Book #50

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

429 pages

 

 

This accidentally was my last book. After the atrocious book I read last, I decided I need a classic to finish out the year and my goal. I grabbed this at the library and only realized after I began reading it how depressing it was to end the year with this.

This is the story of Schindler, a well-off business owner who had a hand in saving a group of Jewish people in the Holocaust. How it all played out was very interesting, especially since I didn't know much about his story at all (I know, I know -- I've never seen the movie!).
 

I had trouble following some of this, because there isn't much dialogue and I kept getting confused on all the people in the story. I definitely think a re-read will be in my future with this one eventually.

 

Speaking of ... ready to start my new challenge for 2015!! I'm still finalizing my details. 

Book #49

Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler

257 pages

This was pretty much a terrible way to wind down the year. Love Chelsea, loved many of her other books. This one was boring. I practically forced my way through it.

Next up: Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

Book #48

Animal Farm by George Orwell

152 pages

 

 

Animal Farm got put on my to-read list after reading an article somewhere about all the books you were forced to read in high school. After reading the list, this was the main one that bothered me that I had never read. So I put it on my list ... and there it stayed ... for a long, long, long time.

 

Is it terrible that I probably would have read it sooner if I had realized how short it was? I was surprised when I picked it up this morning (yes, it's been that kind of Saturday when all I've done is read most of the day ... Finished Paper Towns this morning as well).

 

Of course, Animal Farm is one of the most famous (or maybe just THE most famous) satire and allegory in literature. As much as I enjoy history, I will be the first to admit I had Wikipedia pulled up as I read this book so I could better understand the ties. (In other news, how did I survive high school without Wikipedia? I didn't start using it until college. SparkNotes was as good as it got back in high school, and sometimes I felt like I needed SparkNotes for the SparkNotes!!)

 

I felt strongly I needed to add at least one more "classic" to my list (to make up for reading the Teen Mom 2 book, I guess ;) ). This one was a perfect one to add to the list.

 

Next up: (in a completely different direction...) Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler

 

P.S. I am almost done with my 50!!!! I'm feeling great about it!!! Can't wait to start brainstorming 2015's goal!

Book #45

**Shoot ... this post got drafted accidentally. oops!!

Huge by Sasha Paley

272 pages

 

Huge has been on my reading list since ABC Family came out with a TV show based on it a few years back.

Wil is a teenager being forced into fat camp for the summer by her health-conscious rich parents. April has saved all year to afford to send herself to the camp to help her lose weight and become more popular.

The storyline was pretty cute, as the unlikely roommates get into some hijinks together, but the endless brand and label-dropping was extremely distracting.

Next up: Thirteen Reasons Why by John Asher

 

Book #47

Paper Towns by John Green

305 pages

 

 

Paper Towns started off so strong. One night, Q's girl-next-door shows up in his bedroom window, asking for his car and his help. She takes him on a night filled with revenge and pranks around their town.

This book is divided into 3 parts. The first part of the story takes place in this one night. And man, it was fun! If Green had written the first part as a short story and left it at that, I would have been thoroughly entertained with just that.

But no, we move on to Part 2. Part 2 is the aftermath of that night, and it is long ... and boring. It takes place over several weeks leading up to Q's high school graduation day. Part 3 gets better, but sadly, not good enough to save this book, in my opinion.

I was disappointed in this one. Still eager to try out some more of Green's books, though, of course.

Next up: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Book #46

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

304 pages

I love YA. I love well-written YA. I love YA characters that feel so real to me.

These YA characters didn't feel all that real to me. But, I read the entire thing in about 2 hours, so it kept me interested just the same.

Clay receives a strange package one day -- seven cassette tapes. After he begins listening to it, he recognizes the voice on the tape as Hannah, a classmate he knew that recently committed suicide. On each side of the tapes, Hannah describes a person and a situation that led her to her final days before committing suicide.

I enjoyed the descriptions of high school and living in a small town. That was all very familiar to me. But something about the two main characters -- Hannah and Clay -- just struck me as off and I'm unsure exactly of why.

Next up: Paper Towns by John Green

 

Book #44

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

464 pages

 

I thought since I am planning a wedding, I would indulge myself in some mindless chick lit about weddings. Lottie is convinced her long-term boyfriend is about to propose, but when he doesn't, she meets back up with an old boyfriend and decides to run off and get married.

Fliss, her older sister, knows Lottie has just made a huge mistake and attempts to foil the newlyweds by making sure they don't consummate their marriage on the honeymoon so Lottie will be eligible for an annulment when she returns.

This story could have been funny, could have been cute, but it was almost 500 pages, and just too damn long. I could not WAIT to be done with this book.

Next up: Huge by Sasha Paley

Book #43

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
400 pages

 

This book was marketed to me as a Gone Girl-esque book. The storyline intrigued me, and I've had it on my to-read list for awhile.

Kate is a stressed lawyer, and single mother. Her smart and seemingly put-together daughter is suddenly accused of cheating on a test, and throws herself off a roof. As Kate mourns her daughter's suicide, she starts questioning the circumstances surrounding it.

As this storyline progresses, the story of Amelia is shown through flashbacks. Amelia is asked to join a secret sorority-like club at her elite private high school, and starts getting into trouble to stay included in the group.

This book, although not quite as fast-paced as Gone Girl, did have one similarity -- although I had absolute no empathy about a single character in the book, I still really wanted to know how it ended. So I guess there was that.

Next up:  Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Book #42

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

196 pages

I read this book in about an hour. It was a pleasant story about Eddie, who has spent his life repairing rides at an amusement park, and his trip to heaven after an accident involving one of the park's rides.

