T Marie Reads

perfect sunday

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:11:00 +0000

I had the most perfect Sunday afternoon today. After church, Hubby and I went and got some cheeseburgers with a couple of friends. We then came home and crashed- napping for a good 2 hours or so. After our nap we did a little yard work, but soon got distracted by our basketball goal and wound up shooting hoops until the sun went down.

Note: Despite all evidence given in this post, I am not an 8 year old boy. I just really happen to love cheeseburgers, naps, and basketball. The end.

Review: The Poisonwood Bible

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:18:00 +0000

The Story: The Poisonwood Bible follows an evangelical Baptist minister and his family to the dangerous heart of Africa in the 1960's- the Congo. Through the voices of his wife and 4 daughters, we follow them through adventures and tribulations in a politically unstable environment with none of the comforts of home. The first half of the novel centers around ministry attempts made by the overbearing and persistent father figure, while the second half of the novel follows the women into their later years- shaped very much by their experiences in the unforgiving Congo.

My Thoughts: Once again, I wish I hadn't heard anyone's raving opinions on this book before I read it. It set me up for disappointment. The first half of the book was much more personal, and therefore more interesting in my opinion. I liked the different perspectives given by the four very different daughters. But once they exited the missionary lifestyle, the book became extremely political, and not in a "make you think" kind of way, but a "THIS IS HOW IT IS" kind of way. I continued reading through the anti-American prose simply because I'd already gone through 500 pages, and I'm not a quitter! I don't anticipate recommending this one anytime soon, and I doubt that I'll be reading any more Barbara Kingsolver. With that said, I AM glad I read it, as it's one of those I would have always wondered about...

The Verdict: 6/10

How did you all feel about this one?

oooooooklahoma, my home sweet home

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:23:00 +0000

Sit down and make yourselves comfortable, everyone. I'm going tell you about a magical place called Oklahoma. It's a place of wonder. Enchantment. A place that can shift the sands of time at will, causing a 72 degree Friday afternoon to transform into a Saturday with 6 inches of snow. Seriously.

See Pioneer Woman for more details. Just remember that Oklahoma is more than cow patties and horses. We have buffalo, too. (For some reason, outsiders are always amazed when I play the buffalo card. Yes, they are real and still around. Tee-pees, notsomuch.)

The good news is that being snowed in has give me time to catch up on some reading! I'll finish The Poisonwood Bible today (yes, I know it's been a couple of weeks) and hopefully get started on Kaleidoscope. I love snow days!

more than books

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

I originally started this blog with the intention of writing reviews and thoughts on things I read. That's it. Just reading material.

But life hit me in the last couple of weeks, and I haven't been able to get much reading in. And now that March Madness has begun, I expect my reading to just about come to a stand still. So I've decided to open this little blog o' mine up a bit. Sometimes a girl's just got to get things off of her chest. For example:

I LOVE COLLEGE BASKETBALL!

It's true. I'm obsessed. And for future reference- I get this way with college football, too. Just a warning. I will continue to read, of course, but I can't stand waiting until another book is finished to expose my thoughts to the world. So here I am, NCAA obsession and all. Will you still have me? :)

meme?

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:33:00 +0000

I've decided to participate in my first ever meme. This one is

and it's hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

All I have to do is answer 3 little questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What am I currently reading?
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. My in-laws recently gave me a little stack of books, and this was in it. My mother in law bought it a few years back because it was featured in Oprah's book club, but I won't hold that against her. I've actually just started this one, but it seems pretty good so far. I'll keep you all updated!

What did I recently finish reading?
For One More Day, by Mitch Albom. This was a good, short read. But readers beware, it will definitely make you want to hug your mother!

What do I think I'll read next?
Probably Kaleidoscope, by Patsy Clairmont. It's my first ever review book, and I can't wait!

Review: For One More Day, by Mitch Albom

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:37:00 +0000

The Story: For One More Day follows Chick Benetto after his fall from a promising baseball career in a suicide attempt that leads him to his home town. After failing suicide twice, Chick runs into the ghost of his deceased mother, and spends one full day with her in which he discovers secrets of his past and gains hope for his future.

