Reconstructing Natalie by Laura Jensen Walker

Reconstructing Natalie is a book about a single, 27 year old girl who finds out she has breast cancer. She can't work, her boyfriend leaves her, and she has to have a double mastectomy. But she is so funny and has a way of talking about the darkest things in life and finding the silver lining. There is humor, death, religion, sickness, and romance. It is a quick read but a good one for all women to read. And you learn a lot about cancer when reading it, so you can be more of a comfort to those you may know who go through the disease.

The author's mother had breast cancer, so she knows what she's talking about, too.

Excited to be here/Christmas Jars

Hi - my name is Wendy and I'm so excited to join the book club. I love to read and am so excited to try some of the books I've already read about. I'm Bonnie B.'s sister, wife to one, and mom to an energtic little two-year-old (almost three). He keeps me extremely busy. We love to read together in the moments when he's still enough to listen and look. I also enjoy scrapbooking and cardmaking (theoretically anyway). My husband tells me we have enough stuff to open our own store, but he never sees any creative output from me. I must admit, I love shopping for the stuff. :)

Anyway, I actually just finished a book that I'd like to recommend, especially this time of year. I was wandering around my house writing down titles of all the books I wanted/needed to read that I hadn't read yet and I came across a copy of Christmas Jars that I wasn't even aware I owned. Which tells you how many books I own - instead of a clothes horse, I'm a book horse.

Anyway, I started this book last night and finished it this morning - a very quick read. I thoroughgly enjoyed it. It made me want to start a Christmas Jar of my own. It reminds of the kindness and goodness and decency of people, and of what Christmas really should be about, and how to keep it in your heart all year long. I'm so glad I found it in my stash.



From Publishers Weekly: In a plot reminiscent of Penelope Stokes's The Blue Bottle Club and Angela Hunt's The Note, a journalist happens upon a human interest story that winds up teaching her lessons about love and forgiveness and renewing her own faith in human kindness. On Christmas Eve, twenty-something Hope Jensen is quietly grieving the recent loss of her adoptive mother when her apartment is robbed. The one bright spot in the midst of Hope's despair is a small jar full of money someone has anonymously left on her doorstep. Eager to learn the source of this unexpected generosity, Hope uses her newswoman instincts to find other recipients of "Christmas jars," digging until her search leads her to the family who first began the tradition of saving a year's worth of spare change to give to someone in need at the holiday. Wright commits some rookie mistakes in style and pacing; the novel veers heavily toward melodrama at some junctures, and he tends to show us and tell us about his characters. Still, the heart of this novella is its transformative message about the power of giving, a compelling theme that calls to mind books like Pay It Forward and The Kingdom Assignment.

The Secret Diary of Brett Colten

This has to be my favorite book of all time. It is so sad, the only book I have EVER cried at. You will definity have to be prepared to cry but this book puts a whole new outlook on like. I don't know if I would ever get tired of it. The characters are so vivid and it makes them so real that you almost start to believe they are a part of you. And it does have a romantic story line in some ways (:.

The Amazon Review:
Kathy Colton can’t stand her brother, Brett. Her family talks as if he were perfect! All Kathy knows for sure is that Brett is dead. He died of leukemia when he was sixteen and she was only two. But when Kathy turns sixteen, she discovers her brother’s hidden journal – a journal written especially for her - and learns about the brother she never knew. At the same time, Kathy is mortified by an assignment to tutor the popular high school quarterback Jason West, a football jock who, even worse, is a Mormon. Author Kay Lynn Mangum brilliantly weaves the dual stories of a dying brother and a coming-of-age sister who learn the importance of loving our family and our friends and nurturing our faith.


For all of you who want to read this book I have a copy of it. Just ask me. A must read!

Consider Lily

Cute book. This book is written by two 20-something Christian girls. Their website is actually goodgirllit.com so I decided to check out this book because I knew I wouldn't have to worry about swearing or other annoying things that clutter up other girl books. And I actually really liked it.

Summary from back of book:

Lily Traywick thinks she must have been adopted. It’s easier than believing she’s actually related to Jane and Roland Traywick, her power-couple parents who own Traywick’s of San Francisco, the most chichi department store on the West Coast. While her parents party with Muccia in Milan and Gabbana in Paris, Lily hangs out at home in ratty jeans and an old T-shirt. She loves softball, and guys, and she’s eager to make her own way in the world.