In heaven, Eddie is faced with 5 very different people that have intersected in his life -- some he knew very well, some he didn't know at all. The people he meets are surprising to him, and their stories about how their lives overlap are fantastically written.

I've had this book on my list of to-reads since 2010! Worth the wait!

Next up: Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

 

Book #41

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

275 pages

 

 

Believe it or not,  I don't think I've EVER read at book by David Sedaris. Or if I did, it would have been a very, very long time ago before I started documenting my books on GoodReads.

 

I LOVE a good short story. A collection of short stories was a perfect next book after reading The Interestings for almost a full month!

 

I especially loved the stories in this when it involved David's travels to other parts of the country. One particularly funny story talked about the different food in the various countries he travels to. I also loved the story about his search to find a stuffed owl for his partner for Valentine's Day at a taxidermist shop.

 

Next up: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Book #40

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
480 pages

 

I had heard many great things about this book, and actually was under the impression it was a YA novel. I was very surprised when I had this over 400-page book waiting for me on hold at the library a few weeks back.

The story starts at a summer camp for the arts, and with a group of misfit teenagers trying to find their place. It continued on through college, early adulthood and even toward retirement of these "kids."

Jules Jacobson is one of the starring players, as she was the girl on the outside looking in to the "Interestings," which is what the group decided to call themselves. She befriends Ash and her well-to-do family, and falls in love with their lifestyle.

I enjoyed the character of Ethan, as his storyline takes him to become an empire of a show like The Simpsons. Reading about his creative and thoughtful character being thrusted into so much money and fame was a good plot point.

The rest of The Interestings? Not all that interesting. I'd go as far to say that I would have enjoyed this book much, much more if it were about 150 pages shorter than what it was. I was fighting to finish it at the end, which is never a good sign.

Next up: Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Book #39

Pride Over Pity by Kailyn Lowry

198 pages

No one said I was reading 50 hard-hitting literary masterpieces!

OK, seriously, though. I love Teen Mom. (And Teen Mom 2, which is actually the show Kail is on.) It is, by far, my favorite show on television right now. I even once met Gary from Teen Mom out at a club when I was 21. That is some amazing celebrity culture here in Indianapolis, people.

Anyway. I've watched Teen Mom since before it was Teen Mom or Teen Mom 2 (when it was 16 and Pregnant). It grew from a show I watched online during my off-time at my on-campus job in college to a show I watch religiously every week, year in and year out.

Kail is not my favorite teen mom (Maci for life!), but she is one of my tops. I was pleasantly surprised with this book in the fact that I learned a lot about Kail I did not know from watching the show. I also enjoyed reading it knowing that she is admitting to having help writing it, and it's not written by an anonymous ghost writer like so many celebrity books (I'm looking at you, Jenner sisters!!!!!).

That being said, the editing was atrocious. Like, awful. Kail most definitely should have called me up to have me edit this thing before it went into publication.

But I do not regret for a hot second reading this book (it took me a total of 2 hours to read). I had to put this sucker on hold for weeks to get in line to read it (that is no joke!). I will be thinking of Kail's story as a whole next season on Teen Mom instead of just what I have seen of her on the show.

Next up: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

Book #38

One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

220 pages

 

This book has been on my to-read list for many years! I was extremely happy once I read it that the wait was worth it.

One Amazing Thing is set in America, but it's set in a passport office, so you have many cultures and different kinds of characters in one setting. An earthquake traps nine people in this office and while passing the time for a hopeful rescue, each person takes a turn to tell a story about one amazing thing that has happened in their life.

I am a sucker for a good short story, and this book reads like nine great short stories. The abrupt ending, however, annoyed the crap out of me! Nothing bothers me more than reading a book then feeling cheated out of an ending!

Next up: Pride Over Pity by Kailyn Lowry (Teen Mom fan for LIFE)

Book #37

A Ticket to Ride by Paula McLain

254 pages

 

I started A Ticket to Ride without realizing I'd read something from the author before. The entire story is written in a lyrical, flowy way, and once I realized McLain was also the author of The Paris Wife (it is NOT written on the cover of my copy like it is here, by the way haha!), it made perfect sense.

The book is written partially in first person and partially in flashbacks. It centers around Jamie, a teenager who is getting use to living with her uncle after her grandma has a health set-back. Her cousin, Fawn, also comes to stay with them and with Fawn comes chaos. Fawn lives fast and Jamie is not used to this kind of life. She soon gets swept away in it as she sneaks out with Fawn regularly and finds herself in many dangerous situations.

This book kept me entertained the whole time. The main plot line would have been fine without the flashbacks to Jamie's mother and uncle when they were younger. It was good character development for the uncle, but those parts of the book were very slow-going for me.

Next up: One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakarum

 

Book #36

Seriously ... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

 

Wow! Only 15 more books to go! I had my doubts a few months ago, but I now think I will be able to make my 50 book goal with ease before the end of 2014.

Of course, it's easy when you can speed through a light and airy book, like this one. Ellen makes everything fun, and every time she does anything, it just makes you want to be her best friend even more.

I like how fun and light-hearted this book is, especially have reading her wife's dark and compelling (and equally as good) memoir, Unbearable Lightness, a few years back. Obviously, I wasn't expecting anything deep from Ellen, but it makes me smile knowing she probably makes Portia laugh all day long.

Next up: A Ticket to Ride by Paula McLain

Book #35

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

317 pages

 

 

 

I would have never picked up this book if I hadn't visited the Florida Keys this summer. Not just the Keys, but teeny, tiny Big Pine Key, which is exactly where a lot of this book takes place.

