Book #21 Dear John

I am not usually a Nicholas Sparks reader, but I had kinda wanted to see the movie Dear John. I try not to see movies before I read the books, so of course I set out over the weekend to read it. I like that Nicholas Sparks' are easy reads, and I generally can finish them in two days or less which was the case with this book as well.

I must say, however, that I wasn't a big fan of this story. It wasn't that the plot wasn't interesting. I enjoyed the overall story line, but I felt like Sparks broke the cardinal creative writing rule: show, don't tell. He TOLD this entire book. I think part of the "telling" stems from the fact that we don't really know what happened over in Iraq. The imagination can only go so far.

I have another Sparks' novel that someone gave me, and I'm thinking about reading it, but I might wait a few weeks. His books are so depressing.

29 books to go! I don't know if I'll be able to meet my goal this year, but I'll keep chuggin' on!

Books 18, 19, & 20

I am not entirely sure I will make my reading goal this year. Working sucks out all my energy so that when I return home in the evenings all I want to do is pass out cold on the couch. I have, however, made time to read these books:

18: Walk Two Moons. I read this last year with my sixth graders and really enjoyed it, so I decided my 6th grade class this year would read it as well.

19. Eat, Pray, Love. I must admit, I am not inspired to do anything by this book. I know Liz's travels have really helped/inspired/encouraged other women to do something with their lives, but I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I'm content. I also find her to be unflinchingly selfish at times, but I must say that I do enjoy her writing style. I think she is quite funny. I've got forty pages left, and I plan on finishing the book this morning. (What's my word that describes me? Present. As in I live in the Present. I don't think much on the past, and I don't worry much on the future. I'm in the present.)

20. Choosing Gratitude. I'm about to embark on this book as soon as it arrives from Amazon. We've decided to read this for the next book club. I'm going to go ahead and say I've read it now because I am going to read it, and then I'll tell you about it when I finish.

Alright, that's all in the land of books today. Happy reading!

Book # 12 : I am One of You Forver

Fred Chappell's novel, I Am One of You Forever, is a a book that will stay with you forever. You will laugh and you will cry. The story is about about a young boy, Jess, growing up in the Appalachian mountains. Jess lives with his father, a trickster if there ever was one, his mother, and grandmother. They live on a large farm, where work is plenty. Hoping to get some help, the grandmother sends off to an orphanage for a young man who can help around the farm.

At first, Jess's father and the new man don't get along, but their relationship quickly changes as they find a common bond: trickery and humor. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing throughout the first few chapters. So much of the story reminded me of my own family, specifically exaggerating situations for the effect of a laugh.

I did warn you earlier the story will also make you cry. An important member of the family dies leaving the remainder of the family to mourn in silence. The most elegant chapter of the book is when Jess describes the grief he feels. He is unable to talk about it with any of his family members, nor are they able to talk about the death with him, yet he recognizes grief is in every corner of the house; it's inescapable, and it affects everyone.

I highly recommend Chappell's novel. At only 185 pages long, you'll find yourself wishing this tender story to continue.

Book # 7 : The Help

While everyone else has been up in arms over the health care debate, I've had my head stuck in a fantastic book called The Help.

Run. Run as fast as you can to the nearest book store and BUY. THIS. BOOK. In fact, buy two copies. Give one to a friend or neighbor.

I was immediately swept up into the world of these ladies. I thought the characters were more than well rounded: I felt like I was in the room with them, like I was a confidant they called during the night to share secrets.

Seriously though, I don't want to tell you much about the plot because I think you just need to read it for yourself. I know this is a book that will stay with me for weeks, months, even years.

Let's hope this new author writes a second book and soon!

Finished Book # 7

I finished reading Honk and Holler Opening Soon about ten minutes ago. A thumb and a half up.

Now, I don't know what you've read by Billie Letts, but I have to say I enjoyed Where the Heart Is just a little bit more than this book. I found the characters in WTHI to be a little more believable. I guess I'm naive, or maybe I just don't know that many homeless people, but my gosh! A flock of homeless people drift into this poor Caney's life. I mean, the man is in a wheelchair, running a restaurant, dealing with his Vietnam depression and he's supposed to take care of all these drifters? Unbelievable.

