#52: The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

The Supreme Macaroni Company is the third and final book in the Valentine series by Trigiani, and I am sad to not have any more books about Valentine to read.  She is a wonderful character and if she were real, I'd strive to be her friend.  I just love her realness.

I have adored Trigiani's books since Big Stone Gap came out years ago (and I have plans to re-read that series in anticipation of the upcoming movie) and while my favorite remains The Shoemaker's Wife, the series staring Valentine takes second place for me.  Her story is a romantic, heart-felt struggle--a struggle to find her place in a family where she just doesn't quite fit the mold, a struggle to do what she wants to do in life, and a struggle to find and hold onto love.

The ending of her story, which I shall only hint about as to not be a spoiler, was a timely reminder for me that life is short and unpredictable.  And, while change is scary, sometimes it must be embraced and life must be lived while you have the chance to live it.  I don't want to be Valentine, re-thinking her choices and wondering "what if" every step of the way. I don't want to wish for one more day with my husband, or for him to wonder why I loved my work more than my him and my family.  As much as I love Valentine, she is a good character to learn from and to be wiser than--not a character to emulate.  In my opinion. 

So, while Valentine's story ends, perhaps she is just the muse I need to begin my own.  Well..to begin Chapter Two of My Story. 

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

p.s. This completes my 52 for the year!  Woo-hoo!  Yet, I just started a new book yesterday.  So, who knows how many I will read before January 1, 2014. 

p.p.s. Look for my Top 10 List soon!

#51: Fever by Maya Banks

Fever, by Maya Banks makes me realize, yet again, that some sequels are worth skipping.  It was unrealistic and not worth my time to read.  Therefore, it is also not worth my time to blog about. 

Skip this one.  And probably the third in the series.  Although I am curious...

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#50: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I went to see "Catching Fire" last week and was amazed at how little I remembered of the book.  Of course, I did read it two years ago.  I can barely recall events from yesterday, so it was not really a wonder that I couldn't remember.  Even sadder was that I absolutely could not recall what Mockingjay was about.  So I re-read it.  In a day.

You can always check my blog to see what I thought the first time (I actually haven't done this yet, but will when I am done blogging), but the second time around was truly gratifying.  Perhaps because I could imagine the characters, the setting, and the events, thanks to the amazing movies that these glorious books became.  The book was amazing  and well worth reading for a second time.

While reading Mockingjay, I read an article a friend sent me about Peeta and how he was the girl in his relationship with Katniss, while she was the boy.  In other words, their gender roles were reversed.  Peeta was always acting on his feelings, while Katniss was always trying to save him and rescue him.  Never is this more true that in the epilogue of Mockingjay.  I, personally, like their relationship and find that it is realistically balanced.  Katniss and Gale and way better friends than they would ever be as a romantic match. 

Leave it to me to gloss over the blood, gore, and killing, and move straight into the epilogue, but I really can't focus on that part of the book.  It's enough to read it twice; I do not need to re-hash it all here.  Bottom line: there was a rebellion and people died.  Luckily for us, the people needed to help Panem move forward did not.  Phew!

Suzanne Collins deserves every bit of the praise and acclaim she's getting for these phenomenal novels.  I am waiting not so patiently for the movie version of Mockingjay. 

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#49: Release Me by J. Kenner

I am sitting down to blog about this novel, a book I tore through in two days, and for the life of me I can't recall a single thing about the book.  Either I am getting old, which I am, or there's little that's memorable about the text. I guess I need to skin the book and job my memory...

...ah...now I remember...

Release Me is the story of Damien Stark (well...one of the stories...this is apparently one of three stories) and Nikki, the girl with whom Damien is obsessed.  Damien is a former tennis star turned scientist; Nikki is a former Texas beauty queen, turned want-to-be scientist/app designer.  Damien met Nikki once when she was young; Nikki has been in love with Damien ever since.  They finally stumble into each other at an art gala and the story of their intense love affair begins. 

While I was told that I had to read this book because of the intense love affair, I was actually quite taken by the story line of Damien's indecent proposal for Nikki to earn a million dollars for posing nude for a painting for his new home.  Her face would never be seen; only Damien, Nikki, and the artist (who had to sign a legal document declaring that he'd never reveal the model's identity) would know she did it.  A million dollars would help start up Nikki's app business.  What ever is a girl to do? 

You will have to read to find out...I guess I am going to have to break down and read the next book at some point.  Maybe when we go to Bermuda over spring break.  This would be a good book to throw in my beach bag while I bask in the glow of the pink Bermudian sand.  I have a queue of books to read that's piling up.  So little time and so much to read.

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#48 Rush by Maya Banks

Blogging about this book makes me glad that my mother never reads what I write.  :)

Rush is the first in an adult audience only trilogy by Maya Banks.  I will, with a red-face, admit that I read this book in less than 24 hours.  It was addicting, it was captivating, and, yes, it was incredibly sexy. 

In the style of 50 Shades of Gray, Rush tells the story of Gabe and Mia, a man who gets what he wants and the woman who is brave enough to stand up to him when required.  I loved their story however I disagree with the RT Book Reviews who said it was "highly believable." It's anything but believable.  OK--so I am sure that there are people out there who live this erotic lifestyle and draw up contracts before they become intimate with people.  But, are they all multi-millionaires who can make someone their personal assistant, complete with high salary and full benefits just so she can be within arms reach when the mood strikes?  Come on.  Really? 

There was one truly disturbing scene in the book that made my stomach hurt and that made me want to hurl the book across the room.  I can only hope that this one scene is not part of the "highly believable" nature of the book.  I hope that what Gabe put Mia through never happens to anyone in the real world ever.  It's gut wrenching and highly disturbing and if Gabe were real, he'd be on the news by now.  If you've read the book, you know that I am talking about.  If you haven't read this book, but are needing a Christian Gray fix with a new character, Gabe is for you and you should read his story.  Just muddle through that one scene and be done with it remembering that this is fiction.

Yes, I will also admit that I am ready to read the continuation of the series.  But, I'm reading it on my iPad this time.  I just get too embarrassed thinking that someone is reading over my shoulder or is staring at the cover and judging me.  Not like I am about to admit to the entire world that I read it and liked it, or anything.   Geez.

This one is a Beach bag book.  And it is a good one.
:) Dodie

#47 When Will The Heaven Begin by Ally Breedlove

I knew how this book was going to end.  Unless you've been living under a rock, you've most likely seen Ben Breedlove's now famous YouTube video "This is My Story."  I cried when I first watched it and had no idea who Ben was, nor did I have any idea what he had lived with his entire life.  Now that I know, I am afraid to watch it.  I haven't actually.  Maybe I will once I've posted this blog.

Ben's story is detailed in the words of Ally, his older sister and his best friend.  The book literally spans his entire life, hitting the highlights, and some low points, too.  Ben's story is amazing and I was touched.  I was also reminded of a few things. 

It's almost Thanksgiving and most of us are thinking about the things we have to be thankful for, but we often do so with qualifications.  For instance, I am very thankful to have a job.  I am not so happy that I am getting a new student on Monday.  I am very thankful to have two beautiful, healthy daughters.  I am not so happy to be in the middle of their daily drama or to spend hours each night driving them places.  But, the bottom line is that I should be elated for all of the above, the good with the bad.  I should be thrilled that I am getting a new student on Monday, and that I have to dress as a farmer tomorrow and hang pictures in the hallway after school.  I should be thrilled that my daughters want to talk about their lives with me and that I get the pleasure of driving them places.  Because, bottom line, it means we are all still alive, healthy, and moving forward.  I bet Ben's mom would love some drama, or to be able to drive Ben somewhere.  I bet Ally wishes every day that she could send him a text and he'd reply.  Now, Ben, on the other hand, likes where he is and I am happy for him in that respect (you need to read the book to fully appreciate that comment).

