Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The Latest Book Recap

I know Monica, it's been awhile since I updated on the book list so here you go.

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez. I read this a few months ago out our trip to Costa Rica. It was selected by one of my book clubs, but it is the memoir of a woman from Michigan who moved to Afghanistan to start a beauty school to help the women there. I found it extremely interesting to read about different rituals and the culture of life there and especially how women are treated, but then to read about how different the author was treated. It was a quick read and definitely interesting.

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. This was my other book clubs selection for November and for those of you that read a lot have probably heard or maybe even read this book. Wow is all I can say. This is a book that goes far beyond the meaning of life and being thankful and grateful for what you have. Extremely moving and touching and as soon as I finished the book I bought a copy for my dad for Christmas. This is also a very quick read.

The Broker by John Grisham. I actually haven't read one of his books in a while but while in Costa Rica a women from CA finished reading it in a 2 hour van ride with us and she gave the book to me. It is a typical Grisham book, constantly keeping you on your toes and trying to figure out what is going to happen next, plus it took place mainly in Italy which was fun to read about.

Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter. This is the book clubs selection for December. It is actually a local author who will be in Burlington and was selected by the county for the book selection. It is about a family in NC in the 1940's who deal with war and the polio epidemic. It is classified as a young adult book and has won awards in that category, so it was very easy and quick to read, but it definitely captivated me and it was interesting to read about life during the polio epidemic.

The Pleasure Was Mine by Tommy Hays. Another book club selection, but was also the book for the city of Greensboro a couple months ago and also a local author from Ashville. I picked this book up two days ago and basically didn't put it down. It is the story of a husband's loss of his wife to Alzheimer's and the grief he goes through putting his wife in a nursing home and visiting her everyday with the added story life of his son who lost his wife in a car accident and the grandson and how they all help each other heal one summer. It was a wonderful book.

All in all, 5 great books (4 of them from my 2 book clubs). Still sitting next to my bed is The Omnivore's Dilemma which I am only about a quarter of the way through and my sister just brought me the first few books in the Twilight series. Plus, I want to read Marley and Me before seeing it in the theaters! Not to mention all the books I still have on my list here on my blog to read and more I haven't even added!

4 comments:

Alicia Parr said...

Great list! I heard an interview on NPR with the author of Kabul Beauty School and it sounds very interesting. The one about the family in the '40's in Burlington sounds pretty good too.

I've got about 50 pages to go on Omnivore's Dilemma. Great educational material about where our food comes from and even better writing style. Recommend it!

Anonymous said...

Interesting list, I recently saw Twilight in the cinema, so will probably give the books a try, although its a little hard as I'm currently writing my third book.

Xavier
www.eloquentbooks.com/AgentForChange.html

BriGaal said...

Thanks for your list - I will probabaly 'steal' some of these - getting book recommendations are the best! I read a pretty good one on the way down to Florida called 'Water for Elephants' It was a fictional story revolving around the circus in the 1930's. Very interesting and definitely captured my attention.

Anonymous said...

thanks for the updated book list Laurie!!! i will be using your list for my choosing for book club in march. here's what my book club has read so far: (monica)

1. Secret life of bees: fictional, fast-easy paced, racial drama

2. Confessions of an Economic Hitman: non-fiction, intersting read(but lots of factual stuff, story of an "EHM" (economic hit man)...people hired to do some dirty work for USA in developing countries so that they can make lots of $$

3. Currently reading: Mountains beyond Mountains...I'll let you know....

Non-book club books:
4. I read the first two Twighlight books and was not impressed...let me know your thoughts

5. The Shack: easy read that gave an interesting spin on God and his/her role in the world

6. Wicked!: A different perspective on the Wizard of Oz story.....this book was very rich in vocabulary and the story kept me interested

7. Multiple Blessings: Jon & Kate + 8's story...yes, I'm a fan

8. Why they Hate: non-fiction; easy-read.....the story of a Lebonese woman that survived Islamic terrorism taking over her country....I'm now a big fan of the author and joined her mailing list. Her second book, They must be stopped is on my book shelf waiting to be read