20 books in 2015 #9 - #11

Here we are, Veterans Day, and I am currently reading book #12.   I have 8 more books to read by December 31st if I want to meet my goal- yikes!

Book #9 - The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith

This book was so fun to read! It's completely fiction (or is it?:)) but it is the account of a vampire named Henry (the same one I met in Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Killer) and his involvement in several events throughout the course of history.  Henry was part of the lost colony of Roanoke and suffered the tragedy of losing the love of his life and being changed into a vampire.  Henry adjusts to his immortal life and joins a group of vampires called the Union. He is then given the task of hunting down probably the most evil and dangerous of all vampires by the mysterious name of A. Grander VIII.   Henry's quest to find this horrible vampire takes us around the world and gives us a different look at the history of 20th century America.  It's pretty gory in some parts (it's really hard to kill a vampire) but is also filled with humor and appearances by several historic figures including Arthur Conan Doyle, Nikola Tesla, and a few presidents.  Henry eventually tracks down A. Grander VIII and there is an exciting twist at the climax when it is revealed who that murderous vampires is.  I found myself cheering Henry on in hopes that he would come out victorious.  It was hard for me to put down. 

Book #10 - Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
This was a nice change after reading a book about vampires.  Winter Garden is about two sisters, Meredith and Nina, that are as different as night and day and their relationship with their mother, Anya.  When their father becomes ill, the sisters are reunited and find that their distant and cold mother offers no comfort.  Their only warm memory that includes their mother is her fairy tales she used to tell them when they were children.   One story Anya tells never finds a conclusion, and the girls' father makes her promise to finish the fairy tale for them.  Anya reluctantly agrees.  Little by little, Anya reveals more of the story and the girls soon realize why their bond with their mother has been so broken. The truth about Anya's past brings the daughters closer together and softens their hearts towards their mother.  The pace of the book is slow but the story is beautiful.  I have a sister myself and there were times where I felt I could really relate to Meredith and Nina.  I was hopeful the family would find a happy ending to Anya's fairy tale and it didn't disappoint.

Book #11 - In the Woods by Tana French
In the Woods beings with three children playing in the woods beside their neighborhood.  Something they did often.  One day, two of the children go missing and the third is found alone, standing in shoes filled with blood, and no memory of what has happened.  I was intrigued! When another girl is killed in the same woods, 20 or so years later, Detectives Rob Ryan and his partner/best friend, Cassie Maddox, are put on the case.  They investigate to solve the girl's murder, but Detective Ryan finds himself also searching his mysterious past to find out what happened to the children in the woods years earlier.  Unlike other mysteries I've read, this one wasn't a page turner for me.  I wanted to find out what happens but the author used a lot of big words in her descriptions and I had a hard time following the story.  I also couldn't really bring myself to root for the characters in this book.  They were likable enough, but a little boring.  Once I finished the book, I was a bit unsatisfied with the ending.  I still had a lot of questions. 

20 books in 2015 #8 - The Book Thief

  I love getting into a movie and escaping reality for a couple hours, but as much as I enjoy them, I can get over them soon once they are over.  Books are another story and rather fascinating in that they stay with you for days and weeks at a time.  It's like you have a whole other world sitting quietly on your nightstand, waiting for you to visit. I bond with the story and the characters, and once I am done reading the story I sometimes say I have a book hangover.  I might feel a little sad, or at a loss if the ending doesn't satisfy.There is some kind of pain knowing your first trip to that world has ended and visits with those characters are over.  I can often judge how well I have enjoyed a book by how bad my book hangover is, and this next one left me with a bad hangover.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is the story of a young German girl, Liesel, that is sent to live with foster parents in the years leading up to WWII.  She is heartbroken for having to leave her mother and losing her little brother on the journey to her new home.  In fact, the first book she stole was from one of the workers that dug her brothers grave.  Her foster mother is very cold and harsh at times, but does love her in her own way.  Her papa is gentle and wonderful.  He calms her from her nightmares each night and teaches her to read.  They form such a sweet bond and as Liesel grows older, she finds more books to steal so that her Papa can help her with the words.  Once the war breaks out, her foster parents take in a Jew, Max, and protect him from the Nazi's.  Liesel and Max form an unlikely friendship and he encourages her to begin writing her stories. You can foresee potential problems because we are familiar with the history here but you don't know Liesel's fate until the end. The narrator tells the story in a hauntingly beautiful way, almost like poetry at times.  Liesel's story truly pulled and tugged on my heartstrings and has found a nice dimly lit niche in my soul.   I have always had a soft spot in my heart for WWII stories, but this could be my favorite book for the year. I highly recommend it if you are interested in European or WWII history and want to get as close to living it as possible.

