skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Sarah's Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay
Wonderful historical and current story running concurrently, in a sense. The story of the July 12, 1942 sweep and imprisonment of thousands of Parisian Jews by Parisian's Policeman under the orders of the German Hitler. Torn away from their home and their children and then sent to their death to Auschwitz.
This story is about a American journalist, living in Paris where her husband's home was one of the apartments that a family of Jews were taken from. She finds the family members as she writes about them and goes through her turbulent life with an arrogant Parisian husband and daughter. Provocative, entertaining and mystifying as a the mysteries are foretold. I loved it.
Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Creepy story of people who are living a delusional life as clones for other people. Well written top seller, but I could have done without it's long length and people although they were interesting.
Open: An Autobiography
by Andre Aggasi
Very interesting, and amazingly inspirational. This guy really kept on going forward in life and doing his ultimate best. A lot of tennis plays. His own portrayal in this book, does not seem to ring true to his demeanor in the media.
Freedom a Novel
by Jonathan Franzen
Brutally long and laborious, I was sicken by the dysfunctional family dynamics and the way they treated each other. Especially the main protagonist; Patty. Such a bitch. Yes, it was well written and did not have a problem in keeping track of everyone. But it was a typical drawn out drama of a family of nasty people. Such a bore.
The Secret, Unlocking The Source of Joy & Fulfillment
by Michael Berg
I think this was a little shallow, basically the essence is to give freely of your own gifts and connect with G-d. It is suppose to be the teachings of the Kabbalah.
Cutting for Stone
by Abraham Verghese
Everything about this books is thoroughly intriguing. All the characters in the book are amazingly interesting. A story of a team of people working and living at a hospital in a war torn and poor country that work feverishly to stay alive and assist others. A nun shows up and has twins as she passes away. The lead doctor vanishes. The twins grow up, work hard themselves and their lives catapult into other dramas.
Sex and The Seasoned Woman by Gail Sheehy
Wow, what an interesting book of information about other women walking around this earth. I am so impressed how so many women who have had their trials and tribulations after decades can keep moving forward in love and work and be fine and complete. I was motivated by this book, by her words and the lives of other women. I have even joined a dating service because I want to leap in my life like many of these case stories. Unlike some women I seem to find that are unhappy and cruel or are pitiful alcoholics.
Little Bee
by Chris Cleve
A best seller this year and I can see why. Again I get a political and history lesson from a novel. More so a current political lesson from news over seas we don't hear about nor do I care to hear during tough times. But these people's tough times are far worse and insane than we American's can imagine.
This is the lives of an English woman and an small African woman brought together by extreme tragedy on a beach in Nigeria.
It is very well written, provocative and quite captivating to read. The two women are the protagonists and with eloquence tell their personal stories of the main event and subsequent their lives as it merges together. It is tragic to the end, but they do emerge to a deep happiness fully felt through the words of this author.
Homecoming by Bernhard Schlink
Wonderfully written story of a man's search for the truth of his birth and his father. Living a life he thought he knew he learns clues from a story he found from his grandparents home an interesting homecoming story of a man and wants to find out the end. The parts of the book he found was just pages used as wrapping paper for some items. There was no ending. Then he finds out that the story may have been written by his own father who really is alive, not deceased as his mother had told him. So well written and descriptive of deep emotions.
Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell
Another fascinating adventure with Dr. Scarpetta in the realm of crime and autopsy. This one was about some little people, their relationship and the girlfriend getting murdered. She was involved with a cop who was a pervert and computer hack.
I got lost in the beginning with all the previous relationship that Scarpetta had with her boyfriend and detective that she had worked with. I should go back and start from the very beginning and enjoy them all.
Lost In The Forest by Sue Miller
Sad story of a woman lost in the forest of her life. About the betrayal of her first husband then the sudden loss of her current husband. It is also about the relationship she has and her husband has with their children. The Napa Valley is the back drop and not all accurate but nicely written.
