false 3 29 23 true 5770922 read 0 true 2466698 currently-reading 6 true 2466697 to-read 12 false 2675334 book-group 0 false 5350008 leah-s-books http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67725187 to: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Hardcover) by David Wroblewski
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I found this book, all 550 pages, to be a compelling read...and I'm not even particularly a "dog person" up until the ending. I liked the characters and felt that they were really well fleshed out. I liked the setting and how the author brought it to life for me. I read along eager to see how the story resolved itself and then found myself dissatisfied with the resolution. So even though I was fully engaged and enjoying the book for 530 or so pages, I have given this book a 3 because of the last 20 or so. I did enjoy the author's writing and would read another book by him in the future. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67726523 That Old Cape Magic (Audio CD) by Richard Russo
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67726501 The White Queen (Hardcover) by Philippa Gregory
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67723673 to: David copperfield (Reliure inconnue) by Charles Dickens
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While not exactly a light, summer read, and a book that takes a bit of time to get into its own unique rhythm, I came to like this book and am glad that I read it. I was only familiar with Dickens tales from the movie versions (think...Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol), so it took a few hundred pages or so for me to begin to appreciate his style, humor (yes there was some!) and characters. After quite a morose start, which was what I had expected of a Dickens novel, the book improved immensely. Once I learned to slow down and enjoy the novel at the leisurely pace that its 800 plus pages and long, descriptive sentences seemed to demand, I began to enjoy the beauty of Dickens writing, the depth of his characters, and the telling of a good tale. While the end seems to wrap up most conveniently, as do many novels it seems, I can forgive the novel this as I had long come to care for the characters ...having "lived" with them for the good month that this novel consumed my attention. While David Copperfield is quite a commitment for a reader to make, I feel the better for having read it. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59728058 to: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Hardcover) by Mary Ann Shaffer
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A nice summer time read. Wrapped in the story of one young women's personal journey to go beyond what is expected of her by society, is also a slice of little-known history. The impact of WWII on the people living in the channel islands owned by Great Britian but actually just off of the coast of France was not in any history lessons that we studied in school. This book had much that I look for in a book: likeable characters, an interesting setting, and an enjoyable - though predictable - plot. The format, written in all letters, kept it fresh and moving along - as long as you were willing to suspend belief a bit about the speed of the mail in 1940's Europe. All in all a book I would recommend to friends. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63432715 The Women (Hardcover) by T.C. Boyle
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61619786 Black Beauty Storybook Edition (Hardcover) by Robin McKinley
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59729708 American Wife: A Novel (Hardcover) by Curtis Sittenfeld
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59724295 to: Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith (Paperback) by Anne Lamott
I am not a person comfortable with organized religion or discussions of faith and had a friend not lent me this book in a pile of other books, I might not have picked it up. But I'm very glad that I did. Anne Lamott's irreverence and humor made this a wonderfully likeable book and an enjoyable read. I could clearly relate to her as she was roughly the age I am now when she wrote the book, and the mother of a child who was just turning 8 at the end of the book - roughly the same age as my oldest daughter. One line that has stayed with me is that foregiveness means recognizing that the past will not change. I find that a helpful sentiment. So often we spend our time wishing something(s) in our lives had been different and it is only when we realize that we can't change that can we move on. I find this complementary to one of my favorite life philosophies - obtained from a Mary Chapin Carpenter song - We have two lives, one we are given, the other one we make. I guess I am a believer that we are ultimately responsible for our own happiness, and that to some degree happiness is a choice. I think this is the sum total of my deep thoughts on life, one this book helped me to think about again, and one that I hope I am passing on to my two little girls....and to whomever may read this review somewhere in cyberspace! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55786767 to: Bridge of Sighs (Hardcover) by Richard Russo
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