Thursday, September 1, 2011

Books I've read: May - August, 2011

Below are the books I've read over the past few months. Check out the books I read early in the year here. I'm really thankful that I have the time to read right now. There was a fairly large stretch of time that I really didn't read much because I was so busy with baby Xander. Now that he's 2 year-old Xander, I find that I do have some time to myself and that's when I do what I love - read. I guess this cycle will continue after the new baby is born, so I'm soaking up all the time I have to read now. :)














1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I had no idea how great this book would be! It had been recommended to me by a few different people, including one of my mom's friends who is an avid reader, a co-worker of mine and even the dental hygenist at my dentist's office! So I figured with such a wide variety of people talking about it I should check it out. So I did. And I'm so glad! It's an excellent book! If you get a chance to listen to this book on audio, you definitely should. My co-worker told me how good the audio is, so I chose to grab it and listen to it when I was on the road driving to and from work and my programs. There are three or four different ladies who read the story and they have great voices for the characters. I was even talking to David's grandma last week and she said she's going to start it soon. It appeals to many different audiences. I didn't realize it was going to be made into a movie until David and I went to the movies in June and I saw a stand-up display. David and I went to see it on one of our date nights this month and really enjoyed it! Yes, even David enjoyed it, so take your husbands if you want! It's very true to the book and such a good story. The actresses they chose were perfect!













2. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
I am an avid Pioneer Woman blog reader. I love how she writes - she's witty, honest and just downright makes me laugh. This book is no exception. The story of how she met her Marlboro Man, fell in love, married, etc. It's a great, funny, romantic, sappy read. And, yes, I laughed out loud multiple times! :)
















3. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Hmmm...
Sad, hopeful, disturbing. Speaks heavily to the heart, but I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about it.
An account of two women (a young teenager from Nigeria and a British woman) whose lives intersect and are forever connected.














4. Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin
Unlike most stories of loss, Matthew Logelin is very down to earth and real about his grief. I'm not quite used to the language he uses (e.g. he cusses - a lot.) but it's how he expresses himself. Not exactly sure why I decided to read a story about a husband and wife who have a baby and 27 hours after the baby is born the mother has a pulmonary embolism and dies. I mean, I'm two-thirds of the way through my pregnancy and already have a child - why would I torture myself with this kind of story? My only answer is that I love memoirs and biographies and I love hearing real people tell true stories about themselves. It actually warms my own heart to see how the human heart can still survive after such a devastating blow.















5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
I read this again in honor of the movie coming out last month. I have loved re-reading the books just before I see the movie for the first time so I can notice the differences. I typically enjoy the movie more after the book is out of my mind since I get irritated that certain things get left out or changed in the movie compared to the book. This time I was pleasantly surprised. There were definitely some changes and differences, but I wasn't upset about any of them.














6. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Well, I'm only part way through - I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished. I've wanted to read this book for a long time. Written over 150 years ago, it's been referenced many times and I've been curious to read it for myself. It was quite the scandal when it was published and has been banned many times in history - who doesn't want to read a banned book and see what all the fuss is about! Ha!

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