Good intentions....?

I had good intentions when I started the Spring Reading Thing to get back into blogging. I had no idea that planning a wedding was so time consuming!! I barely had time to read, let alone blog... about anything! Well the wedding is over so hopefully I can put a few more posts up here. *crosses fingers*

Spring Reading Thing Wrap Up:

Finished - Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery ~ I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.
               - Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller ~ An easy read , filled with fun stories, and would be great for a new Christian, or someone interested in learning more about Christianity.
               - Loving by Karen Kingsbury ~ Loved it.
         
Almost Finished - Life, On The Line by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas ~ I had to return the library book before I could finish it. It started out good, the middle of the book got boring, and it started getting better near the end again. The middle had too much restuarant detail to hold my attenetion!

Did Not Finish (or start!) - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebbecca Skloot ~ I couldn't find it at my library.

Spring Reading Thing 2012

While reading Suzanne's blog I clicked the link to Spring Reading Thing 2012. I've heard of this before but this is my first time participating. I am of course planning a wedding so my list will not be large but Katrina the host at Callapidder Days advertises this as a low-pressure challenge. Besides reading should be fun right? :)

Finish Reading:

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

New books:

Life, On the Line by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas
The Immortal Life on Henrietta Lacks by Rebbecca Skloot
Loving by Karen Kingsbury

The above three books were all on other challengers lists. There were others good suggestions I wanted to read but my library doesn't carry them. If I have time I'll start the next book in the Anne series: Anne of the Island.

Sorry for the inconsistant linking... blogger is being weird to me.

Books read in 2011

I read 11 books this year. That's a big increase from last years 2 books! Sill 11 is much less than 24 read in 2010, and 18 read in 2009. Here's hoping that 2012 gives me more reading time.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Glass Castle by Jeannette Wall
Sarah's Kay by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Blue Notebook by James A Levine
Secret Daughter by Shilip Somaya Gowda
One Day by David Nicholls
Leaving by Karen Kingsbury
Sarah by Marek Halter
Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

My favourite book of the year was Glass Castle by Jeannette Wall. This was a true story of her life and one that I will never forget. It was hard to read in places only because no child should have to grow up like she did.

2008 list here
2009 list here
2010 list here

Books read in 2010

So I've learnt that having a new boyfriend takes up alot of my former free reading time! But I'm not complaining. I love him! So here are the 2 (!?!) books I read this past year:

Ever After by Karen Kingsbury
Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs

I am determined to read more this year.

2008 list here.
2009 list here.

Books read in 2009

I meant to post this earlier in the year but since its just for my own records I guess it doesnt matter. So here is my list of the books I read in 2009, starting with the most recently finished:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Louise Rennison
Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison
Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison
On the Bright Side, I`m now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Ever After by Karen Kingsbury
Answered Prayers by Danielle Steele
The Help by Kathyrn Stockett
The Time Traveler`s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Anne Brashares
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Last Summer (of you and me) by Ann Brashares
The Reader by Berhard Schlink
Cranberry Queen by Kathleen DeMarco

Summary: I read 24 books this year (compared to 18 books in 10 months last year). This year I read alot of young adult books - probably the most in one year ever. My 2 favourite books read this year are The Help by Kathyrn Stockett and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Books read in 2008 are listed here.

Book Review: The Kite Runer by Khaled Hosseini

"Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him."

From Khaled Hosseini's website.

I really enjoyed this book. The story spans around 30 years as the 2 friends grow up. A futher story summary can be found on the website above.

The part I found really interesting was the history included in the book. It was just part of the story included seemlessly, but being here in the west the first I heard of Afganistan was during the last 10 years or so. The book let me know a little bit of what the country was like before all of the current unrest, which I found really interesting.

Book Review: Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs

Last month I had a marketer contact me to see if I would be interested in reading and reviewing Kate Jacob's new book Knit the Season. After reading the first 2 books in the series of course I said yes!

Knit the Season starts about a year after the last book in the series Knit Two, and follows all the characters through the next stage of their lifes. There are new relationships, career moves, and big trips to follow. Plus more of one of my favourite characters, Gran. If you liked the first two books in the series then you're sure to enjoy this book as well.

It did seem that knitting took a bit more of a back seat in this book. However, instead there were some really interesting flash backs to when Gorgia was growing up, and had first arrived in New York.