Feeling that her life is on hold, she turns to her best friend Reagan. Reagan, a fashionista who has it all, offers just the solution: a major life makeover.Lily is soon dressing in the latest must-have fashions and pursuing a writing career. She’s even dating the “perfect” guy. But does he love her for who she really is? And will he be able to resist the tempting seductress who has her eye on him? As Lily’s old friends question her new way of life, and public scandal, family drama, and technological disasters add to her confusion, Lily is forced to consider whether her quest to have it all will cause her to lose everything that matters.

So if you want a quick, cute, and clean read, Consider Lily. (ha- see what I did there. That was funny).

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

This is my first Nicholas Sparks book (he also wrote the Notebook and A Walk to Remember-both movies). I heard they were good, so I thought I would give them a go. I had mixed feelings about it.

Summary: A single mom raising a special needs child gets rescued by a fireman when her car crashes. Typical romance ensues only said fireman also is carrying a lot of baggage and can't commit.

My opinion: Sad. I know the Nicholas Sparks books are often sad, but I almost think he was being sad for the sake of being sad. Let me give an analogy: I dislike when comedians are dirty not just because I dislike dirty jokes, but because they aren't really clever. I think good comics are the ones that make everyday stuff funny because that is clever. 12 year olds can think of dirty jokes, it doesn't really take talent.

That is how I thought of this book- to just kill off a few characters to make your story 'heart warming'. Like the shock value of killing off characters you wouldn't expect would make the book popular or something. I have read some sad books I really liked, but this one just seemed a little forced or something. And even though the ending is sort of good, it doesn't really make up for all the sadness. But there were some really good characters and conversations, so someone with different taste will probably like it a lot.

I guess I prefer sad books to be nonfiction. When it actually happened, that is one thing. But when you just make up a really sad story, I'm not a huge fan.

Austenland By Shannon Hale

I have been meaning to do this but lately just haven't had the time. A few weeks ago I finally got around to reading Austenland by Shannon Hale. It's been on my summer reading book list for awhile now, So I decided it was time. I had heard some pretty good reviews from various friends and was looking forward to sitting down for a light fun read. Austenland is a story of a 30ish single girl who was left a trip to England by an Elderly Aunt {who recently passed away} to join a 3 week, step back into time resort. There you must dress, act, and do all the activities and life events as one would have done if you had lived in 1818. From there the best way to sum it up is if you've seen Pride & Prejudice, then your all set.

Now, before I begin let me note that I had read Shannon Hales blog on "How to be a Reader" and I 100% agree with her that, to be a good reader you have to be open to the writers style and remember that this is the author's story to tale. Here's a little bit of what Shannon Hale had to say on how to be a good reader & so forth.

"You are half of the story. But in order to participate, you need to give up some control. You can't force the characters do say different things, do different things, be different people--you can only control your own interpretation and reaction to them. You need to allow the author to tell the story she's trying to tell. It may not be a good story, it may not be your kind of story, but if you don't try to play along, you're not giving the story a chance. And in the end you might not like it--there are an infinite number of reasons why this might be. But the author didn't fail you--the author just wrote a story that didn't click with your internal reader at this point in your life. You are responsible for half of that story. So you go find the next book, the next author that works for you, and as a team, you and the author tell a new story together. "

Again, I agree 100%. So as for my review for Austenland. This was just not my idea of a "fun" light read. ****SPOILERS*** First , I did not like how Jane, the lead heroine just HAD to get over her fascination with Pride & Prejudice and the whole Jane Austen world. What's wrong with it? The whole "Let's make out with Martin the Gardner" was just plain stupid & silly. I did try to make an effort in liking it BUT I found that I just could not like the lead character Jane. Yes, it did follow the whole kinda Pride & Prejudice feeling BUT Elizabeth Bennett would not have gotten up when board and decided to go make out with the Gardner.

So, I will try another Shannon Hale book later. To me, it just wasn't that cute or funny as I have heard others call it. If your looking for a light read, with a really cute love story to hold your interest, where the lead characters are at the center of the book, This is NOT your book.

