This Is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis

This was a great read and even funner because the author is a Provo native, Ann Dee Knight now Ellis.  It's about a boy who witnessed something traumatic and how he deals with the weight of his experience.  It is a quick and interesting read.  Read it.  It's worth it. She did a great job.  I can't wait to read her other books!

Inspector Lynley Series by Elizabeth George

I love a good mystery novel. A good one. And I love a good mystery series even better. And I really got into this series. I picked up my first Inspector Lynley novel several years ago at my Mom's urging. And I have to confess, although I thoroughly enjoyed the books from the start, the writing has improved as Elizabeth George has continued her story of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sargent Barbara Havers. You may have seen this series televised (butchered, in my not so humble opinion) on PBS Mystery over the last few years. Some of the things I love best about these: they take me all over England, and I like the way she writes her mysteries. Much less contrived than some. The overarching storyline is as intriguing as each mystery. The last one, This Body Of Death, in my opinion is her best so far. It reminded me of Prime Suspect (I think maybe she based a character on Jane Tennyson). Anyway if you want some books to keep you hooked these are they. Not perfect, but enjoyable.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I've been trying to write a decent review on this book for the last few days and I just can't seem to come up with anything that does it justice, so I'll just post what it says on the author's web site (sorry, it is a bit long).

My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.
"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.
"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.
I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.
My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.
But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."
I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of Kvothe—from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But The Name of the Wind is so much more—for the story it tells reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.

This book is fabulous! It was long and involved and it took me a little while to get through it but it was worth it. But now I have to wait until the next book comes out, which according to Rothfuss won't be for a while.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Mary lives in a small village where life has very strict boundaries and rules. Surrounding the village is a fence, beyond the fence is the forest, within the forest are the Unconsecrated- humans who have been infected by a disease causing them to Return to a zombie like existence. The existence of the community depends on the limits imposed by the Sisterhood. Despite all that Mary has been told about the world she lives in she questions that there might be more to life, more outside her small enclosure. When the time comes she must determine what she is prepared to give up and how far she will go to learn the answer to her questions.

This book reminded me a lot of the movies The Village and I Am Legend although it certainly has it's own unique twists and turns. I can't say that I loved this book, because I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but I can say that I was hooked. I finished it in just over 24 hours (24 hours that included sleep and work and normal life stuff) and when I wasn't reading I was wanting to be.

Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza

Before I get going on my recommendation I have to let you know that I have a very hard time with memoirs. I always feel that I am getting a very slanted story. I simply have a hard time trusting the authors. I guess I am a pretty big skeptic. It seems the main characters are always the total victim or the total hero and I have a hard time buying their stories. But, with that said, this is a memoir I highly recommend. Imaculee's story, even if embellished, is one everyone should read. It will make you completely rethink your relationship with God, your faith, and most of all it will teach you how incredibly powerful the act of forgiveness can be. Immaculee is a woman who knows what it means to pray and to have perfect faith. She is a woman who truly has a personal relationship with God. I was afraid to read this book because it is about the Rwandan Genocide, but it was uplifting, not depressing and disturbing. Imaculee tells a powerful story and I think this is one of those books that leaves its mark. It is a must read.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

"Lights shine in the city of Ember—but at the city limits the light ends, and darkness takes over. Out there in the Unknown Regions, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. Ember—so its people believe—is the only light in the dark world. And now the lights of the city are beginning to fail. Is there a way to save the people of Ember? No one knows. But Lina Mayfleet has found a puzzling document, and Doon Harrow has made discoveries down in the Pipeworks. With these clues, they start their search."

I enjoyed this book. It is a quick read and a fun read. I did find the darkness clausterphobic and it made me anxious,and made me crave the imagry of a tree and blue sky. But that is because the writing is well done. This is the first in a series of four. I am looking forward to the other three books.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

After my mom, my husband and my 11 year old daughter read this book - I finally got my turn! It was fantastic. Exciting, interesting and a quick read. Keep in mind this is meant for a young adult audience. (And I think it is being made into a movie!) Here is a summery I found on a Hunger Games website:

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death - televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

And the cool thing is that it is part of a trilogy! The second book is already out and the third book is due out this fall.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

This is, in my opinion, a fascinating must-read. It is incredibly interesting. It talks about why people succeed: how they become outliers. Genius, apparently doesn't have a huge role to play in success. Opportunity, chance, and culture seem to be the key players in success. Mozart had to put in about 10,000 hours of time before he became a master of composition. Bill Gates was fortunate enough to go to a high school that happened to have a computer (in the sixties this was extremely unusual) and so he was able to put in about 10,000 hours of programming time, setting the stage for him to come into Silicon valley at just the perfect time. NHL players in Canada tend to have birthdays in the first three months of January. Why? What is it about being born early in the year that makes someone a better Hockey player? What is the significance of being born in a three year range in the early 1800's that enabled Rockerfeller and Carnegie to reach the pinnacles of success whereas those that came before or after by only a few years, didn't have the same advantages? Why did Korean Airlines have more airplane crashes than most airlines? Were their pilots inferior, or was there something else happening? Read it and find out. You will love this book. (This review makes me feel like I'm on Reading Rainbow...."but don't take my word for it" :-).