Knit the Season hit bookstores yesterday, but you can check out chapter one here. Or for more information on Kate Jacobs and her other books check out her website.

**Plus like the rest of Kate's books there are a bunch of recipes and patterns at the back of the book. Dakota's Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins sound really good to me!

Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

"Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these [3] women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed."

Summary taken from the author's website.

This great story is told from three view points: 2 from black maids working in 1962 and 1 from a progressive young white 1962 college grad. Each of them want to change the world they live in but are afraid to do it publically. So they secretly meet to work on a special project and hope and pray that no one ever finds out they're worked on it.

I think the best thing about the book is the characters. I know it's just a story and it takes place in the 1960's but I really want to meet the ladies within the book, expecially Aibleen. I thought that being a maid would just be your 9-5 job, but Aibleen really loves the kids that she is taking care of as much as if they were her own. She seems like such an awesome woman. All of the characters were similarly well written.

I loved this book and would reccommend it to anyone!

Book Review: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

"Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory--the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Since then, her only real companion has been the fierce-hearted, and sometimes just fierce, black woman Rosaleen, who acts as her "stand-in mother."

When Rosaleen insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily knows it's time to spring them both free. They take off in the only direction Lily can think of, toward a town called Tiburon, South Carolina--a name she found on the back of a picture amid the few possessions left by her mother. "

The above was taken from the author's website.

I read this book for the Southern Reading Challenege and boy was it southern! South Carolina in 1964 is a long way from British Columbia 2009.

What I liked about it: The relationships. Since her mother had died I liked seeing how young Lily Owens related to her caretaker, and then the 3 women who take her in after she runs away from home.

What I didn't like: The Mary statue (and honey) that the ladies pray to and have celebrations for.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the movie. I want to see how my view of the characters and the actresses portrayals are different (or maybe the same!). Plus there are a bunch of famous people in the movie.

Want a different view? Go check out Monica's or Jen's review.

A little promo....

I finished reading the entire Twilight series this winter, and like many others before me I really loved it. When I came across the chance to enter to win one of Stephenie Meyers adult books I jumped at the chance. Although I'm not normally a fantasy fan, I've read a couple fantasy books this year and I'm finding its alot about the writing style.

Anyway, if you're interested in The Host by Stephenie Meyer check out the give-away at Drew's library.

Book Review: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Alright…. I’ve put off blogging about this book for long enough. I finished it sometime in late May, less than a week after I started it. I was looking forward to reading this book a lot. I am a fan of Nicholas Sparks and it’s been some time since I last read of any of his books.

Having said this I was a little disappointed with this book. (Maybe my expectations were too high?) It took me much longer than I thought to get to the “I-can’t-put-it-down” stage (about half the book). Although once I did get there I really couldn't’t put it down.

The story follows Logan Thibault who finds a picture of a woman while deployed in Iraq. A streak of good luck follows. Once he returns to the states he takes a cross country trip and finds himself ending his trip in the town she lives in...

I found the book somewhat similar to some of his others books. However I am still a fan and will likely read other books by him.

PS. For those who are Nicholas Sparks fans be sure to read Dear John before Feb 5th, 2010 as its about to become a movie. :)

Book Review: The Constant Princess

I finally finished The Constant Princess. It seems to take a loooong time to finish this book. I think partly because the book is almost 500 pages, but partly because I read the book in bits and pieces. Every time the next Twilight series book became available at the library I would interrupt reading this book to read Twilight first.

The book was recommended to me by one of my knit/blog friends, and is historical fiction. (I found it to be very detailed in the political ties of the time.) It follows the life of Catalina of Spain who became Katherine, Queen of England by her marriage to King Henry. It is written by Phillipa Gregory who is the author of The Other Boleyn Girl. (Of which I enjoyed the movie. I normally have trouble reading the book after I have seen the movie so I starting reading the Constant Princess, which is the first of Gregory’s novels if read chronologically by dates in the books.)

I’m glad I read this book as it sounded really good to me before I started, and after all the hype surrounding the movie I wanted to know what the author’s writing style was like. I haven’t ruled out reading more of Gregory’s books in the future, but I don’t plan on reading any of her books in the near future. There are just so many other books that I want to read before I venture into one of her books again

PS. While searching for a picture of the book I found that there are different covers for US books verses the UK books. (Who knew??) I must have read the UK book because above is what the cover looked like on the book I borrowed from the library.

