The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

                I have been getting lots of use out of my new library membership!  I finished The Quilter’s Apprentice last week while travelling for work and I have mixed feelings about the book.  Off the bat I was not a fan.  It reminded me of a poorly written romance novel except for that there was no romance.  Everything was very simply written and not in the best way.  I was reading and kept asking myself why I was still reading.  That is where things get complicated.  I would like to say I didn’t enjoy the book but I kept reading.  I don’t want to say I couldn’t put it down because I did but I always went back to it.  Plus, when I was returning other books to the library I checked out the next in the series.  We will see how that goes!  The plot is a young couple that is adapting to moving to a new town and Sarah, the main character is taken in by a grouchy old lady.  Of course, they become friends and Sarah learns how to quilt, saves the day in a few situations and in the end all is hunky-dory.  That is a quick overview of the book but really, it doesn’t get much more complicated beyond that.  Maybe I could relate to being new in town and using quilting as an escape as I have did when I moved to Texas/New Mexico.  Make your own decision on if you want to try this series or not.  Reviews from amazon are raving, I wouldn’t trust everything I read though.

224 Pages

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I was so sad to finish The Language of Flowers as I enjoyed it from start to finish.  This was a compelling read that had great detail and life to it.  It is the story of Victoria Jones and her life full of struggles.  Victoria was passed through the foster system and at 18 is emancipated and must find a way to survive.  This is where the real story begins as she meets people from her past and works towards a new and fresh future.  We get to know Victoria as a young girl through her memories and also as a young woman as she tries to make something for herself.  Victoria’s most comfortable way of communicating with people is through flowers and the symbolism that they have.  She uses this skill as she tries to survive and also make connections with the people she meets.  This book is difficult to describe but I would highly recommend it.  There wasn’t a thing I didn’t like about this book!  If you need more reassurance check out the reviews on Amazon.com, they will sell you for sure!

 

352 Pages

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

I finished up The Mermaid Chair while travelling for work and overall I found this book enjoyable.  First off, you may recognize the name of the author.  Sue Monk Kidd also wrote The Secret Life of Bees which I just happened to love.  Unfortunately, I did not love The Mermaid Chair as much as her first work.  The story follows Jessie Sullivan, a woman who is in what I would describe a mid-life crisis.  Her mother is ill so she escapes her monotonous and vanilla life to go and take care of her.  While visiting her mother (who lives on a small island with few inhabits besides the monks that run the monastery on the island) she falls for a monk that is just months away from taking his final vows.  The story winds together issues Jessie has with her mom and their past together, Jessie’s relationship with her husband back on the mainland and her new fling with the monk from the island.  I thought the book was a little slow but it kept me reading so there is always something to be said for that.  The last ¼ of the book was when it got more interesting.  I especially liked a few twists that I did not see coming at the end.  I think that some of the situations were a little unreal and I had a hard time believing that there would not be more consequences for some of the things that went on.  I think many would find this book enjoyable and I would most likely recommend it to others.  I borrowed it from the library and was glad as it is one that I don’t think I will read again but sure enjoyed it the first time.

368 Pages

Some Girls; My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren

“Some Girls; My Life in a Harem” by Jillian Lauren

I borrowed this book from Mom (Cindy) and she has already reviewed it so I don’t feel as if I need to bore you with more about the storyline of the book as she has already described it.  This book fell into my “just ok” category.  I thought the storyline was interesting and something different however I did not click very well with the author’s style of writing.  She wrote well, it just wasn’t my style.  The details and points that she focused on left me wanting more/different information from her experience.  With that being said I believe that this book would be appealing to others and would be enjoyed by most.  It was a fairly quick read and if you are interested in a different storyline that may be about a new subject to you then I would recommend it.

The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

What a lovely book this is!  I borrowed it from Meredith some time ago but only now got around to reading it.  I think I could describe it as a "gentle read".  The language is descriptive, the characters are well developed and there is something that just calms you as you read this book. 

The story centers around a young girl named Martha who leaves home at a young age looking for work breaking horses.  She terms it "gentling wild horses".  Many of the young men and hired hands are off fighting the war as the year is 1917 so Martha follows her heart not only to escape and abusive and cruel father, but to find work doing what she loves.  The story weaves through a long and hard winter but Martha discovers friendships and a place in the community.  There is a richness to the story that describes how people and animals touch each others lives in the most unexpected and profound ways.   

