30 Days of Books Day 7: A Book That Makes You Laugh

Well this post is a long time coming! Between work and wedding planning, my schedule has been a bit crazy.  And then trying to think of a book that makes me laugh was tough. The book that immediately came to mind was Plum Island, but having already done a post about it I couldn't do another one. While the book itself isn't overly funny there were definitely moments where I did LOL because John Corey is one sarcastic SOB. 
 So now to think of a different book.  I read so many books that it's hard for me to keep them all straight.  That was the whole point of me starting this blog.  I'm sure I have read a book relatively recently that made me laugh.  But for the life of me I can't think of one.  Then I remembered a book I read to a 2nd grade class when I was substituting.  I know I normally stick to "adult books".  But children's books are FUNNY!  And for good reason too.  How are you going to get kids to start reading if you bombard them with sadness or other unpleasant emotions?  You have to give them a reason to look forward to picking up books.  And making them laugh is an excellent way to make reading fun!
So the great literary masterpiece that made me laugh in front of a 2nd grade class?  

 Yes, a book about nose picking.  Why did I read this to a group of 7-year-olds? Because we were stuck inside for indoor recess and they asked me to.  When the alternative is having them destroy a classroom, of course I will read an innocent book about nose picking!  
The gist of this book is that Richard gets his finger stuck in his nose.  Eventually he turns himself inside out, into a giant booger, that rolls out of his house and around town.  He picks up all sorts of things on his sticky journey around town.  But does he learn his lesson about nose picking?  I'll leave that for you to find out.
I know, its absolutely disgusting. But 2nd graders love it.  And come on, why wouldn't they?  2nd graders, especially 2nd grade boys, love gross things.  Farts, boogers, burps, blood- these are a few of their favorite things.  If I can entertain a 2nd grade class with a book that makes them realize reading is fun and entertaining I will gladly do it again in a heartbeat.
Books like this are what got me to love reading. Not EXACTLY like this.  But books that made me laugh and want to show my friends are how I became the passionate reader I am today.  Even now, if a book makes me laugh or is fantastic I share it with anyone who will listen (or read about it on the internet).  So why not write a book geared toward children about a topic children find absolutely hilarious in order to get them to realize reading is fun?  I think it's a genius idea!  Way to go Carolyn Beck!
If you a have 2nd grader, or a child around that age, and think you can make it through this book without cringing in disgust, I highly recommend picking it up from the library and giving it a read. I guarantee they will love it!
I already have a plan for Day 8 so hopefully there won't be as much of a delay between posts.  Until then,

Happy Reading!

The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

Have you ever read a book cover to cover and spent the entire time trying to decide if you like the book or not?  Typically I give a book a few chapters and if it hasn't grabbed my attention by then I give up on it.  If you can't draw me in after 75 or so pages I really don't feel like you deserve my time.  Maybe that's harsh, but I have too many books on my TBR list and not enough time so I have to draw the line somewhere.  But for some reason, despite The Imposter Bride being somewhat hard to follow and boring at times, I kept reading.   So what made this book worth reading?  Why did I want to give up on it, but instead persevered and finished it?  Let's dive in.

In The Imposter Bride we are introduced to Lily Azerov.  Lily is a Jewish refuge who escaped to Canada after WWII. She comes to Canada after accepting the proposal of Sol Kramer, whom she has never met.  When she gets off the train Sol takes back his proposal.  Feeling pressure from the family friend who arranged the marriage, Nathan, Sol's brother, steps up to the plate and offers to marry Lily. But "Lily" isn't who she claims to be. She would have gotten away with it except for the fact that the actual Lily has family living in Montreal.  They got word that Lily is getting married and show up, uninvited, to the wedding. In the weeks after the wedding "Lily" meets the family of the girl whose life she has taken over.  They decide to keep her secret, but the guilt finally gets to "Lily".  "Lily" tells her secret to Bella, her mother-in-law, and then eventually to Nathan. Finally the guilt becomes too much and "Lily" leaves Nathan and their newborn daughter Ruthie. 

