Burning Bright - Tracy Chevalier

Burning Bright follows the Jem Kellaway whose family comes to London after the death of his older brother. He and his father are chair makers and they find work working for Philip Astley a circus owner. Jem befriends his neighbor Maggie Butterfield and they spend much of their time following the circus life and William Blake Jem's next door neighbor who causes uproar by supporting the French Revolution in 1792.

On the four star scale

Sap Factor (*) - London in the late 1700's is not a easy place. People have to work hard and woman are often have little opportunity or resources.

Naughty Bits (****) - The Butterfields are riotous people who enjoy rough talk and song. On multiple occasions Maggie tries to embarrass Jem by pointing out the rougher or more sensual elements of London. At one point Maggie is forced to act out desperation to prevent a rape. Philip Astley's son is a lark who spends much of his time bedding and breaking up with the local young ladies. The community knows what he is up to but few people are willing to stand up to him.

Readability (****) - 320 pages. Although the book is about the eighteenth century the writing style is 21st and easy to follow.

Final notes (**) - An easy read with some entertaining parts but probably not worth the effort. Why did I pick up historical fiction. I know better. See in an attempt to move away from a strict mystery story review blog I'm reading all these books I don't like that much. Maybe I should just say bah humbug to Jason and go on a Mystery Book Binge. Anyone have some good suggestions?

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

Twilight is the story of Bella Swan who in an effort to give her newly remarried mother a little privacy moves from Phoenix, Arizona to the small town of Fork, Washington to live with her sheriff father. She struggles living in a small dark place but is mesmerized at school by the aloof Cullens family, especially their son Edward who spends significant amounts of time trying to stay away from Bella. Soon she discovers he is really a vampire who is madly in love with her scent and even though she is risking her very mortality she cannot keep herself away from him.

I should preface this by saying I've never really been a fan of romance in books. It always feels contrived. I like when people fall in love I just get uncomfortable about the gritties.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (***) - Teenage love. Lots of statements of unending love. Need I say more.

Naughty Bits (*) - This book is marketed to the ninth grade crowd although it would be perfectly acceptable reading material and level for junior high. Edward does sneak into Bella's room. I guess if Grace was in sixth grade I would be hesitant about that part but it is mainly just all good stalker fun. Some kissing and a little gore although considering it is a book about vampires really not that much.

Frustration Factor (***) - You know when you were reading the fifth Harry Potter book and he makes all these mistakes because he is an idiot teenager and you want to rip his head off or put the book down because you were a teenager once and you really don't feel like reliving the moment (only a little more dramatic because for crying out loud it was dramatic but not that dramatic) but you keep reading because you are invested in the story and you need to know who dies but you really want Snape to turn out good because that would stick it to Harry. Well that is how I felt about Bella. Only I wasn't invested so I was going nuts.

Readability (***) - 544 pages but the type set is large and they go by fast.

Final notes (**) - So it was inevitable. Most of the women I know have read this book. Only one didn't like it. Almost everyone else loved it, some to the point of obsession (Flo and Nikita I'm talking about you). What to do, what to do. Originally I decided I was not going to read it. Then I was at the library walking the shelves and I saw it on the corner. I figured it was fate so I brought it home. It was a quick read so that was nice. Otherwise though I was disappointed. Maybe it had just been built up to high for me. Maybe I just really hate high school. Maybe I'm just going through a funk right now about women's ideals but I just couldn't get it to it. At one point Meyer mentions Pride and Prejudice and the truth is I had some of those feelings. Edward spends a lot of the book being a complete jerk because he is so wrong for Bella and he is trying to deny his feelings and protect her and his family and everything else. Felt familiar to me. Don't get me wrong. I love Pride and Prejudice but Darcy is such a jerk. Yes he loves her but I swear that sometimes I find the fact that Elizabeth Bennett falls so madly in love with him well just maddening. This is not an ideal way to start a relationship. Could it possible last past a year in our time period. Who knows? Sometimes I wonder if ideas like this become part of the general cultural knowledge, the general psyche or are the ideas just there and so they are written. Like in Twilight dangerous man, love, well I guess we can just love past the whole dangerous part. Or maybe I'm just looking too much into it and it is purely for entertainment value. Anyway it reads nice and lot of other people liked it so feel free to take your chance.