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs entered domestic service in 1910 at thirteen, working for Lady Rowan Compton. When her remarkable intelligence is discovered by her employer, Maisie becomes the pupil of Maurice Blanche, a learned friend of the Comptons. In 1929, following an apprenticeship with Blanche, Maisie hangs out her shingle: M. DOBBS, TRADE AND PERSONAL INVESTIGATIONS. She soon becomes enmeshed in a mystery surrounding The Retreat, a reclusive community of wounded WWI veterans. At first, Maisie only suspects foul play, but she must act quickly when Lady Rowan's son decides to sign away his fortune and take refuge there. Maisie hurriedly investigates, uncovering a disturbing mystery, which, in an astonishing denouement, gives Maisie the courage to confront a ghost that has haunted her for years.

I loved this book. I thought it was a fun and interesting read. It did however break my heart to think of all those poor men who fought in WWI. If they came home, none of them came home the same!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

"The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching the pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do..."

"The novel presents a future American society in which the masses are hedonistic and critical thought through reading is outlawed. The central character, Guy Montag, is employed as a "fireman" (which, in this future, means "bookburner"). One rainy night returning from his job, fireman Guy Montag meets his new neighbor Clarisse McClellan, whose free-thinking ideals and liberating spirit force him to question his life, his ideals, and his own perceived happiness."

Although this was a fast/easy read, I really enjoyed it and had a great discussion with my book group about it.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

We just read this book for my book club. A perfect November choice. I think this is a must read. It is the historical account of the Pilgrims, their treacherous voyage on the Mayflower, and the Indians who helped them to survive (who they in turn destroyed). It is the story of Plymouth Colony. It was fascinating to find out the real story, as opposed to the blissful myth we are familiar with, and realize how basically through nothing but sheer luck the Pilgrims survived. It is also an eye opening account of the war we never learned about; King Phillip's War. I have to say I found myself favoring the Indians and wishing the Indians had just slaughtered the dang fanatical Pilgrim's when they first landed. But I suppose I should be grateful things worked out how they did, or else I wouldn't be here today. Anyway, an eye opening read. Well written and well researched.

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The narrator in this book is Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old autistic boy who knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057.  Late one evening he encounters the dead body of his neighbor's dog and is determined to solve the mystery of who would murder this nice poodle, though specifically told by his father to "stay out of other people's business."

Told in first person, this novel shows the world through the eyes of a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, complete with his inability filter the overwhelming amounts of minute information we receive through our senses at any given moment, his inability to relate to or be touched by other people, his dislike of certain colors, and his need for all things to be in a certain order.  Yet, Christopher is a delightfully sympathetic narrator and hero.  I couldn't help but admire him for his challenges, the implicit humor, and the innocence and sweet certainty of his personality and his assessment of every situation.  He is removed from feelings and responds only with logic, and often times, this means that what is an everyday event for the rest of us requires heroic efforts from him.  Of course, he gets more than he bargained for when he starts his investigation. 

It's a fascinating book not only for the interesting plot, its characters and their relationships, but mostly because of the glimpse into what life on the autism spectrum might be like.  And equally interesting for it's perspective on the everyday challenges that face the parents of children with autism, and the both frustrating, humorous, and endearing parts of building a relationship with that child.  Would make a great book group discussion book as well.

Note: there is a bit of language used by the characters out of anger, as well as some discussion/explanation of extramarital relationships, though nothing explicit.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This is one of the better books I've read in a while. It is about the "colored help" in Jackson Missisppi at the height of the civil rights movement. It spotlights, two maids and one white woman. They come together, at great risk to themselves to tell the story of what it is like to be a black servant in the Jim Crow South. It chronicles the very complicated relationship these maids have with the children they tend and the white women who rule over them. It was nuanced and insightful. Each characters voice was believable and well written. It was very gripping and made the time on my plane ride whiz by. I highly recommend this book.

The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas

The Diary of Mattie Spenser is a fiction, presented in the form of a journal and accounting for three years in the life of a woman (from 1865 to 1869), who leaves family and friends and the small Iowa town where she grew up, to follow her husband in the wild plains of Colorado Territory. Mattie’s husband is Luke Spenser, considered as the best catch in town, being handsome as well as brave for having fought in the war against the South. So, when Mattie (who thinks of herself as plain and thinks she will remain a spinster) is proposed, she does not try to question the motivations hidden beneath this unexpected proposal; she accepts both marriage and the difficult life Luke offers her.