The Thirteenth Tale
By Diane Setterfield

Everyone has their idea of comfort. Maybe it's laying on the beach sipping pink lemonaide, maybe it's a log cabin - complete with mountains and snow, maybe it's a warm blanket, a fire and some hot chocolate, or maybe it's sitting inside your house during a hot Arizona summer - sweating and grouchy...well maybe not that one. For me, my idea of real comfort and tranquility involves quiet(something I rarely experience) cozing up with a soft balnket and a good book. It just doesn't get better than that!!

And that's just what happened this last week. I cozied up in my favorite chair, with my favorite blanket and read, no more like devoured this book. I devoured every page and then licked up the crumbs. I love good stories. I love when a book takes you into another world...A world that once you discover it you have such a hard time leaving...it stays with you - because you really did go there. I love witnessing talent and in this book you do. Diane Setterfiled is and AUTHOR. And I decided...if I am ever an author...if I ever write a book ...I would rather write one great book, one piece of art, than a 100 mediocre novels. Well done Ms. Setterfield!

Night
by Elie Wiesel


Beautiful, gripping and utterly horrific. This book was difficult to read, it's difficult to know these things happened in OUR world. The same world that I live in now. The same world that I brought two innocent children into. It's difficult to learn and know these things....and yet I feel it's absolutely necessary. We need to know. We can't let their lives and voices be ended. We must give voice and thought to their lives. That's what I would want...if I were them.

Amazon.com Review

In Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? There are no easy answers in this harrowing book, which probes life's essential riddles with the lucid anguish only great literature achieves. It marks the crucial first step in Wiesel's lifelong project to bear witness for those who died.

Newbie

Hi there. My name is Bonnie. I'm Melanie's sis-in-law. I LOVE to read, just like all of you. I have 5 kids, ages 12,10,7, 4 and 5 months. We are a busy but happy little group. I just finished reading the Fablehaven series, again. Love those books. Now I'm looking for something new to read. I think my next book will be Wicked. Have any of you read it? I'll let you know how it goes!

The Ultimate Gift

I have really not been reading lately and I have started several books, just to put them down and not finish them. My sister saw this movie and recommended the book and so I sat down to read it. It is a quick read, doesn't take a lot of time but the lessons I have learned from this book I will remember always. I only wish it went into some more detail about his experiences, that was the only drawback.
The book is about an older very rich gentleman who has always given his family everything they wanted. When he passes away he divides his assets among his family, but to his selfish, self-centered nephew he gives what the uncle calls the ultimate gift. Through a series of requests and actions, the nephew does receive the ultimate gift from his great-uncle which is worth more than all the money in the world....
Now I gotta go check out the movie, see how it stands up to the book.

So Brave, Young, and Handsome By Leif Enger

I loved Enger's first book Peace Like a River, adored it. So I hoped as much for his second book, So Brave, Young and Handsome. But it was very hard for me to get into...just didn't captivate me like Peace Like a River and sadly I didn't even finish it. Things are too crazy right now to read books that I'm not loving. Too bad.

The Thirteenth Tale

READ. THIS. BOOK.

That is my review, plain and simple. How could I have missed this book?! Why didn't someone tell me about it sooner?! It is fantastic. It takes a little bit to get into it, but then it sucks you in. The kind you stay up all night reading and don't even care when you doze off three or four times the next day.

Summary:

Vida Winter is an incredibly famous writer who has published countless books. She is very mysterious and no one knows anything about her or her life before she was famous. Every time someone comes to interview her and ask her personal questions, she makes up these fabulous tales because she claims that no one wants to hear a true story, only fiction. Well, she is dying and now it is time to tell this final tale. So she asks a young woman, Margaret, who works in her dad's bookstore and also writes biographies to be the one to write her story. Margaret sits all day and listens to a master storyteller tell her life story. It is so good because you are trying to solve a mystery, only you aren't quite sure what the mystery is. If you like serious plot twists, you will love this book.

When I finished it, I just wanted to start over again. I think it may have even jumped onto my top ten books.

This is exciting!

Hey everyone. My name is Melanie and I am new to the book club. I was browsing blogs today and came across this one. I absolutely love to read--when I can find the time. The books on here look great and I am anxious to get started. Right now I am in the middle of The Host. I am a stay at home mom of three little munchkins. My oldest is 6 and starting Kindergarten (sniff) and my youngest is 2 months. I used to teach 2nd grade for 6 years before my husband finally finished school and is now supporting us. Because of my background in elementary education, I have read a lot of young adult novels. I am really trying to branch out and try adult literature! With things finally winding down this summer, I am excited to start to read and share with all of you. You are welcome to visit my blog: http://www.melandgus.blogspot.com Leave a comment so I can get to know you all more! Happy reading!