I am certainly doing to try to look at life through new lenses.  Perhaps not rose colored ones, but just ones that remind me that while I am still alive, still breathing, and while my heart still does what it's supposed to, life is pretty darn good.

Thanks, Ben,  Thanks, Ally.  I've heard your message loud and clear and I am thankful for the reminder.

:)Dodie

#46: The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly

I am a big fan of Little Women. I did not read it until I was almost finished with college.  It was a book I picked up on sale at the bookstore,  and while I was buying the book, I was a bit embarrassed that as an almost graduate of college with a degree in English I had not yet read it.  Almost with the first page of the story, I fell in love with each and every character.  I identified most with Meg, being the oldest child myself and rather quiet and reserved.  I wished I had been more daring and outrageous like Jo, more beautiful like Amy, or just plain good like Beth.  I hoped one day I could be a mother like Marmee.  Once the movie was released, I was able to relive the story every time I cleaned my apartment or when I just needed to hear voices in the background as I worked on my school work.  I always hoped that my girls would love this timeless story as much as I do, but, alas, it has yet to happen.  Maybe one day they will stumble across the book and decide to give it a try on their own, despite the size of the book, which is the reason they have brushed it aside to this point.

Because of my love of Alcott's story, I was intrigued when I found The Little Women Letters.  I knew there had to be a connection to the original book and I was not disappointed in any way by this brilliant story that brought back my favorite little women, and reimagined their lives and their descendants in a whole new way.  

The idea is that Jo's great-great granddaughter stumbles upon a series of letters in her mother's attic while she is searching for recipes from another long lost relative.  Through these letters she learns first hand about her great-great grandmother, her sisters and their beautiful relationship, and her great love.  It was amazing to read more about those little women and how their lives went on after their first story ended.  And meanwhile, we, the readers, are introduced to four more remarkable modern day women: Lulu, Emma, Sophie, and Charlie.  Three are blood sisters; one is a close friend who should be a sister.  Quite in the same way as the original novel, we catch glimpses into the ordinary, yet extraordinary, lives of these four young women, each serving as a modern day parallel one of the original little women.  

The novel is brilliant and I am so glad that I stumbled across this gem of a book in the bookstore.  My only regret is that I did not read this treasure sooner.  For any fan of Little Women this book is a must-read.  I am going to happily place this book on my bookshelf next to my copy of Little Women  that I bought all those years ago.  Perhaps one day one of my own little women will stumble across both books and dare to give one, or both, a try.  Should one choose to, her life will never be the same.

Happy reading, 
:)Dodie

#45: The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler

I wanted to love this book.  I needed to love a book called The Bookstore, but sadly, I did not love it.  It made me sad and depressed and I walked away from the book shaking my head, not really understanding why an author would write an ending that way, with zero closure, or why she would create such sad and depressing, or just totally crazy and unrealistic characters. 

I can not recommend this book to anyone.  I wish I could, but I can't. 

On the off chance you want to read this book, however, I have a copy you can have. 

Happy reading, but pick something else this time.
:) Dodie

#44: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I absolutely loved this book, a combination of historical fiction, romance, and mystery.  And, I love it's lesson, or what I think to be it's lesson.  I guess that's the beauty of a well written book.  It becomes what you want it to be.

The Girl You Left Behind is told in two parts.  Part One is Sophie's story, told in 1916 in occupied France.  Part Two is Liv's story, told in London 2006.  The beauty of the story is not their individual stories, although they are unbelievable in their own rights, but in how the two stories become one.  It's brilliant, really.  "The Girl You Left Behind" is the name of a painting Sophie's husband, Edouard Lefevre, painted of her.  It hangs in their hotel, which eventually gets taken over by the Germans in WW1, and it is this painting that becomes the true main character of this novel.  However, one can quickly figure out that The Girl You Left Behind also refers to Sophie herself, as her husband goes off to war, and Liv, whose husband dies suddenly one night only a few years into their marriage.  These two amazing women tell their stories as they desperately attempt to move on after being left behind by their husbands.  The truly amazing part, the part I will not divulge here, is how their stories become intertwined and eventually become one. 

As with all really great books that I read, I feel smarter after finishing this book and I feel as though I have been reminded of what life is really all about.  It's not the money you have, or where you live, or what you wear, or even what you believe.  Life is about your family and about the love you have for your family and the lengths you will go to to keep your family intact. 

This book is superb.  I highly recommend it. 
Happy reading!
-Dodie

#43 The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarity

What would you do if you stumbled across a letter written to you by your husband, to be opened upon his death?  Would you read it?  What would you do if you stumbled across the very same letter, but your husband was still alive? 

And thus begins The Husband's Secret and my new love for all books by Liane Moriarity.  I am going to search out any others by her and stash them away for Christmas Break and Spring Break, if they last that long!  Her books are perfect vacation reads! 

I won't give away any details about this book because it is positively too good and I don't want to ruin anything about this delicious tale.  However, I will share this one thought that I have about The Husband's Secret. The book opens with the story of Pandora's box.  It is a great reminder of how we, as humans, are curious souls, and we often bring trouble on ourselves as we attempt to quench our curiosity.  Then, once we discover things about our lives, our families lives, or even our friend's lives, we are often suddenly faced with having to forgive and then we are angry about forgiving.  But, the irony to me is that this Forgiveness is something that we might not even have had to give if we had just kept the box closed in the first place.  Don't borrow trouble.  Keep the box closed.  But, it seems to me, after reflecting on the end of this amazing novel, that forgiveness is something we must give no matter what.  Or else, it will eat away at you and will possibly cause more harm than you ever imagined.

Are you now very curious about this book?  I hope so! Pick this one up and read it.  It's too good not to!

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#42: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

I made the mistake of reading this book on the plane ride home from Orlando last weekend.  To the very polite twenty-something sitting next to me by the window, I must apologize for crying like a fool as I read the ending to this book.  With not the first tissue in my purse, either.  What an idiot I am.  Who reads any Nicholas Sparks book without tissues? 

I must admit that I am a hit or miss Nicholas Sparks fan.  I love some of his books, and I mean LOVE, and others I have taken out of my permanent collection.  The Longest Ride is going into the permanent collection (once I get it back from my mother-in-law who borrowed it from me).  The Longest Ride is right up there with The Walk and The Notebook and I am praying long and hard that this one becomes a movie.  I will be the first in line on opening night.

The book tells the stories of Ira and Ruth and Sophia and Luke, alternating between the two.  Ira is an older man, in his seventies.  He has crashed his car and while he waits, freezing in the snow, for help, trapped inside his car, he begins a long conversation with his wife, Ruth, who passes away years before.  It is through these conversations that we hear their beautiful love story.  Meanwhile, on and off the campus of Wake Forest University, we meet Sophia and Luke.  Sophia is an art history major; Luke is a professional bull rider, whose paths cross and are never the same again.  Like only Nicholas Sparks can, he manages to weave these two individual stories into one brilliant story that I know will touch your heart. 

I will not say anything more except this...(for those of you who have read this book already, you will know what I mean.  For those of you who haven't, I hope I spark your curiosity enough so that you will pick up this treasure and devour it (with tissues!)) Ira...I totally understand. And, I would've bought the painting, too.  First off, right away.  It truly was the treasure. 

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#41: Dream It! Do It! My Half-Century Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms by Marty Sklaar

What self-respecting Disney fanatic could NOT read a book by Marty Sklaar, which details his 54 (yes 54) years as a Disney Imagineer?  I was so excited to read this book, but so very sad that I wasn't able to be at WDW in September 12 and 13 when he was there signing copies.  Now, that would've been way cool! 

For my readers out there, if you have any interest in Disney at all, you should read Marty's book. It details some of the coolest stories in Disney history and made me love the company even more. It also made me sad that Walt is gone.  If you are not a Disney fan, but you have an interest in developing leadership skills or want to read about an organization that is skilled in creating an amazing work ethic amongst its employees, you could read this book and learn a lot. 