My thoughts: I never read Albom's popular Tuesdays with Morrie, but I did catch the Hallmark movie remake of his The Five People You Meet in Heaven, so I was intrigued when my father in law loaned me this short novel. It was definitely a short read- easily completed in an afternoon, but well worth it. The book is punctuated with stories from Chick's childhood- times when his mother stood up for him and times when he did not stand up for his mother. These stories were probably my favorite part of the book, because they reminded me of similar stories from my own childhood... like the time I crumpled up a drawing of a tulip my mom colored for me and threw it away. I cried that night because I hurt her feelings. I was 6, and I still feel guilty about that.

All in all I think this was a thoughtful novel. A short, sweet read. On a scale from 1-10, I'll give it 7 cheers! because it made me want to call my mom and tell her I love her. So I did.

(And for the record- I drew my mom 876,987,254 more tulips over the years as an apology- give or take).

Final Score: 7/10

Review: The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I just finished The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss, and I have to say, despite all the hype surrounding it, I can't give the book more than 5 cheers! (see full review system in previous post).

The title is a great hook- who wouldn't want to have a 4 hour workweek? But the contents just weren't fabulous. I mentioned before that I thought it read very much like an infomercial- "Act now, and YOU could be a rich tango-dancer/kickboxing-champion/linguist/bull fighter, TOO!"

I don't mean to bash the guy in anyway; the book just wasn't my style. I found him very arrogant, and the whole time I read I was thinking, I would not be friends with this guy in real life.

But then the book isn't about him trying to be your friend. It's about motivating you to find happiness in your work and free time to do the things you care about most. He does offer some excellent tips on time management, as well as good advice for new entrepreneurs, although his strategies seem a bit cut-throat at times.

I know many people have been moved by this book to go out and try things they've never thought of before, but if that's the kind of book you're looking for, I would recommend you check out some of Dan Miller's work.

As for me, I think it's time I switch gears and read for fun again. I'm finished with the career and business genre for a while...

Final Score: 5/10

how do i review?

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I think the traditional 5 star review system is far too narrow for the scope of literature out there. I mean, what if a book is really really good, better than a 4, but not quite deserving of that perfect 5? And stars are so yesterday. That's why I've got my own little system here.

I'll rate each book on scale from 1-10. Stars are overdone, and since I don't have 10 thumbs, I'll have to resort to something else. Cheers.

"Cheers?" you ask? Yes. An amazing book is like a fine glass of wine. And a great book will make me want a glass of wine while I read it in my ever so cliche bubble bath. But being cliche is a woman's prerogative, right? Something like that. So, cheers!

1 cheer! I couldn't even finish it.
2 cheers! Those are 2 cheers for not having to read it anymore
3 cheers! I might keep this one around in case I need an extra coaster later
4 cheers! Eh...
5 cheers! Completely mediocre in every possible way. I won't even remember what it's about tomorrow.
6 cheers! It was alright
7 cheers! Now we're talking. This one may even be lended out to some friends
8 cheers! Great book. I'll recommend it to anyone
9 cheers! Couldn't put it down. Excellent.
10 cheers! MUST READ for everyone! Amazing. May read it again and again until the binding falls apart!

so what am i reading?

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Last year, my husband and I got on this huge Dave Ramsey kick, and really began to take a close look at our finances. I always try to switch up my reading habits with a little chick lit interspersed with some non-fiction, but I guess the Dave Ramsey talk made my family think I wanted lots and lots of personal finance/business books. So that's what I've been up to lately.

Currently, I'm reading The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss. Quite honestly, I think it reads a bit like an infomercial, but I'm not one to quit. Plus- my mother in law highly recommended it to me. Maybe it'll get better later? Let's cross our fingers. Have any of you read it? What did you think?

i am a book nerd.

noreply@blogger.com (T Marie) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:06:00 +0000

It took me a long time to come to this realization, but I am a book nerd in the truest sense. I love to read. Not just novels, either. I like newspapers, magazines, coloring books, cook books, blogs, Twitter, diaries, non-fiction, my Yahoo! homepage, and my mom's old high school doodled on notebooks.

Like I said. Nerd.

But reading is WAY more fun when I can discuss it later. Enter this blog.

Here I will review not only the latest novel I'm reading, but I also hope to turn you all on to interesting articles, Bible verses, and whatever else from the reading world comes my way. Join me!