Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

To all the Trueblood fans out there... I love me some Trueblood and Sookie Stackhouse as much as anyone. In fact, I will have to thank Katie Simmons for introducing me to both the books (sookie bookies) and to the television show. I have read every one of the Sookie Stackhouse books, including this latest from Ms. Harris. I have loved each one of them, the first and the sixth (I think) being my favorite, but this one left me wanting more. In fact these last two, the tenth and eleventh, have made me feel this way. Harris seems to be keeping the story alive, but just barely. Sookie is kind of starting to get on my nerves and her indecision between who she loves, Eric or Bill or Sam or Alcide or someone else that could enter the scene at any minute. Also, there are so many magical creatures, that it is hard to keep them all straight: vampires, werepeople, fairies, goblins, demons, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting. At this point I'm not sure who is who or what is who or who is what.
I'm thinking that the series probably needs to end, and Sookie probably needs to make a few decisions. However, as long as the show is on, Harris will probably feel compelled to write more. After all, if you know how the book ends, will the show follow suit?
I will tell those of you who love the show, but have not read the books, the storylines are somewhat similar, but this last season of Trueblood went just barely along with the book. It's interesting because the series finale of Trueblood also made me mad because it just ended, much like the eleventh book of Harris's series. However, if you ask me if I will read the twelfth book or watch the fourth season of Trueblood, of course I will. I'm weirdly drawn in to Harris's world, so I guess I have no other choice if I want to know what happens. Also, I will miss hearing Bill's weird accent yell out, "Sookie" (use your imagination here.

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

Last night was rough. Jim was gone, the girls were both sick, and I was tired from staying up late the night before. All I wanted was a nice glass of wine, any kind, and something to make me laugh. While I thought about turning on The Real Housewives of Orange County, I thought that I had had enough drama for the day. Chelsea Handler's book, well all of her books, is like a nice glass of wine (and I don't think she would mind me saying that). It calms me down, relaxes me, and makes everything seem funny. This book is one that I picked up after watching a few Chelsea Latelys, another thing that is like a good glass of wine. This book is not for the faint of heart. She curses, talks about drinking and drugs, and of course describes her sexcapades. And, although she reveals a lot, she does leave out some of the sordid details.

 Another reason I like this book is because it truly is a collection of stories, independent from each other, so I can read one or two and put the book down without feeling as though I MUST know more. In fact, my book has been read so many times that my favorite stories are marked. I especially like her story about dressing up as an M&M for Halloween. Somehow she manages to end up naked and stuck attempting to crawl through her window. Yes, I did laugh out loud. I would recommend this book to everyone, well everyone who enjoys hearing about other people's funny drama. Even my husband, yes the book thrower awayer himself, enjoys this one.

While a glass of Pinot would really have hit the spot, we were out, and I was alone with two sleeping babies, Chelsea Handler's book did the trick. In no time I felt refreshed and ready for the midnight wake-ups that were to come.

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

Honestly, this is a book I picked up myself. I liked the title and I wondered just what those lace makers were doing; they had to be doing more than making lace in a small village in Ireland (one of my favorite settings for a novel). I think the book caught me off guard. While the premise of the book is very similar to other books I’ve read: girl is sad because boyfriend has broken up with her, girl leaves city (in this instance it’s Seattle) and travels to a distant place to run away from her problems (in this instance it’s Ireland), girl meets handsome man and falls in love, and so on and so forth. However, I truly enjoyed the book. I like Kate’s character, although at times I found her harsh, but that may be because her heart was broken by both a man and the fact that her mother lost her battle with cancer before said man broke her heart, a double-whammy. And although Kate is the main character, I most enjoyed the other women in the novel. The ones who take her in, care for her and inspire her: Bernie, who treats Kate like the daughter she was never able to have; Aileen who is attempting to deal with her rebellious, rude daughter; Moira who is caught up in her own family drama; and Colleen, a cancer survivor with a great heart. 

The love story in the book takes a backseat to the friendships these women build throughout the novel, and the story is really about women connecting with one another. At times the book seems a bit whimsical, but that was another thing I enjoyed. Sorry, this is another “chic lit” type book, but I can’t stay away from them. I will say that I stayed up until about 1:30 this morning reading the book. Luckily, my husband wasn’t home, so there was no threatening to throw the book away. Am I tired today, yes, but it was worth it. 

The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Dan Hanna

For all the mommies in my life and because my kids are such an important part of my life, why not review a few children's books that Ava and Emma just love. This particular book I have to thank Kelly Oliva for showing me while watching her amazing little kindergarteners in the library. Not only did they love the book with its beautiful illustrations, but the storyline is to die for. A little fish with a pout-pout face that spreads the weary drearies all over the place. Everyone tries to cheer him up and it isn't until he is kissed that he realizes what his little pout-pout face is for.

Ava loves singing the phrase, "I'm pout-pout fish with a pout-pout face..." every time we read this. The sequel Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark is equally adorable and really fun to act out. A favorite every night at our house and Ava has too many books to count!

Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes

I always recommend books to my students, so when a student recommends a book to me, I always read it. This one surprised me because it would definitely be considered "chic lit," my favorite of all genres, and it was given to me by a fourteen year old.
When we first meet Anna Walsh, she is living with her parents in her native Ireland. Her body is broken and her face disfigured, and she is being taken care of by her humorous and slightly overbearing mother. The first part of the book is told in a series of flashbacks: why she moved to New York; how she got the greatest job ever; and how she met Aiden, her husband who won't call her or email her back. Although the story is told in first-person, we do not know what has happened to Anna Walsh, and as the story unfolds we learn the tragic events that have interrupted and nearly shattered her life.
This book was probably one of the best chic lit books I have read. I hate putting it in that category, because I feel as though the storyline is so much more than that. It's not only a book about overcoming tragic circumstances that are thrown at us so often in life, but it is also a book about friendships and relationships, and the need that all of us have to be surrounded by people we love. I cried and laughed frequently while reading the book because Keyes is able to make Anna so relatable. Her reactions to those she is with and her emotions as she deals with the events in her life seem so real. The ending was wonderfully written; however, because I liked Anna so much, I didn't want the book to end. Definitely an amazing read.

Matched by Ally Condie

This is the newest book in dystopian literature. When I told my students about it, they connected a lot of the plot with The Giver, but it reads more like The Hunger Games with love being even more at the center of the plot. Cassia, the protagonist, lives in a world where she does not have to make any choices. The society chooses how much food she eats, what types of exercise she is allowed to do, how her free time is spent, and most of all who she will marry when she turns 21. Cassia is seventeen and on the night of her matching ceremony she discovers she has been matched with her best friend, Xander. However, when she gets home and put Xander's microcard into the computer, to faces appear. One is Xander's and the other is a boy she also knows, Ky. Cassia starts to wonder what her life would be like if she lived it not with Xander, but with Ky. She starts to question the "perfect" society she lives in and rebelling against those that run it.

Condie's novel questions a future in which everything is chosen for us; when does society go too far? Does it go so far as to say that all people should die at the age of eighty, and if so, how will they die? This book is one that you won't want to put down, and in fact I was reading it so much that my husband threatened to "throw the book in the trash" or "hide it somewhere I would never find it again." What can I say, he likes my attention. The book does not have as much action as other dystopian novels, but it definitely makes us question and root for Cassia along the way. This is the first book in a trilogy, the second one coming out November of this year.

Check out the book trailer below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaeNWL8rlBI