against the grain...

I finally gave in and picked up a copy of "50 Shades of Grey" by E.L. James, from my public library.  I can honestly say that I am glad I did not have to spend my money on this book.  While the book was so easy to read and I finished it super fast, that is probably the best thing I can say.  I picked it up and decided to read it due the hype, which is the exactly reason I was staying away in the first place.  There really is no story or plot, it is all sex, and after the first encounter with Christian and Anastacia, I was sort of turned off.  I will definitely read the other two books and see how I feel after that, but I am not that impressed so far...

OK...Let me have it :)

a fun read...

Anna Quindlen, author of "Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake," writes from the heart in the book about how over the course of her life, from the column she used to write at age 30 for the New York Times, the death of her mom, her novels, her kids, her husband and her life.  What follows are her thoughts about all of these things and her place in the world then and now.  I did like the book and found it easy to read as well :)

yay or nay?

"In One Person" by John Irving...

I finished this weeks ago, and like other books I have read, I wasn't sure what I wanted to say.  I did really like this book.  The background, set in the 1960's, follows Billy Abbott, a teenager, who is dealing with "crushes on the wrong people" and how to deal with that.  Billy is bi-sexual, has his first encounter with Miss Frost, the school librarian, and his family is definitely hiding secrets regarding Miss Frost.

"In One Person" follows Billy from childhood through adulthood, through his love life with men, women and transgenders, through watching those he loves suffer and eventually die from AIDS, through his friendship with Elaine and finally through the love and acceptance of our differences.

Keep reading, always keep reading...

it's not all fun and games...

'The Art of Fielding' by Chad Harbach revolves around the characters of Mike, Henry, Owen, Guert and Pella.  I had such high hopes for the book but I think it kind of fell short.

Henry is a shortstop, with instincts like no other, but he throws a ball off course and that sends his life, and the life of the other 4 characters also off course.  Mike realizes that he worked so hard to get Henry into the spotlight and ignored his own life in the process.

Boredom = stalker

Karen Bergreen's "Following Polly" was a very enjoyable read.  From the beginning the character of Alice is easy to relate to and very likable.  She gets fired from her job and becomes a shadow to superstar Polly, following her everywhere she goes, unbeknownst to Polly.  But when Polly turns up dead and Alice is the number one suspect, Alice has to figure out who really killed Polly.

missing...

In the book, "The Local News" by Miriam Gershow, a boy goes missing.  Danny was popular, athletic and the shining star of the family.  His sister, Lydia, is the smart one and always lived in the shadow of her brother and she feels that going missing was the only interesting thing her brother ever did.

Lydia's parents are so consumed with the investigation of Danny that Lydia finds herself thrust into a world which she is unsure of.  The popular crowd, Danny's friends, are suddenly interested in her and the private eye hired to locate Danny also peaks her curiosity and Lydia starts to become involved more and more.

It is a look at how our siblings affect our lives, define who we are and who we will eventually become.

what comes after...

I just finished reading "Afterwards" by Rosamund Lupton.  It was such a good book.

Grace is working outside at her children's school, one is a student and one an assistant teacher, when there is a fire inside the school.  Grace's daughter, Jenny, is inside the school, and Grace races inside to find her.

Jenny and Grace are both injured in the fire and the story is told in the voice of Grace and is so poignant.  It is about the love a mother has for her children, and even more so her husband and sister-in-law, the police detective, who are able to follow the clues and find out that the fire was arson and do everything they can to save their family.