First Day of School

I have seen several variations of this quote on social media, "To be a mother is watching your heart walk around outside your body."  If there were any day for that to be proven true to me, it would be today.  Shadow started Kindergarten today and I've been having a hard time dealing with it.  I'm going to put most of the blame on pregnancy hormones mixed with the fact that for the first time in 2 years, I will not be at the same school as Shadow.  He sat down at his little desk and he said he would miss me.  We talked about what a fun first day he was going to have and asked me as I was leaving, "are you going to your classroom now?" I quickly said no, that I loved him and I would pick him up later, and walked out of the classroom saving my tears for the hallway.  I think both of us were missing TFCA a little bit today. Walking out of the school crying could have been embarrassing, but my mom assured me teachers have seen these kinds of parents before on the first day of Kindergarten.

I have probably looked at the clock every 15 minutes, waiting to go pick him up and ask him questions about his day. In the meantime, all I can think about is this:

                                                                          And this...

 And this....

And these too....among others

Parents feel growing pains too, just in a different way.  We truly need to savor and be grateful for each moment spent with our children and learn to pray that God will take care of them when we are not around.  Here is a back to school prayer someone posted on line that has been a huge comfort for me today.  If you have children getting ready to start school, I know you can relate and perhaps it can be a comfort to you as well.

"Dear God, Thank you for the gift of my children.  Please watch over them as they go back to school and protect them from negative influences.  Help them be a light to others, and help them show love, care, and respect to their friends and teachers. Please protect them from bullies, but if they face one, give them courage to stand up for themselves and others. Help them to remember when they are scared or afraid, You are there with them. As much as I love my children, You love them even more, and I know You will be watching out for them. Amen"

20 books in 2015- #'s 4 - 7

Well, 2015 is halfway over and I am less than halfway to my goal of reading 20 books this year.   The math teacher in me reasons that I should have been to 10 by now, and at this rate, my goal will not be reached.  A new baby on the way in September also adds a variable that may effect the outcome- BUT- I could still argue that there is plenty of time left to read 13 books if I can average 2.6 books or so for the remaining months.  I'm optimistic.

I'm doing some catching up by posting about books 4 - 7 in one post.  I have been lazy with my writing....again. I'll try to be brief:)

Book #4 was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  I have been a fan of Disney's Alice in Wonderland for a long time but have never read the novel by Lewis Carroll.  The book is delightfully stranger than the film and includes stories and characters that you won't find in the Disney movie.   I admire how Alice can go through this land accepting it as it is.  I think it's always good for us to remind ourselves to never lose our childhood curiosity, or try to hard to be "normal".


Book #5 was STAR WARS: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn.   I have always been a big fan of STAR WARS, but the thought of reading anything from the expanded universe was climbing too high on the geek scale for my taste.  There was a lull a couple months ago where I didn't have any books from my list at home or from the library.  In a moment of weakness, with an assist from Jordan, I took this one up.
This is the first book in a three volume series that takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi.   It took me a couple days to get into the book and get used to the language.  It's much more enjoyable to watch Star Destroyers and Tie Fighters battle X-wings on film than it is to read in a book. (Seriously, listen to this nerd talk!)
  All the characters I love are back and new characters are introduced. Here is the gist of it: There is a new Grand Admiral that is slowly rebuilding the Imperial Empire.  Darth Vader and the Emperor are dead, but the new admiral has help from an evil Jedi that wants to get his hands on Luke and Leia.  Leia and Han are married and expecting twins.  Luke is a more confident Jedi Knight. Lando is still a gambler and Chewbacca is still a wookie. The rebels try to stop the imperials from creating a new war, but are delayed by a group of rogue smugglers that can't decide if they want to help the Rebels or take favor with the new admiral.

Favorite Quote: "A Jedi can't get so caught up in matters of galactic importance that it interferes with his concern for individual people."