Whitethorn Woods - Maeve Binchy

This was my favorite book of winter vacation. Maeve tells the story of the citizens of Rossmore a small Irish town that hears that a major highway project is planned to bypass the town going through St. Anne's Well. A local holy shrine where locals and tourist alike go to pray for intercession for marriage, babies, or new jobs. The tale is told through the eyes of many of the town residents and often different characters are used to give an more complete picture of the different families of the area.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (*) - Maeve's main tool is humor but some of the stories are tragic.

Naughty Bits (**) - There may be a few potty words although sitting here today I can't be sure on that. Also a crazy lady kills her lovers new lover off only to be thrown in jail and her mother take up with him.

Readability (****) - 352pages. A put down other books to read this one and get it finished in two afternoons

Final notes (****) - The stories in here made me laugh and I was always bugging Jason to share them like they were actual stories of real people. I'm a weirdo but I liked it a lot.

Foreign Babes in Beijing - Rachel DeWoskin

After graduating from college Rachel Dewoskin longed for excitement. She decided to use her college Chinese and found herself a job working in Beijing for a foreign relation company. She hates her job. The fact that she makes three times more then any of her coworkers makes her uncomfortable. The fact that she is spending her time trying to figure out the best way to market donuts to the Chinese makes her feel claustrophobic. On a fluke she tries out for a Chinese soap opera called Foreign Babes in Beijing, a show about two Chinese brothers who fall in love with and marry foreign babes. (Apparently due to the uneven numbers of men and women in China there is currently a push to have Chinese men marry outsiders). Rachel gets the job and for 80 yen an episode pretends to be the aggressive husband stealing Jiexi.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor () - None.

Naughty Bits (**) - Um Jiexi is a naughty husbanding stealing girl. Some potty language.

Readability (***) - 304 pages. Quick nice read that can be done in a day.

Final notes (***) - DeWoskin is in China as it opens to foreign business and more foreign ideals. I have always thought it was interesting that China while a communist country is so open to capitalism. Through DeWoskins eyes you really see that coming about. Also I understand where DeWoskin is coming from when she says that she needed to go out of the country to see what made her American and actually appreciate her country.

Hate Mail from Cheerleaders and Other Adventures from the Life of Reilly - Rick Reilly

Rick Reilly writes a humorous editorial column for Sports Illustrated. This book is a compilation of his 100 favorite columns as well as a final note on how they resolved, or how the subject felt about them, or how he currently feels about them. Some are humors like his column about the MIT basketball team that hasn't won a single one of their last 50 games. Most of the players didn't even play varsity basketball in high school but what does that matter when you have to find straight A students for your team. Some of the columns are touching like the story of Dick Hoyt who has pushed his son through over 900 races. I've posted a you tube post on the Rick and Dick Hoyt story because I've heard it before and it is a wonderful story of love and accomplishment.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (*) - I'm putting one star here because Rick has written some sappy stories but for the most part this is about laughing.

Naughty Bits (**) - Some potty language and yes Rick does take his fourteen year old son to a swim suit photo shoot.

Readability (****) - 318 pages quick pages. They are little articles so you can read one and come back later and not feel like you've missed out at all.

Final notes (***) - Funny stuff. Nice for the sports lover in your home.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

When Jacob Jankowski is 21 his parents die in an auto accident. Traumatized he walks out of his final veterinary medicine exam at Cornell without writing a final answer. With no family, no money, and no degree he runs away and joins up with a second rate circus train Benzini Brothers. What follows is a recount of his first days on the job until the end of the Benzini brothers. Gruen fills in the details of how a circus is run as well as what the depression looked/felt like. Jankowski is recounting the tale while in his nineties so you know he makes it but you are not so sure about the other characters that liven up his life.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (**) - Definitely some sad bits.