 

I loved reading about places, animals, things I saw on vacation. I really enjoyed this part.

 

But oh my goodness, so many characters. I had a really tough time following who was who and who we were supposed to like and who we weren't and then you think you're supposed to like someone and then it switches in a matter of less than a paragraph and .... ahh. I was very confused.

 

Just not my cup of tea. And that's OK. I enjoyed reading about the Key Deer anyway. :)

 

Next up: Seriously, I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

 





Book #34

The First Affair by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin

(239 pages)

This was the cheesy book I expected it to be. Kraus and McLaughlin were the authors behind The Nanny Diaries, which I quite enjoyed many years ago.

Jamie finds herself as an overworked D.C. intern when the government furlough gives her added responsibilities. In an accidental run-in with the president during a vulnerable time, Jamie soon finds herself wrapped up in a full-blown affair with the president of the United States.

As everything begins to unravel around her, Jamie has discovered she has actually committed some major government crimes. She is now facing serious jail time, on top of the press hounding her every move.

Although this book was a thinly-veiled book about the Monica Lewinsky scandal, it was interesting to read about all the government and police interference after the affair was out in the open.

I needed a quick read that required little thinking. That's exactly what this was.

Next up: Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen

Book #33

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

(87 pages)

I've said John Steinbeck is my favorite author since I read East of Eden back in 2010 (?). Man, I loved that story! I've also enjoyed many others of his since then.

I had never picked up one of his favorite novellas, The Pearl, until a few days ago. I read it furiously. Wow! What a powerful story about the dangers of greed and wealth.

This is a retelling of a Mexican folk tale about a simple man in a village who finds a massive pearl during his pearl-finding work. Before he can sell it, he has ideas and dreams about how he and his wife will spend the money to provide a better life for their young son. But with this great pearl comes great danger for the family. Others are jealous of their good fortune, and others want to profit off their good fortunes themselves.

I read this short story in two sittings. It will stick with me for awhile.

Next up: The First Affair by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

 

Book #32

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognonni

(368 pages)

 

 

 

Sebastian lives with his grandmother in a futuristic geodesic dome on the edge of their Iowa town. When a mother and son come to tour the dome, Sebastian's grandmother suffers a stroke. After the good Samaritan work the mother provided for Sebastian in a time of need, Sebastian then strikes up a friendship with her son, Jared.

 

Jared is a chain-smoking, punk-listening 15 year old heart transplant patient. He is fed up with his mother's church youth group and his sister sneaking around with boys he goes to school with. He is mostly sick of everyone tip-toeing around him thinking he is going to break.

 

Sebastian is too socially awkward to be bothered by Jared's heart condition. Instead, Sebastian sees everything else about Jared. As Sebastian's grandmother's condition worsens and in a fit of rage throws him out of the house, Sebastian goes to live with Jared and his dysfunctional family.

 

The rest is perfection.

 

I loved this book from the moment I started it. I didn't want it to end.

 

If I've learned anything on this journey to 50 books, it's that young adult fiction is alive and well! Great book!

 

Next up: The Pearl by John Steinbeck 

Book #31

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

(330 pages)

\

I have not had internet or cable for 8 days. It finally got fixed today. Only plus side of having nothing to do -- I read 3 books in 8 days! Wow!

The first one I started BTO (before the outage). I was reading slowly at first, but quickly picked up speed as it became apparent I would be Facebook-less and Teen Mom-less for quite some time.

At first, I was not gelling with Where'd You Go Bernadette. I was confused on the layout of the story (the book is largely told through documents, like e-mails or school flyer notices, from and to many, many different characters). I wasn't too interested in the story.

And then, just like that, it all made sense to me. It started to come together. And although I felt like the ending was extremely rushed, it all wrapped it up in a pretty satisfying way. This satire about parents, schools, families, mothers and daughters, and everything in between clicked with me.

Bernadette is caught in the middle of the elitists moms at her daughter Bee's school and the elitist Microsoft culture that her husband works for. Soon, the two intertwine and leave Bernadette in a frenzy.

A good, quick read.

Next up: The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognonni

 

Book #30

(Book #30!! I'm very excited for this!!)

 

You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood's Golden Age by Robert J. Wagner

272 pages

 

 

 

This is a book I bet I would have enjoyed more if I had listened to the audio version of it instead of reading it. The book is snippets of stories about the people, places and times in Hollywood from the 1930s and the 1950s. Instead of going chronologically in order, Wagner chooses sections of Hollywood life to talk about at a time, like "Houses and Hotels" or "Nightlife" and covers all decades pertaining to that subject in that chapter.

 

This reads like an old man tell stories of his life and memories (which, it mostly is). And while that can be entertaining, it can also make it easy to be lost when it comes to reading the sections. There were many names mentioned I recognized (Clark Gables, James Dean, Jean Harlow, Fred Astaire to name a few) but many more I was unfamiliar with. I'm sure someone with a much more in-depth knowledge of old Hollywood would pick up on quips and jokes along the way that I did not.

 

For now, I'm taking a break from non-fiction! I'm non-fictioned out!!! Hoping to find some good fiction reads in the next few I've selected.

 

Next up: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

 

 

Book #29

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

I often get confused when reading stories with too many characters, and this book was no exception. I had a hard time keeping track of all the women Koppel wrote about, but in the end, their stories were so remarkable, that it didn't really matter to me.

