Arthemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

There are currently six books in this series and I have read five. All of them follow Arthemis Fowl genius, bad guy, and twelve. In the first book Arthemis captures a fairy Holly Short a (LEP) officer and holds her ransom. Five books later Arthemis and Holly are friends fighting crime.

On the five star scale

Naughty Bits (*)- These books are written for young boys. There is some potty humor to be sure.

Readability (****) - Very readable. Easy to finish in a day.

Final notes (****) - These books are extremely funny and a fast read. Dr J was upset because they keep emphasizing how extensive Arthemis' vocabulary is but then keep the book at a sixth grade level but I thought the entertainment factor was worth the aggravation.

Thirteen Year Old Boy Books

I'm going through a thirteen year old boy phase. Most of the books I am currently reading are from the children's section. When I run out of stuff to read I call my thirteen year old brother and ask for more titles. I like that the books are quick reads, often funny, and there are no disgusting or especially dark parts to worry about.

Host - Stephenie Meyer

Host tells the story of two beings caught in one body. The Wanderer is a special "soul" who has come to earth to teach as part of a parasitic movement that has taken over most of earths population. Melanie Stryder is the body the Wanderer is inhabiting. She is still present and is not ready to give up her body without a fight. Through memories the Wanderer falls in love with Melanie's boyfriend and brother and the two set off to find them in the Arizona desert. When they are discovered they are held prisoner until the camp of survivors slowly starts to accept "Wanda" as part of their group.

On the five star scale

Sap Factor (****) - Holy teenage drama. There are so many references to skin burning and fire when people touch I felt like I was back in high school.

Naughty Bits (*) - Aliens and humans are killed :(

Readability (****) - 624 pages. This book is an "adult" book but reads like a juvenile novel...quickly.

Final notes (****) - Overall the story was really interesting. There was some parts that were totally unbelievable/illogical even for sci-fi and the gushy was a little over the top but the story line kept you interested.

Fifefly Lane - Kristin Hannah

Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey make an unlikely pair. In junior high when they meat Tully is a worldly well dressed daughter of a doped up hippie. Kate is a lonely catholic girl from a good family who lost her best friends when she decided she didn't want to bend to peer pressure. Everyone wants to be Tully's friend. Kate is all alone. Each girl feels alone. One night Tully is invited to a high school party with the captain of the football team. Her doped up mother has no objections and she finds herself the victim of a date rape. Abandoned in the woods she finds her way home only to have no one to talk to. By chance she runs into Katie who has snuck out to spend time with her horse. The two become fast friends and this book follows them through a lifetime of friendship.

On the Five Star Scale *****

Naughty Bits (****) - So there is a rape in this story, some potty words, and some "relationships".

Readability (****) - 496 pages but really a fast read. I couldn't put it down.

Sap Factor (*****) - I think I cried through the entire last third of the book. I had just had a miscarriage and the hormones were going wild but the subject matter was pretty intense so I think that most people would find themselves in a similar sappy situation.

Final notes (*****) -I loved this book. Maybe it was the timing, but I just really invested in the characters. Kate is the girl I always saw myself as. Sometimes it is hard to have a friend like Tully. You are always unsure of where you stand in the world. I related to that aspect of the story. I also found the mother daughter relationships to be especially poignant. Not recommend if you can't handle a little romance. Previously Hannah mostly stuck to that genre.

The Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel - Brendon Burchard

This book is basically a salesman's motivational guide. It was predictable, poorly written, and not very earth shattering. What should have been done in three pages pamphlet was dragged out into a boring story. I want these hours back :)

NO STARS

The White Masai: My Exotic Tale of Love and Adventure - Corinne Hofmann

Corinne Hofmann was a Swedish tourist on holiday in Kenya with her live in boyfriend. Then she saw a Masai warrior on a ferry. She became obsessed. Within a few short days she had broken up with her boyfriend and tried to get "her Masai" out of jail. She had to return to Switzerland but swore she'd be back in spite of language barriers. She sold her business and her apartment and returned to Kenya not even sure if "her Masai" liked her or where he was. She found him, found he did like her, and then married him. For four years she lived in a remote village. She had malaria three times, almost died twice, had TB and had to be quarantined, started a store, and had a baby. After four years she took her daughter and returned to Switzerland.

