175 - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane; Kate DiCamillo

I was captivated by this gem of a book as I browsed the bookstore. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, is of course intended for children ages 4-8, but I cannot recommend it highly enough. Just over 225 pages, with large type and plenty of blank space on the pages, the story, and gorgeous illustrations are not to be missed.

Edward Tulane is a vain, self-absorbed three-foot-tall china rabbit from France who appears to have all he could want: fabulous clothes, a tiny gold pocket watch and a little girl, Abilene, who loves him. Then it all vanishes. When the family goes off on an ocean voyage trouble begins. He too falls from grace and ends up in the water. He experiences his first emotion fear.

His emotional journey through life encompasses several transformations as several owners adopt him. When a fisherman saves him from the sea, his wife calls him Susanna and puts a dress on him. But their nasty grown daughter tosses him in the trash. A hobo, retrieves Edward from the garbage dump and names him Malone. Then he loses him. A crabby old woman uses him as a scarecrow in her cornfield until Bryce, an abused boy, rescues Edward for his poor little sister, Sarah Ruth. She christens him Jangles, and Bryce strings up the toy like a marionette to dance for money. Finally in a doll shop sitting on a shelf for over a year, Edward is unexpectedly discovered by someone who has always loved him.

This story was so satisfying and does have a happy ending, however, parents of very young children should be aware that there are some sensitive issues addressed in this book: poverty, homelessness, even death.

RATING - 5/5 - COMPLETED - 11/1/08

2009 Pub Challenge

Michele at One More Chapter is hosting this 2009 Pub Challenge

Here are the 2009 rules:

1)Read a minimum of 9 books first published in 2009. You don’t have to buy these. Library books, unabridged audios, or ARCs are all acceptable. To qualify as being first published in 2009, it must be the first time that the book is published in your own country. For example, if a book was published in Australia, England, or Canada in 2008, and then published in the USA in 2009, it counts (if you live in the USA). Newly published trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks do not count if there has been a hardcover/trade published before 2009. Any questions on what qualifies? Just leave a comment here, and I’ll respond with the answer.
2)No children’s/YA titles allowed, since we’re at the ‘pub.’
3)At least 5 titles must be fiction.
4)Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
5)You can add your titles as you go, and they may be changed at any time.

I plan to read:

1. Never Tell a Lie; Hallie Ephron - 4/5
   
2. True Colors; Kristin Hannah - 2.5/5 (audio)
   
3. Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts; Benedict - 4/5
   
4. Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - 4.5/5
   
5. The Seance; Harwood - 4/5
   
6. Beat the Reaper; Josh Bazell - 4.5/5
7. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County; Baker - 5/5
8. The Spare Room; Garner - 4/5
9. The Help; Stockett - 5/5
   