This book follows many women who watched at their men trained for years and then watched them blast off in to the unknown. It is about the uprooting of their lives once they were employed by NASA, and of the wondering eyes (and more) of many of their husbands. It's about the fear of dealing with a high probability of death, both in training and on mission, of husbands who spent a majority of their time not with their wives. All done under the watching eye of the American media and public, including LIFE magazine who had exclusive access to all the wives' daily going-ons around the time of a mission.

The writing was very choppy throughout most of the book, which may have led to some (all?) of my confusion, but in the end, I liked it anyway. I know this particular women are not given the credit they deserve for what they endured for American history. Their husbands got all the glory while they were expected to smile and pretend like every part of being an astronaut's wife was cheery and happy.


Next up: You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood's Golden Age by Robert J. Wagner (then I'll be done with the non-fiction for awhile I think)

Book #28

The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and the 1930s America by John F. Kasson

308 pages

This book really reminded me of some of the texts I read in my sociology classes in college (except much less wordy and fact-y).

Honestly, as much as I've enjoyed 1930s and 1940s movies in my life, I really didn't know all that much about Shirley Temple outside of "Animal Crackers in my Soup." So I found this a great alternative to a biography of Shirley -- it gave me a look into the timeline of her career and how the shape of America in that day and time helped sky-rocket her career into an unbelievable ride of child stardom.

This was a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed all the anecdotes about children growing up surrounded by Shirley merchandise.

It was also a nice glimpse into child stardom in the 1930s and the Hollywood machine. The tidbit I kept coming back to and remembering is that to help portray her child-like image for longer, a year was shaved off her age when she started having success. She didn't even know her own real age until her 13th birthday when she was finally let on to her own little secret. Crazy!

I enjoyed this book. You've got to love a well-written non-fiction text!

Next up: The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

 

Book #27

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

445 pages

 

I normally wouldn't have read a book by the same author of another book I've just read so close together, but a friend let me borrow this book after hearing how much I enjoyed Eleanor & Park.

Wow. I am truly impressed by this author. If I hadn't known she'd written this one, I would have no clue it was from the same author as Eleanor & Park. Totally different stories, totally different tones, total different writing styles. Both of which I enjoyed.

Cath is a college freshman, trying to keep her introverted self preoccupied as her father suffers a mental breakdown at home, her twin sister becomes a college frat rat (it's OK, Wren, we've all been there) and she tries to get along with her random roommate. Along the way, we find out she writes fan fiction for the Simon Snow series, which is a Harry-Potter like book series/movie franchise. Simon Snow has been such a big part of her life for so long, and she has thousands of fans online who read her fan fiction.

Also in the picture is her roommate's ex-boyfriend, Levi. Levi is a country-boy charmer, who seems to be the only one of her college campus that is interested in her Simon Snow stories.

Traveling through freshman year with Cath was filled with moments of remembrance about my own freshman year. Every character that got fleshed out, I thought: "I knew someone like that." These characters seemed very real to me, and I got the feeling Rainbow Rowell felt the same way.

I very much enjoyed this book! Will continue to read whatever else Rainbow sends our way.

Next up: The Little Girl Who Fought the Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America by John F. Kasson

 

Book #26

The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby

288 pages

I definitely think I would have liked this one more if it had no real-life historical references in it. Like, if this book was about a fictional dress that ended up making history, instead of a real one. The story is about the pink suit Jackie Kennedy wore on the day JFK was shot. It is about the making of the dress, and the seamstress who makes it.

Kate makes dresses, and sometimes makes them for The Wife with the company she works for. When she is asked to make the pink suit, she knows something is special about it, even though it comes with many trials and troubles as it is designed and made.

Along the way, Kate falls in love with Patrick, her friend and the neighborhood butcher. This part of the story was much more entertaining.

If you're looking for a book about Jackie O., this is not it. It does not show her in the most favorable light and she is honestly barely in the book at all. If you look past the historical importance of the situation, the novel is fine. Not the best thing I've read, definitely not the worst.

Next up: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Time away

I've been very behind! July has been an exciting month. Jacob's birthday took up an entire 3-day weekend on the 4th. And I've researched and finally bought a new car this week!!

In that time, I've read two books and abandoned one. I abandoned A Visit from the Goon Squad. I just couldn't finish it. I actually think I've tried to read it before and had the same problem. I just couldn't get with the flow of the book. It's the first and only book I've abandoned this year, though, so I let myself do it without any guilt.

School starts for me this week, so my reading will start slowing down. Happy to have made my goal for the summer though, finishing on track with my goal for 50. Will have to knock out several books on fall break to make up for my slowing down once school starts. :)

Book #25

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

This memoir is about mothers and daughters -- or it's supposed to be. The main plotline of the story follows Kelly as a post-grad, traveling to Australia. She becomes a nanny for a family who has recently lost their mother, and she manages to think about her own mother every now and then while caring for the children and having a bit of a fling with their half-brother.

I just didn't care for this book. It was supposed to be about Kelly's connection with her own mother, yet her own mother seemed to be a total afterthought throughout the whole book.

I was bored throughout a majority of the book. On to the next!

Up next: A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan



Book #24

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

328 pages

 

Did Eleanor & Park change my life? No. But it was a very good read and I enjoyed my short time spent in Rowell's world.

Eleanor moves back in with her mother after spending the last year living with a family friend after being kicked out by her stepfather. The stepfather's still in the picture, as well as her many siblings. She doesn't have anything to call her own, and no way of knowing how to survive high school.

Park is a nice, "normal" boy who has two parents who love each other and a beautiful, stable home. He loves punk rock and comic books.