I will be honest and admit that I skipped the chapters on Euro-Disney and Disneyland Tokyo.  I was just not interested in reading about the parks I had not been to.  I also skipped a lot of Marty's lists of people who did this and that and were written about as though they were interviewing for a new job.  But, the stories were super cool, as were his pictures. 

I am a huge Disney fan.  That's no big secret.  But, after reading this book, I am a Disney supporter.  They've got a good thing going inside their industry.  Now...how do I become a part of it?

Happy reading, everyone!
:)Dodie

#40: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

What would you do if you went to the gym one morning, fell off of a bike, hit your head, woke up in a hospital, and had forgotten the last ten years of your life?  You did not remember the birth and life of your three kids, and wouldn't know them if they walked right up to you, you did not remember separating from your husband or the name of your new boyfriend, nor did you remember the death of your best friend.  It was all wiped away.  What would you do?  Well...this is exactly what happened to Alice Love in What Alice Forgot, a book that has touched my heart and my mind and has really caused me to think long and hard about life.  Again.

I don't want to summarize the book for you, because I think it would spoil the plot and I don't like to do that.  But I do feel compelled to comment on how horrible I felt as I read about Alice waking up at the hospital.  She was scared to death that she has lost her baby, as the last memory she had was of being pregnant.  She desperately wanted to speak to her husband because she knew he, the love of her life, could make it all better.  Imagine, then, when he was mean to her, using short, curt, bitter words because they did not love each other anymore.   She just didn't remember.  She didn't remember being distanced from her sister, either.  Her life, in 10 short years, had changed dramatically.  With a bump on the head, she was actually given an amazing gift.  She could re-write her life...provided that her memories did not return.  She could turn things around, just by being who she used to be.  Because she did not know how to be anything else.

My heart ached for her as she tried to remember what made her husband hate her, and she him.  My heart ached as she realized that her sister was hurting and she couldn't remember why.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I longed to learn why her life had turned out the way it had and I prayed that her memory would stay gone forever.  Alice Love was a kind and gentle person without her memories.  From what I can tell, I don't think I would've like the Alice who remembered. 

As I read this book, I felt so very grateful.  I felt grateful for my family and my husband and for my life.  And yet, I found myself disliking parts of Alice's life that I find myself, at 41, now wanting desperately--to be thin with the help of a personal trainer, to quit working so I can focus more on me, to buy a bigger house.  And it made me stop and think.  Why do I want these things?  What about taking time to enjoy life and your family and your friends?  Maybe those are the priorities I should focus on. 

The sad thing is, I had decided to do just that.  After my trips to London and Bermuda this summer, I had change my mind about life.  There's more to life than Short Pump and I wanted my children to discover just that.  I realized after these trips that a great big house would be lovely, but I really didn't want to be tied down by a large mortgage.  And, I just hoped and prayed that I'd develop an aversion to all food and miraculously lose a ton of weight.  :)  But, then we all went back to school and those external forces that tend to bring me down (people) came flooding right back--the stay at home moms, the friends building new houses, the neighbors that run and are so toned and fit--and have muddled my thinking again, because I have let them.  UGH. 

So, I think that instead of loaning out What Alice Forgot as I typically do when I am done with a book, I will place this book in a spot where I can see it daily.  Where it can remind me that my family is number one and the rest of it is just fluff.  I need to focus on them and our lives together.  Just as Alice did as she tried to remember why everything was so mixed up.

So, if you want to read this book, which I would highly recommend, you are going to need to get your own copy. 

Hope you find one!
:) Dodie

#39: War Brides by Lois Battle

I am not a history buff and I am not typically a fan of historical fiction.  I have, however, read some very cool historical fiction recently and War Brides is one of those amazing books that makes me wish I knew more about WW2. It also makes me want to run out and buy more books by Lois Battle (which I plan to do shortly).

War Brides is set at the end of WW2 and it tells the stories of three Australian ladies who fall in love with Americans they met during the war and move to the States at the conclusion of the war.  While fiction, their stories are compelling, heart-warming, and often heart-breaking, as you read their attempts to assimilate into American society and post-war culture.  This was a true page turner and there was never, in 437 pages, a dull moment.  I felt a bit like I was reading a WW2 soap-opera  as I read alternating chapters, each told by one of the three main characters: Sheila, Gaynor, and Dawn.  Each of these ladies is as different from the other as could possibly be.  Their lifestyles, their love interests, their values, their desires...and this, in my opinion, largely contributes to the fresh story line and the page-turning quality of the novel as a whole.

For those of you who are book club members, I would strongly encourage you to read this with your book club.  These ladies and their actions could spark some lively discussions--especially Gaynor.

I can't recommend this one highly enough.  Read it.  You will love it.  I promise!

Happy reading,
:)Dodie

#38 My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher

What would you do if you found out that your husband had secretly been seeing other women...three, in fact, over the course of your marriage?  You'd probably leave him, or make him leave you. 

So, then, what would you do if you found out he was dying?  Would you forgive and forget?  Would you go back? 

That's what Lucy has to decide after she finds out that her husband, Artie, is dying.  She does end up going home (sorry...that really doesn't spoil too much) and makes the craziest decision I think any woman could make.  She calls Artie's other "sweethearts" and invites them to take a turn on Artie's deathbed--to share in taking care of him while he dies since they had the pleasure of enjoying him while he was alive. 

Brilliant. 

But, personally, I think the plan backfires a bit.  Because while Lucy assumes she will dislike these women, she ends up creating a new family with them, and allowing them to comfort her when she needs a family most.  

I adored this book.  Its a quick read but a touching one.  I can't even begin to tell you which character I liked the most.  They are all quirky and lovable and unforgettable. 

Read this one.  It's worth your time. 
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#37: The Land of Stories--The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

I am always searching for new chapter books to read to my Kindergartners.  It's hard to read Junie B. Jones and The Magic Tree House books year after year.  So, when I caught Chris Colfer on Live with Kelly and Michael (my summer guilty pleasure) and heard that he had a sequel to his first book coming out and that it was a book about a fairy tale land, I immediately ordered the first book, knowing that it would be perfect to read to my kiddos at school.

Oh, how wrong I was.

I could NEVER read this book to my students.  Well...I could...the year I wanted to get fired! And, it's not that I couldn't read this to 5 /6 year olds.  I wouldn't read this to 5th/6th graders and the book's main characters are 11 years old.  Good grief!  The theme of the book and overall plot is a good one.  It's been, perhaps, done before, but it's clever and creative and even though I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end, I was surprised.  So, it is a sad, sad thing that because the language is inappropriate it will stay on my shelf at home and not be read to my students.  I'm sure that the wording was done so to keep 5-8th grade students interested in the book, but with a few revisions, the novel could be way more far reaching to a wider audience.  It's sad.  Truly.  But I could never read the following sentence to my children:  "If I were Cinderella, none of this crap would be happening."  (that's a line from Red Riding Hood--who knew she had a potty mouth) nor could I read the line when Goldilocks calls Red Riding Hood a "basket carrying bimbo"  or when Red retaliates by calling Goldie a "fugitive floozy" or when Goldilocks is angered to the point of screaming "Son of a witch!"  REALLY? Is that necessary in a children's book?  And this is only a sampling.

Bottom line, you could easily read this to your own children and either read it as is and discuss the language or read around the inappropriate language.  But, as a classroom teacher, I could never bring this book into my classroom.  Parents would complain and I wouldn't blame them a bit.  I complained while I was reading.  The language just isn't necessary and it takes a book that could've been truly extraordinary and turns it into something that I can't recommend. 