Naughty Bits (****) - Some language. We are talking about circus grifters who are not exactly on the up and up. Some ladies from the circus get Jacob drunk and take advantage of him. Someone is murdered. Also Jacob falls in love with the psychotic animal trainers wife and some stuff happens there as well. For the most part Jacob tries to be moral but he struggles in this moment in his life.

Readability (***) - 350 pages. Reads easily.

Final notes (***) - This story has some naughty bits that need to be skipped over but it really is intriguing. Jacob the protagonist is lovable and you really feel for his plight as well as most of the characters that are just trying to survive each day of the depression with something in their bellies. Also it is particularly enjoyable that ninety year old Jacob is telling you the story because you are able to see the resolution to some of the tale.

Persian Girls - Nahid Rachlin

At six months Nahid Rachlin was given to her mother's childless sister. Nine years later her father decided to reclaim his child. What follows is Nahids attempts to fit into her family, fit into her culture, and deal with the cultural/political/religious revolution of Iran. As a child Nahid decides that she wants to come to America and be a writer. Her sister Pari dreams of be an actress. Their parents want them to marry and have children. I'll let you read the book and find out what happens.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (**) - There is a lot of suffering in this family

Naughty Bits (**) - Nahid imagines an interaction happening between her mother and another man. She also dates. As far as Iranian girls go Nahid is a bit naughty.

Readability (***) - 304 pages. Quick nice read that can be done in a day.

Final notes (***) - Persian Girls is an interesting look at an Iranian girl during an interesting time in their history.

Here If You Need Me - Kate Braestrup

This book is odd. Kate Braestrup was married to a highway patrol who died in a tragic car accident. With four children at home she knew she had to pull herself together but the task seemed insurmountable. To just get herself moving she enrolled in seminary to become a utilitarian minister a job her husband hoped to do after he retired from the police force. After graduation she began working as a Chaplin for the game wardens in Maine. She's the one they call out when children are missing to comfort families. She's the only who give death notices on hunters that have gone missing. She's the one who comforts the wardens when they are broken up about young women who go to the woods to kill themselves.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (**) - There are some sad stories here. I don't know what I would do if I lost my husband. I don't know how I would help my kids. I also don't know how I would deal if one of my children was to get lost in the woods.

Naughty Bits (*) - Kate is little different.

Readability (**)* - 224 pages. A nice quick read.

Final notes (*) - The book isn't necessarily bad and it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Kate Kraestrup is a minister who tells her seminary teacher that she is religious but not spiritual. But that just doesn't make sense to me. She believes that God is all around us, in the good things that we do for each other. Maybe there is a supreme being maybe not. There might be an afterlife, but there probably isn't. It was just weird for me. Maybe someone else we get the point better.

Relentless Pursuit - Kevin Flynn

This book was written by Kevin Flynn, a Washington DC prosecutor, about a case he never really felt left him. Diana Hawkins and her 13 year old daughter Katrina Harris were brutally killed by Hawkins' ex-boyfriend. Flynn is assigned the case and follows it through from the discovery of the bodies to the cases closure and beyond. He can't let it go.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (**) - It is sad people can do these kinds of things to each other. The families suffer extreme grief. A two year old witnesses the crime and cousins and a son discover the scene.

Naughty Bits (***) - The killer Norman Harrell was a sick, sick man. He eviscerated Diana and cut Katrina's heart out of her body. Flynn lays it all out there.

Readability (**) - 384 pages. There is nothing difficult about this story to read, besides the emotional disturbance but there is something missing for me. I have no doubt that Flynn is a great prosecutor but his style is lacking that extra flair for me.

Final notes (**) - A terrible story. It is unreal that someone would do this. I think the story is missing the personal touch though by not including pictures of the victims in life. Also like I mentioned before I just did not feel his style. For me he just isn't a great mystery writer.

The Book fo General Ignorance - Everything You Think You Know is Wriong - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson

This book is hilarious. Jason of course was slightly irritated because some of the facts they point out are basically word games. An example, How many states are in the United States? Technically only 46 because Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts voted to be commonwealths, but a lot of it is just facts you were taught that are just wrong. Amazing. A few examples. Who was America named after? Most likely Richard Ameryk a Welshman that was the chief investor for the voyages of John Cabot in 1497 and 1498. What were chastity belts for? A way for women to keep off unruly suitors. How many words do Eskimos have for snow? Probably less then four.