Book Series Review: Twilight

So, over the course of 4 months I read the Twilight series. Books 1-3 were read in about 3 or 4 days each (this is super fast for me!). I loved them and like many others before me I couldn’t put them down. Fantasy is never my first book choice but the first 3 books of the series eased me into the genre. I loved how Bella had doubts and insecurities and wasn’t a perfect person.

Book 4 (Breaking Dawn) felt completely different from the rest of the series. The book was told in 3 parts. Part 1 told by Bella, part 2 by Jacob, and part 3 by Bella. I have to say that the middle part was the most interesting. I enjoyed the chapter titles by Jacob ie: The two things at the very top of my things-I-never-want-to-do list or Sure as hell didn’t see that one coming. I felt that a lot of Bella’s story could have been condensed. It seemed to drag on and on. However the last half a dozen chapters were really good, and reminded me of Edward and Bella’s time in Italy. I am especially intrigued with Bella’s shield and her growing control over it.

Overall I’m very glad I read the series and I am looking forward to renting the movie when it’s released on DVD later this month.

I'm still alive!

Hello blogging world! Although it's been almost a month since I've posted anything, have no fear I am still alive and kicking. :)

Aside from this week it's been almost a month since I've knit anything. I just had no desire to knit. After some knitting with the SCC knitting group on Monday the desire has come back now. Monday I was able to almost finish my sweater. I just had the sleeves cuffs to do.

I also got together with 3 knitters on Tuesday, 2 of which are bloggers who each have a post with pictures of the event. Monica posted about it here and Ruth's post shows that I tried to work on my sweater that night but didn't get much done. (Well, I'm really just holding my sweater but that what you should read from it!) Marianne was the third knitter and it was nice to meet her for the first time.

I have been doing a fair bit of reading this past month. I read The Last Summer of You and Me by Ann Brashares, then I read the first 2 books in the Travelling Pants series. I enjoyed all of her books and was surprised at the difference in writting style between her young adult books and the adult book. I guess I've never read books from different genres by the same author. I was amazed at the flexiblity that an author can show by changing her style so much and still be a good writer.

I've also read New Moon by Stephenie Meyer and I'm working on The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory. I now understand the draw of the Twilight series. I'm half way through the series and plan on reading the rest. Every time I finish one of the books I want to start in on the next one right away (but can't because there is a waiting line for the library books), also whatever book I read afterwards always seems to take a long time (and seem not as good...). I feel bad for the books I read after the Twilight series books, because they are not bad books, they're just not Twilight.

Books read in 2008

I've never made a list of books I've read in one year before. It's pretty neat to see the list grow through the year. I read 18 books in 10 months in 2008. Lets see how many I'll be able to read this year. (My favourite books of the year were the ones by Liz Curtis Higgs. Thorn in my Heart leading the pack. I would definitely recommend those books.)

For my own benefit I'm listing them all here starting with the most recently finished:

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Love Starts with Elle by Rachel Hauck
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Grace in Thine Eyes by Liz Curtis Higgs
Hating Valentine's Day by Allison Rushby
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks
Whence Came a Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs
Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down by Neta Jackson
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Fair is the Rose by Liz Curtis Higgs
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs
Angels by Marian Keyes
The Forgiving Hour by Robin Lee Hatcher
Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes
The Shepherds Voice by Robin Lee Hatcher

Book Review: Love Starts with Elle by Rachel Hauck

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book from the author's website, and boy am I glad. I finished this book in less than a week. (That's fast for me!) This book would make a great summer read. Although I read it in December it made me feel warm and cosy.

The premise of the story is that Elle has recently broken off her engagement and while her broken heart heals she meets.... well, I won't tell you anymore. You'll have to read it yourself!

I love that it's a Christian love story. (ie: the characters don't jump into bed with the first guy they meet, it's about true love.) I also like how there is alot of talk about prayer in the book, as it reminds me about the importance of prayer in Christian life.

This book was just passed this one on to one of my good friends, but I can say that I would read more of Rachel's books in the future.

Book Review: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

I first heard of this book about a year ago. It came with high recommendation from a non-Christian lady I meet through the Vancouver Knitting Meet-up. It peaked my interest that someone who didn't believe in the Bible would find a book based on a biblical story interesting.

