#57: Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber

I bought this book a couple of years ago for my mother as part of her Christmas gift.  She just adores Macomber's fictional angels, Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy.  I read a book many years ago about these rather mischievous angels and while I thought they were funny, I didn't feel the need to read every book about them as my mother did.  Angels at the Table, however, reminded me of how truly funny and uplifting these angels are and provided me with a sweet story to read on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Angels at the Table is really the love story of Aren and Lucie, two souls who are destined by God to come together, but because of three wacky angels and their apprentice, Will, Lucie and Aren meet before they are supposed to, so the order of events is thrown off and their meeting does not go according to God's plan.  The bulk of the novel is about how Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy (and Will) attempt to right their wrongs and put God's plan for Aren and Lucie back on track.

The book reminded me so much of "It's a Wonderful Life" in the sense that we, the readers, actually get to read the conversations between Gabriel and the other angels as they discuss humans and life on Earth and how they are going to try to help answer the prayers of the humans without intervening.  These conversations are interspersed throughout the novel, as needed, and function as a narrator, of sorts, of the story about Aren and Lucie that is happening on Earth.

Macomber did an outstanding job reminding readers of the jobs of angels and God through this cleverly told, inspirational, yet wildly funny at times, Christmas story.  I loved it.  I hope I can find another Angel story to read next Christmas!

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#56: Snowflakes on the Sea by Linda Lael Miller

After finishing my last book, I needed a book that was straightforward and clear-cut.  I found one in Miller's Christmastime love story, Snowflakes on the Sea.

It is the story of Mallory and Nathan McKendrick, characters that I have read about before in other books by Miller, during their early years of marriage.  It's not an easy love story, as the couple certainly has their ups and downs during the first few years of their marriage.  But, they tell the story to the readers as a flashback at Christmas time many, many years later.  Retelling their story each Christmas has become a tradition as they wish to always remember how hard they fought for the love they have and how love and marriage isn't easy.

I think this is why this book held such great meaning for me.  As Rob and I are about to celebrate 20 years of marriage, I'd be lying if I said those 20 years were all sunshine, roses, and lollipops.  Marriage is hard work and I am so tired of movies and books painting it out to be so easy.  The thing is, aside from my children, my marriage is the thing I am most proud of in my life, because despite it all, Rob and I don't give up or give in.  We work at it, knowing that no matter what, we want to spend our life together.  And it isn't always an easy thing for either of us to do.  Mallory and Nathan reminded me of this on every page.  It's been a long time since I've read a book that showed the reality of marriage.  It was a good read.  A very good read.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#55: The Secret of Magic by Deborah Johnson

When I first read the inside flap of The Secret of Magic, I had high hopes for an outstanding story.  The summary writer did a fantastic job of setting up the background for a historical murder mystery involving Thurgood Marshall set in 1945 post-war Mississippi.  I just wish that the rest of the book had been as good as the summary.

I was glued to the first two chapters and was still quite taken with the book up to around page 75, but then I got confused about which book I was reading.  The Secret of Magic is actually a book within a book and the lawyer, Regina Robichard, who ventures down to Mississippi to help resolve a murder case, uses this novel (The Secret of Magic) that she read back as a child to help her piece together what really happened to John Howard (the black war hero who was killed on his way home after the war was over).  Honestly, it was all a bit too confusing for me.

The characters are typically southern, eccentric and set in their ways, and are very unhappy about a young, black woman (Regina Robichard) who also happens to be a lawyer, coming into their town and digging around for clues to a murder that the white people of the town feel is a closed case.  But it is, ironically, the author of The Secret of Magic, who calls upon Thurgood Marshall for help.  Regina is quite excited about meeting the author of this book that cast such a spell on her as a child.  Imagine her surprise, and the reader's, when things don't turn out to be quite what they seemed at first.

The Secret of Magic was a good, solid story and a good reminder of how lucky we are to not live in a black vs. white society any longer.  I just wish I had been clever enough to keep details straight as I read.  (Perhaps it was because I read this the week before Christmas.  I was lucky to keep up from down a week before Christmas!)  I think a clearer mind might have made the story within a story a bit easier to follow.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#54: Where Wicked Starts by Elizabeth Stuckey-French and Patricia Henley

I read about this book in our local paper about a week ago and ordered it right away.  It was billed as a YA novel that was for both young adults as well as adults and was likened to Harry Potter in that  adults would find the book intriguing and would perhaps get more out of reading it than teenagers.
Truthfully, this book just scared me from start to finish.  And I certainly hope my girls do not behave as these girls did.  If so, we are going to have a serious talk.  And then I am going to lock them in a cage and not let them out!

The basic plot of the book is that two step-sisters, Luna and Nick, think they have stumbled across a young girl being held against her will by an older man and they attempt to secure evidence to support their theory.  The back cover of the book makes this novel seem like a delicious mystery that perhaps helps to explain how wickedness begins in people.  Instead, it was just a week or so in the life of two rather screwed up teenagers and their even more screwed up parents.  While it was a good story about Nick and Luna, I rarely felt the mystery of it all and I still am not sure where wicked starts.

Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie

#53: Last Light Over Carolina by Mary Alice Monroe

Last Light Over Carolina is a wonderful book.  A wonderful, real story about Carolina and Bud, who have been married for over 30 years.  They haven't always had an easy life.  In fact, most of their life has been a struggle.  But, even when things got hard, really hard for them, they stuck by each other and weathered the storm.

They are now faced with a day like no other--a day that calls back into both of their minds their beginning as a couple, the ups and downs of their marriage, and makes them wonder where life is about to take them.  This day is what we, the readers, get to experience through a series of present day accounts and flashbacks.  It is an amazing story.

Personally, what I liked most about this book is how it paints marriage realistically.  Marriage is not easy and I am getting a bit tired of books that make it out to be a piece of cake--all sunshine and unicorns.  Last Light Over Carolina portrays a long term marriage for what marriage really is--hard work, a series of never-ending compromises, and love like no other.

Thank you, Mary Alice Monroe, for writing a real book about love and marriage.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

Top Ten List of Favorite Reads for 2014

While I know that the month has only begun and I still have 4 more weeks to read and to add books to my list, my Top Ten list for the year is already way beyond 10 books, so I am stopping with my annual goal of 52 books and will make my Top Ten list based on what I have read so far.  And, with my annual Christmas Card letter having been mailed today, if anyone is so inclined to check my blog after reading the letter, I'd like to have this list ready for those who want to cut down 52 books to a more manageable one book per month (or thereabouts) list of potential reads. 

So, after much thought, here's this year's list of my Top Ten Favorite Reads for 2014. 

1. The One and Only by Emily Giffin.  By far this is my favorite book of the entire year, perhaps decade.  It's a good reminder of what's really important in life.  This one is a must-read!   It is very much about football, so keep that in mind. 

2. Tender by Mark Childress.  The Elvis fan in me couldn't resist putting this one on the list.  

3.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  Crazy clever--a brilliant novel.  And scary.  

4. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman.  Just a reminder that those orange jumpsuits are one more reason for me to be terrified of prison. 

5. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.  Yet another sports book appears on my list this year.  This book, however, is about a lot more than baseball and yet it was baseball that drew me to this book at first. I love baseball! 

6. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.  This book appealed to the mom in me, stuck in the Far West End of Richmond, wanting desperately to fall off the grid and move far away from the drama.  Drama can get you killed.  And be careful...apples don't fall far from trees. 

7. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg.  A beautiful tribute to the women who kept America going during WW2.  

8.  The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble.  A book about a book club.  Enough said! 

9. Somerset/Roses by Leila Meacham.  These are two separate books but should be read one after the other in order to get the full story.   Don't be scared by the size of these books.  The stories told within the covers are well worth the weight of the books. 

10.  American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield.  A beautiful story about (Laura Bush?) what really goes on behind the closed doors of political marriages.  

I left off several of my other favorites: Calling Me Home, Walking on Water, and One Plus One.  If the list went to 13, those would be my last three additions. 

I have intentionally left off children's books/young adult novels from my list this year in order to keep my list to 10.  However, this list is NOT to be missed...even by adults: 

1. Wonder by RJ Palacio
2. The Fault in our Stars by John Green
3. If I Stay/Where I Went by  Gayle Forman
4. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by  Jordan Sonnenblick

So, if you do the math, I really have a list of 19 favorite books this year, which is pretty good considering that I began with 52 possibilities.   For me, narrowing this list down to 10 is like trying to pick your favorite child.  Although for this year, my favorite child is definitely The One and Only.  If you have time to read only one amazing book this year, read that one.  Seriously, you will love it.  I didn't want the story to end.  