I recommend this book for a heartwarming and pleasant read.

289 pages

Escape by Carolyn Jessop

I borrowed this book from a friend and it was a fairly quick read.  It is the true account of Carolyn’s (the author) life and growing up in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   She was raised in the faith in a polygamist family and openly shared the stories of her life growing up and adulthood in the church.  At 18 she was married to a man that was nearly a stranger and also 32 years older than her.  She continues to recount her life as she went on to have multiple sister-wives and eight children of her own.  The story is chilling at times as you learn about the cruelty and abuse Carolyn and her family experienced.  The story twists as she realizes the extreme danger that she and her family is in and thus starts her plan for escape from her high powered and controlling husband.  Some of the book felt a little bit repetitive to me but I also realize that the cruelty and abuse she experienced happened constantly throughout her entire life, thus it is a strong theme in the book.  I have read a few different books about the fundamentalist church but this self-account of her experience was new and eye opening.  If you have any interest in the workings of the fundamentalist church or the lifestyle they lead then I would definitely recommend this book.

 426 Pages

Outlander by Diana Gabadon

What a great read!  Aunt Mary recommended this book while we were visiting in Colorado and I was skeptical, but enjoyed every page!  This is the first book in a series of a genre I didn't think I would cotton up to, but I did and can't wait for the next book.  There is time travel involved and I thought "oh-boy" but it is well done.  The year is 1945 and Claire, a former combat nurse, and her husband are enjoying a second honeymoon in the British Isles.  She is out walking alone, learning about natural healing herbs when she comes across a Stonehenge like circle of boulders.  She innocently touches and peers through a cleft in one of the rocks and poof!  She is Sassenach - an "outlander" in a Scotland torn by warring clans in the year 1743.  I know it sounds sort of goofy but it is so well done that it just becomes a delightful story full of great characters, history, and of course passion. 

I recommend this book whole heartedly - I couldn't put it down!

850 pages

Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver

Hmmm.  I finished this book about a month ago and am trying to remember enough to review it!  I don't think Amazon reviews are allowed here, but I am going to do it anyway - just like the last couple of books I read!  One of my favorite books is "Poisonwood Bible" by Kingsolver so I anticipated having the same reaction to this book.  She is a talented writer, spins a good tale, and I am glad I read this book, but I don't wish to read it again.  The subject is just a little too wacky for me - all about the discovery of a miracle due to climate change.  I guess the change goes beyond the actual "climate" but also the change in the main character's (Dellarobia) life.  So here is what Amazon has to say:

"Flight Behavior is a brilliant and suspenseful novel set in present day Appalachia; a breathtaking parable of catastrophe and denial that explores how the complexities we inevitably encounter in life lead us to believe in our particular chosen truths. Kingsolver's riveting story concerns a young wife and mother on a failing farm in rural Tennessee who experiences something she cannot explain, and how her discovery energizes various competing factions—religious leaders, climate scientists, environmentalists, politicians—trapping her in the center of the conflict and ultimately opening up her world."

597 pages

"Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World" by Tom Doyle

This book is a collection of stories of how God is using dreams and visions in the world of Islam.  I had heard of these types of revelations but this book records many accounts of these fascinating and amazing experiences.  Tom Doyle is a missionary in the Middle East and Central Asia spreading the work and words of Jesus to the Muslims.  He tells of his first hand experiences with Muslims who first heard of Jesus through vivid dreams and powerful visions.  Of course turning from Islam and confessing Jesus is grounds for execution but they have found peace and hope that comes from knowing Jesus. 

I think you would find this book to be an eye-opener of how Jesus is working today in the lives of people who are not free to worship as they choose.  I recommended it without reservation!

288 pages

"Some Girls; My Life in a Harem" by Jillian Lauren

Interesting book!  I had only read a review but thought it sounded interesting and it was.  It is the true life story of the author and her experience in a harem and how she got there in the first place.  One of the early quotes she uses is from Talking Heads - "And you may ask yourself, well...how did I get here?"

Because I am so far behind in posting, I am just going to copy the review from Amazon.  I know - what a cheat I am!