On the Four Star Scale

Naughty Bits (*) - Well you do get to find out which creature has the longest phallus.

Readability (***) - 288 silly little pages. It is fun to read although it is fully of the kind of facts that annoying little thirteen year old brothers would love to throw out to make you feel like an idiot...I say beat them to it. Not academically written. If you want the sources on their research you have to check it out yourself.

Final notes (****) - Fun, fun. I love how they would follow where the "lies" would begin. It's sort of like the game telephone only it's scarier because some of this stuff is taught in schools, and I wish I was just talking elementary school...but I'm not!

You The Owner's Manual - Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. OZ

Does anyone besides me watch Oprah? Dr. Oz is her special doctor friend that is always coming on the show giving advice to people who only go to the bathroom once a week, or still smoke, or drink soda. This little book with cartoons gives you a simplified explanation(as much as most people would ever want to know) on the different parts of the body. It has advice on how to eat, exercise, and live longer. Apparently you need to make more love (in a monogamous relationship) and it needs to be the good kind. What does that even mean?

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor () - Um no.

Naughty Bits (**) - Lets just say there is a little body humor. I think it's funny but it might not be for everyone...mom!

Readability (***) - 432 pages. A beast but large type and filled with cartoons.

Final notes - It gave me a few new ideas for my weight training and diet. So it was worth it.

A Complaint Free World - Will Bowen

I'm not really into self help books, except perhaps diet books, which explains one of my next reads. Really, really. Unfortunately I'm big time into complaining. Say it isn't so. Well it is and I'm really not a fan. This book is written by a pastor that decided to start a book group for his parishioners. On a whim he also started a social experiment to see is he and they could stop complaining and how their lives would change if they did such. In order to facilitate the experiment he bought 500 hundred wrist bands. Each person who wanted to participate got one. Each time they complained or gossiped they would move the wrist band from one wrist to the other. In that way they were able to become more self aware. Then after they had gone 21 days without having to move the band they took it off. Many people failed, in fact it took the pastor months to complete the task, but what follows are his experiences and those of his parishioners and why it was worth it to them. Honestly I don't know if I can do it. I mean half of my blogs are built on complaining but I don't think it would hurt me one bit to become a little more self aware so I ordered 3 bracelets for free. The experiment could be done with a rubber band or penny as well.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (*) - Personal stories...ick!

Naughty Bits () - Nada nada lemondada.

Readability (***) - 192 pages but supper small. Pocket size.

Final notes - Hey I think it is an interesting experiment. I don't know if I'll make it or not but it would be nice to curb it a bit :)

Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder

Tracy Kidder was a reporter. I don't know what he used to write. I really don't care. One day he met Paul Farmer and started a project trying to pin down the essence of Paul. For those of you who have never heard of Paul Farmer he is a super star in the world of humanitarian aid. Jason tells me that in his classes when they talk about aid work they will often say, "You can't be Paul Farmer." Here is why. Paul Farmer is incredible. As a young man he went to Haiti to decide if he wanted to be an anthropologist or a doctor. The poverty and health crisis he saw there became his life mission. While still in medical school he began spending massive amounts of time running a clinic in Haiti. His professors excused his many absences because of his excellent grades. By the time he graduated from Harvard Medical School he had been working as an MD for six years and had more experience than most stateside doctors. He then moved to Haiti and began working full time in a hospital he raised the money for and had built in Cange. He took on the problems of TB and AIDS and his studies and treatment programs have changed the way treatment programs are run all over the world. Kidder talks with his family, his friends, his colleagues, and Paul himself. He follows his life for years visiting with him in Haiti in the most humble of circumstances and going to conferences with him where he is a keynote and being honored. Kidder takes everything and puts it out there for you.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (***) - I don't know how to explain this book. What Paul Farmer does is incredible. The people he works with are some of the most destitute in the world. Their country is in shambles, their health care system non-existent, poverty rampant, but they have Paul Farmer on their side. It is heart warming but rough.

