The Bible, many "books" in one!

At the very end of 2009, I signed up and pledged to read the Bible in 90 days. We started on January 1 and I finished on March 29. Just 88 days, and I read the entire Bible. I'm still wrapping my head around the whole experience which I blogged about here.

Reading the Bible in (less than) 90 days involves reading about an hour a day - 12 pages - and staying caught up if you miss a day. I knew that this endeavor would take me a way from my reading goals here, so I decided to count each book of the Bible towards my total reading goal. Cheating? I think it depends who you ask, and I am in charge here, so I say it is not cheating. So there. :-)

There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament for a total of 66 books. I've updated my totals in the side bar for items 44-47, and I've completed #45!

Now my final goals for reading seem achievable and I am on track to finish a few more of the items here before June. I do remember when June 2010 seemed so far away! Wow, the time flies.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

I was a bit leery about reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven since it seemed to be so over-hyped for a while. I picked up a copy of this a while back and finally got around to reading it. I read it in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down! The premise is fascinating and the characters are well-written. I found it to be rather emotional as well - at least 2 tissues were used! I think this is one book that should be required reading & I've already got a list of people waiting to borrow my copy. Now that it has been out for a while, you should have no problem finding a copy to read at your local library.

The Last Days of Haute Cuisine

The Last Days of Haute Cuisine by Patric Kuh has a subtitle of "The Coming of Age of American Restaurants". It is a non-fiction piece about just that. From the story behind the beginning of credit cards to the slow food movement starting long before it was called the slow food movement this book is chock full of small stories that amount to a lot when put together. The history of the US is bound by the restaurant industry in ways that I had never dreamed of. I'm not usually one for non-fiction books, but the vibrant characters in this story are brought to life on the page in a way that does not often happen!

"When one has felt the pull of two continents, such images become dear to one. They are not the rah-rah oath of allegiance stuff that, dear as citizenship is, so oversimplifies the process of belonging."

Life of Pi

Life of Pi by Yann Martel was a fascinating, thought-provoking story of survival. I feel like there isn't much to say that will do justice to this amazing story, especially without ruining the mystical quality that the book has.

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank was a birthday gift from a good friend. It was the perfect book for reading on vacation and I devoured it while watching the glaciers go by our cabin's balcony.

The book centers on Jane throughout her life as she tries to figure out life, love, and how to balance the two. It is organized in a collection of short stories - each with a different perspective matching where Jane is in her life.

It was a great read and very enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

Velvet Elvis

I recently finished reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell.
My sister lent me the book over a year ago and started asking what happened to it, so I thought I'd better read it before I returned it! I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way that Bell addressed faith through examples of everyday life. The first chapters did this really well and helped me to really get into the book.
My favorite part about the book is the way that Bell addresses how things were in Jesus' day. Why he used the phrases he did, why he spoke in parables, and why things were the way they were are all addressed. We need to be reminded that Jesus was a Jew and that really colored a lot of what he did and how he rose to fame.
Bell addressed a lot of questions that I have had about biblical passages. Why did they phrase it that way? Why didn't they just come out and say it? I came away from this book with a much greater understanding of what was going on at the time and what the Holy Book is really saying.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in understanding Christianity a little better.

Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown has been sitting on my bookshelf for almost 2 years. I bought it used at the local library sale after I really enjoyed reading and watching The Da Vinci Code. When I heard that Ron Howard was going to make a movie out of Angels & Demons as well, I knew I'd better read it before I went to see the movie.

I read this book in less than 4 days. It was such a page-turner I could barely put it down. I enjoyed "spending time" with Robert Langdon's character again, too. Dan Brown's writing really sucks you into the story and keeps you questioning right along with the characters. Who's on what side? Will the mystery be solved in time? Really amazing character development as well. I am ready to read the other Dan Brown novel on my bookshelf.

Heidi

After a few months of no reading at all, I'm starting to feel frantically behind in my goals to read 100 books. However, after finishing Heidi (Puffin Classics) by Johanna Spyri last week, I am back into reading before bed every night.

