Thoughts

I am all over the place in my book choices lately. Still waiting on nothing to finish Under the Dome...Procrastination makes a story last longer, doesn't it? I am halfway through The Secret Life of Bees but recently forgot to bring my book with me and picked up another and of course it's a John Grisham. I was instantly swept up into this story. It looks like it's going to be somewhat of a quick read for me as it really captivates me. John Grisham has a way of catching your attention quickly and then just keeping you going with his different avenues in his story telling.

I won't tell you the name of it but it is a John Grisham and I'll most likely be reviewing it by the end of the weekend. I am hoping to finish my bees book by then as well. You just can't rush a good thing though.

Another thought on reading...I really enjoy reading out loud and have been thinking of sharing my love for reading with someone. I am going to look into local Nursing Homes and perhaps find someone that doesn't have visitors regularly that can no longer read and share my love of books with him or her. It's a thought I wanted to share because this is something that anyone can do in his or her community and it really doesn't take much time or money. Even an hour or two a week would really bless someone's life.

The reason I thought of this? One of my cats and my dog really enjoy listening to me read...they settle right down with me in bed. Of course they are enjoying the sound of my voice but I can pretend they like the stories too, can't I? LOL.

I have also recently read a few pages of Chill Factor (I believe it's by Sandra Brown but not positive on that right at the moment) but it sounds really familiar so I may have read it before or perhaps have seen the movie...LOL. I will keep going till I'm sure either way though.

So that's the update on what's to come, eventually. Of course, it's always subject to change at any time.

Ta Ta For Now

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Club Dead
by Charlaine Harris













The next book in the Sookie Stackhouse saga. I'm not going to give thorough reviews any longer because they all seem to read the same way. Easy and enjoyable reads.





I liked this story alot, same as the others, but there was one element that bothered me a tiny bit. Sookie let Vampire Bill take advantage of her to a certain degree. There was a good explanation for it...that I know from reading the other books and the knowledge I have of vampire relationships (haha) but if you picked this one up first (which technically you do not have to read these in order as they don't seem to be numbered per se) you would think Sookie was an idiot and Vampire Bill was a typical jerk of a cheatin' man.

So yes, it's a good story and if you like the first few, keep reading...this actually added some more characters that were likeable, gave more depth to the Sookie/Eric relationship and gave "Bubba" a bigger role as his former self. LOL.

No Star rating on these anymore...only on the ones that are not part of the Sookie stories!

Happy Reading!

For One More Day By Mitch Albom

For One More Day

by Mitch Albom

Your life has fallen apart and you want to die. You get to that last step where you just can't see yourself going on anymore...what does the Universe, God, your loved ones who have crossed over, do when you are at this point? Does someone intervene? Or is it perhaps your own subconscious intervene?

This is a very spiritual book...very thought provoking and heartfelt. Not only does this book cause you to look at your life and how you currently live it...how you treat those around you but it also makes you think about the after life, heaven...what does happen when we are dying? What happens to those that have already passed? Do we bring those that have crossed over back with a simple thought?

"But ask yourself this: Have you ever lost someone you love and wanted one more conversation, one more chance to make up for time when you thought they would be here forever? If so, then you know you can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one you wish you had back.

What if you got it back?"

For One More Day, quote.

"Because there was a ghost involved, you may call this a ghost story. But what family isn't a ghost story? Sharing tales of those we've lost is how we keep from really losing them."

Another quote.

This book touched me deeply. It was a real lesson in childhood, how much we don't appreciate our parents but how understanding our parents truly are no matter how we treat them. For we as children do not need to know everything...and our parents may allow us to resent them for things that aren't true, simply to protect us.

This is a highly recommended read for a quiet moment or two.

The Critical Librarian gives Mitch Albom's For One More Day five stars.

God Bless.

Update on reading list

Hi, All, as you can see, I've been busy reading and reading and reading...three new posts tonight. I still have to finish Under the Dome. I only have about 25 pages left but have put finishing it on hold because it's so enjoyable, I do not want it to end. So that's a little bit (haha) of a hint on how my review will go.

I will also be reading The Secret Life of Bees and To Kill a Mockingird this week as well as a few other books that I happened to pick up at Goodwill (a great place to get books by the way).

So many books, so little time. So come back on a regular basis over the next few weeks because I'm on vacation this week and I'm on a reading roll!

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

OMG...and WOW. I read this book in one day (a vacation day, mind you). This was so enjoyable. The main character, Rebecca, is a shopaholic who gets herself into some debt trouble and of course, she ignores, lies, continues to shop and with the whole snowball effect there's some serious anxiety. Of course her profession just happens to be Journalist, who just happens to write about finance. This hit home for me...because I'm an Accountant...and as they say, we numbers people are the worst when it comes to our own checkbooks, and ain't it the truth...lol. I laughed a lot during this read. When her world was crashing down, I felt it...when good hopeful things were happening, I felt that same hope. I even felt her obsession when she was shopping...she was obsessed...and it was so fun to be in that character while reading this book.

