On the Fence

I just finished reading Commencement by Courtney Sullivan and I am still not sure whether I liked it or not.  Did you ever read a book like that?  There are elements of it that I really liked and then aspects that I hated so that leaves me totally undecided.  I really need to make a pros and cons list and then leave it at that.  In the pros column, the story was tender and sweet and I enjoyed reading about the close friendship between the four female characters.  I have a few really close girlfriends and I could relate to the bond that the four held.  The book starts out really strong and uses effective flashbacks to build the story.  However, it loses steam about a quarter of the way in and then drags until the ending.  This left me loving the beginning and ending and hating the middle!  Back to the positive qualities of the book, the female characters are well-developed and interesting.  I liked how each character tells a different chapter of the novel and I felt like this allowed each of their voices to be heard.  I enjoyed the differences in the women's personalities, from sweet and naive Sally to tough-as-nails April.  I also felt like the book enabled me to see into the culture of a women's college and experience some of the traditions of a one-sex college.  Now, onto the negative elements.  I thought the book went overboard on the coverage of feminism and I was bored by the barrage of feminist discussions between the characters.  I also could not get past the lesbian relationship between Bree and Lara and despised reading about their love life.  I don't know much about Smith College but I think the book would offend graduates of the school by making light of the achievements of the graduates.  So, having written some of my likes and dislikes of Commencement, I am left where I started...on the fence.  I hope some of you will read it and leave a comment so I can see what you think!  In other news, I just saw that my VERY favorite author, Adriana Trigiani, has the next book out in her series.  I rarely spend money on books and prefer to support my local library, but his is one that I am going to have to buy.

I really want more!!!

I first heard about Invisible i by Mellissa Kantor on Susan's blog when she posted an interview with the author.  If you want to read a really good book review or find a new book, you should check out her site!  Of course, I worry that you won't come back here because she does an incredible job!  I tried to win this book in one of her frequent giveaways but sadly,  I had to wait for my local library to get it.  This book ranks up there as one of my favorite YA books! There was so much to love about this book!  I was immediately drawn to the character of Callie, who is a popular i girl at her high school.  Even though she has a clique of popular friends, she doesn't feel like they truly accept her for who she is and most of the time, she has to pretend to be someone she is not to fit in with them.  Callie seemed so real to me and every description of her clique of friends brought images to mind from my own high school experience. I love the lessons about being true to yourself that are woven into this book.  I hope the teens who read it will see that real friends are more important than their social ranking.   I am in awe of the author's ability to create so much mystery and suspense in this book.  As Callie joins two outcasts on the search for her missing friend Amanda, I found myself creating my own theories on her disappearance.  You know a book is really good when you start creating possible scenarios while cooking dinner!  Even though I was disappointed that the ending left reader's with more questions than answers, I was also extremely excited that there will be more books in this series.  I know I am already dying to read the next one.  It has been a long time since I read a book with this much creativity, warmth, humor, and style. 

Once Was Lost...Just Okay

I am a big fan of Sara Zarr's work.  Having read her first two books, I could not wait to read Once Was Lost.  This book was a quick read but it was just average in terms of storyline and character.  It did not draw me in or have any elements that made me want to keep reading.  I would say the one redeeming quality is that it asks some big questions about God that most teens ask, such as "does God really care," and "why does God allow bad things to happen."  It also does a good job of showing teens that it is okay to question God and faith as a part of establishing a personal belief system.  The main character, Samara, struggles to understand her mom's alcoholism and her dad, the town pastor's, response.  I could easily feel her frustration but I thought Zarr could have developed the main character with more personality and depth.  Her father, who never seems to have the right words for Sam, comes across as shallow and a little self-righteous, but again, his character is not fully developed.  I wanted more emotion and substance from each of the characters in this book.  I also felt the plot was weak and predictable and I knew how the book was going to end half way into it.

And I may have found my favorite book of 2010...already!

