Only Two?

So I'm sorely disappointed myself this past month!  I was really hoping to read all seven Narnia books since they aren't very long.  I know, I know... a bit ambitious.  But, I did finish two:

The Magician's Nephew
&
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Many of you have read the second one, so I'm not going to really same much other than it's really good!  But, how many of you have read The Magician's Nephew?  I hadn't even heard of it!  It's a fabulous book!  I'm really glad I read it first because it is the whole back story as to how Narnia was created and came to be.  I highly recommend it!

Moving on....

JULY & AUGUST'S PICK

The Count of Monte Cristo

By Alexandre Dumas

I'm giving us two months to read this one because it's so large.  i know it can be intimidating, but I really recommend reading the unabridged version - longer, but much better!  I hope you enjoy!  If you need more convincing, here is some information:
Set against the turbulent years of the Napoleonic era, Alexandre Dumas's thrilling adventure story is one of the most widely read romantic novels of all time. In it the dashing young hero, Edmond Dantès, is betrayed by his enemies and thrown into a secret dungeon in the Chateau d'If -- doomed to spend his life in a dank prison cell. The story of his long, intolerable years in captivity, his miraculous escape, and his carefully wrought revenge creates a dramatic tale of mystery and intrigue and paints a vision of France -- a dazzling, dueling, exuberant France -- that has become immortal.

Not related at all...

So this post has nothing to do with books, but I thought that you might be intersted in joining me for a little competition. Go here to see what it's all about!  I'd love to have you join! :)

Sorry...

Sorry I missed out on May, but now I'm back!

I had knee surgery and just wasn't up to posting anything. 

Anyway... on to June's pick.

So I thought that for this month I would go a little broader and actually let you pick too.  I know this isn't making much sense, so I'll just say it:

The Chronicles of Narnia

by C.S. Lewis

Since there are SEVEN books, I figured you could choose to read any one of them.  I'm going to try to read them all since they aren't that long. Here's the whole list of them:

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Prince Caspian: Return to Narnia

The Voyage of The Dawn Treader

The Silver Chair

The Horse and His Boy

The Magician's Nephew

The Last Battle

So take your pick and ENJOY!!

A little Late, but APRIL'S PICK

So, I've read this book before, but it's SO GOOD that I love to read it over and over!!  You can't read it TOO MANY times. :) 

The Anatomy of Peace

by

The Arbinger Institute

What is conflicts at home, work, and in the world stem from the same root cause?  What if we systematically misunderstand the cause?  And what if, as a result, we unwittingly perpetuate the very problems we think we are trying to solve?  The questions are answered in the book.

(That is part of the description from the book.  Now, I know you may be thinking... NOT a self-help book!  I know - I'm not a big fan of those cause they can often be very difficult to read and stay involved in the book. However, this book is DIFFERENT!  It tells an intriguing story of parents who are strugling with their chilfren and with problems that have come to comsume their lives, we learn the way to find peace whenever war is upon us.)

So the questions to ask yourself:

Is your heart at WAR?

Find out what I'm talking about by reading this book.  I PROMISE you won't be dissapointed!  And you'll learn so much about yourself and how you interact with eveyone in your life... EVERYONE!!

The Bride

I have to say how much i LOVED this!(the words below) What a beautiful expression of love from Buttercup.This is my favorite passage:

"There is no room in my body and mind for anything but you.  my arms love you, my ears adore you, my knees shake with blind affection.  Sweet perfect Westley, whipser that I have a chance to win your love..."

I could go on and on cause the rest is really good too.  What I wouldn't give to have lived in those days so that when those words came out of my mouth, everyone wouldn't look at my like I was CRAZY!!

That IS what i think about my own Wesley (who was actually named after Westley in this book.) he is such a hunk too :)

Anyway, this is how Westley would tell Buttercup he loved her (which is such a mans response):

"AS YOU WISH"

sweet and to the point, yet she did not understand for such a long time!

How are you enjoying the book?  Haven't read it yet and need a copy?  Let me know and you can borrow mine! :)

THE END

Wait, I'm FINISHED?!?  What a Great Read!  I didn't even realize I read it so fast. So, I guess I'll start breaking it down, section by section...

Introductions to the 25th and

30th Anniversary Editions:

We read all about the "real" author of The Princess Bride,

S. Morgenstern.

Did you know he is Fictional?  Also, Goldman wasn't married to a "Helen" and didn't have a son, but has 2 daughters. I didn't know until my husband told me and I looked it up on the internet.  What Trickery! It's amazing to me how I believed evey word he wrote.  What a clever way to use that type of literary device!

