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Saturday, April 21, 2012

Book #15

People always ask me, "how do you have time to read, with kiddos, a household to run, and school...?"

Folks, my answer is simple. 

Those things all suffer when I find a really good book.  And for twenty-four hours, no teeth were brushed, no dinner was made, no homework was done - unless somebody else did it - while I read Half Broke Horses.

Shocking, right?

Well, I can't exactly explain why I couldn't put the book down, other than to say that from now on, when someone says the words "real life" for the rest of mine, I will forever envision the sights, sounds, smells, and truths of this book and what Lily Casey Smith lived through.  She was gritty, no-nonsense, real, and lived by lessons like:

"...even though I was getting a better education at home than any of the kids in Toyah [her hometown] I'd need to go to finishing school when I was thirteen, both to acquire social graces and to earn a diploma.  Because in this world, Dad said, it's not enough to have a fine education.  You need a piece of paper to prove you got it."

(Funny - even back then people gave homeschoolers grief!)...

and

"I had learned a lot [in Chicago] - about myself and other people.  Most of those lessons had been hard ones.  For example, if people want to steal from you, they get you to trust them first.  And what they take from you in not only your money but also your trust."

I will also forever wonder where the moral and work ethic disappeared to that people like Lily lived by throughout the early decades of the 20th century...absolutely incredible.

The people that reviewed this book claimed it was "Little House on the Prairie" for adults.  I saw it more as a "Little House on the Prairie" reality TV show with happenings that I wouldn't have survived through the first page!

Great read with the voice of a woman you can swear you are sitting next to...no, not sipping on tea, more like slamming back a whiskey.

Thanks, Nancy, for another great book!! :)

Onward and Forward to Book #16!!!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Book #14

Well, once again I have to admit that I wasn't very open-minded when I started this book.  Ever since I took that "Science Fiction Literature" class at the way-too-early hour of 8 o'clock in college, I have dreaded reading sci-fi books.  To be completely honest, I totally stereotyped the people I thought that enjoyed such writing and convinced myself that those people were entirely too logical, technical, and had way too much hand-eye coordination to be someone I could relate to. (Yes, I'm also admitting that I lumped sci-fi lovers with video-gamers...I've confessed already to being a total book snob!) :)

I've recently discovered that this stereotypical person that I'd "pooh-poohed" for so long as "not my crowd" included my own mother.  Whoopsie.  And, now...another confession.

I loved this book. 

Probably not for the reason that a "normal" sci-fi lover would (oops, there I go again...) I actually fell in love with Ender, in a "momma" kind of way. In the end, his humanity was incredible despite what he was put through before he'd even reached adolescence. 

I am purposefully NOT going to go into any detail about the book because I am petrified of giving away any secrets....I will only say that I was totally shocked by the ending...

...and in keeping with my snobbery...I would like to complain about the last sentence...AFTER you read it.

Thanks, W.R., for the suggestion!  And for all of you Sci-Fi lovers, I guess I've joined your ranks...though I still have absolutely no tolerance for video games! <lol!>

Onward and Forward to Book #15!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Some A.D.D. reading...

 (And those that pretend that they're not!)

This book was so much more than I expected…
Honestly, a lot of Christian inspirational or self-help books can leave a bad taste in my mouth.  The people writing them strike me as judgmental, or whiny, or “too good to be true” and I usually throw the book aside in frustration.
This book was the complete opposite.  I actually hi-lited, scribbled, wrote notes in the margins, and relished every word.  Sheila Walsh “gets it.”  She chucks her Bible when she’s mad, she yells, she asks the tough questions – it’s all out sabotage on the lies that your spirit has been told and she won’t stop until you “get it” too.
We’ve all been broken in some way in our lives, and when that happens, we have a tendency to drift away from the peace we’re promised by Jesus.  Sheila Walsh tugs you back in these pages, reminding you of those promises, and illustrates how that brokenness can actually bring you the relationship you’ve always wanted with Him in an intimate, love-filled way.
A definite must read for all people who struggle with the “why me/us, why now?”  and the “Where ARE you, Lord?!!”…even if you’re “pretending you’re not.”


I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com http://BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Book #13

As school is finally in the homestretch I thought for sure I would have more time to read, but reality is quite the opposite.  I find myself sneaking off at strange times of the day and night to catch a few lines now and then, but I've been unable to do anything substantial. 

It was different when I was reading "Their Eyes Were Watching God." I truly believe I could have gotten a better score on my last Evidence test if I had quit picking up that book to steal away to another time...and to another place.  Written in southern black dialect from the earlier decades of the 1900's, I had to read each and every word syllable by syllable, each paragraph line by line - and it was delicious.

It's perhaps another story, like "To Kill A Mockingbird", that I can't add any extra thought to or make any remarks that haven't been made...but what a story! (So I won't do it any injustices, it's "blurb" is here.)

What a woman, Janie, the lead character is!  She is proof positive that no matter what your situation, your education, your color, your gender, your prospects...love is love - the way it leaves you wanting and dreaming; the determination to find it and the surprise that you feel when it comes, and the situations you find yourself in when its "true."

My favorite part of Miss Zora Neale Hurston's writing is the way she describes things that most of us take for granted.  Like, instead of just saying, "The sun rose..."

...the line is written,
"Every morning the world flung itself over and exposed the town to the sun."  

Oh, the extravagance of the sun just simply rising!  That is the essence of this book...the extravagance of every day life...told like you've never read it before, I'm positive.

This is by far NOT an "easy read."  Not that it begs for Cliff notes, but it is slow going because of the dialect. I will promise you though that if you take the time to read it, word by word, line by line - you'll find yourself sneaking away and avoiding things you're supposed to be doing just like I did...  :)

Thanks, Kim W., for another great suggestion! :)

Onward and Forward to Book #14!