"A jaw-dropping story of how a girl from the suburbs ends up in a prince's harem, and emerges from the secret Xanadu both richer and wiser

At eighteen, Jillian Lauren was an NYU theater school dropout with a tip about an upcoming audition. The "casting director" told her that a rich businessman in Singapore would pay pretty American girls $20,000 if they stayed for two weeks to spice up his parties. Soon, Jillian was on a plane to Borneo, where she would spend the next eighteen months in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, youngest brother of the Sultan of Brunei, leaving behind her gritty East Village apartment for a palace with rugs laced with gold and trading her band of artist friends for a coterie of backstabbing beauties."

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip Sendker

I finished this book a few days ago and really enjoyed it.  Michael and I went to a fabulous bookstore in Crested Butte, CO and they had the most amazing salesman! I told him some books I had recently read and enjoyed but expressed that I was having a hard time “getting into” a book lately as the recent ones I read I had loved so much.  He provided so many great recommendations and this was one of them.  He thought it would be easy for me to become invested in and he was correct.

               This story follows Julia as she sets out to find what has happened to her father who disappeared the day after she graduated law school.  This search brings her to a small village in Burma where her father grew up.  Here she encounters a man that knows the story of her father and pledges to lead her to him shall she want to listen.  It takes you on twists and turns and can really stop and make you wonder how much you pay attention to in everyday life.  The book is written in such detail it amazed me.  I truly felt like I was there along with Julia in her search.  What was enjoyable was that the details didn’t weigh the story down at all, it flowed beautifully.  I enjoyed every aspect of this book and would love to read another one like it again.  I would highly recommend this book!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I just finished The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho last night and I loved this book.  The characters are simple to follow and the story is as well. With that being said I became engrossed in Santiago’s quest for his treasure and to fulfill his personal legend.  The story follows Santiago as he encounters different people that help guide him towards his treasure.  The story speaks loudly about following your dreams, listening to your heart in addition to many other life lessons.  There are elements of danger, suspense, love and adventure which for me made the perfect formula for a good book.  I found myself reading quickly at points to try and find out what would happen next or where Santiago’s path would lead him so I look forward to reading this book again to soak up even more of the details of his journey.  This book has been criticized for its simplicity and blunt writing but I enjoyed the simplicity.  You sure didn’t have to contemplate for long to understand the messages the characters were trying to deliver and I appreciated that.  Overall, a great book that I look forward to reading again!

Crazy Little Thing by Tracy Brogan

I had been reading some pretty boring books so I was in search of a light summer read and found it with this book.  This is the story of a divorced mom of 2 and her adventures during the summer she spends living with her crazy aunt and cousins trying to recover from her recent divorce.  There is nothing complicated about this book or terribly thought provoking but it worked to take me out of my zone and into the story.  I finished it in just a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It had been long time since I had a read like this and it was refreshing!  Also, it was a free book rental through Amazon Prime so reading it on my kindle for free was pretty handy! I would recommend this for a quick and easy summer read.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

Well.  I really, really wanted to like this book and for the most part I did.  I guess I am just not a historical fiction genre lover.  It is well written, well reviewed and well researched but it just sort of drug for me.  That being said, here is an overview ~

The main character, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was born a slave who earned her freedom by working as a dressmaker in Missouri.  She makes her way to Washington DC and by her exceptional talents, becomes the dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln.  As the years pass she becomes a treasured friend and confidant as well.  Elizabeth also works as a seamstress for Washington's finest including Mrs. Jefferson Davis and Mrs. Robert E. Lee.  These relationships draw Elizabeth into the intimate life of the cities elite and an eye witness within the private quarters of the White House.  Not only was Elizabeth a sought after seamstress but also the founder of the Contraband Relief Association which was organized to bring relief to the tens of thousands of former slaves as they sought refuge in Washington.

Although this is a fictional work, the events and people are very real.  Elizabeth published a book called, "Behind the Scenes.  Or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House" which was intended to tell her story and also clear the misconceptions of Mrs. Lincoln.  However, it brought nothing but scandal and heartbreak thanks to a less than honest publisher. 

I think if you like historical fiction, you will like this book.  I am glad I read it, but am glad to move on.