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Summary: Odd is a twenty year old short order cook who sees the dead. Think 'the sixth sense' meets 'medium'. He helps the dead solve the crimes that led to their death and tries to prevent tragedy. It is very clean in the no swearing/sex part, but does have some creepy value based on the ghosts and the violent crimes in it. But the books are actually quite funny and I laughed out loud quite a few times. And you just really love Odd by the time the book is over- he is a very optimistic and innocent character who you just want to see happy. I even cried a little at the end.

New York times review:
While still sustaining the requisite level of creepiness, Mr. Koontz manages to tell a breezy, overtly inspirational story that should attract a few fans of its own … Odd Thomas walks a very thin line between the exploitation of horror and the feel-good religious optimism that transcends the darkness -

Dear John

I have never read a book written by Nicholas Sparks, until this week. I shamelessly took time to just sit and read, someting I haven't done for months. I loved Dear John, despite the ending. This is a story of true love.

From the jacket: "An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life."

I won't hesitate to recommend it to the students at school.

Breaking Dawn

I will describe my feelings toward this book in one word. And that word is:
DEVASTATION.

A Death in the Family

"A death in the family" was a 1958 Pulitzer Prize winning book, awarded post-humorously to James F. Agee. Why would I chose to read a book published in 1957? First, it is on a recommended college read lists of which I have only read five books so far. Secondly, we, James Agee and I, share common ancestry, so I thought it would be a good one to check off the list. This is not a high action or deep drama book. It' main theme is the role of religion and a child's perception. Much of the narrative is told from the point of view of children, mostly through the eyes of Rufus. Rufus is a young boy who idolizes his father. Through the book, in flashbacks, he shares stories of their relationship, as only a young child can tell. The story is somewhat autobiographical as he describes the death of his father. It begins with Rufus sharing an evening with his father, who is called away later in the night to check on his own ailing father. He fails to return when expected, and Mary, his wife and mother of Rufus, learns he has been in a serious car accident. She prepares the house for him to come home assuming he is only injured, but soon learns he was killed almost instantly in the accident, when he hits his head on the steering wheel before being thrown from the car. It is excellently written, describing the feelings of a child, not understanding all that goes on around, the mourning, the explanation of death, the wake and burial, and his mother tries to cope and explain God's role. This is not a quick read, and I would only recommend it to someone who is serious about going to college. It is definitely a Pulitzer Prize book.

Warning: Contains Spoilers!!!

Ok, Amanda pretty much summed it up. I loved the Twilight Series and this book( though I don't know it it deserves that nice of a title...more like this trash) was terrible. It left a bad taste in my mouth. Kinda like drinking warm donated blood through a straw, oh wait Bella did that in this book. Here is a list of the disasters that I can't get over

1. Bella, I faint at the smell of blood, Swan starts drinking blood by the cupful? Are you kidding me. And she used a straw... please! If your gonna drink blood, gulp it don't don't savor it slowly with a straw.
2. Edward's personality becomes as hard and cold as his stone body. He isn't there. Stephenie...where have you hidden Edward? We miss him!
3. Bella and actually all the characters lose their personality. The go from these awesome 3 dimensional characters that we fell in love with to these boring personality-less shadows.
4. Nessie or Renessmee...worst name in the history of literature. But she could have named the stupid half vampire Andrea and I would have still hated the book!
5. Jazz gets the award for the worst nickname ever!
6. Bella's pregnancy went from something that could have been so special between she and Edward, I can just see Edward getting excited and buying his daughter her first car before she's born, to a big disgusting mess. When the baby started clawing it's way out...that's when I knew Stephenie Meyer was being possessed by some sort of alien body snatcher. You would have to be alien to write that kind of junk!

I had a bigger list...anyone who's read the stupid book has to have a list a mile long but I just can't go on...it's making me too depressed. What a sad sad day August 2nd was. It will be a black day in literary history!

BD should stand for BIG DISAPPOINTMENT

Ugh.

What to say? Well, first thing is that I am writing this as a true twi-hard fan. I have read and reread twilight, new moon, and eclipse more times than I would care to admit. I regularly visit forks, WA when I need an escape and feel like Edward, Bella, and Alice are my close friends.