When the two of them meet, it is not love at first sight. It's more like annoyance at first sight. But after a few days of sharing a bus seat together, they start to see a spark in other another that no one else has quite seen yet.

I normally am not a fan of back-and-forth story-telling. This book was a true exception. It didn't feel like it was going back to Eleanor's story then back to Park's. It was a coherent read and was magnified by the fact that you were able to discover both sides of the same story.

This is also a VERY rare book in the sense that after it was over I thought --- wow ... I'd love to see this made into a movie! I definitely think it could fit right in when The Spectacular Now and Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Next up: Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

Book #23

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

240 pages

 

And We Stay is a quick read -- I read it in about 2 hours! But the premise is one that will stick with me for awhile.

Emily is a high school student touched by tragedy. After breaking up with her boyfriend, he ends up committing suicide in the school's library in front of her and classmates just days later. As she is left to pick up the pieces from their broken relationship and his demise, she heads to a boarding school for girls, where she meets new friends and foes.

In this time, she also becomes fascinated with the school's most notable alum, Emily Dickinson. She starts writing poetry of her own as she begins to heal.

Very quick, very touching read. I will be looking for more of this author in the future.

 

Up next: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Book #22

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

400 pages

 

Kate and her identical twin sister, Vi, were practically the same person as children. But after growing up, they couldn't be more different. Kate is a suburban stay-at-home mom to two kids, while Vi is a free spirit. Both girls have senses (some may call them psychic senses), but as Vi embraces them and even makes money from them, Kate suppresses and ignores hers.

When Vi predicts a big earthquake to hit their city in the near future, many become frantic with earthquake preparation. Kate is unsure what to think. Part of her knows her senses feels one coming too, but the other part of her wants to ignore it.

Caught between the mess is the women's' elderly father, Kate's husband and kids, and a couple from down the street.

I love Curtis Sittenfeld. Prep is one of my favorite books ever, and American Wife is up there, too. While Sittenfeld's signature style is here, this one just felt a little bland to me. I loved the descriptions of Kate's life as a child, teenager and college student, but the present-day storyline just never settled with me. Toward the end of the novel, Kate makes an out-of-character decision and it pretty much ruined the rest of the book for me.

Next up: And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

 

Book #21

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

404 pages

 

This is not typically a book that I'd put on my reading list, but when Matthew McConaughey starred in its movie a few years back, I must have thrown it on my reading list.

Mickey Haller is a defense lawyer who is often getting bad guys a good deal in the legal system. Even with two ex-wives and a daughter he rarely sees, Mickey puts most of his time and energy into his work.

Mickey quickly takes a high-paying case after a long drought of lucrative jobs. Mickey thinks he has the case in the bag, until one of his friends gets murdered and he finds himself in the middle of his own legal mess.

I didn't hate this book, but it was the wrong pick for a vacation beach read, so I ended up finishing it when I got back from the vacation instead! I enjoyed the quick pace of the book, but disliked how many pages lacked any dialogue.

There are more Mickey Haller books, but I will probably not read anymore, or run to go rent the movie, either.

Next up: Sisterland by Curtis Sittinfield

 “She soon says, 'You're my best friend, Ed.'
You can kill a man with those words.
No gun.
No bullets.
Just words and a girl.”

 

-I Am the Messenger, Markus Zusak

Book #20

Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney

The truth is, if you've never read a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, you are seriously missing out.

I maintain that Jeff Kinney writes some of the best children's fiction in years. It is laugh-out-loud funny, and gets even reluctant readers to pick up a book with its fun, whimsical pictures throughout the book.

This was not, by far, the best in the series. But, still, it had its moments. Greg is upset with Rowley, his loserly best friend, actually gets a girlfriend and pretty much leaves him in the dust. Making his way through middle school without a best friend by his side is tough, but Greg has some ideas up his sleeve, like training a new best friend or using his school's new anti-bullying technique to gain a friend at recess.

The parts that truly shine are the same moments that always shine -- when Greg is with (or avoiding) his family. So many of the Heffley's family moments make you go: "Ah-ha! that happened to me one time, too," or "I have a family member JUST like that." This time around, we get to meet Greg's extended family, who are just as entertaining as the ones who live in his house.

Until next time, Greg!

Next up: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly



Book #19

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

 360 pages

 

I've been holding out for awhile to read this. The Book Thief, when I read it for the first time about 3 years ago, blew my mind. I now consider it one of my favorite books of all time. So much so, that I've been refusing (to myself, because let's face it, no one else cares) to see the movie because I just know it will be WRONG. Just so wrong. I like how The Book Thief is in my mind. I don't want someone else's version of it.

 

I Am the Messenger hit me in a similar way. It kind of wows me still that people can do such amazing things with words. Just words! I love that. Zusak is definitely one of those word-makers.

 

Ed is a 19-year-old cabdriver, and he's not much else. His roommate is an old dog named The Doorman, and he has a few good friends who are pretty much in the same rut as he is.

 

After being a witness to a failed bank robbery, Ed finds his life starting to change. He starts getting playing cards sent to him with addresses, names and clues on them. He uses the cards to find people and help them out in little ways -- sometimes, his little bit of help means a big difference in people's lives.

 

I loved the message of paying it forward, and also discovering your true self. I'm not sure if this is considered "YA" like The Book Thief was, but I could have also seen me loving this book if I had read it 10 years ago when I was in high school.

 

Very good!

 

But no, I wouldn't watch the movie version. :)

 

Next book: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney (my summer time ritual is getting caught up on The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, OK????)



Halfway through the year

I'm about 1/2 way through the timeline of my 50 book challenge for 2014.