On the five star scale

Sap Factor () -

Naughty Bits (****) - Definite lusting and drug use.

Readability (****) - 320 pages.

Final notes (**) - After I read Reunion I had to read this book to figure out what would posses someone to leave everything known for the unknown. I never really figured it out. Yes there was lust but it became evident very quickly that Masai culture does not lend itself to ours as well. Corinne sticks it out in village life for four years though much of which she is sick. She also builds a store and helps support the village long after she leaves.

Reunion in Barsaloi - Corinne Hofmann

When Corinne Hofmann fled Kenya with her two year old daughter she didn't know if she would ever be back. Fourteen years later she returned to see her ex-husband and his family that she considered her own.

On the five star scale

Sap Factor () - This book is about reunion but for me personally all of the emotion you would normal expect were absent. It was almost told in a clinical manner.

Naughty Bits ()-

Readability (***) - 162 page, interesting story.

Final notes (**) - I picked this book up because the cover looked interesting. A few pages in and I realized I had started the story at the end. Corinne Hofmann told why she was in Kenya in a book previous. She then told about returning to Switzerland, in another book. This book was about returning to see her ex husband and his family. Of brining back photos of his daughter so he could see the woman she was becoming. Of getting pictures for her daughter so she could see the land where she was born. I found some of the thing Corinne did really irritating and her writing style was not my taste but the story of a vacationer who gives up everything to marry a Masai warrior was interesting.

Does My Head Look Big in This? - Randa Abdel-Fattah

A coming of age book that explores one teenagers choice to start wearing a head scarf.

On the five star scale

Sap Factor (*) - You have to deal with some of the normal teenage drama.

Naughty Bits (**) - Some potty talk and underage drinking although I might be wrong about that. Does anyone know the legal age of drinking in Australia.

Readability (****) - 368 pages, teenage fiction. Easy read.

Final notes (***) - Funny coming of age story. Amal is a normal Australian teen until she decides to wear a head scarf. Then she stands out at a time when most of us want to blend in.

Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife - Irene Spencer

This was a book I had to read. My father has a much older sister. As a child the only things I knew about her were that she had stayed in Mexico when the rest of the family had immigrated to the states and that her children had blue eyes. That never made any sense to me because everyone else in my family has brown eyes. When I was a teenager my mother told me that previously to be married to my grandfather my Grandmother had married a white man originally from the states, a Lebarron. When her father found out that members of his family had started to live as polygamist he came in with her brothers and took his daughter and her little baby back home. He then helped to have the marriage annulled. Irene Spencer also married a LeBarron only she lived with him 28 years as his second wife, one of seven. I couldn't help thinking while I was reading this story that if it wasn't for a foreseeing great grandfather this could have been my grandmothers story. It could have been my story. It was just to much of a draw.

On the five star scale

Sap Factor (*) - Irene Spencer became a second wife at sixteen. She spent much of her life begging for love and affection. She lived in extreme poverty and spent much of her life trying to come to terms with what she had been raised to believe God wanted her to do and a healthy future.

Naughty Bits (**) - Irene isn't shy about the details of a polygamist life, of the scheduling dilemmas and of her own desires that were never met.

Readability (****) - 400 page, interesting biography.

Final notes (****) - There has been a lot of news out lately about polygamist. This gives you a in depth look at what goes on in a society like this and what the woman in these groups may be thinking.