Happy reading everyone! 
:) Dodie

#52: Unbroken by Maya Banks

Unbroken is a trilogy by Maya Banks which details the the love stories of three friends--Jake, Luke, and Wes.  These are Texas men, two are ex-pro football players and one is a police officer.  They are not prone to falling in love, yet during this trilogy, all three find themselves falling head over heels for a woman.  And admitting that their lives were never better! :) 

The stories connect from one to the other and all of the characters find themselves woven into each other's stories, which I liked because the stories seem to never end until the very last page, and even them we got an epilogue.  They are very quick stories to read--I read the entire trilogy yesterday while Rob watched football.  I this this would be a perfect book to read on the beach.  Light and easy to follow.  

One word of caution, the second story in the trilogy is a bit steamy.  If you are in any way bothered by explicit adult scenes, you might want to skip this book, or at least skip the second story.  I could feel myself blushing at times and peering over my shoulder to make sure the girls couldn't see what I was reading.  It's no Not Fifty Shades of Grey, but it's on the same track. 

Despite that, it is a wonderful series of love stories that remind us that sometimes love, real love, can be found right under our noses, if we just take a moment to look.   

Happy reading everyone! 
:) Dodie

P.S.  I hit 52 and still have the entire month of December to read! I wonder what my final total will be for this year!  

#51: The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

I was so excited when I found The Painted Girls.  It's the story of the van Goethem sisters, set in the late 1800's in Paris, and is based on the real van Goethem sisters, who were ballet dancers for the Paris Opera.  Marie van Goethem is probably best known as the most famous child model (Little Dancer Aged Fourteen) for Edgar Degas.  A book that combines my love of reading and my love of art--what could be better?

Truthfully, the book was painful to read.  Not that the writing was bad, it's just that the story was just so depressing.  It very much reminded me of Les Miserables.  The van Goethem girls have lost their father, their mother is addicted to absinthe, and Antoinette (the eldest sister) and Marie (the middle sister) are doing their best to earn money (in any way they can) to keep a flat for them to live in and food on the table for all plus the youngest sister, Charlotte, who truly has the best chance of working as a ballerina.  It is while they are trying desperately to stay afloat that Marie has the chance to model for Degas.  He draws, paints, and sculpts her and uses her as the basis of the most recognizable pieces of sculpture ever created: Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, which currently resides in the National Gallery in Washington, DC.

This work is mostly fiction and I certainly hope so.  When I was in high school and college studying art history, to the disappointment of most everyone in my family, I recall looking at Degas' ballerinas and imagining the delicate, sweet life they must've led as adorable, beautiful ballerinas.  Buchanan paints them (no pun intended) in a very different light.  And while I know she did her research and she created them accurately for their station in life for the time period, these sisters were poor, not educated, and they worked themselves to the bone.  These were not girls who were lavished with the finer things in life (unless they paid a favor for it).  These were girls who sold themselves for money, who "modeled" for money, and who loved the wrong boys, and who spend time in "jail."  Their lives were not easy and I certainly will never view one of Degas' works the same ever again.  These are not innocent ballerinas.  These are girls hardened by a life no young girl should have to live. Yes, this book was painful to read because it ripped apart every innocent thought I had of these girls when viewing the final pieces of art.  I guess when we look at art, we see what we want to see, or what the artist creates for us to see, rather than what really is.  And, I suppose it is just that idea that sparked Buchanan's idea for this novel, which is worth reading, just hard to swallow at times.

But then again, so is life.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#50: The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen

The Grief of Others by Leah Cohen is not an uplifting book.  It is the sort of story you read when you feel low and can be made to feel better knowing that there are people in the world who are worse off than you.  

If ever there was a family who is experiencing more that their share of grief in the world, it's the Ryrie Family.  Ricky and John have just lost their 3rd child 57 hours after he was born.  They can't quite figure out how to deal with the grief.  It impacts their marriage and the lives of their other two children, Biscuit (aka Elizabeth) and Paul, and yet they have no idea that their grief is causing anyone other than themselves immense pain.  And, on top of it all, they can't really even lean on each other because their marriage has has some grown pains and they seem to be falling apart at the seams. 

The story is told in alternating sections--some parts being told in the present, others in the past, others in the distant past, and all leading up to present day time when decisions are made as to how this grieving family will move on.  

Two ideas stayed with me as I closed the cover of The Grief of Others.  One, never assume that death is easy for children.  Two, never assume that when someone says they forgive you, that you are truly forgiven.  You might just spend the rest of your days trying to prove that you won't make the same mistake twice.  

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#49: Shopaholic to the Stars

If you are a fan of the Shopaholic series of books by Sophie Kinsella, Shopaholic to the Stars is a must-read.  If you have not yet read these books, I strongly suggest that you put down Shopaholic to the Stars and that you start with Confessions of a Shopaholic, instead.  There are several books in this series that chronicle the life and times of Becky Bloomwood Brandon.  She's hilarious.  And a bit addicted to shopping and being famous (neither of which I can relate to). These books are not heavy, they are light and fluffy, and perhaps are meant to be read at the beach with a drink in your hand.

I have loved them all and have read them all, but I do think that I truly enjoyed the movie the best.  If you haven't watched it, you should.  And if you are trying to save time reading, the movie does a nice job of spinning together at least the first two books, if not the first three.

Cute story, a bit of a cliffhanger, as it leaves a big chunk of the story unfinished.  But never fear, the last page lets readers know that Becky will be back soon, IN LAS VEGAS!!!  Oh dear...Becky in Las Vegas.  Even I can get in trouble shopping there...

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#48: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

My husband laughed at me when I bought this book.  He thought it was strange that I would read a book about baseball.  The truth is, I love baseball.  I love that the game makes sense, that I can eat hot dogs and popcorn and be in good company doing so, and that watching baseball makes me proud to be an American.  I love the game.  He should not have been so surprised.

The real surprise, however, is how little The Art of Fielding is about baseball.  Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of baseball in the book, but the story really is more about commitment, friends, and love in all of its crazy forms than it is about baseball.  It's a fantastic story.  It's the sort of story that sticks to your ribs and stays with you for a long time.  This one will be high on this year's Top 10 list.

I remember having a conversation with Rob years and years ago about people who are lucky enough to be truly great at something: Michael Jordan and basketball, Tiger Woods and golf, Elvis and music.  You get the idea.  Henry, one of the main characters in Harbach's story, is a great short-stop.  Better than great.  He was put on Earth to be a short-stop.  He was error free and humble about it.  He couldn't believe when scouts approached him that he could play his favorite game and make money doing it.  But in an instant, it all changed.  Henry's life changed, his game changed, and his team changed.   And in an instant, The Art of Fielding changes from a story about baseball, to a story about life and how it doesn't always turn out quite the way you expect.  But, if you stay true to yourself and if you know yourself and your limitations, as well as having just a little faith in yourself, all will be good in the end.  Different, maybe, but good.

In addition to Henry, in The Art of Fielding, we get to meet Mike Schwartz, the catcher who convinces Henry to come to Westish College to play ball, and Owen Dunne, Henry's rather eccentrically well-rounded roommate who plays ball and has a full academic scholarship to Westish. We also get to know the President of Westish, Guert Affenlight, and his daughter Pella.  The characters are so well-developed you can see and hear them.  I feel a bit as though I was watching a movie over the past week, rather than reading a novel.  And, as sometimes happens when I read, I am sad that the book is done.  I looked forward all week to waiting in the carpool line for the girls, because I was able to open the book and read more about these amazing characters.  Now their story is done.  Sigh...

It really is a fabulous book and one that deserves to be read.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#47: Sheltering Rain by Jojo Moyes

I love Jojo Moyes, her writing style, and her stories, which are unique and compelling.  I did not, however, love Sheltering Rain.  Now, that doesn't mean the story was terrible, it just did not impact me in quite the same way was her other books.  If someone were to only be able to read just one of Moyes' books, I would not suggest this one.  Me Before You would be the one I'd recommend.

Sheltering Rain is the story of Sabine, a 16 year old girl from London who is sent to live with her grandparents in Ireland while her mother, Kate, sorts out her dysfunctional male relationships.  Kate has never been particularly close to her parents, and when she returns to Ireland upon the impending death of her father, she is startled to find that Sabine has grown close to her grandparents, and to many other folks in the town.  Startled and a bit jealous that her daughter has done something she was never able to do.

The story is broken up into past and present sections, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the  organization, which left me wondering at times what I was reading and who was telling the story.  It felt like it took me forever to finish the book, too, and I didn't always want to read it (which is the tell-tale sign for me as a reader to know if a book is "good"--do I want to read it, or is reading more like work).  Reading this book was a bit like work.