Again, I did not like the characters very much for how they treated each other.
The Shore Limited by Sue Miller
A story of a woman and her reflections of the loss of her brother in 9/11 plane crash, her relationship with her own husband, an old fling and her brother's girlfriend. The book is of these individual people's lives. Sad for the most part, I did not like as many of the characters in this novel of hers, I did not approve of some of their relationships and selfish feelings. Approve, meaning I thought their positions were like a soap opera, where people interfere with others lives and gossip about it, rather than assisting one another like a feel-good movie.
Steering by Starlight - Find Your Right Life No Matter What!
By Martha Beck
Live while you are alive...
Learn to be what you are in the seed of your spirit
Learn to free yourself from all things that have molded you
And which limit your secret and undiscovered road...
Never forget that love
Requires that you be
The greatest person you are capable of being.
Self-generating and strong and gentle-
Your own hero and star...
Be grateful for life as you live it,
And may a wonderful light
Always guide you along the unfolding road.
The World Below
by Sue Miller
Wonderful story of a woman, her parents lives and her grandparent's lives. Back and forth from the present and the past it was delightful and thought provoking to hear the sensitivities of other times and thoughts.
Much of the story was of the grandfather who was especially touching to me. What a nice man, so generous and utterly reasonable and forgiving. As a man he admitted his faults, and as a doctor he admitted them too. He was the doctor to the mother of his future wife Georgia as her mother died from cancer. Before he courted his wife, he had sent her off to a sanitarian they refer to as the san for T.B. She had an interesting relationship with a young man there who was more seriously ill. I loved the journal this old past life woman wrote, I wish I could do the same thing.
The world below was about the town that may have been below the favorite lake and the world below the protagonist.
or
Get Slightly Famous
by Steven Van Yoder
Full of useful and inspiring information on how to promote one's small business through the internet, media and networking and more. He seems certainly a go getter and motivational to others. I am surprised he is not more famous in and on the internet.
He outlined clear and easy plans to implement in marketing and promoting one's business. I enjoyed the read and am excited about the ideas.
Damage Control
by J.A. Jance
Wow, this was a very good read. All the characters were interesting and the stories within stories were captivating.
The main story was about a woman sheriff and her relationship to her husband, family and staff. The elements of the book was about her solving a bunch of crimes that suddenly occur in their small town. All a mystery and all interesting. It was also about her discovering some family secrets along with the people of the town.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
This books was certainly well written and an interesting subject which was the life of the cells of Henrietta that was taken from her when she was dying of cancer. A cancer her husband gave her. Never the less, the cells went to thousands of scientists for research and it seems some profit making companies have had used the cells to discover some sort of medication.
Body cells were often used of course in research rather than throwing them away. I would not mind if my cells were used in research, the problem I have is when certain corporations make millions from the drug by overcharging patients. Yet this very long winded story was much of the dysfunction of this African American family that was poor and felt abused by the system that took their mother's cells. They fail to accurately blame their damn father for fooling around.
What about the Jewish bodies that were used in research and the Jewish bodies that were killed and the families that got "nothing?"
Linchpin
by Seth Godin
Pack full of inspiring information of life and success in our wold.
Be Remarkable
Be Generous
Create Art
Crossing to Safety
by Wallace Stegner
Marvelous and eloquent writing of the life of an author with the love of his wife and friends. It was about an author and his relationship and how it developed and endured many years and his wife's illness. It was also about their relationship with another couple who are very wealthy and brilliant and their struggles through the years.
It was an in depth and an intimate portrayal of the essence of friends and loves that read eloquently and satisfyingly. A true reason to read a book and escape into other worlds.
The Three Weissmanns of Westport
by Cathleen Schine
A nice story of a older man falling in love with a younger colleague then he leaves his wife high and dry. She had two grown daughters that he helped raise and they are among those he abandons.
Mother and daughters move in together in their cousins home of Westport and work on ironing out some relationships with others and themselves. Rather shallow but entertaining.
