Books Read Feb. 2011

1. "Be Mine" Laura Kasischke
Excellent read. Picked this up a few years ago at the community college bookstore sale hardback table. It was near Valentine's Day and I thought it would be fun to read a themed book as this one starts on that date. It has sat on my shelf for three years but was definitely a good buy. Intriguing story line involving a marital affair, some mystery, family drama and very good descriptive writing. I hope to find the other books this author wrote because her style is amazingly detailed. I was totally absorbed in her words and descriptions.

2. "Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?" Jerry Spinelli
Sibling rivalry described within these pages for middle school readers.

3. "The Berenstain Bears and the Galloping Ghost" Stan & Jan Berenstain
Mystery involving horse stables and ruthless developers trying to obtain the property.

4. "Dune Road" Jane Green
Really liked this book about divorce and new beginnings. Many insights about starting over and single parenting.

5. "Ghost In My Soup" Judi Miller
Middle-school-age read about a boy who moves and has to adjust to a new house, community, school, etc. A ghost in the new house helps him.

Books Read Jan. 2011

1. "To Have and to Hold" Jane Green
Chick Lit at its best. About an unfaithful husband and his marriage from the wife's perspective. Pure enjoyment reading.

2. "Bergdorf Blondes" Plum Sykes
Another fun chick lit read. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I have trouble remembering the details except vaguely that the plot involves young rich women husband husband hunting (I think).

3. "The Other Woman" Jane Green
Enjoyable read but also with some good substance about how acceptance and commitment is so needed in a marriage today.

Recent Reads

"Crewel Yule" Monica Ferris

This is the 8th book in the mystery series about the owner of a needlecraft and knitting store set in the real town of Excelsior, MN. I read it around the holidays because it was set in mid-December. In fact, I had started to read it in summer and put it aside to read until later and I was in a holiday mood. These types of books are quick and enjoyable reads. I love anything involving knitting and crafting and need to get the next book in the installment - I'll keep checking for it at the used book store.

"How to Be Lost" Amanda Eyre Ward

Great, intriguing mystery written in a very unique way. Some of the chapters are devoted to different characters and some are interwoven with the past and present. Plot is about a five-year-old child who disappears and her remaining family 15-years later. A very good read.

"Second Chance" Jane Green

I have rediscovered this author and find that I just love her. She taps into the emotional core of women, and definitely gets the struggles of single moms, parenting, grief and loss. I have decided to read all of her books that I have not yet read. This one is about four old school mates who reconnect 20 years later when one of the group is killed in a terrorist attack. They end up having to reexamine their lives and the choices they've made. I think I will add this book to the shelf where I put my grief books (fiction and non-fiction) because I found Green did an excellent job of portraying grief and its effect on friends, family members, relationships, etc .

Books Read 2009

Books Read 2009

· 27. "Hooked on Murder" Betty Hechtman (Summer/09) First in a series - a crochet mystery. I love reading any book involving crafts but this was hard to follow. I couldn't keep track of the characters. After some weeks I don't even remember in the end who done it!

· 26. "Every Secret Thing" Laura Lipman (Summer/09) Good suspense, mystery. Two 11- year- old girls are accused of the accidental death of a baby. The story picks up when they are released from juvenile detention at age 18 and another infant is kidnapped.

· 25. "Does She or Doesn't She?" Alisa Kwitney (Summer/09) Cute, fast read but don't remember much of plot. Written in the style of Jennifer Weiner. Young mom uncovers plot that husband is being investigated by FBI for some international business scandal. Falls in love with the FBI agent.

· 24. "How to Knit a Wild Bikini" CHristie Ridgway (6/09) Summer read. A little bit of a silly, far-fetched plot - too much unrealistic romance/sex but I'll read any current novel that involves knitting to some extent. (Cute chef becomes personal chef to rich, playboy type guy - they fall in love but can't admit they really love each other so pretend she is gay (stupid idea) but eventually all is right with the world.

