Sunday, January 10, 2010

A few books I read lately…

I thought I would take a few moments to tell you about a few of the books I have read lately. While the holidays were in full swing, it was difficult to find some time just for myself, but I was able to squeeze a bit in.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Lisa See is one of my favorite authors; she is so descriptive that the images and scenes in her stories come to life so vividly. This story did not disappoint. See does a fantastic job telling the story of a girl who’s life changed dramatically due to war and her duty to her family. I found myself rooting for her when she was struggling and smiling when she triumphed. I got choked up when she experienced heartache and rejoiced when she “came into her own” later in the story.

Marley and Me: Love and Life with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
Overall, I liked the book. It was interesting and detailed the lives of this growing family, the Grogans. But I found myself having a difficult time extracting the emotion from the book; his writing style seemed more “newspaper columnist” than storyteller (which makes sense since he is a columnist). This makes it sound like I didn’t like the story; I did, but it didn’t live up to my expectations of it. I was so used to “the book is so much better than the movie” experiences that this one just fell a little short.

Being by Kevin Brooks
He does a nice job blending the “really out there”-ness of science fiction with the personal and relate-ability of the everyday. The premise is that there is a young man who realizes that he is not “all human” inside and spends the length of the novel evading the “authorities” (though no one can determine under who’s/what’s authority they are acting) and figuring out what is going on inside of him.

Icing on the Cake by Laura Castoro
For starters, this book was nothing like I expected it to be. That being said, I liked it. The story follows the life of a woman who is trying to balance all aspects of her life: children, work, love, interests, friends, and so much more (aren’t we all?). Her passion is baking (bread, not cake as the title (and cover art) implies, but her business is struggling. How does she revive her bakery while dealing with current tragedy in her life? Well, read the book and find out.

To see what I am currently reading or to read my full review of these books, check-out my goodreads.com site; invite me to be your friend and we can compare books.

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