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June 23
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Kristin
is currently reading:
The Omnivore's Dilemma (Hardcover)
by Michael Pollan
bookshelves:
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my rating:
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June 21
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Kristin
gave
to:
Night Light (Restoration Novel, A)
by Terri Blackstock
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my rating:
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read in June, 2008
Kristin said:
"Night Light takes place about three months after Last Light. The Banning family is coping better with the events that have occurred. In this book the Bannings take in 4 children who have been abandoned by their druggie mother during the outages and h...more
Night Light takes place about three months after Last Light. The Banning family is coping better with the events that have occurred. In this book the Bannings take in 4 children who have been abandoned by their druggie mother during the outages and have been fending for themselves.
I didn't like this book as much as the first one. Yeah Yeah...the power's out...things suck. But this book didn't affect me as much as the first. Plus in each book there is a "mystery" which I didn't really care for. The actual events/times that they are living in and dealing with are interesting enough...in my opinion. But I guess I'll read the next one too.
Why can't a really good writer write a book about this subject matter with deep characters? Maybe someone has and I just haven't found it yet. But I was disappointed in book two.
My rating: OK...less
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Kristin
gave
to:
Last Light (Restoration, Book 1)
by Terri Blackstock
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my rating:
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read in June, 2008
Kristin said:
"A long time ago my old ward had a book club. I didn't ever go as I already had a book club that I loved. This book was one of their choices. I didn't read it but kept it on my list of books "to read" as it sounded interesting. It has stayed...more
A long time ago my old ward had a book club. I didn't ever go as I already had a book club that I loved. This book was one of their choices. I didn't read it but kept it on my list of books "to read" as it sounded interesting. It has stayed on that list for over 3 years. I finally decided to either read it or take it off my list. So I read it. It has literally given me nightmares for weeks...made me want to buy a gun...and have LOTS of food storage. It is a book that definitely makes you think.
This book is thought-provoking pool or lakeside reading. It is a fast read and the first in Terri Blackstock's Restoration Series. Great writing...deep characters it is not. But it does make you think and think and think some more about what life would be like without any electricity or technology and how would you cope?
If you've read any of the "Left Behind" Series...which I have...just because I was curious to see how the authors would have Apocalyptic things play out in everyday life... these books are somewhat like those. They have a Christian message and are about the last days. But I like this series much better. I ended up really disliking the "Left Behind" Series and didn't read the last 2 books. I hated the writing and the lame characters. This book is better in that respect. The "Left Behind" Series dealt with dramatic depictions of Christians disappearing and how the world reacts....this story focuses on natural phenomena that most Christians believe is a message from God.
I finished this book feeling grateful for running water, plentiful food, cars, computers, electricity and air conditioning...AND...completely freaked out about food storage and preparedness.
I rate this book: Fairly Good (good because the subject matter is interesting...fairly because the writing isn't great and the characters are simple). But it's good lakeside reading and interesting enough that I read the next book in the series.
...less
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May 22
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Kristin
gave
to:
Celebrity Detox (Hardcover)
by Rosie O'Donnell
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my rating:
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read in May, 2008
Kristin said:
"Did I really think this would be a great read? No. But I have been basically doing everything I can to avoid reading the book I am actually reading Lie Down in Darkness by William Styron. I just can't get into that book. Several people I know LOVE th...more
Did I really think this would be a great read? No. But I have been basically doing everything I can to avoid reading the book I am actually reading Lie Down in Darkness by William Styron. I just can't get into that book. Several people I know LOVE that book and HIGHLY recommend it so I will persevere in reading it albeit with a few short fluff reads in between.
I decided to read this book after catching the Oprah episode where she was interviewing Barbara Walters. Egads. Can Barbara Walters have tanked anymore in my estimation? But that is another book review for another time. But on Oprah...Barbara Walters kept referring to this book written by Rosie shortly after she quit her gig on The View (a show I absolutely loathe). Barbara felt that it was filled with anger toward her and The View.
Now it was a total fluke that I just happened to catch the infamous political fight between Rosie and Elisabeth Hasslebeck. It annoys me that there is only one conservative on that show and that the one conservative is Elisabeth who although likable is sometime not the most eloquent. She gets flustered, she gets cornered, and then she gives up trying to get a word in edgewise. She reminds me of myself discussing politics or religion with my Uncle Steve. Now the day of this infamous fight she actually was standing up to Rosie and the rest of the ladies (and I use that term loosely) on the View. I was mesmerized. I rejoiced. I cheered her on. The result: Rosie left the show in a huff a few weeks early and didn't renew her contract. No loss there.