I've made it through 18/50 books, which puts me at 36% completed, or 3 books behind, according to Goodreads.

But I am not worried! I always read more during the summer due to long lunch breaks and a flexible work schedule. I will catch up for sure by the time school starts back up (which, uh, is quickly already approaching only 7 weeks away ... oh, by the way, my last day of school was yesterday. ...).

According to my calculations, I've read 5,596 pages. Which seems like a lot. Maybe it's not. But it seems like it!

Book #18

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

435 pages

To say I was disappointed in this book would be an understatement.

I've long said Sarah Dessen is my favorite YA author. And she still is! This book was, for sure, though, my least favorite of her books.

I usually read Dessen's books as soon as they hit my library's shelves. This time, I ended up waiting almost exactly a year to read it. I didn't feel the story pulling me in from the synopsis a year back and it definitely didn't pull me in a year later.

Emaline works at her family's rental agency on a picturesque beachside town. She had a strained relationship with her long-distance father, but has an excellent relationship with her high school boyfriend. A film production crew rents one of her family's rental homes for the summer, and Emaline starts falling for a production assistant -- not unlike her parent's romance of almost 20 years earlier.

 

I really had a hard time relating to any of these characters. The guy you're supposed to be rooting for at the beginning comes off as annoying to me in the very first couple of scenes he's in. That really bothered me. Surely I was not the only one who noticed this!

 

Of course, I will read Dessen's next novel. But, I will not be re-reading this one.

Next: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Book #17

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

322 pages

 

 

I very much enjoyed A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, I read it in just a few days.

 

The story focuses on three women in different stages of their lives. Ginny, a 45-year-old grandmother who is taking care of Liza, her 30-year-old daughter who recently had a stroke and is regaining her ability to communicate, and Mosey, the 15-year old granddaughter whose sole mission in life is to not be a mother by 16 like her two elders before her.

 

Part of Liza's rehabilitation is to get her into the pool for physical therapy. Ginny decides to cut down a tree in the yard to put in a pool for daily use for Liza. As the tree is coming down, a box is discovered to be buried near it -- a box of baby toys and baby bones. The questions that come with this undiscovered box are ones that only Liza can truly answer, but her struggle to communicate leads to surprises and discoveries in strange ways.

 

I loved Roger, a supporting character who is Mosey's best bud -- he reminded me of some of the guy friends I had in high school.

 

I will definitely check out more of Joshilyn Jackson's work.

 

Next Up: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen (yes, I love Sarah Dessen and still haven't read this!!)

Book #16

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

318 pages

Boo ... I was not ready for this emotionally draining young adult book.

I've never read a John Green book. I will now read more. I LOVED all the Indianapolis-area shoutouts, it was like being part of the club that all readers aren't apart of.

Hazel has cancer. Augustus has another type of cancer. Obviously this cannot be good for my emotions. Anyway, I loved all the characters in this book, especially Isaac, their newly blind friend. I loved all the small actions and characteristics that made the kids so relatable -- the hours watching America's Next Top Model reruns, the boys continually playing the same shoot-em-up video game to pass the time, Hazel's obsession with a book. I know people my age and younger who do all of these things all the time.

Ugh. I loved and hated this book. I liked it in the way that I loved The Spectacular Now and Perks of Being a Wallflower -- it truly gutted me and I will probably think about it for months on end. Young adult fiction is alive and well!!

Next up: A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson (hoping there is no cancer in this one ..)

Book #15

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

 (344 pages)

 

I needed a light read after the heavy book I read prior to this and the (what I've heard) tear-jerking next novel I'm set to read. This fit the bill to a tee, and while it wasn't the most amazing literature in the world, it was a light and fun story about a relatable twentysomething in New York City.

 

Franny is a hopeful actress, trying to hit it big after many years in the big city with very little success. She has set up a deadline for herself, and finds herself struggling as the deadline quickly approaches. As she finds disappointing agents, boyfriends, and auditions, her deadline seems to be the final bookmark of her acting career.

 

I loved the descriptions of her friend (and eventual love interest) from her acting class, James. He continues to go to acting class even though he's hit the "big time" (having small roles in movies), and I pictured him by the descriptions of his skeazy personaility immediately as James Franco. If he wasn't supposed to be based on James Franco, I would be totally surprised!!

 

Usually I am skeptical of how much celebrity novelists actually write of their book, but considering Lauren Graham has a BA in English from Barnard, I am more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she mostly wrote this novel herself. I would not hesitate to read anything else she puts out, as long as it's not a memoir about her time on the Gilmore Girls set (that show annoys me even after all these years!).

 

Next up: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green



Book #14

Eight Days in Darkness by Angela Roegner and Anita Wooldridge

415 pages

 

 

Wow! An enjoyable read, it was not -- at times I was near tears, or near throwing up at the awful things Anita had to endure after being captured in broad daylight in her small Kokomo, Indiana suburb in the late '90s. She was taken by an acquaintance to Wisconsin where she was trapped, slept in a locked metal box and continually raped for eight days before being captured by a team of Indiana and Wisconsin police.

 

However, this read like a crime novel, and sometimes I had to stop and remind myself all of this was real. A lot of the reminders of "realness" came to me in the form of Indiana lingo -- key players in the story graduated from colleges I am very familiar with, and one at-the-time suspect's alibi was that he went to see a movie at the Castleton Mall ... which is literally about four miles from my apartment and the movie theater I frequent most often.

 

It went back and forth between Anita trapped in her hell hole to the police force desperately trying to find clues and leads on Anita's whereabouts. The result was a very complete crime story, one that remained hopeful.

