Lizzie's War

It's been so long since I posted... but yesterday I felt like it was time to add to the blog.  I joined a new book club that I love.  I've been really trying to read a lot again lately.

This book was the book that started the whole book club.  Our organizer read this book and really needed someone to talk to about it.  Many  new people have joined the group and Lauren wanted to share this book with us.  I'm so glad that she did!

It's the story of Lizzie, a military wife, in the 60s.  She has 4 children and has one on the way with her husband in Vietnam.  This is the story of how she copes.  I also love that every other chapter in written from Lizzie's point of view and the others are from her husband's.

This was just a timeless story to me.  Although it's many years later, there are so many ways that I can relate to Lizzie.

11/22/63

Wow!  It has been awhile since I updated the blog....but this was a really loooooooong book.  This the the September book for book club.  Happily I have finished it with a little time left to get on some more of the books on my list.

Anyway, this is about a man who can time travel back to 1958.  He goes back to try to save JFK from being assassinated.  I thought that maybe this was going to be hokey because I am not really into stuff like time travel and honestly not really into the whole JFK thing.  But y'all this was a good one.  I was telling my husband it must be really good because usually a book that is 850 pages I give up about 400-600 pages in and just skim the rest.  This one kept me going for weeks and weeks.  (Unfortunately I just don't get lots of time to read...)

The ending is really good and makes you think about life and the butterfly effect that our actions have.  If I liked horror, I think that I would really like Stephen King.  I liked his style of writing.

Another fun tidbit there was a nonchalant mention of The Reliable Wife.  Love it!

Pages:  849
Read:  August 2012

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

This is the July book club book.  I love a good biography, autobiography, or memoir.  {Let's be honest, I even like mediocre ones ;)}  So again I had high hopes.  Once again it lived up...  So in June I was 2/2!  Thank goodness!!

Anyway this is the story of Rob Lowe, from his childhood days in Ohio to life as an actor in Hollywood.  He just seemed so down to earth to me.  I have always thought that he's a hottie so maybe it was just easy to read about him {since he's also easy on the eyes!}  I did not realize that he has been married for 20+ years.  That's awesome in middle America these days... unheard of in Hollywood.  This was a fun peek into a world that is so foreign to mine and super easy to read.

If you want a fun summer read, and like Rob Lowe, I say go get this bad boy.  :)

Read: June 2012
Pages: 352

One Thousand Gifts

This was the June book for Book Club.  I have been really excited to read it.  A little over a year ago a friend (who rarely reads) read this and l.o.v.e.d it!  I had high hopes since the last two books I have tried have just not resonated with me.  Well this lived up to all I hoped for it!

This is a book about a farmer's wife who begins on a journey to thank God for 1,000 gifts in her life.  She thanked him for all sorts of miniscule things... (many of my book club friends didn't really care for this part).  While in my personal praises and thanksgivings I am not so detailed I really appreciate the book.  I could relate to her in so many ways:  trying to trust God, trying to find him in everyday life, being transformed by thanksgiving.

I thought it was easy to read and the chapters were nice and short.  It took maybe a week or two to read, just reading a few chapters each night.  {These are my favorites....  short chapters, can read a little each day...}

I recommend it {I may just read it again, believe it or not}.  :)

Read: early June 2012
Pages: 240

Bossypants

So this was our May book club book.  Only two of us read it because we are just in some sort of book club funk...  It's really more of a dinner club lately.  ;)

This is another one that I wanted to hold off on writing about because I really, really wanted to finish it.  I kinda quit In the Woods so I could jump into to this one.  I had really high hopes.  It was cute.  But I don't really know that much about Tina Fey and just wasn't totally feeling this one...  I read about 3/4 of it though.  So my recommendation is that if you really like Tina Fey read it...  if you don't then don't!  :)

And just so you know I am really digging the June book club book so far.  ;)  So hopefully I will be writing about it very soon!!!

Read:  May 2012
Pages:  304

Little Bee

I found out about this book through a blog.  Then I read the back of the book.  It just seemed so interesting.  It basically says that two womens' lives were changed one day 2 years ago and now what is happening to them.  That's it...

What I will tell you because I don't want to be a spoiler is it is pretty heavy.  I liked the book and it made me think, it's just really heavy.... and I am not sure I loved the ending.

If you are feeling ready for a deep read, I say go for it.  If you want a beach read, this is not it.  :)

Read: April 2012
Pages:  288

Shanghai Girls

This was our March book for my book club.  I checked it out from the library.  Funny story, they only had the large print version available and I needed to get on it!