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#36: The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson

What Kindergarten teacher isn't drawn to a book with "alphabet" in the title?  I'll admit it.  That's why I bought the book this past weekend at the Green Valley Bookfair (a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, btw.).  It's a tiny little book, but it is packed with a thought provoking idea: what would you do if you only had less than a month to live. Well, if you are Ambrose Zephyr, a man obsessed with making A-Z lists, you'd try to pack in one more and revisit your favorite A-Z places (like a top ten list) in 26 days.  Seriously, that's what he does and his amazing wife, Zipper, goes along. 

Richardson's style of writing is loose and free form, almost like a poem in many places.  I loved both characters and my heart broke for them as they realized that they only had a month left together. 
Books like this one really force you to think about what YOU would do if you only had a month to live.  I'm not sure what I would do.  If my girls were in school, I guess I'd spend those days driving them places and helping with homework and making lunches.  Ambrose and Zipper did not have kids, though.  They did walk away from their jobs, which I would do, but even that would be hard.  To leave a group of 5-6 year olds who wouldn't quite understand.  But I would, because Rob and the girls are my life.  And I'd want to spend as much of my last days with them as possible.  I guess that's really what Ambrose was doing, in his own way.  He was revisiting the places that meant the most to him and Zipper.  We learned a lot about them and their love story along the way, too.  It really was a touching story. 

I'll leave Zipper's reaction at the end as a mystery for now.  Suffice to day, she's a much stronger woman than I will ever be, that's for sure.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#35: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, or JK Rowling

I was in Bermuda when I heard that JK Rowling had written a new book, a mystery, under a pseudonym.  I immediately picked up my iPad and ordered it from Amazon before there was a rush on the book, as I knew there would be.  The article I read about the book from Bermuda indicated that the style of writing was obviously not indicative of an amateur and that the journalist who uncovered JK Rowling to be the author had been suspicious that it was really her all along.  Clearly, I am not a journalist, nor a detective, because if I had not known The Cuckoo's Calling was Rowlings' book, I'd have never figured it out. 

OK.  So, there's a lot of London mentioned in the book and the author is very clearly familiar with London.  But I have read several fabulous books this summer set in London.  Lots of people live there and work there and vacation there.  Not just Rowling.  However, there was one aspect of the book that kept reminding me of Rowling.  It's a dense book.  All of hers are, in my opinion.  Even Harry Potter, which I adored, was full of details and characters that I couldn't keep straight in my head until I saw them in the movies.  The Casual Vacancy was the same.  So, from that standpoint, yes, The Cuckoo's Calling was very Rowling. 

Rob has not yet read Cuckoo, so I am going to keep my comments brief as to not be a spoiler.  It was a slow go for me at first, but once I met Rochelle, everything changed.  The book was fabulous, another indicator that Rowling is in fact the author.  Brilliant.  Bloody brilliant.  You will not be disappointed.  Unless you dislike murder mysteries.  Then you should stay away. 

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#34: One Summer by David Baldacci

One Summer was a quick read, but not my favorite book of all time.  In fact, I am not even sure I really liked it.  It depressed me from the start, straight through to the end.  And even though some would argue that the book had a happy ending, I didn't feel happy at the end.  I was actually a bit glad that it was over.  I always like to take something away from the books that I read and the moral, if you will, of this one I already know (from living life and from reading other books) and think about often.  So, I guess maybe that my real issue with this book is that it covers topics that have been done before.  It's really nothing new. 

The book opens with Jack dying of some sort of terminal illness, hoping that he will last through Christmas.  In a bizarre turn of events, he lives and thrives (but something even sadder happens to get him to this point) and attempts to rebuild his life with his three children.  While Jack is ultimately successful, there are ups and downs along the way, and he does manage to be happy and to make his kids happy. 

Great.  But sad.  So very sad that in order to get to where they are so much sadness had to be felt and overcome. 

The moral of the story, if there is one, is that life is just life.  We can't control it and we have to make the best of what comes our way.  It can change in an instant, so make sure that the ones you love know it on a daily basis.  Live carefully, but no so carefully that you don't actually enjoy life.  Not being cynical or anything, but this seems to be the moral of a lot of stories these days.  Or maybe because I am getting older, I seem to read books where the main characters are reflecting on life as much as I do. 

So, what I am choosing to take away from this book (and I positive that it would be the hardest conversation I would ever have to have), is the reminder that I want Rob to be happy if and when, God forbid, something would take me away from life before him and without him.  I want him to be happy and if that means finding someone new to love and to share his life with, then that's what I want him to do without ever feeling guilty for a second.  I would want my girls to know of this wish, too, so that they could support him as he moves forward.  I can only hope and pray that this is not a conversation I have to have anytime soon.  But perhaps I need to let him know, just in case.  Life is unpredictable.  Maybe it's better that he knows. 

So, I am off to read JK Rowling's newest book The Cuckoo's Calling, the one she wrote under a pseudonym.  I'm proud of her for writing on her own and for trying to conceal her identity.  She must feel a lot of pressure.  I can't even imagine what it's like to have written Harry Potter as a first effort. That's a lot for subsequent titles to live up to.  I'm very excited to begin reading!   

Happy reading everyone!
:)Dodie

#33: With Violets by Elizabeth Robards

Oh my.  This is one of my favorite books.  EVER.  I adored this book that has quickly become a treasured book on my shelf that I won't loan out to friends.  Sorry, friends.  You will need to get your own copy of this one. 

With Violets is the story of Berthe Morisot and her rather complicated relationship with Edouard Manet.  While a work of fiction, this story is based on historical facts (and historical rumors) and details the beginning of the Impressionist art movement (my personal favorite).  I actually Googled Morisot and Manet while reading this book to see how much was true and how much was fiction and the basic story line seems to be historically accurate.  I am assuming the fiction comes in the details, as who knows what was really said and done between these two famous artists. 

With Violets was a lovely story and while it was historical fiction, it was not the sort of book that was heavy or hard to read.  It really was a delightful story from start to finish. 

I loved it.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#32: Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress

Rob and I spent last week in Bermuda and I read a lot of books.  Of course, I read every day from 9-1 as I lounged by the pool.  Then, since everything in Bermuda closes at 5:00 each day, I spent most nights reading in the hotel room, too.  Lucky for me, I knew where the local book shop was and spent Friday morning browsing the shelves.  Georgia Bottoms was my lucky find.

This book should come with a warning, although reading the back should suffice, because I do think that either the sex or the religion which abound in this book may offend some readers.  Personally, I knew it was a story, and while I have always believed that if you can dream it, it could happen, I took this all with a grain of salt.

Georgia Bottoms is a beautiful 34 year old woman who entertains a different local gentleman in her home every night of the week, except Monday (She gets Monday nights to herself.)  It's the same men each week, but each man has their own night of the week, and their own drawer in her high boy.  The men do not keep things in the drawers, though.  Georgia keeps the little gifts they give her, the pictures they like, and the clothes she wears for each man (all of her props, if you will) in this high boy.  Each man, therefore, believes that he is the only man in her life.  Georgia spends a lot of time washing and drying her sheets and reassembling her bedroom day after day.  It's hilarious. 

But, this meticulous plan of hers goes wrong when her Saturday man, better known as the town minister, decides to come clean and confess his sins (yes, he is married) during a Sunday church service.  The rest of the book is about how Georgia manages to put her life back together (all while managing a mother with dementia, a brother who is in and out of jail, and a secret from her past) and it is fabulous!  I found myself laughing out loud  at this book.  It is a perfect beach bag book and a wonderful read.  I am so glad I took the hour to browse in the Bermuda book store! 

This is one you must read.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#30 and #31: Sea Swept and Rising Tides by Nora Roberts

I read each of these books in a single day while sitting by the pool in Bermuda.  Yet, I would not exactly call them feel good beach bag books.  They are the first two in a series of four books about The Quinn Family, a family of four sons, three of whom are grown, whose parents have died and they are trying to move on and create families of their own.

