Slow Reads, need more reading time.

Well life has been busy so I haven't had much time to finish the four books I am reading right now. What time I have I am really engross in the book Behind the Lines by Andrew Carroll. Its the book of soldier's letters. It is really fascinating as it is written from the many sides of conflicts from the Revolutionary War and through present day conflicts. I am loving it, but it is a bit of a slow read. There are times its a little to tactical for my tastes, but overall its good.

I am also listening to the audio tape of Invitation to Provence. This one started out slow, but once it picked up its pretty good. I think some of the dialogue is a bit forced, but overall pretty good.

The other two I am in the middle of, I hope to finish up soon is His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Elllis and Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy. Maeve is one of my all time favorite writers, so I am really waiting until I have the time to sit and read the whole thing and savor it. I started it a week or so ago before Behind the Lines was delivered and then I have been engrossed in that, I just haven't had enough time to read anything much and its frustrating me!

Computer issues at work

My internet is down at work as is my email! It has been down all day. I've missed my blogs, my news and my facebook!

It's very frustrating. All the companies blame each other. They were down all day today and are still not up.

Of course the worst is I left my book at home. It was a very long day to say the least!!

Blogging for Dummies and other current reads

Yep I purchased the book blogging for dummies. It should be delivered on Wednesday so start looking for updates after that! I really hope to fix this up and make it a little more interesting. I just have no clue what I am doing.

I'm starting Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy and I do have a new audio book in my car I just got started on. So far that was is a little hard to get into, but I am hoping that will change. I'm still on the first CD. I keep turning it off because I haven't gotten into it and my mind starts wandering.

I think I am going to start doing some book give aways once/if I get some followers on here. I have tons of books and not enough space for them.

The Inner Circle by T.C. Boyle

This is one that has been on my TBR lists for a while. It wasn't bad, it was just weird.

The book has Prok or Professor Kinsey doing his sex study back in the 1940's. A student John Milk starts by working for him in the biology lab, but quickly becomes his right hand. The book is written from John's perspective. The relationships are all a bit convoluted and almost incestuous as they are all having sex with one another.

Their philosophy is that is has nothing to do with love etc, just about biology. Of course those beliefs do get put to the test in the book.

Overall the writing style didn't grab me. It wasn't a book I ever felt totally engaged in. Another so so book to me.

The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg

In this book Laura is going home for her annual trip with her family for the Minnesota State Fair which she has been going to since she was a child. Now married with children, they have continued this tradition with her parents and siblings.

Before she arrives she gets the ominous phone call from her sister Caroline that she wants to talk to her and her brother alone while she is there. Caroline doesn't offer any information over the phone and has Laura reminising a bit about how Caroline was always upset or removed from everything.

While at the fair tragedy befalls the family and while dealing with that Caroline is trying to come to grips with her issues in the family as well.

I don't really want to say more because I don't want to give anything away. The book was really good.

One of the most amazing things to me is that three children can grow up in the same house, but all with different memories and feelings about that. I come from a family with three older brothers and when we are all together talking about our past I am amazed at how different we all interpret it.

I would definately recommend this book. This had been on my TBR list for a while and am glad I finally got to it. I think it would make a great book club read as there is lots to discuss from the different points of view.

Life and completing the dream

This post isn't a review, its just me. I have really been working on my own book and it is really coming together well. I have finished the first chapter and am pretty excited about how it is turning out.

I'm not telling everyone in my real life about it, only a few of them know about it. I'm trying to visualize it being completed and all that entails. It may never go anywhere, but at least I will have done it. I have wanted to write this for over 20 years. It's about time I do it. I think with my 40th approaching I'm wanting to complete a few life goals.

I just wanted to write this because I am really excited about it. It's hard not to tell people at times, but I really want to wait until it is done. Honestly I want to wait until it is published, if it ever is. I am thinking positive though so IT WILL BE.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Wow, I am having trouble finding an awesome book lately. This wasn't bad by any means, but I certainly wouldn't say it was good. I thought it was rather dull. It's just this couple Frank and April, they both think they are something special and the book kind of deals with what happens as they realize maybe they aren't. Neither is satisfied with their lives, they try to make changes but are unable to.

It was kind of depressing. I think the first 1/2 of the book I kept waiting for something to happen and by the second half realized that nothing would really happen. By then I wanted to see how things played out.

