everydayxangels

Uh-oh! I am reading Deep End Of the Ocean now, and I am enjoying it. I'm about 150 pages in. May I ask what was bad about it, that it was given a 3?

you are going to live My Sister's Keeper. It was absolutely wonderful. Everything that Jodi does is controversial and wonderful.

I can only think of 4 that I would be hell bent against recommending. 4. On Beauty by Zadie Smith 3. A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve 2. A Virgin Earth by Phillipa Gregory 1. The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards

I am usually not one for YA lit, but the owner at the bookstore that I work at said that, Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson was absolutely wonderful. I had read Speak by her 2 years ago and was IN LOVE. And the owner was right, it was wonderful. I read it 2 sittings in one day, and it was just so great. I loved it. I was fumbling around, after that, with The Memory Keepers' Daughter and, I opened it up, and the first few pages turned me off immediately. Just the boringness too it was more than enough to want me to put it down. Not to mention the unoriginal opener. Now, I know that some people said that they really liked this book, and it sounded like something I would like too, however I won't be reading it. So, then I picked up an ARC, Black and White, which was infact, just released today. And I am telling you, do not waste your money. I LOVED the plot. It was good, fresh and original. And had family dysfunction - which I'm in love with. It is about a 30-something, Clara, with a husband and a 9 year old daughter in a remote town in Maine. She recieves a phone call from her sister, Robin, which she speaks to all to infrequently, about her mother who is dying of cancer, which is in it's final stages. She has not spoken or seen her mother in over 16 years, but decides to head to New York to make her last days, peaceful ones. Her mother, Ruth, was a famous photographer, and still is - but she reached such fame is known most for her pictures of Clara - nude ones - at such young ages. And it has scarred Clara beyond belief, and stolen her innocence of childhood. She of course resents her mother for mentally damaging her so, and Robin uncovers the resentment for Clara, because Clara was the center of attention to their mother Ruth - who was not the maternal type. That sounds like a wonderful book to me! However, the dialog complete trashes the book. the most dominant thoughts that I had while reading the book was, "Nobody talks like that!" It is just so horrible, that it made me not even like the book. I thought the plot was original, and if crafted by a better author, would have been a wonderful book. Though, I am left disappointed. Anyway, I then tried to read another favorite book by the owner of the store, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner... and I am just not liking it. The characters are spoken of so briefly, though so many names, that I don't even know who is who. I am only on the 12th page, so hopefully the mess of names unravels itself and will make sense, but has anyone read it that is willing to reassure me to keep on moving?

arc means Advanced Readers Copy. Publishers will give them to book stores to read, approximately 4 months before the book is released for sale.

I finished The Freedom Writer's Diary and oh my goodness was this book startling. The movie was fairly large in the states, and I have no idea if it made it to theaters in other countries, but it was amazing. and i generally cannot read a book after seeing the movie, however I made an exception for this one. The movie only told the first two years of the these kids highschool career. The stories that are in that book are heartbreaking, inspiring, humbling and eye-opening. We all know that there are gangs and useless violence in the more less fortunate areas of urban areas, but this really showed how these 150 students changed themselves, as they were once of the gang members, the drug-dealers and users, etc into something so positive. I felt at ease when I read that book. I don't just mean thankful that I don't have to deal with worrying about getting jumped, getting caught in gang crossfire, or worry about race, which I am thankful that I don't. But it was just so heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. These kids were the "troubled" kids, and they rose to be such great people and do such great things.

I finished Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, and loved it: Opens up with a thirty-something woman who has been married for a short period of time and is very unhappy. Feeling very pressured to be a housewife, and become a mother, she finds herself alone, in a heap crying on her bathroom floor. With tears streaming down her face, and her head against the cold floor, she has a conversation with god. God tells her to calm down, go back to bed, and deal with it in the morning, which she does. But Gods voice is her own. She wakes up and is being set off to Indonesia for her job, which there she meets with an old fortune teller who, of course, tells her her future. She will loose a lot of money, but gain it back very quickly, among other things. He then invites her to stay with him in a few years, once she is happy. She goes back home, still feeling like a mess and once again talks to God, and once again, God is her own voice. She divorces her husband, and he slams her with out of the question demands. She deals with that, and then jets of to Italy. She repairs herself during these 4 months, eating pasta, learning Italian with two divinely gorgeous Italian twins, and writing this book. After the four months of repair, she sets off to a remote Ashram in India. She stays at a monastery-typed sanctuary where she prays, practices yoga and meditates and disciplines herself to be more connected with God. at the beginning she rises at 4 in the morning, prays, meditates, and then washes the floor of the prayer room. She rises to become the hostess and counselor for a group of people who will come in for a little while to prayer. She becomes their only alliance in such a confusing place. She then leaves after her four months are up, and ventures to Indonesia. She stays at a hotel and is competely lost, and feels cheated because she is staying in the touristy district. She asks a young man at the concierge about the fortune teller from once upon a time. And of course, right away, the young man knows of him, and takes her to him. She meets with the fortune teller again, and he doesn't remember her. After a few minites of trying to refresh his memory, he goes temporarily crazy with joy, "oh you! oh you! I remember you!" And then he tells her that she looks so different. So sad before, and now she looks so happy. Bottom line, Eat, Pray, Loveis such a wonderful and insightful memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this one.