Naughty Bits (**) - Cursing

Readability (***) - 336 pages. This story is excellent, well written.

Final notes - I really struggled with this book. What normally would have taken just a couple of days took me a week. I would read and think, and think, and think, and then read again. I always felt a little off kilter. First and foremost it challenged some of the deeply held ideas I had about humanitarian work and resources management, but I guess that is sort of Paul's point. Paul Farmer challenged the WHO and those "who knew" about TB. He ran/runs his clinic differently than any other place on earth. Where other people talk about appropriate technology and getting the most for your dollar Paul takes on all challenges and spends on all patients. It seems reckless but Paul and his group have made huge changes in drug availability and cost because they were willing to challenge the status quo and the established research. Paul Farmer's story also challenged me personally. At moments I thought, "I'm not doing enough. I should be doing more." Then there were other times when I thought, "How can he do this. I can't do this. I'm no Paul Farmer." It was difficult. In the end of my life I don't know what I'll have done and what I will have to look back on but I do know for sure I won't be Paul Farmer. I just hope I'll be able to say I tried a little bit more.

Enna Burning - Shannon Hale

When I picked up Goose Girl I figured I might as well get the next in the series. Enna Burning brings back many of the same characters but mainly focuses on Enna, one of Princess Isi's friends from back in her Goose Girl days. Enna's brother discovers an ancient vellum manuscript that teaches him to talk to create fire and make it do his bidding, but the need to burn quickly overtakes him. Enna learns to do the same in a hope of figuring out how to save him. When Bayern is drawn into a war she uses her gift to try and sway the war in Bayern favor.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (* ) - People die. Love story.

Naughty Bits () - Like Goose Girl this book is for grade school kids.

Readability (****) - 336 pages and they go supper fast.

Final notes - This book isn't quite as good as Goose Girl but it is still fun. I can't wait to read these to Grace when she gets a little older.

Goose Girl - Shannon Hale

Loosely based on the Grimm's Fairy Tales, Goose Girl tells the tale of the young Princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isillee, who is sent to another country to fulfill a marriage contract. On the way her lady-in-waiting, Selia, makes a move to kill her and take her place as the queen. Princess Anidori escapes, and while she tries to figure out how to show Selia's deception she uses the skill she has of talking with birds to work with the King's own geese.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (* ) - Anidori is betrayed by both her mother and her "best" friend Selina. Also a bit lovely dovey.

Naughty Bits () - This book is for 4th-6th graders. It is all on the up, up.

Readability (****) - 400 pages but they go fast. I finished in an afternoon.

Final notes - All the ladies in my ward were reading this book so I figured well why not. It's cute and fun and goes by fast. It would be a great book to own to read to your kids.

Giving - Bill Clinton

I really enjoyed this book but I think that is mainly because I was in the right frame of mind for it. Earlier in the week we watched a 20/20 special about Camden, New Jersey and I had gone to bed thinking, "What can I do? How can I help the world? " The next morning I picked this book up. I was inspired. Not by the book itself but by what I think I can do with it.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor ( ) - You would think a book about giving would be a tear jerker but this one isn't. Instead I saw it as a doorway to give me ideas for books, websites, causes, and crusades I never would have heard about otherwise.

Naughty Bits () - It is Bill Clinton. My mom said, "What does he know about giving." Oh my. Jason said, "Has she been listening to Rush?"

Readability (**) - A tad dry but at 256 pages, each packed with a new website or book to look at it is quick read.

Final notes - Like I said I saw this book as a doorway or a guide to introduce me to projects I need to/want to know more about. The possibilities about service it opened up to me made it worth it. Three of my favorite projects mentioned were:
Kiva a site where you can become a lender or part lender for micro loans around the globe. Once your money is paid back you have the option to re-lend or to take it back.
Heifer International a group that gives farm animal and teaches sustainable farming. One of the requirements of the gift is that you pass on the first offspring of your animal to another person so that the gift keeps on giving.
America's Second Harvest (Backpack Club) an opportunity to help keep kids feed on the weekends. Many children suffer on the weekends when they don't get free lunch/breakfast. The backpack club gives them a few essentials each weekend so that they can make it through the lean times.