When I finally starting reading the book I had a few reservations. For myself I do believe the bible and that every story recorded there is true. So when I started reading The Red Tent some of the questions that came up were: How can the author write about something that happened so many years ago? How can her account be accurate? I have a hard time thinking or reading a story that is based on a true event, but with out having any input from the people who were part of the event.

I kept all of this at the back of my mind as I read the book, which I found interesting. It was nice to be able to read and think about the day to day life of the women mentioned in the bible. They are more than just wife and mother, they were story tellers, teachers, midwifes, and weavers.

Even as I read the great story of the lives of these women I still had doubts about this truth of the story compared to what the bible said. I wasn't until I was finished the story and read the reading group guide at the end of the book that I felt better about all my questions. The reading guide says:

Aiding her (the author's) work was "midrash", the ancient and still vital literary form, which means "search" or "investigation."

"Historically, the rabbis used this highly imaginative form of story telling to make sense of the elliptical nature of the Bible... The compressed stories and images in the Bible are rather like photographs. They don't tell us everything we want or need to know. Midrash is the story about what happened before and after the photographic flash."

She points out that "The Red Tent is not a translation but a work of fiction. Its perspective and focus....distinguishes it from the biblical account in which women are usually peripheral and often totally silent. By giving Dinah a voice and by providing texture and content to the sketchy biblical descriptions, my book is a radical departure from the historical text."

I felt so much better after reading this. It is after all just a novel. I'm sure the author did her research and is quite accurate in her writing. But for some reason this just put my mind at ease. Has anyone else had issues with reading a novel that is based and true events but not a strict re-telling of the events?

Anyway....the novel is an enjoyable read. It's based on the events on Genesis 34 and is told from the view point of Dinah. She tells us about her family, and how things started before her birth. It then follows her story and her (possible) life after then events recorded in the bible.

Snow day! and other randomness

It's snowing here in Greater Vancouver again. It's the second snow day in less than a week. (translation: stay off the roads!!) Its supposed to be really cold here for the next week or so. Really cold it this case means: zero celsius and down to -8 on some days!

I've been tagged in a meme by Katie and I have every intention of doing this but my computer needs to see the doctor. So this will be tackled once its all fixed up.

I finished reading Twilight in just 3 days and put New Moon on hold at the library but there were 146 people in front of me in the library line up.....so how know how long that will take?!

Books!

Look what is waiting for me to pick it up at the library:

Meyer, Stephenie, 1973- Twilight / Stephenie Meyer. Held at the Brighouse (Main) until Dec 16, 2008


In addition last week I opened my mailbox to find a copy of Love Starts With Elle by Rachel Hauck. I entered to win a copy from her website and the publishers decided to give a copy of everyone who entered. I'm really enjoying it and can't seem to put it down!

I've recently finished The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I'll do a write up on it pretty soon. I wanted a couple of days to think about it before I wrote.

Book Review: Grace in Thine Eyes

I loved this book! It's the last in a series of 4 books, and possible the best one! The book is based in Scotland in 1808. It follows the story of 17 year old Davina, daughter of the two of the characters from books 1-3.

Davina, while visiting her cousins, is raped and must decide whether to lie and cover up the truth and save her reputation, or face the truth and forgive the one who did wrong to her. As with all things her family gets involved and must also come to terms with what happened.

The author's website really says it best:

"A story of passion and revenge, of lost innocence and shattered dreams, Grace in Thine Eyes explores the sorrow of unspeakable shame and the gift of immeasurable grace."

Besides being a great story I was struck by a couple things from this book. The first was that as I was reading part of the book I was starting to get really mad at the author. While this may seem bad it was really a good thing. Often with a story you can tell what is going to happen and where the story is going. I did not for see this one event and got so caught up the story that I wanted everything to work out for the best and this one event went against what I thought was best. ('cause you know its all about me right! :P )

I was also moved by the great descriptions of places. There was a lot of travel in the story and it was all so well described that I feel as through I've been there! (Ok, so I know I haven't really travelled 1808 Scotland, but it has created a strong urge to travel to modern day Scotland just to see the placed mentioned in the book!)

It's even got me thinking how lucky women are these days. We can own property, and have a job, and choose if we want to get married, heck we can even decide if we want kids and how many. Two hundred years ago everything depended on your husband! You HAD to marry and your had to marry well. All I can say is thank goodness for 2008.

Overall a great book, I would definitely recommend this one.

Wow, all this from one book! It must be one heck of a book huh? :)