Family Fun

I'm one of those people who loves cook books. Every year I get a few more but a few years ago Dr. J gave me the "Kitchen Bible" also known as the Betty's Cookbook. I love it and thought I was done with cookbooks forever. Then I got my hands on this little baby. I read it cover to cover last night while I was watching Zathura. Do either of those things make me a weirdo. I mean the movie was OK but it definitely didn't take all my concentration. As for the cookbook well it was just awesome. I read all the recipes, looking over the ingredients, and the hints, decided which ones I wanted to try, which ones seemed fun, which ones I had the stuff for, and which ones I thought the kids would really love. We tried out a few and so far they have been hits. I tried two of the soups in the book and they were both well received by the kids. Tonight though I dared the unthinkable and had the kids help me make homemade beagles. They were so delicious. Dr. J my DH came home and said, you should make these every morning and sell them...so I guess that means he liked them :)

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Moden Midwife - Peggy Vincent

I had two friends recommend this book in the space of a month and while I'm not expecting and they both are I still felt like I could use another looking at natural child birth should I ever try to attempt such a thing again. From where I'm comfortably sitting right now I'd say the answer to that is no, but I also swore I'd never enjoy running either so I guess you never know with things that are grueling and torturous. If you aren't a coffee/caffeine junkie, you don't smoke, or do drugs, and you've never drunk that adrenaline high can be pretty enjoyable. On a totally unrelated tangent I once took an lab class in which we isolate the caffeine out of a compound on a glass bulb and then used a razor blade to scratch it off...and yes I did feel like a member of a drug cartel. Anyway back to the story Baby Catcher chronicles the career of Peggy Vincent as she becomes a OB nurse, then a private practice midwife, and finally a midwife attached to a hospital. She explains her motivation for joining the field as well as some of the historical moments in women's reproductive rights and alternative medicine using personally birthing stories from her over forty years of practice.

On the Five Star Scale *****

Naughty Bits (**) - There is swearing and lots and lots of talk about birthing. I realize some people can't handle that kind of information and that is ok but if you are one of those people, this book is not for you. Oh also there is some front cover nudity :) My son love that part. I was reading at the breakfast table and he said in his excited high pitched voice, "Mom, that naked baby is flying."

Readability (****) - 336 pages. And a fast read. Vincent is humorous and her tales are heartwarming and exciting. I read through three meals to finish.

Sap Factor (***) - So we are talking about new humans entering this world, little tiny, helpless human beings. There was a moment I was reading about this young medical student barging through the operating doors to be with his wife and I actually got a little teary. What can I say, ever since the kids this stuff makes me mushy inside.

Final notes (****) - I really enjoyed this book. There were points when I wanted to cry and others where I was laughing so hard my checks hurt. There is one story where a young father delivers his son in the parking lot and his description of the birth takes something that was probably truly horrific and turns it into laugh out loud humor. Vincent is a real proponent of natural birthing and does her best to persuade the reader of it's virtues but she does mention some of the mishaps that can happen there and does not gloss over the craziness and sometimes tragedy that can occur. Her career spans many of the changes in reproductive care and much of the history there I was not aware of. As a child born in the eighties who has always had freedom of choice I was blind to the fights of reproductive rights. Since an abortion is something I wouldn't have ever considered I felt like woman's liberation meant nothing to me. As I read Vincent's book though I realized that I was lucky to be born into many more rights that I had previously realized, some of which I've already taken advantage of. I was not aware that hospitals used to force patients to be compliant to drugs. I was unaware that even if a father had wanted to attend a birth he would have been unable. I didn't realize how much control the medical profession had over choice. There are so many choices and opportunities I have access to because of pioneers like Vincent and her patients. I'm not saying I'm ready to jump into a home birth but I appreciate that birthing choices are mine, that Dr J can be in the room with, and because he's in med school he can even deliver my babies because laid back midwives are cool with that kind of thing. I appreciate that if at some point I decide I can't or don't want to have any more kids I can have my tubal ligation and on the same hand no doctor is going to try to force me to do it because they don't think I should have more than two children. Thank heavens for rights that allow us to have choice.

Book of the Dead - Patricia Cornwell

Do you remember when I said I was going to hate this book. Well I was right. It was vile. Everything I said in the previous post came to perdition. She wrote something completely implausible with way to many unrealistic coincidences and I still think that she is writing her cooler, sexier alter ego and it is really annoying.

Current Read - Book of the Dead - Patricia Cornwell

So I'm reading the new Patricia Cornwell book. Why, why, why. Patricia was one of the first authors that really got me interested in mystery but she is always over the top sensational and I swear she thinks she is actual Kay Scarpetta or wants to be. Anyway for lack of another mystery book I picked it up. I'll bet I'm not happy when I'm done but we'll see.