And unfortunately, none of them made it into this book. I'm sorry Stephenie, but this book was a literary train wreck! And it isn't just that it was hyped up and didn't live up to the hype, it was terrible. I felt like my heart had been broken. None of the characters acted as they should, everyone had strange nicknames, and the ending was all wrong. I still can't believe that Stephenie wrote this book. I won't go into detail about ALL of the things wrong with this book since some of you might still read it (though you can get on any website and read all of them if you are actually curious).

I'm thinking of walking around for the next week wearing a T-shirt that says "Friends don't let Friends read Breaking Dawn". I feel people should be warned so they don't go into and get their heart smashed by these fake characters. The real Edward never would have broken my heart this way.

Running With Angels by Pamela Hansen

On a beautiful April morning in 2001, Pamela Hansen decided to do something she hadn't done for a very long time. She took a walk. That first walk, which lasted just 10 minutes, was the beginning of an amazing journey that ultimately led to a 100-pound weight loss (without surgery or pills) and the fulfillment of her dream to run a marathon-all in just over one year.

In Running with Angels, Pam shares an honest and open portrayal of both her struggles and success with weight loss, using a marathon race as a metaphor for facing life's challenges. She candidly discusses the pain of living life as an obese person and the hopelessness that accompanies it. More importantly, she offers practical suggestions for anyone trying to reach a goal, particularly a goal of weight loss, and shows how small steps over time can help you realize your dreams.

This book is more than a book about overcoming obesity...it's a book about a woman overcoming heartbreaking trial after heartbreaking trial. Her faith is inspiring! This book was a gift from Lynsey and I loved it. Thanks Lyns!

Where are you now?

by Mary Higgins Clark

A girl is trying to solve the mystery of her missing brother who disappeared ten years before. When other girls start going missing, the police suspect her missing brother may be the killer and she is trying to prove that he isn't.

My thoughts:

This book was different from her other books. It didn't follow really one character a whole lot. It jumped around a lot to various people. Really good mystery- I didn't guess who the bad guy was so I was surprised. It was a short read and kept me entertained. My only complaint is that there was an overload of characters. I had a hard time keeping them straight and each chapter would skip to another person and I would have to go back to remember who everyone was. By the time I had a handle on it, the book was over.

But a good, clean, and mysterious read.

Emily's List

Ok, so I am looking at the other lists, and mine is pretty sorry...but here goes!

Books I’ve read this year:
The Uglies Trilogy
Water for Elephants
The Historian
Goose Girl Series
Twilight Series
Book of Mormon
Cold Rock River
That is all I can remember right now…there are lots more!

Favorite all time books:
I love all Richard Paul Evans Books (LDS)
These is My Words
Twilight Series
Jack Weyland Books (never read one I didn’t like)
Work and the Glory Series

I used to have a list of books I wanted to read, but I can't find it...there were so many that I had, too! Maybe it will surface somewhere....I will just have to take all the books on everyone else's lists and make a new one!

Tierra's List

Great challenge Andrea. For me, I feel like my lists are not that long or impressive BUT again this year has been eventful and most of my reading time was spent over and over again w/ the Cullen family. So here's what I got! In the books I've read this year, the ones w/ stars are the ones I recommend!

Books I’ve Read this Year:
The Twilight Series *****
The Magic of Ordinary Days- Ann Howard Creel *****
My Not So Fairy Tale Life-Julie Wright {LDS Novel} ****
Saving Kristen-Jack Weyland {LDS Novel}
Candle in the Darkness-Lynn Austin **
Proper Pursuit-Lynn Austin **
Red Moon Rising-Vicky Randall's {LDS Author} -She also Lives in my home Ward =) ****
The Story of Camelot-Howard Pyle
The Memory Keepers Daughter-Kim Edwards


Favorite Books of All Time: In other Words, These are the Books I revisit over & over!
1. Twilight Series- What can I say?
I now know what my cousin means when he talks about his love for Star Wars stuff HaHa ~
2. In Your Place-Rachel Nunes- FAVORITE LDS romance story
3. Emily-Favorite by Jack Weyland
4. The Magic of Ordinary Days- Ann Howard Creel-
5. A Wrinkle in Time-Madeleine L’Engle
6. Where the Red Fern Grows- Wilson Rawls
7.Persuasion- Jane Austen
8. Emma-Jane Austen


