Lynne's Book Reviews

Review: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 16:11:00 +0000

Author: Greg McKeown

Genre: Non-fiction (2014)

Descriptive Words: Learn to set boundaries; discern what is essential; eliminate the trivial; say no, gracefully; live with intent

"If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will."

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5

Thoughts : I'm quite selective when it comes to book review requests, accepting only those with topics I'm highly interested in (patting self on back), so another rave review is hardly surprising.

Although I thought this book, listed under Business & Economics, would be aimed more towards those in the corporate world as opposed to me, a homemaker, such was not the case. The author provided a fabulous balance between specific business situations and general everyday situations, so everyone (even homemakers) could benefit from the tips and advice. Most importantly, not only does the author tell what to do, he tells how.

My favorite chapter was DARE: The Power of a Graceful 'No.' These sentences spoke to me: "Have you ever felt a tension between what you felt was right and what someone was pressuring you to do? Have you ever felt the conflict between your internal conviction and an external action? Have you ever said yes when you meant no simply to avoid conflict or friction? Have you ever felt too scared or timid to turn down an invitation or request from a boss, colleague, friend, neighbor, or family member for fear of disappointing them? If you have, you're not alone." This chapter alone was reason enough to read the book.

Other favorite chapters:

Progress (the power of small wins)
Subtract (removing obstacles)
Limit (setting boundaries)
Flow (the importance of routines)

I reserve 5-star ratings for books I finish in a day or two; i.e. those I can't put down, for which I've yet to find a Personal Success/Self-Help book that qualifies. Other than that, though, I give it 4 1/2 stars and plan to read it again. Highly recommend.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The 39 Books I've Read So Far This Year

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 17:23:00 +0000

For the past few years I've kept track of the number of books I've read. In 2010 I read 145 books; in 2011, 58; and in 2012, 42. The decrease is directly correlated to volunteering at Stray Rescue, which I started late in 2010. It's all good, though. I love the pups!

Titles, ratings and blurbs of the books I've read so far this year:

1. Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness ~ Chris Williams / Memoir 3.5 / 5 : In 2007, a father of four loses his wife, unborn baby, 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter when they were killed by a 17-year-old drunk driver. Story of healing and forgiveness.

2. Dancing Dogs ~ Jon Katz 4/5 : Sixteen short stories about dogs and the humans who love them.

3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail~ Cheryl Strayed / Memoir 4/5 : A 22-year-old woman dealing with her mother’s death, crumbling marriage and dysfunctional family impulsively decides to hike 1,100 miles the Pacific Crest Trail…alone.

4. Bloom ~ Kelle Hampton / Memoir 4/5 : Kelle Hampton, ecstatic about the impending birth of her second child, appears to have the perfect life: a loving husband beautiful 2-year-old daughter and a thriving photography career. But when her newborn daughter is placed in her arms in the delivery room, Kelle knows something is wrong. The celebration among her family and friends turns subdued as it’s soon confirmed that the baby has Down syndrome. A story of realization of being given an extraordinary and special gift.

5. The Orphan Trains ~ Kristin Johnson 5/5 : From 1855 to 1930, 250,000 children from New York, orphaned due to poverty and families’ inability to care for them, were placed on trains to foster homes in other U.S. cities in hopes of a better life. Charles Loring Brace, a young minister, was behind the Orphan Train Movement and what was the beginning of the foster care system we know today. Well written and researched, this educational book includes many newspaper clips and pictures.

6. 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life ~ Joyce Meyer 4/5 : Practical and easy ideas for balancing work, family, friends by exercising faith rather than doubt and confidence rather than people-pleasing. We’re reminded that the bible is full of examples of God's provision and His instruction to focus on one day at a time. We don't have to do, fix, or manage everything.

• Live to glorify God   • Let go of what lies behind   • Choose your battles   • Don't be afraid of what people think   • Trust God to change other people   • Live with margin   • Don't be so hard on yourself   • Stop doing things you don't do well   • Remember that God is for you.

7. The Devil in Pew Number Seven ~ Rebecca Nichols Alonso / Memoir 4/5 : In 1969, Rebecca’s father moved the family to Sellerstown, North Carolina where he would serve as a pastor. He is welcomed into the small community by everyone except one church member. This controlling individual, determined to do things his way, slowly unleashes a plan of terror against the pastor and his family which culminates in an armed confrontation in the pastor’s kitchen.

8. The Nine Phases of Marriage ~ Susan Shapiro Barash / Non-fiction 4/5 : This book did not get good reviews in Goodreads, but I liked it. Shapiro states that every marriage goes through nine phases and that it is only by understanding the course our marriages run that we can truly begin to craft the perfect relationship. The nine phases are:

Phase One: Passion and Longing

Phase Two: Conforming: The Perfect Wife

Phase Three: Real Life: Child Centricity

Phase Four: Tension: One Bed: Two Dreams

Phase Five: Distance: Two Beds: Two Rooms

Phase Six: Fracturing: Midlife Divorce

Phase Seven: Second Chances: Remarriage and Renegotiating

Phase Eight: Balance: Concessions

Phase Nine: Successful Coupling

9. Peaceful Kingdom: Random Acts of Kindness by Animals ~ Stephanie Laland / Non-fiction 4/5 : True stories of devotion and bravery from the animal world. Included are both well-publicized cases, such as the gorilla who tenderly carried an injured child to safety, and the more obscure--the German shepherd who visited the grave of his deceased owner every day at the same hour. Even ants are caught in heroic acts: they're observed pulling a thorn from an injured comrade. The animals in this book are viewed as compassionate, thinking creatures that experience real emotions--hardly news to animal lovers. Peaceful Kingdom also reflects human acts of kindness to animals. Edward Lear, the famous author of "The Owl and the Pussycat," built his new house as an exact replica of his old one to keep from traumatizing his beloved cat.

10. Night Over Water ~ Ken Follett / Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller 4/5 : September 1939. England is at war with Nazi Germany. In Southampton, the world’s most luxurious airliner—the legendary Pan Am clipper—takes off for its final flight to neutral America. Aboard are the cream of society and the dregs of humanity, all fleeing the war for reasons of their own…shadowed by a danger they do not know exists…and heading straight into a storm of violence, intrigue, and betrayal.

11. Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay ~ Paul Vitagliano / Memoir 4/5 : One hundred different personal stories - funny, sweet, and some heartbreaking - of people growing up LBGTQ. Collected from around the world, dating from the 1940s to today and accompanied by childhood photographs, these memories speak to the hardships of an unaccepting world and the triumph of pride, self-love and self-acceptance.

12. All Creatures Great and Small ~ James Herriott / Memoir, animals, classics 4/5 : A Yorkshire veterinarian’s fascinating and sometimes humorous tales of compassion and caring for animals – and sometimes their people - in the English countryside.

13. Eric ~ Doris Lund / Biography, Memoir 4/5 : The story of 17-year-old Eric, athletic and full of life when he is diagnosed with leukemia, and his refusal to give up.

14. The Still Point of the Turning World ~ Emily Rapp / Memoir 4/5 : Rapp’s 9-month-old son is diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare and always-fatal degenerative disorder. He was not expected to live beyond the age of three and would be permanently stalled at a developmental level of six months. Rapp and her husband had to learn to live with their child in the moment; to find happiness in the midst of sorrow; to parent without a future. They also learned what wisdom there was to be gained from parenting a terminally ill child.

15. Ollie Tibbles: The Boy Who Became a Train ~ Debi Tibbles / Memoir 5/5 : Debi, a stay-at-home mom of three, had a happy life until the morning the school secretary called to tell her that 5-year-old Ollie had a headache. Subsequent headaches eventually led to the discovery of a highly malignant, fast-cancer of his brain and spine. This is the story of love, tragic loss, and hope—and the true miracle of a young boy's wish come true.