· 23. "Trading Up" Candace Bushnell (5/09) Great, fun read by the author of "Sex and the City." This novel is set in the year 2000 and follows the life of a Victoria's Secret model. Altough the cast of characters are wealty and shallow, I found myself rooting for them and engrossed in their dramas.

· 22. "Possible Side Effects" Augusten Burroughs (5/09) I needed to be cheered up and these essays about life/living by the "Running With Scissors" author made me smile and laugh outloud!

· 21. "Here If You Need Me" Kate Braestrup (5/09) Memoir of a woman who becomes a minister (actually her deceased husband's dream) after he is killed in a car accident on the job as a Maine state trooper. Lots of good insight and truth regarding grief, healing, hope, moving on in another direction and living fully .

· 20. "I Used to Miss Him but my Aim is Improving" Alison James (4/09) Very funny/cute breakup survival guide. Lots of down-to-earth ideas about rebuilding your life after loss.

· 19. "Obedience" Will Lavender (4/09) A "Bookmarked" selection from Target. Intriguing thriller about a college class in Logic & Reasoning, in which the professor gives the students clues to stop a future murder, which some begin to believe may really happen.

· 18. "Postcards from the Edge" Carrie Fisher (4/09) Had this paperback on my shelf for years and am so glad I finally read it. Very funny & enjoyable - as it was published in 1987 it is now kind of a retro look at Hollywood. I never saw the movie either so maybe I should (it starred Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine).

· 17. "Mad River Road" Joy Fielding (4/09) I love this author for her suspenseful mysteries. Again, picked this up from the sale pile at a drugstore, no less. Intriguing plot about a crazy guy just released from prison, the woman he cons and the two young single mothers living in Dayton, Ohio. Of course, all the characters connect together. Good escape read.

· 16. "Come Closer" Sara Gran (4/09) I picked this up from the bookstore's dollar table. A short, interesting read about a woman's descent into mental illness or is it reallly evil possession?

· 15. "The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes" Diane Chamberlain (3/09) This was a great escape read that I couldn't put down. I'd never heard of this author but it was bookmarked at Target so I gave it a go. A riveting story line about a woman hiding a horrific past after committing a crime and going on to create a new identity/life. The crux of the story is what happens when her past catches up to her because it of course affects the people in her life both past and present.

· 14. "The House on Hope Street" Danielle Steel (3/09) I am not enough of a book snob to hide the fact that I love to read a Danielle Steel now and again. I will be guaranteed tears and resolution by the final page. Somehow it doesn't bother me that the characters in her books find true love with the first guy they meet. Maybe I want to believe in that fantasy too. This book was about the violent death of a woman's husband and the first year following it. And yes, she finds love AND marriage again.

· 13. ""The Copper Beech" Maeve Binchy (3/09) Had to read something by Maeve in honor of St. Patrick's Day. All books by Maeve are good (I love her name). This was written in an interesting format where each chapter was specifically about a certain character in a small Irish town set primarily in the 1950-1970 time period

· 12. ""Here's The Story - Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice" Maureen McCormick (3/09) Very interesting and uplifting book. Well-written and was hard for me to put down. I'm a huge Brady Bunch fan. Maureen deseves to be commended for having the courage to relate the life-long adversity she faced in such an open and honest manner. A great inspirational read.

· 11. ""How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed - A Memoir of Starting Over" Theo Pauline Nestor (3/09) Loved this book! We need more like it. The author used humor and candor in describing the first year of her divorce. Her descriptions of a horrible day-long job interview for some big corporation are worth the $13.00 price of the book alone!

· 10. "Now You See It" Allison Lynn (2/09) A young wife disappears without a trace and how her husband and family cope and strive for resolution. It does not escape me that the books I choose or choose me all deal with some kind of loss. I know that I am still searching for ways to come to terms with my losses. What I am really hoping to find in these books is proof that life will go on and happiness can be attained in the future. .