Once upon a time I actually liked Rosie O'Donnell. I was a brand new mom at home and wondering what the heck I was doing trying to take care of a baby and the Rosie O'Donnell show at 11 am was a bright spot in my day. Now...I'm no Rosie fan. We differ on too many things..important things. Politics being the biggest.
But I was curious as to what her take was on the whole debacle at The View. This whole book is hyped up to be all about her time on The View and what lead up to the "big fight". So I decided to give it a read.
BORING!! BORING!! BORING!! It was all about her love of Barbra Streisand, her pain of losing her mother at a young age, and her hope that Barbara Walters would take her mother's place, and her feud with Donald Trump (raging loser). The only parts that I felt any kind of connection to were the parts about her mother. Very sad. As a mother and as a woman who has been blessed to grow up with a mother those parts were truly heart-breaking. But the rest. Pure crap.
The whole book seems to be building up to the fight with Elisabeth. Rosie's take on the fight...nothing. She says not one word about the whole incident. Bait and switch.
My View: SKIP IT...It's a dud....less
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Kristin
is currently reading:
World Made by Hand: A Novel (Hardcover)
by James Howard Kunstler
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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April 26
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Kristin
is currently reading:
Lie Down in Darkness (Paperback)
by William Styron
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Kristin
gave
to:
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (Hardcover)
by Marcus Luttrell
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my rating:
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read in April, 2008
Kristin said:
"This was our book club pick for this month. All I can say is THANK YOU KARIANN!! This book should be required reading for every American. It was life changing. I loved it. I have since scoured the Internet trying to learn as much as I can about Opera...more
This was our book club pick for this month. All I can say is THANK YOU KARIANN!! This book should be required reading for every American. It was life changing. I loved it. I have since scoured the Internet trying to learn as much as I can about Operation Redwing and it's heroes.
This is not the kind of book I would normally pick up and read. In fact, I had it on the counter and when Tyler came home and he thanked me for picking him out a great book from the library. He couldn't believe we were reading it for book club. He even proudly been told the guys at work what book his wife was reading. They were impressed too. I thought this would be a "guys book" but it isn't. It is a book for every American...man or woman...conservative or liberal.
This book took hold of me and still hasn't let go. I was unable to put it down. It was heart-breaking, inspiring and unfailingly patriotic. I am so glad that I read this book and got a glimpse the kind of people who have answered our country's call and who fight for freedom. God Bless the United States Armed Forces and the men and women who serve!!
I rate this book: EXCELLENT!! A must-read for every American.
May the heroic acts of the men of Operation Redwing never be forgotten....less
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April 16
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Kristin
gave
to:
The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback)
by Philippa Gregory
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended to Kristin by:
Book Club
recommended for: Anyone
Kristin said:
"This book, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory was a really fun read. I LOVE historical fiction. It is my absolute favorite kind of fiction. Especially big fat historical fiction so I was very eager to get my hands on this book. I think it was ...more
This book, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory was a really fun read. I LOVE historical fiction. It is my absolute favorite kind of fiction. Especially big fat historical fiction so I was very eager to get my hands on this book. I think it was a book club selection from years ago but one that I didn't read for some reason but not for lack of interest. When I first started reading this book I was slightly annoyed with the dialogue. It isn't the most well-written historical fiction I have ever read...and I have read lots!! But the storyline was so darn enjoyable I just couldn't put it down.
This book is a great choice if you want to get lost in a book for a few days. I did. I just kept reading and reading. Even though I knew historically how the book ends I was intrigued and couldn't put it down. Long after I was done with the book the characters were still on my mind. I had to do more research on the people, time, fashion, and historical details. I wanted to know more. To me that is the sign of a good book. So while written simply (not nearly as bad as the Twilight series) and not brimming with historical facts...the author definitely gives us her unique spin on the story of Anne Boleyn. I really liked it.
...less
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April 04
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Kristin
gave
to:
East of Eden (Centennial Edition)
by John Steinbeck
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: everyone!!
read in April, 2008
Kristin said:
"I am on a golden roll of amazingly fantastic books!! East of Eden by John Steinbeck was our book club pick for this month. I almost didn't read it. You see, it's an old friend...and I ALMOST didn't re-read it... and that would have been tragic.
...more
I am on a golden roll of amazingly fantastic books!! East of Eden by John Steinbeck was our book club pick for this month. I almost didn't read it. You see, it's an old friend...and I ALMOST didn't re-read it... and that would have been tragic.