The first in the series barely held my attention long enough to get through it.  The second was much better, but did not leave me wanting to read more of this series.  So, I suspect I will do something here that I rarely do, which is to stop reading a series and move on to something more interesting.  I'm not sure why these books are not holding my attention.  Nora Roberts' books usually do.  I'm not sure if perhaps I have just read too many of her books and they are getting predictable, who knows?  What I do know is that I am done with this particular series and next time I see Nora Roberts' new books in stores, I will not just pick them up because it's Nora Roberts.  I will read the back cover first to ensure that it's a book that will hold my interest.

Happy Reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#24-29, or The Death Saga

The Death Saga is not a book I read.  But let me explain why I have named my post as such.

For the past two weeks, I have been tagging along on business with Rob.  First we were in London for 10 days now we are in Bermuda for the week (rough life, I know).  Since Rob is going to the office each day, I have  had a lot of time on my hands to read, particularly while either waiting in the airport or flying.  As a result, I have read 6 books in the last two weeks.  But since we have been busy, I have not blogged about any of them.  Until now.  Bermuda has a bit of a different pace than London, so since I spent 4 hours in the sun this morning, I am now cooling off in the hotel room, blogging.  

In thinking about the 6 books I just read, what I have realized about them all, seriously--all 6, is that they have dealt with death in some way.  So, to make my life easier as I attempt to catch up on blogging, I am lumping all six books together and calling them The Death Saga (after googling the appropriate terms for six books with like themes).  But, please do not NOT read them because they deal with death.  All six were excellent reads and worth your time.  There's only two, though, that I'd throw in my beach bag.  See numbers 3 and 4.  

Book 1: Gold by Chris Cleave.  This novel is so not something I would typically read.  It's about three Olympic cyclists and their race for gold.  Let's complicate the already complicated by throwing in a love triangle amongst the three main characters and a potential terminal illness of a child.  I was pulled into this story that I may not have likely read otherwise by the idea of a mother's ultimate dilemma-- do you race for gold, if it's your last time to ever compete, or stay home to comfort your dying daughter? Wow.  What do you do?   That is a tough one.  And it takes the entire book to sort it all out.  I started reading this before we left for London and thought that it was really cool that the race they are working towards was in London when the Olympics were there.  I was very touched by this book .  I cried out of sadness and out of anger as I turned the pages towards the end.  The good news is that there is a very happy ending.  You just have to read a lot of unhappiness in order to get there.  

Book 2: Emily Alone by Stewart O'Nan.  I picked this book up on a shopping trip with my friend Meghan and her sister Rachel.  I always find the best books when I go shopping with Meghan.  In fact, the next two books I also found on the same shopping trip.  I bought this one solely because of the title.  I can't refuse a book with my daughter's name in the title.  As it turns out, it was a dumb reason to by the book, but a fabulous book with a fabulous message.  Emily is alone.  Her husband has died, her friends are all dying, and she's just waiting for it to be her turn.  But when one of her friends gets hurt and Emily realizes that she can take care of herself, she realizes that her life isn't over yet and that she can enjoy her life.  It's a beautiful story.  

Book 3: The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek. I adored this crazy, beach bag story.  I loved the characters, but who wouldn't love characters named Stella Blue, Perks, Finn, Hamilton, and Biggsy.  They come together to settle the estate of Lydia, Stella and Perks' aunt and friend to the other wild and crazy characters, and end up solving a tiny little  mystery along the way.  My favorite part of the story was the epilogue, which was told by Perks.  It was hilarious!  This book was fabulous!  

Book 4: The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean.  Oh, I loved this book!  It's the kind of book that made me happy to spend a day on an airplane so I could just read and read and read.  I am not so very into fashion, but as it turns out, neither is Dora, the main character of the book.  Her grandmother, Mimi, is the one into clothes and owns a vintage clothing store.  She has put together a closet for Dora over the years (she's now in college) that is really the size of a normal bedroom.  It's filled with beautiful dresses that Dora doesn't feel right  wearing.  But when Mimi has a stroke and Dora rushes to her side without taking time to 
pack a bag, she is forced to begin wearing clothes from Mimi and finds that she's fairly comfortable in her new skin.  This story has a happy ending too after much sadness, so if you choose to read it, just keep reading through the sadness.  It will be OK in the end. 

Book 5: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant.  This book requires thought and time to read, but it is fabulous! It is set in Italy around the late 1400's and it focuses on the political changes there during and after the French invasion.   I wish that I had known more about the history of the time written about in the novel but it did not impact being able to understand the book.  I was drawn to the book because of its artistic subject matter.  In fact, the title of the book is the title of one of my favorite paintings, Boticelli's The Birth of Venus. The book opens with the death and burial of Sister Lucrezia told in third person.  The rest of the story is told by Alessandra, in first person. The two women are one and the same.  But it takes the entire novel for us to learn how and why they are the same woman.  This story is passionate, intelligent, and in many ways, eye opening to the ways of the world.  Italy in 1494 isn't so different from the world in 2013.  

Book 6: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.  This book was recommended to me by two friends, so I was excited to pick up a paperback copy for $4 the night before we left for Bermuda.  I was still reading #5 on the plane so I did not begin #6 until I made my way to the pool yesterday morning.  I spent the entire day yesterday convinced that I was not smart enough to read and understand this novel.  It felt like Life of Pi all over again.  But as I was reading today, it all changed.  This book begins with a suicide plan and it does end with the death of a character.  It made me very sad.  I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that I was not uplifted by the ending of this novel.  There was no happy ending, but a reminder to be who you are and to show people who you are and to not live life in the wings, because you never know when death is coming.  Live with no regrets.  

So, there it is.  My Death Saga.  All were good.  Some had happy endings despite the death.  
Some did not.  All had worthwhile lessons for us to learn.  Which is exactly how I like my books.

I am sad to say that while I hoped by choosing a Nora Roberts romance next that I might escape the death theme, I fear that might night be the case.  What's up with that, I wonder?  I've never read about so much death and dying since taking Shakespeare in college.  Oh well. I read enough that the tide will turn eventually.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#23: Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

I was in Barnes and Noble this weekend and stumbled across Beth Hoffman's new book Looking for Me.  I love it.  I absolutely love it.  It warmed my heart and spoke to me.  It will most definitely make this year's list of my top ten favorite books.

Looking For Me centers around Teddi Overman and her family.  The chapters alternate between present and past and while we all know that I love this way of writing, I actually paid little attention to the dates written at the top of each chapter.  Honestly, I was so busy devouring each word that the dates didn't matter much to me.  I was able to figure out what was going on and when, despite my lack of concern over dates.   The setting alternates between Kentucky, the home of the Overmans, and Charleston, where Teddi makes her home when she becomes an adult.  The Overmans are a farming family, but Teddi and her brother Josh are destined to be something just a little bit more.

Much like when I read Hoffman's first novel, Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, I quickly became enamored with all of the characters from Looking for Me. They are real characters, characters that are believable, characters that are lovable, characters that you wished you knew or lived near.  Some were funny, some just made me sad, and some made me smile.  From the very first chapter when Teddi described how some people are just sad while some just go running towards life, I knew that this book and its characters were going to hit home with me.  I was right.

You see, my very own mother, who I love dearly, is a lot like Teddi's mother.  Sadness is the only coat my mother knows how to wear.  If she won the lottery, she'd be sad about all of the taxes she had to pay.  My mother, had she been able to afford such things, would've bought me a typewriter for my high school graduation, much like her mother bought her a sewing machine.  She wanted my sister and me to be able to support ourselves.  Never depend on anyone, ever.  Especially never a man, she always said.  Needless to say, my mother, who will never read what I am writing because she can't figure out for the life of her why I'd spend so much time thinking about and writing about someone else's books (and because she hates computers and can't seem to ever remember how to access this blog), reminded me a lot of Teddi's mother who just never quite understood Teddi's life.

