#9: Uncle Tom's Cabin

No.  I have NOT finished Uncle Tom's Cabin.  In fact, I am a mere 382 pages into the 1300 page version that lives inside my Nook.  But, I am going to read it.  I am.  I really am.

Here's the story: 

Every year that Rob and the girls and I visit our favorite place, Walt Disney World, we visit The American Adventure show.  And every year I promise myself that I am going to read Uncle Tom's Cabin, as it is mentioned a few times during this performance and somehow I escaped both high school and college without reading this book.  And every year I never do it.  So, knowing that last year I was able to read 52 books, I figured that reading one, very long, very influencial book would be this year's goal.  So, it was the first book I bought in 2011 (in fact I bought it in 2010) and then bought it again for my Nook (for 99 cents, BTW). 

But, here's the problem...I apparently have a hard time reading very long books.  I see the page count at the top of my Nook and get restless.  So, I am going to read Uncle Tom's Cabin throughout 2011.  My goal is to have it done by the end of the year and to read 200 pages or so at a time in between my other books.  I have set the bar high for myself with 52 books again this year and one of them being a very, very long one.  But I must have been crazy to think that I was ever going to read that entire book all at once and that I wasn't going to read any others besides this one this year.  How absurd! 

As for the 300 pages I have read so far...this book is amazing.  The dialogue is sometimes hard to follow but the storyline is fascinating.  I guess after I read my current Western Romance, I will settle back into reading Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Anybody want to read with me? 

#8: Linda Lael Miller's McKettrick's Luck

My dear friend Pam suggested that when I begin a new book I should post it on my blog in case people want to read it with me.  Well Pam, this blog's for you!  I began McKettrick's Luck on Sunday and unfortunately I haven't gotten very far.  I am only on page 31, but am desperately hoping for a snow day from school tomorrow so that I can read, read, read.  McKettrick's Luck is the first in a series that came out on 2007 and I am sure that after I read this one I will want to find the others.  OK--I am off to read! 

#7: The McKettrick Legend by Linda Lael Miller

So, I have already admitted that I don't always read thought provoking books and that I often like to break up the hard-hitters with something lighter.  Well, while I think that some people would read Linda Lael Miller's books and would dismiss them as typical, light, thoughtless Western Romance novels, I would seriously disagree with those readers.  The entire McKettrick series is amazing and, quite honestly, I hate finishing these books.  I know that's a strange thing to say because most people are excited to finish a book and to see how it all turns out, but I typically walk away from these books saddened because the story is over.  Every single one of Miller's characters are so real and so well developed that not only do I feel like I know them, I want to be their neighbors; I want to know them.  I have read her books for a couple of years now and haven't read a single one that I didn't like (most of them I have loved).  They are easy to read and are filled with dialogue, but there's always a strong story line (it isn't all just passion and romance).  And, there's always a reference to an old character, or a new one, which makes me just want to keep reading the books in the series so that I can get to know them, too.  This particular book tells the stories of two McKettrick women: Sierra and Meg.  They are strong, determined characters who have amazing stories to tell.  They are brave and courageous and every word of their stories are worth reading. 

#7: Jennifer Weiner's The Half-Life

This is actually a short story, so I am not sure that I can even count it as an entire book, but it's worth blogging about.  I guess I will need to expand 52 in 52 to 53 in 52 this year.  The Half-Life is exactly half of a story.  I could not believe that it was over almost as fast as it began.  The frustrating part of this story for me was that I was totally into it and was so enjoying reading about these characters and their lives and then BAM, the story was done.  So, Jennifer Weiner, I wonder if you'd consider ever writing the rest of the story for those of us who were intrigued and who want to know how it all turned out?  Consider it, please.  I'd be grateful and would happily buy the rest of the story. 

#6: Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

If The Help is my #1 for 2011, then Brava, Valentine is going to be my #2.  This book is the sequel to Very Valentine, so I recommend reading that one first, if you have not already.  I began reading Trigiani's books years ago when she began her Big Stone Gap trilogy.  Rob grew up in Big Stone Gap and he still has some family there.  Trigiani herself is from Big Stone Gap.  Those stories are wonderful and very worthwhile reads, as are all of her subsequent books. Whenever she has a new book, I go out and spring for the hardcover.  They are so good that I just want to collect them all and proudly display them on my bookshelves.  Brava, Valentine is no different.  This love story is incredible and worth reading slowly, taking in every word between Valentine and Guianluca.  The love story they share extends into the exploration of the love shared and felt between friends and family and reminds us all of how fragile life and love can be.  You've got to grab it when you can and pray it never dies.  The one line of the book that has stuck with me since reading it, and is a line that I think about almost daily as I now quickly approach my 39th birthday (yuck),  loosely quoted is: What will you do with the second half of your life?  Personally, I'd like to make the most of it, but I am not yet sure what that means exactly.  I guess I'll keep reading, exploring life, and see where I end up.  You do the same. 

#5: Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

So, the truth about me is that while I love to read great literature, sometimes I need something lighter and quicker to read.  Basically, I need to give my brain a break.  Strange Bedpersons definitely fit that bill. I read Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me not too long ago (although it was not part of 2010's 52 in 52) and was delighted by the story, so I know that I can always count on her for a good, light story that gives me a break from the Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks type books that I often find filling my bookshelves.  One of the main characters in this book, Tess, often drove me nuts.  She was judgmental, opinionated, and so liberal at times that I knew that if she was a real person I'd never be able to carry on a conversation with her, let alone be her friend.  She had a good thing staring her in the face (Nick) and why she couldn't see it was beyond me.  Nick's the sort of guy that every girl wants to date and then marry (and who often lives only between the covers of paperback novels).  It was a quick read, too.  Definitely a beach book worth reading.

#4: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I feel quite certain that The Help will be 2011's best read as decided upon by ME!  Last year I picked my favorite book from the 52 that I read (it was Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah) and I am trying to keep an open mind about this year, but The Help has become the ruler by which I am measuring all other books.  The Help is about just that: "The Help" that a group of white women "employ."  I am in awe of the talent of Kathryn Stockett for this is her first novel and a tough one to live up to in future books, but I am sincerely hoping that more are to come from this amazing first-time novelist.  As I read this book, I clearly paid attention to the characters, their loud voices, and the overall plot and sub-plots of the book.  But, the one idea that popped into my head more than once as I was reading was how my generation has not experienced a fight worth fighting for in our lifetime.  We did not survive the great depression, we did not fight in a major war and we have not fought for civil rights or equal rights.  I can vaguely recall the threat of nuclear war being something I feared during high school, but once the wall was down, I knew I was safe and no longer had a fear in the world.  I wonder if this is why my generation is so self-centered?  We have not had a struggle within the boundaries of our own country or even our own city.  It makes me grateful, in a way, but sad in another.  I think we'd be better people if we had a cause, something that made us passionate, something that made us want to fight.  OK--off the soap box I go.  Read The Help.  It will remind you of what's important in life and that sometimes it's OK to risk everything for something you believe in.