In a voice that really gives the impression of a true testimony, the narrator, Mattie Spenser, tells her journey in a covered wagon, her settlement in a sod house on the frontier; the harsh climate, the isolation, lack of comfort, lurking dangers as well as the joys, disappointments and hardships of domestic life. Beside the greatest threat represented by the Indians, Mattie Spenser has a more private battle to lead: with few knowledge on marital matters, she tries to get closer to a husband who, though never mean, remains distant. She also has to bear the difficulties of pregnancies far from civilization, and to deal with numerous deaths among her acquaintances. But her more difficult trial is maybe her discovery of the truth behind her husband’s behavior, that she will finally learn in the most tragic of circumstances.

This journal follows Mattie’s progression, from a naive young girl full of illusions to a mature woman who has overcome prejudices, learned that rules don’t always apply outside civilization and also managed to find her place and a sense of belonging, after many doubts and personal battles.

A Guide To The Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Grayson

I personally love the books of Alexander McCall Smith, so when I picked up this book I was pleasantly surprised by the gentle humorous style which reminds me so much of Smith's writing. This is a book about Mr. Malik, a widower, who has a crush on the widow Rose Mbikwa, the woman who leads the weekly bird walk in Nairobi. Anyway as the book progresses Mr. Malik finds himself involved in a competition with an old school mate (his old nemesis) Mr. Kahn, to see who can spot the most species of birds in Kenya within a week. The winner of the competition gets the privilege of asking Rose to the premier social event in Nairobi, the Hunt Club Ball. There are adventures along the way, and Mr. Malik remains a true gentleman throughout the competition. It was a fun glimpse into Nairobi, and the birds of Kenya. If you are a birdwatcher don't miss this book, but certainly even non-birdwatchers will also enjoy it. I really loved this wonderful, light, entertaining book.

No Shame, No Fear and Forged In the Fire by Ann Turnbull

I've been debating posting these books, since I read them earlier this summer. The main plot is kind of predictable and although enjoyable not particularly noteworthy. But I am posting about them anyway because the subject and setting was fascinating. No Shame, No Fear is about a Quaker girl living in England in the seventeenth century and the persecution that came with being a Quaker at that time. I had no idea about the Quakers and I found reading about them fascinating. Their views were revolutionary. They believed in people being able to feel the Spirit without a paid clergy and that all people are equals despite social class, gender, or any other factor. Quite a radical concept for that time. The book sent me to Wikipedia and many other websites learning about them. The book Forged in the Fire is the sequel to No Shame No Fear and is about the same characters who move to London. The story itself wasn't as interesting to me as it was to read about the Plague and the Great Fire of London, that occured in the same year. I found both topics totally fascinating, learned a lot, and went online to read more.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

This is the second book by Barbara Kingsolver that I have recommended on this blog. The first being The Poisonwood Bible - still one of my all time favorite reads. But back to Animal Dreams. I first read it about 10 years ago but I recently was in need of good book so I picked it up again. Wow! Ten years later, I read it with a completely different perspective and understanding. I must admit I didn't enjoy it quite as much this time around but I still think it is worth reading. Especially because Kingsolver is such a talented writer. I apologize if this is a copout - but I am stealing the summary from the back of the book:

"Animals dream about the things they do in the day time just like people do. If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life." So says Loyd Peregrina, a handsome Apache trainman and latter-day philosopher. But when Codi Noline returns to her hometown, Loyd's advice is painfully out of her reach. Dreamless and at the end of her rope, Codi comes back to Grace, Arizona to confront her past and face her ailing, distant father. What she finds is a town threatened by a silent environmental catastrophe, some startling clues to her own identity, and a man whose view of the world could change the course of her life. Blending flashbacks, dreams, and Native American legends, Animal Dreams is a suspenseful love story and a moving exploration of life's largest commitments. With this work, the acclaimed author of The Bean Trees and Homeland and Other Stories sustains her familiar voice while giving readers her most remarkable book yet.

I would rate this PG-13 for language and adult scenes.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl is a retelling of a Grimm's fairy tale (not one that I had heard of before). Ani is the Crown Princess of Kildenree and betrothed to the Prince of Bayern. She travels from her home to Bayern with her maid in waiting. Her maid in waiting turns traitor and claims to be the princess rather than Ani. Ani bides her time working for the King as a goose girl, trying to determine how to prove the maid false. Along her journey she finds friends and help in unlikely places, including herself.
There are two other books about Bayern including Enna Burning and River Secrets. Both are worthy tales, but The Goose Girl is the most intriguing.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

This novel looks back at a pretty dark time in American history, the witch trials of Salem. Kent is actually a 10th generation descendant of Martha Carrier, who was hanged as a witch in 1692, and writes the story of Sarah, Martha's daughter. Sarah is only 9 years old when her mother, brothers and herself are all charged and imprisoned for witchcraft. She very poignantly tells her tale looking back over the many years of her life. It is hard to imagine a time when whole communities could be taken in by something so irrational but the fear and uncertainty brought on by a life that was hard and unpredictable along with the pettiness of man set a strong back drop for the events which took place.
I really appreciated this intimate portrayal of the Salem witch trials. Where The Crucible set the stage for the events, the Heretic's Daughter gave detail and made it real for me.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

Love, LOVED this book. A quick and very entertaining read.