350 pages

The Signal and the Noise

"The Signal and the Noise: Why Most Predictions Fail, but Some Don't", by Nate Silver, is a study on how people make predictions in a wide variety of fields, and why they are wrong most of the time. Silver is the author of the 538 Blog, which gained a bunch of Fame over the last two election cycles for very accurately predicting congressional and state presidential elections. In this book, he explains how people in everything from baseball to earthquakes predict things in their fields and why they seem to do so poorly most of the time (it is normally for one of a few reasons - their models are wrong, they have an agenda besides correctness, or they don't know how to account for rare events). He does love weathermen though - on average, their prediction accuracy had increased significantly even over the last 20 years. Their predictions are good because they make a ton of them, it is easy to see if their predictions are right, and they improve their models when they fail.

Overall, I liked this book, but it felt like a collection of essays rather than a coherent whole. It took me a looooong time to get through it, but that is probably because it is so densely packed with interesting information. An interesting read.

I finally figured out how to post and am going crazy this morning! 

I recently listened to Jody Picoult's latest novel.  Her last couple books have left me unimpressed so I approached this one with caution and prepared to quit if it wasn't keeping my interest.  Well, she must have heard me complaining and got her mojo back. 

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult follows an academic study through the eyes of a family.  The main character is working on her own study when she is recruited to do some interviews of German's who lived during WW2 but were not involved in the military: people who lived in Germany through the war.   A elderly (of course) man volunteers to tell his story to her and the book takes off. 

I was fascinated by the stories of the death camps seen through the eyes of a novel being written in a young girls head.  She told this story each evening to her fellow prisoners.  So in essence you not only read the novel you purchased but you are reading the novel being written within the book.  There are brutal parts, a love story and redemption of evil...everything a good novel could ask for. 

Lisa also listened to this book and several of my friends read it.  I must say it was chilling to hear the words of this elderly man with that flat German voice say the things he did in the war.  Very well done and a good read.  I've heard nothing but good reviews from friends on this one.

Linda

I recommend Before I go to Sleep: A Novel by S. J. Watson.  Seems I have been reading books about brain function lately.  This one was terrifying and also extremely hard to put down.  Amazing plot and very well put together. 

This woman has a brain injury, wakes up in the hospital and can't remember anything at all.  She gathers information but when she sleeps she loses it all and must start over.  Her husband is very helpful in helping her adjust to her new life...and she starts to keep a journal so she can read what she has learned each morning and not have to start fresh.  The plot thickens!!!

A great read for summer...or on an airplane as there are no airplane crashes in the thing at all! 

Just for enjoyment...
Linda

John and I recently read The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in Life and Business  by Heather Barbieri.  It was a book club selection for me this past month.  We both really enjoyed reading this non-fiction book.  That is saying something for me - a true fiction lover. 

The author covers the brain functions that promote habits and why they are so hard to break.  She gives strategies to change habits in our lives.  She does not claim this is easy!  She explains quite clearly why it is so hard.  Citing that even in people with severe brain damage or Alzheimers there is "muscle" memory that allows them to catch a ball or play ping pong.  And that by training a person in a new habit even after severe injury they can assume a "normal" life.

It was also interesting reading about cultural habits and in particular corporate habits.  I recommend this book to all.

Linda

Behind the Beautiful Forevers - Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

What a book!  As you know, I love just about all things India so this book was an instant draw for me.  There has been what I believe to be, some "romanticizing" about the life in the slums as a result of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" but this book will surely knock that idea out of your head.  The author spent three years reporting, documenting, photographing and researching in order to pass on her story of what makes the world of the slumdweller tick.  She does so with intelligence, respect and deep insight.

Annawadi is a makeshift settlement of 90,000 families on less than an acre in the shadows of luxury hotels near Mumbai airport.  As India starts to prosper, the residents of the slum start to get their hopes up that tomorrow will be a better day, a better time, a better life.  But of course the airport wants to reclaim the land from these squatters as it would be extremely valuable in vertical space.  So even at the outset without even taking account of the human cost, there is conflict and tension,  Much of the story follows Abdul, a young teenager who picks and sorts garbage to support his family.  Then there is Asha, a very clever woman who recognizes the way to middle class is through political corruption.  And you have Kalu, one of the poorest of the poor who is a scrap-metal thief.  The story winds through and intertwines the lives of several families - through false accusations of murder, tensions from religion, caste, sex and power.  It is a revealing look into a world that I can't in my craziest thoughts imagine ever surviving let alone thriving.