 Ruthie spends much of her childhood wondering why her mother took off when Ruthie was just a baby.  Her curiosity increases when she begins to get random deliveries of rocks and stones from the mother she has never met. Aside from 2 journals Nathan kept of "Lily's" the rocks are the only clue Ruthie has as to who her mother is.  No one in Ruthie's family has explained why her mother left, or even that her mother is not Lily Azerov  As Ruthie gets older she decides she wants to find the mother she never knew.  Finally Bella reveals that Ruthie's attempts to search the phone books might be in vain as "Lily Azerov Kramer" may be going by her birth name, not the name she assumed after the war.  Ruthie is hurt that no one in her family shared this vital piece of information, and even more hurt that the reality of finding her mother may never come to pass.  

The story sounds pretty good, right? Lots of mystery, a good plot, so why didn't this book grab me from the get go??  I think I have narrowed it down.  The author jumps around a LOT chronologically.  This doesn't normally bother me.  But NORMALLY authors include at least a year at the beginning of each chapter so that readers know "oh hey now we are going back to when Lily and Nathan were first married" and "Oh now we are back to Ruthie and now she is in high school". But not in this book.  Granted I was able to figure out pretty quickly what was going on.  But sometimes it took a paragraph or 2.  And what REALLY threw me off was when the author decided to throw in a few chapters told from Elka's point of view. (Elka is Ruthie's aunt and one of the relatives of the real Lily Azerov). Then there was REALLY no context as to what was going on.  I feel like I spent more time than I should have trying to figure out what was going on.  I think there was an easy way to prevent that from happening, which is more frustrating.  A simple "Ruth, 1976" at the top of a chapter would have gone a LONG way. 

There were also some unresolved questions: why did "Lily" send Ruthie rocks? What's the significance? Why didn't "Lily" ever write in the notebook she purchased? Why did "Lily" really leave Ruthie and Nathan?  While we get glimpses at these answers readers they are never fully answered.  While the story is a good one, and I don't regret reading this, I don't know that I would recommend it to others, or say it's a must read.  It was good, but confusing.  The characters are likable, but you don't fall in love with them.  It's just an "OK" book.  Nothing fantastic, just kind of eh.

So how long do you stick with a book before you give up and move on to the next?  How do you know a book just isn't going to pull you in?  I'd love to know!

Until next time,

HAPPY READING!

Wine Isn't Rocket Science

Hello everyone,

We are taking another break from the "30 Days" challenge to feature another book I have recently finished: Wine Isn't Rocket Science.  This book took me a while to finish.  Not because it isn't good, but because it's more informative and not exactly a book you read for the great story line.  But I still loved it.  

There is a bit of background information required before I dive in to a summary of the book.  Even after I starting consuming alcohol wine was not my first choice.  I started out with the girly mixed drinks.  Then I discovered whisky and found that I really liked that.  I would drink beer occasionally.  But wine was never something I was interested in.  Then I met John.  Or, more accurately, I met John's family.  John's family LOVES wine.  3-4 bottles of wine disappear at even a small family gathering.  When we all get together it's an easy feat for us to go through 7+ bottles.  It was only a matter of time before I started drinking the stuff.  And once I started there was no turning back. It's not just the wine that I love.  I love the history of wine. I love watching documentaries about vineyards and wineries. I love learning about sommeliers and how they are able to identify a wine down to the mile of where the grape was grown. Everything about wine is interesting to me.  I have fallen in love and there is no turning back.

Over the summer I watched a few documentaries about wine on Netflix. While watching one about Napa Valley I had a stroke of genius.  I won't go in to details (don't want anyone stealing my brilliant idea) but I have a new business venture that I am so excited about. It combines 2 of my favorite things, 2 things I am incredibly passionate about.   I don't know when this will happen, or if it ever will, but just the thought that it could happen makes me so excited for the future.

So how did I end up with a book about wine? My mom came out for a visit in November.  She spent a week helping me get some wedding planning done.  We found a hotel for our out of town guests, searched every craft store in CT for materials for centerpieces, found a wedding dress, and found rehearsal dinner dresses.  We got a lot accomplished.  But no visit with Mom would be complete without a trip to the bookstore.  So off to Barnes & Noble we went.  Mom and I browsed the clearance section, which was conveniently located next to the food/beverage section.  I turned around to find a shelf full of books about wine. Wine Isn't Rocket Science stood out to me because of the purple cover and the catchy title.  I had been wanting to learn more about wine and here was a book that made the study of wine seem a little less intimidating. 