It does have a good ending and there were a few surprises along the way and I think the overall message is a positive one.  So, the book is not by any means terrible.  It just simply is not my favorite Jojo Moyes book.  Nor will it be on my top ten list for 2014.  Oh well.  She's written so many fabulous books--they all can't be stellar, right?  Law of averages and all...

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#46: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is this year's selection for All Holman Reads, a program implemented at my youngest daughter's middle school.  Every student in the school will read this book this winter/early spring.  I couldn't wait until then to read the book.  Besides, if I read the book now and the book is in the house, Emily might actually begin it and finish it by early spring.  Yes, it will take her that long to read this 273 page book.  One that her mother couldn't put down and read in a day. Oh well.  She's not entirely like me, I guess.

Sonnenblick's book is the story of Steven, an eighth grader, and his little brother, Jeffrey, who is four. They have a fairly typical relationship, despite the age difference, and Steven thinks Jeffrey is the "most annoying thing in the world." The story changes dramatically when Jeffrey develops Leukemia and Steven starts re-thinking his relationship with his brother and his place in the world.

I loved this book for many reasons, but it's overall positivity of a rather heavy subject is high on my list.  For instance, when Steven is feeling pretty low, discouraged, and neglected,  Mrs. Galley (Steven's counselor) challenges Steven, on page 184:

Instead of agonizing about the things you can't change, why don't you try working on the things you CAN change? 

What a great way to look at the world! While it doesn't happen immediately, Steven does resolve to find things he can change (like his attitude) about the horrible situation his family suddenly finds thrust upon them.  If all of us could only be as positive! 

Now, it's not all sunshine, roses, and lollipops.  Even the sunniest, brightest people have moments of despair, but Steven manages, through his journal, to work through his feelings.  I particularly like the entry he writes on page 196 of the book.  His english teacher gives him this prompt: If you could pick one word in the English language to describe the universe, what would it be? Why?  Steven's word choice: UNFAIR.  That boy is brilliant!  The universe is terribly unfair.  And he proceeds to give all sorts of reasons why this is so, from cancer in his four year old brother, to the piano prodigy's broken arm, to bad guys walking the street.  Steven is absolutely right.  But I love that he writes about it, gets it out, and continues to focus on the things HE can change.  I also love that in the world in which I live, and in which my girls live, a life where they have been getting medals their entire lives for things they didn't really earn, they are beginning to learn the truth.  Life isn't fair and sometimes it just plain stinks.  I appreciate Emily's school reiterating this important life lesson.  

I also appreciate Steven's ah-ha moment on page 237 where he says, "for possibly the first time since all of this had started, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and thought of other people's situations."  If only everyone, everywhere would do this all of the time.  Can you imagine what sort of world we could have if everyone thought about others first, rather than themselves?  It would be a lovely world indeed.  

I think Holman has done an outstanding job in selecting yet another novel that will make their students think, and think beyond themselves.  Steven and Jeffrey's story is a moving one.  I am better for reading this book.  Holman's student body will be, too. 

Happy reading, everyone! 
:) Dodie

#45: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

There's absolutely little that I can say about this book without spoiling it, so instead I am going to quote the writer of the reader's group guide that follows the text:  "In a story full of surprising twists, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl tracks the course of a marriage gone spectacularly wrong."  It is the marriage of Amy (Amazing Amy) and Nick, two people that on the surface seem superbly matched.  Throughout the course of this page turner, you realize that appearances can be deceiving and that not every couple's story has a happy ending--or even a fair ending.

I read this book quickly so that I could see the movie with Rob this weekend, but I can tell you that it's impossible to read this book slowly.  I found myself reading during any 5-10 minute snippets I might find myself lucky enough to have: while waiting to pick up the girls in the carpool line, while my breakfast sandwich was cooking, while I waited for the girls to come downstairs for breakfast.  It was so good I was frustrated that I had to go to work or be the mom.  Yesterday I came home from work and read for and hour and a had before I had to pick up the girls from school.  I finished it last night while the girls did their homework.  More than once while I read I found myself with my mouth hanging open in disbelief about what I had read.  I even shouted a "No way!" at one point last night.  This book is amazing!  Truly.  I can't wait to see the movie.  I just hope they don't cut the story too much.

My last comment will be this.  A few years back the teacher down the hallway from my classroom told me that she had never met a child with one or both parents being a psychologist/psychiatrist who wasn't a total emotional and/or academic mess.  Well folks, once you meet Amy, you just might agree.  I totally do.

This one will be on my Top 10 list for the year.  It's worth reading.  Very worth reading.

Happy reading!
-Dodie

#44: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

I read The Best of Me when it was first released and apparently (after re-reading my original post about the novel) I wasn't impressed.  Well, that just goes to show that:  1.  You can benefit from re-reading books and 2. Your state of mind impacts your thoughts in terms of what you read. I finished my second reading of The Best of Me yesterday morning and I loved the story.  LOVED.  I cried a lot of tears.  I don't think I cried at all when I read this the first time.  What was wrong with me??

Amanda and Dawson's story was not the typical Nicholas Sparks story.  No one was dying (although someone did die during the course of the story) and it was a darker story than what I am used to with Sparks.  But, those facts did not make it a sub-par story.  It was a beautiful reminder that our lives turn out the way they are supposed to, no matter what we do to alter our paths.  It is also a reminder that life is hard and being an adult, and making adult choices, is really hard.  But, in the end life turns out as it is supposed to.

May we all have a stranger in a blue windbreaker guiding us through life, keeping us safe, and helping lead us to the right choices.

Happy reading (or re-reading) everyone!
:) Dodie

#43: The Giver by Lois Lowry

I had every intention of re-reading The Giver (I read it a million years ago when I first started teaching) and then seeing the movie when it hit the theaters this summer.  Neither happened.  But, I was able to finally re-read the novel over the weekend.  Now, I just need to wait for the movie to hit Red Box.

The Giver is a very powerful story that, I feel, every American student should be required to read prior to graduating High School.  It's going to be required reading in my house even if it's not read for school.  If you have ever wondered what life with zero individuality and zero emotions would be like, then you should read  The Giver.  And, if you ever need a reminder about how lucky we are to be granted the freedoms given to us as citizens of the USA, you should read The Giver.

The Giver is the story of Jonas and his family unit during the year he turns 12 in a community far, far, far (I hope) in the future.  Jonas' community is free of pain, war, hunger, and poverty.  And while this sounds lovely to some, the lack of emotion and love did me in.  For example, families are created--adults apply for mates (who they never have a physical or emotional relationship with) and when they want children, they apply for those.  Birth Mothers have the children.  50 children are born each  year, no more, no less.  Each family gets one girl and one boy.  And, they are named when they are given to the families.  "Parents" do not get to choose names.  "New children" (babies) are cared for by Nurturers until they are placed with a family. There are various milestones children reach each year in this community, from wearing jackets, to hair ribbons, to getting bikes, and to finally being assigned a job for life at age 12.  It is this ceremony that we get to read about in The Giver.  Jonas is turning 12 and is "selected" to be the receiver of memories for his community. This is a job that requires much pain and anguish for the person who takes on this role.  So, much, in fact, that the current Receiver is in too much pain and must pass the memories on to Jonas in order to ease his burden.

I won't divulge anymore of the story, because it's too good to spoil (and a very quick read at about 180 pages), but I will comment on how sad this story made me.  Everything that I love about my life doesn't exist in Jonas' community.  They feel no love, they see no colors, there are no seasons, people are "released" when they are too old or can't conform (and released does not mean that they are sent out to another neighboring community...you will have to read the book to find out what happens when people are released).  It makes me sad.  But, at the same time, it makes me so grateful for the life I have.  I chose my husband, we made our girls together, we get to vacation, and to chose the jobs we have.  I feel lucky to be able to make choices about every aspect of my life.  I can't imagine living in Jonas' world and pray that I never have to.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#42: Kiss and Make Up by Katie D. Anderson

Kiss and Make Up is an ideal novel for teenage girls (12-16 maybe).  I read it because a friend of a friend wrote it and I thought perhaps my 13 year old daughter might enjoy reading it.  After this post is done, I am going to leave the book in her room.  It's a good one for girls to read.

Kiss and Make Up is the story of Emerson Taylor, a 16 year old girl with a unique gift--she can see into people's minds when she kisses them.  With declining grades and the possibility of being forced to leave her private school because she's not doing well, Emerson decides to use her gift as a short cut to studying and begins kissing boys, and a lot of them, to improve her grades.  Oh my!