I think you would really enjoy this book.  The characters are real and their names are unchanged.  They are as the author states, "neither mythic nor pathetic and certainly not passive."  And they still linger in my thoughts...

254 pages

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold

While on a business trip, I bought and read the novel "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" by John Le Carre. This is set in 1950's Berlin, and tells the story of a British spy who gets one last chance at getting revenge on the East German spy master who killed his agents. It is a gripping story filled with twists and turns, and it has some surprisingly deep meditations on ethics and morality in geopolitics.

There is one passage in particular that stuck with me - the British and Soviet/East German spy masters all do terrible things, but the characters say that the British do it in spite of their ideals, while the Soviets are living out the consequences of their ideology. This is a very interesting claim, and it is left to the reader to decide whether the terrible things that happen are justified by the needs of the state. The novel is deeply ambiguous on this point.

I would highly recommend this book - Le Carre is a master, and this novel is brilliantly paced and wonderfully written.

March Books

March was another month where I didn't do a good job writing down the books I read. I think I only read two though, but I started a Serious Book, which has consumed my reading time. Without further ado...

Seed - Rob Ziegler. Set in a near future post apocalyptic America, global climate change has destroyed the fabric of society. What remains is held together by a bioengineered seed called Satori, produced by a single company. You can probably guess what happens next. I thought this book was ok, but not particularly novel or exciting.

The Domesday Book - Connie Willis. I really liked this book. In the not so distant future, historians study their topics by going back in time and observing them first hand. Kivrin is a medievalist who is going back to study the reconstruction after the Black Death. Unfortunately, the calculations are a little off, and she ends up too early and must deal with the plague itself. The time travel plays a relatively minor role in the story - anyone who enjoys historical fiction would enjoy this too! Highly recommend.

I think I only finished a measly two books in March!

February Roundup

Well, I have been remarkably bad at blogging the books I've read this year. So here is a brief recap of what i remember reading in February (March to follow later):

"Zero Day" by Mark Russinovich - First off, the author of this book is best known for his series "Windows Internals", a guide to how the Windows operating system works under the hood. So it was perfectly natural that he should write a computer security themed techno-thriller featuring someone who looks remarkably like him. The bad guys in the story unleash a variety of computer attacks that could cripple the US economy, and it is up to our plucky hero and his improbably hot love interest to save the day. There are actually some pretty accurate technical points in the book, but it is mostly brain candy.

"Hounded" and "Hexed" by Kevin Hearne - These are the first two books in the Iron Druid Chronicles, which follow the adventures of a 2000 year old druid (who still looks 23) who owns an occult bookshop in modern Tempe, AZ. He gets involved in a variety of mishaps and adventures involving the local werewolves, witches, faeries, and minor deities. These books are pure brain candy, but are a lot more entertaining than they should be by any critical analysis. I enjoyed them quite a bit - exciting fantasy adventures in a unique setting, with some great characters.

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

Well.  I had to start this book twice because I just couldn't get in to it.  Then somewhere in the middle I couldn't put it down.  That crescendo faded fast and finishing it became slow and laborious.  I must be missing something.  It has gotten great reviews and the endorsement of Oprah, so it must be good, right?

The story centers around Hattie Shepherd who as a young 15 year old girl flees from Georgia to Philadelphia hoping for a chance at a better life.  However, that didn't go as planned.  She ends up marrying a man who is nothing but disappointing.  Her first two babies (twins) die of pneumonia in 1925 leaving Hattie a hard and bitter woman.  She gives birth to nine more babies and proves to be a cruel and seemingly unloving mother.  The chapters of the book chronicle her children and how their parents, particularly their mother, has made an impact.  Some of of the story telling is from Hattie's point of view, and some from her children.  I think that is what is going anyway?

I was not so crazy about the story line or the writing style.  I found it to be disjointed and it ended as if the author just got tired of writing.  I looked more than once to see if the Acknowledgments had some sort of conclusion.  No luck.  Maybe you will like it more than me but it isn't one I will re-read or recommend.  (241 pages)

The Scarlet Thread by France Rivers

Yes, I know, another Francine Rivers book.  But I have been wanting to read it and so I did!  It is a very fast read - 431 pages and it took only two days.  I liked it - it is light reading but nice.

