August Reads
I managed TWELVE books in August! No coincidence that this is also the month in which I was LAID OFF and before school starts. lol
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - 08/02/08
Good - Young Adult
RE-READ Edward leaves and Bella establishes a relationship with Jacob, but he also has a secret.
Before the last book in the series came out, I chose to re-read the first 3. New Moon is #2.
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - 08/05/08
Good - Young Adult
RE-READ Bella is in danger and Jacob and Edward must team up to protect her, but who will she choose?
The 3rd Twilight book.
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - 08/07/08
Good - Horror
After Bella's wedding to Edward, will she choose to remain mortal or become a vampire, and what effect will that have on those around her?
The tone of Breaking Dawn is far different than the first 3 in the Twilight series, leaving me with mixed feelings. Meyer did a great job pulling all the threads of the story together, but more editing would have made the novel tighter and more effective.
Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner - 08/08/08
Good - Suspense
FBI agent Kimberly Quincy is 5 months pregnant and on the trail of a killer who is killing prostitutes and who collects spiders.
Suspenseful and interesting.
The Dewey Decimal System of Love by Josephine Carr - 08/10/08
Good - Chick Lit
Ally is a middle-aged reference librarian who has never been in love; she sets her sights on a (married) symphony conductor.
I read about this book on an agent's booklist when I was searching for agents to query. It's a light-hearted read with an unusual heroine.
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - 08/12/08
Excellent - Young Adult
Ginny's eccentric aunt leaves her 13 blue envelopes with instructions to travel to England and further.
I read about this book on someone's blog - I believe it was an aspiring or newly published author. Glad I did! It was a clever and refreshingly unique coming-of-age tale. Ginny is far more independent than I'd want any daughter of mine to be - traipsing around Europe and gallivanting with boys, but it made an entertaining read as well as a sweet romance.
Darcy's Story: Pride and Prejudice told from a whole new perspective by Janet Aylmer - 08/18/08
Good - Fiction
A retelling of Pride & Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective.
The idea of this intrigued me greatly! What IS Darcy thinking all that time? We get a good sense of it, although I do think that Darcy's thoughts would certainly have been far less chaste at times. He IS a man, after all. But all in all, a good read, and it fit well with Austen's original.
The Butterfly Garden: A Memoir by Chip St. Clair - 08/18/08
Good - Non-fiction
Chip survived his frightening childhood and discovered a terrible truth about his parents.
I read this in one night during our camping trip. What an awful childhood Chip experienced! He is one of those that turns evil into good, however, and he's started a foundation of some kind for abused or neglected children. What's more, the story takes place in Auburn Hills, MI - which isn't far from my home!
How Not To Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better by Charla Krupp - 08/29/08
Good - Non-fiction
I'm not sure about fast and effortless, but there are dozens of things you can do to look more Y&H (Young and Hot) instead of O.L. (Old Lady).
With a title like that, how could I not pick it up? Krupp categorizes things women over 40 can do to look younger - foundational garments, wardrobe and makeup choices, hair color, etc.... Most of the methods detailed are not effortless or fast, not to mention cheap - laser hair removal comes to mind, but there are a fair number of tips that ought to work for many! I guess you'll have to watch me and see if I look younger and better! Hah!
Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze by Elizabeth Enright - 08/29/08
Excellent - Children's
A sequel to Four-Story Mistake – Mona and Rush are away from home, leaving Randy and Oliver at loose ends, but then a treasure hunt clue appears in the mail.
I read Four-Story Mistake when I was a child and also have read it to my kids. Ran across this sequel and thought A-ha! Once I started reading it, vague memories of having read it before surfaced, so evidently I did read it as well at some point. I will be reading it to my kids this school year. I'd like to find a copy of The Saturdays too, as it is another Melendy story.
Finding God in Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner & Jim Ware - 08/30/08
Good - Non-fiction
Inspirational book of reflections on LOTR discusses the supernatural themes present in the trilogy and how they relate to the Bible and Christianity
FINALLY - I made it through this book. And when I did, I wondered what took me so long! This book of short Christian reflections on sections of Lord of the Rings got better as it went along. The beginning seemed a little obvious, but by the end, the authors were delving into more complex and interesting morals. I do recommend it.
Tumbling Through Time by Gwyn Cready - 08/31/08
Good - Romance
Persephone Pyle finds herself sent back to 1706 via a pair of pink stiletto shoes and lands in a story half-conceived by herself.
My friend Marla told me about another book by this author (Seducing Mr. Darcy) which I looked for at my library. That one is just coming out and therefore wasn't at the library yet, but Tumbling Through Time was, so I thought I'd give it a go. Serious literature it ain't, but Cready writes an entertaining tale. This romance is approximately R-rated; although everything is hinted at rather than spelled out, there is quite a lot of dwelling on bedroom events.