About half-way through the book I really began to wonder if the story was ever going to make kissing boys for personal gain seem like the wrong thing to do and I was happy when Emerson's plans began to go awry.  My fear, as a mother of two girls, is that I don't want my girls ever to think that it's OK to kiss a million boys.  Emerson eventually learns very important lessons about both kissing and studying hard in school, which made the mom in me stand up and cheer!

On a side note, I absolutely loved the make-up tie in.  Emerson's aunt (Arch, who is raising Emerson and her sister Piper) is a Stellar Rep (akin to a Mary Kay consultant) and as a result Emerson is very into make-up, particularly lip gloss (which works with her desire to kiss).  By the end of the novel, Emerson has become a Stellar rep and is helping her friends reach their beauty potential.  It's a cute side story and helps to round out Emerson's character.

I loved this adorable story and hope that Katie writes more!

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#41: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken is one of those books that you see everywhere.  I saw it first in stores and was slightly intimidated.  It looked like one of those books I was not smart enough to read.  Then, I saw my mother-in-law reading it and heard her raving about it.  I saw it on my vacation to Hawaii, where I finally bookmarked it in my mind as a book I needed to read.  Then, I saw a preview for the movie version of Unbroken that is coming in December so the book soared to the top of my must-read list.  It has taken me weeks to finish this book, but tonight I have the satisfaction of saying that I finished it and am now well-versed in the amazing story of Loius Zamperini.

As a student, I never really learned about WW2.  For whatever reason, each and every year, my social studies/history teachers always returned to the dawn of man and moved forward, stopping pretty much at the same place every year: WW1.  I can't say that I even know that much about WW1 because any information taught about it was crammed in at the last minute when my brain had already checked out for the summer and was already sitting by a pool somewhere.  I couldn't tell you anything about the Korean War, I know a little more about Vietnam (but not much), but WW2 I know next to nothing about.  So, I have tried to teach myself by reading about this war (and visiting Pearl Harbor twice now in my lifetime) and learning as much as I can. Helping my girls study for their History classes have helped, too.

The funny thing is, reading Unbroken felt, at times, as though I was reading a book for a class.  It is a slow read (which I read recently that reading slowly is good for your brain and your body, so hooray for that!) and you really do need to read every word (although I will admit that in some of the battle scenes, I did not read every word.  I couldn't.  Same for the parts in the camps. It was too hard to read every word).  I found that the last 100 pages were turned very quickly.  It was exciting to read how Louis' story turned out in the end.  Read the epilogue.  It is SO worth your time.

Unbroken is the true story of Louis Zamperini from his boyhood days to his final days, and everything in-between, with particular emphasis on his time as an Olympic runner and a WW2 Air Force Pilot.  This memoir is written by Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, and it is superbly done.

However, it wasn't an easy story to read.  Aside from the length of the story and the detail packed story that made for a slow read, the details are often so horrifying it's hard to read them.  It's hard to believe that men were forced to live as Louie lived and forced to endure all that he did.  My heart felt pain for these brave men and I felt grateful for their service and their sacrifices.

As I read, I only marked one section--a section dedicated to dignity:

Men subjected to dehumanizing treatment experience profound wretchedness and loneliness and find that hope is almost impossible to retain.  Without dignity, identity is erased.  In it's absence, men are defined not by themselves but by their captors and the circumstances in which they are forced to live. (pgs 188-189)

The idea of preserving one's dignity stuck with me as I read Unbroken and it seems to be true of any terrifying situation as well as being true of our daily lives: all we really want is to preserve our dignity.  To move through life knowing who we are and to be proud to hold our heads high.  When these brave men were forced into situations where their dignity was compromised, that's when the enemy began to win the fight.   I will never again take lightly the privilege of walking through life on my own, making my own choices, and answering only to myself and my conscience.  What an amazing privilege it is to be a free American.  

Thank you, Louie, for sharing your story.  It is a powerful one.  

Happy reading everyone! 
:) Dodie

#40: Anything He Wants by Sara Fawkes

Reading this Fifty Shades of Grey want-to-be novel was a total and complete waste of my time.

Don't waste yours.

Happy reading, of something other than this book.
:) Dodie

#39: The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

Rarely do I see a movie based on a book before I read the book.  Rarely.  But I did this time.  Last weekend, Rob and I went to see "The Hundred-Foot Journey" and I fell in love with the amazing adaptation of the movie version of the book.  It made me so excited to read the book to see how the stories might be different, or if the movie was true to the book.  Oh my, how these two are different stories.  Like night and day.  So, for those of you who might have read the book first and don't want to see the movie, please know that the movie is sweet and wonderful and, in my opinion, more truly captures Hassan's gift of food.  And, for those of you who think that once you've seen the movie you don't need to read the book because you've got the whole story, you are mistaken.  The movie covers only a brief period of the time that elapses in the book.  The movie and the book of this brilliant story are two totally different works.  Totally different.

For those of you who have no idea what this story is even about, let me fill you in briefly.  The Hundred Foot Journey is the story of Hassan Haji, an Indian boy with a gift for cooking.  His story takes him from Mumbai, to London, to Lumiere, and finally to Paris (and then back to Lumiere in the movie version) as he learns and grows as a chef.  The movie focuses on three other characters: Hassan's father, Madame Mallory (who owns the French restaurant 100 feet across the street from the Haji home/restaurant), and Margaret.  These characters, along with a cast and crew of many others, are in the book, which details a much longer period of Hassan's life than in the movie.   It is a beautiful story of love and food and encouragement to fulfill your destiny, sometimes with an angel or two on your shoulders.

Many say that you need to be a "foodie" to appreciate this story.  Well, I am no foodie, and I adored it.  So don't be turned away if you are no "gourmand." I do admit, once again, that I prefer the movie version of this story because I do think that the movie was able to more accurately convey, because movies have the means to evoke senses in a way that books sometimes can't,  Hassan's gift for cooking and "knowing" foods.  It was brilliant.

This is a great story. And don't miss the movie!
:) Dodie

#38: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

I don't particularly enjoy the color orange and I have a fear of ever having to pee in front of people.  As a result, I am terrified of ever having to go to jail/prison.  Terrified.  I wouldn't last a day.  I think it was this fear that drew me to Kerman's memoir which I devoured over the last two days.  And, while her book doesn't make me want to run out and commit a crime as some people have done because her book has glorified orange jump suits causing the number of prison inmates to be on the rise, it did make me see prison and inmates in a very different light.

I found Kerman's book to be both inspiring and alarming.  Inspiring because the women Piper met over her year in prison, and Piper herself, are some strong ladies.  I am still sad that Piper ever had to do time in the first place, but she handled a bad choice like the adult she is, did her time, and returned to her life and continues to move forward.   She is what the government hopes will happen when inmates leave prison.  But, I am also alarmed because the system of helping these ladies return to society is horribly inadequate and not everyone turns out like Piper.  Not everyone has a friend who will give you a good job with benefits after you've done time in a Federal Prison.  Not everyone had family and friends sending them letters and books and taking the time to come visit each week.  Not everyone gets helped when they are out.  Which is why they return.  It makes me sad.  Really sad.

I wonder how many sociology classes will use this book as a text?  Or are already doing so.  It's a brilliant piece of work and I am so glad that Piper found yet another way to make a bad situation have a positive outcome.

This is a good read.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#36 and #37: If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I wanted to read If I Stay before seeing the movie that opens next week because I always like the read the book before seeing the movie made from the book.  I'm just that sort of person.  Knowing that this book deals with the death of a family, I also needed to make sure that I could handle watching the movie.  I am bringing my big purse to the theater for this one--not to hide snacks, but to transport my jumbo sized box of tissues.  I am going to need it.  And I will probably need to share with the people around me.

So, here's the idea: Mia's family is involved in a tragic car accident.  Her family (mother, father, and brother) have all died.  She is fighting for her life and has to decide--does she stay on Earth or go with her family.  While she makes this decision, we get to relive some of her most important memories with her.  The book is amazing and while I will not tell you what happens, I will tell you that I had to read the sequel Where She Went, whose title very cleverly doesn't not spoil the book in any way.  Either book, for that matter.

These books reminded me of the importance of family, of true love and what it will make us do or not do, and how important grieving can be for some to move on.  Grief can manifest in so many different ways, too.  We just have to love and support those we love who are impacted so they can grieve and move forward with their lives.

These are not long books and they are fairly easy reads (provided that you can read through tears) but I do recommend that if you read If I Stay that you have Where She Went close by.  You will want to read on.  Trust me on this one.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#35: Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty

I have read other books by Lianne Moriarty (The Husband's Secret, What Alice Forgot) and I love her style, her wit, and her unique subject matter.  So, when I was reading People Magazine several weeks back and discovered that she had a new book that touched on bullying in public schools, I was intrigued.  Big Little Lies is a truly unique story that had me reading fast and turning pages quickly in order to get to the end to find out how this mini-mystery was going to be resolved.

Big Little Lies is the story of the Kindergarten parents of Pirriwee Public School (Moriarty's books are always set in Australia and I gathered that this school was in the suburbs somewhere in Australia).  Notice I did not say the students of the school but the PARENTS.  Oh my.  I thought I was reading a story about bullying, which made me think it was bullying amongst students.  But no, this is a story about parental bullying.  That ends with a death.  Scary stuff.  (I am going to take a minute and just let any readers out there, who may not directly know me, that I am a public school teacher and that for the bulk of my 19 years in the classroom, I have taught Kindergarten.  And I thought I had seen it all.  Well, I was wrong.  Pirriwee Public takes the cake.)

Big Little Lies opens on the birthday of Madeline Martha Mackenzie, mother of Chloe and wife of Ed, who meets single mom Jane and her son Ziggy on the morning of Kindergarten orientation.  Celeste and Perry (who have twin boys Max and Josh) and Renata and Geoff (who have a daughter Amabella) and Nathan (ex husband to Madeleine) and Bonnie (who have a daughter Skye) round out the parental couples whose stories are told in this juicy murder mystery.  And while we soon realize that the bullying is parental, the bullying does seem to begin in the Kindergarten, where Amabella is (according to Amabella but there is no definitive proof) choked by Ziggy at the end of orientation.  Renata goes crazy, bullies the teacher, Miss Barnes, and eventually just steps over her and demands that Ziggy apologize to Amabella.  So, within this first 50 pages of the book, the two sides have been created: those on Ziggy and Jane's and those on Amabella and Renata's.

As I read this cleverly crafted story, which actually begins with the Trivia Night murder and works backwards, detailing every event that led to the death of one of the main characters (and the end of each chapter gives some community commentary as other characters that we only get glimpse of or never actually meet in the main story give information to the police), but we don't know which one, I kept imagining that this could totally happen.  Parents get upset that something at school isn't handled the way they want it to be handled so they make people's lives hell outside (and even sometimes inside) of the school.  The parents are the bullies in this story and the children, God love them, are simply modeling their behavior after the adults who take care of them.  With every turn of the page I reminded myself that my behavior is critical to the development of my own daughters.  They look to me and my actions as a guide for their own actions and behaviors.  I hope I've done OK so far.  I was also thinking, as I read this story, that this book should be given to each set of KG parents when they register their children for school and made a mandatory read before school begins.   Maybe some parents would learn how to act, or how NOT to act, through the reading of this book.

On a more serious side, and without letting too much of the story slip out, as I don't want to be a spoiler, this book does also deal with domestic violence and while bullying is a serious topic, so is spousal abuse and this part of the story should not be overlooked.  It is serious and sad and can cause death and my heart wept for the characters in this story who were touched by this kind of tragedy.

One final comment...as I was finishing this book late on night when Rob was out for a work dinner, there was a moment when I read something that made my mouth drop open and I heard myself exclaim, "NO WAY!"  Oh yes, there is a critical moment in the story were everything changes and the entire story comes together and I never saw it coming.  This book is excellent!

Read this one.  If you teach or if you have kids, you especially should read it.  But even if you don't, you will find this story to be a great one.  And hopefully you will walk away from it remembering that things aren't always as they seem.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#34: One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

Jojo Moyes never fails to create an amazing story for her readers.  I just tearfully finished reading One Plus One, Moyes' latest novel.

This is the story of Ed, Jess, Nicky, and Tanze and how their lives cross paths in a most unusual way at a time when each one needs the others.  The title is a rather clever play on the mathematical 1+1, which typically equals 2, but in this story I think 1+1=4 (if not more).  Tanze, Jess's young daughter, is a math whiz so it's an even more clever title, as it is because of Tanze that the entire plot begins and ends.  There's a little insider trading, a lot of money troubles, a really big dog, a lot of car sickness, a Math Olympiad, a Goth teenager, and a whole lotta love that come together to make this book an amazing read.

Towards the end of the story, a story centered on the idea that good things happen to good people and that if you are good, eventually your life will come around, something happens to Tanze and the big dog (Norman).  It is Nicky's response to this almost tragedy and the world's response to Nicky that had me crying on my back porch this morning as I finished the book.  Good things do happen to good people and it was refreshing to be reminded of this in such an uplifting story.

One Plus One is also a story of forgiveness.  Life is hard and sometimes people, good meaning people, make really bad choices.  It's nice to know in these circumstances that there are people who will forgive.  Those are the people you want to share your life with.  After all, who doesn't make a mistake every now and again?

This is a good one.  And it was a quick read.  Two days.  I couldn't put it down.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#33: Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber

I discovered Debbie Macomber about 8 years ago and was immediately in love with her stories.  Being such a prolific writer, she has many, many stories out there and I think I spent an entire summer, fall, and winter just reading her books, mostly purchased from a used book store or eBay as many are out of print (but are now coming back or are available on Amazon).  The first book of hers that I ever read was called A Good Yarn  (which is the second book in this series) and I remember adoring the story and feeling so happy to know that A Shop on Blossom Street had come before and that she was planning lots more future books.  Blossom Street Brides is the 11th in the series and with it's release came the question if she has plans for more or will soon call it quits, as she did with her popular Cedar Cove books (which is now a Saturday night drama on the Hallmark Channel and I am hooked!  It's cool to see your favorite characters come to life!).

When I first starting reading Macomber's books, her style of writing was new to me and her books were complete surprises.  But now, I know that each book will end with a marriage or a baby (or sometimes both), and the couples you never thought would end up together always do.  (I may just have totally spoiled Blossom Street Brides for any readers out there.  Sorry!)  As a result, I can almost predict the endings, but she always throws in a twist or a turn that I never see coming, so I continue to read her stories.  And I always will.  I love hearing what's happening to characters I met long ago, as she gives most old characters a cameo in one book or another.  What I like most about her stories is that they make you feel good, and they are light.  I can read during TV commercials, in the car on trips, on the plane, at the beach and will walk away knowing I just read a good story.

If you are interested in reading Blossom Street Brides, you really should go back and begin the entire series.  I have to be honest and admit that the first books in the series are the best.  The stories are full of substance and the relationships are more complex.  But, I am a loyal fan and I will continue to read whatever she publishes.  I just love her stories!

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#32: Summer Friends by Holly Chamberlin

Summer Friends took me forever to finish, but that was in part to the extenuating circumstances surrounding this read.  I needed a book to read on the plane to California, so I figured a book on my iPad would be best.  So, I began Summer Friends and made substantial progress before landing.  Then I picked it up again and read on the plane to Hawaii, getting even further into the book before putting it away and not reading for 8 days. I took my Nook to the pool instead of my iPad because I can actually read it in the sunshine.  And, I was so close to finishing Tender that I chose to read that on the plane on our return trip, rather than finishing Summer Friends.  And then we moved, and then I spent days and days unpacking.  Blah, blah, blah...So, finally, last night I finished the book.  Phew!

I do think that part of the delay in finishing this novel, other than what is described above, is that it was not a fun book to read.  The story is about Delphine and  Maggie, two friends who had been friends as children, teenagers, and throughout college, who took different paths in life and had lost touch.  Because of various reasons, Maggie finds herself wanting to reconnect with Delphine, but meets with resistance.  The bulk of the book recounts their often awkward struggle to remain friends and as you can imagine, it was difficult to read.  Awkward.  I felt at times as though I was watching a bad lunch date.  To make matters worse, nothing ever got better.  It was page after page and chapter after chapter of tense conversations and girl drama (which I get enough of in this house--I do not need to read about it in my down time).  Because of this, I was not compelled to finish this book in a timely fashion, nor was it a page-turner.  It was mostly just sad.  (But, I think that was the point.)

However, was the story a good one?  Yes.  Did the awkward moments mirror the awkward feelings people have in situations like this?  Yes.  Was the story developed and filled with round characters? Yes.  It was even written with some flashback chapters, which are always fun.  And once I got to the end, I was met with an epilogue, which I LOVE and which gave me closure.

The bottom line is that female relationships are often a struggle for some (me) and this book hit the nail on the head with how difficult they can often be.  I enjoyed reading the interview with the author at the end of the book because she mentioned that the idea for this story stemmed from some relationships she once had that did not turn out as she hoped because she had not treated friends as she should have.  Reading this made me glad that I stuck it out and finished the book because it reminded me to take care of your friends.  Real ones are few and far between.  When you find a good one, don't let her go!

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#31: Tender by Mark Childress

Tender, by Mark Childress, is the fictional account of the life of the one and only Elvis Presley from birth until he is drafted and is sent overseas.  It is told as a flashback, as the first scene (a rather unflattering scene for The King) begins with him rushing onto his plane, being drugged up so he can relax after a show, and then getting stuck in the seat belt which secured him to his bed aboard the plane.  As his long time friend and body guard tries to get him unfastened, he says to his friend that things weren't always like this.  And so the story begins.

It is important to note that this is fiction and that Elvis is not Elvis in this story, but Leroy (and anyone familiar with the Romance Languages can quickly see Le Roy or Le Roi, The King). I was glued to this book from beginning to end and wished that there had been about 500 more pages to continue his story, but it does make sense to end the fictional account as he was boarding the plane to Germany, with a freshly shaved head that he despised.  Really, who wants to read about that part of his life?

I am a HUGE fan of Elvis, being named as I almost was for his daughter, Lisa Marie, and living with my mother as I did who was an even bigger fan than me.  I remember the day Elvis died.  Mom closed all of the blinds, lit candles all over the house, and played all of his albums back to back.  I was 5 and really thought my mother had lost her mind.  When I was in my early 20's, Rob and I went to Nashville and Memphis and visited Graceland.  I cried as we drive up the drive to the house and just so hoped that he was going to peek around a corner and say hello.  No, I do not subscribe to the school of thought that he's still alive somewhere, but I duo get saddened when people die before their life is really over.  And his was not over.  He had a lot of living left to do.

So, for my reader friends out there, this is a book I think you will love if you have any interest in Elvis at all.  If not, skip it.

Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie

#30: The One and Only by Emily Giffin

I love Emily Giffin's books.  I haven't read one that I didn't love.  The One and Only is no different.  Except that I am fairly certain it is my favorite of all of her books.  I adored this one.  The people next to me at the pool today who watched me cry while I finished the book probably wondered what I was reading.  I was reading an amazing love story and one which I recommend to anyone who loves a good love story, who loves football, or who loves both.  Any anyone from Texas.  They'd love this book just on principal. Maybe that's why I love it so much!  :)

The One and Only is the story of Shea Risgby and Coach Clive Carr.  Shea is a bit obsessed with both football, particularly Walker Football, and Coach Carr, her best friend's father and the head coach for Walker's football team. She knows every date, fact, and figure about Walker football and has, at age 33, not brought herself to leave the town of Walker because she loves it so very much.  As the story opens the Carr family, including Shea and her mother, are mourning the loss of Coach's wife.  Lucy, Shea's best friend, is trying to figure out life without her mother and Shea is doing her best to be there for her friend.  It doesn't take long, however, to realize that what once was probably a school-girl crush on Coach has developed into much more for Shea.  She hangs on his every word, values his opinion, and truly thinks he is the most important person in the entire world.  They have a common bond in the game of football and most people to see their close relationship as solely based on the game.  She would never want to cross a line with the man who was like a father to her growing up but she soon senses, now that his wife is gone, that perhaps he feels the same about her.

Regardless, knowing that she shouldn't love him, she tries her best to forge relationships that are a bit more appropriate.  First with Miller, who no one likes, and second with Ryan James, Walker alum and quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.  Dating the DC quarterback opens up a life for Shea that her friends and family love.  Shea is sometimes impressed with Ryan's life but is more taken with who he really is and that he could really love her, after being married for a short time to someone as opposite as Shea as night and day.  And just when things appear to be going well with Ryan and Shea and she's thinking that she could love him and not Coach, something crazy happens which makes Shea doubt her relationship with Ryan.  I'll leave the details of the story to Giffin, who is way more skilled in telling the story than me.

In addition to the love story, let's add in an NCAA scandal side story that forces Shea to question everything she's ever thought about the game of football and every person associated with the game.  As she searches for the truth, Shea is forced to admit that even the great Coach Carr might not be as squeaky clean as she once thought.

So, what made me cry at the pool today? At a certain point in the story, Coach Carr and Shea seem to be headed towards a real relationship.  Ryan is out of the picture, they have admitted mutual feelings for each other and have agreed to take things slowly as they develop this new relationship, Coach Carr being the first to admit that he never expected to love anyone other than his wife.  Only Lucy stands in their way.  And she stands firm.  And it made me cry.

I totally understand that Lucy finds it to be a bit strange, that her best friend and her father could have feelings for each other, but it's not so strange when you realize how much these two have in common and how for both of them football is life.  I guess what made me the saddest today was the thought that a family could be so tough on each other.  Don't you want your family to be happy?  Even when it's not necessarily what you'd have wanted or expected?  If you truly love them, you will want them to be happy and you won't issue ultimatums. Or give them unfair choices.

While I won't tell you how the story ends (what fun would that be?), I will tell you that the ending had me quietly sobbing at the pool.  It's a beautiful story.  Touchingly beautiful.

I want this one to become a movie.  I'd go to see it AND I'd buy it on DVD.  It's just that great.

Read this one. And don't be surprised when you see this book on my list of favorites for the year.  It's just that great!

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#29: Walking on Water by Richard Paul Evans

Walking on Water is the fifth and final book in The Walk series by Richard Paul Evans.   I remember reading the first book like it was yesterday.  Rob and I had gone to The Greenbrier and I devoured the book one afternoon.  I've never been so happy to have access to the internet so that I could download the second book onto my Nook and continue reading.  Imagine how upset I was to find out that I had to wait a full year to read the third book.  And then another year for the fourth and another before the fifth was ready.  I understand that it takes time to write a phenomenal book, but for someone like me, it took a lot of patience to wait for each book release.

In this fifth installment, Alan's story comes to a close as he makes his final trek across the country from Seattle, ending in Key West.  What I find to be interesting in this novel is that the book is half over before Alan ever resumes his walk.  Instead, he returns home when his dad lands himself in the hospital after a heart attack.  During Alan's time at home, he spends much of every day with his father playing chess as his dad tries to recover.  Each evening, when he goes back to his dad's house to sleep and shower, Alan reads a family history that his dad has written--a fatherly attempt at getting Alan to understand who he is and why he is really walking.  After reading his family's story, and watching the piles of goodies from women in love with his dad on the front porch grow and grow, Alan realizes that his dad is more and was more than he ever knew.  And that perhaps they are more similar than he ever imagined.

Sadly, Alan's father does not leave the hospital (sorry to have ruined this for you, but Alan would never have resumed his walk otherwise).  But it is because of this loss that Alan resumes and completes the final leg of his walk.  During this time, time in the hospital with his dad and time walking, he does some serious soul searching and realizes what he wants out of life.  But, as often happens in life, by the time we know what we want, what we want is no longer available.  So, Alan continue to walk.

Since I spoiled one major event, I will keep the ending to myself.  But suffice to say that I was fairly surprised by the end and how quickly things came to pass, but was relieved to find an epilogue that allowed me to catch a tiny glimpse into everyone's life, post walk.

The Walk series was fantastic and I am so glad to have read it, even thought it took years to get to the final book.  Each and every book forced to to think about my priorities and the love I have for Rob and my family.  Sadly, it also made me think about what I would do if I lost Rob.  After reading and finishing five books, I still don't have that answer. I can only hope and pray that it's a question I never need answered.

If you haven't already, read this series.  The good news is that the series is written and you can read all five in a row if you want.  No waiting!

Happy reading!
:) Dodie

#28 The Summer of Us by Holly Chamberlain

The Summer of Us has been on my shelf for two years.  I have passed it over many times as I searched for a new read but finally picked it up last weekend when I was packing up my books in preparations for our move.  The cover caught my eye, as it did when I bought it.  My husband laughed when I told him that I bought the book because there is a floral bag on the cover that I'd like to find in real life and buy.  Those of you who know me aren't the least bit surprised by that fact.

The Summer of Us was the perfect book for me to read this past week, the final week of school.  It's a week filled with long days and longer nights as you try to wrap up a year of learning, and for me this year's last week brings packing up 19 years of teaching, which is no easy task along with packing up 12 years in a house.  Good grief!  So, to read a book that made me laugh out loud was exactly what I needed.