16. Her: A Memoir ~ Christa Parravani / Memoir 5/5 : Gifted identical twins Christa and Cara, raised up from poverty by a determined single mother, are able to earn their way to a prestigious college and eventual careers as artists (photographer and writer). Cara, haunted by childhood experiences with father figures and a rape as a young adult, spirals into a life of depression, drugs and a shocking early death. A few years after Cara was gone, Christa read that when an identical twin dies, regardless of the cause, 50 percent of the time the surviving twin dies within two years; and this shocking statistic rang true to her. "Flip a coin," she thought," those were my chances of survival." First, Christa fought to stop her sister's downward spiral; suddenly, she was struggling to keep herself alive.

Beautifully written, mesmerizingly rich and true, Christ’s account of being left, one half of a whole, and of her desperate, ultimately triumphant struggle for survival is informative, heart-wrenching and unforgettably beautiful.

17. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us ~ Michael Moss / Non-fiction Health 5/5

18. Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal ~ Mary Roach / Non-fiction, Science, Humor 3.5 / 5 I loved her book Stiff, about dead bodies. Although I didn’t like this one quite as much, here she writes all about the digestive tract.

19. To Show and To Tell: The Craft of the Literary Non-Fiction ~ Phillip Lopate / Non-fiction, writing, language 4/5 : Combining more than forty years of lessons from his storied career as a writer and professor, Lopate brings this nuts-and-bolts guide to writing literary nonfiction.

20. How Can I Know? ~ Robert Jeffress / Non-fiction, religion 4/5 :

Dr. Robert Jeffress answers challenging questions facing Christians today. Drawing upon the best research available, he provides logical and concise responses that anyone can understand and easily share with others.

21. Wave ~ Sonali Devaniyagala / Memoir 5/5 : On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. In this memoir she describes those first horrifying moments and her long journey since. She writes of her struggles through the first months following the tragedy, slowly allowing her memory to take her back through the rich and joyous life she’s mourning, from her family’s home in London, to the birth of her children, to the year she met her English husband at Cambridge, to her childhood in Colombo; all the while learning the difficult balance between the almost unbearable reminders of her loss and the need to keep her family, somehow, still alive within her.

22. Eats, Shoots and Leaves ~ Lynne Truss / Non-fiction, writing 4/5 : This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with.

23. Trusting Calvin: How a Dog Helped Heal a Holocaust Survivor's Heart ~ Sharon Peters / Biography, Dogs 3/5 : Max Edelman was 17 when the Nazis took him to the first of five work camps, where his only hope of survival was to keep quiet and raise an emotional shield. After witnessing a German Shepherd kill a fellow prisoner, he developed a lifelong fear of dogs. Beaten into blindness by two bored guards, Max survived, buried the past, and moved on. But when he retired, he needed help. After a month of training, he received Calvin, a devoted chocolate Labrador retriever. Calvin guided Max safely through life, but he sensed Max’s distance and reserve. Calvin grew listless and lost weight. Trainers intervened—but to no avail. A few days before Calvin’s inevitable reassignment, Max went for a walk. A car cut into the crosswalk, and Calvin leapt forward, saving Max’s life. Max’s emotional shield dissolved. Calvin sensed the change and immediately improved, guiding Max to greater openness, trust, and engagement with the world.

24. Confessions of a Sociopath ~ M.E. Thomas / Memoir – Read 100 pages and couldn’t finish. Poor reviews on Goodreads, as well. The story of the author's life as a diagnosed sociopath.

25. I'll See You Again ~ Jackie Hance / Memoir 4.5 /5 : Jackie Hance is the mother of three young daughters ages, 5, 7 and 8 killed in a minivan driven by their aunt, Jackie’s sister-in-law while returning from a camping weekend. It’s a story of forgiveness, hope, and rebirth as Jackie and her husband Warren struggle to rediscover the possibility of joy by welcoming their fourth daughter, Kasey Rose Hance.

26. Love Always, Petra: A Story of Courage and the Discovery of Life's Hidden Gifts ~ Petra Nemcova / Memoir 4.5 /5 : Model Petra Nemcova's charmed life was changed forever when the 2004 tsunami swept her boyfriend away, and left her with a broken pelvis and clinging to a tree for nearly eight hours.

27. Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot ~ Christopher Andersen / Biography 4/5 : An often moving, always captivating look at the life of one little girl who was handed more than her share of heartache -- and has not only survived but flourished

28. Kisses from Katie ~ Katie Davis / Memoir, Religion, Faith 5/5 : Unbelievably inspiring story of an 18-year-old girl with a passion to make a difference. Katie Davis left over Christmas break her senior year for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out. She found herself so moved, so broken by the people and the children of Uganda that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. She gave up college and moved there, despite knowing only one person and not one word of the language. Her story is like Mother Teresa’s in that she has given up everything—at such a young age—to care for the less fortunate of this world. Katie, a charismatic and articulate young woman, now 21, has gone on to adopt 14 children during her time in Uganda, and she completely trusts God for daily provision for her and her family, which includes children with special needs.

29. Newborn Puppies ~ Traer Scott / Picture book 5/5

30. Underwater Dogs ~ Seth Casteel / Picture book 5/5

31. The Dog Lived and So Will I ~ Theresa Rhyne / Memoir, Animals 5/5 : Shortly after she adopted Seamus, a totally incorrigible beagle, vets told Teresa that he had a malignant tumor and less than a year to live. The diagnosis devastated her, but she decided to fight it, learning everything she could about the best treatment for Seamus. Teresa couldn't possibly have known then that she was preparing herself for life's next hurdle -- a cancer diagnosis of her own. She forged ahead with survival, battling a deadly disease, fighting for doctors she needed, and baring her heart for a seemingly star-crossed relationship. An uplifting and heartwarming story about how dogs steal our hearts, show us how to live, and teach us how to love.

32. I was Just Wondering ~ Philip Yancey / Non-fiction, religion, spiritual, Christianity 3/5 : Yancey gathers forty-four of his most insightful and stimulating columns written for Christianity Today. Exploring a diverse range of topics that touch on the fields of history, science, religion, ethics, and more, Yancey offers readers short, penetrating observations on the universe, the earth, the church, and the Christian life. Originally published in 1989, this revised and updated edition of I Was Just Wondering offers a level-headed, honest journey into questions that are just as important and challenging to readers today.

33. It's Just a Dog ~ Russ Ryan / Fiction, animals, dogs, humor 5/5 : Charlie Keefe is not just your typical dog lover –– he's a world famous dog painter, a.k.a. "The Picasso of Pooch Portraits". Unfortunately, Charlie's muse, Pete, his beloved Jack Russell terrier, has just died. And he's totally devastated by the loss of his furry best friend. So, after months of grieving over his dearly departed soulmate and wondering if he ever made it to the Rainbow Bridge, Charlie reluctantly agrees to foster a new puppy –– a cute Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Brownie from the local shelter. Soon after, Charlie is surprised to find himself falling head over heels with this new puppy girl –– his 'Rebound Dog', as he calls her –– as well as being romantically attracted to Janelle Jordan, the head hound at the dog rescue.

But then complications arise when the ghost of his old dog, Pete, mysteriously reappears one night and comes back to haunt him and the new puppy –– setting off a bizarre chain of events that throw Charlie's life, career, and entire belief system into chaos!

34. Stations of the Heart ~ Richard Lischer / Memoir 3.5 / 5 : A book about life and death and the terrible blessing of saying good-bye. Adam is a young man with a promising law career whose wife is pregnant with their first child when he is told that his cancer has returned. Despite the crushing magnitude of his diagnosis and the cruel course of the illness, Adam’s growing weakness evokes in him an unexpected strength, and in the final season of his life he becomes his family’s (and his father’s) spiritual leader.

35. The Racketeer ~ John Grisham / Fiction, mystery, thriller, suspense 4/5 : Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered. Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.

Who is the Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.

On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The judge’s body was found in his remote lakeside cabin. There was no forced entry, no struggle, just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.

