What Are You Reading? / Book Giveaway - Last Day

It's Monday!! What are you reading? J. Kaye hosts this weekly meme, so join in if you'd like.

I've actually read quite a bit considering I had Thanksgiving dinner for 12 and found out that my 15-year-old has two broken bones in his back two days after making the basketball team.











Here's the scoop...

Last Week:






I haven't done reviews on those two yet, but here are reviews on two other books I read last week. I loved The Education of Little Tree. What a great, meaningful book about a little Indian boy raised by his grandfather, who teaches him the ways of the world. I love books that make you think and that stay with you long after you finish them. Don't you?! Mmm, mmmmm.

A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

This Week:

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose (about the Lewis and Clark expedition)

and either Jane Eyre or A Girl Named Zippy

Be sure to enter my book giveaway! Today is the last day to win one of four books - The Weight of Silence, Three Cups of Tea, 1776 or The Monster of Florence. Click HERE to enter. It's easy, too, all you have to do is comment with your book choice and email address, and become a Follower. That's it :)

Happy reading, everyone!

A Wolf at the Table

by Augusten Burroughs

My Synopsis

I was hooked on this new-to-me author after reading Running with Scissors. That memoir described his screwed up life and specifically his relationship with his mother, whereas The Wolf at the Table focused on Burroughs' relationship with his father.

My Thoughts

Although I didn't love this book quite as much as Running with Scissors, it was still fascinating, gripping and sad. Burroughs' childhood was dysfunctional to say the least. In my Running with Scissors review I mentioned that his upbringing was almost unbelievable, but apparently it really was as awful as he described.

In this book he tells how he often dreamt of killing his father. If you read the book, you'll understand why. Just a tiny glimpse: His father would not touch him. Ever. If the author tried to hold his father's hand or sit in his lap, he pushed him away. He never felt his father's loving gaze upon him or loving arms around him. Burroughs finally resorted to stealing a pair of his father's pants, shirt and belt, and stuffing them with pillows. He then sprayed the "body" with cologne and snuggled with it, pretending it was his father because he was so starved of affection. Also - and I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading this book - but his father did unspeakable things to the family pets.

I found it interesting that in this memoir he describes his mother as sort of his protector and "normal" parent when according to Running with Scissors she was anything but.

It's sad enough when a child is raised by one parent with a mental illness, but when both are afflicted, it most certainly is a tragedy.

For more info on this author go to http://augusten.com

My Rating

4/5

The Sun Also Rises

by Ernest Hemingway

My synopsis

A group of English and American expatriates living in France decide to take a trip to Pamplona, Spain to watch the running of the bulls and attend a bullfight. The story is told by the main character, Jake.

My thoughts

This is the first novel of Hemingway's that I've read. This is also the first novel he wrote (after writing several short stories). I enjoyed the detail of the bullfighting - the matadors, the bulls, the event itself - but the storyline and the relationships between the characters was muddied and awkward. I also was annoyed by the constant reference to alcohol. Jake was drinking, drunk, or hungover the entire story. I learned several new terms for drunkenness including "blind," "blind as a tick," and "tight." "The bed went sailing off" means "the bed was spinning." I know Hemingway was a drinker, and because of the peculiar storyline, writing style and continual mention of alcohol, my inclination is that he wrote this book while "blind as a tick." Normally I wouldn't have finished this book, but I felt I had to since it's considered a classic.

I'd like to read some of his other work, such as Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea to get a better feel of his writing style because this really didn't do it for me.

My Rating

2/5

The Sun Also Rises

by Ernest Hemingway

My synopsis

A group of English and American expatriates living in France decide to take a trip to Pamplona, Spain to watch the running of the bulls and attend a bullfight. The story is told by the main character, Jake.

My thoughts

This is the first novel of Hemingway's that I've read. This is also the first novel he wrote (after writing several short stories). I enjoyed the detail of the bullfighting - the matadors, the bulls, the event itself - but the storyline and the relationships between the characters was muddied and awkward. I also was annoyed by the constant reference to alcohol. Jake was drinking, drunk, or hungover the entire story. I learned several new terms for drunkenness including "blind," "blind as a tick," and "tight." "The bed went sailing off" means "the bed was spinning." I know Hemingway was a drinker, and because of the peculiar storyline, writing style and continual mention of alcohol, my inclination is that he wrote this book while "blind as a tick." Normally I wouldn't have finished this book, but I felt I had to since it's considered a classic.