The book weaves two women's stories together - told in tandem.  Although the stories of these women are centuries apart, they face the same issues with life and the men they love.  There is heartache, death, love, and all that makes for a good romance.  However, since Rivers is a Christian author, the women's commitment to God is center.  Both women come to the realization of their faith after tragic circumstances and there lays the heart of the story.

That's all - quick and easy read - and enjoyable.

Inside the Kingdom; Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia by Robert Lacey

Well, this book was way our of the normal reading I do and I have to say I liked it!  I bought this book for Dad but since he is so ensconced with Churchill, I read it before he did.  It is a fascinating look from an insiders view of Saudi Arabia.

The author (I think he is British) has either lived in or been a part of the kingdom for thirty years.  In this writing, he depicts the nation in it's most recent years - beginning in the late 70's up to the publishing of this book in 2009 - which I believe is banned in Saudi.  (I would be surprised if it isn't.)  Lacey explains and peels back the layers of the culture, the beginnings of the jihadist ideology, and addresses the issues women face there even now.  It is written in a rather personal style rather than an accounting of dates, facts and nameless figures.  Instead he gives personal stories, details of interviews, photographs and important for me, a glossary of names and Arabic terms.  There are so many citizens that want to turn the clock back to the time of Mohammed and this book helps explains the why and how as well as the consequences of that mission. 

It is a very interesting read and I would recommend it.

Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers

This series of books was a gift from Alex and Erin for Christmas.  Erin has read and enjoyed them and she knew I would love them as well - and I did!  Thank you both - I buzzed through all three books in no time!  Francine Rivers is a well know Christian fiction author that appeals to a bit more to a female audience... a little romance involved!

Book One - "A Voice in the Wind"
This book takes you back to the first century in Jerusalem, Rome and Ephesus.  The story begins with the destruction of Jerusalem where the main character Hadassah, a young Jewish girl, is captured by the Roman army and sold into slavery.  Even though Hadassah is the main character, the author goes to great lengths developing the whole "cast" - mainly the rich merchant family, the Valeriens who are Hadassah's owners as well as a German gladiator named Atretus.  The dark side of the Roman Empire is explored  and the gladiator scenes make you sick.  Hadassah ends up having tremendous influence on the Valeriens as she begins to reveal that she is one of the new followers of Jesus - a Christian.  There is a tragic end to the book though and you can't wait to get to Book Two!

Book Two - "Echo in the Darkness"
The story starts right up where book one left off but with the adult Valerian children Marcus and Julia, being more involved in the plot.  Where the first book focused mainly on Hadassah and her struggle to stand for her faith, the second book deals mainly with conflicts surrounding the Valerian family and their responses to the sacrificial price that Hadassah paid.  Fortunately, God has not given up on them. When Julia falls ill, there is a strange woman hidden in veils who assists the young doctor at his shop in the poor part of town.  Hmm... who could it be?  There are marriages gone wrong, murder, sexual tension, mystery, and secret identities...everything that makes for a good read is in book two!

Book Three - "As Sure as the Dawn"
This book picks up the thread of Atretes again and now the story is exclusively from his perspective. The other characters  Hadassah and the Valerians are referred to only in passing. The story starts in Ephesus and then follows Atretes and a woman named Rizpah (who was briefly mentioned in Book One) as they journey north to Germania in search of Atretes' family.  Again, more turns and twists that are sometimes obvious and then others that leave you totally guessing the outcome.  This story is a real battle between good and evil - but proving the power of God prevails in all things.

The whole series reflects God's love, persistent calling of His children, forgiveness and redemption.  I totally enjoyed the series and highly recommend all three books.  Each book is long - nearly 500 pages, but they are fast reads and I was sad when they were done.

Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach

First off, Thank you to Meredith and Michael for this wonderful Christmas gift!  It was a great read and thoroughly enjoyable!  But I read it over two months ago and I can't remember all the details.  I just know I loved it.  The main character, Lizard, and his wacky sister are witness to his parents mysterious murders and the whole book revolves around finding the killer and making sense of the action.  It is funny, entertaining, a bit of mystery and intrigue and well... you know, I think I better do a cut and paste from Amazon!

