Review - The Poisonwood Bible

I decided to read this book after several friends read it and I had heard positive feedback from them about it.  Here are my thoughts on it.

The Poisonwood Bible is a well written novel.  Barbara Kingsolver does a wonderful job weaving the different story lines and themes in this story together.  The characters were well written and the story lines flowed well. 

However, for some reason, this book did not hold me.  I read it through, but it took me a long time.  The book's length did not bother me as I've read several books that are several hundred pages.  I just couldn't get into this book.

Review - The Life You've Imagined

The Life You've Imagined by Kristina Riggle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book that I have read by this author.  It is a story of four women who are each at a cross roads in their life. 

It took about 30 pages for me to get into this book.  Once I did, I enjoyed it very much and couldn't put it down.

Have you ever looked at your life and thought about whether it was what you had always dreamed of or not?  This story does that with the four main characters, Anna, Cami, Maeve and Amy, who are all living in Haven, Michigan, their hometown.

Anna and Cami were best friends when they were growing up.  Both left their hometown as soon as they could and now both are back.  They both have issues they need to work through as they decide where they want to go from here.

Anna is about to be up for partnership in her law firm, but she has just lost her mentor.  She is having a hard time dealing with this loss although she insists that she is fine.  Her boss insists that she take bereavement leave so that she get work this out before she ruins her chances at partnership.  When she comes home, she finds that her father, who walked out on her and her mother twenty years ago, is writing to her mother.  This hurts because she loved her father and then he left without a word.  She also finds out that her ex-boyfriend's family business is evicting her mother from the only home and source of income that she has.

Cami has returned to her childhood home with her abusive father since she was kicked out by her boyfriend.  She "borrowed" money from him to try to win back money that she had lost gambling.  Cami needs to figure out how to get her life back on track and pay her, now ex, boyfriend back.

Amy, a friend of Anna and Cami's, lost a lot of weight after she graduated from high school and now is marrying the guy of her dreams, but is this really what she wants?  She and Paul seem to be drifting apart as their wedding day approaches.  Also, she isn't certain that she approves of the way that he is handling the closing of Nee Nance Store.

Maeve is Anna's mother and the owner of the Nee Nance Store, the convenience store that she and her husband, Robert, opened soon after Anna was born.  Since her husband left them, she raised Anna by herself and is starting to take care of Robert's sister, Sally, who is starting to suffer from dementia.  Before Anna returned to town, Maeve received the news that she was being evicted from the building where she has her store and her apartment.  She is taking a long look at where she is and what she is going to do with her life.

Each story and how they all weave together is very well written.  Ms. Riggle did a great job of narrating their stories and bringing these women back together after so long apart.  I really liked how these four women examined their lived and decided where they wanted to go from here.

I haven't read her first book, Real Life and Liars, but will be looking for it in my local library.

I obtained this book from the publisher, Avon (A), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Review - The Da Vinci Code

It's been almost 6 years since I first read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.  Since than, I've seen the movie a number of times so reading this book away was very refreshing.  Don't get me wrong, I love the movie, but reading the book is so much better.

I had forgotten several items that are mentioned in the book, such as how the bank manager wants to protect the vault items and not steal them, Robert Langdon talking to his publisher about the manuscript that he just submitted.  I know that when books are adapted for movies, things are often left out simply because there is not enough time, etc.  That is why it's been fun reading this book again.  So many things that didn't make it into the movie, but were so important to the story.

This book also made me think about religion.  Religion is a touchy topic and not one that I'm in the mood to talk about.  Let me just say that I can see the possibilities that Dan Brown discusses in this book. 

Overall, this is a very good book and one that I will probably pick up and read again in the future.

Hope's 4 month Birthday!

Today is my daughter's 4 month birthday.  Yes, my husband and I do like to celebrate these little anniversaries since they are nice milestones.  Here are some photos that I took of her and our oldest earlier today.

 

Day 30 of 30 Days of ME! - Whatever tickles your fancy

This is a crazy weekend for me.  It's my family's annual golf outing weekend.  The tradition started when my siblings and I were getting married, three weddings in three years.  The day of the bridal shower, my dad hosted a golf outing for the groom so that the guys had something to do.  My dad's side of the family had such a great time, getting together and golfing and socializing that it has become an annual event.

Everyone starts arriving in the middle of the week and that's when the festivities begin.  Golfing, dinner, family.  What could be better?  This is one of the few times of year that everyone gets together.  Not everyone comes in for the holidays since the family is scattered across the country and most split the holidays with their in-laws.  The family gathers at one house, usually my parents, from the time they start arriving until Sunday when everyone starts to leave.

I love getting to see everyone in my family.

Day 29 of 30 Days of ME! - Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

You would think that coming up with a list of one's hopes and dreams for the next year would simple simple.  And in some ways, it is.

• For my daughters to be happy and healthy.
• To be happy.
• To have my health, my family, my friends.
• To have the means to live our lives comfortably.
• For the world to find peace.

These things are easy but actually writing them out is not so easy.  Whether it's a fear of jinxing the future or an inability to articulate what I truly mean.  Are my hopes realistic or are they wishful thinking?  I'd like to think that they are realistic.  I guess it's going to take a year to tell which of these have come true and which are a work-in-progress.

Review - The Writing Circle

The Writing Circle - I read an Advance Copy of this book through the Barnes & Noble First Look Club.  This is the first book that we read that was an e-book.

I have mixed thoughts on this book.  It was good, but I think that I expected better.  I had a hard time getting into this book and I'm not sure why.  It might have had something to do with the style.  The chapters weren't chapters the way books usually are written.  The chapters would deal with one person with some overlap from the other characters, but it seemed that the story didn't follow over well using this format.  At least not for me in the beginning, I didn't get into this book until almost the end.

Aside from this, I really don't have a lot to say without giving too much about this book away.