Heidi is a classic tale and I can see why. It is a story about a little girl with lots of spunk and she knows what she wants. The tale incorporates the life style of two very different little girls and what they have been taught (or not taught!) about how to behave. Along the way, Heidi learns about God and about a lot of things that are important in life. The end of the book was slightly predictable, but moving nonetheless. If you didn't read this as a child, I highly suggest reading it now!

Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood

After reading the first 2 books in this series, I couldn't stop there! I plowed ahead through Girls in Pants, by Ann Brashares. At this point in the series, the girls are people in my mind and I am so excited to see where their next adventures will take them! The 3rd book is set during the summer after they've graduated high school and they are getting ready to go forward to college. I remember those times and the feelings involved, so it was very easy to put myself in the girls shoes. I read most of this at the beach as well, so the feeling of summer definitely permeated the experience of reading this book. I'm working on the 4th one now!

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

I just finished off the second book of the 4 book series by Ann Brashares - The Second Summer of the Sisterhood. I feel like I am on an emotional high. I thought that Brashares was able to connect the reader to the girls in the story in one book, the connection that was made by the end of the second book was mind blowing. I am in a state of emotional overload. These girls have been through so much in the course of just 2 summers - I can not imagine what the next 2 books will bring. I am definitely in it now for the long hall. The last 2 books of the series are most definitely going to be read before the end of the summer. I finished this one in less than 48 hours, too. I think the speed at which I am reading them can be contributed to a few factors. A) The story jumps between girls and the change in narrative and characters makes it easier to stick with through a long sit-down with the book, and B) The way the book is written does not give you a chance to even think about putting the book down. Finding a place to stop is difficult because of the fast pace and the way life just keeps happening to these girls. I'm due at the library again sometime this week and I will definitely be picking up the next book, if not both of them. I am anticipating a lot more tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Hopefully more of the latter than the former. :-)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I picked up The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares (a name that I had to look up to find the book in the stacks!)
at the library on Thursday. I have this big stack of serious books (Angela's Ashes, Johnny Tremain and others) that I am supposed to read next, but I can't bring myself to do it. Summer is a time for reading fun books! And this is definitely one of those fun books. I kind of wish I hadn't seen the movie first because it did spoil some things. There was less questioning what would happen next or how would things turn out, but instead wondering what had been cut from the movie and how would they reach their final destinations.

Of the four girls' story lines, Lena's was the most bastardized in the movie. Her story line in the book is very drawn out and involves a lot of introspection (which very much suits her character), however, I see why they changed it to make the story come alive better on screen.

The story lines of Carmen, Bridgette, and Tibby were not changed for the movie, however, a lot of details were left out. I think I will appreciate the movie more the next time I watch it now that I have read the book.

I read the whole thing in about a day because the girls just sucked me into their stories and I could not put it down!

Pure Drivel

I was excited to read Pure Drivel, by Steve Martin. I've read at least one other of his books and really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to a similar experience.

Unfortunately, I was met by a small collection of short stories that just barely could be referred to as drivel. I read through many of the stories without smiling or laughing or even a little chortle. Nothing. Usually the thought on my mind was "is this going to be funny soon?" Then I had a feeling it was some how my fault. Was it bad to read this right after reading a Dave Barry masterpiece? Should I not have had such high expectations? The short stories were 2-5 pages long. At the end of each of them, I thought, "Well, maybe the next one will be good." Sadly, no.


I can not recommend this book. But if you want to get a taste of Steve Martin's humor without the suffering and wondering when it will be funny, you might try reading The Pleasure of My Company, which I can say is very amusing and at times laugh-out-loud funny.

Dave Barry in Cyberspace

I picked up a copy of Dave Barry in Cyberspace, by Dave Barry (surprise, surprise) at a yard sale about a month ago. The book was published in 1997 so I was unsure if some of the humor would be out of date or not quite as funny. I was completely wrong. The book remains fresh in this world of changing technology. This is a laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS book. Anyone who has used a computer or surfed the internet will appreciate the humor.