· 9. "Big City Eyes" Delia Ephron (2/09) Revolving around the mystery death of a young woman, the main character, Lily, grapples with her guilt over her divorce, life as a single parent of a teenage son, and the sacrifice she makes after falling in love with a married dad of three. Great little read!

· 8. "Comfort - A Journey Through Grief" Ann Hood (2/09) Everyone should read this book's Prologue which describes the platitudes and words of well-intentioned comfort given to grieving survivors. This author calls these words "lies." Those dealing with loss in their lives will totally get Ms. Hood's accurate portrayal of just how empty these words are. She is also the author of "The Knitting Circle." For a long while I was too afraid to read this amazing author because I felt the grief she had suffered was so much more than mine (the death of her five year old daughter, Grace to a strep infection). But I came to believe that she could teach me something and she has. She also has an excellent blog under her name.

· 7. "Storms Can't Hurt the Sky - A Buddhist Path Through Divorce" Gabriel Cohen (2/09) This is a great guide for any type of loss in addition to divorce. Reading it helped put me in a calm and less hostile attitude for my divorce mediation. The author offers very good insight and advice on the difficult topics of anger and forgiveness. The chapters are short (good when you are grieving because you feel you accomplished something by getting a chapter read) and he uses a great deal of humor which helps when we're down (we forget about the power of humor).

· 6. "Become Your Own Matchmaker - 8 Easy Steps for Attracting Your Perfect Mate" Patti Stanger (2/09) I read this book for its advice on getting over men who dump you and for some insight into how men feel and what they want in relationships. But I really liked the beginning of the book which describes a plan for getting over a breakup and focusing on healing/becoming happier.

· 5. "Come and Get Me" Alyssa Brooks (1/09) A "Chick Lit" read I picked up at the $1.00 sale table of my bookstore. But I found the topic silly and it made me angry. A young woman gets cold feet before she marries her lawyer fiance. She takes off for a jaunt around the world demanding that he chase her. Along the way there are various sexual escapades. I just wanted to shake this girl silly and tell her to be grateful she had a man willing to marry her. And to forget the three and foursomes. Those of us on our own would be totally satisfied with a "onesome!"

· 4. "Lost in the Forest" Sue Miller (1/09) Beautifully written examination of family life after the death of a husband/father.

· 3. "A Three Dog Life" Abigal Thomas (1/09) Everyone should read this gem of a book , a memoir of the five years following the writer's life altering expereience when her husband is hit by a car and severely disabled (brain injury).

· 2. "I Know Why We're Here" Mia Dolan (1/09) A British psychic's autobiography.

· 1. "Open Doors" Gloria Goldreich (1/14) About a newly widowed mother of four adult children and her changing relationships with them.

Regretful Decisions

Just finished "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," by Kim Edwards. An intriguing book that was quite popular a few years back. The plot of the story involves a doctor in 1964 who in a fluke snowstorm has to deliver his wife's first baby. But the wife ends up having unexpected twins, one of whom has Down Syndrome. The doctor makes the decision to spare his wife from the grief involved in raising the infant girl and "gives" her away. The wife thinks she only gave birth to the healthy son. The details of the lives of the separated twins is outlined in the book.

Keeping Track of Books

Had to create a blog to keep track of my reading. I don't like it being a part of my other main blog. This is mainly for me because I like to maintain a list of what I read. Today I finished "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood which I thoroughly enjoyed. I picked up the book at a big used book sale last fall. I have read the 20 or so books I picked up at the sale and am anxiously looking forward for this year's. This book allowed me to escape to another city and country, Toronto, Canada and a different era, the 1940s-1980s.

The story is supposed to be somewhat autobiographical. I liked the tale because it dealt with families, relationships, interactions and the large and small aspects of life that make up our personal histories. A majority focus of the book involves the main character's difficulties with her group of junior high age girl friends. Having experienced this same sort of stuff when I was that age, which was awful, I was able to totally relate.

Now I have to figure out what I'll read next. I'm running out of titles on my bookshelf. But every night I read before bed so will have to pull something off the shelf.