Mitch Albom... the love hate relationship...

Well I just finished 'have a little faith' by Mitch Albom. It was confusing and dry until you hit the middle... then it flowed beautifully. I usually love true stories and I thought this wouldn't be an exception... I give it a 3.5/5. It wasn't my most favourite read but I'd definitely recommend you read it.... just for the insight.

It is inspiring and touching. It's also short, choppy and a little disconnected. I would have liked to know more about I Am My Brother's Keeper Ministries and more about the Reb.

One thing I will say is 10% of proceeds from the book go to a charity "A Hole in the Roof Foundation" Even if you don't buy the book (if your able) you can donate directly on the link above.

This book left me with mixed feelings just like 'five people you meet in heaven'. It was an ok read too.

Push: Sapphire

Push... such a short and phenomenal book!

Incest, rape, neglect, abuse, illiteracy, child-abuse, teen-pregnancy, African-American culture, NYC, welfare, ABE, HIV, AIDS...

these words are all profoundly represented in this novel. I cannot say how much I enjoyed and was disturbed by what was written in those pages. I cannot say I connected with the main character, Precious Jones as none of what happened to her ever happened to me. However, I can empathize with her character from a teacher's POV.

I would recommend this book for everyone who wants a short but meaningful read. It's only 150 pages (or so) but it's really a great read.
I usually read frilly-girly-feelgood stuff. But this was different. I really enjoyed reading this book. I know that it's been made into a movie too. I may watch it at some point. We'll see... but I'll hold this book near and dear as a favourite for some time to come.

Twenties Girl

I just finished another book... Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. It's written with her typical whit and humor. I very much enjoyed the light funniness of it. It wasn't my favourite book by her but I have to admit the thought of having a guardian angel haunt you as a ghost is very funny.

The ending left me wanting more. I can see where she ended it in a way that if she wants to, she can continue on with the story. I would love to hear what happened next. I think it could be a funny 2-3 book series.

I'm now left waiting for her next book to be released. I'm excited about that because it's a new Shopaholic book! I can't wait... I thought the series was done!

I'm also waiting for a couple of Stephenie Meyer books to come to my home... the Host is already released but I pre-ordered it with free shipping so I have to wait for the Bree Tanner book to be released and apparently they'll ship them together.

So if you have a moment, I'd recommend Twenties Girl for a nice laugh this summer!

Twilight - The Graphic Novel

I read Twilight the Graphic Novel Vol 1. I have to say it is the first graphic novel I ever read.

I was never a fan of comic books growing up, but while in University a couple of my Lit courses emphasized the importance of all types of books/media in reading. The graphic novel is/was seen as a way to reach reluctant readers and share more difficult concepts through pictures rather than text.

I thought it was a great read! It really encompasses the love story that is Twilight but certainly captures it in a new light. It took me less than 2 hours to read the whole book, cover to cover. I bet it could be done in an hour but I wanted to appreciate the artwork. Young Kim illustrated the book and I'd imagine chose the text that Stephenie Meyer wrote in the novel that best went with the illustrations.

I look forward to seeing/reading/purchasing the next volumes.... I'd imagine there will be 10-11 more for sure!

Eclipse and Breaking Dawn

All I can say about this entire series is that I'm glad I waited to read them until after they were all published because I would have died waiting for the next books to come out.

I have to say that these books were so good that I read them too quickly. I have a need/desire that I can't explain to re-read the entire series.

I'm so in love with the characters, the ultimate good, the love story that isn't mooshy, just everything about this series radiates great wholesome literature. It's thoughtful storyline is just unbelievable. I'm not a person who enjoyes werewolves and vampires but these books are just simply captivating.

I do have to caution that the first 3 books (Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse) are pretty much pg... but Breaking Dawn is definitely PG 13. There is sex mentioned but no explicit scenes, it's romantic and tasteful but I'm not sure I'd want my 11-yr-old reading it... 12, 13 yeah probably no problem just be aware!


Stephenie Meyer said that she wrote these books for people like herself. She was in her late 20's when she wrote Twilight... it's funny how they are YA Lit but I think it's because they're not graphic and there's no swearing or heavy sexual content at all. They really relate well to a younger audience but I think there's something in here for everyone.









I was going to include the link for the books separate but in my honest opinion, if you're going to buy one book it's just as well to buy the set all at once and enjoy the ride. I really look forward to seeing the movies.

A note of caution, leave your self endless hours to read these books. I read them all in 2 days a piece... that's 8 days for almost 2500 pages! It's a lot of reading... more like reading 7-9 novels rather than 4! I devoured every last morsel of information in them. I have no idea how I'm going to read something different now. But I do have a plan for the rest of this year. I'm going to read a new book and then re-read Twilight... watch the movie and then read a new book. Then I'm going to re-read New Moon and watch the movie and read a new book. Hopefully by that time It'll be June and Eclipse will be in the theatre (Weird Canadian spelling alert lol!). I don't know what I'll do until they make the other movies! Take Care people

Book 2: New Moon

So I finished all 500+ pages of New Moon yesterday... It was great.

