I have not yet finished this trilogy, but for those of you who keep up with what I am reading while I am reading it, I thought I'd let you know what I was working on.
My dear friend, Pam, gave this set of books to me as a birthday gift after having read it herself years ago and knowing that I would love it. She was so right! I have to admit that the first 50 pages of book 1 (A Voice in the Wind) was a little tough for me. I felt like I was back in college getting a serious geography/history/religion lesson. But, as soon as the background information (which really is important in understanding the books) was over and the main characters were introduced, I was hooked.
I immediately fell in love with Marcus, and continue to adore his character in book 2 (Echo in the Darkness, which I am currently reading). His sister, Julia, makes me so angry I could scream. And, Hadassah--well, if we all could only be as pure and dedicated as she we would live in a much better world. Her faith is unfailing. She is amazing.
I find it hard to separate the first two books in order to blog about them so I am going to wait to give my final reaction and thoughts after reading all 3 books. I will go ahead and say that if you want to read something that will challenge you mentally and spiritually, you need to read these books.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
#32: Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult
This is not the first book by Jodi Picoult that I have ever read so I knew what I was getting myself into when I turned the first page and began reading Sing Me Home. I even knew a little bit about the book from reading a brief article in People Magazine. What I never expected was the vast number of hard hitting issues that were about to be thrown in my face as I opened this book.
Let's begin with infertility, a road that I have already walked down in my life. Reading the description of the birth of a still-born baby was more than I could handle. Then, the divorce as the husband could no longer handle any more "trying." I felt Zoe's pain and I ached for her, a woman who so badly wanted a child, a woman who spent her life helping others deal with pain, a woman who was so good in her life and yet couldn't get the one thing she wanted more than anything.
Next comes lesbianisn and gay marriage. Now, this I knew about from the article in People magazine. I was prepared for this one. I also know how I feel about this and am distanced enough to not get caught up emotionally as I had with the infertility issue. However, I still become outraged at times because of the way Vanessa and Zoe were treated. Both ladies were amazing at their jobs, yet both jobs were in jeopardy because of their lifestyle. And, I was furthermore outraged by the Minister who saw fit to judge them every step of the way when he was neither the judge in the courtroom nor God himself.
Then, the adultery. I have to say that I saw this one coming but was still shocked by it all. And, I am still wanting to know more than just the quick gloss-over the end of the book gives as to how this situation played out. It had to have been interesting and was perhaps an entire story all on its own and is perhaps the reason it was not included.
Finally, Max. I loved Max and then I was upset with him. Then I was angry and disappointed. But, good old Max came around in the end and made me smile with his ultimate choice and his ultimate decision. I guess you'll have to weave your way through all of the mess that this book dishes out to find out what he did and why it made me happy. But, I wasn't the only happy person at the end of the book. Sammy, Ness, Zoe, Max, and Liddy all seemed to be smiling right along with me!
Let's begin with infertility, a road that I have already walked down in my life. Reading the description of the birth of a still-born baby was more than I could handle. Then, the divorce as the husband could no longer handle any more "trying." I felt Zoe's pain and I ached for her, a woman who so badly wanted a child, a woman who spent her life helping others deal with pain, a woman who was so good in her life and yet couldn't get the one thing she wanted more than anything.
Next comes lesbianisn and gay marriage. Now, this I knew about from the article in People magazine. I was prepared for this one. I also know how I feel about this and am distanced enough to not get caught up emotionally as I had with the infertility issue. However, I still become outraged at times because of the way Vanessa and Zoe were treated. Both ladies were amazing at their jobs, yet both jobs were in jeopardy because of their lifestyle. And, I was furthermore outraged by the Minister who saw fit to judge them every step of the way when he was neither the judge in the courtroom nor God himself.
Then, the adultery. I have to say that I saw this one coming but was still shocked by it all. And, I am still wanting to know more than just the quick gloss-over the end of the book gives as to how this situation played out. It had to have been interesting and was perhaps an entire story all on its own and is perhaps the reason it was not included.
Finally, Max. I loved Max and then I was upset with him. Then I was angry and disappointed. But, good old Max came around in the end and made me smile with his ultimate choice and his ultimate decision. I guess you'll have to weave your way through all of the mess that this book dishes out to find out what he did and why it made me happy. But, I wasn't the only happy person at the end of the book. Sammy, Ness, Zoe, Max, and Liddy all seemed to be smiling right along with me!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
#31 Night Road by Kristin Hannah
I fell in love with Kristin Hannah's books last year when I read True Colors and then, my favorite, Firefly Lane. I think what I love most about her books is that they are easy to read but they are emotionally challenging. The characters come alive through her vivid descriptions and dialogue, but they are always complicated and are never predictable.