(this is William Goldman)

March Pick

(I'm just gonna keep telling myself that I'll be more successful next month, right?)

Ok, so..... I ADMIT IT!!! I failed at reading my book this month. Just NOT the right month for ME and I have to say it was a HARD book to get INTO!  Do YOU agree?  Or did you FINISH it?  I'd LOVE to know if you did and what you thought about it.

So I'm turning a NEW PAGE (get it? - I know I'm cheesy) and starting FRESH with March!

After much proding, poking, hints and comments - ALL from my husband - the book for March is....

The Princess Bride
by
William Goldman

Most of us have seen the movie. But how many of us have actually read the book?  I haven't!  My husband says it's really good - and I'm a sucker for a love story with some action too.  I think I'll be much better at reading this book. 

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Slacking?

No, I'm not slacking.  I am reading!  I just haven't had the time yet to do a post on Chapter 2, but I will this week... maybe Chapter 3 too.  We'll see.  How's your reading coming?  I think this has been a hard book to read, but a good read, at the same time.  I'll talk more about that in my next post. 

Have a great week!

Chapter 1 - Scenes from Apartheid

7 Chapters - 181 pages

So here's my thought:

with such a short book (a least short in comparison with the last book),

why not do a post on every chapter and really take the time to read it and enjoy it and learn from it?

Here we go....

Chapter 1

Eugene de Kock

We're briefly introduced to this man - "the man whom many in the country considered the most brutal of apartheid's covert police operatives."

Although Pumla doesn't spend a lot of time writing about him yet, and who he is and what he's done - the way she describes him does make him seem evil.  i guess I'll see if I feel the same way as I continue reading.

One of my favorite parts of the book is after she was recounting a memory from her childhood and then found out that what she remembered was different than the actual facts recorded of the event:

"Can what was still so vividly alive in my memory be described simply as a misrepresentation of the facts, a recontruction of events as they happened?"

Thoughts similar to this (but obviously not so eloquently said) cross my mind when I can remember conversations or events SO CLEARLY, yet when I ask the other person that was present, it isn't exactly what they remember either.  Are they wrong?  Am I wrong?  Or is that the event happened differently than we both remember and because of how we interpreted it, that's how it's replayed in our minds?  I don't know!

Does this happen to you too?

February Pick

Thanks to those who gave their suggestions.  If I didn't pick it this month, I might in the future - so don't worry, I wrote them down.  This month I decided to read a true story.  It's called...

A Human Being Died That Night

A South African Woman Confronts the Legacy of Apartheid

By Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela

(Here's the description on the back of the book)

This book recounts an extraordinary dialogue.  Pumla, a psychologist who grew up in a black South African township, reflects on her interviews with Eugene de Kock, the commanding officer of state-sanctioned death squads under apartheid. Pumla met with de Kock in Pretoria's maximum-security prison, where he is serving a 212 year sentence for crimes against humanity.  in prufoundly arresting scenes, Pumla conveys her struggle with contradictory internal impulses to hold him accountable and to forgive.  Ultimately, as she allows us to witness do Kock's extraordinary awakening of conscience, she illuminates the ways in which the encounter compelled her to redefine the value of remorse and the limits of forgiveness.

Doesn't that sound AWESOME! 

I'm always up for reading inspiring stories, especially when they're true.  Here's a few of the reviews-in case you need more convincing :)

"An exploration of far reaches of compassion...The important maeesages of this remarkable book are many. But the powers of compassion and forgiveness are not the least of them" - Christian Science Monitor

"A book that tugs at our humanity, compassion, and integrity" - Archbishop Desmon Tutu

"The story of an almost unimagineable dialogue... and exploration of evil, innocence, and the gray spaces in between." - New York Times

Now go get the book at your nearest library, bookstore or from a friend and let's start reading!

Chapters 41 - 55

601 pages - I'm finished!

I have to say that I really enjoyed "East of Eden".  I know I was iffy at first, because I don't usually read books that have alot of death, misery and sorrow, and not as much joy in them.  This has been a great adventure and I can't wait for next month!

