false 139 1449 1443 true 5624339 read 3 true 3643698 currently-reading 3 true 3643697 to-read 102 false 5528929 children 87 false 5529278 relationships 66 false 5528915 a-must-read 64 false 5528931 adventure 41 false 5528924 travel 38 false 5528960 surprise 29 false 5528947 quest 29 false 5528918 creativity 26 false 5528902 happiness 20 false 5554534 nature 18 false 5528910 challenge 17 false 5541342 problems-ideas 15 false 5554840 moving-and-starting-over 14 false 5554646 coming-of-age 12 false 7451567 animals 12 false 5554884 essays 12 false 5528907 newbery 10 false 5528914 west 8 false 5541366 cooking 7 false 5531325 poetry 7 false 5841911 women-s-fiction 7 false 6693147 learning 7 false 7451811 spirituality 6 false 5529034 poverty 6 false 5529017 books-about-books 5 false 5554615 just-for-fun 5 false 5529027 post-apocalypse 4 false 5554655 mystery 4 false 5528953 schools 4 false 5541384 work 3 false 5528942 summer 2 false 5528981 not-my-cuppa 2 false 6166869 health 1 false 5556830 bluebonnet 1 false 8119434 writing <![CDATA[Debbie is on page 96 of The Book Thief ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78643756 Debbie is on page 96 of 552 of The Book Thief ]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'Little Women']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64800783 to: Little Women (Paperback) by Louisa May Alcott
bookshelves: a-must-read, children, coming-of-age, relationships
I’ve been reading on this book for some time; truth be told, I actually started reading this book about forty-five years ago! I set it down then, never realizing it would take this long to get back to it.

Little Women is the story of four girls and their mom and dad during the Civil War. Their dad has gone off to minister to soldiers in the war and the girls and their mom are quite poor. Optimism is a key concept among the Marches, however, so you do not hear bellyaching or whining in this household. The girls find ways to entertain themselves with nary a Nintendo or tv. They continually renew their vow to keep a happy face and try harder to be good. Genuinely inspiring people in this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'Great Expectations']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64792504 to: Great Expectations (Paperback) by Charles Dickens
bookshelves: a-must-read, adventure, coming-of-age, happiness, moving-and-starting-over
Everywhere I went while reading this book, I heard, “You’re reading Great Expectations? I love that book! It’s one of my favorites!” Which led me to have great expectations about it.

Of course, now, after finishing the book, I see where having great expectations can lead…how one could and should find happiness in one’s own backyard or enormous TBR stack…

I’ve given away the plot here, but this book is so much a part of American high school life that I can’t be giving away much. How did I get through high school without reading it? My hs English teachers chose the heartbreaker, David Copperfield, so it’s not my first Dickens. I can see that Dickens can tell a story. Who wouldn’t love this book? It’s the Harry Potter of its time.
]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64799689 to: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Paperback) by Philip K. Dick
bookshelves: a-must-read, adventure, moving-and-starting-over, problems-ideas, surprise
I surprised myself by picking up this book this weekend. Not my usual fare.

But I loved it. I did. I wouldn't even just say it was okay. I thought it was excellent. A strong story with good characters and an intriguing plot.

Don't read it because you loved Blade Runner, however. I'm not really sure what the movie Blade Runner and the book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep, have in common. Two completely different stories, except for the job of seeking to put down androids.
]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'Breakfast at Tiffany's']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64793866 to: Breakfast at Tiffany's (Paperback) by Truman Capote
bookshelves: a-must-read, creativity, happiness, relationships
Fourth hour, fourth book completed. (Mind you, all my books for the read-a-thon were jump started; I'm not really reading books...I'm finishing them.)

And not just another book completed...another GREAT book completed. I would recommend highly all the books I've read today.

Breakfast at Tiffany's. I'd seen the movie. I've read two other Capote books and was wowed by them. Breakfast at Tiffany's is equally wonderful. The juxtaposition of our narrator and Holly Golightly makes the book. Holly would probably be called manic-depressive today when she was hospitalized but to the narrator and her other admirers she has that rare zest for life that is to wonderous to behold. Others, more thoughtful observers, would also see in Holly the devastation she left in her wake.
]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'The Member of the Wedding']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64793977 to: The Member of the Wedding (Paperback) by Carson McCullers
bookshelves: a-must-read, coming-of-age, relationships
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'A Streetcar Named Desire']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64794064 to: A Streetcar Named Desire (Paperback) by Tennessee Williams
bookshelves: a-must-read
Whew! What a ride. What a terrible ride into the lives of three sad, miserable lives. Blanche comes to stay with her sister, Stella, after Blanche's life deteriorates. Stella has married and is expecting a baby, but her life is anything but cozy and warm. Stella's husband, Stanley, beats his wife and drinks heavily. Everything in this story echoes, No Way Out, and You are Doomed to Misery. ]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'A Bend in the River']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64801053 to: A Bend in the River (Paperback) by V.S. Naipaul
bookshelves: a-must-read
Salim, an ethnic Indian living in Africa, buys a business from a friend and tries to make a go of it in a spot on an African river, a prime spot for commerce, during a bad time in Africa’s history.

He struggles to keep going with his business while things in Africa deteriorate from bad to worse.

Salim, in the meantime, struggles within himself to figure out what is right and what is wrong in a very confusing world.
]]> <![CDATA[Debbie added 'Stargirl']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79116532 to: Stargirl (Paperback) by Jerry Spinelli
bookshelves: a-must-read, children, creativity, relationships
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