Night Road is centered around the Farraday family. Jude and Miles are the parents; Mia and Zach are their twin children. Mia is awkward and friendless; Zach is the golden boy. Enter Lexi, a teenage girl who has been part of the foster care system her entire life. Her father is gone, her mother dead from drug use and other bad choices. All Lexi wants is a family. Her Aunt Eva comes to save the day. Lexi pays it forward by becoming Mia's only friend and eventually her best friend. At this point in the book everyone is happy and all is as it should be, but there's still 250 more pages in the book and you know something is going to happen to overturn it all. You would be right. This upheaval happens not once, but twice, and some could argue three times. I never saw any of it coming.
It was hard not to relate to Jude, the helicopter mom. She wants what's best for her children and she manages every aspect of their lives right down to what college they will attend. But, the one time she doesn't do this, her life changes in an instant. So, this makes me wonder: is the point that I should micro-manage my kids? Will they turn out like Mia and Zach if I let them make their own choices and have their freedom? Is it better for me to take my girls everywhere and call their friends' parents and watch their every step? Honestly, right now I am terrified of what might happen to them if I don't do these things.
I also had to ask myself how I would've reacted had Jude's life been mine. Would I have crashed and turned inward, crying all day, never eating, and become horribly depressed? Or, would I have turned my efforts 110% to my second child and driven that child insane? Or, would I have just stopped loving everyone? I pray that I may never know the answers to these questions.
Another reason I love Kristin Hannah is that her books always turn out as they should. That doesn't mean that the ending of her books are always happy, just that they end as they should. Lucky for us, Night Road ends in both ways: happy and as it should.
I just finished this book and read the last 50 pages with tissues in hand. My children were watching the ending of Toy Story 3 as I read. Both endings pushed me to the tears limit. I have no tears left today, as a result.
Night Road is centered around the Farraday family. Jude and Miles are the parents; Mia and Zach are their twin children. Mia is awkward and friendless; Zach is the golden boy. Enter Lexi, a teenage girl who has been part of the foster care system her entire life. Her father is gone, her mother dead from drug use and other bad choices. All Lexi wants is a family. Her Aunt Eva comes to save the day. Lexi pays it forward by becoming Mia's only friend and eventually her best friend. At this point in the book everyone is happy and all is as it should be, but there's still 250 more pages in the book and you know something is going to happen to overturn it all. You would be right. This upheaval happens not once, but twice, and some could argue three times. I never saw any of it coming.
It was hard not to relate to Jude, the helicopter mom. She wants what's best for her children and she manages every aspect of their lives right down to what college they will attend. But, the one time she doesn't do this, her life changes in an instant. So, this makes me wonder: is the point that I should micro-manage my kids? Will they turn out like Mia and Zach if I let them make their own choices and have their freedom? Is it better for me to take my girls everywhere and call their friends' parents and watch their every step? Honestly, right now I am terrified of what might happen to them if I don't do these things.
I also had to ask myself how I would've reacted had Jude's life been mine. Would I have crashed and turned inward, crying all day, never eating, and become horribly depressed? Or, would I have turned my efforts 110% to my second child and driven that child insane? Or, would I have just stopped loving everyone? I pray that I may never know the answers to these questions.
Another reason I love Kristin Hannah is that her books always turn out as they should. That doesn't mean that the ending of her books are always happy, just that they end as they should. Lucky for us, Night Road ends in both ways: happy and as it should.
I just finished this book and read the last 50 pages with tissues in hand. My children were watching the ending of Toy Story 3 as I read. Both endings pushed me to the tears limit. I have no tears left today, as a result.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
#29 and #30: Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I have no read the entire Hunger Games trilogy and am so glad that I did not blog until the very end. Had I done so sooner with these 2 books, I may have turned some of you away with words of displeasure. The ending was superb and the trilogy was amazing! My husband has read the first two and loved them, so I know it's not just me liking them--they are just good books.
Catching Fire is the second book in the series and it does a good job of picking up where the first finishes. The characters continued to be so real in my head. I could imagine their every move and hung on their every word. I was shocked at the main event in this book, as was Rob, but read on in disbelief at what was happening. The ending tied things up nicely, but since I knew there was another book I knew the story wasn't over.
Mockingjay was A LOT harder for me to read. There was too much war, too much fighting, and too much blood and death. So much that I suddenly began to have a hard time visualizing scenes in my head, had to re-read sections of the book, and when bookmarking a page and coming back to it later, didn't remember reading what I had just read. But, because I rarely put down a book without finishing it, I plugged on and am so glad that I did. During my lunchtime today, I read the last 20 pages and found myself in tears as the book ended.
Books like these (Uncle Tom's Cabin is another that comes to mind) make me yearn for my english teachers from high school and college, teachers who are so skilled at noticing the subtle nuances from writers that I sometimes pick up on but sometimes miss. I wondered at the ending about the names of some of the characters: Coin, Snow and how their names represented their character. Coin, who seemed to be out for power and Snow, who we thought was not pure at all but who may have been all along. Character names are only a part of the literary analysis of these books that must be so rich and so deep if you only went back and looked harder.