 I chose Wine Isn't Rocket Science over all of the other books for a few different reasons: 1. It has pictures!  And diagrams.  And charts.  Basically for a topic that I don't know a ton about, the pictures really help.  2. The format of the book is very easy to understand.  The book is broken up into various sections, including regions of wine, how to conduct a wine tasting, how to choose wine, and how to pair wine with food. 3.  The language is easy to read.  Wine tasting is a very complex art.  This book breaks wine tasting down to a very simple formula. I am by no means an expert after reading this book, but I definitely learned a lot!  If you want to learn the basics about wine this is a great book.

I'm excited to read more about wine.  It's a topic I have fallen in love with and I don't want this journey to stop any time soon. I have a few other books I want to check out about my new favorite topic. I will be sure to keep you posted on what I learn about my favorite adult beverage.

Until next time, 

Happy Reading!

30 Days of Books Day 6: A book that makes you sad

Hello everyone!

I haven't had a lot of time to post the past couple of weeks.  I tend to write posts while at my second job, but it's been so busy there I haven't had a chance to write in a bit.  At least I'm not bored at work, right?  Not having time to post gave me time to think about a book that makes me sad.  This is another tough one. It's not that I haven't read sad books because I definitely have.  But while books may be sad, MOST of them have happy endings.  I don't always remember if a book was sad if it ends on a happy note. So it's been a struggle to think of a "sad" book.

There is definitely an author that stands out in my mind as one who writes "sad" books is Jodi Piccoult.  Maybe I shouldn't say "sad", but emotional, or books that tug at the heartstrings. It's been a while since I've read one, but every time I do I feel like I get emotional.  One book that really stood out to me was Nineteen Minutes. It could be because of very recent events, but I've been thinking about this book a lot lately.

It's been a few years since I've read this book, so the details are pretty hazy.  But I'll give this my best shot. Alex is a judge that is assigned to the case of a school shooting.  Alex's daughter Josie is a victim of the shooting.  Her boyfriend is killed in front of her. We also learn that Josie used to be friends with the shooter when they were younger.  Josie would make a great witness, except for the fact that she claims she can't remember anything that happened in the moments leading up to her boyfriends death. Alex has to decide if she should take this HUGE case and risk forever ruining her relationship with her daughter or put her career aside for the sake of her daughter. I don't remember all of the details, but I remember being emotionally invested in ALL of the characters, including the shooter.

I am trying really hard to not get too political with this post.  It infuriates me that school shootings happen as often as they do.  It makes me so sad that the shooters feel there is no course of action left except shooting a school (or mall, church, etc).  Something needs to change.  I am not going to profess to know what needs to change, but SOMETHING has to!

Sorry for such a short post!  I know I tend to express myself a bit better, but it's been so long since I've read this book!  That, combined with not wanting to express my political views on such a hot topic is leading me to cut this short.  I have a few posts I need to write as I have finished 2 books and am on my way to finishing a 3rd. So while there might not be a lot of content to this post, there will be lots of posts headed your way!

Until then Happy Reading!!!

30 Day Challenge, Day 5: A book that makes you happy

Hi Everyone!

I apologize for the delay in this post!  I really had to think for today's topic.  Not because I couldn't think of a book that makes me happy.  It's quite the opposite problem actually.  ALL books make me happy, or at least MOST books. So how do I choose ONE book to write about?  I spent all week trying to decide what book I would write about.  I finally narrowed it down and am ready to roll.

In general all of Jane Austen's books make me pretty happy. They take me a bit longer to read, but the stories are so good.  They are the book equivalent of chick flicks, which then became actual chick flicks when Hollywood turned them in to movies.  I won't lie, my experience with Jane Austen began by watching Pride and Prejudice (the 6 hour version) in English my senior year of high school. But it got me hooked on Jane Austen and her style.  I then watched Emma, and finally decided it was probably time for me to read the books I loved as movies.  There is one story that I think I love just a bit more than the others.  It's not overly sad and it definitely ends on a happy note.  The book I have chosen as a book that makes me happy is. . .

Emma is probably my favorite of Jane Austen's books.  My actual first exposure to this story line was with the movie Clueless, which is loosely based off of Emma.  I LOVED Clueless when I was younger, and still do.  After watching Clueless and Emma I knew I had to see what the movies left out.  The book, as per usual, is so much better.  It just makes me happy.

