2012 Book Reviews :: Part 1

Reading has always been my favorite hobby for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I was the child who got in trouble for reading under her desk while the teacher was instructing. Going to the library always was a huge treat for me. It still is! Griffin and I usually go once per week and typically, I have about 10-15 books checked out at once. That can make for some pretty hefty late fees if I forget to take them back, but I would NEVER do that. EVER. 

I didn't get a lot of reading done last year. Blame it on the fact that I was learning how to be a mom, but anytime I had free time, I usually vegged out in front of the television. I didn't like that. I watched a lot of junk and kind of felt gross all the time. So, when 2012 rolled around, I made it a general goal that I wanted to read more this year. I didn't set a book amount because I knew that it would stress me out, so I just made a goal to read. And I have! As of today, I've read 30 books this year and I am hoping to clock about 10-15 more. 

I'm not sure I'll get to reviewing all the books I've read, but I sure will try. Remember I'm not the best at keeping blog promises? I do know that a lot of books I read nowadays are books that have come recommended by people I know and by people who enjoy similar types of books. Maybe you'll even find some new books to read here. I won't ramble on, but I'll let you know what I thought. I'll also only review four at a time so as not to overwhelm you or myself. I've been keeping track of my books on my Goodreads app on my iPhone and iPad. It's such an easy way to organize what I've read. If you're on Goodreads, please friend me! I'd love to see what you've been reading.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns by Mindy Kaling
5 out of 5 stars
I love "The Office" and I absolutely LOVED this book. I laughed out loud so many times and wrote down hilarious quotes over and over. This is a light hearted story of Mindy's childhood and how she came to be where she is today. Even if you don't watch her as Kelly on "The Office", you should read this. I thought it was a lot funnier than Tina Fey's book.

Keeper of the Light by Diane Chamberlain
2 out of 5 stars
I really enjoy Diane Chamberlain as an author. She writes interesting fiction with good character development that is easy to get through in a few days. I discovered her when Erin and Rachel started their book club. I have a hard time putting down a lot of her books. This was not one of them, unfortunately. I think it might be because this was part of a series and I read them out of order. I hate when I do that! This wasn't my favorite, but it certainly wasn't enough to keep me coming back for more Diane!

Summer's Child by Diane Chamberlain
3 out of 5 stars
See? I told you I loved Diane. This story sucked me in and kept me there. I read quickly to find out what happened because there were some big unanswered story lines in this book. It was a good story that tugged on my mama heart during certain parts. This would be a great, quick beach read.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
5 out of 5 stars
I am a big Nicholas Sparks fan, but I haven't loved a lot of his recent stuff, other than Safe Haven (LOVED this book, LOVED). However, I let this book slip by me for some reason. When I saw that the movie was coming out with my boy, Zac Efron, I knew I would have to see it stat. But I'm funny about seeing a movie that's based on a book-- I have got to read the book first. I picked this up and devoured it. I could not put it down. I thought the book was way better than the movie, but that is normal for me. Zac made it pretty close, though. I cried through this book and thought the ending was so well written.

I'll be back in the next few weeks to review some more of my 2012 reads!

Book Review: Not My Daughter

As I'm thinking about this, I don't remember how I discovered this book. I'm thinking that I read about it in a magazine, but who knows. My brain is absolutely not what it used to be. I have read things by Barbara Delinsky before and although she isn't one of my favorite authors, she writes good fiction that I enjoy. This book intrigued me right from the get-go and I couldn't put it down. 

Kristin Hannah, author of Firefly Lane (which I'll be reviewing soon!) writes a compelling and informative summary on Amazon:

In this compelling, ripped-from-the-headline offering from bestselling author Barbara Delinsky, three high school seniors make a pregnancy pact. Heightening the stakes, these aren’t just any seniors--these are three popular, college-bound girls from good families. Set in an insular, tightly knit community in Maine, Not My Daughter explores the consequences of pact behavior on a small town, as well as the strain placed on mothers and daughters who find themselves in unfamiliar terrain. One of the pregnant teens is the daughter of the high school principal--a former teen mother herself--and the local school board is quick to assign blame. When the national media gets wind of the story, the principal’s job is put in jeopardy, as is her standing in the community. Not My Daughter is a timely exploration of teen motherhood and the hard choices that sometimes have to be made in life. Barbara Delinsky, long known as one of the premier authors of women's fiction, once again reveals the hidden strengths of ordinary women when faced with extraordinary adversity.

Oh my word, this book was great. It jumped right into the plot, which is a quality that I love in a book. There weren't a lot of fluffy details and the story just flowed well. As the summary says, the mother of one of the pregnant girls is the principal of the high school in the small town. She meets with much scrutiny and adversity over how she could let this happen when in reality, she has a wonderful relationship with her daughter who willingly chooses to become pregnant. Her job and friendships are put on the line.

Since I'm a teacher, I found the scenes with the school board and parents of students to be extremely interesting as well as frustrating. I felt passionately for Susan (the principal) and could identify with how cruel (and wonderful) parents can be to the educators of their children for no good reason. Despite having a solid and healthy relationship with her daughter, people still blame her for something that they are afraid could easily infiltrate their "perfect" lives. It was an interesting commentary on unnecessary blame and fear and how easily they can tear people, even a community, apart. 

I give this book eight out of ten stars. It is great beach reading and a quick read at that. I would recommend this to a friend or a book club. I think the conversations that would stem from this book is worth the read alone. I'll definitely look forward to Delinsky's next book with anticipation. 

Book Review: Nanny Returns

I loved The Nanny Diaries. It is definitely one of my favorite books of all time. The story was intriguing and heart warming and made you want to punch Mrs. X all at the same time. You couldn't help but fall in love with Grayer and want to go find a child to love that was just like him. I thought the movie was alright, but I'm not a huge Scarlett Johansson fan. I didn't picture Nanny looking like her, but whatever. 