What was in the safe? The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday . . .

36. Train Your Dog Positively ~ Victoria Stillwell / Non-fiction, Dogs 4/5 : Victoria Stilwell, positive reinforcement dog trainer and star of the hit Animal Planet TV show, It's Me or the Dog, explains how to use her force-free, scientifically-backed training methods to solve common canine behavior problems.

37. Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson ~ Jeff Guinn / Biography 5/5 : Guinn interviewed Manson’s sister and cousin, neither of whom had ever previously cooperated with an author. Childhood friends, cellmates, and even some members of the Manson Family have provided new information about Manson’s life. Guinn has made discoveries about the night of the Tate murders, answering unresolved questions, such as why one person on the property where the murders occurred was spared. Guinn shows us how Manson created and refined his message to fit the times, persuading confused young women (and a few men) that he had the solutions to their problems. At the same time he used them to pursue his long-standing musical ambitions, relocating to Los Angeles in search of a recording contract. His frustrated ambitions, combined with his bizarre race-war obsession, would have lethal consequences as he convinced his followers to commit heinous murders on successive nights.

38. The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days ~ JJ Virgin / Non-fiction, Health 5/5 : JJ Virgin cites food intolerance as the #1 reason that people can’t lose weight and claims that avoiding gluten, whey, peanuts, dairy, eggs, corn, sugar and artificial sweeteners can make you lose weight and feel better. (I tried this and it really worked.)

38. The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew - Three Women Search for Understanding ~ Ranya Idliby, Priscilla Warner, Suzanne Oliver / Memoir, Religion 4/5 : Three mothers of different religions come together to discuss their concerns, stereotypes, and misunderstandings about one another’s religions, including issues of anti-Semitism, prejudice against Muslims, and preconceptions of Christians at a time when fundamentalists dominate the public face of Christianity.

39. The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance ~ David Epstein / Non-fiction, sports, science 4.5 / 5 : Sports Illustrated senior writer David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving this great riddle. He investigates the so-called 10,000-hour rule to uncover whether rigorous and consistent practice from a young age is the only route to athletic excellence. He dispels many of our perceptions about why top athletes excel. He shows why some skills that we assume are innate, like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball or cricket batter, are not, and why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like an athlete’s will to train, might in fact have important genetic components. Epstein explores controversial questions such as: Are black athletes genetically predetermined to dominate both sprinting and distance running, and are their abilities influenced by Africa’s geography? Are there genetic reasons to separate male and female athletes in competition? Should we test the genes of young children to determine if they are destined for stardom? Can genetic testing determine who is at risk of injury, brain damage, or even death on the field?

Up next: Heaven ~ Randy Alcorn / Non-fiction / What will heaven be like? Randy Alcorn presents a thoroughly biblical answer, based on years of careful study, presented in an engaging, reader-friendly style. His conclusions will surprise readers and stretch their thinking about this important subject. "Heaven" will inspire readers to long for heaven while they're living on earth.

I'm at 39 right now and my goal for the year is 50. I’d better get reading! Do you have any recommendations?

The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 18:22:00 +0000

My dad and his brother played professional baseball for the Dodgers. When they were younger, they and their parents were champion archers; my dad won the national archery title at age 12 before focusing on baseball and basketball.

My brother played college basketball and baseball. Another brother was a volleyball player. My sister and I are both naturally coordinated and athletic.

My 19-year-old son, who is 6’11” plays college basketball, and my 13-year-old niece, who is projected to be 5’10” (soccer, basketball, volleyball) and 11-year-old nephew, who is projected to be 6’5” (basketball, baseball, volleyball) are talented athletes.

So, with all this athleticism in our family, I’ve always been curious…is it nature or nurture? (SPOILER: It’s both.) When I saw the title of this book, I had to read it. So glad I did. Simply fascinating.

My favorite chapter, because of my son’s height, was The Vitruvian NBA Player, and I found these stats interesting:

“There are likely fewer than twenty thousand men between the ages of twenty and forty who are at least 6’8”.

Based on the Census Bureau, and the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics, there is such a premium on extra height in the NBA that the probability of an American man between the ages of twenty and forty being a current NBA player rises nearly a full order of magnitude with every two-inch increase in height starting at six feet. For a man between six feet and 6’2”, the chance of his currently being in the NBA is five in a million. At 6’2” to 6’4”, that increases to twenty in a million. For a man between 6’10” and seven feet tall, it rises to thirty-two thousand in a million, or 3.2 percent.

Of American men ages twenty to forty who stand seven feet tall, a startling 17 percent of them are in the NBA right now. Find six honest seven-footers, and one will be in the NBA.”

Eric, honey, make your momma some money, would ya?!

I would have given this book 5 stars, but there were a couple of chapters that didn’t hold my interest quite as much as the others. Still, the book was so well written and the research unbelievably thorough. I recommend this to anyone who likes sports science.

RATING: 4.5 / 5

Review: Animal Wise by Virginia Morell

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:37:00 +0000

Animal Wise by Virginia Morell

Non-Fiction (2013)

How and what animals think is a topic I thought I'd be interested in. Initially comparing it to my favorite book about animal emotions, When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, I struggled with the scientific aspect of Animal Wise. Despite it's subtitle, "The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures," in the book Morell states that although cognition and emotion operate on the same pathway of the brain, less is known about emotion because researchers have not discovered how to study it. And it is because of this proclaimed inability to study animal emotions that critics of Masson's book regard him as guilty of anthropomorphizing. I myself am guilty of such, which is probably why I enjoyed his book as much as I did. That said, Animal Wise is a well researched, well-documented book based on actual animal experiments.

Several animals are highlighted in the book: Dolphins, Ants, Chimpanzees, Rats, Fish, Birds, and Parrots specifically, Elephants, Dogs and Wolves. My favorite chapters were on ants - it's incredible how much they "communicate" and work together - and rats, which I despise, but found interesting that they love to be tickled! And I love everything about elephants, another chapter favorite. Morell may have stated why the animals highlighted were chosen; if so, I don't remember.

Putting aside my initial disappointment that this book was less about animal emotions and more about cognition, I was finally able to enjoy it. It's wonderful to learn how deeply invested scientists and biologists are in understanding the animal world. As this book proves, animals know a lot more than we think they do.

I recommend this book if you have a serious love for animals. It will strengthen your love and broaden your knowledge.

Rating: 4/5

Thank you to Crown Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not otherwise compensated.

Mini Reviews: Let It Go, Believe, Dancing Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:13:00 +0000

BELIEVE

About: Rutgers' football player Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed from the neck down during a football game.

Thoughts: At first I thought the writing was amateurish, but then I remembered he was a college student and is now only 22 years old. So the writing is real, and LeGrand is forthcoming about his emotions and struggles as a quadriplegic. It may be TMI, but he even talked about his bathroom habits. I wanted to feel sorry for him and what happened, but after reading his story I felt only admiration. I really enjoyed this.

Rating: 4/5 ~ Recommend if you're interested in a story about sports as well as inspiration and courage after tragedy.

LET IT GO

About: The author's family's car is hit by a 17-year-old drunk driver. Two of his children are killed, as is his wife, who is 5 months pregnant. Another child is critically injured. The story focuses on his forgiveness of the driver. Interestingly, and ironically, the author was 16 when he accidentally hit a 5-year-old boy who had run into the street. He died a few days later. The boy's mother wrote a comforting letter of forgiveness to him, which I'm sure helped pave the way of forgiveness towards the 17-year-old who hit his family.

Thoughts: It was okay. A little too religious for my taste. Normally I like faith-based books, but I don't understand Mormonism, so I was probably turned off by that (just being honest), but mostly because it went overboard in the religious department.

Example: "My appreciation and gratitude grew for dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ who were always willing to make time to bless my family. It was a gentle reminder that these were all evidences and expressions of love from the Savior, who is the fount of charity, mercy, kindness, and long-suffering, and that it didn't really matter which vessel that power flowed through. What mattered was the source of that power - the Savior himself - and our willingness to let his light shine through us, illuminating the lives of others." It wasn't ALL overly religious like that, but too much for my taste.

