I can't believe that I have read 65 books this year. Crazy!
Number 65 was fantastic! I had read about 250 pages of the 420 page book by the time I turned off the light last night and I finished the rest of the book today. I truly couldn't put it down. Good thing I didn't have anything else to do today!
The Reversal is the third book in the Mickey Haller series of books, better known as The Lincoln Lawyer books. While I did not read The Lincoln Lawyer, I did see the movie and was hooked on Mickey Haller. I then read The Brass Verdict, which was awesome, but put The Reversal on hold because these books require thought--they are mentally challenging, and they require me to remember details and to put puzzle pieces together. I can only read so many of them at one time. They are definitely not light, easy, beach bag reads. However, this time I am going to read the next book, The Fifth Witness, next. My bookmark is already in the book.
While I love a good story, and the Lincoln Lawyer does provide us with one good story after another, what I love about these books so much is the process of writing these types of stories. The planning and the research and the details that go into creating a legal thriller overwhelms me. What a mind you must have as a writer to create such a tale. I do need to warn potential readers that The Reversal's plot does involve the abduction of a 12 year old girl. Some of my reader friends out there can't/won't read these kinds of stories so I wanted to warm you upfront. If you like the other books but want to skip this one, you can do so easily. The books aren't sequels, so you can miss one without missing important details from the series.
I also must add that the title of The Reversal has intrigued me. In this book, a case is being retried. So, in my mind, I saw the title as foreshadowing the ending. I assumed a reversal of the original verdict was in order. Rob, who had read the book already, saw it differently. The main character, Mickey Haller is a defense attorney, but in this book he works for the prosecution. Rob saw the reversal as being that Mickey changed sides as a lawyer. It's an interesting title to contemplate, that's for sure. If you read it, I'd love to know what you think. I'd love to elaborate more on this idea, but it might give away some of the plot and I don't want to ruin the story for anyone.
I still can't believe that 65 books have come and gone this year. I love that my blog is there to remind me of what I read and how I felt about each and every book. I wonder what 2012 will bring? I still have a few days left to set a goal. I will tell you that my Nook is loaded with 3 books already and I have 13 other books marked that have come from friend suggestions this year. So, I plan to read at least 16 books in 2012. But, would I really stop at 16? :)
Happy reading everyone!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
#64: Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Moon Over Manifest is actually Emily's book, not mine. I borrowed it from her so that I could read something different from what I had been reading (you know, mostly books about Vampires and Werewolves). I am so glad that I snatched this book off of her shelf. It was fabulous! It even won a Newberry, which is fantastic for this first time author!
The book takes place in Manifest, Kansas during the years of 1918 and 1936. The chapters switch back and forth between 1918 (flashbacks) and 1936 (present time, for the book). The author also includes articles from the local paper and letters written from men overseas during the war. I loved the changes from one chapter to the next--it certainly kept things interesting as I was reading! The main character is Abilene Tucker, who has been sent to Manifest, alone, by her dad, Gideon. Abilene and a few friends spend the majority of the book trying to uncover a mystery, which I shall leave for you to uncover as you read, if you so chose to do so. If you are reading this and you teach 7th grade Social Studies in Virginia, this is a good book for you and your students. The events mentioned in the book (moving west, immigration, war) are exactly what Abigail is learning in her SS class this year.
Aside from the clever organization of this book, I was thrilled to read yet another book that emphasized the power of words and stories, as Abilene is challenged to create her own story throughout the novel. Abilene was told that writing stories was easy: they simply require a beginning, middle, and end. Abilene's difficulty, though, is that she entered Manifest's story in the middle, while also knowing how the story ends, but she has no idea how it all began. In particular, she wants to know about her dad, Gideon, and she can't seem to piece all of the bits of the story together to create this beginning. Eventually she does and the story is powerful. I was crying by the end of this book; it was that moving and touching.
As has happened with other books that I have read this year, this book made me think about my dad and how dependent I was, and still am, on stories of his life in order to create the complete story in my mind of his life and his life with mine and my mother's. It's those stories that create the beginning of the story for me. I still love hearing new ones and being able to add those new bits of information to the overall story. Abilene is no different and she was able to grow and change and to think about life just a little bit differently because of the stories she heard. I'd like to think that I am a little bit like Abilene in that way. I think the stories of my dad that I have gathered like colorful flowers over the years have helped me to change the way I think of myself and my life as a whole.