I also absolutely must get my hands on some information about Paul Farmer, a doctor who is doing amazing things building health care initiatives that work in developing countries.

World War Z - Max Brooks

This book is AWESOME! I mean it really. I picked it up on a lark. I thought what is this...zombie fiction? Zombie fiction, what the heck is zombie fiction? The world has changed. Zombies have risen all over the world. Cities are destroyed. Millions of people are dead. Civilization is completely different. It sounds utterly ridiculous. But the book is fantastic. Brooks writes first person accounts of the experience totally straitlaced. You hear from doctors who discovered the condition. Politicians who came up with policy to deal with it. Soldiers who fought the zombies. Regular civilians from all over the world who survived and how they did it.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor ( ) - I didn't feel sappy about this book but we are talking millions of people dying her so I can't say it wouldn't affect everyone else the same way.

Naughty Bits (***) - Potty words, desperation, violence, and perhaps some reference to sex.

Readability (****) - 352 pages. The writing jumps around from author to author. The tone is serious. You would think that it would be difficult but it isn't. It is hard to put it down. You want to know the end. See the resolution.

Final notes - This book is not for the faint of heart but to me it was a masterpiece. The amount of detail and thought that went into this reality was brilliant. I mean come on zombies are totally unrealistic but he weaves the story and you can see it.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister - Gregory Maquire

Confessions is the real story of Cinderella. Set in 17th century Holland it begins when the two Fisher sisters, Iris and Ruth, find themselves back in Holland after there father is killed and they have to flee England with their Mother, Margarethe. Things look bleak for the family until they are taken in by a Dutch artist who shows them compassion by feeding them and giving them a home. Margarethe wants more though and they soon move in to run the home of a wealthy tulip exporter who has a beautiful daughter Clara. After Van den Meer's wife dies, Margarethe marries Van den Meer. What follows is the classic tale of Cinderella, but motives are explained and one sees that no one is completely innocent or guilty. People are people trying to work within the confines of their culture, station, and abilities, trying to make the best life for themselves possible.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor ( *) - There are hard times in this book but the characters are forced to deal with them in the context of survival and can not spend time dwelling on their misfortunes.

Naughty Bits (*) - Some deceit and desire.

Readability (***) - 384 pages, reads well.

Final notes - It is fun to read the story of Cinderella again. I enjoy the way that no one person is completely good or evil. I found the tulip history extremely interesting.

Obsession - Jonathan Kellerman

Why do I continue to read Jonathan Kellerman books? Why, why why? I think Alex Delaware was one of the first mystery characters but that doesn't mean I have to keep reading about him does it? Alex Delaware and his big buddy Milo Sturgis look into a mystery brought to them by teenager Tanya Bigelow who Delaware treated as a child for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her aunt Patty/adopted mother left a cryptic message before she died and Tanya wants to know what it was about.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor ( ) - A young girl loses the only person she has in the world and you feel nothing. One of the reasons I think this book is pointless.

Naughty Bits (**) - I'm pretty sure there was Alex and girlfriend loving but it can be skipped

Readability (***) - 368 pages. Fast read.

Final notes - Sometimes I just hate when writers get famous. Their books come out on the New York Sellers Best List but the truth is the author doesn't have to put any work in it. If you just want something to read this book goes fast but the mystery is weak and the way it is solved is totally unbelievable. The quality is mediocre. Save your time. Read something else.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the lives of two women living in Afghanistan from the 70's to present. It begins with Mariam the bastard daughter of a rich man who loves his daughter but does not know how to deal with the shame of his own misdeed. After "tragedy" takes the life of her mother, Mariam is forced into a marriage with 40 year old Rasheed. Violence ensues. After eighteen or so years when Mariam has been unable to produce a child, Rasheed "saves" 14-year-old Laila from a rocket fire that claims her parents. Laila has another love but for her own reasons feels she has no choice but to marry Rasheed. Through Laila Mariam is able to feel again and the women join forces to take care of Laila's children and fight Rasheed. I'm not going to give the ending away but it shows redemption and the power of love. The whole story follows the history of the region.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor ( ***) - There are some very sad parts in this book. War is not easy and it leaves casualties. There is lots of loss. Situationally it is a four out of four sap factor but for me something was missing in the writing and I felt a little detached from the characters.