I'd like to read some of his other work, such as Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea to get a better feel of his writing style because this really didn't do it for me.

My Rating

2/5

Book Giveaway - Correction

Oops, someone pointed out that I mentioned I'm giving away The Weight of Silence in the title of my blog but not at the bottom of the post.

That IS one of the books in the giveaway. Sorry about that! Some of you have already named that book as the one you'd like to win, so I guess you figured it out (or didn't even notice my error).

The Weight of Silence

1776

The Monster of Florence

Three Cups of Tea

(Thanks West of Mars, for pointing that out)

To enter giveaway, please see yesterday's post.

Book Giveaway - Three Cups of Tea, The Monster of Florence, 1776, The Weight of Silence

I'm feelin' the Thanksgiving spirit; plus my bookshelves are exploding and I need to make room for all the books my family will be getting me for Christmas (hint, hint).

Right now I'm giving away:

Three Cups of Tea ~ Greg Mortenson

The Monster of Florence ~ Douglas Preston

1776 ~ David McCullough

The Weight of Silence ~ Heather Gudenkauf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coming up soon I'll be giving away:

A Summer Affair ~ Elin Hilderbrand

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle ~ David Wroblewski

Life of Pi ~ Yann Martel

Middlesex ~ Jeffrey Eugenides

She's Come Undone ~ Wally Lamb

Benny & Shrimp ~ Katarina Mazetti

~~~~~~~~~~~

All you have to do is:

1) Become a Follower (it's easy to sign up for a Google account).

2) Leave a comment telling me:

a) your email address
b) which book you'd like to win (only one, sorry)
c) whether you have just become a Follower or were already a Follower

If you write in your comment that you are a Follower and then forget to do so (I've done that myself, so I know it happens!), you will not be entered for the drawing.

That's it!

Sorry, this giveaway is only for the US and Canada. I know, I know...

Remember, this giveaway is only for Three Cups of Tea, The Monsters of Florence, and 1776.

I will pick winners on December 2nd and contact them via email.

Good luck, everyone!

Firefly Lane

by Kristin Hannah

My synopsis:

Two teenage girls with completely different childhoods and personalities end up as neighbors and unlikely friends. The story follows their friendship from the teenage years into adulthood, and through life, love, death and everything in between.  As women, their lives take contrasting paths, but they remain friends (mostly) through good times and bad.

My thoughts:

Great book if you're looking for something not too serious and a little on the "fluffy" side. Very easy to read and the author did a wonderful job of describing and building up the characters' personalities, which were believable and convincing, as was their relationship.  I especially enjoyed the setting, which spanned the 70s to 90s.  The author brought back memories that I hadn't remembered, such as macrame bathing suits, troll dolls, elephant bell bottoms and even Alpha Bits cereal (do they still have those?).  Also interspersed throughout the story were songs such as Day Dream Believer, Billy Don't Be a Hero and Abba's Dancing Queen.  Beautiful story of friendship, and what fun to be taken back in time.

Thanks, Lynette, for recommending this. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rating:

4/5

What Are You Reading?

J Kaye hosts this weekly meme. Go to J Kaye's blog to join in.
I've had a really slow reading week because of all the sporting events going on and just life in general, so this will be short.

Last week:
Homer's Odyssey ~ Gwen Cooper
A Big Little Life ~ Dean Koontz
Firefly Lane ~ Kristin Hannah (not yet reviewed)

Currently reading:
The Sun Also Rises ~ Ernest Hemingway

This week:
The Wolf at the Table ~ Augusten Burroughs

What are you reading?  Can't wait to see everyone's lists!

Booking Through Thursday

Today's Booking Through Thursday weekly meme asks the following question:

“Life is too short to read bad books.” I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.

That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading.

Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?

Great question. Lately I've had a few books I had to stop. And let me tell you, I give them plenty of time. I read 114 pages of Olive Kitteridge before I finally put it down. I tried to like her, but she was so unlikeable I couldn't stand her. I read 145 pages of Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates before I gave up on it. I really, really want the books I read to be good, gosh darn it! But life is too short to read bad books. I agree. Wholeheartedly.

Some people have the 50-page rule before stopping a book. I give it at least 100. I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and couldn't get into it. But I kept reading. On page 71 it finally got good. I was happy I was patient because it was so worth it!

What about you?

A Big Little Life

By Dean Koontz

I've never read any of Koontz's other books. I think he mostly writes mysteries. This book is about his golden retriever named Trixie. Guess where he got her from?! CCI! If you've read my blog you've seen the pictures of my dad and his wife's new dog Emma (formerly known as Marla). Emma was given to them by CCI (Canine Companions for Independence) because he and Trudy do fundraisers and other volunteer work for them. How surprised I was then to see how much A Big Little Life focuses on the CCI program. What a coincidence! Dean Koontz and his wife Gerda did a lot of work with CCI as well, and like my dad and Trudy, they were given a dog who was released because of an injury while actually working as a support dog.

Some of the animal books I read I think people would like even if they are not animal lovers, but this guy, Koontz, is over the top and only dog people, like myself, could probably relate. If you know what Frosty Paws are, this book is for you (it's an ice cream treat for dogs that is sold at the grocery store, and my dogs love it). If you think a dog can understand a word like "nachos," this book is for you. If you are certain that dogs possess souls, this book is for you. If you think dogs can tell what time of day it is and what is expected to happen at certain times of the day, this book is for you. If you've ever loved a dog so much you sobbed when it was sick or passed away, this book is for you.

Dean Koontz doesn't know it, but he and his wife are my new best friends. Anyone who sleeps on the kitchen floor with their sick dog all night is my friend. Don't worry, this isn't a Marley and Me sob story, but the humor and the antics are similar. And yes I did cry, but I always cry while reading dog books because the authors always relate so well the love between a pet parent and their dog. And I know exactly what they're talking about. And it makes me cry. That's all.

Get this book. You won't be disappointed.

4/5

Homer's Odyssey




The author, Gwen Cooper, is a sucker. She reminds me of my friend Kay. If you know of an animal who needs a home, especially one who is blind, old, has a leg or tail missing, call her up.

Case in point: I emailed info to Kay from Petfinder.com about a puppy named Monet who is blind. I didn't seriously think she would adopt him, but it made me sad and he was so cute. She replied something about possibly adopting him, but she wasn't sure how her other dogs would react. Leave it to Kay to even consider it :)

I'm kidding when I say "sucker," by the way. What they really are is good-hearted.

Monet - click here for more info

Isn't he cute?

Oops, I got sidetracked.

Back to the book.

Homer was a stray found at 2 weeks old and had an eye infection that could have been treated had he been found sooner. Unfortunately his eyes had to be removed. Some at the vet's office suggested euthanizing him since he would be hard to adopt out. The vet, after seeing his spunk and determination, felt otherwise. The vet, who treated Gwen's (the author) other cats, Vashti and Scarlett, asked if she would also be willing to adopt Homer. Gwen fell for him immediately and took him home.

Throughout the book the author writes about her life with three cats, one, of course, who is blind. She discusses dating with three cats, living with a roommate with three cats, moving with the cats back in with her parents, and moving to another state via airplane with them. She wrote about 9/11 when she lived only blocks from the World Trade Center, and what it was like not knowing whether or not her cats survived, after she was forced to leave them alone until people were allowed back in the area. Several days went by before she even knew if her apartment building was still standing.

I loved Homer. He was a hoot. I dare anyone not to fall in love with him while reading this book. He was spunky and courageous and smart. He even taught himself to use the toilet (the author walked in the bathroom and found him balancing himself on the toilet seat). He was determined. Once when he was trying to jump on the side of the bathtub while Gwen was taking a bath, he fell in the water. After Gwen dried him off, he tried again! This time he was able to balance himself and sit on the edge of the tub.

The way Homer relied on his sense of hearing and touch was fascinating. He warned Gwen after hearing an intruder break into the apartment in the middle of the night. He was able to find a closed can of tuna in the cupboard. He knew where Gwen kept tampons, and he would tear open the paper and carry them around like mice, with the "tail" hanging out of his mouth. He may have been blind, but he sure had fun :)

I love how in the book everyone Homer encountered learned a lesson, whether it was courage, determination, not feeling sorry for yourself, not to judge, or just how to have fun!

Great book, but then again I have yet to find a book about animals that I don't like. Guess I'm the sucker.

4/5