She plays the lottery and is convinced she will win...the description of that one night...from her playing the numbers till she is watching the lottery on TV...is perfect...and so realistic. Actually going through and figuring out how much she would win, how much she had to deduct to pay off her debt, buy a flat, buy gifts for others, etc...so realistic...so funny. I know I have felt that way many a times...I was just so impressed with Ms. Kinsella's descriptions, her realism, her creations of such realistic, loveable characters (and some so not likeable at some times). This story was a roller coaster ride, and I did NOT want to get off of the ride. I'm glad there are more books because I will defnitely be reading them. To think, I almost skipped this book over just because I wasn't interested in the commercialism that has followed this book/movie.

Oh and in between chapters there are letters from Rebecca's debtors and they mention her excuses in some of the letters...what a riot. This book and this character actually reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones (books I will be reading and reviewing at some point) and I did so love those movies.

I give this book two thumbs up, five stars. It has depth in it's seriousness, it has lots of humor, it has a definite lesson in it and the character development is superb.

A highly recommended read, Confessions of a Shopaholic is a book any girl who holds a debit or credit card and likes to shop, should defnitely read.

Enjoy!

The Critical Library

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

I will start off by saying that I have not seen this movie as of yet. The reason I chose to read this book was because I have seen The Notebook which was based on the book by Nicholas Sparks and it's one of my favorite all time romance movies. So I decided to give this book a try. I have read one other Nicholas Sparks book before but the name currently escapes me. If I find it, I will post it at a later time just for informational purposes :)

After reading this book, I find that I do like Mr. Sparks' writing. This was heavy, deeply emotional subject matter. I was worried while reading this story that I was destined for a broken heart by the last page...that it would leave me in tears...and frankly, it should have. But as strange as it sounds, though the subject matter was heart wrenching, I didn't take the 'feelings' of the character away from the pages. This is not a bad thing. I could understand the feelings of Adrienne, the main character and understood her pain but did not "feel" her pain for her. I actually liked that about the book. This is why Mr. Sparks' books make such good basis' for movies because you can take the story and expand on it...give it more life than it seems to have on the pages. Again, I'm not saying that this takes away from the book at all. It doesn't. It's a great story, though you sort of know what is going to happen, and I expected to cry somewhere down the line...and though it WAS as sad as I knew it was going to be, I didn't shed a tear. Instead I came away thinking...wow, that was a tragic but at the same time, enlightening.

I think part of the reason it's not as sad feeling is because of the strength of the characters. I did feel the emotional intelligence and strength that the characters portrayed.

I think this book was a great basis for a movie. I just think it gives a basis that a screen writer and director could expand on and really make you feel what the characters are going through with beautiful scenery as it's set on the beach (my favorite).

I didn't find the story very thought provoking...I was only left with one question...how many people would survive a story such as this one and come away stronger and be able to use these events as a teaching experience. Come to think of it...this story had similarities to The Notebook as they are both stories being remembered and told in the now through writings. I'm wondering if other books by Mr. Sparks are written the same way. Oh as an afterthought...this book does make you take a bit of inventory of your life, I think...but then again, the people living as "Paul" does in the book, will not actually be taking the time to read a Nicholas Sparks' novel so I'm not sure it will change many lives. :)

This was an easy read, I got through this book in about two days (vacation week so not a lot of interruptions and a lot of time spent reading). I wouldn't say it was a page turner though it did have some instances where I wanted to see what was going to happen so had a hard time putting it down for long. I am going to give this book three stars. There wasn't a lot of depth to this story, and it was a bit predictable. The "what" was predictable, you just didn't know the "how." I guessed at the how but was wrong...lol. If you like love stories, romance with a bit of tragedy, you will like this book. I enjoyed it, I took away a nice feeling from it but it's probably not something I would read over and over. I will make sure I see the movie because I will be interested to know how the director expands on the story.

Over all, a good story.

The Critical Librarian.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris




This is the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series (HBO's True Blood is based on this series). I liked this book better than the first believe it or not. I am trying to enjoy the books separately from the HBO series and am doing so but think it's important to compare the two as well. The True Blood, the second season is based lightly on this book, and for that, I'm quite glad. This book was entertaining, surprising, a light read. There are a few spots where I would say this was a page turner but I am finding that the subject matter though filled with vampires and murder and other "creatures" is not heavy nor scary...though a few pages are a bit 'thrilling.' The best way to describe these is just an enjoyable story filled with likeable/loveable characters. Sookie, by herself, keeps you coming back for more as the stories are told from her viewpoint. She is just so interesting, brave, innocent, loveable, intense, passionate, cute and leads a very event filled life.

I won't give away too much...but some characters you may love in the TV series don't make it past the first chapter in this book...so there are definite differences that show up immediately. Some characters are the same...Andy Bellafleur is one (I may be misspelling his last name because I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment...lol).

I give this book four out of five stars...the only reason I don't rate these five stars is because I have to save that extra star for really deep stories and these are GREAT, fun stories...but definitely aren't deep.

A fabulous read and highly recommended!

Happy Reading!