A Long Way From Chicago & A Year Down Yonder

A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.

These books were recommended to me by my brother. Since A Year Down Yonder is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago I felt that they should be reviewed together. In a way, the sequel is just the next chapter in the lives of Joey and Mary Alice (although, more so Mary Alice). The characters, especially Grandma Dowdel, jump off the page. Set in the time around and about The Great Depression, there are plenty of historical references scattered throughout in the best way possible - you hardly even realize they are there. They are just part of the story. And Grandma Dowdel is such a complex character. At the beginning of the story, she is almost scary in that she is completely unknown to Joey and Mary Alice. By the end of A Year Down Yonder, she had her grandchildren have formed a very strong bond that none of them had ever imagined.

This is a laugh-out-loud comedy as well as a story of family. You just never know what the heck Gramdma Dowdel is going to do next. Sometimes it seems that she doesn't even know what she is going to do next, but it turns out that she is much more cunning than she ever let on.

Both of these books are fantastic reads and definitely worthy of a second read someday.

Things my Girlfriend and I Have Argued About

Things my Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, by Mil Millington is absolutely hilarious. My friend Melissa recommended it to me, so I picked it up at the library when I was there. It was a quick read, despite being almost 400 pages long. It had me laughing out loud at every turn. I was surprised at how much the novel flowed even though it was cleverly disguised as a collection of short stories. Some of the language used is very colourful, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone. The author (and the main character) are from the UK so it has a wonderful English humor mixed with a bit of crudeness and many surprising twists and turns of plot.

Many, many thanks to Melissa to recommending this wonderfully entertaining book!

The Midwife's Apprentice

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman won the Newbery Medal in 1996 Newbery Medal. I picked it up when I was at the library a few days ago. It was a quick read (after all, it is at about a 6 grade reading level and short), but as Cushman tends to do, she transports you to medieval England with great characters and quaint dialogue.

At one point, I was trying to read all of the Newbery Medal winners, and I think I'll resurrect that goal.

Wicked

I finished reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire this weekend. As much as I was originally annoyed by the writing style and overuse of bizarre and strange words (aside from the made-up words of the Land of Oz), it grew on me and by the end I was not noticing it so much. I think this might also have been because most of the big words were used during the chapters were the characters were attending school. Perhaps the author thought he was giving those chapters a more collegiate feel by using all those big words that caused me to go scrambling for a dictionary (or more likely, Google).

I really liked the way the book was written around the story and characters created by L. Frank Baum. Reading Wicked was almost like reading fanfiction in this way. My only knowledge of this world was from the movie and the stage show, so I plan on adding the novel to my to-read list. I have also seen some of the more bizarre movies based on his later novels, but I am not sure how much they really influenced my reading of this book.

SeinLanguage

SeinLanguage, by Jerry Seinfeld was an extremely quick read. It only took me 3 nights to finish it off. It is basically a collection of sketches, some of which were used in episodes of Seinfeld. I really enjoyed it and laughter before bedtime was definitely a nice change after All the President's Men! I'm going to be passing on my copy to my grandma who loves Seinfeld and likes reading. I think she'll get a kick out of it.

All the President's Men

I FINALLY FINISHED All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward. I think the thing that most kept me from getting really sucked into this book was all the names and people that there were to keep straight. I don't know if I really followed exactly because of that (although, it was helpful when I recognized a name or two), but I definitely got the gist of it. There were definitely parts where things got very intense, and other's where it dragged. I think this is due to the nature of it being a true story and all. Not every part of life can be exciting! I did find that it ended rather abruptly. I'm looking forward to watching the movie again now that I've finished the book.

Faking It

Faking It, by Jennifer Crusie

I picked this up in a lot full of books I got from someone on craigslist. I thought it looked like a quick read and a nice break from reading All The President's Men. It was!

Not much to say about this one. I was surprised when it turned into much more of a "romance novel" than I had expected (mostly because I didn't read the entire book jacket!), but it was entertaining, kept my attention, and had an interesting plot with lots of twists and turns.

Back to reading All The President's Men now!