Rating: 3.5/5 ~ Can't say I'd recommend to anyone.

DANCING DOGS

About: Short fictional stories about dogs.

Thoughts: I'm not a fan of short stories since I don't like not having enough time to get to know the characters, but these were about dogs - which I love - so it didn't matter. Almost every story was about a dog who was rescued (yay!), and although I've read complaints that all the stories are sad, that didn't bother me. They were all heartwarming and sweet. Jon Katz is an incredible writer.

Rating: 4/5 ~ Recommend if you love dogs.

Another Book Everyone Liked But Me...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 20:48:00 +0000

Oh why do I torture myself?

Once again I gave in and tried a book that "everyone" was reading. I knew it wasn't my style, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. It's a #1 Bestseller...I've got to like it, right?

I read 300 pages before finally giving up.

Fifty Shades of Grey was sexy, steamy...and so silly! The entire plot was that of a man seducing a young girl who becomes his sex slave. At least that's the gist I got after 300 pages. Maybe there was more to the story, but I wasn't going to read another 200 pages to find out.

Adding this to the list of books that everyone liked but me:

Fifty Shades of Grey
Eat Pray Love
Poisonwood Bible
Three Cups of Tea
Time Traveler's Wife
Harry Potter
Room

A few "bandwagon" books I did like were The Help, Kite Runner, Unbroken, The Shack, The Book Thief, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Oh well. You don't know until you try.

Lynne

Review: Law Man: My Story of Robbing Banks, Winning Supreme Court Cases, and Finding Redemption

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Author: Shon Hopwood (with Dennis Burke)

Genre: Memoir (2012)

About: Shon Hopwood was a good kid from a loving family. He played high school basketball, had friends and attended church. After serving in the Navy and bored at home with no job prospects or money, Shon enlisted the help of his friend to rob a bank. The thrill of the first robbery led to more. Four more, as a matter of fact. At age 23 he was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. While there, Shon worked in the prison law library and learned of his knack for learning the laws (not just breaking them!). He soon received respect - and requests for legal help - from his fellow inmates.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this. My only annoyance was in Shon's discounting the seriousness of the robberies he committed. He may as well have been recounting a trip to Disneyland. Otherwise, his story is positive and uplifting, and I can't help but think that his life circumstances - of robbing banks, serving time, working in the prison law library, becoming interested in law, having the right people placed in his path to continue law after prison, AND falling in love with a woman who stuck by his side through it all - were orchestrated by God. Although he does mention a religious aspect to turning his life around, it's not a main focus of the book. One more thing...the pictures. I always love pictures to help me relate to the story and there were lots!

Rating: 4/5

*Thank you to Crown Publishing/Random House for this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Author: Michael Schofield

Genre: Memoir (2012)

Descriptive Words: Childhood schizophrenia, hallucinations, imaginary friends, hospitalization, violence

About: Michael Schofield gives a heartbreaking and shocking glimpse into parenting a schizophrenic child. His 6-year-old daughter, January (Janni), is diagnosed with childhood onset schizophrenia after two years of misdiagnoses and inpatient stays, and being discharged despite lack of improvement. The family's journey is wrought with desperation and denial. Told first to simply provide "tough love" and stricter boundaries, the Schofields were forced to face the reality of schizophrenia when Janni indicated the constant presence of imaginary friends and demonstrated a desire to harm her newborn brother, with a clear inability to control herself.

My thoughts: If not for life interrupting, I'd have finished this almost 300-pager in one sitting. Still, I read it in two days. Schofield's writing had me completely riveted. Having worked in Adult and Child Psychiatry for 15 years, I appreciate immensely the difficult task of loving a child with schizophrenia. I saw only from the perimeter what Schofield lived every day. Parents vacillate from wanting to help their child to wanting to institutionalize them, primarily because of the violence inflicted on themselves and others. With no cure in sight for this nightmarish illness, parents and families of loved ones afflicted should be applauded; there is no harder job in the world.

My friends and family rely on me for 5-star book recommendations so as not to waste time on less than stellar reads. I'll be recommending this - my favorite book of the year so far - to everyone I know.

Rating: 5/5

Thank you to Crown Publishing/Random House for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Through These Veins

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:24:00 +0000

Author: Anne Marie Ruff

Genre: Fiction (2011)

Descriptive Words: Drama, death, love, AIDS, cure, scientist, Ethiopia

About:An Italian scientist discovers an Ethiopian medicine man dispensing an apparent cure for AIDS. The medicine man's daughter reveals the plants behind the cure. Their lives along with U.S. government funded AIDS research and the pharmaceutical industry,become entwined.

Rating and Thoughts:Although the blurb referring to research, pharmaceutical companies, and scientific trials isn't one I would normally be drawn to, the reference to Ethiopia, as well as the people involved intrigued me. I never had the "I can't wait to pick up the book again to find out what happens" feeling - which for me earns a book a 5-star rating - but once I did pick it up, the story completely held my interest. The writing was well done, and I especially appreciated the author's thorough research, as well as the glossary of Ethiopian terms at the end of the book. Overall I enjoyed it.

4/5

* Other than the free book given to me by the publicist, I was neither compensated nor swayed in any way for my review

Eric update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:27:00 +0000

E was invited to play in the Missouri All-Star game in Springfield, MO this weekend. The kids on the team are from Vianney, Marquette, Cardinal Ritter and I'm not sure where else. Cameron Biedschied was supposed to play, but he already left for Notre Dame. Eric's team will play teams from seven regions of Missouri. If his team wins on Saturday they play on Sunday at 11:30 am. The championship game is at 5:30. I have a wedding to go to on Saturday, so I'll miss that game, but I'm hoping they win and play on Sunday. I really want to go!

This pic is of Eric, Nolan and their trainer, Tracy. E weighs 210 now, up 15 or 20 pounds since the end of the season. He had lost so much weight playing b-ball.

Notice the Mizzou t-shirt :)

Next Friday is the big day! Off to college he goes. Is he ready? Yes. He's bored out of his mind. Am I ready? I love him, but absolutely yes.

We've done some shopping for his dorm room - actually I'VE done...he couldn't care less what I buy. We still need to get extra long sheets and a fan. Eric is obsessed with having a fan on in his room. He's nervous about sharing a room after having had his own room for so long. It doesn't help that Eric found out through friends that Ryan, his roommate, is a neat freak. When he finds out what a slob Eric is, Ryan is going to FREAK! I feel sorry for him. But maybe E will pick up some good habits? I hope. If Ryan doesn't kill him first...

E has to get a passport for the team trip to Holland, Belgium and France on August 8-18. What an experience. I'm excited for him.

Next time I write, my nest will be empty.

Lynne

Books Read in February, March and April

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged ~ Ashley Koff, RD and Kathy Kaehler

3 Stars - Most of the recommendations for increasing energy are the same as those I've found in other books, but there were a few things I picked up. From now on I will try to: 1) Put limits on media time wasters such as Facebook and emails in order to get more accomplished, 2) Eat a protein+carbohydrate+healthy fat for each meal, 3) Step up my workouts a notch.

Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction ~ Tom Raabe

5 Stars - Every book lover should read this book. I loved it and I promise you will too. It made me feel normal and validated for loving books as much as I do! I'll re-read this for sure. It includes a test to find out if you're a true biblioholic (if you have a book blog, I guarantee you are), as well as confessions, anatomy of addiction, the difference between bibliomaniacs and bibliophiles, and variants of the "disease." If you're brave, read the final chapter called "The Cure," which of course is all in fun.