For those of you who have never read Emma, watched the movie, or watched Clueless, here is a bit of a summary.  Emma Woodhouse is a young lady who fancies herself a matchmaker. The book opens on Emma attending the wedding of her former governess Ms. Taylor, whom Emma has matched up with Mr. Weston.  When Emma returns home from the wedding she gets to work on her next matchmaking quest: matching her new friend Harriet with Mr. Elton.  This isn't as simple as Emma hopes.  Harriet has her eyes on farmer Robert Martin and Mr. Elton has his eyes on Emma. Emma convinces Harriet that Mr. Elton is a better match for her than a farmer but this ends up going horribly wrong.  When Mr. Elton "makes the moves" on Emma, she rejects him and Mr. Elton retreats to Bath.  When he returns, Harriet is heartbroken to learn that he has returned with a wife.

Things get more interesting when both Frank Churchill, Mr Weston's son, and Jane Fairfax come to town.  Mr. Knightly, a dear friend of Emma's, warns her that Frank is bad news.  But, as Emma quickly learns, the heart wants what the heart wants and she finds herself falling for Frank.  Without giving too much more away, heartbreak is in store, but everyone ends up in love and happier than Emma could have hoped.

There are a few reasons why I choose this book as a book that makes me happy.  Emma wants her friends to be happy.  She isn't the best at listening to what would make them happy, but I believe her heart is in the right place.  There also isn't a horrible tragedy in this book.  Yes there are broken hearts and hurt feelings.  But there are no deaths, injuries, or other horrible events.  Emma and her friends are normal, young adults living their lives.  Heartbreak and hurt feelings happen, and happened 200 years ago when this book was written.   The aspect of this story that really seals the deal as a book that makes me happy is that there are happily ever afters for all of the "main" characters. Everyone gets what they want, finds loves, and ends up happy.  How can you go wrong with a story that ends so happy?  And the fact that the journey isn't full of tragedy makes it that much better.  This is just a feel good story all the way around.  And, in my opinion, makes this a happy book.

30 Day Book Challenge Day 4: Favorite Book of Your Favorite Series

Hi Everyone!

We are back with the next day in the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Today is "favorite book of your favorite series".  As previously discussed, Harry Potter is my all time favorite series.  After writing the post on Tuesday, and finishing Up Country on Wednesday, I decided now was a good time to start the series over again.  The Sorcerer's Stone always starts out slow for me.  Until  Harry gets to Diagon Alley I have a hard time.  But I'm past the Dursley's and am officially at Hogwarts.  So it's all smooth sailing from there. 

In high school I remember having discussions about everyone's favorite Harry Potter book.  Let's be real, they are ALL great.  It is pretty hard to choose just one.  I remember everyone choosing Prisoner of Azkaban.  And I didn't get it.  Not that I don't love that book.  Yes, we meet Sirius Black. Yes you spend the entire book thinking his is a really bad dude out to get Harry for his buddy Voldemort.  And then there is the crazy plot twist where "innocent" Scabbers turns out to be the real bad guy.  And there is a professor that is a werewolf.  All very cool.  But it was never my FAVORITE.  My favorite is. . .

I've always loved getting to this point in the series. All of the challenges are just fun to read about.  Come on, stealing an egg from a dragon!  Fighting mermaids for your best friend!  And then a creepy maze with all sorts of mini challenges along the way.  All very cool. You also are trying to figure out how exactly Harry's name got in the Goblet of Fire.  Who at Hogwarts (or the other schools) wants Harry to die (as that was most likely going to be his fate, except he's Harry so we know that couldn't happen)?  I also love that a Hufflepuff is selected as the Hogwarts Champion, and that he proves why Hufflepuff's are awesome.  It's such a shame that Cedric had to encounter the fate he did. And guys, I'm gonna say it.  I kind of like that Voldemort returns for real at the end of the book . Not because I think Voldemort is great.  But because now Harry has a real enemy to face. This guy has been haunting him for his whole life and sending other people to do his dirty work.  Now Voldemort is back and Harry has a tangible enemy to go after instead of just the idea of someone that may or may not be alive.  I also like that, in my opinion, Goblet of Fire is when the books are less "childish" and more grown up.  Harry is getting older and the challenges he encounters are getting more "adult".  J.K. Rowling wrote for her audience, and her audience was getting older too. Goblet of Fire felt less like a kid's book and more appropriate for a teenager (and now almost 30 year old) to read.