 

This one will stick with me for a long, long time. Now, to read something light and pleasant!  

 

Next up: Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Book #13

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

244 pages

I struggled with this book.

I struggled with liking the characters and understanding their actions. At first, 13-year-old Henry's mom, who rarely leaves the house and talks to him like an adult, reminds me of the mom in About a Boy. Except in About a Boy, the mom, an atypical personality, seems to want her young son to have some sense of normalcy as he begins his teen years. Henry's mom makes no effort to even attempt to let him pretend like he's normal outside of her shut-in house.

Once Frank, an escaped convict, comes into the picture, I am rolling my eyes at the utter disregard the mother has for her son and his safety. Frank moves in to their house, and quickly falls in love with Adele, Henry's mom. They spend the Labor Day weekend in bliss, contemplating escaping the country to live freely.

Henry finally meets a friend in Eleanor, and she is truly the most interesting character in the book -- but don't worry, she seems to disappear as quickly as she comes in. Eleanor is Henry's "real-life" love interest, but has problems of her own -- an eating disorder and a mother she feels like has abandoned her.

This end-of-summer romance between Frank and Adele is ill-fated from the beginning, and watching Henry in the middle is at times down-right uncomfortable. All I wanted to do was pluck Henry and lead him to his dad, a remarried family man who still sees Henry regularly.

I love Kate Winslet, but I am unsure if I'll even be watching the movie version of this book any time soon.

Next up: Eight Days in Darkness: The True Story of the Abduction, Rape, and Rescue of Anita Wooldridge by Angela Roegner

(Sounds happy, doesn't it???)

Book #12

The Girls from Ames by Jeffery Zaslow

297 pages

 

According to GoodReads, I've had this on my to-read list since 2010! Wow!

The Girls from Ames was the real-life story of eleven women and the friendship they have continued over their lives as the eleven girls turned into ten women. Some of these friendships began before preschool, but they all extended out until the girls were high school-aged, and they were all inseparable. After high school, it talks about college and husbands and kids ... all things that could have kept these women from their beloved friendship. As the years grew on, their modes of communication changed, and these women continually reconnected when they could.

I love reading non-fiction books and memoirs. The really cool thing about this book is that they were all about normal women -- not someone who eventually become super important or famous. They are just women. They are real mothers, real employees, real wives -- that really resonated me throughout the book.

The book felt a tad too long. It definitely isn't a re-read choice, but I liked my sole time through it. It made me think of my years-long (a few decades-long) female friendships. Female friendships can be tricky; they can be complicated. But they can also be the strongest support system in place when you need it.

Next up: Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Book #11

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

304 pages

I really, really liked this one.

I've always been a fan of YA fiction. I claim Sarah Dessen as one of my all-time favorite authors (don't worry, John Steinbeck, you're still my top favorite). I once thought my destiny was to write YA fiction (maybe one day it still might be!)

But it's been awhile since I've dove into the world of new YA fiction for myself, instead of education classes, etc. This one was on a best-of list recently, and I'm glad I added it to my to-read list. It was a great, quick read.

Astrid is a high school senior who is on the fringe of fitting in at her small-town school. She is covering for her two best friends, who are both gay, and trying to establish her own identity as well, especially in her dysfunctional family. She is seeing Dee, a co-worker, and as her feelings become deeper for her, so does the trouble that surrounds Astrid.

This novel evoked a lot of memories and emotions about my own small town -- the gossip, the intolerance, the confusion. It could have been set in my hometown, honestly.

The great thing about this book is it's not "just" about a girl coming to terms with her homosexuality -- the story is told in a way that it's really about a girl coming to terms about her sexuality just like everyone else does -- she just happens to be falling for a girl. I like how Astrid isn't appointed the "gay" character in her own story. She reads like a real-life girl with real-life struggles.

I loved this book. It was quick-paced and had great supporting characters who felt like real people.

Next up: The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffery Zaslow

Healthy

It's taken me a long time to realize healthy doesn't equal skinny. I mean, I've always known that on a surface level, but it took me a long time to realize that thinking doesn't just apply to everyone else, it has to apply to me as well.

In the last six months or so, I have made a conscious effort to kick the "weight-losing" to the bucket and focus on the healthy. This was jumpstarted at a training I attended for school, as I am a representative of a program about healthy initiatives in early education settings. One of the things that one of the trainers said that resonated with me is that you don't always have to make huge lifestyle changes to be healthier. A few "easy" changes can add up.

That night, I went home and brainstormed some "easy" changes to make myself healthier. I have stuck to almost all of them.

1. No more soda during the week. I only allow myself soda on the weekends and ONLY when we go out to eat (this is actually a stair step from a previous goal when I just stopped buying Diet Coke at the grocery store. Trouble is, I can still buy it at school in the vending machine, in the McDonald's drive-thru, etc. So no more soda AT ALL during the week)

2. Plan out every dinner before I go to the grocery store. I allow Friday and Saturdays as free days as we usually meet up with friends for dinner.

3. Count my miles. This does not mean I carry around a pedometer all day. I know I walk a lot during the day -- I'm a preschool teacher! But I count all extra walking I do on mapmyrun.com -- especially my dog's walks (PS she's lost some weight!)

4. Eat breakfast every day, no exceptions (I still struggle with this one sometimes).

5. I bought smaller plates -- seems too easy! It really does make a difference on how you perceive your food.

6.  Adding more vegetables each week to our diet. I don't really like vegetables, so sometimes I have to even trick myself (tonight, we're having baked bread-crumbed-covered asparagus -- I never would have said yum a year ago but now I do!)

