My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The second book in the Inkspell trilogy is just as exciting as the first, if not more so. This time most of the novel takes place in the Ink World. While the first story had a complete ending, this one leaves the reader hanging and I can’t wait to start the third in the series.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Interesting perspective from a Pakistani living in the United States during 9/11. The ending is very abrupt and leaves the reader hanging a bit. By the end of the novel, I was not as sympathetic toward the main character as I was in the beginning.
The fourth book in my 100 Book Challenge is The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman and Peter Sis.
Summary: The Brat, as he is called, is the Prince in the castle. Whenever he breaks a rule, his punishment is to watch another young boy, Jemmy, to take a whipping for him. Prince Brat decides to run away one day and Jemmy follows. What ensues is adventure and smart thinking by Jemmy and Prince Brat learning to appreciate the help of others.
My Thoughts: This book was written for ages 9 through 12 and is only 112 pages long. The story was invented and there is a good lesson to learn.
The third book in my 100 Book Challenge is Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham.
Summary: This is the story of Nathaniel Bowditch (b. 1773). Nathaniel attending school until he was 10 years old and then entered into an indentured contract. At nights, he would study mathematics, Latin, French, surveying and navigation. He sailed to the East Indies five times and improved navigational methods. He wrote a book on navigation that is still used today. Even though he never attended any formal training after 10, he was awarded and LL.D. from Harvard.
My Thoughts: This book was written for ages 9 through 12 and was fairly easy to read. The information on navigation and sailing was interesting as was the story of Nathanial Bowditch. This book would be great for boys interested in sailing.
The first book in my 100 Book Challenge is Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. My 9 year old daughter received this book for Christmas, so I thought I should read it and see what it was all about.
Summary: The book, which is based on Kinney’s Web Comic, is written in diary format by Middle School student Greg Heffley. The diary is a whole year’s worth of antics by Greg and his friend Rowley.
My Thoughts: While reading the book I would sometimes laugh out loud and most of the situations were hilarious. However, when Greg turns on his friend Rowley in the end and decides not to take the blame for his own behavior, I was a little disappointed. Of course, teenage boys may act in this manner, but I was hoping for some sort of moral victory. Although, I will still let my daughter read the book, I think a discussion of some of the actions are warranted.
It seems my daughter can think of nothing by the new Twilight movie coming out. She is currently reading the third book in the series by Stephanie Myers. The books are very interesting, the last book (number four) being the best in the series. Here is the trailer. We can’t wait until November 21st!
I picked up a new book at Target today, Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! The book has tons of color pictures showing food items that are healthier at many fast food restaurants. For instance, at McDonald’s choose the Quarter Pounder without Cheese instead of the Premium Grilled Chicken Club sandwich. This will save you 160 calories, 3 g of fat and almost 1,000 mg of sodium! Other healthier choices for each restaurant is given as well.
Also included are more general sections included Easter candy, Halloween candy, cereals, vending machine food, coffee drinks, ice cream and a lot more! You also get tips on eating healthier. Sure beats taking a diet pill everyday!
This is a great book to leave in your car when you are on the run and need a bite to eat but want to make a good nutritional choice.
The Persian Pickle Club
Author: Sandra Dallas
Synopsis:
The Persian Pickle Club takes place in the 1930s in Kansas. The Dust Bowl is in full swing and residents are finding it hard to make ends meet. A number of ladies in the town belong to a quilting club, called the Persian Pickle Club named after a piece of fabric (paisley). Each of these ladies have different personalities but are brought together by quilting. The story is told by Queenie Bean, a 24-year-old married women who lost her first baby to miscarriage. One of the previous residents comes back to the town and brings his new young wife, Rita, with him. Rita is invited to the Persian Pickle Club and Queenie and Rita become friends. The story then takes a surprising turn and requires all the members of the club to stick together.
What did I think?
The book was a really fast read and I throughly enjoyed the story. Each of the ladies in the club were interesting and the author did a great job of describing what it might have been like to live in Kansas in the 1930s. The end was very surprising and leaves you thinking. I highly recommend it!
The Secret Life of Bees was the choice for my book club last month. I hear that it is going to be made into a movie!
The Secret Life of Bees
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Synopsis:
Lily Owens is 14 years old and treated pretty badly by her father. Her mother died when she was only two years old and Lily still remembers some of the incident. The book is set in the 1960s in Georgia where they civil rights movement is starting to gain hold. After an incident in town with her nanny, a black woman named Rosaleen, Lily and Rosaleen head to Tiburon, South Carolina, a city that Lily believes her mother visited.
In Tiburon, Lily meets August and her sisters. They are bee keepers. Here Lily learns the truth about her mother and must come to grips the her fantasy about her was not like the reality.
What did I think?
I loved this book for many reasons, one of them being that we use to keep bees when I was younger and this story was filled with bee keeping references. The book was well written and made me think of times when I wished for a different reality. Lily doesn’t understand the conflict between blacks and whites, but she is not sure entirely how to handle it. She just wants to know what happened to her mother. The characters were well thought out and developed. The story has a bit of a mystery to it and will keep you reading until the very end.
As the mess as unfolded in Texas with the FLDS Polygamy Sect (I often wonder if they use electricity or just candles), I was reminded of a book I read not too long ago about polygamy.
Daughter of the Saints: Growing Up In Polygamy
Author: Dorothy Allred Solomon
Synopsis:
This book is written by a woman who grew up in a polygamous household. This story is NOT about the FLDS group in Texas but a different polygamous sect. Solomon starts off by giving a brief history of her ancestors involvement in polygamy. The book can get a bit confusing at times since she does go from the past to the present and back again. Her insights and feelings about her life are very interesting and you do not end up hating her father. She did not write this book to take revenge (she does not practice polygamy), but wants the reader to understand why she could not embrace this lifestyle.
What did I think?
We often think that the women who are in polygamous households are stupid or oppressed and the men are all sex addicts. This book was an interesting look at a lifestyle that most people can not comprehend. I am not inferring that I think polygamy is a good practice, but I feel for the women who truly believe that this is what God wants them to do. Because the women and children in Texas are kept away from society, they are not able to make clear choices. Dorothy Solomon and her family actually lived and worked in a regular society. Thus a number of them left the polygamous lifestyle. However, there were some, that still believed that this was the right practice for them. This book is well worth the reading.