Personally, I loved Teddi's life and am so envious of someone who was able to truly live out her dreams and to create such beauty, to see such beauty, out of things that someone else no longer loved or needed.  I wish I was as gifted as Teddi.  I am thrilled for her that she was able to find her dream home and was able to make it distinctly Teddi.  I also am a bit envious of how truly independent Teddi is.  Is there anything Teddi can't do, I wonder?  Her mother should've been very proud of Teddi's life, the business she built, the home she made.  I only wished that she had been able to see it all.  I think she would've been OK with the typewriter being left behind.

I don't envy the stress and trauma that Teddi deals with over her brother Josh, however.  This is a part of the story that I will not reveal here.  It is crafted and told in a manner that a summary, especially one written by me, will never do justice.  You need to read about Josh yourself.  His story is inspiring.  He made me want to be a better person.  Well, truthfully, Teddi made me want to be a better person.  I have always told my husband that I want to do something during  my lifetime that would really make a difference (at which time he typically reminds me that I teach children for a living and I make a difference on a daily basis).  Teddi selflessly made a difference and left a legacy when she gave Gabe and Sally a very special gift in honor of her brother.

Without a doubt, my favorite part of this amazing book was meeting Miz Poteet (who made me laugh out loud at first and then just made me sad at the end) and her son Sam. I loved that these two interesting characters became such an integral part of the book.  As a reaction to an event with Sam, who is just the sweetest man with the biggest heart, Teddi recalls a memory with her mother where her mother warns her to "Never tie your happiness to the tail of someone else's kite."  Wow.  These words really spoke to me.  Haunted me, actually, as that is what I have done my entire life.  My happiness is tied to every kite tail but my own.  Should it worry me that I can't make myself happy, that it takes others to do that?  It scares me a bit sometimes that the people who make me happy will one day disappear.  Then, Teddi describes Sam on page 326, "He had become my friend, my touchstone, and now he was my lover.  I'd never dreamed I'd find those three attributes in one person."  It was at that moment when I realized that I had found the same attributes wrapped up on one person, too.  My husband Rob--one of the people who has my happiness tied to their kite tail. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  But it is so very scary to think of my life without him.

Teddi spent most of her life looking for Josh.  Yet the book is called Looking for Me.  Perhaps, in her search for her brother, she really found herself.  Perhaps that's what happens to us all. Maybe it's OK that my happiness is tied to the kite tails of my husband, my daughters, my friends, my family, and my kindergarten students.  Maybe that's what makes me ME.  I walked away from reading Looking For Me feeling better about myself  than I have in a long time.  Thank you, Ms.Hoffman, for reminding me that who I am in exactly what I am supposed to be. 

I loved this book.  I loved its message.  Oh, and the front cover is gorgeous!  Pick it up.  Read it. Treasure it.  Because it is a treasure. 

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#22: Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

My family spent a week at Disney World right after school was out this year.  Sadly, on our fourth day of vacation, we got into our car to go to a water park only to find a crack in my windshield from top to bottom.  So, we spent the fifth day of our vacation sitting and waiting for the windshield to be replaced.  UGH.  The only good thing about the entire event was that I got to sit and read for 2 hours.  I wasn't dashing off to another ride, or sweating profusely in a non-shaded line.  No, I was reading and devouring Revenge Wears Prada.  Imagine, then, my frustration when my book was done and my car wasn't.  Thank heavens for my Nook app and for my inability to refuse a sale (several weeks ago I downloaded two books to my Nook when they were on sale).  Keeping Faith was right there waiting for me.

I have read many of Picoult's books.  They are intense.  They make you think and they make you feel.  I wasn't sure that I was ready for one of her books on vacation.  But it was either read Keeping Faith (because I had read the other downloaded book already) or sit and stare at a wall.  I chose to read.

I am not sure where to begin with this book.  It is complicated from the first chapter, as the theme of infidelity is explored, along with Mariah's mental instability.  Then, add Faith's self-imposed mutism as a reaction to her parent's relationship.  Oh my.  But things get really complicated when Faith is injured and suddenly begins a relationship with a very special imaginary friend while she begins to quote scripture.  Faith is seven and has been raised in a non-religious home.  She's never been to church and she's never seen a Bible, much less read one.  Suddenly, she is quoting the word of God.  Oh my.

I think I should stop for a second and give you a quick synopsis of my religious beliefs.  I am not afraid of them.  In fact, I have grown quite comfortable with them over the years.  Honestly, I do not know what I believe.  Much like Faith, I was raised by parents with differing religious beliefs.  My mother was Methodist; my step-father Catholic.  As a result, no one went to church.  I did go to a Methodist church with my grandmother for a few weeks each summer when I went to visit her and my aunt, but that was really it.  My mother believed that you did not need to go to church to pray or to have faith but, honestly, I doubted God.  In lots of ways, I think I still do.  And, lots of these doubts were reaffirmed in Keeping Faith.  Thanks to Ian Fletcher.

Ian is another of Picoult's characters.  He is an atheist (I am not) and his job is to roam the country disproving, with the help of scientific facts and theories, religious miracles.  His biggest issue with religion is how anyone could believe in a God who allowed his son to suffer.  Most parents run to the aid of their child when they are hurt or in trouble, yet God allowed Jesus to suffer.  Ian finds fault with this and can't put his faith into such a being.  Much like Ian, I found myself as a child wondering how a God, who everyone claimed to be so good, so caring, so wonderful, could take my father away from me when I was a baby.  How could he leave my mother a widow at 25 with a 1 year old?  It just didn't make sense to me and I think, in many ways, it still baffles me.  But, I have made peace with it.  My life is what it is and perhaps in the spirit of "everything happens for a reason" my life began as it did so that I could have the life I have now.  Who knows?  Truly, who KNOWS?  None of us.  We can believe what we want, but it's all an act of faith.  Not of true knowledge. 

As always, I don't want to spill the beans and summarize this amazing story that is sure to touch you in some way. But you need to be aware that, should you choose to read this book, you are not picking up a light read.  This book has so many themes and ideas swimming around: infidelity, religion, mental illness, suicide, love, mother-daughter relationships (or really, the power mothers possess), the media.  And that's only part one.  Part two centers around the custody battle over Faith and there's nothing quite like reading a court trial created by Picoult.   She's a master.

Keeping Faith was a great read.  Once the court scenes began, I couldn't flip the pages fast enough to see how it might all resolve itself in the end.  I did re-read the last two pages several times, just to be sure I was reading what I thought I was reading.  It still makes me smile. 

Happy reading (and thinking) everyone,
:)Dodie

#21: Revenge Wears Prada--The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger

I am a huge fan of The Devil Wears Prada. I actually watched the movie first, then read the book.  I don't typically do this (watch the movie version of the book before reading the book) but in this case, I really liked being able to see the author's vision for each character and imagining each one in my head as I read the book.  I could watch the movie over and over again and never tire of it and I think it's because the story and the characters are so unreal to me.  I will never live in NY.  I will never be a model and I certainly will never work for a fashion magazine.  The thought of all of that makes me laugh a little.  And anyone who knows me ought to be laughing their head off at the thought of it all.  But, it is a fascinating life style for a KG teacher who lives in the suburbs of Richmond, VA to think about and ponder.

Imagine my excitement, then, when Weisberger wrote a sequel to TDWP. I am a huge fan of stories that continue, because I have a burning need to know what happens next in any story I might read or hear.  Revenge Wears Prada did not disappoint.  It clearly spelled out what happened next and even how the choices Andy and Emily made in the original story impacted their lives in the current story.  I was thrilled to learn more about both ladies and began to love them even more. 

And then The Devil came back.

And as she always seems to do, Miranda Priestly turned the world upside down.  And it was never the same.  And yet, I did not find that she was the one I was angry with.  Oh no, I was mad as fire at Andy's husband, Max.  I am not a fan of Max.  At all.   I will leave you to read the book to find out what exactly he did and why.  I am no spoiler. 