What are you reading?!
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - 08/02/08
Good - Young Adult
RE-READ Edward leaves and Bella establishes a relationship with Jacob, but he also has a secret.
Before the last book in the series came out, I chose to re-read the first 3. New Moon is #2.
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - 08/05/08
Good - Young Adult
RE-READ Bella is in danger and Jacob and Edward must team up to protect her, but who will she choose?
The 3rd Twilight book.
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - 08/07/08
Good - Horror
After Bella's wedding to Edward, will she choose to remain mortal or become a vampire, and what effect will that have on those around her?
The tone of Breaking Dawn is far different than the first 3 in the Twilight series, leaving me with mixed feelings. Meyer did a great job pulling all the threads of the story together, but more editing would have made the novel tighter and more effective.
Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner - 08/08/08
Good - Suspense
FBI agent Kimberly Quincy is 5 months pregnant and on the trail of a killer who is killing prostitutes and who collects spiders.
Suspenseful and interesting.
The Dewey Decimal System of Love by Josephine Carr - 08/10/08
Good - Chick Lit
Ally is a middle-aged reference librarian who has never been in love; she sets her sights on a (married) symphony conductor.
I read about this book on an agent's booklist when I was searching for agents to query. It's a light-hearted read with an unusual heroine.
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - 08/12/08
Excellent - Young Adult
Ginny's eccentric aunt leaves her 13 blue envelopes with instructions to travel to England and further.
I read about this book on someone's blog - I believe it was an aspiring or newly published author. Glad I did! It was a clever and refreshingly unique coming-of-age tale. Ginny is far more independent than I'd want any daughter of mine to be - traipsing around Europe and gallivanting with boys, but it made an entertaining read as well as a sweet romance.
Darcy's Story: Pride and Prejudice told from a whole new perspective by Janet Aylmer - 08/18/08
Good - Fiction
A retelling of Pride & Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective.
The idea of this intrigued me greatly! What IS Darcy thinking all that time? We get a good sense of it, although I do think that Darcy's thoughts would certainly have been far less chaste at times. He IS a man, after all. But all in all, a good read, and it fit well with Austen's original.
The Butterfly Garden: A Memoir by Chip St. Clair - 08/18/08
Good - Non-fiction
Chip survived his frightening childhood and discovered a terrible truth about his parents.
I read this in one night during our camping trip. What an awful childhood Chip experienced! He is one of those that turns evil into good, however, and he's started a foundation of some kind for abused or neglected children. What's more, the story takes place in Auburn Hills, MI - which isn't far from my home!
How Not To Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better by Charla Krupp - 08/29/08
Good - Non-fiction
I'm not sure about fast and effortless, but there are dozens of things you can do to look more Y&H (Young and Hot) instead of O.L. (Old Lady).
With a title like that, how could I not pick it up? Krupp categorizes things women over 40 can do to look younger - foundational garments, wardrobe and makeup choices, hair color, etc.... Most of the methods detailed are not effortless or fast, not to mention cheap - laser hair removal comes to mind, but there are a fair number of tips that ought to work for many! I guess you'll have to watch me and see if I look younger and better! Hah!
Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze by Elizabeth Enright - 08/29/08
Excellent - Children's
A sequel to Four-Story Mistake – Mona and Rush are away from home, leaving Randy and Oliver at loose ends, but then a treasure hunt clue appears in the mail.
I read Four-Story Mistake when I was a child and also have read it to my kids. Ran across this sequel and thought A-ha! Once I started reading it, vague memories of having read it before surfaced, so evidently I did read it as well at some point. I will be reading it to my kids this school year. I'd like to find a copy of The Saturdays too, as it is another Melendy story.
Finding God in Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner & Jim Ware - 08/30/08
Good - Non-fiction
Inspirational book of reflections on LOTR discusses the supernatural themes present in the trilogy and how they relate to the Bible and Christianity
FINALLY - I made it through this book. And when I did, I wondered what took me so long! This book of short Christian reflections on sections of Lord of the Rings got better as it went along. The beginning seemed a little obvious, but by the end, the authors were delving into more complex and interesting morals. I do recommend it.
Tumbling Through Time by Gwyn Cready - 08/31/08
Good - Romance
Persephone Pyle finds herself sent back to 1706 via a pair of pink stiletto shoes and lands in a story half-conceived by herself.
My friend Marla told me about another book by this author (Seducing Mr. Darcy) which I looked for at my library. That one is just coming out and therefore wasn't at the library yet, but Tumbling Through Time was, so I thought I'd give it a go. Serious literature it ain't, but Cready writes an entertaining tale. This romance is approximately R-rated; although everything is hinted at rather than spelled out, there is quite a lot of dwelling on bedroom events.
What are you reading?!
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