The Time Thief - Linda Buckley Archer

I'm a big fan of children's books. I can't help it. As a child I had to read all of the Rural Dahl books. In college I read all the Harry Potter books. One week during my marriage we read allowed all of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe books. I just really enjoy children's books. They are creative and exciting and you can finish them in a night. Also they are fun to read out loud. Currently my family is obsessed with the Linda Archer books. We listened to the first one, Gideon the Cutpurse, last summer on our way to Utah. It was exciting, well written, and very factual. Shortly after we were reading this book on the history of capital punishment. Multiple times we looked over and laughed..."Hey that was in Gideon." After finishing Harry Potter we were so excited to find a new series. Imagine our dismay when we discovered Gideon was the first book in the series and the next one wouldn't be out until December. Then December came and still no book. Then in March the book finally came around and we were the first ones to get a copy from our library. The Time Thief picks up where Gideon left off. Peter is still in the past. The Tar Man is still in the future. Kateis in the future but with a "faded" look. Kateand Peter's father go back to find Peter but are thirty years to late. Meanwhile the Tar Man is wreaking havoc all over the 21st century.

On the Five Star Scale

Naughty Bits () - There is a little violence here but this is a good book.

Readability (*****) - 512 pages. Fast read. Full of lots of great historical tidbits.

Final notes (*****) - This book was great. There was one tiny place where Dr. J and I turned to each other and said, "OK that was not true to the story," but otherwise it was a great read. We are anxiously awaiting the third and final book, the end of the Kate and Peter saga.

A Book Tag

So April [who I thought was my friend :) ] tagged me. Here is the deal, you pick up the nearest book, turn to page 123, and post the fifth sentence. So here goes. I'm struggling here because there is a speech sentence and I can't decide if the fifth sentence should be.

"I snickered."

But see maybe that isn't the fifth sentence because technically it is all part of the sentence "

What way? Love at first sight?" I snickered.

So maybe the actual fifth sentence is...

"His dark eyes were critical of my reaction."

Wonder what book I picked up yet? Well it is...

Am I reading Eclipse? No not yet and hopefully not ever! OK that was a little harsh. I have to admit holding the book in my hands has peaked my curiosity but really for now I just happen to be at my sisters house and it was the first book I saw. I tag Angi, Bridget, Nancy, Sammi, and any one who happens to see this post. Just pick up the nearest book, turn to page 123, and type in the fifth sentence. Fun!

Rhett Butler's People - Donald McCaig

So I need to preface this by saying that I'm not a Gone With the Wind fanatic. I only saw the movie one time and I was probably eight years old at the time. My father set me down with a bowl of popcorn with Tabasco and Gone With the Wind. I probably saw the first twenty minutes before I fell asleep. I think that was the point. It isn't to say I'm completely naive to the story. Every girl knows who Scarlett O' Hara was and Gone With the Wind is a huge part of our movie culture. I don't think there is a person in this country who hasn't heard the famous line, "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a dam." So there you go. I know the basic story I'm just not one of those people who really thinks/cares that much about it. Rhett Butler's People begins with Rhett's younger years. It explains the dynamics of his growing up. Shows you his first meeting with Scarlett O'Hara. Follows him, his sister, and their many friends through the Civil War and then explains the O'Hara/Butler marriage.

On the Five Star Scale

Naughty Bits (****) - Hello everyone I can't remember anything about this movie. There is murder, rape, working girls, adultery. At one point a man has to kill his own friend to save him the horror of his future. In most situations though there is redemption and the situations are not glorified.

Readability (****) - 512 pages but an easy read.

Final notes (***) - I keep saying I'm not into historical fiction a yet here is another historical fiction book. What is my deal. Anyway I liked the story. Rhett Butler is the flawed but dashing hero. Scarlet is a bit neurotic but what can you expect for the time period. I think be fans of the movie would probably be disappointed but if you just want some historical fiction to read this isn't half bad.