But, I will say this: Revenge Wears Prada was just as fab as the original.  Maybe even a bit more so, as I got to know Andy and Emily and the men in their lives better.  I found myself being proud of Andy for the choices she made.  She truly grows up in this book. 

So, I guess the bottom line is that if you loved TDWP or even remotely liked it in any way, you should read Revenge Wears Prada.  It's a fantastic read!  Thanks, Ms. Weisberger, for continuing the story!  

Happy Reading everyone!
:) Dodie

p.s. Does anyone out there know where I can find a pink mink throw?  I suddenly have the urge to cuddle up with one...

#20: Uprising by Margaret Haddix

Emily has to read a book over the summer and do some sort of project to prove that she read and understood her book.  This is pure and absolute torture for her (and for me).  Last year, she did it with minimal yelling and screaming (on both our parts).  This year, I think she will object less.  The book she chose to read is Uprising by Margaret Haddix and I finished reading it this morning, so now it's her turn to read it.  (My new approach to the girls summer reading is to read their books, too, so that I can help them when they get stuck.  It was near to impossible last summer to help guide Emily when I had no clue what her book was about.) It might be the most interesting book for teens that I have ever read.  I was moved and touched by this story.  Much like The Hunger Games, I think adults might be drawn to this book as much as teens.

Uprising is based on two real-life events: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 and the shirtwaist strike of 1909-10.  Knowing that these are real events, I think, will help draw Emily into this action packed, dramatic story. I think she will also be outraged by the clear discrimination the factory girls receive and the horrible working conditions they are subjected to just because they are girls.  There's also lots of talk of suffrage in Uprising, which also interests Emily (she gets very upset when girls can't do things just because they are girls).

The story is told in alternating chapters (my favorite style) by Yetta, Bella, and Jane.  It begins years and years after the fire, when a character who was five at the time returns and asks to hear the story from start to finish, as she was too young then to have understood.  Through flashbacks, we meet Yetta, Bella, and Jane--all young girls, all very different.  Yetta, from Russia, speaks Yiddish and is learning English.  She lives with her sister Rahel and is working to bring her parents to America.  Bella, from Italy, is working to send money to her parents.  Jane, on the other hand, is American and rich.  Very rich.  But, she feels just as trapped by rules and unfair laws as the other girls.  The contrast between the three girls, and the idea that even money in 1910 couldn't buy you equality and the right of vote, is very compelling.  Haddix does an amazing job developing these girls in such a way that you can see them, you can feel their pain, and you want things to turn out differently for each of them.  There is a bit of suspense in the story, too, as the flashback is told by Mrs. Livingston, who we know to be one of the three girls, but we don't know which one, as she clearly has been married and taken a new name, until the very end of the book when the flashback concludes and we are returned to the conversation between Harriet, the now grown up five year old, and Mrs. Livingston, who reveals her identity to the readers (but I won't because I don't want to ruin the story).  

I am so glad that Emily is being given the opportunity to read this book.  She might learn something along the way, but more importantly, I hope she is inspired to not just sit by and watch life go by.  I hope she finds the spirit inside her to stand up for causes that she believes in, that she will stand up for injustice, that she will not be afraid to voice her opinion because she is a girl. 


I have often believed and voiced my thought that the real reason twenty-somethings and younger are the way they are is because they have never been afraid, or mad, about anything truly important.  My mother's generation fought for equal rights for women and witnessed equal rights for blacks being put into place.  My generation was scared to death of nuclear war and spent most of our life in fear of being killed by radiation.  But when the wall came down, so did the fear many of us carried around.  The desire for change disappeared and for a long time we have lived with everything we need, and then some.  The great cause that so many generations found to bind people together is suddenly gone.  I guess we could see terrorism against the US as a great cause, but even that, with OBL gone, has died down a bit. It is my belief that this great cause, this fear, this need to fight for something we believe in, is what's lacking with the newest generation of young people.  They haven't known discrimination, gender bias, fear of death at a young age, and they have become complacent, and are beginning to take a wonderful life for granted.  It is my hope for my girls, that by reading books like Uprising, that they can be reminded of how truly lucky they are and to be thankful for the girls of generations before who paved a smooth road for them.
Uprising is a wonderful read.  Pick it up.  Read it.  Be inspired.  Be thankful. 

Now, off to something a little less literary and more juicy: Revenge Wears Prada--The Devil Returns.  I am so excited I can't stand it!

Happy Reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#19: Beach Colors by Shelley Noble

Beach Colors is a feel-good story that belongs in your beach bag and your pool bag.  It is the sort of story that give you faith in people, faith in being able to find love after devastation, and faith that good things happen to good people.

Margaux is the main character in Beach Colors and she's easy to like. She is young, about to be divorced, has lost everything, and returns home to her family's beach house in Connecticut, because it's the only thing she has left in the world.  Her two best friends, Grace and Bri, round out the girlfriend trio and they are easy to like, too.  They stand by her side as she tries to rebuild her life and they are just the sort of friends we all wish we had.  Of course, there's a man in this story, too: Nick, the handsome police officer for the beach town.  Nick is helping to raise his brother's son, Connor, who might just be my favorite character in this story.  Connor has a tiny little social issue that he's trying to work through and Margaux finds a way to reach him (which makes you love her even more). 

There are several twists and turns but the story is believable, warm, funny at times, and just an over-all good read.  I added it to my Nook bookshelf when it was a $2.99 ebook.  Best $3.00 I've spent in a long time.

Happy Reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#18: Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

I had the release date of Fly Away on my calendar.  I pre-ordered it so that I would not even have to make time to take a trip to the bookstore to get it on its release date.  The sequel to my second favorite book (who knows my all-time favorite??) was almost too much for me to handle.  I savored every word and love that I know "what happened next."

Firelfly Lane was a powerful book for me, and yet, when I opened the front cover of Fly Away, I felt the power again.  Well, I felt them.  I could feel Tully and Kate, their friendship and their love wash over me.  Then, I immediately became sad, because I know the story, I know what happened at the end of Firefly Lane.  To be truthful, I stayed sad for most of this book.  It is one of the saddest books I have ever read.  Even at the end when thing turned around, I was still sad.  Sad for Tully, Johnny, and Marah.  Sad because Kate is not with them anymore.

I wish, like I always wish, that I could tell you what happens so that I can be free to say what I want about the book.  But that's not fair.  You can't enjoy the book if I spoil it for you.   So, let's just say that the Ryan family, who is already dealing with the death of their beloved mother/wife/daughter (Kate) finds themselves in the middle of more trauma.  Trauma that lasts over a year.  As I read their reactions and their responses, it made me think about what would happen to my family if, God forbid, I died.  I don't want my family to fall apart.  I don't want Abigail to dye her hair pink and start using drugs.  I don't want Emily to run away.  I don't want Rob to sell our house and move because living in it is too hard.  I would want them to move on.  Not forget me, exactly, but not be depressed either.  But, I guess that's a pretty selfish wish.  Because your family needs to grieve, they need to mourn, and they will move on in their own time.  I just can't imagine causing my family sadness and stress.  It is an unbearable thought for me. 

Fly Away is sad, but if you read Firefly Lane and liked it even a little, you owe it to yourself to read Fly Away.  It is a remarkable story about second chances, about how deep a family's love truly runs, and how even the most lost souls can be turned around because of love. 

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#17: Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery

Barefoot Season, was, for me, a change from the typical Susan Mallery books I've read before.  I have always liked her stories, so don't misunderstand, I really liked reading this quick and sometimes light (and sometimes really heavy) story of Michelle, a wounded Vet who returns home to her family inn on Blackberry Island to pick up where she left off.  But, as we all know, once you leave home, coming back is never easy.  Especially not when you are a wounded warrior and your mother has died, leaving your inn, your only possession and source of income, in ruins--financial and otherwise.  This book just isn't as steamy (wink-wink) as some of Mallery's other books. 