However, maybe the message of the novel is that the good ol' USofA is still a country of drifting, no-home nobodies. The one bond all these characters have in common is their lack of family. I mean Vena has no one except for a three legged dog. Ms. Ho (ha!) has a dead husband and a vagrant for a daughter, and poor lovable Bui has a wife that is continents away. Getting bogged down in their own troubles could be easy for these characters. Instead, they choose to meld together a makeshift family. They're of different races, different cultures, different religions, but they manage to put aside those differences for the good of the soul (because let me tell you, family is what it is all about).

You don't have to be with your biological family to be complete. I've always believed (and maybe because my mom died when I was young) that friends are the family you get to choose. If you fill your life with people who care about you and who love you, then you've made a family even if you don't share the same parents or crazy aunt.

Read this book.

Books I've read so far this year

1. The Handmaid's Tale
2. Total Money Makeover
3. Her Fearful Symmetry
4. Revolutionary Road
5. Women and Money
6.Push
7. Honk and Holler Opening Soon
8. The Help
9. Behind Rebel Lines
10. Crash
11. Suite Francaise
12. I am One of You Forever
13. Eclipse (re-read before the movie)
14. Breaking Dawn (re-read)
15. What to Expect Before You're Expecting (Don't read too much into this. We're still waiting for awhile, but I want to be on top of my baby making game when the time comes.)
16. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (don't judge me. I love Twilight.)
17. The Last Girls
18. Walk Two Moons (reading this with my 6th graders)
19. Eat Pray Love
20. Choosing Gratitude
21. The Christian Atheist
22. Dear John
23. Secrets of the Fire King
24. Harry Potter # 1 (first time read)
25. Harry Potter # 2
26. Angels and Demons
27. Harry Potter # 3
28. Harry Potter # 4
29. Harry Potter # 5
30. Harry Potter #6

Total Money Makeover (ie book # 2 in 2010)

I went on my weekly library trip and picked up Total Money Makeover. I chat on a forum that had recommended this book awhile back, and I've been meaning to read it ever since. Unfortunately, the book was checked out the last time I went, but luckily the person turned it back in (sometimes library patrons keep books FOREVER).

Anyway, I sat down on my couch at one yesterday and proceeded to read the entire book. Everything he says is so common sense, but I guess I never looked at money the way he does. The hubs and I talked about it, and we're going to be more aggressive with paying down our debt (we were already pretty aggressive, but it looked like it would take us ten years to pay it off!). Unlike a lot of the couples in the book, we only have debt in the form of my student loans. Mr. J and I decided early on that credit cards were not for us. Unfortunately, I racked up a good amount of SL debt to the tune of $47,500 (actually a little more if you count my Perkins loan, but once I teach for two consecutive years this will be forgiven). Paying off that debt will feel amazing. We'll have my whole salary to do with what we want (ie save, invest, blow, give). I tried to convince Wookie that we should deplete our savings to pay down the loan (Ramsey suggests keeping on $1000 in an efund while paying down debt), but he was not on board. He wasn't willing to give up his safety net. So it might take us a little longer to pay down the debt than most folk (probably three and a half years), but that is so much better than the 10 years we were planning on.

And here is a secret: We really want to start trying for a baby in three-four years, so paying off this debt would be a great thing to do before then. We could buy baby furniture and so forth without the guilt.

I guess the take home message I got from this book is that any kind of debt is bad. You do not have to take on debt to have things in life. Instead of getting everything now, now, now you can delay the gratification a few months or years and buy things without strapping yourself financially. I suggest this book if you have some debt that has been riding on your shoulder.

Just finished my 60th book for this year!

I wasn't sure if I could go it what with work and all, but I did. Today I finished my 60th book which is fitting seeing that it's the last day of 2009. Close one, but I knew I could deliver. My last book was The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I'll be reading it with my students when I get back to work, so I thought I should have a head start.

I'd like to thank the public library. If it wasn't for PCLIBS, I would be a broke joker.
I'd also like to thank my hubs who is an avid gamer. Final Fantasty 60001 kept him occupied and gave me lots of free reading time :)
and finally to my Nest book club friends who cheered me on and gave me new reading material.

I think I may have a smaller reading goal for myself next year since one of my New Year's resolutions is to get out of the house more, but I think I'll aim for 50 (or about a book a week). My first read of the 2010 will be The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I've been aching to read this book for ages, and I finally have the time to do it. Next, I will read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. I absolutely loved her novel The Time Traveler's Wife. I can't wait to read the new book.

In 2010, I'm starting my own real life book club. We're going to meet once a month starting in January (if I can get everyone on board).

Happy readings!