Behind the Lines by Andrew Carroll

WOW! This was a very good, interesting book. It was just a slow read for me and I'm not used to that.

This book brings letters from soldiers, their family and/or eye witnesses during times of war.

I had read another book like this years ago, but this one was so much more fascinating. I really liked the fact that the letters came from both sides. You could get the mindset of the kamikaze pilot and the Germans on the front line of WWII. The letters go back to the Revolutionary War and go all the way through all the major and minor conflicts up to current day Iraq and Afghanistan.

It was very interesting and very moving, but at times it drug a bit. It did get a bit too tactical for my tastes at times, but overall it was a great book and I think a must read for every citizen. It definitely made me feel lucky that we have never known a full blown war on our soil like those in Europe did during WWII.

An Invitation to Provence by Elizabeth Adler

I "read" this as an unabridged audio book. It was weird because I liked it most of the time, but overall I would say I didn't like writing style.

The book is a good premise, an old lady in Provence, France owns a chateau and winery. Her kids are gone for one reason or another and she is basically alone. She decides to have a "family" reunion to bring life back to the chateau. She invites a long lost distant neice, her old lover's son, an old friend and her sons, while in the process, one son dies and it is discovered he had a daughter so she invites her 10 year old granddaughter who is living in poverty in China.

It wasn't much of a family reunion, as there were more people there that were not related than the related ones.

I liked the characters, but the writing style just didn't work for me. The dialogue was very forced, and at times seemed to come out of nowhere. Big reveals, were really no big deal and again forced. It seemed like she was trying to force action where she should have just let the characters do their thing. I guess what I am trying to say is she wrote really good, interesting characters, but the rest was not very good.

Booking Through Thursday

How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?

I saw this on http://belleofthebooks.wordpress.com/, and had to answer it I love musing on this! I am so excited to have found all these wonderful book blogs! I'm not alone in my passion of books.

I use the public library fairly frequently but mainly just for books on CD. I usually reserve them ahead of time. I have my TBR's on an excel spreadsheet and have it marked if my library offers it on CD, I don't purchase those books.

Actually the online bookstores have replaced my library. I love barnesandnoble.com; they have terrific bargain books. I really like having a large library of books at home, so I do like to buy them.

As I child I spent a lot of time at the library. My Mom said she began taking us there when I was a baby. I had three older brothers and money was always tight so it was an inexpensive afternoon and we all seemed to enjoy it. As I got older I remember riding my bike the mile plus to the library, I had to ride up this HUGE hill to get there, but coming home down the hill was fun!

As for the type of libraries I like, I like them all. Give me rooms of books piled high and I am in love. My dream is to have a big library room, you know like in the old movies where its two stories high full of bookshelves with one of those sliding ladders. Aahh, sounds like heaven to me. Unfortunately I will never be rich enough so its just a dream.

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.