I read a different book by her a few years back.  I really liked it.  This book was about a pair of sisters who grow up in Shanghai in the 30s.  They grow up living a glamorous life.  When their father loses all his money, they are sent off to America to marry brothers.

I read about half the book and then was rushed to try to finish for book club.  So in true Sarah fashion I skimmed the second half of the book.  It was a good book.  Would I tell you, you must run out and grab it.... nah...  if you have some time on your hands and run across it go ahead and read it.  :)

Read: March 2012
Pages:  336

Decoded

This was our February book club pick.  I feel like this is all that I have been reading FOR.EVER!  That is why there have hardly been any new posts.  In any case, I finished it today {as James napped, yay!}

This book told Jay-Z's story of hustling and turning into a rapper as well as decoding some of his lyrics.  I really enjoyed the narrative but not so much the lyrics.  I could literally not tell you one song Jay-Z sings {I was more of a West Coast girl...}  I took a week or two break in the middle because I wasn't feeling it. Then picked it up right before book club and found that I did enjoy it.  So I made myself finish it today.

You may like it if you know a lot about hip-hop {I had to ask my husband about songs or groups he referenced} or you just really, really like hip-hop.  I personally like books that are hard for me to put down and I breeze through.  This obviously wasn't one of them...

Read:  February 2012
Pages:  317

Heaven Is For Real

Y'all I did not even have time to put this in the currently reading column on the blog because I read this book so stinking fast!  I have been really looking forward to reading this book for the last few months {especially since I was not a huge fan of our last two book club books!}  And can you believe this is the December book...it's still November when I finished this!!!  That might just be a first!

This is the story of a four year old boy who during emergency surgery went to heaven.  The book is what he told his parents about his trip.  Y'all this really got me thinking about heaven!  {I am not a fan of thinking of afterlife...}  I loved what this sweet boy had to say about heaven and it makes me want to try even harder to be a better person so I can meet {and stay with} Jesus one day.

One of my favorite parts of the book is how although this little boy is Wesleyan, there are many things that he saw in heaven that fit my Catholic beliefs.  For example, the people he encountered in heaven had halos.

I would definitely recommend reading this one even if you are not ultra Christian.  It is a really feel good book...  I mean it's heaven and a four year old boy.  Does it get any better than either of those?

Read:  November 2011
Pages:  192

Inside of a Dog

This is our newest book club book.  Last month we had a non-fiction book and again this month.  Non-fiction is not really my favorite genre as I have discussed before...  I am a bit early posting (we have not met yet) because, in case you haven't guessed, I did not finish the book.  I read all but about 100 pages.

The book is about dogs and how they were domesticated.  In addition it discussed how dogs are the same and different as us.  It really was pretty interesting but became a little redundant.

Each time I tried to tell my husband something interesting that I learned, he let me know that he had seen that on a tv show...  I would not have chosen this book on my own, but it was okay.  If you are interested in learning more about your dog and like non-fiction, you might just enjoy this one.  Otherwise just try to catch the tv show.

I am sooo excited for next month's pick though, Heaven is for Real.

Read:  Nov. 2011
Pages:  368

Animals in Translation

This is our October book club book.  It was chosen because Temple Grandin wrote it and we thought that would be interesting.  I will be completely honest....  I only read about 50 pages.  I just could not get into this book.  It would be interesting if you were really interesting if you liked to read non-fiction books that are about animals.

I have decided that I only like parenting non-fiction books.  Otherwise give me the fiction books!  This book was just really dry.  I thought that the information was interesting it was just really hard to get into...

I'd say pass on this one...

Read:  Ha!  Tried to in September 2011
Pages:  372

One Day

I read about this on someones blog and also heard about the movie.  It seemed like a fun book and it really was!

This is a book about a British guy and girl who began hanging out the day after they graduated from college July 15, 1980-something.  Anyway each chapter of the book is what is happening in their lives on July 15 of every year for the next 20 years.  It is totally different than any other book that I have ever read.  I was not a fan of both of the characters to begin with but they both really grow up and grow on you.

I think that maybe I liked it because the main character totally reminded me of myself and I like how she matured...  it was fun to see how they grew up through their twenties and thirties.  Let's face it I am in my mid-30s so I have been through a lot of what they have.  ;)

I heard the movies not great though.  Also be forewarned the ending will make you cry!  I totally didn't see it coming...