You can, however, read all 3 books without a skilled english teacher's eye and still enjoy them for what they teach us about life, love, and real genuine happiness. Don't take freedom for granted. Don't be afraid to fight for what you believe in. Don't let a day go by when you don't let your family know how much you love them. Life can change in an instant. Don't be caught unaware.
Catching Fire is the second book in the series and it does a good job of picking up where the first finishes. The characters continued to be so real in my head. I could imagine their every move and hung on their every word. I was shocked at the main event in this book, as was Rob, but read on in disbelief at what was happening. The ending tied things up nicely, but since I knew there was another book I knew the story wasn't over.
Mockingjay was A LOT harder for me to read. There was too much war, too much fighting, and too much blood and death. So much that I suddenly began to have a hard time visualizing scenes in my head, had to re-read sections of the book, and when bookmarking a page and coming back to it later, didn't remember reading what I had just read. But, because I rarely put down a book without finishing it, I plugged on and am so glad that I did. During my lunchtime today, I read the last 20 pages and found myself in tears as the book ended.
Books like these (Uncle Tom's Cabin is another that comes to mind) make me yearn for my english teachers from high school and college, teachers who are so skilled at noticing the subtle nuances from writers that I sometimes pick up on but sometimes miss. I wondered at the ending about the names of some of the characters: Coin, Snow and how their names represented their character. Coin, who seemed to be out for power and Snow, who we thought was not pure at all but who may have been all along. Character names are only a part of the literary analysis of these books that must be so rich and so deep if you only went back and looked harder.
You can, however, read all 3 books without a skilled english teacher's eye and still enjoy them for what they teach us about life, love, and real genuine happiness. Don't take freedom for granted. Don't be afraid to fight for what you believe in. Don't let a day go by when you don't let your family know how much you love them. Life can change in an instant. Don't be caught unaware.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
#28: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
At Abigail's birthday lunch this past Sunday, this book was recommended to me by a soon to be Wake Forest Demon Deacon and I am thrilled that I paid attention, took note of the book title, and bought it for my Nook. My only regret is that my Nook is IMPOSSIBLE to read at the pool or I would've finished The Hunger Games before last night at 10:30. I did manage to have a quick conversation with a friend at the pool on Sunday who had read The Hunger Games and was able to clarify some setting/timeline questions I had as I began to read this amazing book. So, I guess talking about the book made up for the fact that I wasn't able to actually read it.
Despite the wonderful recomendation, I must admit that the premise behind The Hunger Games is a bit tough to take: "The Capitol" (ie the government) putting 24 children in an arena where they fight to the death leaving 1 winner. Does this really sound like something I would like to read? Hardly. But I have to say that it was excellent. This book is actually geared for young readers (more like middle school-high school) so the death scenes are not terribly graphic or disturbing. In fact, what I walked away from this book with most was that the author did an amazing job of not focusing upon the death, but instead on the loyalty and the love of the characters and the hatred for an unfair government that is oppressive and controlling.
The Hunger Games is the first in a series of three books. I have already begun to read the second book (Catching Fire) and am, once again, irritated that life is getting in the way of my reading time. I might just get way too engrossed in my books, but I guess that's what makes me me. I can see Katniss and Peeta (whenever I read his name I hear Fudge from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing calling out for his brother Peter in his 3 year old voice "Peetah" and I just can't get it out of my head!) and Gale and I think that they are amazing young people. Their work ethic and family loyalty is uncompromised. I've heard that The Hunger Games is being made into a movie and I can't wait to see this book brought to life.
One last comment before I sign off to continue reading...this series of books WILL make my top 5 list this year. But, I very well may have to make a top 10 list because I think I already have a fave 5 from the books I have already read. If you haven't read The Hunger Games, please do! You will love it, too!
Despite the wonderful recomendation, I must admit that the premise behind The Hunger Games is a bit tough to take: "The Capitol" (ie the government) putting 24 children in an arena where they fight to the death leaving 1 winner. Does this really sound like something I would like to read? Hardly. But I have to say that it was excellent. This book is actually geared for young readers (more like middle school-high school) so the death scenes are not terribly graphic or disturbing. In fact, what I walked away from this book with most was that the author did an amazing job of not focusing upon the death, but instead on the loyalty and the love of the characters and the hatred for an unfair government that is oppressive and controlling.
The Hunger Games is the first in a series of three books. I have already begun to read the second book (Catching Fire) and am, once again, irritated that life is getting in the way of my reading time. I might just get way too engrossed in my books, but I guess that's what makes me me. I can see Katniss and Peeta (whenever I read his name I hear Fudge from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing calling out for his brother Peter in his 3 year old voice "Peetah" and I just can't get it out of my head!) and Gale and I think that they are amazing young people. Their work ethic and family loyalty is uncompromised. I've heard that The Hunger Games is being made into a movie and I can't wait to see this book brought to life.
One last comment before I sign off to continue reading...this series of books WILL make my top 5 list this year. But, I very well may have to make a top 10 list because I think I already have a fave 5 from the books I have already read. If you haven't read The Hunger Games, please do! You will love it, too!
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