It's hard to put in to words why a book is your favorite.  I just know that when I read it I can't put it down.  I thoroughly enjoy this book, and enjoy it just a little bit more than the others.  So there you have it.

I need some help.  Do I read Harry Potter exclusively or do I try and read another book as well?  This is always my problem when I approach reading Harry Potter.  I don't need to focus on the books as much because I've read them 4687078676305676029027502 times (a slight exaggerration, but I've read them A LOT.  I can't even count how many times, but probably at least 20).  If so, what should I read?  Let me know what I should do!

Until next time,

Happy Reading

Up Country by Nelson DeMille

Hey everyone,

We are taking a break from the 30 Day book challenge to discuss a book I have recently finished.  The reason I started this blog was to keep track of the books I have read and let my friends, family, and fellow readers know whether or not I actually liked what I've been reading.  So having finished a book last night, I figured I should post about it.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I've been reading a lot of Nelson DeMille books lately.  I started with Plum Island, read a bunch of books in that series, and then was told by Jack (future Father-in-Law) that I should really read Up Country.  I was prepared to jump right in to Up Country but then I found out that  a "prequel" exists.  I don't know what it is, but there is something that keeps me from reading a book if I know another book comes first.  Did I have to read The Generals Daughter before Up Country to know what was going on?  Absolutely not.  The only thing these 2 books share is the same main character.  There are a couple of other characters that are in the 2 books, but they aren't  big enough players in Up Country to really contribute to the story.  But I just couldn't bring myself to read Up Country until finishing  The General's Daughter.  I won't take the time to summarize The General's Daughter.  I will say it has probably been my least favorite of Nelson DeMille's books, but still good.  Anyways. . . on to Up Country.


Up Country follows Paul Brenner, who you meet in The General's Daughter.  Paul has recently retired from the Army, where he worked as a CID agent.  Don't know what a CID agent does?  Basically he investigates crimes within the Army.  Paul is trying to settle into retired life when his former boss Karl requests a meeting at the Vietnam Memorial. At their meetup Karl and Paul discuss their time serving in Vietnam and then Karl presents Paul with one last case: investigate a murder that took place 30 years ago during the war.  Paul isn't sure if he wants to accept the offer, and if he does, how he would even begin to solve this thing.  How do you solve a murder investigation when the only witness to the crime is a former North Vietnam soldier who might not even be alive?  If Paul does find this guy alive, why would "the enemy" offer any information?  Does Paul even want to return to a country that holds a lot of awful memories for him?  Paul agrees to go and has the quite the adventure trying to solve this case.  Along the way he meets Susan, an American who lives in Vietnam and was brought in to the case to serve as a translator and guide.  He also catches the attention of Colonel Mang, a Vietnamese cop that has it out for Paul from the moment Paul steps off the plane.  Susan helps Paul establish a cover as a tourist, but Colonel Mang isn't buying it.  He doesn't know what Paul is up to, but he won't rest until he finds out.  When Paul finally finds the one witness to this 30 year old murder, he isn't happy with what he finds out and has to decide what he is going to do with the truth.

I liked Up Country.  It's not my favorite, but it was good.  I think it was a little harder for me to relate to because I wasn't alive during The Vietnam War.  Even though I studied US History in school, my knowledge of that particular war is very slim.  Despite not being able to relate to Paul as he is visiting old battle grounds and reliving some of the toughest times in his life, the story itself is good.  There is action, adventure, and even a little romance.  I was maybe halfway through the book when I met up with Jack and told him I was reading it.  He again told me how great it was, but then said "The ending is disappointing".  I wasn't sure what to think of that.  Do I stop half way through?  The answer to that question most of the time is "No".  If I've already read 400 pages, I'm not giving up!  So I charged on and, I have to say, the ending does leave something to be desired.  I'm hoping that DeMille ended it the way he did to maybe, eventually write a sequel.  The ending does leave some questions unanswered.  To put my mind at ease I am assuming there will be a follow up to Up Country at some point.  I'm probably wrong, but thinking this way at least makes me feel better.

I will return to my 30 Days challenge tomorrow.  Until then Happy Reading!