I value words, specifically the written word, more than anyone will ever know. They are like oxygen to me in so many ways. Obviously, books are important to me, but I do read, more specifically I read and then re-read, other things. I re-read letters that I have saved for 20 years or emails that friends have sent that I have archived that are particularly meaningful to me. I think written words can capture a feeling, an emotion, or a state of mind, and I love being able to go back to them, even 20 years later, to recall that one moment, or that one feeling. I am fairly certain that by the end of Moon Over Manifest, Abilene realized the power of words, too, both spoken and written. More than war, more than a town, more than a single person, Moon Over Manifest was, in my opinion, a book about the power of words and stories. I loved it. Too bad I've already made my Top Ten list. I guess this one will be number 11.
The book takes place in Manifest, Kansas during the years of 1918 and 1936. The chapters switch back and forth between 1918 (flashbacks) and 1936 (present time, for the book). The author also includes articles from the local paper and letters written from men overseas during the war. I loved the changes from one chapter to the next--it certainly kept things interesting as I was reading! The main character is Abilene Tucker, who has been sent to Manifest, alone, by her dad, Gideon. Abilene and a few friends spend the majority of the book trying to uncover a mystery, which I shall leave for you to uncover as you read, if you so chose to do so. If you are reading this and you teach 7th grade Social Studies in Virginia, this is a good book for you and your students. The events mentioned in the book (moving west, immigration, war) are exactly what Abigail is learning in her SS class this year.
Aside from the clever organization of this book, I was thrilled to read yet another book that emphasized the power of words and stories, as Abilene is challenged to create her own story throughout the novel. Abilene was told that writing stories was easy: they simply require a beginning, middle, and end. Abilene's difficulty, though, is that she entered Manifest's story in the middle, while also knowing how the story ends, but she has no idea how it all began. In particular, she wants to know about her dad, Gideon, and she can't seem to piece all of the bits of the story together to create this beginning. Eventually she does and the story is powerful. I was crying by the end of this book; it was that moving and touching.
As has happened with other books that I have read this year, this book made me think about my dad and how dependent I was, and still am, on stories of his life in order to create the complete story in my mind of his life and his life with mine and my mother's. It's those stories that create the beginning of the story for me. I still love hearing new ones and being able to add those new bits of information to the overall story. Abilene is no different and she was able to grow and change and to think about life just a little bit differently because of the stories she heard. I'd like to think that I am a little bit like Abilene in that way. I think the stories of my dad that I have gathered like colorful flowers over the years have helped me to change the way I think of myself and my life as a whole.
I value words, specifically the written word, more than anyone will ever know. They are like oxygen to me in so many ways. Obviously, books are important to me, but I do read, more specifically I read and then re-read, other things. I re-read letters that I have saved for 20 years or emails that friends have sent that I have archived that are particularly meaningful to me. I think written words can capture a feeling, an emotion, or a state of mind, and I love being able to go back to them, even 20 years later, to recall that one moment, or that one feeling. I am fairly certain that by the end of Moon Over Manifest, Abilene realized the power of words, too, both spoken and written. More than war, more than a town, more than a single person, Moon Over Manifest was, in my opinion, a book about the power of words and stories. I loved it. Too bad I've already made my Top Ten list. I guess this one will be number 11.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
My list of Top Ten books for 2011
I can honestly say that creating this list of my Top Ten favorites was much easier than I thought it would be. I am being a bit brave by creating the list now and not in January. I do still have almost a month of reading time left, but I think I'm safe. I've read some pretty amazing stuff this year. Even the books that are not included on this list were great. I think I've read less than 5 during the course of the entire year that are just plain mediocre. Those are fairly good odds.
So, here's my list, staring with #10...
10. Water for Elephants...Such a great story and my second biggest surprise for the year. I really doubted how I could ever like a story about the circus. This is so much more than a story about the circus. I just need to see the movie now.