The story just keeps evolving and growing. It's heartbreaking and intriguing. I just am totally in love with the characters and progression. Even if I wanted to stop I couldn't now, I'm in too deep.

I wanted to address something that has been boggling my mind for a while now... as a teacher I like to know what other kids are reading... in every class I enter I usually ask what their into now. Last week I was in a grade 4 class where a little girl was reading twilight. I thought about it for a bit and I realized, hey that's probably ok. There's nothing any scarier than a Goosebumps plot in the book and the sex is non-existent. There's a few passionate kisses but they're sweetly implied and not in your face scenes. I think Harry Potter is more explicit!!

But, I'm still not sure the mind of a 10-year-old can fully understand and appreciate the storyline that the Twilight saga entails. But then I think they get what they want out of the book... it's a great read and when they read it again next year (because this is a book you'll want to read again and again) they'll get more and more out of it as they mature.

I think this is a series you can share with your Tween. To read them together would be extra special.

I've gone ahead and ordered the last two books in the saga and am waiting for them to arrive from Chapters. I have a discount card from there so it's great. I really didn't want to wait for them to come in the mail but Wal-Mart didn't have any copies and neither did the second hand bookstore, that's the only options in this small town.

So my next piece of advice... go get yourself into the Twilight books... New Moon was awesome. Werewolves and Vampires are such a great mix, I can't wait to read the third and fourth books. So the waiting on Canada Post game starts now... I've already got the shipping confirmation.


I also had the pleasure of reading the Midnight Sun manuscript from Stephenie Meyer's website.

There's almost 300 pages of the Twilight book from Edward's perspective. It was leaked onto the internet in 2008 and Stephenie didn't finish writing the book. She has posted the first 11 chapters which are phenomenal. I hope that she someday finds the inspiration to finish the book as I very much enjoyed the first 11 chapters. Also this is a great way for you to get into the Twilight books before buying them. If you read that much and are intrigued then you know you'll love the others too.

I've added this as a finish for 2010 as it was beyond 250 pages so it clearly is a novella in it's own right.

I don't know what I'm going to do until the other books get here! I may just skim through the first two again and re-read the middle sections to make sure I haven't missed anything.

Twilight

Well holy sweet-bakeapple-jesus! That's a Newfoundland saying for I cannot believe what just happened.

I DEVOURED THIS BOOK! I read for no less than 2 hours at a time. I'm addicted to this series like addicts are to their drug of choice. This may be classified as a book for "young readers" but I cannot think of a single reason why anyone wouldn't like this book, even men. It is a love story but it's also so much more. I usually hate books about vampires and scary/harry things but this one is vastly different.

I cannot encourage you enough to read this book if you haven't already.

I finished Twilight last night and I'm already 100 pages into the second book. This is soon going to be a problem because I only own the first two... this means I'm going to have to buy the last two very soon. I've already checked out the prices at chapters and I think on pay day I'll be placing the order!

Enjoy!

First finish for 2010!

Finally, I've finished "Uphill all the Way" by Sue Moorcroft. I loved this book. Although it's dry in parts the story reads really well. There were a few places that were short and choppy and I actually wondered if the story was missing a line in print but I think that may have something to do with my reading late at night :) It feels really good to finish this one as I started it in November! I can't remember the last time it too me so long to read a book!

I give this book a 4/5 and would definately read it again. I bought it at a secondhand store and it really was a good buy. I've looked on chapters.ca and found this picutre for you so you know what the cover is like.

This book is about a middle aged woman who is divorced, moves to Malta to work with her uncle and family. Falls in love with a local man (in a place where there is no divorce even if you're separated!)... he has a tragic accident and loses his memory. His family freaks out, blames her for the accident and she goes back home. There she discovers her ex is still an arse-hole, and her step-son (who's mother is dead and knows only her as Mum) has a teenaged girl "preggers". This is a story about preservation and will. It has many many downs and even a few ups....

I'd read it again, so check your local library for a copy... I think it'll be hard to find a copy to buy!

I've done something now that I didn't think I'd do... I've started reading Twilight... we'll see how that goes! Hopefully a little faster than the last one... although it's nearly 500pages long... usually the books I read are 300-400... it's quite a bit more :)

Happy Reading!

2009 Clue-up...

Well I read a lot in 2009 but with December being so busy I have yet to finish the next book "Uphill all the Way"

It'll be my first book for 2010!

I look forward to reading a lot this year... Currently I have 7 novels here to read and I've left 5 in St. John's for this summer.

I'm hoping to have about 20 books read this year... that's 1-2 per month and a comfortable pace for me.

Some books on my list for this year are

Twilight

New Moon

Under the Tuscon Sun

The Kite Runner

and I forget the rest! SO's parents gave me Twilight and New Moon for Christmas. I hope that I like them. Most of the other books I buy at second hand stores for $5-6 each or at Chapters.ca where I have a discount card.

I'm looking forward to buying/recieving some books this year too...

Twenty's Girl - Sophie Kinsella

Baby Proof - Emily Giffin

I hear that Giffin has a new book arriving in May as well, so I'm sure that'll be added to my list as a must read...

Any suggestions for great reads are always appreciated! Until the next update... Happy Reading!