Naughty Bits (**) - Children born out of wedlock, premarital sex, lying, spousal abuse, and murder. This is a book about war and the things people do when they are desperate. Not for the faint of heart.

Readability (***) - 384 pages, reads well.

Final notes - I liked the book although like I mentioned before it felt slightly detached to me.

The Lucifer Effect - Philip Zimbordo

In the 1970s Philip Zimbardo conducted the Standford Prison Experiment that took college aged men, separated them into groups of "prisoners" and "guards" and then watched as the groups quickly turned on each other. The study was prematurely ended because of concerns about the well being of the participants and has never been duplicated. He applies to this framework the story of Abu Ghraib prison. He was an expert witness for the defense in the court martial of one of the guards. He feels like the system pushes people toward this type of behavior. I say wake up and smell the freedom of choice. The full title of the book is "The Lucifer Effect, How Good People Turn Evil." My alternate theory is that maybe they were evil to begin with. No, that isn't it. The point is a lot of us have things inside of us that aren't so pretty, that we battle with daily. Some of us want to let them out and if they find someone else to give the responsibility for such to they will.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor ( ) - none for me on this one. Very clinical.

Naughty Bits (*) - You get to see all the lovely Abu Ghraib pics again.

Readability (**) - Reads like a psych book. Interesting but at 575 pages definitely not bathroom reading.

Final notes - I don't agree. While it may be human nature to polarize and pick, yes I've been in junior high as well, we have to fight for something better in ourselves. Do not use 30 + year old studies as justification to be naughty.

Kabul Beauty School - Deborah Rodriquez

Deborah Rodriquez is a hair cutting nut. I mean that in the kindest way possible. To escape a not so nice husband she decides to do humanitarian aid. She ends up helping rescue workers at the twin towers and after that decides to join a trip to Afghanistan. Once there she finds that her skills as a beautician are much in need by the NGOs as well as a training tool that can better the lives of the women of Afghanistan. She decides to start a beauty school and amazingly is able to pull it off. What follows is an interesting tale of her accomplishments, the lives of the women she meets, and her take on the culture.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (***) - The women of her school have heartbreaking stories. War and poverty have made them desperate to make a better life for their families. Some find success. Some are pulled down into darkness.

Naughty Bits (***) - Oh my, Mrs. Rodriquez. She brings out the beauty parlor talk in everything. I learned that Afghan weddings can be fairly racy. Wow! She also marries some Afghan guy for love although seeing as originally they can't even speak to each other I think she was just lonely and that was the best she could do. But she doesn't tell her family about it and in several other cases encourages lying from her students. I know it's all in the name of a good cause, but it still makes me sad. There are probably some potty words as well.

Readability (****) - Very much so. 320 pages of sadness and heart break but with a fun edge and a beauty parlor finish.

Final note - I see these stories on the news all the time. They are presented by reporters, they are recorded by aid workers, but there is something about this crass lady and her take on things. She points out stuff that no aid worker would report. She is willing to do things no reporter would dare. She gives you another take.

Born on a Blue Day - Daniel Tammet

Born on a Blue Day tells in his own words the life and history of Daniel Tammet, a 27 year old autistic savant with Asperger's syndrome. Tammet is one of only fifty savants that has a condition known as synesthesia that allows him to experience numbers and words as "shapes, colors, textures, motions, and even emotions. He explains through writing and picture how this is manifest and how he uses this "syndrome" to memorize huge quantities of information as well as try to relate to the rest of the world.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (**) - Tammet's writing is almost completely devoid of emotion but thoughts of how this would have affected him and his family are never far from mind.

