School is out! Bring on the books!

Wow, I have been away for far too long. I have read about 3 or 4 books that I need to post reviews for. Currently I'm reading a book for school -  George Washington's Socks. I need to read this for an upcoming unit tweaking workshop next week....3 days of work...but I get paid. Also, I really want to get a handle on the new teaching standards for next year.

Books that I will add reviews for by next week are:

1) The Catastrophic History of You and Me
2. Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Happy Reading! :)

Currently Reading....Yep, a new one already!

I'm on Chapter 9 and liking this book very much. One thing I like about it is that the chapters are all song lyrics. People that know me, know that I love books and music.  Also, how beautiful is this cover! It was totally the reason I picked it up.

Also sitting in my TBR pile are:

I will probably read Looking for Alaska next.

Kimmie :-)

Sweet Stuff by Donna Kauffman

   Yes, occasionally I read cheesy romance novels! Well, actually this is a romance, but not so cheesy right now. It's a light, easy, beach read which is exactly what I wanted. The only bad thing, I started reading this one first. I have the first one in the series, but accidentally grabbed the wrong one off my TBR pile.
    Riley Brown has a job I would just love to have, she stages homes. She shows interested buyers the home's potential. When we first meet Riley, she has gotten herself into a rather perilous situation (can we just say out of control treadmill.....been there girl, been there) and is rescued by handsome writer Quinn Brannigan. Of course, sparks fly at their initial meeting. However, this isn't a Harlequin where this is very little plot and lots of sex. The characters don't immediately fall in bed together...which I liked.  I could also relate to Riley, who like most of us, has been burned by a previous relationship. If you are looking for a fun, fluffy read with a believable plot, you'll like this book.

Kimmie :-)

The Weird Sisters

I was shopping in North Carolina while visiting family and stumbled upon this book at Barnes and Nobles (an actual bookstore...gasp!). If you pick up this book thinking it's going to be about a strange or odd group of sisters you'd be wrong. I've seen several negative reviews on this book that claim the sisters aren't weird, but ordinary. Well, I'm not sure how they missed it, but the "weird sisters" is from Shakespeare although you don't need to be an expert on him to get the book.

Here is the book description from Amazon.com:


"Three sisters have returned to their childhood home, reuniting the eccentric Andreas family. Here, books are a passion (there is no problem a library card can't solve) and TV is something other people watch. Their father-a professor of Shakespeare who speaks almost exclusively in verse-named them after the Bard's heroines. It's a lot to live up to.
The sisters have a hard time communicating with their parents and their lovers, but especially with one another. What can the shy homebody eldest sister, the fast-living middle child, and the bohemian youngest sibling have in common? Only that none has found life to be what was expected; and now, faced with their parents' frailty and their own personal disappointments, not even a book can solve what ails them..."

I must admit that I picked this up because of the, "there is no problem a library card can't solve," quote. I could also relate to this book because, like the mother in the story, my own mother suffered from breast cancer. The sisters, Rosalind (Rose), Bianca (Bean), and Cordelia (Cordy) are sisters that love each other, but just don't like each other very much. After their mother's diagnosis, all the sisters come back home to live. Rose, the oldest, is the responsible one and moves in to help her parents. However, Bean and Cordy are running from their past and have their own problems to deal with.

I liked the book a lot and it only took me two days to finish it, but there were a few slow spots. I loved the first person plural narrative - the use of "we" to describe the thoughts of the sisters. I also loved how believable they were in their interactions with each other. Overall, I would recommend this book to others and was glad that it caught my attention in NC.

Kimmie :-)

True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

  I finished True Believer during my Spring Break. First of all, I like Nicholas Sparks. I just wanted to make that clear. This book is good, but not one of his best. By that, I mean it wasn't a one or two day read. It took me about a week. Please don't take that as a reason to not give this book a try. I liked the overall story, which revolved around an investigative reporter trying to decide if a cemetery was actually haunted or not. The love story was believable, but the very end of the story (the last page) was very predictable to me. I called it about 2/3 of the way through the book. Overall, I found this story to be a  good summer beach read.

Currently Reading

   I'm currently reading True Beliver by Nicholas Sparks. Just picked up a couple more books from the local Wally world. Hopefully I will be able to hit an actual bookstore during Spring Break. I need my TBR pile to grow :)

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

 

   I'm am on reading fire! LOL! I looked back at the previous 10 days and realized that I have read a ridiculous amount of books. Maybe it's because it's getting close to summer and I will have more time to devote to reading. Or, it could also be because I've been away from it too long...like a dieter avoiding sweets, then inhaling an entire bag of cookies when she finally breaks down and tries to eats just one. No matter the reason, I'm glad I've had this time to read. Reading always help me relax.
  What can I say about The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks? Like all of his previous works, this one is set in a small southern town. The two main characters Denise and Taylor, are far from perfect. Each one has made mistakes that have impacted where they are in their lives at the current time. However, Denise is all about working to learn from and recognizing her mistakes. Taylor, on the other hand, had yet to deal with some of his darker demons. As Denise and Taylor grow closer, Taylor's secrets come back to haunt him.
   Nicholas Sparks once again proves that some of the best love stories are the ones that aren't flawless. His books fill one with all kinds of emotions...happiness, sadness, regret, and relief. Make sure to read the Author's Note at the end of this novel....oh, and make sure you have a few tissues for that.

Kimmie :-)