Out of Harm's Way: The Extraordinary True Story of One Woman's Lifelong Devotion to Animal Rescue ~ Terri Crisp

4 Stars - Animal lovers will enjoy this. Crisp relates her stories of rescues during specific disasters: Hurricane Andrew, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Midwest Flood, Alviso Flood and Lexington Fire. Each story is thorough, but not boring, and obviously heartbreaking at times. Her devotion to animals is admirable and touched me so much that I signed up to receive information on becoming an emergency animal rescue volunteer through Red Rover (formerly EARS), which is basically Red Cross for animals.

I Thought You Were Dead ~ Pete Nelson (AUDIO)

5 Stars - I'm not sure if I gave this 5 stars because the story was that good or because it was my first audiobook and I just really enjoyed the whole experience. I listened to this book when I walked on the stair climber at the gym or walked around our neighborhood and looked forward to it each time. I'm sure a lot also had to do with the fact that the dog's name in the book is Stella and I too have a Stella. Stella's wit and humor in the book was adorable, and I imagined my Stella acting the same way. At first I wasn't sure about another talking dog story, but knowing how much I love dogs, I'll probably never tire of them. Very cute.

Spare Change ~ Bette Lee Crosby (KINDLE)

4 Stars - I enjoyed this story about Olivia, a woman who does not want or expect to have children, but meets and marries a man named Charlie who has a son and grandson he's supposedly never met. Charlie later dies. His grandson, Ethan Allen, is being sought for questioning after the murder of his parents and goes in search of next of kin. Easy to read. This would be a good one for sitting by the pool or on a beach.

Don't Put Me In, Coach ~ Mark Titus

2 Stars - As a 47-year-old woman, I was not the target audience for this book, so it's no surprise I rated it low. I was hoping to get a glimpse into the life of a college walk on basketball player since my son will be one in the fall, but this guy's arrogance was obnoxious. Ick. His writing was quite good, and I give him props for that. It's the only thing that kept me reading.

Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose ~ Constance Hale

3.5 Stars - When someone figures out why I like reading books about writing but don't especially enjoy writing, will you please tell me?! I have no idea what that's about.

I'm Still Standing: How One Woman's Brushes With Death Taught Her How to Live ~ Kelly Standing

4 Stars - Once I got used to the format, which is written as if reading from a teleprompter, I liked this. Throughout her life, Standing had several near death experiences including being hit by lightning, hit by a car, surviving a serious illness with organ removal, surviving a mass murder, and being hanged from a tree. Some of the distances aren't has dramatic as they sound, but still she's been through a lot. I saw her speak in person about her book and she was hilarious. I read that this will be available in audio and I absolutely recommend that version.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity ~ Katherine Boo

3 Stars - I thought this book was boring. Not enough happened to draw me in and I wasn't connected to the characters at all. I gave it 3 stars because it was well written, but I won't be recommending it to anyone I know.

Currently Reading:

Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient and Then Turned 16 ~ Moshe Kasher

My Last Few Books...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:29:00 +0000

The last few books I've read:

Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time ~ Brian Tracy - Some common sense tips I already know, but other new ones were helpful as well. I'd like to read this one again as a refresher. 4/5

Working it Out: A Journey of Love, Loss and Hope ~ Abby Rike - I couldn't put this one down, especially when reading about the accident that killed Abby Rike's husband, 3-year-old daughter and two-week-old son. She was one of those people who worried more about others' grief and comforting them than allowing herself to grieve. Her story about applying for and being on the Biggest Loser was just as interesting. Not a diet book so much as it is an inspiration to show that anyone can survive tragedy and grief and be happy once again. 5/5

To the Rescue: Found Dogs With a Mission ~ Elise Lufkin - Many short stories (with pictures...my favorite!) about rescued shelter dogs who are given a new "leash" on life and a purposeful one at that...visiting hospital patients, lying quietly next to children learning to read, detecting seizures, companions to former military personnel with PTSD. Lots of wonderful stories and heartwarming photos. 4/5

The Latchkey Dog: How the Way You Live Shapes the Behavior of the Dog You Love ~ Jodi Anderson. Another library book I had to return before I finished, but I liked what I read. What I'll always remember from this book is the importance and benefits of crating dogs and WHY! When dogs are not crated (hence the bigger the space provided to them, i.e., the whole house) the more they feel the need to protect that space and the more anxiety it creates. Makes total sense. I'd like to read this book again...and finish it.

Molokai ~ Alan Brenert - Beautifully written fictional story about the real life leper colony, Kalaupapa, on the island of Molokai in Hawaii in the late 1800s, early 1900s. The main character, Rachel, was so lovable and sweet that when I wasn't reading I wanted to hurry back to the book so I could "be with her" again.

There are several books about leper colonies that I want to read now. One is called The Leper Colony by Philip Edwards. Another is In the Shadow of the Pali: A Story of the Hawaiian Leper Colony. It's hard to believe these settlements existed and that children were taken from their families and sent to live there at the first sign of the disease, which started as a small red sore. The families of lepers were outcast by neighbors and other family members, moving and changing their names to start a new life. 4.5/5

Right now I'm reading The Legacy Letters: Messages of Life and Hope From 9/11 Family Members. It's a compilation of letters written by families to their deceased loved ones. It's very touching and a quick read.

I've also started this one: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks ~ Kathleen Finn. It reads like a novel and is very good. I keep thinking it's boring but somehow can't put it down. Maybe I'll learn a few things. I hope. My husband does too.

The Circus Fire ~ Stewart O'Nan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Stewart O'Nan
Non-Fiction (2001)

5/5 My Rating

True story of the Ringling Brothers circus tent fire in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 6, 1944, that killed 167 people, most of them women and children.

I didn't like Circus Fire at first. I felt dragged down by all the details that I didn't think mattered, but as I got sucked into the story, realized they did and wished I'd paid closer attention. There were so many, and the book was so long, that I had to renew it through the library twice. Normally if I take that long to read a book I give up and return it, but I couldn't let go of this one and didn't want it to end. Pictures of the fire itself as well as the aftermath had me going back to match them up with the parts of the story I was reading. I couldn't stop staring at the picture of Little Miss 1565 in the morgue, a blond little girl who for years was never properly identified despite tireless work by detectives.

I read O'Nan's book A Prayer for the Dying, a dark story that I thought was well written - odd but intriguing - so his name was familiar to me when I picked this up. I'd like to read more of his work. This and the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks are two of the most well-researched books I've ever read.

I May be MIA but I've Still Been Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:14:00 +0000

I may be MIA but I've still been reading!

Here's an update:

FICTION

Things We Didn't Say by Kristina Riggle

Casey, a young adult, is engaged to a Michael, who has three children. His teenage daughter is a brat and his teenage son runs away. The kids' mom is around the house more than Casey would like, and this threatens to ruin the relationship between her and Michael.

BORING 2/5

I finished it but felt I wasted my time. The writing wasn't bad but the storyline was dull.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NON-FICTION

This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor by Dr. Susan Wickland

Dr. Susan Wickland endured a painful abortion while growing up in rural Wisconsin. Later, after becoming a doctor, she saw how many women shared her ordeal of unwanted pregnancy and subsequent hidden abortion, and felt called to become an abortion provider. She tells of her experiences, including having to wear a bulletproof vest and carry a gun.

LOVED   5/5

Very controversial, obviously, but I loved how caring and compassionate she was with her patients.  The threats to her and her family were absolutely astonishing.  She was afraid for their lives on a daily basis. I'm embarrassed for the people who treated them like that and sickened by their behavior. Honestly.

Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman

In 2005, Novelist Francisco Goldman married a young writer named Aura Estrada. The month before their second anniversary, during a long-awaited holiday, Aura broke her neck while body surfing. Her family blamed him for her death for some ridiculous reason...he wouldn't go in the water with her when she invited him in.

OKAY   3.5/5

I hate to say it, but I loved the part where he discussed the details of the accident and aftermath (hospital and funeral), but in the rest of the book, when he talked about her childhood and college years, as well as their short marriage, he kind of lost me. The writing was beautiful, but I couldn't help but think he was just trying to capitalize on her death. Awful, I know, but that's what I felt.