Naughty Bits (*) - I just put this one star because I couldn't remember if there was naughtiness. I don't think there is, but still :)

Readability (*) - Personally I struggled. It may only be 256 pages but they are 256 pages written by someone with autism and you can feel that.

Final notes- Felt almost like textbook reading but it was interesting to see how this young man's mind worked. For me personally though it may have been easier to swallow in journal form.

Heart-Shaped Box - Joe Hill

Somewhere I read that this book was a thriller. What does that even mean? I guess someone must have thought it was suspenseful but I laughed through most of the "scary" scenes. Hill uses a lot of humor and I thought the suspense was more of a joke on his part. Maybe I misread. The Heart-Shaped Box is about an aging, I'm talking Ozzy Osbourne aging, rock star who is obsessed with the dead and fills his house with tons of creepy nick knacks. He buys a ghost in an online auction only to find that it means to haunt him, maim him, kill some of his friends, and then kill him. The rock star has to delve into the ghost's past or die. That's basically the book.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (***) - Womanizer finally finds love? That seems sappy enough to me although sap is not the point.

Naughty Bits (****) - Old man rocker, has lots of groupie girlfriends and is mean to them. Potty language.

Readability (****) - 384 pages. Reads easy.

Final notes- What is the point? I'm trying to be enthusiastic. That's it.

The Israel Lobby - John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Wait

I was looking for something different. Something to stand out of the fluff and gruff that I so love to read. This is what I came up with. The authors start the book out by saying, "Hey we realize this is a touchy subject. People are going to call us racist. We understand that but we feel like it is important to bring this information to light." (Well in a few more words but you get the picture). They are right on all counts. Their research deals with the uneven handed US foreign policy toward Israel. It is touchy and I guess if you support these policies it may seem racist. Hey, I don't and it still seemed a bit on the edge, not the research itself but just compiling it. I honestly thought why do they feel the need to needle this. At one point I flipped to the front to see the authors' names and when I saw the "heimer" I thought, oh my. But then I realized, hey this is the time of supposed information freedom and just because they felt the need to share this information doesn't mean they are or are racist, or related to racists. Does it matter? Perhaps, perhaps not. They are like the anti-lobby and in my book that means take a look. The research they have compiled is AWESOME! I've dabbled in a tiny bit of the region's history, but there was stuff I'd never heard. There was stuff that my husband who has a BA in Near Eastern Studies had never heard or perhaps just forgot. Multiple times in this book I looked up and said, "Did you know this?" Actually I did that a lot!

On the Four Star Scale

Yuck Factor (*) - Politics is always a little icky in my opinion :)

Readability (****) - This is 496 pages of research but some of this length is taken up with footnotes and it flows nicely. Plus the "wow, I never knew that factor" keeps you plowing on.

Final notes - I agree that you could be suspect of their motives, but they are writing a book that has an argument and the argument is, "The US has crappy Middle Eastern policies and that is hurting us." They don't need to stay balanced. They are making their argument and from where I'm sitting it isn't half bad.

The Friday Night Knitting Club-Kate Jacobs

Who doesn't wish that they had a few domestic skills? I know I certainly do. I remember searching for a sewing machine feeling like that ability to create would fill some type of need I had. It did. Creation is it's own reward. The women in this book would agree. In this first novel by Kate Jacobs, the author explores a knitting club in New York City and the lives of its diverse members. She tackles the themes of family, the love and the the hurt involved there. She looks at relationships, those that work, those that don't, and the healing needed for both. Womanhood is a central theme as well as motherhood, and the need to finds ones' own self, fulfillment, and worth. There are plenty of moments to laugh and a few to cry.

On the Four Star Scale

Sap Factor (***) - Discovering one's roots, mother-daughter time, health issues, loving and loss. There is plenty of emotion to go around.

Naughty Bits (**) - Seventy year-olds going to the gynecologist and some references to sexual relationships. Some language.

Readability (****) - Isn't going to take all week. 352 nice smooth pages. Written in multiple views but still flows easily.

Final notes- In the end I wanted to pick up some needles. I won't because how many new hobbies can you pick a year but Jacobs made knitting seem exciting and made me want to stretch myself a little further.