After I got done reading Chapter 25, when Lee and Adam and Samuel were discussing the sixteen versus in the Bible of the story of Cain and Able,

this is what hit me:

"The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—’Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ Don’t you see?”"(pg.301)

What a powerful statement!  I've known that I have the choice to conquer sin or have it conquer me, but it was a great reminder.  It helped me to see it in a different light. (And to read in it a non-church book!)

Love it!

It's that time again!

Yup, throw them in to the BOX (aka - leave a comment).  I need to make a pick for FEBRUARY and would LOVE your suggestions.  Maybe a book you haven't even read, but heard it was good and wanted to read it. 

Give 'em to me.... Please?

Movie Night!

In researching this book, I found out that there was also movie made.  Since I've finished the book early, I thought I'd also watch the movie this month and review it. Why not, right?  If you know me, I love movies, expecially if they're really good old ones!  What I can tell from the reviews, it should be a good one.  It stars James Dean. Mmmmm! 

He's sure good looking!

Anyway, back on track. I'll watch it this week and let you know how it goes.

Good luck to you all!  Hope you enjoy finishing your book this week!

Chapters 26 - 40

Adam Trask buys a Model T Ford

Now I know this wasn't a huge monumental part of the book, by any means.  i have just always dreamed of owning an old car, such as this one.  Ahhh.... the wind in my hair, bumping along with every pebble or stone in the road, honking my horn... anyway, back to reality.

Now onto the meat of those chapters-

Lee seems to be such a wise man.  Sometimes direct and a bit long-winded.  His advice is still good and genuine and means no harm.

I'm always looking for friends like that.  Aren't you?  Someone to tell you the truth, even when it may be hard to hear?  Then again, Samuel Hamilton was similar that way too. hmmmm... just thought of that now.

I'll take em as friends!

(This is Jo Van Fleet, who played Kate, in the movie... not how I imagined her from the book, but oh well)

Another part of the story that I found really interesting was when Cal met his mother Kate. 

I've always wondered what that would feel like - growing up not knowing one of your parents and then finding them. 

Is it Joy? Sorrow? Many mixed emotions?

Chapters 14 - 25

Ok so. I think the book got MUCH better! It still has the few curse words and racy subjects, but now I feel a sense of FAMILY in the book. The pace has slowed down and I don’t feel as though I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s kind of nice! Have you read this FAR? Maybe you’ve gotten FARTHER. I definitely still love the DESCRIPTIVE writing. It draws me IN to the characters and their lives. I’m intrigued by Cathy/ Catherine/ Kate. She’s such an evil, kind, understanding, cold, giving, lifeless ….person? So COMPLEX! How could she just leave her NEW twins Caleb and Aaron like that – right after they were born? I can’t imagine doing that.

I knew before, but I know for sure now, that I’m NOT meant to be a writer of any sorts (other than maybe my journal or blog).

What clever writing! It’s a GIFT!

Any thoughts?

My Dilemma

CHAPTERS 2 -13

(thought this was a funny picture, but kind of how I feel right now)

Hmmm. I’m not sure what to think about these chapters. I loved the first chapter, but the book has taken on a totally different feel. It’s a bit racy, but not in detail – just a lot of talk about prostitution, murder, betrayal, greed, etc. It’s a lot darker than I had thought or planned. I knew that it was a modern take on the Bible story of Cain and Abel – just didn’t expect it. Probably sounds silly. Not to mention the few swear words. My problem is that now I’m hooked. I want to know more of the story. The author is so clever in his descriptions and writing, that it’s keeping me so interested! Ugh! What to do?

What have you thought about the book so far?

Chapter 1

I loved the descriptions the author used to describe the valley!  I wish I could see Salinas Valley during a "wet year."  It sounds so beautiful!  Here's my favorite part:

"These too are of a burning color - not orange, not gold, but if pure gold were liquid and could raise cream, that golden cream might be like the same color of the poppies."

(These don't do those words justice in my mind,

but they're still pretty poppies).

What did you like?

January Pick

Thanks to the few of you that gave suggestions.  I've wanted to read this book AND it was on Oprah's book club (not that that really matters to me).  Drum roll please..........

EAST OF EDEN

By John Steinbeck

Click Here for Details About the Book

Go and check it out from your local library, buy it,

or borrow it from someone who has it. 

We have till JANUARY 31st.

I PROMISE to do my very BEST to blog at least once a

week about my thoughts on the book. 

Please leave me comments with what you think too. 

I know there's always another way of looking at things -

and NO you can't be wrong. 

Good luck!  Chat with you soon!