Update as of October 3, 2011:
The Seventeen Second Miracle by Jason F. Wright
Cole Connor has become a patient teacher, and now he has invited three struggling teenagers to visit him on his front porch to learn about Rex Connor--and the Seventeen Second Miracle. Together they will learn how Rex Connor could have allowed seventeen seconds to destroy him, but instead he chose to live every day believing the smallest of acts could change the world for good.
I was disappointed with Jason's last book, "Recovering Charles" but I had loved "Christmas Jars" and "The Wednesday Letters" so much I was quite willing to read this book. I was not let down. Seventeen Seconds...How many of those have I let slip away? Clean read, good story, great moral lesson.
January 2011:
Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck
Kelsey Hayes takes up her college life again in Oregon, after having left India and the Indian prince she loves. She had saved him from a curse making him live in the form of a white tiger, but she had to leave him. Very soon, however, she is drawn back to India and Ren.
A young adult fiction book, easy to read, easy to get attached to so that when you start reading your house doesn't get cleaned, your family goes hungry, and you lose sleep until its done. Yes, I liked this book. It is a little bit Indiana Jones style adventure with some love and might I say, passion. I appreciate that Kelsey is not a ditsy girl and the 3 male characters, Ren, Kishan, and Mr. Kadam are so respectful. To learn more about Colleen and her books go here. Big congratulations to Colleen. She self-published this book to begin with and just last week was #1 on Barnes & Noble topsellers! You can see an interview with Colleen on the B&N website.
Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
The powerful bond between two brothers--one alive and the other killed in a terrible accident--unexpectedly transcends the barriers of life and death, and it is up to one woman to make their world right.
Good entertainment. Glad I read the book before seeing the movie, but both were good. I have a friend who also enjoys reading and when she gets to a part of a book that is not necessarily appropriate, she uses a sharpie to cross it out. I didn't own this book, it came from our great library, but if I owned it, I would have crossed out chapter 25. Some people might say, however, that without chapter 25, there would not have been such a connection, a bond, a reason for Charlie to make the decision that he did.
Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan
After her overprotective grandmother has a stroke, Maya, an orphan, leaves her extremely restricted life in California to stay with her mother's family on a remote Wyoming ranch, where she discovers a love of horses and encounters a wild mare that her mother once rode. Maya learns the importance of honesty, trust, and family.
Juvenile fiction, but so good. I think I'll find more of her books to read.
Diamond Willow by Helen Frost
Juvenile Fiction.
In a remote area of Alaska, twelve-year-old Willow helps her father with their sled dogs when she is not at school, wishing she were more popular, all the while unaware that the animals surrounding her carry the spirits of dead ancestors and friends who care for her.
I love how this book is written. The words in each page look like a diamond shape and Helen Frost has bolded words within the diamond to form another sentence implying Willow's real thoughts and feelings. Clever.
Life Between the Keys: The (Mis)Adventures of The 5 Browns.
Biography. This is simply a collection of stories written by the Brown siblings. Not too enlightening. But when it comes to their piano playing, they are a talented group.
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
With two attorneys for parents, thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone knows more about the law than most lawyers do. But when a high profile murder trial comes to his small town and Theo gets pulled into it, it's up to this amateur attorney to save the day. Thankfully, at 13 he is wise enough to realize he can't fix everything on his own. Looking forward to book 2.
The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph
Juvenile Fiction
Twelve year old Ana Rosa wants to be a writer, but growing up in the Dominican Republic, a country where words are fears, proves a challenge. Ana Rosa is the youngest member of her family but it is clear she is sincerely loved by her older siblings and parents. In return, Ana Rosa is quite intuitive about her family, specifically her older brother Guario. He works hard for the family and Ana Rosa wants to help him as he searches for his future. Ana Rosa realizes the power of her words can transform the world she knows as well as help her comfort her as tragedy surrounds her. Quick read-I read it while walking on the treadmill, but thoroughly enjoyed it. My heart ached for Ana Rosa and her mother, Mami, as I read. This was a recommendation from my 5th grader. I'm looking forward to having a book talk with him when he gets home from school today.
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
Rick Dockery, a NFL player, lets his hopes of playing in a Super Bowl slip away when he leads his team to a terrible loss. His career in the NFL is over until his agent gets him a spot on a team in Parma, Italy. I didn't ever get so attached to this book that I couldn't put it down, but I did eventually finish it. I found this book to be a bit wordy and kept wondering where Grisham was headed. His descriptions of Parma, Italy as well as the food gave me a desire to visit the region and find some good pasta.
Books I hope to read:
The Help - I recommended this to my sister and she finished it before I've had a chance to even pick it up!
Fisher of Men series
The Diamond of Darkhold: book 4 in the Book of Ember series
A good classic- maybe some Jane Austen.
1 comment:
How can I find these books without spending a fortune? They are what I love to read.
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