Update

I think this private list is fun, but we aren't getting much activity.

Check my Facebook profile and select the tab labeled BOOKS if you are interesting in checking my reading activities.

If anyone wants to start this up again, just hoot and I'll give it a whirl -- but until then -- see you on Facebook.

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

Of course it doesn't take a genius to figure out why this book was interesting to me.  After 15+ years assisting in labors and births, it's simply a topic that is dear to my heart.
This one proved to peak my interest in all areas, birthing, medical, and a legal twist.
It's a very simple read and entertaining.

OUTLIERS by Malcolm Gladwell

OMG!   This was incredible.  I was captivated from the first sentence.  I listened to the CD's, which were narrated by the author.  The tone was perfect.


Rachel -- as an educator, this is great food for thought.

There is something of interest for everyone in this book.

Ford County Stories by John Grisham

This is a collection of short stories.  Great little stories with just enough plausibility to make them interesting.
The story builds, and then about the time you are wondering where it is going, it tapers off and ends.  It is almost like reading several little ideas for novels that were never developed any further.  I'm a Grisham fan for sure.  I listened in the car and found myself eagerly thinking about driving home each night so I could hear the rest of the story.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Wow! Okay, get excited! I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson for my March Book Club. Two of the girls had read it already and LOVED it and really wanted us all to read it. At first, I didn't really get what all the hype was about...it was quite a slow start and included a LOT of information and was a bit "over my head" (there's a financial scandal that was brought public by the main character, who is a journalist), or so I thought...sticking with it definitely paid off, because once it got interesting...it REALLY got interesting! I don't want to give anything away because you deserve to read it for yourself :)

Family secrets, computer hacking, murder mystery, sexual violence, seriously disturbed characters, etc...it's got it all! Enjoy!

Stieg Larsson also has written The Girl who Played with Fire (I am reading now) and The Girl who Stepped on the Hornet's Nest (will be out soon)...there were to be 7 books in the series, but Larsson died in 2004 before any of the books were published, so now it will only be a trilogy. Sad. They are also making a movie and I'd suggest watching the thrilling trailer after you read the book!

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchey

 If you have the opportunity, listen to this book.  The narrator is excellent and the accents are enchanting.  I have read another book by Maeve Binchy and she has a very distinctive style -- very pretty writing.
This involves a heart clinic, romance, immigrants, and satisfaction with the blessings we have, whether great or small.  If you are stressed and need a respite -- plunge into this one.

The Last Song

Young girl, doesn't talk to her dad, forced to spend summer in North Carolina with her dad she doesn't talk to rather than in New York with her mom she doesn't get along with, meets a boy, dad's secret is exposed...you see where this is going. It was quite predictable, but entertaining and heartfelt like most of Nicholas Sparks books. :)

Movie coming out with Miley Cyrus :( and Greg Kinnear :)

Her Fearful Symmetry

Hmmm... I was super excited about this one because I love The Time Traveler's Wife so much. Plus she got paid a whopping advance so I had high hopes (as did the publisher I imagine).

The writing was beautiful, thoughtful and descriptive. However that's all the good I've really got to say. The beginning was slow, the middle was a little skeevy and the end was incredibly dark. The Time Traveler's Wife had glimmers of darkness but overall the story was about characters you loved. Her Fearful Symmetry was exactly the opposite, so maybe the title is more ironic than even intended.

What I Did For Love; A Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

A novel?  Well, that's sort of like calling the National Enquirer a  Newspaper.  However, if you like to laugh about the Hollywood nonsense, this will be fun for you.  The story parallels a well-known love triangle in Hollywoodland, and is told from the perspective of the person who lost her man.  The author obviously sides with J.A., so much so that it is comical and a bit ridiculous.
Save it for the beach chickies.

Julie and Julia

Cute story! You're thirty, you're bored and you like to cook...why not spend a year of your life cooking every single recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking! It's lighthearted and quirky and it makes you want to cook, though I never can see myself cooking an aspic or using bone marrow in my sauces and I'm not sure the amount of butter in these recipes is acceptable anymore, I like buying mayonnaise, rather than making it myself, and I like my minute rice just fine (no "bitch rice" here!). Bon Appetit!

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

This is another Nicholas Sparks book (formula).  No surprises, but I enjoyed it.  I sent it over for Mom to read.

IN THE WOODS by Tana French

This was written by an Irish author.  I found the style to be quite different than American authored detective psycho-thrillers.  For me, it was a bit dry and hard to drill into, but I stuck with it and it turned out to be a good story and worth the time.  I found it a "good" book, but perhaps not worthy of the accolades it has received.  I listened in the car.

The Help

If you have not yet read The Help, make it next on your list! It is the story of three women in 1960's Mississippi, Skeeter a recent college grad, and Aibileen and Minny, the "help" in the white families' homes. They want to change the way things are and get their own life stories out there, despite the danger it puts them in. It's a fantastic book and I can't recommend it enough. It was our December Book Club book and we didn't actually discuss it because not everyone had finished it, but since everyone has since finished it and is dying to discuss, it is our topic at our next Book Club meeting!!! It took several chapters to get into it, as I found it difficult to read at first due to the southern dialect--might be a good one to experience as an audiobook--but once I got used to it it was great! Enjoy! :)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I just finished "reading" The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society on my way home from work today (I almost didn't get out of the car this morning when I arrived at work because I knew I was nearly finished!) and it was just delightful. It is written as correspondence exchanged among the characters (friends, acquaintances, strangers). It's a light hearted story with characters that you can't help but love immediately. Oh, and if you "read" it as an audiobook, it you'll be saying things like lovely, delightful, and extraordinary (with an english accent) in no time at all! It was just lovely :)

Dockside -- Lakeshore Chronicles Book 3

Yep, another sappy chick story. They are all the same formula, but now I know all the players so I keep reading. Help me!

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

We listened to this in the car prior to Christmas.  Short stories that are dripping with sarcasm and maybe a little anger -- but truth is slipping between the lines ever so subtly.  We found ourselves laughing at the incredible antics within the stories despite their cynical drawl.