This is a good, easy read.

Read:  September 2011 Book Club book for Jan. 2012
Pages:  448

Water for Elephants

Oh my goodness!  I have been dying to write about this book.  This is the story of a young man who is just about to finish vet school when his parents are killed in an auto accident.  Do what does he do?  Why join the circus of course.  Along the way he falls in love with one of the married ladies in the show.  The story is told from his memory as he lives in his nursing home.

Y'all this was such an amazing book.  I loved it!!!  I think that I read in in just 3 days.  I loved how it was told from when he was older.  The ending was fantastic!  Go out and get this one as quick as you can!!

Read:  August 2011
Pages:  368

Safe Haven

This was our August book club book.  {Do you see how close I am to being caught up?!?!?}  I think that I have read literally every Nicholas Sparks book that there is.  Problem is I starting getting them all mixed up in about 2004.  Now for honesty before beginning...  I did not actually finish this one {I know, you are shocked! ;)}

I started reading this one, but then I got to skimming {this happens far to often}.  The book seemed like it was going to be very predictable.  It is about a woman who left an abusive husband.... you see where it's going... and meets a nice man in the little town she moved to.  I felt like I had read this one a million times before.  But when I skimmed to the end, it was way to kooky for me!  And that my friends is all I can say without giving it away.  2 of our girls really liked the book because of the twist that I so disliked.

I would say if you really, really like Nicholas Sparks read it.  But get it from the library.  I do have a hard back copy if you are interested.  :)  I for one am officially done with Nicholas Sparks though.

Read:  July 2011
Pages:  340

Half Broke Horses

This was our July book club book and I loved it! We had previously read another book by the same author, The Glass Castle. {I was sad to see that I did not post about that book...read.it!} This is the story of Jeannette Walls grandmother. Wow, she was an amazing woman. She had grit that was for sure. Seems like people aren't made like that anymore... It was fun to read about her grandma in the early part of the 20th century... like how she rode a horse from New Mexico to Arizona and it took like 3 weeks! It's amazing how the world has changed, isn't it! Y'all read this book. It was easy to read and fun.

Read: early July 2011

Pages: 288

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

This was the June (?) Book Club book. This book is parenting on steroids. It was one of the first books that I finished in a long time, but wasn't my favorite. Amy Chua tended to over generalize Eastern vs. Western parenting. This book definitely made me feel like a slacker... It is an easy read, but I don't think that I would recommend it.

Read: June 2011

Pages: 256

Cinderella Ate My Daughter

This was our April book... The author writes about the "girlie-girl" culture in America. She has been writing about this since before she had a daughter. Now that she has an elementary school student, the author has first hand knowledge of this culture. I did not care for this book at all. It seemed like one big rant to me... I wouldn't recommend it.

Pages: 256

Read: April 2011

The Heretic's Daughter

This was a recent book club book... (aka, I don't know what month because it has been THAT long! :)) I liked the story, but I have a thing for Historical Fiction. It is a story set during the Salem Witch Hunt about a family whose mother is convicted as a witch. I don't usually read about that time period, but I thought that it was really interesting. Not sure how historically correct any of it was, but it was interesting. The only problem was it was a little long, slow, and wordy... Again I did not finish it, just skimmed it because I really liked the story line.

Read: April 2011

Pages:352 pages

The Help

I know that it has been WAY too long! The end of the school year was so hectic! Never fear I have 7 books that I plan on adding and I need to also add the books that James is into right now.

On to The Help, I loved this book! It was so good that I did not actually finish it... March was a very busy time for my family and I did not have a lot of time to read, so I skimmed the second half of the book. When I skim a book, it is usually because I love it and don't have the patience to read it! Ha! This is a story set in 1960's Mississippi. Once girl, Skeeter, sees the way the help is treated and wants to know their story. Skeeter is a wonderful character. I would recommend this book. Plus it is going to be a movie coming out in August. So read it soon!

Pages: 464

Read: March 2011

Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story

What a FUN Christmas book! I was laughing out loud as I read this one! Kinda made me think about James in a few years.

This is the story of a young boy in Catholic school and his classes Christmas program. Of course many things go wrong and you will just be laughing. I loved the innocence of this 5th grade boy and really pray that my son can be so innocent as well. If you have ever been part of a Catholic school or have just heard stories about them, I think that you will LOVE it!

I suggest that you get the book and read it next year during the holiday season.

Pages: 288

Read: December 2010