Book #6 - The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  After reading The Hunger Games and Divergent series I felt that this book lacked some originality, but it was still entertaining.  Right away you meet Thomas as he enters an area called "The Glade" that is surrounded by four walls and full of  young boys of various ages.  Thomas is about 16. He has no memory of his life before that, but he has a gut feeling that he is supposed to be beyond the walls.  Thomas quickly learns the social structure of his new home and tries out several jobs to find his place in the community, but it is the job of a runner that he desires most.  It is the runners responsibility to navigate the mazes that surround the four walls of the glade and find a way to escape.  They must return before the walls to the glade close at night or they most likely will not survive-for various reasons. It's a dangerous and tedious job because the walls of the maze change everyday, it's like starting new.  Then the first girl arrives in the glade and everything goes crazy.  Her memory is gone as well, except for the fact that she knows Thomas.

Book #7- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.  What a perfect book to cure my Gone Girl hangover.  Gillian Flynn is quickly becoming my favorite mystery/thriller writer. I hope she writes more books soon.  Sharp Objects is about a young reporter, Camille, that travels back to her small hometown in Missouri to investigate the murders of two young girls. Camille hasn't been home in years and isn't on the best of terms with her strict mother, or her teenage half-sister.  The more Camille tries to investigate the murders, the more haunted she becomes with her own past and vices.  She begins to identify with the victims and a horrible reality about her family soon comes to light.  It's hard to describe the book with out giving too much away.  If you liked Gone Girl I recommend this one.  The graphic language makes it a little hard to read at times, but you can't resist trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

Favorite Quote: " It is impossible to compete with the dead. I wished I could stop trying." -Camille

20 books in 2015- #3 The Devil in the White City

I actually finished this book about a month ago but have been delayed in writing about it.  Maybe that's because I'm not really sure what to say about it.  I liked it, and I didn't.  It was good, but wordy. Triumphant, yet dark.  The Devil in the White City had been on my list for about a year.  I was thinking it was a work of fiction but once I got my hands on it I saw it is actually a true story.  So I guess I was expecting something different and this is why I'm not sure how I feel about it. 

The Devil in the White City is about 2 people during the Chicago World's Fair.  One being the chief architect behind the Worlds Fair of 1893, Daniel Burnham.  The other being a young doctor named H.H. Holmes that killed several women visiting the city at that time. 

The entire time I was reading I was expecting these two to meet, but they never did.  Several chapters go into GREAT detail about the construction and planning of the World's Fair (Chicago residents called it the White City).  I was very impressed with this on the one hand and I learned a lot, but on the other, I was exhausted by all the people you had to learn and the terms and locations-it was too much.  I remember going to Chicago for a day trip when I was in the 9th grade.  Unfortunately, the only things my group wanted to do was shop and get dinner at Hooters (yes, quite unfortunately).  I would love to go back now and see some of these places now that I know the architect behind them.

The other chapters go into GREAT detail about this Dr. Holmes and his "murder castle." Dr. Holmes presented himself as a gentlemen.  He was handsome, personable ,and obviously very manipulative.  He had bought a property that rented rooms out to people that were in Chicago for the fair.  He made sure the apartments on the top floor couldn't hear anything coming from the basement which was well equipped with gas chambers and dissection tables.  Most of his tenants were young girls coming to the city in search of adventure. I hate to think about all the girls that lost their life to this psycho, and their families that never realized they wouldn't see their daughter or sister ever again.

Reading this book also reminded me why I like to read actual books.  I like to physically turn the pages and sometimes they smell really good.  I also came across this shopping list that was left by a previous reader.  A story within a story!  Who was this reader? Did they find their perfect Christmas tree? What pie were they going to make with the crust? Surely the peas weren't going into the pie.  Are they expecting company for the holidays? Is this why they need the aspirin?

I wasn't expecting a true story when I put this on my list, but it wasn't so bad.  It took me awhile to read though because some chapters were hard to get through-either because they were creepy or I got lost in all the architectural jargon.  But I was fascinated at the amount of time and dedication it took for Mr. Burnham and his team to make this fair a success.  I enjoyed learning the history of the fair and the people involved, but Dr. Holmes story distracted me from that a bit.  I found it hard to celebrate Mr. Burnham's achievement knowing Dr. Holmes was across town making his mark as one of America's first serial killers.  Let me leave you with this quote from Dr. Holmes.

"I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing — I was born with the "Evil One" standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since."- H.H. Holmes

  

20 books in 2015- #2 Reconstructing Amelia

I finished Reconstructing Amelia in less than 48 hours.  I actually got up at 7am on a Saturday because I couldn’t wait to pick up where I left off.  I guess that either makes me a nerd or it makes this a really good book.  It’s a fairly easy read and I always love a good mystery.  It's a story about a mother and daughter that only have each other.  They are close and love one another dearly, but they are both hiding things from one another.

