or rent the movie).

(following books read in February – unfortunately, I lost track of dates due to the Olympic Fever which overtook me)

8. Parenting with Love and Logic: Cline, Foster and Fay, Jim; 272
SASR: Basically the point of the book is to let kid’s experience the consequence of their choices and stop making every decision for them. Starting with toddlers, all the way up until they’re ready to leave the house. I.E. Kid complains about the dinner being disgusting? Take the plate, dump it and they can see if they’re hungry at breakfast. Unfortunately for my daughter, I read this right before she wanted to buy a membership on an online club for kids. She’s currently raising money to buy that membership, since her mom won’t buy it for her. Donations may be sent ATTN: 10yo MIP Daughter. Rating: 7

9. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?; Godin, Seth; 256
SASR: Godin’s a marketing genius and his point here is that the only way to make yourself indispensable  is by being emotionally invested in your work. Frankly, as a mother, I don’t really worry about whether I’m indispensable or not. Until people learn how to replace the toilet paper roll, I’m good. Rating: 7

10. Dancing on My Ashes; Gillion, Heather and Snell, Holly; 2/23
SASR: Written by two sisters who were widowed when their husbands drowned in a canoeing accident, the book describe their grieving process and how their faith in the Lord grew through this difficult experience. Since I know Holly and Scott from school, I appreciated knowing how Holly’s faith held her through her grief.

11. Going Rogue: Palin, Sarah; 432
SASR: I hadn’t formed much of an opinion of Palin in the presidential race. I wasn’t ready to jump on the bandwagon and worship her. However, after reading her autobiography, I did come away with a respect for her and learned a lot about the campaign process. Well-written and informative. Rating: 8

11. Caddie Woodlawn; Brink, Carol Ryrie; 288
SASR: I read this out loud to the girls for school, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It gives Laura Ingalls a run for her money! Caddie is a tomboy whose father wants to let her run free and whose mother wants her to learn to quilt. She experiences life on the prairie in Wisconsin and her successes and failures are enjoyable to read. Highly recommended.

12. CandyLand: Spelling, Candy; 248
SASR: A life unlike mine, that’s for sure. I don’t even think I’m envious. Even if I don’t have three gift wrapping rooms.

13. Burnt Toast; Hatcher, Teri; 207; 2/24
SASR: Let’s just say these last two books came from the biography aisle at the library. That’s my only excuse for having read them.

14. Too Small To Ignore: Why The Least of These Matters Most; Stafford, Wess and Merrill, Dean;
SASR: Story of the life of Wess Stafford – from missionary kid to president of Compassion International. He helps explain poverty to those who may never have the chance to travel and visit to see firsthand the needs of children everywhere. Definitely a book that spoke to my heart. And, trust me, I’m not one to use the phrase “spoke to my heart” lightly!

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.