Books I’m Dying to Read:
Breaking Dawn-Duh!! 20 Days to Go!
Jane Eyre
Tea Rose
Winter Rose
The Wednesday Letters
Uglies Trilogy
The Host
Me & Mr. Darcy
P.S I love You

Amanda's Lists
I have read too many books this year and have far too poor of memory skills to list them all. So these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head worth remembering...
The Host
The Shopaholic Series
Jane Eyre
Enchantment
Ender's Game
These is My Words
The Goose Girl series
Fearless Fourteen
I'm sure I'm leaving some good ones out, but I blame the brain cells my children have drained from me.

Books I want to read are:
BREAKING DAWN
Love the one you're with
Big Russ and Me
Odd Thomas
the Queen's Fool
BREAKING DAWN (did I put that already?)

Favorite books of all time is so tough. The list is so long, but here are a few...
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The Twilight series
Harry Potter series
Dandelion Wine
Holes
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Scarlet Letter
The Hiding Place
The Book of Mormon

Here it is....

Andrea's Lists

Some of my Favorite books I've read this year are:

Peace Like A River - I love this book... it's definitely one I want to own
Jane Eyre - Oh my goodness I loved this one too
Twillight Series -
The Hiding Place - This book changed my life. Loved it. Thanks Lynsey!
Angela's Ashes - I recommend listening to it - his accent makes it so much better
Princess Academy - A lovely feel good book - I like all of Shanon Hale's book
To Kill A Mockingbird -
The Glass Lake -
The Princess Bride - I was surprised that I loved it more than the movie

Books I want to read

The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns -
So Brave Young and Handsome ( Leif Enger, the author of Peace Like a River's second book)
The Secret Garden
The rest of the Ender's Series
Breaking Dawn...you all knew that one!
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
The Lord of the Ring's Trilogy
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Last Lecture
A New Earth

Favorite Books (Oh this is so so so hard for me. Like picking my favorite child. I love so many but if I had to pick 5 they would be

1. Pride and Prejudice ( really any of Austen's books. I love them all)
2. The Hiding Place
3. Jane Eyre
4. Harry Potter( and by the way Harry is real!)
5. Twilight Books
6. Team of Rivals (Best Lincoln book ever)
7. To Kill A Mockingbird
8. Peace Like a River
9. I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Growing Up In The Holocaust (awesome...you must read it)

I know it's more than 5...sorry it just so hard but I am restraining myself! I have loved everyone's lists so far and I am really excited to see what the rest of you all post!

Challenge lists

What are some of the books I have read this year:(this is just a few of them)

Boy in the striped pajamas
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Change of heart
Prey
Trigger
Beloved
The Appeal
Letters to Emily
Al Capone does my shirts
Book of Mormon

Some of my favorite books:
Kite Runner
Harry Potter Series
To Kill Mockingbird
Secret Garden
Gone with the Wind
Most of the Thoene's series

My most favorite is usually the one I just finished.

I am currently reading "Death in the family" and "The book thief" and have 6 others checked out waiting to read plus 5 I have bought that I need to get to. I have too many projects and need to get some things done so I can spend more time reading. Thanks for everyone elses lists that have posted so far. It gives me ideas of whats out there and what I can recommend.

Andrea's Challenge

Ok so my prospect of this was that we were suppose to post a topic about it, if it was just suppose to be a comment I am sorry. 

A. The books I have read this year. Ok there is too many so I am going to make a list of the ones I remember.... 

1. The Lovely Bones

2. The Angel Series.... 6 of them

3. On the Street Where You Live

4. Remember Me

5. Two Little Girls in Blue

6. A Walk to Remember

7. The Notebook

8. 5 People You Meet in Heaven

9. Cover Up

10. Blind Side

11. To Love and To Promise

12. Forever and Always

13. Winter Fire and the sequel forgot the title

14. Twilight 

15. Alot of Anita Stansfield books... 6 I think 

16. The Trial

17. The Secret Journal of Brett Colten

18. The Clique Series

To many more to list! I think that I read about 50 or more! 