9. The Twilight Saga...My biggest surprise of the year. I've never read Dracula and I hated Frankenstein, so how was I really going to feel about werewolves and vampires. Well, if Water for Elephants was more than a circus story, Twilight was WAY more than a vampire/werewolf story. If you haven't read them, you really should.
8. The Hunger Games Trilogy...I have really branched out from my usual reading material, that's all I can say. A book about children who fight to the death doesn't sound like something I'd usually read, but I did and I loved them.
7. The Mark of the Lion Trilogy...Thanks, Pam, for an amazing birthday gift, that is now making its way through my family. These books (well...the first two...the 3rd was not my favorite) touched me in so many ways and taught me so much about faith and love. Life changing, these books (one and two) are.
6. Night Road...I couldn't let a year go by without a Kristin Hannah book on my favorite list. This book will forever stay with me. It is haunting in so many ways and really speaks to the true character of people when faced with a catastrophe. In 4 years when Abigail starts driving, I am going to have to read it again.
5. The Walk and Miles to Go...These are the first two books in a series by Richard Paul Evans and I am eagerly awaiting the rest. March marks the debut of book 3. I can't wait. I think I went through an entire box of tissues with each book. If you read, read with tissues.
4. 1105 Yakima Street and 1225 Christmas Tree Lane...These are the last two books in one of my favorite series. I can't believe that it's over. What will I do next August when a new book isn't released? Call my Mom and talk about how great the series was until it was over, I guess.
3. Sisterhood Everlasting...This is another book, the final I think, in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. This book touched me so deeply that when I re-read my blog about this book, I found myself crying all over again. Friends make us who we are and I am grateful for every friend, old and new, that I have or have ever had. I'm going to stop before I cry again.
2. The Book Thief...Words. A book about the power of words. This book was written for me. I loved it and can't wait for Abigail to read it. She's learning about WW2 in school right now and she loves books almost as much as I do. Powerful stuff. Don't be put off by Death as the Narrator. It just makes the take on the plot way more interesting. Different points of view are always good.
AND FINALLY...
1. The Help...This book reminded me, once again, about how lucky we are to be living when we live. It also reminded me that my children will never completely appreciate the freedom they have and the world they live in until it's all challenged. What a Catch 22. I don't want them to suffer, but it would be nice for them to have some real perspective. I adored this book and loved the movie, so much, in fact, that it's going to come live with me on Tuesday. Read the book before you watch the movie. It really is better doing it that way.
Well...that's my list for this year. I wonder what I'll read in 2012?
So, here's my list, staring with #10...
10. Water for Elephants...Such a great story and my second biggest surprise for the year. I really doubted how I could ever like a story about the circus. This is so much more than a story about the circus. I just need to see the movie now.
9. The Twilight Saga...My biggest surprise of the year. I've never read Dracula and I hated Frankenstein, so how was I really going to feel about werewolves and vampires. Well, if Water for Elephants was more than a circus story, Twilight was WAY more than a vampire/werewolf story. If you haven't read them, you really should.
8. The Hunger Games Trilogy...I have really branched out from my usual reading material, that's all I can say. A book about children who fight to the death doesn't sound like something I'd usually read, but I did and I loved them.
7. The Mark of the Lion Trilogy...Thanks, Pam, for an amazing birthday gift, that is now making its way through my family. These books (well...the first two...the 3rd was not my favorite) touched me in so many ways and taught me so much about faith and love. Life changing, these books (one and two) are.
6. Night Road...I couldn't let a year go by without a Kristin Hannah book on my favorite list. This book will forever stay with me. It is haunting in so many ways and really speaks to the true character of people when faced with a catastrophe. In 4 years when Abigail starts driving, I am going to have to read it again.
5. The Walk and Miles to Go...These are the first two books in a series by Richard Paul Evans and I am eagerly awaiting the rest. March marks the debut of book 3. I can't wait. I think I went through an entire box of tissues with each book. If you read, read with tissues.
4. 1105 Yakima Street and 1225 Christmas Tree Lane...These are the last two books in one of my favorite series. I can't believe that it's over. What will I do next August when a new book isn't released? Call my Mom and talk about how great the series was until it was over, I guess.