The Little Book of Forensics: Fifty of the World's Infamous Criminal Cases Solved by Science by David Owen

OKAY 3.5/5

"To take a crime from scene to court may involve several specialized branches of forensic science. Criminalistics specialists look at statistics, splash patterns, fingerprints and distribution of material at the scene; forensic chemistry deals with fires, explosives, glass, paint and soil analysis; toxicology looks at poisons and drug abuse; serology is the science of body fluids including blood, saliva and semen; the documents unit look at fakes and forgeries; and the computer branch investigate hacking and electronically detectable crimes." That pretty much says it all. Some of the cases were interesting; others, not so much.

.

Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw

Bradshaw shows how humans can live in harmony with - not just dominion over - their four-legged friends. He explains why positive reinforcement is a more effective and less damaging way to control dogs' behavior than punishment. He also discusses why it's important to weigh a dog's unique personality against stereotypes about its breed. (Three cheers for pit bulls!!!)

ENJOYED 4/5

A little too scientific for me at first, but then I got into it.

The Lust for Blood: Why We are Fascinated by Death, Murder, Horror and Violence by Jeffrey Kottler

Do you slow down at accident scenes hoping to catch a glimpse of something...anything? Enjoy the gory details at murder trials? Have an interest in serial killers and why they kill? I do, I admit it, and that's why I picked this up at the library.

ENJOYED 4/5

Kottler, a psychologist and author of a best-selling book about serial killers, interviewed perpetrators, victims and "consumers" of violence to find out why this subject draws such a wide audience (nice to know I'm not the only one).

Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan by Del Quentin Wilber

The inside scoop about the day Reagan was nearly killed on March 30, 1981.

ENJOYED 4/5

I enjoyed reading all the details about the day Reagan was shot. And I mean, details. Wilber interviewed the Secret Service agent who pushed Reagan into the limo and ultimately saved his life, as well as the surgeon who operated on him and the White House officials who were trying to determine what exactly happened.

A Grace Disguised: How a Soul Goes Through Loss by Jerry Sittser

Jerry Sittser lost his mother, wife, and 2-year-old daughter in a car accident.

LOVED 5/5

I know one isn't supposed to "love" books about tragedy, but the way this man describes how a soul goes through loss and the steps to healing is extraordinary. I recommend this book to anyone who has suffered any kind of loss of a loved one, including divorce.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COULDN'T FINISH

Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden

I only read about 20 pages (I usually don't give up until 50), but I couldn't get into it.

UP NEXT

Dogs Never Lie About Love: Reflections on the Emotional World of Dogs by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (He wrote When Elephants Weep, which I LOVED)

I've never read Harlan Coben, so I'm excited about these...

I miss the camerarderie of the blogging world, but my days are so crazy with my son right now. He's a senior in high school, plays basketball and is being recruited by D1 colleges. We're doing lots of traveling for school visits. It's all good, and I'm very proud :) I WILL be back to "hang out" with my cyberspace friends one day. For now I can only give book "thoughts"; they can hardly be called reviews. I need to change the name of my blog: Lynne's Book Thoughts or Lynne's Mini Reviews.

Four Mini Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Popular Crime (nonfiction 2011)

Author: Bill James

About: The author discusses at length the books written about well known crimes and criminals - such as the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, Lizzie Borden, the Black Dahlia, the Menendez Brothers, OJ Simpson, and JonBenet Ramsey - as well as details of the crimes and his opinion of 'whodunnit,' if the case was not solved. The crimes are in chronological order, starting with the 18th century.

Rating and Thoughts: 5/5 When I saw that the book was 458 pages I thought I'll never read this whole thing, I'll get bored half-way through, and so on. Wrong! I loved it. It took me only two or three days to read the whole thing. And it wasn't boring because even though the research is incredibly thorough (it took him 20 years to write it), his writing is so conversational and informal that it kept my attention.

If you like true crime, read this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Train a Wild Elephant & Other Adventures in Mindfulness: Simple Daily Mindfulness Practices for Living Life More Fully and Joyfully (nonfiction 2011)

Author: Jan Chozen Bays, MD

About: Each short chapter focuses on practicing mindfulness (being extra attentive) while performing specific actions in order to "live life more fully and joyfully." Chapters include: Use Your Non Dominant Hand, When Eating Just Eat, Every Time the Phone Rings, Notice Trees, Say Yes, Procrastination, Impatience, Mindful Driving, Become Aware of Your Center, and 46 others.

Rating and Thoughts: 4.5/5 Enjoyable book. My only complaint, as with every other self-help book I read, is that I never remember to practice the recommendations. The author did however include a way to remember to do each exercise, which I liked but probably won't do. If one is serious about practicing mindfulness and made a conscious effort, though, this book could be very helpful. I felt joyful and full immediately after reading it anyway.

Also by Author: Mindful Eating

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued (Biography 2010)

Author: Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher

About: Laurie Sacher, who works at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, adopts a blind dog named Hope. She learns through the dog's blindness that having faith in God even though she can't see him is the key to having everything she needs.

Rating and Thoughts: 3.5 / 5 It was okay...a little fluffy and corny at times, but a nice story. Deep and spiritual. Someone in a "searching" frame of mind would get a lot out of it. I didn't like the conversation between the author, Kim Meeder, and Laurie Sacher throughout the book and thought it interrupted the flow of the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom (nonfiction 2011)

Author: Jennifer Holland

About: Stories of unusual/unlikely stories of animal friendships.

Rating and Thoughts: 5/5 Darling book with stories and pictures of the cutest animals you've ever seen. Just goes to show that animals crave love, no matter where it comes from.

Sorry these are blurry, but I wanted to show you how cute they are. And there are 47 of these stories...

There's another picture of this monkey sitting down and snuggling the kitten. So cute.

And guess what???!!!! I'm finally reading some fiction! Woo hoo! lol

I'm about half way through. So far I'm enjoying it.

Review: Signs of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Author: Natalie Taylor

Genre: Memoir (2011)

Descriptive Words: Widowed and pregnant at 24, accident, single mother, tragic, witty, high school teacher, challenge, triathlon.
About: True story of Natalie, a 24-year-old, 5 months pregnant girl whose 27-year-old husband Josh dies after hitting his head while carve boarding (kind of like skateboarding).

The book covers the time of the accident and up to 16 months afterwards. She discusses a little about the actual accident and how she found out, but mostly about the funeral and after, and dealing with being a widow after only a year of marriage as well as the prospect of single motherhood. At her young age she doesn't fit into the typical grief groups for widows, and because of her recent marital status, doesn't fit into typical single mother groups. She is also a high school English teacher and talks about going back to work after the funeral and incorporates life lessons for her students from several classics such as Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Her sister "Moo" encourages her several months after Josh's death to take on the challenge of a triathlon.

Rating and Thoughts: 5/5

I don't know why I liked this book so much, but I did. Her writing is different. Mostly it's taken from her journal so it's real life, what she was thinking at the moment, rambling writing, but I could not put it down. Simply fascinating. Probably because I don't know many pregnant 24-year-olds whose husbands die, and I was enthralled with the emotional process of dealing with such a tragedy. She's also very witty and funny. Elizabeth Berg's quote on the cover, "Sit down with this book. See if you can stop after page one." is so true. Loved it.

There's only one part that made me cry, and I know those of you who can't read sad books will never read it after this (lol):

"Now that I'm a parent, I am beginning to understand that I have no idea what Deedee [Josh's mother] is going through in dealing with the loss of her child. Not a clue. I knew Josh for four years in college, then we dated for a year, and then we were married for a year and a half. Because I'm twenty-five years old, that seems like a lot of time. But Deedee grew him from a seed.