I absolutely adored The Secret Life of Bee's. I didn't read it that long ago, but it was absolutely wonderful. Already one of my favorites of the year. As for White Teeth, i haven't read this one yet, though I did try On Beauty and was bored thoroughly. I definitely hope that White Teeth is better. So, do let us know how you liked it! happy reading

I finished Life's Golden Ticket by Brandon Burchard. I read it surprisingly fast. It's an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) that is due out in May, and is inspirational ARC at that. I'm still undecided of how I feel about it. It kind of droned on. VERY comparable to Mitch Albom's book, The Five People you Meet in Heaven. The only difference that I see is that there is a plot in this one, or more of a plot than in TFPYMIH. I feel kind of iffy about this one. Anywho, I am starting another ARC, seeing as to how the pile only gets bigger, and I never really get around to any. This one is called The Kommandants Girl by Pam Jenoff. I hope this one is good. Seeing as to how it is infact on of the BOOKSENSE PICKS.

So I finished The Glass Castle and I really enjoyed myself it was incredibly sad and depressing. and just as incredibly wonderful. Though there were some things that I didn't understand. Like the first memory she shared, with the hot dogs and her skin burning, how did she remember that at the age of 3? Usually when something traumatic happens like that, and especially at that age, you usually do not remember it.

I'm halfway through The Glass Castle and I find it to be heartbreaking. through all of this, Jeanette, her siblings, and her mother still are thoroughly loyal to the mastermind behind this irresponsibility of parenthood - the father. He drags them all the way around the country, tells a various assortment of lies, is a raging alcoholic, and with this addiction, has at times run his family into debt. Which he runs from. Can't hold a job for more than three months, sucks the family of money then sucks down bottles of beer. He is just so irresponsible, and it makes me so sick, they are so loyal. Has anyone read this one?

wow, that is quite a list. I see mostly classics, which can be discouraging. happy reading

I finished Keeping Faith and it was absolutely wonderful!! i felt a bit disappointed with the ending. I kept anticipating her healing more and more and people finally believing it. thought the last page was mysterious as to who she was talking to - her mother, or God. Overall, 4/5 Up next: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I asked another forum, between the choices of The Glass Castle, The Memory Keepers Daughter or Eat, Pray, Love it was unanimous that The Glass Castle was the way to go. I hope not to be disappointed.

Holy Cow! You read at an amazingly fast speed. I'm only on my 7th book of the year, and I was feeling proud happy reading!

I got an ARC to The Mathematics of Love and the synopsis on the back made the book seem wonderful, and I started to read it, and it was just DULL. the synopsis was incredibly twisted, exaggerated and embellished from what I was reading. Though I do hope that you found something that I didn't. Happy reading

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult: haven't read this one by her. I'm on my third novel by Jodi, which is something I normally don't do - read more than two books by the same author. I read My Sisters Keeper by her, and loved it! read Nineteen Minutes and also loved that, which is coming in March/April, I forget. it had the same twist at the end in the way My Sisters Keeper did. I'm now reading Keeping Faith which is absolutely phenominal so far! I saw the Lifetime movie of Plain Truth which sets me off to reading the novel. I, for some reason, cannot read a book after seeing the movie. and it was a good movie, though wouldn't interest me in reading it. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is wonderful! a slim read, not even 150 pages I believe, but could definitely cram quite a few life lessons and theories and really make you think, in such a few pages. There really is no plot, as there normally isn't in Alboms books, but still definitely wonderful.

I have just started Keeping Faith after switching around 3 books, and I got comfy with this one I'm not very far in, like 50 pages, and it is already so good. Jodi definitely knows how to pick controversial and hot-issue topics for her books. has anyone else read this one?

I'm half way through it, and it is AMAZING so far. I'm really looking forward to finish it, but I doubt I'll have time since my Bears are going to the Super Bowl tonight

Oh Heavens. went to the library and came home with 7 more titles: Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard Undressing the Moon by T. Greenwood The Reader by Bernhard Schlink You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward The Covenent by Naomi Ragen anyone read any of them? if you have, could you please let me know if you liked it or not.

I finished it! I finished it! I finised Nineteen Minutes and it was WONDERFUL!!!!!! definitely had the same shocker at the end in the same way that My Sister's Keeper did! I enjoyed this book like no other.

Well I hope all of you let us know if you enjoyed it! it should be pretty interesting to see who liked it and who did not.

my bookmark, I use a notecard. I have pretty assorted colors of ROYGB and pick a color that matches the cover of the book the most. I put the title and who its by on the top line, date started on the next, and the page i end on every night. then on the bottom, date finished. Once I have a book completed, I file the notecard alphabetically by title i'm a geek. i am aware of this.

I dropped Never Let Me Go after the 50th page. I knew I wouldn't be finishing it, but I still wanted to know what the deal was with the book. The whole idea of the book is a WONDERFUL idea, but there is no plot. it was INCREDIBLY painfully slow. So I resumed Nineteen Minutes and it is WONDERFUL

I know people have had a difficult time getting into The Historian. Though I have heard, if you stick it out, that it's an enjoyable read.

I'm glad you liked Lucky so much! it truly was a good read, even though horribly pressing. The Memory Keepers Daughter is on my list. I'm far from reading it. Maybe after my 8 library books, and then some pre-pubs. Anywho, it's far off.