10. While My Sister Sleeps; Delinsky - 4.5/5
11. The Piano Teacher; Lee - 4/5
    
12. Handle With Care; Picoult - 5/5
13. Honolulu; Brennert - 4/5
14. Still Life; Fielding - 4/5
15. The Weight of Heaven; Umrigar - 5/5
16. In Hovering Flight; Hinnefield - 4/5
17. Dog On It; Quinn - 4/5
18. The Cradle; Somerville - 3/5
19. The Pursuit; Robards - 4/5
20. The Daily Coyote; Stockett 4/5
21. Almost Home; Jenoff - 4/5
22. The Simplest Acts and Other Stories; Haney - 4/5
23. Apologize, Apoligize; Kelly - 2/5
24. Shanghai Girls; See - 4.5/5
25. Happy for No Reason; Shimoff - 4/5
26. Prayers for Sale; Dallas - 4.5/5
27. The Visibles; Shepard - 4/5
28. Life Without Summer; Griffin - 5/5
29. Dark Places; Flynn - 4/5
30. Home Safe; Berg - 2/5
31. Blue Notebook; Levine - 5/5
32. Who Do You Think You Are; Myers - 4.5/5
33. Black Girl Next Door; Bazisle - 4/5
34. Burnt Shadows; Shamsie - 3.5/5
35. Water, Stone, Heart; North - 4/5
36. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie; Bradley - 5/5
37. The Chosen One; Williams - 4.5/5
38. Broken; Jones - 4/5
39. Disobedient Girl; Freeman - 3.5/5
40. Perfection; Metz - 4/5
41. Die For You; Unger - 4/5
42. A Short History of Women; Walbert - 4/5
43. Labor Day; Maynard - 5/5
44. The Bride's Farewell; Roseoff - 3.5/5
45. My Abandonment; Rock - 4/5
46. So Happy Together; McFadden - 4/5
47. Dismantled; McMahon - 4/5
48. A Happy Marriage; Ygelasis - 4.5/5
49. The Magicians; Grossman - 5/5
50. God of War; Silver - 5/5
51. Strangers; Brookner - 5/5
52. Sima's Undergarments for Women; Stager Ross - 5/5
53. When the Sun Goes Down - 4/5
54. The Boneman's Daughter; Dekker - 4/5
55. The Calligrapher's Daughter; Kim - 5/5
56. Benny and Shrimp; Mazetti - 4/5
57. The House on Sugar Beach; Cooper - 4.5/5
58. The Promise of Wolves; Hearst - 4.5/5
59. The Song of Renewal; Harvey - 4/5
60. The Idea of Love; Dean - 4/5
61. The Day the Falls Stood Still; Buchanan - 4.5/5
62. That Old Cape Magic; Russo - 5/5
63. Heroic Measures; Ciment - 4.5/5
64. Homer's Odyssey; Cooper - 4.5/5
65. After You; Buxtbaum - 4/5
66. The Woodstock Story; Levine - 4.5/5
67. The Neighbor; Gardner - 4.5/5
68. Dragon House; Shors - 4/5
69. The Shimmer; Morrell - 3/5
70. The Hidden Life of Deer; 3/5
71. Brooklyn; Toibin - 4/5
72. Bird in Hard; Kline - 4/5
73. Homer and Langley; Doctorow - 3/5
74. Saving Sammy; Mahoney - 4/5
75. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - 4.5/5
76. Day After Night; Diamant - 4/5
77. Yes My Darling Daughter; Leroy - 4/5
78. The Sari Shop Widow; Bantwal - 4/5
79. The Broken Window; Deaver - 4/5
80. A Change of Altitude; Shreve - 3/5
81. No Time to Wave Goodbye; Mitchard - 4/5
82. A Brutal Telling; Penny - 4.5/5
83. The Magician's Elephant; DiCamillio - 5/5
84. Evil at Heart; Cain - 4.5/5
85. Mathilda Savitch; Lodato - 4/5
86. Baking Cakes in Kigali; Parkin - 4/5
87. Solace; Temes - 4/5
88. A Duty to the Dead; Todd - 4.5/5
89. Runaway Mummy; Rex - 4.5/5
90. Miss Smith and the Haunted Library; Gaylord - 4.5/5
91. Sworn to Silence; Castillo - 4/5
92. Cutting for Stone; Verghese - 5/5
93. The Time of My Life; Swayze and Neimi - 5/5
94. The Recipe Club; Israel and Garfinkel - 4/5;
95. The Christmas Cookie Club ; Pearlman - 3/5
96. Picking Bones From Ash; Mockett - 4.5/5
97. Physick Book of Deliverance Dane; Howe - 4/5
98. Traveling With Pmegranates; Kidd Monk - 1/5
99. Have a Little Faith; Albom - 4.5/5
100. The Humbling; Roth - 3/5
101. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much; Bartlett - 4.5/5
102. The Christmas Dog; Carlson - 4.5/5
103. Her Fearful Symmetry; Niffinegger - 4/5
104. Await Your Reply; Chaon - 4.5/5
105. The Christmas List; Evans - 5/5
106. Wishin and Hopin; Lamb - 4.5/5
107. Half Broke Horses; Walls - 5/5
108. Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas - 4.5/5
109. Holiday Grind; Coyle - 4/5
110. The Girl on Legare Street; White - 4/5
111. Finding Grace; VanLiere - 4/5
112. Amen, Amen, Amen; Sher - 4/5
113. New World Monkeys; Mauro - 3/5
114. Nubs; Dennis and Nethery - 5/5
115. The Lovers; Connolly - 4/5
     
116. Rainwater; Sandra Brown - 5/5
     
117. Alice I Have Been; M Benjamin - 4.5/5
118. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt; Hoffman - 5/5
119. Mean Mother; P. Streep - 4/5
120. American Rebel: Life of Clint Eastwood; Eliot - 4/5
121. Frommer's Costa Rica 2010; Greenspan - 4.5/5
     

completed - 3/2009

Winter Holiday Reading Challenge - Nov. 1 - Jan 31, 2009

Completed - December - 2008


The Winter Holiday Reading Challenge is being hosted by Book in Hand, and it will last from November 1, 2008 to January 31, 2009.