When Josh was in the hospital after his accident, I saw his body once, and then I had to leave. I never went back. Deedee stayed at the hospital for days. Long after he was pronounced dead, he had to stay so they could remove his working organs. She stayed by him until they wheeled him away for his final surgery. I couldn't be there because to me he was gone. That body wasn't him. But as a mom, I know why she had to stay. When you watch something grow from a seed, you have a very different relationship with it than the rest of the world does.

I know Deedee spent those days staring at his body, taking in the last images of the body she had watched for twenty-seven years. Dead or alive, that body was too special to leave in an empty hospital room. She had been by his side since the day she brought him into this world, not to mention the nine months prior to that. You better believe she would be there on the day he had to leave. Right up until the last second."

Source: Library

Review: Crystal Clear : The Inspiring Story of How an Olympic Athlete Lost His Legs Due to Crystal Meth and Found a Better Life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Author: Eric Le Marque with Davin Seay

Genre: Memoir (2009)

Descriptive Words: Addiction, Crystal Meth, Snowboarding, Lost on Mountain for 8 Days, Legs Amputated, Healing, Hope

About: Eric Le Marque, a former Olympian and pro hockey player becomes addicted to crystal meth after his playing days are over. While snowboarding on Mammoth Mountain and high on crystal meth, he gets lost and isn't found for eight days. Due to severe frostbite, both legs are amputated at the knee.

The story covers mostly his time lost on the mountain and his physical recovery, as well as a chapter or two at the end about his emotional/drug recovery and meeting his wife Hope.

Rating and thoughts: 5/5

I loved the story and pictures, which included some from the actual rescue and hospital stay. The ghostwriter, Davin Seay, did a GREAT job of getting inside Le Marque's head and relating details and emotions. Very talented writer. I'd like to read more of his work.

"For the rest of that day, I never left the shelter I had dug. The sun rose, clouds rolled overhead, and the hours unwound as morning turned to midday and moved steadily on into the afternoon. It all passed me by. I may not have been dead yet, but it was hard to tell the difference. I had passed into a state of sleep so heavy and profound that nothing - not cold, not hunger, not thirst - could wake me. If I stirred during that long silent interlude, I don't remember it. If I had dreams, they drifted by unseen. If I realized that where I lay might well become my grave, I didn't care. For all I knew, I was already petrified, my blood frozen and my flesh turned to stone. There was no difference now between me and the environment against which I had fought so long and hard. The mountain had prevailed and I had become a part of it."

Source: Bought

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:45:00 +0000

Tiger, Tiger

Author: Margaux Fragoso

Genre: Memoir (2011)

About: Okay, I'm done with the child abuse memoirs for now. In this one the author was seven years old when she and her mother met 51-year-old Peter at the neighborhood swimming pool. Her mother was mentally ill and unable to see anything wrong with the friendship that evolved between Margeaux and Peter and thought he was just a nice man. It started with Margeaux and her mother spending time at Peter's house - for her mother she went to escape from Margeaux's alcoholic father - and as Margeaux got older she went to Peter's house alone. He slowly groomed her as his "lover," and they had a sickening, bizarre relationship until he died at 66 years of age...when Margeaux was 22.

Rating: 5/5 I can't help it...it was a page turner. Some of it was so unbelievable and disgusting I almost hoped Oprah would reveal this as partly made up or embellished, like James Frey's A Million Little Pieces.

Why I read: I read about Tiger, Tiger in People or Oprah last month.

Recommend?: Few people will be able to stomach the details of a relationship between a little girl and a man; it was tough. I do, however, think the author did an excellent job and I recommend it if you are interested in this type of memoir.

Review: The Source of All Things

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:38:00 +0000

Author:   Tracy Ross

Genre: Memoir (2011)

About: The author was molested by her stepfather from ages eight to 14, at which time she ran away from home and confided in a family friend about the years of abuse. The police were called and she was removed from her home. Her stepfather, because he admitted to everything, received only 8 weeks of court-appointed group therapy and 10 months of abstinence from Tracy. She was later sent to boarding school and eventually returned home to live with her mother and stepfather.

Unbelievable. Her family refused to believe or accept that the husband/stepfather was capable of such a horrific act, and if a small part of them did believe it happened, they just wanted to sweep it under the rug and move on. Her mom constantly pushed Tracy into uncomfortable situations with her stepdad despite all he did to her! I didn't understand their behavior at all. I even felt that Tracy herself at times downplayed the atrocity of what he did.

In addition to the details of the abuse (touching and fondling only), much of the book focused on her relationships, including a failed marriage, and how the abuse affected them.

Rating: 4/5 I wanted to give this fewer stars because of the content, i.e. the stepdad's crime, as well as the dysfunctional behavior of everyone involved, but it is what it is and I can't judge the book based on what happened. I enjoyed the writing, even though it was difficult to read. The jobs she had as a young adult and the adventures she experienced were fascinating. She had an interesting life after she moved out of her house.  But how in the world she forgave her creepy, pedophiliac (that's not a word, but...) stepfather for what he did is beyond me. She even thanks him at the end of the book for "having the grace to let me tell this story."

Source: Library

Why I chose: I read about this - along with the book Tiger, Tiger, another child abuse memoir I'm now reading - in Oprah or People.

Recommend?   You decide. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Review: Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:48:00 +0000

Author: Claire Dederer

Genre: Memoir
After reading the first couple chapters of this book I thought I was going to love it. Dederer made me laugh, and I was reminded how much I enjoyed the few yoga classes I've taken. Despite my minimal experience, I can attest to this paragraph: "The idea was, you got better, looser, stronger while you were at yoga, and then you exported that excellence to the rest of life. You learned how to act right at yoga, and then you acted right, or righter, when you were in your car, or at the grocery store, or putting your children to bed."

Dederer's writing is casual and inviting, like talking with a friend; I actually went to a yoga class when I finished the book and plan to continue. Beyond the yoga stories, though, it didn't hold my interest. I started skipping over parts of her personal life that I didn't care about, such as her marital relationship, her moves to different cities, and the births of her children. (Some friend I am, huh!) I've read of comparisons to Eat Pray Love, which I didn't particularly like. I won't be recommending Poser to my friends, but I know many people will enjoy it just the same.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Has anyone read this? Heard about it? Plan to read it?

How Book Blogging Led to My Passion

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:50:00 +0000

I've been blogging for two years and book blogging, specifically, for one. During the past year I've wondered why I haven't felt fulfilled. After all, I love reading, and book blogging has pushed me to read infinitely more books than I've read in the past. Two years ago I read 25 books, last year I read 81, and so far this year I've read 145. Reading lots of books is obviously not a bad thing. But my focus was becoming more on how many books I could read and blog about, not on the enjoyment of the book itself. I pretended that the numbers of followers and comments didn't matter and that it wasn't a popularity contest. I'm above that, I told myself. At least that's what I wanted to believe.

But the more I blogged, the more I realized I did care whether or not people read my blog. It wasn't fun any more. And the more time that passed and the more posts I wrote and the more blogs I read (and the more guilt I felt for not writing more and better posts), the more I realized that something - I couldn't quite put a finger on what exactly it was, but something - was missing.

I remember one day thinking, Is all this time I'm putting into reading blogs and writing posts making a difference? Does this matter?

A person can't go long without feeling they are making a difference in the world or in someone's life, whether it be giving or helping. I realize blogging is a form of creativity and isn't meant to change the world, and I certainly enjoyed it. But it wasn't enough. I'm sure it was helpful... My review about an awful book I read and rated 1-star may have prevented someone from reading it and saved them precious moments of an already too-short life. But what about my own life? Is reading like a maniac and spending hours writing book reviews hoping someone reads them a good way to spend my time? Most importantly, is it rewarding enough to continue?

My answer was no. It wasn't. I needed more.

What book blogging DID do was lead me to read books about dogs and animals. I was drawn to those. I couldn't get enough. Of course I'd read a few of the popular ones - Still Missing, Room, and The Help (which I loved by the way) to keep up and not feel like an outsider. But still I'd come back to the dog books. Dog rescues. Dogs saved from shelters. Dogs from Katrina. Dogs, dogs, dogs.