B.  The best book that I read in my whole life is, The Secret Diary of Brett Colten. I have it and would be glad to lend it to you... it's an LDS book. It's about a girl and her brother died from lukemia when she was two and when she is 16 she finds his diary. It is about how she finds the church, deals with popularity, brother and sister bond, high school, reality, "dumb jocks." I am proud to say that I have NEVER cried at a book, until this one. I will read it again and again. I am going to try to read it once a month... it's too good to put down! 

C. I'm Going to Read: 

More Racheal Anne Nunes books. I am in LOVE with her. 

And yes, I am going to try to read Harry Potter. I have tried to read them again and again but never got into them. 

D. Best Books I have ever read in my life: 

1. The Lovely Bones

2. The secret Diary of Brett Colten

3. the Angel Series

4. Any book by Rachel Anne Nunes... seriously any of them

5. Any Mary Higgins Clark... any of them also

So there you have it, my challenge complete. Feel free to reply at anytime :) .

Book I am DYING to read: Chasing Yesterday by Rachel Anne Nunes

Lynsey's List

okay i know i've been the biggest slacker and i'm SORRY to all of my book club buddies! hopefully when i am settled in arizona by my good friend ANDREA i can get back to reading! so here are a couple of things.

1) books i've read this year:

this is sad but true. i've only read
the twilight series
the host
the book of mormon

my reviews are....i love them all!

2) some of my all time favs, or ones i would read again & again:

-beach music (rated R for language, FYI & there apparently is a naughty couple of pages but i read my sister's copy & she ripped it out! so i am still innocent :)
-the princess bride
-beauty
-ender's game
-the kite runner
-the hiding place
-my sister's keeper
-the street lawyer
-the da vinci code (even amid all the hype, i really loved that the book made me think about historical aspects of jesus & his followers)
to kill a mockingbird (glad you reminded me of that one, andrea!)

i'm sure there are a million others but i can't think of them right now.

one if have been dying to read:
a thousand splendid suns

now everyone else GET GOING on this!! if i can do it, so can YOU!!!

love, lynsey

Favorites

I didn't want to have to bring this cheesy poster back. Believe me, it pains me to have to do this but desperate times call for desperate measures. Don't make me do this again!!!


Something has felt strange lately. I feel like the Book Club, my sweet little Book Club Child, hasn't been feeling too well. It's just been sluggish lately and for me, a woman who gets a drug like high every time she goes to the library, that is sad. So....in an effort to liven things up around here I am making demands. OK, maybe demands was too strong. Not demands more like a request, OK more like a plea to all you out there in the blogosphere....especially you book club members!! I want lists and LOTS of them. I want lists of:
a. The best books you've read in the last year
b. The best books you've read in your life( I know it will be hard but you can do it) c. Your "I'm gonna read this book someday" list
d. Your all time favorite book

...and this could go on and on. Just pick one of the ideas above or make up your own list idea and post about it. We'd love to know what you love!

And if your not a Book Club member you can do one of the following:
1. Post your list in the comments
2. Become a Book Club member...come on folks this is the best option. Just leave your email address in the comments and I will add you
3. Or you can email me your list at prestonandandrea@gmail.com and I will post it for you.

Now I have a little incentive to get you going... a prize!!! Andrea's Bookclub's First Official Giveaway. Everyone who graces us with a list (before the end of July) will be entered in a drawing( your name on a slip of paper in my husbands ball cap) and the winner will receive any book of your choice. At the bottom of your post tell us the book you're dying for and it just may be yours!

Change of Heart

If you have previously read any books by Jodi Picoult you will definitely like this one. This book deals with choices, forgiveness and salvation as Shay Bourne, a wandering carpenter, tries to right a wrong committed in the murder of Elizabeth and her policeman step-father.
"Change of Heart" is told through the eyes of four people, June Nealon, mother of Elizabeth and Claire who is desperate need of a new heart, Maggie Bloom, an ACLU lawyer who is trying to help Shay get what he wants; Lucius, a fellow inmate also serving time for murder; and Father Michael, Shay's spiritual advisor and one of the jurors at his sentencing.

If you are someone who is prone to tears when you read this is a definite keep the tissues close by. It gives one a chance to reflect, what if I had to make a choice of letting my child live with the heart of the the man who killed her sister or letting her die. Could my love for my child be enough to forgive the heinous crime committed against my family?

I'm just glad I don't have to make this choice. I enjoyed the book, even better than I did "My sister's keeper" and I think you will also.