7. Switching to 1% milk. This was a hard step -- I grew up as a Vitamin D girl, and I moved to 2% in college. 1% is hard even for me!

8. Switching out chips in my lunch for yogurt at least 3 days a week.

9. Stop weighing myself daily -- easier said than done. This is mostly to stay mentally healthy :)

As the summer approaches, I plan to add a few more "small" changes into my daily life. This includes salads as sides more times during the week, taking salads to work in lieu of a sandwich, drinking more water during the day (my schedule during the summer allows this much more easily than my time at school).

Book #10

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
298 pages

 

 

Piper is finally happily in a relationship and has her career in order. When she gets convicted of a 10-years-past drug offense, her life is put on hold until her sentencing. She is finally sentenced to 15 months in a women's prison.

 

 

The characters she meets in prison came alive in this book. Her stories of the humors and unpleasant situations were both light-hearted and truthful. Kerman kept her stories of her friends doing time meaningful but positive.

 

 

Kerman was able to see prison with the lens of someone who wouldn't need to worry about what will happen to her after her release -- she is set with her plan of continuing life with her fiancé once she gets out and has plans for a job afterward. Because of this, she is very mindful of everyone else's unique situation, and what a difficult journey it will be for each of them once their time on the inside is done.

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. I am interested in catching up with the show now that I've read it. Toward the end, it dragged on a little bit, but maybe that was by design. Her time in prison probably felt like it dragged on toward the end, too!

 

Next up: Ask the Passengers by A.S. King



 

Spring Break to-dos

It's officially Spring Break (the first weekend doesn't count, I'd have that off anyway!!)! I am staying in bed on a Monday morning; it's official!

Now, getting strep throat a mere 12 hours after school was let out on Friday was NOT on my spring break to-do list, but I am going to put it on there anyway so I feel like I've accomplished something.

• Spend 2 hours at Minute-Clinic while crying because of strep throat symptoms
• See Veronica Mars movie
• Get oil changed
• Get Suzy Q groomed
• Call dentist to schedule an appointment for after break since obviously I was too lazy to do it beforehand so I could have an appointment during break
• Walk Suzy along the canal downtown (hoping weather cooperates next week)
• Have a sleepover with my cousin Brooke
• Read 3 books
• Watching the 3rd season of GIRLS since I've completely neglected it thus far
• Organize my new positive behavior system for my classroom I am putting in place after break (it involves clouds and rainbows --- AKA cotton balls and colored puff balls)
• Make a few new meals since I'll have the time to do so

With love

I've started my journey to this today.

While talking to a man at my bank about my credit score, and about other grown-up things, I blurted out "How do I start saving money to take a trip to Paris?" And it came out without me thinking about it.

I mean, I know HOW to start saving. It starts with not spending money on other stuff and to start putting it toward this. But I wanted to know the best way.

And I mean, it's not like I've never thought about it -- it's really the one place I've ever consistently thought about. The one place in the world I have to visit before I die. I had a poster of Paris up in my college bedroom to remind myself every day of my long-term goals. I have an Eiffel Tower locket that has "2017" written inside it for years because that's my goal date. (Now that I'm closer to 2017, I wonder if 2019 is more attainable or better as a celebration for my 30th ... but maybe not!)

I've always said I need to visit before I have kids or I never will go. And that means starting to save for it today, I think.

This was a goal I had for 2014. To begin. And so today, it begins.

Book #9

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

272 pages

 

 

 

 

I'd previously read Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl last spring and loved and hated it at the same time. This one, I pretty much just hated.

 

Camille is a Chicago-based reporter who has to travel back home to investigate two strange murders in her small town. The murder victims were both two young girls, and the town is still reeling with gossip over whether the murderer is an out-of-towner or it was an inside job.

 

While Camille is back in town, she stays at her mother's house, where she starts to get to know her much-younger sister Amma, and come to terms with her other sister's death decades before. She also has to endure the suffering of living again under the same roof as her frigid mother.

 

Every character in this story is unlikeable. The police officers, the lawyers, the murder victim's families, Camille's family --- everyone. I began thinking the only likeable characters were the murder victims, whom we never met alive! It really turns me off from a book when the main character is so unlikeable, and that's exactly how Sharp Objects was.

 

That being said, I am a fan of Flynn's fast-paced writing and will probably read Dark Places eventually as well.

 

Next up: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

 





Book #8

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrop

320 pages

 

Before it became an award-winning film, I first heard of Twelve Years a Slave many months ago when a co-worker was reading it. I didn't know much about the film at the time, as it hadn't been released yet, but I did recognize the title.

After watching red-carpet coverage during award season, I learned the basic plot of this memoir -- a free man is taken into slavery in the early 1840s, leaving behind a wife and a family for 12 years.

Solomon's story was heartbreaking at many parts in the book. It's heartbreaking in 2014, when most people reading the book now would be pretty educated on slavery in the early days of America, but I can't imagine the reactions it would have had when it was originally published in the 1850s.

The thing that surprised me about Twelve Years a Slave was how readable it was in this day in age -- meaning, I wasn't reading slowly trying to figure out a hundred and fifty years' worth of jargon and tongue. I usually take my time with anything written before 1960 since it is often written in a tone and style I am not always used to reading. But I had no trouble getting through this, as Solomon told his story in a matter-of-fact tone.

It was interesting to me how I felt about this book as I read it, since you already know how it ends. Every time something terrible happened, it was easy for me to remember his story ended positively.  I wonder how this affected my perception of it.

Next up: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn