I didn't enjoy this book. I thought it was painfully boring. I have to admit, I'm slightly embarrassed by my opinion-- 12 million copies in print! "A life changing book" "Written by a Holocaust survivor." It was written like a text book, which normally isn't a hang up of mine. I loved school-- once I could study social sciences. It was just very dry, and I wasn't in the mood to read a psychology manual. It didn't change my life, I had heard the point many times before... your success it is dependent on your attitude, finding meaning in your life affects your actions in life. As the book progressed I could see why it was so life changing for most, but to me it was just dry. I was glad to finish it, and probably would have quit a 100 pages earlier if it wasn't another dreaded book group selection.
The Time Keeper by Mitch AlbomMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was not too thrilled to read this book, it was for book group. Are we sensing a theme? I don't like my book group selections. I have no interested in this author. I was rather pained through the first half. I wasn't interested in any of the characters. Then the last quarter perked up a bit. I enjoyed the moral of the story.
The Grand Sophy by Georgette HeyerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book! I had never read any of Heyer before, I found the author through the author's notes in Edenbrooke. I will definitely be reading more Heyer. I loved Sophy, she was wonderful. This is a regency book, about romance of course. It was harder to read than Edenbrooke, but much easier than Austen. If you love Austen books, you will love this. I always complain that new authors are undisciplined and put details in they should be left to the readers' imagination. Heyer is definitely not undisciplined, and she is definitely not new, the story resolves it itself, in a timely manner. It was a reflief to read a disciplined author that I enjoyed. Once the story is over, I found myself thinking wait what? That is it? Already? But its perfect that way. I loved this book.
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie FlaggMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read this book for book group, and found it subpar. I would have quit in the first 150 pages if I wasn't in charge of book group. (Someone else picked the book.) After page 200, the book got more interesting, and by the end, I thought well I guess this was a fun book. It was a comedy about how a small Missouri town reacts when old lady
Elner falls out of a tree and gets rushed to the hospital to be
declared dead. The characters were suppose to be funny, but I often found it forced. In my opinion, the most interesting subplot to the book was the loaded Revolver found in the bottom of the laundry basket. I have to admit I was surprised how often the Lord's name was taken in vain in the book, considering it is a church book group. A few characters sex life is also mentioned, which once again I found surprising because it was church book group. But this book was picked by the previous book group leader.
Edenbrooke by Julianne DonaldsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am only slightly embarrassed to admit I read this in a day. But I also did other things that day, like mostly feed my children, feed my baby every two hours, play with my baby, wash the laundry (not fold) and exercise... although I did skip dinner.
I loved this book, I could not put it down, it made it challenging to play with the baby while reading this book, so sometimes I did put it down, but reluctantly. Its a cheesy romance, but you forget its cheesy and just fall in love with Phillip. Its predictable, but I found myself, hoping it was predictable because I wanted everything for the characters. At first I thought the author writing a Regency era story with our vernacular showed she wasn't very skilled, but in the back of the book it says, "I wanted to keep the flavor of the Regency period but make my story accessible for modern readers. So I intentionally made my language a little less formal and moved my plot along with greater speed." Thankfully, she did that, so I could devour it in a day, it was like watching Pride and Prejudice because you don't need to think, you can just be in love with it, because at least for me, I have to think when I read Jane Austen. This all being said, I think the two many characters physically touch more than reality would have permitted. Then again the book was fiction. I think this was the first book I've loved from a mormon female author. Normally I find the books subpar at best, even when I like the plot, I feel like they are unrefined in their writing.
Reached by Ally CondieMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was pretty lame, but in my opinion the whole series was, with that said it was my favorite book in the series.
I was incredibly annoyed through the first 100 pages. My thoughts were the same as many others out there, what is with these teenfic heroines? In real life woman out earn men, are more education yet all the current popular teenfic feature a lack luster female. Females with multiple boys pining for their affection, and they are paralyzed with indecision. This truly is fiction because no one worth the time of day is going to want a female who is spineless and lamenting she doesn't know what side to believe, or who to love. But just for the record I was team Zander, so the ending of the book did make me happy for Zander. Ky's character was almost as bad as Cassia's.
After I made it through the first fifth of the book, I became overwhelming sad, the worst part of book three is it reminds us there are never any bloodless coups. The world always has famine, pestilence, or war. Sure they didn't fight, but there was plenty of death, governments don't change without death, then again governments also survive without plenty of death.
Lastly there were two quotes I liked from the book
"If you let hope inside, it takes you over. It feeds on your insides and uses your bones to climb and grow. Eventually it becomes the thing that is your bones, that holds you together." 255
Oker snorts. "If they feel something they fight" he says. "If you were in a place with no pain why would you want to come?" 315-316
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was so excited to read this book, and then so disappointed as I read it. It was lack luster and predictable. Its about a murder on the grounds of Pemberley. Normally I quite enjoy Jane Austen spin offs, but the only reason I kept reading it was because I was so excited to read it in the first place. I never really enjoyed it, through the whole book I kept telling my husband, I just want to be done.
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