Kate is a single mother that is also a dedicated lawyer.  She works hard to provide the best for her daughter, Amelia, but this does sacrifice her time at home with her.  Amelia is smart, pretty, and kind.  She is involved in several school activities, volunteers consistently, and is proving to be a gifted writer.  Overall, she is a good kid.  Which is why Kate is taken aback when Amelia’s school calls her at work and requests that she come and pick Amelia up.  The administrator says that Amelia has been suspended for cheating.  

Kate leaves work and heads for the school, not knowing that what she will find there will be something more  heartbreaking than cheating.  Upon her arrival at Amelia’s school, she discovers that her daughter has jumped off of the roof, killing herself.  

Of course, this leaves Kate in shock and disbelief.  Amelia was happy.  Why would she do such a thing?  A few days after Amelia’s death Kate’s cell phone receives a text from a blocked number that says “Amelia didn’t jump.”

WHAT?!

Kate starts to go through Amelia’s texts, social media accounts, and emails and works to put the puzzle that was Amelia back together.   Slowly she begins to uncover secrets that will lead to the true cause of Amelia's death while Kate must face some of her own secrets too. 

The subject matter is sad and, being a mother, I couldn't help put myself in the story and think "What if this was Shadow?"  I wanted so badly to learn the truth about Amelia's death just like Kate did.  I couldn't sleep not knowing!  

After I finished this book I was sure of two things: 1.) I am so glad I went to high school before Twitter, Facebook, and iPhones.  Not because I had anything to keep secret from my parents, but because they are avenues that teenagers abuse these days to degrade and humiliate their peers. Something that comes up often in the book  2.)  I am so grateful for my Christian upbringing.  I’m NOT saying bad things like this won’t happen to Christians.   But I do think surrounding yourself with family and friends that value building you up  can help anyone overcome demons that try to steal your joy. 

 

20 books in 2015 - Unbroken

I haven't been on here in a long time. I couldn't even remember what my username and password was to get into this blog.  Shameful.  It's not that I haven't had anything to write about, or anything to say.  I've had several moments where I tell myself " hey I should write about that", and I guess I chose to take a bath, or sit on the couch, or eat a cookie instead. 

I could go on and write updates about what has been going on with the Smith's over the past year but I won't.  We are good and blessed. 

On New Year's Day I was reading on the couch with my blanket and my coffee and I decided that I would set a goal to read 20 books this year.  I thought I could get through 2 a month, but with school, and all the TV shows I like to watch, that is hard.  So 20 seemed like a good number.  When I told Jordan what I was going to do, he said "You should blog about that."

YES! I WILL!

So here it is.  Book number one- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand

I have a huge soft spot in my heart for America's history and veterans (past, present, and future.) I'm pretty sure if you took a picture of my DNA-most of it would be red, white, and blue.  I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie.  I usually like to do this with all movies that are based off of books.  I wanted to know this man's story before I saw it through Hollywood's eyes.

I finished it in 3 days and can I just say, wow.  The book is about Louie Zamperini- an Italian-American, and former Olympic athlete, that served during WWII.  His plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean and he was stranded at sea for 47 days.  When he finally reached land he was captured by the Japanese and held prisoner for almost 2 1/2 years and once he was finally safe home, he was tortured by other demons.

The book is page after page of bad luck, dirty POW camps, brutal Japanese officers, death, destruction, blood thirsty sharks, horrible diseases, and I couldn't put it down.  Louie had a survivors spirit that literally could not broken.  But what makes his story truly remarkable is when he realizes that it was God's divine intervention that kept him alive-when he really had all the odds against him.  After all the nightmares about the war, with God's help, Louie was finally able to find peace and use his experience to bring others to know Jesus.

When I closed the book I had a few tears in my eyes.  I was so grateful for his sacrifice and rejoiced with him as he knew he belonged to Christ, just like all of us do.  His story reminded me how selfish and ignorant I, and all of us, can be at times.  In fact, today has been verrrrry cold.  If you know me you know I don't do well with cold.  But one of my first thoughts as I got out of the car was "at least you aren't in a shack away from your family, starving, with only newspaper to cover you like Louie was."