In The Summer of Us, three unlikely ladies (Gincy, Clare, and Danielle) in their late twenties meet and become friends while renting a beach house for the summer.  The chapters are told by alternating characters and these three ladies are so different and their stories are so intriguing that it's easy to keep everyone straight and all of the details in check.  I loved reading their stories and was sad when the book was over.

I also loved Chamberlain's style of writing.  So much, in fact, that I have downloaded three of her others books to take with me on my upcoming vacation.  I look forward to more feel-good, laugh-out-loud stories this summer!

This one's a good one!

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

#27: Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Call the Midwife was recommended to me by a friend who seems to know the sort of books I like to read and she was spot on about this one.  While I know PBS has turned this book into a series, I had no knowledge of either the book or the series until my friend passed this book along.  It has been a gem of a read and a blessing at a time in my life when my stress level has been very high.  Leave it to a book to remind me that, despite stress, my life is good.

Call the Midwife is a memoir written by Jennifer Worth, who apparently was a young (22 years old) midwife in the slums of East End London in the 1950's.  Her tales remind me of something my teacher friends and I often say about things that children say, parents say, or events around the school: "You can't make this stuff up." I feel certain Worth felt the same way and was able to create a magnificent book about her experiences. I am intrigued to watch the PBS series, but since I have yet to even watch Season 1 of Downton Abbey, I bet the likelihood of me actually watching the show is slim.

What I loved most about this book is that each chapter, or series of 2-3 chapters, tells the story of one delivery, or of one Sister, or of one interesting soul Worth encountered as a midwife.  The result is that while it took me a month to read the entire book, I was able to read a few pages at a time and feel as though I accomplished something.  I have been trying to take a recertification class, pack up 19 years of school things, and 12 years of a house for four over the past month in anticipation of the end of school, and my career, and an impending move.  Finding time to read something other than chapters in my Children's Lit textbook has been hard.  So, it was nice to read 5-6 pages at a time and feel as though I was keeping up with the story while reading something memorable and worthwhile.

Worth's time as a midwife was not glamorous, but she changed lives.  Her working conditions were not ideal, the people she worked with were not always ideal patients, yet she did her job every day believing in her work, and being proud of the work she did.  Her work ethic is something we could all learn from.  It's something that seems to be missing from the modern world.  But, I'll close this post before I step up on that soapbox!

This is a great read!  Thanks, Marcie, for the recommendation!
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#26: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I just finished reading The Fault in Our Stars and I am so filled with emotion, I don't even know where to begin with this post.

I guess at the beginning...

The Fault in Our Stars is the story of Hazel and Gus, two teenagers battling Cancer.  I don't know why I ever thought for a second that this book could have a happy ending.  Perhaps I have been reading too many Kindergarten books for too long where everything turns out all sunshine, roses, unicorns, and lollipops.

The story is touching, and made me cry, but I was thinking about this book as a parent and crying because I can't imagine loosing your child.  As a wife, I was also secretly praying that when the time comes, I go before Rob.  I am weak and could never last without him.  It's so true.  I've always envisioned my life ending like the last scene in The Notebook.  I just couldn't do it.

Beyond the theme of cancer and dying, I think that in his book Mr. Green made a clever side-theme of why books shouldn't be taken too seriously.  They are, after all, made up stories about people who do not really exist.  Their stories end when the books end.  This theme, addressed point blank in his Author's note before the first chapter, is one that Hazel struggles with, eventually confronting the author of her favorite book to find out "what happens next" when the books ends.  Anyone who knows me, lives with me, or reads this blog knows that I NEED to know what happens next.  Maybe I am curious, maybe I just crave closure, but I HAVE to know.  But not this time.

You see, if I know what happens, if I probe a little more, there's the possibility I might learn that Hazel has lost her battle.  So, I am OK just reading the last chapter, closing the book, and living with hope.

Read this one.  Even if you are a grown-up.  Don't be afraid to borrow your child's book.  It's worth it.  I promise.  It will make you think twice about sequels.  Seriously.  And about how seriously you take the books you read.  They are just characters, they are just characters...I'm going to have to work on that one.

Happy reading everyone!
-Dodie

#25 A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell

I bought this book in Bermuda and began reading it on the way home.  I finished it last week but haven't been able to find a spare moment to blog.  So unlike me, I know.  I can't tell you the last time I actually read something other than this morning for 10 minutes while I was sitting in the doctor's office waiting to be seen.  Clearly my lack of reading time is due in part to 1: It's May and birthdays have begun, 2: It's May and school gets crazy, and 3: We have decided to list our house and move.  But, that's another story for another day.  Regardless, I have been a bit delinquent with my reading.  Good thing we had so much snow and I was so far ahead of the game.

Anyway, A Walk in the Park was another book I chose because of it's adorable cover.  Sad, but true facts.  It sounded interesting and it was (the characters are like no others I have read about lately), but the cover is precious and the font is fun--it's easy to choose this one by it's cover.  In fact, I stood in the Bermuda Bookshop looking at each and every one of Mansell's books trying to decide which one to buy and read because they all had great story lines and they all had cute covers.  Shallow, but true.

A Walk in the Park is the story of Lara, her daughter Gigi, and Flynn--Lara's high school boyfriend and Gigi's father (yep...you do the math on that one).  It is a fabulous story, hilarious at times (especially when you meet Harry and Enjay), and one with a sweet ending.

This is one for the beach bag and then one for the bookshelf.  It really is beautiful!

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

p.s. I am not off to read but off to de-clutter my house to it continues to look like a museum so that we can sell it.

#24: The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble

On my summer trip last year to Bermuda, I stopped in to the Bermuda Bookstore and found Georgia Bottoms, which was a book so hysterical and wonderful, I had to stop back in during my spring break trip to see if I could find another wonderful book.  I found The Reading Group.  This may be my new favorite book (do I say that about them all?).

The Reading Group tells the story of a newly founded book club.  It's members are Nicole, Harriet, Polly, Susan, and Clare.  The cast of characters is listed at the beginning of the novel and I have to admit that this scared me off a bit.  I was wondering how complex the novel must be to require a list of characters at the beginning, but it wasn't at all.  In fact, after about 100 pages in, I think I could've described the cast with no trouble, offering more details than the author.  They are that well crafted by Noble.

The book is sectioned off into 12 parts: one for each book that the group reads and discusses.  During each section, we get a glimpse into each character's life and what we see is how closely these ladies'  lives parallel the books they have chosen to read.  It's quite brilliant, really.  It also made me realize that when we read, we take our lives into the books.  If the book can't teach us something about ourselves, we tend not to like it as much as those books that do.  I have felt this for years about the books I read.  It was nice to have my thoughts and feelings validated, even if only by fictional characters.

I can not tell you how much I loved reading this story.  I felt heart broken for Clare, and angry with Cressida and Elliot, yet by the end I adored their sweet story and their darling Spencer.  I hated Gavin and envied Nicole, but only partly.  I think I am probably most like Harriet, in more ways than I care to admit (her round figure being tops on that list). I hope that I can be as good of a mom as Polly and I hope that when my own mom gets older I can be as loving as Susan.  What I really wish is that I could be the sixth member of The Reading Group.

This lovely story made me seriously contemplate beginning a Reading Group.  I am sure that I could find some lovely friends who would read with me.  But keeping my reading to one book a month would hard for me. Unless I read the story over and over (like I did with Wonder).  Rob doesn't seem to think that I would like being part of a group.  He thinks that I'd become bothered by the lack of discussion of the book in favor of discussions of more gossipy things.  And since I don't drink wine, he thinks that few book clubs would even invite me.  He's probably right.  It seems as though these five fictional ladies created their group because they needed an excuse to get out of the house once a month.  I don't feel that need, but I do often feel the need to talk about what I read and to hear other's ideas and thoughts.  I guess I fulfill my end of things with this blog.  But I rarely hear what other people think.  Blogs are often one sided that way, I guess.  Maybe one day I will be invited to join a group and I can read and talk about what I read.  It will be like college all over again, minus the grades.  Could be fun.

Read this book.  You will love it.  I promise.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#23 Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Before reading this novel, I had no idea that Orphan Trains even existed.  Did you?  Trains full of orphaned children, heading west, lead by chaperones in search of families for these abandoned children?  That part of my American History classes was skipped right on over.  All three times, apparently.

This novel was so touching, yet so disturbing, as you can imagine.  Not all of the orphans were greeted and welcomed by parents who just wanted a child to love.  Some wanted additional workers for their farms.  Some wanted mothers' helpers for already large families. Some wanted child labor for their small businesses.  While I am very proud to be an American, I am not always proud of my nation's history. Especially where women and children are concerned.