"At seventeen, David “Lizard” Hochmeyer is nearly seven feet tall, a star quarterback, and Princeton-bound. His future seems all but assured until his parents are mysteriously murdered, leaving Lizard and his older sister, Kate, adrift and alone. Sylphide, the world’s greatest ballerina, lives across the pond from their Connecticut home, in a mansion the size of a museum, and it turns out that her rock star husband’s own disasters have intersected with Lizard’s—and Kate’s—in the most intimate and surprising ways.

Over the decades that follow, Lizard and Kate are obsessed with uncovering the motives behind the deaths, returning time and again to their father’s missing briefcase, his shady business dealings and shaky finances, and to Sylphide, who has threaded her way into Lizard’s and Kate’s lives much more 

deeply than either had ever realized. From the football fields of Princeton to a stint with the NFL, from elaborate dances at the mansion to the seductions lying in wait for Lizard, and ultimately to the upscale restaurant he opens in his hometown, it only takes Lizard a lifetime to piece it all together."

Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Gelman

Oh boy has it been forever since I have posted!  I have 5 books to do, so maybe if I do one a day I will catch up! 
This book was a gift from A & K for Christmas and I loved it!  I read it before leaving for Abu Dhabi so it is still home and my review will be from memory (and Amazon).  If you want to borrow it, I believe it is on the breakfast bar!

The author and main character whose name is Rita finds herself on the verge of divorce.  She was livin' large in a fancy pants life style in LA but at the age of 48 she decides to take an opportunity to head to Mexico for some adventure and time away from her marriage.  Her children had gone off to college and she needed to "find herself".  In doing so, she began a lifetime of travel and exploration.  She is also a children's book author so could support herself and even get funding for her travels from some her clients. Rita never traveled with anything more than she could carry and usually went in search of remote destinations where she was the only guest or outsider in the village.  Her travels took her from Mexico to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Borneo, Bali (where she lived for years) and several other destinations.  From time to time she came home to reconnect with family and friends, but her marriage did not survive.  Her children became travelers as well and frequently spent months with her exploring new territory.  As far as I can tell, she is still traveling!  The book is more than just her travel journals however - she really wants to connect with the people and their cultures.  She learns to cook with the women over open fires all over the world, visits trance healers, studies black magic, and really just awakens your spirit of adventure and makes you say, "Let's go!"  (But I won't be divorcing Dad anytime soon to do it!)  It is well written and a pleasure to read.  Thank you A & K!

January Recap

In January, I finished three books:

"A Man Called Intrepid" - this was a fascinating look at the secret war behind World War II, particularly focused on British work in the United States in the period of American neutrality. It centers on the work of Bill Stevenson, code name Intrepid, who ran the British Security Coordination activity in New York. Officially, it was unacknowledged, but in fact it was a British effort to put their secret warfare activities somewhere outside England in case Hitler invaded. They also tried to influence America to enter the war on the side of the Allies. I didn't realize the extent to which the Nazi sympathisers were involved in US politics, even at very high levels. The Brits ran an incredible spy operation right out of New York City, and also helped birth the OSS, which was a precursor to the CIA. Fascinating book, and looooooong, but worth the read.

"The Quantum Thief" - good hard science fiction. The author is a theoretical physicist, specializing in string theory, and you can tell. The narrative is convoluted, the technology is crazy, the story is fantastic. It's kinda nuts, but it's also very good. There are spies, quantum artificial intelligences, interstellar wars, and bizarre references to video game culture. Worth a read if you like the genre.

"The Hobbit" - I can't believe how long it has been since I've read this. It's not as good as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it's good in its own right. We saw the movie in December, so I had to reread it to remind myself of the real story. The movie is faithful enough to the book, but actually makes the dwarves out to be more heroic than they are in the book. If you haven't read this, it should be high on your list.

The Smartest Guys In The Room

I haven't posted in some time but I think "The Smartest Guys in the Room" is worth mentioning here. First of all, thank Meredith for the Christmas gift, I had been wanting to read this for quite some time.

The book is about the rise and fall of Enron. It is well written and focuses more on the people and their motives than it does on the industry. Working in energy certainly made this more interesting to me but the story of the people is really what makes this a great read.

It has a pretty straightforward structure; Ken Lay grows up and forms Enron, hires Jeff Skilling who comes up with the idea for a "Gas Bank," which revolutionized gas trading. They, and Enron as a whole, embodied the idea that free markets are perfect and capitalism is the most pure form of business where intellect and innovation will reign supreme. There were a few close calls in the trading ops in the early day but Enron started to grow at an incredible rate.

The middle of the book starts to explore decisions that would come back to haunt the company. From their relatively early days Enron did their best to work the rules to their advantage. They greatly expanded the use of mark to market accounting, something still widely used. This section also starts to explain complicated financing structures used to hide debt from the balance sheet. This seems to be where the executives became addicted to hitting Wall St. targets (which also lined their pockets). Quarter after quarter there would be a rush to hit their goal, often by closing deals that were destined to lose money over the long haul (mark to market accounting allows you to book the gain when the deal closes, long before you see any cash. Some of the rules have been changed and, at the very least, disclosures are now more closely watched). The middle of the book could be a bit technical but if you don't understand you aren't alone. It appears that the board of directors, the analysts and many of the accountants didn't really know what was going on.

Eventually reality caught up with their fairy tale and it all started to unwind, quickly. In the month before Enron filed for bankruptcy they blew through nearly $2 billion in cash (this fact help 86 a deal that, perhaps, could have saved some of Enron). The amazing part of the story is the attitude of the Enron executives. Many seemed to believe if something wasn't explicitly illegal there was no moral/ethical reason not to take advantage of a certain situation (the part about California was a good example of this. Also, I enjoyed this part because I cover our CA market and enjoyed confirming my suspicions, CA can't get out of their own way).

This post has grown quite long. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in energy, Wall Street, scandals, history of business, management etc. It's not for everyone but I found the story engaging.

It's not available on Kindle though, that sucks.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Smartest-Guys-Room-Scandalous/dp/1591840538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360074460&sr=8-1&keywords=smartest+guys+in+the+room

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

I just finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and all I can say is WOW.  Erin let me borrow this book (thank you!) and I was skeptical about it.  It is not the type of books I usually read.  By usually I mean never.  I have had this on the shelf for 6 months or more and always kept moving it to the back of the reading list.  Finally I decided to give it a try.  It was a page turner for me that has easily moved into my top 5 favorite books.  The story is of Louie Zamperini who was a hell raiser in his youth and ended up channeling his spirits to running.  He turned into one of the greatest runners the nation had seen.  He even competed in the 1936 Olympics.   With the war beginning he joined the Army Air Corps as a bombardier.  On a mission over the pacific his plane went down.  That is when the story gets even more interesting and exciting.  The tale continues as he is stranded at sea and then a POW in camps throughout Japan.  This true story of heroism and bravery is fantastic.  The detailed writing and personal accounts from many POWs makes it even more real and enthralling.  I can’t recommend this book enough; it is one that I will be reading again for sure.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

I finished The Namesake a few days ago and I really enjoyed the read.  I really got into quickly and it was a nice flowing read.  It is about a Bengali family and their life.  The parents were born and raised in Calcutta and moved to the USA after their arranged marriage.  The two children were born in the U.S. and work to balance the clashing cultures and values of society and their family. It is interesting to read about the adjustment for the parents into the American way of life and the children as they try and live the American lifestyle outside of the home and the traditional Indian lifestyle in the home.  The characters are interesting and well developed.  I found myself very fond of all of the characters and was able to relate to each person differently.  Many times I find myself "rooting" for a specific character and their wants and desires but it in this book I found myself equally interested and curious about all the characters.  I would thoroughly enjoyed this book and would high recommend it! 

After looking at another review Google has a more enticing way of describing the book so here is the Amazon.com description:
The Namesake is a finely wrought, deeply moving family drama that illuminates this acclaimed author's signature themes: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the tangled ties between generations.
The Namesake takes the Ganguli family from their tradition-bound life in Calcutta through their fraught transformation into Americans. On the heels of an arranged wedding, Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Ashoke does his best to adapt while his wife pines for home. When their son, Gogol, is born, the task of naming him betrays their hope of respecting old ways in a new world. And we watch as Gogol stumbles along the first-generation path, strewn with conflicting loyalties, comic detours, and wrenching love affairs.
With empathy and penetrating insight, Lahiri explores the expectations bestowed on us by our parents and the means by which we come to define who we are.