So again it was ok. I would grade this one in the middle.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Okay another "classic". I actually listed to this as an audio book. I was never quite sure if I was going to finish it until the last two out of 10 CDs. It was a deeply disturbing book. I think everyone knows the premise of the story. Basically its about a pedophile. But really it was so much complex than that. His "Lolita" was very disturbed before she met him it seemed. The poor girl really needed help and instead she got Humbert.

I had this on my TBR mainly because it had been banned at one point and I wanted to see why. There wasn't anything explicit about the book, no sexual scenes, so it must have been the subject matter. I'll be honest I could have lived my life without reading this. It was very disturbing on so many levels.

And the main character of Humbert did have some redeeming qualities. Not enough, but some. I believe it was the guilt of his thoughts that led him to the insane asylums prior to meeting Lolita. And of course I believe it was the guilt that led to his insanity after losing her.

It was a very well written book about a very disturbing subject. Humbert truly loved Lolita, but his love was so dark and she was so young. My main problem in getting through the book was when they would use french and not translate it. I felt I missed part of the story by not understanding those parts.

So overall I would say it was okay. I think probably it was an excellent book because it did disturb me so much. However its not a book I would readily recommend.

While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky

This book is about a woman whose sister is a competive runner and while out on a run one day suffers from a major heartattack and goes into a coma, and how the family deals with it.

The characters were so rich to me. In the beginning I hated the mother, but she was redeemed for me by the end.

For me I know it was a good, well written book when I am so into the characters that I start crying for them. Not just in sadness, but in their small triumphs as well.

Okay, I do cry easy and I do tend to fall into a book and live with the characters, but I didn't just tear up with this one, I sobbed. I actually had a headache from sobbing. I was so mentally fatigued after finishing this Saturday that I couldn't read the tearjerker bday card from my Mom to me. I was just drained.

I love books like that!!!

A Thousand Voices by Lisa Wingate

Another hit!!!

In this book a grown up Dell, a character from the other stories in this series, goes searching for the truth about her biological father and during the search stumbles upon a family of Native Americans that befriend her and help in her search.

I love these series that keep characters going. Its like you can check back in with old friends and see how their life is going.

I think the book was fantastic. I think that the portrayal of Dell as still being unsure of her adoptive parents love. She didn't tell them of the journey for fear they would be upset. She still has the feeling she has to be perfect to "earn" their love. I think in this book of the series there was less of that than in the books where she was younger. However it seems to still be something she feels.

My only gripe was the ending. It didn't feel like it was all resolved and I believe this is the last in the series. I need to check that to be sure though.

If I were grading this book I would say B+, it would have been an A if there were more of an ending.

Tale a Peek, Tuesday Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted each week by http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ and is oh-so easy. Let your book fall open, and share with us 2 sentences somewhere between line 7 and 12.

I love all these kinds of things! I am currently reading A Thousand Voices by Lisa Wingate.

This is from page 199 where I am at now:

"Jace had a way of making the past vibrant and real, of making it live and breathe with the souls of the individuals who had lived it. I could tell he was a good teacher."

Just so you know this is a really good book. I have read three of the series now and need to get the other two. They are stand alone books, but I love to see characters return from a good book I have read.

Does anyone else get like that? I fall in love with characters that I hate to see them leave me, so series like this make me happy.

Maeve Binchy is another one that even though they aren't what I would call "series" her characters from pop up in other books. I love it!

The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

I guess this story really wasn't what I expected. I can't really say what I expected, but it wasn't this. That being said I would not say it is a bad book. I did enjoy it in parts, but it was a little strange.

Meri and Nathan move to a new city next door to Delia, the senator's wife. The story focuses on the two women. I thought Meri the younger woman was bordering on psycho. Delia was very nice, but aloof.

The Senator was a real ladies man which caused a rift in the marriage and left Delia living on her own, but still in love with her husband. I really felt sorry for Delia as she really was taking scraps from her husband and was grateful for them.

This book was on my TBR list so I'm glad to cross it off, but I would not say it was a great book. It was okay, if I were giving a grading scale I would say a C.

Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate

Oh my gosh, I am really liking this author. The first book I read was called Drenched in Light and I absolutely LOVED it. I found out this was part of a series, so I have gotten most of the series. This book is the first in the series.

Its about an old lady, Grandma Rose, trying to get her family together for one last Christmas. The family has been torn apart by old resentments and hurts.

It was a really good book just like the other one I had written. The characters come alive. I hate to give to much description of the book because I hate to give it away. I was just glad there was more to the series of books because I am not ready yet to part with the characters.

She is definately on my list of authors to recommend!