3. Sisterhood Everlasting...This is another book, the final I think, in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. This book touched me so deeply that when I re-read my blog about this book, I found myself crying all over again. Friends make us who we are and I am grateful for every friend, old and new, that I have or have ever had. I'm going to stop before I cry again.
2. The Book Thief...Words. A book about the power of words. This book was written for me. I loved it and can't wait for Abigail to read it. She's learning about WW2 in school right now and she loves books almost as much as I do. Powerful stuff. Don't be put off by Death as the Narrator. It just makes the take on the plot way more interesting. Different points of view are always good.
AND FINALLY...
1. The Help...This book reminded me, once again, about how lucky we are to be living when we live. It also reminded me that my children will never completely appreciate the freedom they have and the world they live in until it's all challenged. What a Catch 22. I don't want them to suffer, but it would be nice for them to have some real perspective. I adored this book and loved the movie, so much, in fact, that it's going to come live with me on Tuesday. Read the book before you watch the movie. It really is better doing it that way.
Well...that's my list for this year. I wonder what I'll read in 2012?
#63 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
1225 Christmas Tree Lane is the very last book in the Cedar Cove series by Debbie Macomber. In August of this year, Macomber released book 11 in the series and her faithful readers, myself and my mother included, eagerly awaited this release. It was worth the wait, but I read the book, savoring every word, knowing that it was the end. Imagine my surprise when I read that she was officially wrapping up the series with 1225 Christmas Tree Lane, a book to be released in September. I have had this book on my Nook since it's release, but wanted to wait until closer to Christmas to read it (and I got caught up with Twilight...). With only 167 pages, this book was a quick read.
However, it also was dull and storyless. I am horribly disappointed and would've preferred to have stopped reading with the 11th book. I have adored this series from the first book I read many, many years ago. I have loved each and every character, who suffer from real problems and celebrate real successes, even the not-so-nice ones. I have looked forward to each August when the newest book was released. I always knew that after school on the first Tuesday of work week, I was going to head to the bookstore to get the next book in the series (well..this year it was automatically downloaded at 12:00am, so it was there waiting for me when I woke up that Tuesday, but you get the idea). I was just as excited about 1225 and was thrilled for the chance to get one more quick glimpse into the life of these amazing characters, who now seem more like real people to me. But, it was not great. It was predictable and a little too flash-backy for my taste. I felt like I relived the entire 11 book series within the quick 167 pages of the text. Now, in Macomber's defense, this book could be read independently of the others and you could still follow along nicely. I'm sure that helps her to sell more books. And, she couldn't possibly create anything other than a nicely ending story where everything works out fine in the end when this is the last book. So, I really do get all that. It just wasn't up to her usual standards and for that reason I was disappointed.
Now, the funny thing is, you will still see this book and 1105 Yakima Street on my list of top ten books for the year. Overall, the series was AMAZING and well worth each and every read. I just hated to see it end on an all-too-predictable low note.
However, it also was dull and storyless. I am horribly disappointed and would've preferred to have stopped reading with the 11th book. I have adored this series from the first book I read many, many years ago. I have loved each and every character, who suffer from real problems and celebrate real successes, even the not-so-nice ones. I have looked forward to each August when the newest book was released. I always knew that after school on the first Tuesday of work week, I was going to head to the bookstore to get the next book in the series (well..this year it was automatically downloaded at 12:00am, so it was there waiting for me when I woke up that Tuesday, but you get the idea). I was just as excited about 1225 and was thrilled for the chance to get one more quick glimpse into the life of these amazing characters, who now seem more like real people to me. But, it was not great. It was predictable and a little too flash-backy for my taste. I felt like I relived the entire 11 book series within the quick 167 pages of the text. Now, in Macomber's defense, this book could be read independently of the others and you could still follow along nicely. I'm sure that helps her to sell more books. And, she couldn't possibly create anything other than a nicely ending story where everything works out fine in the end when this is the last book. So, I really do get all that. It just wasn't up to her usual standards and for that reason I was disappointed.
Now, the funny thing is, you will still see this book and 1105 Yakima Street on my list of top ten books for the year. Overall, the series was AMAZING and well worth each and every read. I just hated to see it end on an all-too-predictable low note.
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