A few months ago, I started reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I got about five pages in and decided that I hated it.  I didn't like the incorrect grammar (I am an English major!) and I thought I would hate reading a book about maids.  When the list of the best books of 2009 came out, and this book was on it, I decided that I better give the book another chance.  I am so glad I picked this book up again because it will likely be one of my favorite books of 2010.  I am so impressed that this is the first book by this author and I she writes another soon.  There is so much to like about this book.  The book is written from the perspective of different women which gives it a depth and allows the reader to connect to each of the character's.  This book also has an intense story that deals with how African American maids deal with their relationships to their bosses during the Civil Rights Movement.  However, this intensity is artfully balanced with humorous moments and characters that are just downright funny.  I found myself experiencing a huge range of emotions while reading this book, which is quite an accomplishment for the author!  Another feat of this author is how well she makes the book come to life.  The descriptions of the characters and setting enabled me to create a clear picture in my head.  It made the book even harder to  put down because I felt like a part of the story.  One reason I especially loved this book is that it subtly teaches deep lessons to the reader that hold true today.  I came away from the book remembering that there are no "lines" and that people are just people, regardless of race, class, or color.  I have heard rumors that the book is being considered for a movie and I know I will go see it.

Waiting to Surface...a book to read!

It has been a long time since I read a book that I could not stop reading.  If you follow my book reviews, you will see that I am a tough customer to please!  I was so impressed with Waiting to Surface by Emily Listfield.  This book had me so captivated that I would take it with me in the car and hope for a traffic jam so that I could read.  I was that crazy lady in the car next to you reading at all the red lights.  From the beginning, this book draws the reader in with a phone call that informs Sarah that her husband has disappeared.  He was visiting a woman "friend" in Florida and either drowned, intentionally or unintentionally, or just decided to vanish.  Although separated, Sarah has to cope with the unanswered questions that her husband leaves behind.  It is impossible not to be drawn into this story, especially when you know it is based on a true story.  It literally haunted me and had me up at night wondering what happened to the husband and coming up with my own theories.  The characters in this book are so real and deep and their pain is something the reader can feel.  It will make any married woman question how well she really knows her husband and whether he has any hidden secrets.  I was truly sad to finish this book and plan on reading more by this author.

A new year, a new book, and resolutions!!

I apologize for my long absence!  It has been a little crazy around here with the holidays and my two boys!  As one of my New Year's Resolutions, I have resolved to do better with my little blog here!  I am going to blog at least once a week, even if it is not a book review.  I really want to try to build some readers to my site so I have to provide content to make that happen!  If you have stuck with me in my absence, please share my address so I can get some more readers!  I hope you all had as blessed a holiday as my household did!  Did anyone else make a resolution?  Please feel free to share it here.  You have to let the world know what your resolution is to make it real, right?  That way, you have some accountability!  Over the last two months, I read every Sara Dessen novel written!  If you have not read her books, you must check them out!  My favorites were Lock and Key, and Just Listen.  Her books are very quick reads!  I also began and did not finish Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty. I liked her other books but I just could not get into this one.  I felt like she was trying to hard to be funny and it came off as just cheesy.  It had very little plot from the beginning and I guess I could have given it more of a chance, but I have to many other books waiting!  I am about to start reading Waiting to Surface, by Emily Listfield.  I hope it's a good read!  Please check back for a review in a few days..I promise! Thanks for sticking with me and I will do better with my posts in the new year!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Noah!

My little boy is two years old today!  I can hardly believe it.  Even though this day is very special to us and we do all the usual celebrating, it is not as important to our family as October 10th.  On this day, we were honored to meet Noah for the first time.  After many, many years of trying to have a baby, and going through all the pain associated with infertility, we finally called it quits and decided that God was leading us in a new direction.  So, we began the adoption process.  It took about a year and then we were told that we would wait approximately three years for a newborn.  Well, four days after submitting our paperwork, we were overwhelmed to learn that Noah's birth mother chose us to be his parents.  To this day, we are extremely grateful to this brave, young women.  I cannot imagine the strength it must take to choose the path of adoption.  I know for her, the easiest solution would have been abortion.  One quick procedure and she could be done with the whole thing.  But, she chose to carry, care for, and nourish this life for nine long months and for this selfless act, I will never forget her.  I hope on this day, she is able to feel a huge sense of pride and what she did for us.  Noah has been the greatest gift imaginable.  I have so many people ask me if I feel cheated that after all we went through, and spent, to get him, he would end up with brain cancer.  I can honestly say that I had I known he would get this horrible illness, I would still choose to adopt him.  No matter how long we have him for, he is a gift from God and he makes every day worth it.  If you would like to read more about my dear son or his battle with brain cancer, please log into http://www.carepages.com/ and look for NoahS.