It is, however, a page-turner and light enough to toss in your summer beach bag, yet thought provoking enough that you just might take away sometthing from this book.  I was reminded that we just can't escape our parents, for better or for worse, and stories like this reminds me to be careful, to remember how my actions impact my girls.  And, I was also reminded to be so very grateful for the men and women who serve our country.  Sometimes coming home for them is just as hard as being away. 

Barefoot Season is one of a series of books about Blackberry Island.  I don't think there is an order to them and I think they are independent stories from one another, but I am anxious to read more of them.  This one was very good.

But first, I need to tackle the sequel to Firefly Lane.  I have been waiting for months to read this--the "what happens next" to my second most favorite book.  I hope it lives up to my expectations.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#16: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

I stumbled arcoss this book one day in Sam's Club while Rob was looking at gun magazines (his new thing) and after reading the front and back covers, which basically proclaimed that Beautiful Ruins would be the best book I ever read, all while showing a beautiful picture of the cliffs of Italy on the front, I bought it. 

Just goes to show that you should never judge a book by it's cover. 

Seriously, Beautiful Ruins is one of the 2012 100 Notables Books by the NYT Book Review.  Countless magazines and papers and other famous people raved about this book.  I thought it was good, but doubt it will end up on my top 10 list for the year.  The story just wasn't something I could relate to.  It was all about Hollywood, past and present, and making it big in the film industry. Walter did a fabulous job of weaving fact and fiction in his story-telling of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton.  That was brilliant and clever,  if truth be told.  I also liked the back and forth chapters where we read about Hollywood now and Hollywood in the 60's.  There was also a back and forth between present day Hollywood and  1960's Italy.  It was not hard to follow, and allowed for great character  and plot development.  My favorite character was Pasquale (not Pat--he made me crazy).  Who wouldn't love him?  Oh right...Dee. 

I guess the reason this book, for me, won't go down as one of my favorites is because it was just plain depressing.  The entire book was sad and somber and while I realize that's part of life, I'd rather not read a 350 page book that reminds me at every word that life just sucks sometimes.  The title explains it all--we are all Beautiful Ruins.  We are beautiful in our own way and in our own time, but eventually we lose our luster, people forget who we used to be, and we become just who we are.  Sad.  So terribly sad.  Maybe I'm being an ostrich with my head in the sand, but I don't want to be a beautiful ruin.  I just want to be beautiful!

I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book.  It is a clever story filled with all sorts of events my KG teaching life will never see.  But, don't plan on feeling uplifted when the story is over.  This is not beach-bag material, friends.  This is college-level-let's-talk-this-over-with-a-professor-to-discover-the-themes material. 

But it does have one beautiful cover. 

Happy Reading,
:) Dodie

#15: Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee

Yes, I bought this book totally based on it's adorable cover and because it has my daughter's name in the title.  I admit it.  I bought it for a ridiculous reason but it turned out to be one of the most thought provoking, inspiring stories that I have read all year. I hope that you will read it, too. 

Emily and Einstein is a book like no other that I have read before, yet it reminded me, at first, of the TV show "Drop Dead Diva" in that one of the main characters dies and returns to Earth in the body of a dog.  Now, before you judge and think that I am crazy, while this sounds nuts, it is believable.  Really.  I swear.  Sandy, Emily's husband, dies suddenly, and returns to make amends and to make right some wrongs, in the body of Einstein, a mutt who ends up (because this is a novel) becoming Emily's dog.   While Emily is the most caring, lovable, and kind person you might ever have the chance to know, her husband is not.  It's very fitting that he ends up as a dog. 

Through alternating chapters, and you all know how much I adore those, we get to know Emily and Sandy (aka Einstein).  Emily is a book editor, struggling to keep her job.  Sandy, while dead, tells us about his life on Earth as he searches for a way to "save Emily" so that he can officially pass on (although he seems to think that if he rescues Emily he can return to Earth in his own perfectly sculpted body).  Quite honestly, he is a hard man to like, much less love, and I found myself loving Emily even more for finding the good in this man.  Sandy, as Einstein, comes up with some amazing plans for saving Emily and for putting her back on a path to happiness, and I will leave you to the book to find out exactly what those plans entail.  Suffice to say that while Einstein is saving her, Emily must deal with her overly uptight and unemotional Mother-in-Law, her new rather harsh boss, a vindictive co-worker, her crazy sister, and a gorgeous hunky neighbor.  These are characters crafted to tell a wonderful story that causes both self-reflection and that inspires one towards greatness--Sandy's life-time goal, but a goal that Emily in the end achieves (isn't that fabulous?).

I couldn't get enough of this book and found myself throwing it in my purse to read, for even 5 or 10 minutes, while I ate lunch in my classroom each day.  I carried it with me everywhere last week and became irritated when life would not cooperate and allow me to read.  I adore books about books, and with Emily's job as a book editor, I found that I could whole-heartedly relate to her passion for words and print.  These words are hers, but the feeling is mine:

"I don't remember exactly when books became my refuge, but it was in the pages of a world created out of thin air that I began to find pieces I recognized as myself.  In books I found characters so real that they were more my friends than the children with whom I went to school.  In the stories I loved, I found adults wiser than the ones who laughed and argued in my mother's living room." (pg. 162)

As I read these words, I was transported back to middle school, when books became my refuge.  I was suddenly with my grandmother for the summer, following along on her weekly trips to the library, where I was overwhelmed by the books,  the smell of paper, the potential for each book to be the one that changes your life, the places I could go without ever leaving my room, and the people I ended up loving and relating to more than the ones I knew in the real world.  I was always a very solitary child and have turned into a rather solitary adult (that is as solitary as you can get when you teach a class of 20 five year-olds all day) who most often enjoys reading about life rather than being in the middle of it.  It's safer this way.  I've never been a risk taker.  I never will be.  Although now that it looks as though I might actually be able to procure a passport, I might just change my ways at age 41.  I did, after all, dog-ear page 162 so that I could find that passage quickly.  I never dog-ear books.  That hurts them, after all.  :)

The passage below made me cry.  It was too personal, too real.  It was as though Lee was writing not about Emily, but about me:

"I watched you grow up, Emily, saw what these stories meant to you...and I'm convinced they saved you from the madness that was your mother's life....I realized by watching you grow up that books could make a difference.  More specifically, children's books could change the world." (pg. 349) 

I'm fairly certain no one was watching my as a child, unless it was my father looking down.  No one had the time to look at me, to watch me, and I am fairly certain no one felt the need to watch a child who was never going to step out of line for a second, for she was too afraid of the consequences.  But had they, they would've discovered that my books were my life.  They were an escape from my mother's madness, her crazy life that I just couldn't get a handle on, a life that I found myself in the middle of and had no idea how to get out of, until I turned 18 and ran faster than lightening.  But, a children's book changed my world.  James and the Giant Peach made me think for the first time ever that there was a big world out there, one far away from the one I inhabited.  One that I could escape to.  One that would take me away.  I read that book so many times in the 4th grade that I wasn't allowed to check it out from the library anymore.  The school librarian made my mother buy me my own copy so that everyone else in my school would get a chance to check it out, too.  

Emily, I think, would've made a good friend for me.  She would've understood.

She wasn't as lucky as me, though.  She married a dog of a man (who admits in his last chapter that "by becoming a dog, I had finally, for once in my life, acted as a true man." pg. 443) and a found a jewel.  One who, for better or for worse, accepts my need to carry a book with me wherever I go, my need to talk about book characters like they are real people who live in my neighborhood, and my need to cry when a book touches my heart.  And who knew at just the right moment when I needed him to take me away once and for all. 

Emily, may you find what you've always wanted thanks to Einstein and Max.  Thanks for giving me an amazing story to read and for validating my thoughts and feelings.  p.s. I know you aren't real.  :)

Happy reading everyone! 
:) Dodie