And that's how I found my passion. My calling. My mission.

I now volunteer for Stray Rescue, a no-kill shelter in St. Louis that has approximately 250 dogs currently looking for homes. I walk dogs, do laundry, wash bowls and whatever else needs to be done. The work never ends. Many dogs are adopted out each month, but always there are more. This week alone founder Randy Grim rescued 43 more strays from the streets, many of them litters of puppies.

Until people stop buying from breeders, which I myself did twice before learning how many dogs and cats die in shelters every HOUR - 800 to be exact, and until we start spaying and neutering our pets, and until we stop throwing away our dogs and cats when they get old or unruly, either dumping them at the shelter or out on the streets, and until laws of abuse against animals are enforced, there will always be more.

I also do what is known as "cross posting" on Facebook. I exchange information with rescue organizations and individuals wanting to adopt or foster of dogs and cats in danger of being euthanized in high-kill shelters because of overcrowding. It's heartbreaking work when every other animal is updated as PTS (put to sleep), but there are so many people who care, and once in a while a dog or cat is saved and I wonder if it was me who made the difference.

For me, blogging is fun, I love making new friends with similar interests, it's a way for me to be creative and I definitely read more than I used to.

But now I'm helping save lives. Animals are living, breathing beings. And as long as humans treat animals the way some do, I will always have a passion to help them.

Thanks to book blogging.

I miss you, Friends! And I'll never stop reading. And I'm sure I'll be back.

Be sure to follow me on Goodreads. I always update and rate books there. Go here and click on Lynne (the one from Saint Louis, MO)

A few pictures that prove animals, who cannot speak, need loving humans to protect them from evil scum

Book News and Dog Costumes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:37:00 +0000

I've read quite a few books lately but have been bad about posting reviews. I'm not in a reading slump, but I am in a review slump. Oh well, not going to beat myself up over it.

First some pictures of Emma, the lovely model in my header. For Halloween she couldn't decide between her tiger and princess costumes.

She went with the tiger costume.

Books Read in October (15 total)

Miracle Dog: How Quentin Survived the Gas Chamber to Speak for Animals on Death Row ~ Randy Grim (5/5)
Choosing to See: A Journey of Struggle and Hope ~ Mary Beth Chapman (4.5/5)
Hey Pancakes! ~ Tamson Weston
It Couldn't Be Worse ~ Vlasta Van Kampen
The Gendarme ~ Mark Mustian (2.5/5)
A Prayer for the Dying ~ Stewart O'Nan (3/5)
The Power of Little Words ~ John Beckley (3.5/5)
The Everything Creative Writing Book ~ Wendy Burt-Thomas (4/5)
Ape House ~ Sara Gruen (4.5/5)
Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted ~ Faye Resnick (4/5)
Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English ~ Patricia O'Conner
Shattered: The True Story of a Mother's Love, A Husband's Betrayal, and a Cold-Blooded Texas Murder ~ Kathyrn Casey (5/5)
Operating Room Confidential: What Reallly Goes on When You Go Under ~ Paul Whang, MD (4/5)
Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything ~ Jill Kelly (5/5)
Pukka: The Pup After Merle ~ Ted Kerasote (4/5)

Gave up on:

A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life - gave up after 211 pages (78 to go) - that's probably my record for pages read of a book I finallly gave up. Didn't hold my interest.

The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass - gave up after 87 pages. I enjoyed the writing, but not enough was happening in the story.

So far in November I've read:

Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love ~ Larry Levin (4.5/5)
Dogtown: Tales of Rescue, Rehabilitation and Redemption ~ Stefan Bechtel (4.5/5)

At the library waiting to be picked up:

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean ~ Susan Casey
84, Charing Cross Road ~ Helen Hanff
Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Write Should Know About Writing ~ Patricia O'Conner
The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption ~ Jim Gorant

My husband is reading Matterhorn, so I'll read that when he's finished.

My theme lately? Animals, Murders (true crime) and reference books (writing and grammar).

Do you have a reading theme going on lately?

Review: Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:54:00 +0000

Title: Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything

Author: Jill Kelly

Genre: Memoir/Christian Biography (September 2010)

About: Football star Jim Kelly and his wife Jill find out their infant son has a rare, fatal illness and is expected to survive for only 14 months. This is the story of how Hunter Kelly, who succumbed to Krabbe Leukodystrophy at the age of 8, changed their lives forever.

Thoughts: Absolutely loved this story. Jilly Kelly does a fabulous job of opening her heart, her life, her marriage, her struggles, and her reality to readers. Several pages of pictures are included, which is always my favorite part. I'm a visual person, so to be able to read the story and see the pictures made it all the more heartbreaking and inspirational. The book is faith-based, and I enjoyed reading about Jim Kelly's transformation from philanderer to faithful servant.

Source: Library

Why I Chose: This was everything I love in a book all wrapped in one - medical-related, sad but inspirational, lots of pictures, memoir, sports.

Recommend? Yes, definitely.

Rating: 5/5

Reading Now:

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Review: Operating Room Confidential: What Really Goes on When You Go Under

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:31:00 +0000

Author: Paul Whang, MD
Genre: Non-Fiction/Medical (2010)
About: The inside scoop of the operating room and hospital.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Written by an anesthetist, the book covers absolutely everything you wanted to know about what goes on in the operating room and during specific operations. There's also a chapter called "Outside the O.R." where he writes about the autopsy room, the morgue, pathology, the cafeteria and administration. There is an entire chapter on anesthesia, which was very interesting. Did you know the chances of having post-operative nausea increase more with these surgeries: plastic, eye, shoulder, gynecological and dental? And that you have a higher risk of nausea and vomiting if you're female, have experienced previous nausea and vomiting after surgery, are having a surgery lasting longer than 30 minutes, are a non-smoker, and have a history of motion sickness? I'm in the 'all of the above' category, unfortunately.

One of my favorite chapters, called Off-Label Truths About Doctors, noted the characteristics of specific medical professions. For example, urologists are a content and happy group with the lowest divorce rate of the specialties, are open minded and like to travel. Psychiatrists are thoughtful, over-analyze faults in their own lives, and have the highest divorce rate. Orthopedic surgeons have the most sex per week. General surgeons are close-minded and judgmental.

Oh yeah, and you can find out all the scoop about sex in the operating room, what doctors talk about while operating, people who wake up during an operation, pain, missing sponges, reactions to anesthesia. It's all there.

Source: Library

Why I Chose: I love medical-related books.

Recommend? Yes, especially if you are a medical junkie or will be having surgery and want to be informed.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Ape House

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:25:00 +0000

Author: Sara Gruen

Genre: Fiction

About: A female scientist named Isabel Duncan meets a married male reporter named John Thigpen, who encounters animal rights protestors during his visit to a lab housing Bonobo apes. An explosion at the lab severely injures Isabel and the apes escape. A reality TV show soon airs, featuring the apes and becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Isabel does everything she can to save her beloved Bonobos from the media frenzy.

Thoughts: Reading Bonobo Handshake before reading Ape House added so much pleasure to my experience. I was already familiar with all things bonobos, i.e. how much sex they have, how loving and loyal they are, how human-like they are (sharing 98.7% of our human DNA), etc. It turns out that Sara Gruen and the author of Bonobo Handshake, Vanesssa Woods, are friends.

At first I couldn't get into the idea of an ape reality show, but Gruen really made it work. The story had enough going on to keep me interested, with different subplots and drama other than the apes. What really came through for me in the story was how much the author loves these bonobos. She lived and breathed bonobos - even living at the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa - and it showed.

I enjoyed it a lot.

Source: Library

Why I Chose: Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants was wonderful, and I'm always fascinated by apes and chimps. I wish I could go live at the Great Ape Trust.

Recommend? Yes

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Have you read this? Plan to?

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