 

I was thrilled when I heard that the sequel, Nanny Returns (by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus), was ready for pickup at the library. The summary from Amazon made me excited to read it:

Nan revisits 721 Park, home of the moneyed but morally bankrupt Xs, and the boy she guiltily left behind in their inept care in this smart and sassy sequel to The Nanny Diaries. And though Nan has grown up a bit, married Harvard Hottie Ryan and traveled the world, the plight of the rich and stupid continues, as does Nan's new crusade to save former charge Grayer and his younger brother Stilton, renovate a crumbling East Harlem mansion and stick it out at a soulless Manhattan private school. Outcomes are deeply uncertain, though Nan is nothing if not a natural-born cheerleader: I know what I'm worth. Because I care for these kids, I do, right down to my toes, she says of her young charges in and out of school. There's still one fear, however—whether she'll ever be able to make the leap from nanny to mommy. McLaughlin and Kraus leave no dry eyes as they once again wield a razor-sharp wit that cuts down the most uppity mortals even as it lifts up their vulnerable children. You could safely bet your first born that this'll be another smash hit.

I have to be honest. The first half of the book was really, really hard for me to get through. There was a lot of extraneous detail that I didn't enjoy and I had to make myself pick up the book several times with the hopes of getting through it. That was really disappointing, considering the fact that I loved the first book so much and could hardly put it down. 

However, as soon as we left for vacation, I promised myself that I would finish the book and I surely did. It really picked up halfway through and I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I don't know if it's hard for me to read during the school year because I can't stop thinking of everything I have to do, because as soon as we were "away from it all", I had no problem finishing. 

All in all, I'd give it five out of ten stars. It definitely didn't live up to Diaries, but really, how could it? I understand that, due to the way Diaries finished, it was a perfect setup for a sequel, but the many years that came between the two books (in the books-- 12 or so years) made the connection seem forced and unrealistic. Am I bummed that I took time to read it? Absolutely not. I think it's worth a read if you've read Diaries which I highly recommend. This may not have been McLaughlin and Kraus' best work, but I'm glad that I read it and was able to form my own opinion.

Have any of you read Nanny Returns? I'd be so interested to hear your thoughts!

Stay tuned for tomorrow; I'm going to review another book that I just finished that I absolutely loved.

Book Review: The Things That Keep Us Here

It's no secret that I'm a huge reader. I adore the library and bookstores. My idea of a great day is laying out in the sun with a glass of sweet tea and a good book. The long drives to Michigan don't bother me all that much because when Ty is driving (and listening to sports), I can get into my book.

However, I have a problem with reading many books at once. This can sometimes be an issue because I tend to not finish books in their entirety. I read most of the book, but then I find another book and start it. Before I know it, I have to return the half read book to the library so as not to incur any large fines. I'm sure Ty is laughing as he reads this because I am known for my large library fines. Not good.

I'm embarrassed to tell you that this is the first book that I've actually finished in 2010. I'm cringing a little bit as I write this because I have some grand book plans for this year. I think I need to stop being hard on myself, though, because my time is so limited during the week and on the weekends, it's very important that I catch up on my TV shows. Please note the sarcasm.

This weekend, I picked up this book at the library on a whim. It was on the return cart and the book jacket sounded intriguing.

The summary from the book jacket is as follows...

How far would you go to protect your family?

Ann Brooks never thought she’d have to answer that question. Then she found her limits tested by a crisis no one could prevent. Now, as her neighborhood descends into panic, she must make tough choices to protect everyone she loves from a threat she cannot even see. In this chillingly urgent novel, Carla Buckley confronts us with the terrifying decisions we are forced to make when ordinary life changes overnight.

A year ago, Ann and Peter Brooks were just another unhappily married couple trying–and failing–to keep their relationship together while they raised two young daughters. Now the world around them is about to be shaken as Peter, a university researcher, comes to a startling realization: A virulent pandemic has made the terrible leap across the ocean to America’s heartland.

And it is killing fifty out of every hundred people it touches.

As their town goes into lockdown, Peter is forced to return home–with his beautiful graduate assistant. But the Brookses’ safe suburban world is no longer the refuge it once was. Food grows scarce, and neighbor turns against neighbor in grocery stores and at gas pumps. And then a winter storm strikes, and the community is left huddling in the dark.
Trapped inside the house she once called home, Ann Brooks must make life-or-death decisions in an environment where opening a door to a neighbor could threaten all the things she holds dear.

I enjoyed this book. It sucked me in right from the beginning and it was a quick read. I finished it in the 4 1/2 hour drive back from Detroit to Cincinnati this weekend. It explores the interesting concept of what we would do if a true pandemic swept our world by storm. It had me truly freaked out at some points, thinking, "I'd better get back on my couponing and stock piling because if this happens to us, we're in TROUBLE!" It gets you thinking about just what you might have to do in order to survive if something like avian flu gripped our nation.

Was it the best book I've ever read? No, but I really would recommend it. It's a bit of a thriller, if you will. Keep in mind that my idea of thriller is nothing more intense than this novel which is about a pandemic. I get scared easily. :) It is pretty interesting to think about what your reaction might be if this became a reality and how you'd begin to interact with others in fear of getting this flu. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending; it felt a little forced and unsettled to me. That's always a bit of a disappointment, but overall, I enjoyed the story.

I give it a six out of ten. This is Carla Buckley's first book and I think she did a great job. She is a talented and engaging writer. I will definitely pick up her next book when it is published. It's worth your while if you want a quick and easy read that is entertaining and a bit thought provoking.

What have you read lately?