East of Eden is an epic story about good and evil. It tells the story of two families: the Trasks and the Hamiltons. It spans 3 generations and retells the Biblical story of Cain and Abel set in the Salinas Valley of Northern California.
Perspective...life experience...testimony. Do they change who we are? Do they change our world view? Most definitely. The first time I read East of Eden I had just turned 17 years old. It was summer vacation and I was looking for a good book to read. This book had such a powerful impact on me that I clearly remember where I was when I read it (laying on the couch in our living room) and the feelings it provoked. At this time I had only the smallest fleeting shadow of religion and virtually no knowledge of the Bible, and not much interest in philosophy. This was about 4 months before Stacey and I met the Nolan sisters and I returned to church. The discussion between Samuel, Lee, and Adam about the story of Cain and Abel was so profound to me that I began scribbling in the margins, underlining/highlighting things, and actually "pondered" on the nature of man. I grabbed my scriptures untouched since my baptism and turned to Genesis and began to read. God works in mysterious ways...and the spirit recognizes truth. Free will...of course...that made sense to me. "Thou mayest..." I had no understanding of Mormon Doctrine and Free Agency. But something rang absolutely "true" to me...that we have a choice and it is that choice that defines who we are. Powerful stuff for a religionless, scriptureless, self-involved 17 year old.
Fast forward 18 years and what a difference those 18 years have made. What a gift it was to read this book again farther down the road of life. At 17 years old I identified with the rejected child and at 35 years old I felt more the emotions of a parent who doesn't ever want her children not to feel loved and accepted. When I came to the chapter on the discussion of Cain and Abel I wasn't blown away by the "truth" of "thou mayest..." I felt more like..."Yep! That's how it works". But I was struck again by how powerfully important free will is. Isn't that why we fight for freedom and for the freedom of those around us? Without freedom there is no free agency and without free agency there is no plan of salvation. It IS the oldest story...it is what we fought for in the premortal world...and it what we continue fighting for today. Freedom...choice...free agency...the ability to do "otherwise".
At 35 years old I am much more knowledgeable of the scriptures and what is the major theme of the Old Testament in particular? Choice and consequences. Simple huh? Not only that but as is pointed out in the Introduction of East of Eden written by David Wyatt that the Bible "Has only one set of first parents but many Cains and Abels: Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, the Prodigal Son and his brother, Satan and Christ--in each one of these twosomes one is somehow lucky, or better, or preferred." (pg. xxii)
Steinbeck says: "The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt--and there is the story of mankind."
Some are put off by Steinbeck and his details and descriptions. I have criticized him myself while reading Grapes of Wrath. I felt like...come on...enough of the scenery let's get back to the story but in East of Eden I loved his details and descriptions. Steinbeck was also criticized by reviewers by leaving the story every so often for his monologues. I must say that at 17 years old I too found it annoying but at 35 years old I loved it. You see I have since developed a deep love of philosophy, politics, and history. I am continually reminded that history repeats itself. Each generation is always surprised that we feel and can relate to the same things as generations past. Many of Steinbeck's monologues that were relevant to the story which takes place in the late 1800's and early 1900's were also applicable to the time Steinbeck wrote the novel, the 1950's, and are still relevant today in 2008.
I particularly loved this quote:
"I don't know how it will be in the years to come. There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know. Some of these forces seem evil to us, perhaps not in themselves but in their tendency to eliminate other things we hold good...when our food and clothing and housing all are born in the complication of mass production, mass method is bound to get into our thinking and to eliminate all other thinking...has entered our economics, our politics, and even our religion, so that some nations have substituted the idea collective for the idea of God. This in my time is the danger. There is great tension in the world, tension toward a breaking point, and men are unhappy and confused. At such times it seems natural and good to me to ask myself these questions. What do I believe in? What must I fight for and what must I fight against." (pg. 131-132)
Steinbeck wrote that he worried about his monologues and commentaries that "...had he not too often stopped the book and gone into discussions of God knows what. His only answer was 'Yes, I have. I don't know why. Just wanted too. Perhaps I was wrong.' " I don't think he was.
If it isn't blatantly obvious I LOVE this book!! One of my all-time favorites. Steinbeck is a genius and this book is his crowning glory. I love books that you come away from still have you thinking...for days...weeks. Was Adam Trask like what the original Adam would have been like if he had never fallen and only Eve did? WHY was Cathy the way she was? Are monsters born or created? What happens to Cal and Abra? What happens to Cal's children? Does the cycle continue? Is the cycle broken? Why is there only one lovable woman in the story?
READ THIS BOOK!! If you've already read it...read it again.
I rate it: EXCELLENT!! ...less
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