Orphan Train focuses on two parallel stories, those of Vivian and Molly.  One was an orphan long ago, one is an orphan now.  Their lives and stories intersect and we come to love both women for their strength of character and we come to be proud of all that they overcome and achieve together.

As I read this story, I related most with Vivian.  And wanted to strangle Molly, at times.  While I was never abandoned by my parents, I did have a rather bumpy childhood due to issues within my home.  I had enough guidance from other family members, and enough sense in my own head, to make a decision to be a good girl.  I didn't rock the boat (Molly capsized hers), I followed the rules, and I did what I needed to do until I was old enough to leave and be on my own.  I was, Vivian (to a certain point).  Molly chose a different path for her life and I was so happy that she found Jack, a boy who could see beyond the Goth makeup and clothes and attitude and who was able to provide Molly with an opportunity that changed her life.  In turn, she helped to change Vivian's.

This story is amazing.  It was an easy read in the sense that the details were rich and full, you could follow the back and forth story with ease, and you never wanted to put the book down once you began.  It will make you think and ponder and it will make you sad, at times.  But the ending is so full of hope, it will make you smile and glad you read this story.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#22 Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Yes, I re-read Wonder.  I re-read it mostly because I am supposed to lead a book discussion at my daughter's school next week and I felt as though I needed to re-read it to refresh my old memory.  But, as I was reading the ending of this amazing story for the second time, crying on the plane to Bermuda, making my entire family shake their heads ("There goes mom again, crying over another book), I realized that if ever there was a book to be read twice, maybe to even be read once a year, Wonder is that book.

I am more touched by the second reading than the first.  But for all of the same reasons as the first time.  I want to buy Wonder for everyone I know.  It is a book we all should read.  Even the adults.  Perhaps especially the adults.

Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie

#21 Peyton Place by Grace Metalious

I've heard about Peyton Place since I was a little girl.  It was the scandalous book people read behind closed doors and never admitted to really reading, even though they did.  It was also the scandalous TV show that everyone remembers watching.  But, it wasn't until I read The American Wife and read references to Peyton Place that I decided to read it for myself and decide exactly how scandalous it really is.

So, it's not scandalous in the sense that 50 Shades of Grey is scandalous, but I am sure that for a book written in the 60's, it was scandalous.  Especially when you think of it in terms of the quotation on the front cover of the book: "the extraordinary new novel that lifts the lid off a small New England town."  It seems to have lifted the lid off of any town, anywhere.  Every city has dirty laundry.  The scary thought for people everywhere is that they are going to be exposed, and that's exactly what Metalious did in her novel--she reminded us that all towns across the nation have scandal.  None of us are safe from gossip, sex, and intrigue.  Even in the 60's.  Especially in 2014.

I will be honest and admit that I googled Peyton Place last weekend as I was trying to get into the book. I read just enough to learn that the book centers around three main characters: Constance, Allison, and Selena.  OK.  Perhaps these are the main characters, but since there's no chapter/book delineation making these three ladies stand out, they seem no more important to me than the other scores and scores of towns people mentioned in the novel. Allison, maybe, as she is the writer about to put Peyton Place on the map with her new novel as Peyton Place comes to a close and Return to Peyton Place (which I do not plan to read) begins.  But, if it weren't for my google search, I'd have had no idea that the book was really about these three ladies.  There were sections of the book where these ladies weren't even mentioned.  Maybe I am missing something.

I haven't made up my mind if I liked Peyton Place, either.  I am glad from an historical standpoint that I read the book.  It seems to be just another one of those books from our past that you should read just to say that you did, but it will never end up on my favorites list.  This book did not move me, it did not teach me anything (except to fear small towns and gossipy neighbors), and I do not feel as though moving forward in life I will take anything from this book with me as I go.  But, am I impressed by the author's gumption?  Yes.  Did she make a statement with this book?  I can only imagine that she did.  Was her writing professionally crafted and characters well-developed?  Absolutely.  From a technical standpoint, this book is exquisite.  The first pages alone had me enthralled as Metalious sensually described Indian Summer.  But, between the smaller than small font (get this on your e-device and make the font bigger) and the large cast of characters that I could never truly keep straight, it was a tiring read that left me wanting more at the end.  But not wanting to read the sequel, so you do the math on that one.

OK.  So, I feel about this about the same way I did about reading "The Canterbury Tales" in high school.  I'm glad I read it so that I can say that I did and so that I can know what people are talking about when they talk about it.  The End.

Happy reading, everyone.
:) Dodie

#20 American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

I was able to finish American Wife this morning, on what I hope and pray to be the very last snow day of 2014.  I have had enough!  Of snow...not reading.

American Wife has been sitting on my shelf for probably close to 2 years.  It was a sale book at Barnes and Nobel and the cover was so beautiful, it came home with me and then sat on my shelf until a few weeks ago.  If I had known that the wife portrayed in the book was based on Laura Bush, I'd have read it the moment I bought it.  I just love Laura Bush--I think she was a wonderful First Lady.  I may love her more now that I have caught a tiny glimpse into her life before she stepped foot into The White House.  But, for those of you who are not a fan of this particular First Lady, you should know what you are getting into before opening the cover of this book.

The book is divided into sections, each based on the home where the American Wife, Alice Lindgren Blackwell, lived at that time.  The final section is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  And this final section, as I was warned by other reviewers of this text, is dull and boring.  The rest of the book is lively, endearing, and a wonderful read.  It is a long book-554 pages.  And my copy is rather heavy.  You might want to get an e-copy of this one.

Because I do not like books that I can not take something from, I am always searching as I read for the lesson or the moral that will give me something to keep in my heart long after the cover of the book has been closed.  What I took from American Wife is a new found appreciation for my life.  My normal life.  My life where I can say what I want, can wear what I want, can go where I want, and can believe what I want.  And for the most part, nobody cares.  OK, yes...I am a teacher so I have to be careful of what I say and do and wear, but only publicly.  (Yes, I gave up Facebook two years ago because I was worried about offending parents or of not friending parents who may have requested this relationship with me, but considering that not being on FB has made me happier in my life than I ever was while a part of it, I don't think I am having to give up too much because I teach.  And since I have less than 3 months left of said teaching career, I think I will be able to manage.)  But, poor Alice spent the bulk of her life trying to reconcile who she really was with who the public, and her husband Charlie, wanted her to be.  She had to temper everything and she had to base her life on outward appearances.  Yuck.  That is not the life for me.  I have always been much happier blending in with the wallpaper than being in the middle of a room.  Right now I am so grateful that the Rob I married, who wanted to be a senator someday, turned in to the 40 year old Rob who is thriving inside an insurance company.  Being in front of the public, very watchful eye is not where I'd like to be.  Funny thing is, I am fairly certain Alice would like to be on my side of that eye, too.  With her book.  I think she and I could've been good friends.

I never dog ear book pages.  I remember thinking as a child that doing so would hurt the book, but I dog eared page 321.  (I bet Alice, the librarian, would never have dog eared book pages either.) Because of these lines from the story:

Oh, how different my life would have been had I not grown up in the same house as my grandmother, how much narrower and blander! She was the reason I was a reader, and being a reader was what had made me myself; it had given me the gifts of curiosity and sympathy, and awareness of the world as an odd and vibrant and contradictory place, and it had made me unafraid of its oddness and vibrancy and contradictions.  

These lines made me desperately miss my grandmother, my father's mother, Violet Belle Kuykendall Denison, the women who helped mold me into the woman I am today.  In fact, reading about Alice's relationship with her grandmother throughout American Wife made me miss mine so very much.  And when I read these lines, I couldn't help but think of her.  She was many things for me, but most of all she was my reading partner.  I recall going to the library with her each week when I spent summers with her and I remember how she made books seem to be so magical and so special.  They were to be treasured and protected.  I can close my eyes and see us both tucked into her big bed each night (I shared a room with her during the summers), she on her side, and me on mine.  Both of us reading until we just couldn't keep our eyes open anymore and then we'd turn out the light, way past the time when anyone else in the house was awake.  She was a gem, that amazing lady.  I am so grateful that I was able to call her my grandmother.  

You will like reading about Emilie, Alice's grandmother, too.  She was a lady before her time.  It was because of her that Alice felt so many things that she wasn't supposed to feel and to think so many things that she wasn't supposed to think.  Emilie just may have molded her into the First Lady she turned out to be.  A First Lady with compassion and caring for the rest of the American people.  A First Lady who was realistic and human.  A First Lady women like me could relate to.  Perhaps that's why I liked Laura Bush so much.  In another time and another place, I would've liked to have been the Kindergarten teacher to her librarian.  


Happy Reading everyone!
:) Dodie