The theme for this challenge is Winter Holidays. The books that you choose to read must have a storyline that includes celebrating a winter holiday, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, etc. (However, the holidays are not limited to just these examples.)

You choose the number of books you wish to read.

I hope to read (5). My list consists of:

1. The Christmas Sweater; Beck - 5/5
   
2. A Cedar Cove Christmas; Macomber - 2/5
   
3. A Virgin River Christmas; Robyn Carr - 4/5
   
4. A Dog Named Christmas; Kincaid - 4/5
   
5. The Spy Who Came for Christmas; Morrell - 4/5
   
6. The Paper Bag Christmas; Milne
7. Santa Clawed; Brown
   

I've already read : Grace; Evans - loved it and Holidays on Ice; Sedaris - very funny

174 - Virgin River; Robyn Carr

About Virgin River..........Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against the backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal-clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.

When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning. But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans…and a former marine cements them into place. Melinda Monroe may have come to Virgin River looking for escape, but instead she finds her home.

While, I almost never read a romance novel, I decided to give this book a chance as several of my book group buddies have raved about the Virgin River series. I was not disappointed. I immediately fell in love with the town of Virgin River. I could visualize the small town charm, the run down shack etc. I was immediately drawn into the story, the town, and the characters.

The author does a beautiful job developing the characters, just everyday people, with everyday problems. Although I never imagined I could be happy living in a town of 600 people, this author made me see how satisfying a simple life in a little town might be. I cannot wait to continue this series. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

RATING - 5/5 - COMPLETED - 10/31/08

173 - When You are Engulfed in Flames; David Sedaris

Well, I guess I've been on a bit of a David Sedaris kick lately, as I just finished Holidays on Ice, and now When You are Engulfed In Flames. This time I listened to the audio book read by the author.

If you have never read or listened to Sedaris before, you are missing out big-time. His witty sarcasm, as he tells a variety of stories about his family, his neighbors, his attempts to quit smoking, flying on a plane and so many more were just quite funny. He is an amazing writer who is able to convey stories about life with humor. I do have to admit some of the stories in this compilation left me a bit flat. My favorite Sedaris audio collection is still: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

Okay I have had enough of David S's writing for a while, so I'm off to more serious stuff.

RATING - 3.5/5 - COMPLETED - 10/28/08

172 - Holidays on Ice; David Sedaris

I have always enjoyed David Sedaris' humor, and although I generally listen to his audio books (read by him), this time I picked up the printed version, just under 200 pages. The Holidays on Ice title was originally released in 1997. This 2008 release contains some of the same stories and several new ones as well. Featured are:

• Santa Land Diaries
• Seasons Greetings to our Family and Friends
• Front Row Center With Thaddeus Bristol
• Based Upon a True Story
• Christmas Means Giving
• Dinah, the Christmas Whore
• Jesus Shaves
• Us and Them
• Let it Snow
• Six to Eight Black Men
• The Monster Mash
• The Cow and the Turkey

One of the funniest for me was: "Dinah, the Christmas Whore" an essay describing the dysfunctional world of David Sedaris. He tells how his sister Lisa brought her friend Dinah home four days before Christmas. He describes the humorous way in which his family reacts to her, and the questions they ask her about her interesting life in prison and about her experiences as a prostitute.

Sarcasm and cynicism fill this collection of short stories. You will be laughing your way through each story. If you are looking for something to cheer you up during the stressful holiday times, pick up this little book. It would make a fun gift for your family and friends who might need some cheering up this holiday season as well.

Although I really did enjoy this book, I am still a bigger fan of the audio books read by this author. In fact, I'm in the process of listening to his latest book: When You are Engulfed in Flames right now, and it's terrific.


RATING - 4/5 - COMPLETED - 10/26/08

171- Grace; Richard Paul Evans

I have always seemed to enjoy Richard Evans' holiday books, and this years book, Grace, was no exception. It was just a wonderful story, beautifully narrated, a story that deals with family dysfunction, and mature subject matter.

The narrator recalls his first love in 1962 at the age of fourteen..........

"My memory, like my eyesight, has waned with age and I pray I can get the story right. Still, there are things that become clearer to me as I grow older. This much I know: too many things were kept secret in those days. Things that never should have been hidden. And things that should have.

Who was she? She was my first love. My first kiss. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She was a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her".

This is one book that you will want to start and finish in one sitting. Also, if certain books tend to bring a tear to your eyes, I recommend you have the tissues handy.

RATING - 5/5 - COMPLETED - 10/25/08