Steve and Me - Terri Irwin

I picked this book up because I happen to think the crocodile episodes are outrageously funny. Steve Irwin had quite a presence and his death was so heartbreaking I wondered how his family could possibly be coping. It isn't the type of book that I feel comfortable judging. There were a couple of places that repeated themselves a bit but truth be told this book gave me goosebumps. Terri talks about how she and Steve met, what type of man he was, what their life was like together, and how she and the children are dealing with his death. First off let me just say the man was crazy about animals and did some crazy things to have access to them. Secondly his wife was crazy about him. Reading their story you realize there really was no one else for Steve and no one else for Terri. On the other side of the word Terri found her other half and now he's gone. Third this is about heart break. There is a point where she talks about how every second she's like, "well I made it through another second without Steve," and when you read that you feel how deeply that cuts for her to have to make it through another second without him. Also when she talks about her son Robert and how he is walking around like a little lost puppy, crying in the tub, waiting for his dad to come home from heaven, well that just cuts as well. It isn't all sadness. The way they met and the story of their first date is hilarious. My DH and I will probably being saying, "Well you're not a lady at all," for the rest of our lives, but this is the kind of story that makes you want to give your hubby an extra hug at night and pull your kids in close for an extra hug, for yourself and for Terri as well.

How Doctors Think - Jerome Groopman M.D.

How Doctors Think is a grouping of interviews with doctors across the country in varying fields. They talk about patients with whom they've had success and patients whom they've failed. They discuss what they do right and what they do wrong with the hopes of teaching new doctors to be better critical thinkers, patients to be better informed, and let all of us out there know medicine is an imperfect science and things don't always work out perfectly.

On the Five Star Scale

Readability (*****) - 336 pages. Interesting read.

Final notes (*****) - You know I got this book for selfish reasons. I wanted to have a little extra clue into what was going on in the mind of Dr. J. Three things hit me right away. First, this book was just as much for Dr. J as for anyone else. Here are seasoned doctors saying, "gee after 25 years this is what I wish I would have known, or these are the red flags I keep for myself to prevent me from making mistakes". Which is why I spent most of this book saying, "honey, listen to this." So if you know someone who is a doctor or in med school this may be a perfect gift for them. I also realized this would have been helpful to read before that whole nasty appendicitis thing happened. Maybe then I could have said to the ER doctor. Yes I realize that you think I have swollen lymph nodes but just saying these things sometimes happens is not good enough for me. Lets do the scan and then we can talk. It might have saved me that whole appendix bursting and having to have a drain hanging out my body for a week. YUCK! Thirdly this really is just a great book on decision making and critical thinking and it is INTERESTING. Not dull like a text book, so hopefully you will enjoy like I did.

My Enemy's Cradle - Sara Young

During World War II Cyrla who is half jewish goes to live with Dutch relatives when it becomes to unsafe to stay home. When the Nazi's come though she realizes that her secret is no longer safe. Meanwhile her cousin Annika becomes pregnant with a German soldiers child. Her father enrolls her into a Lebensborn where Aryan mothers can go to have babies that will then be adopted by German families. Annika does not want to go and dies in a tragic accident. In order to save Cyrla, her aunt sends her to Lebensborn in Annika's place.

On the Five Star Scale

Naughty Bits (****) - Annika becomes pregnant out of wedlock and then dies of a botched abortion she tries to perform herself. Cyrla convinces a friend that she loves dearly that if she has to go to Lebensborn she needs to be pregnant to go. She then convinces him to help her make that happen. Cyrla is raped. Later on she connects with Annikas old boyfriend. Some of this stuff I could just skip over but some of it you read before you realize.

Readability (****) - 384 pages. Easy read.

Final notes (***) - I keep saying I'm not into historical fiction and then I just keep reading more and more. The story was interesting. The history was interesting. WWII was so horrible and people were forced into such bad situations. Sara Young took liberties and I'm not sure anyone would be willing to hide in the nest of the enemy like that but I've ready many holocaust journals and it really is amazing what people will do to survive. Again like Esperanza some of the most interesting stuff is in the ending notes where Young talks about the Aryan "breeding" program. Pretty scary stuff.

Mermaids in the Basement - Michael Lee West

Mermaids in the Basement is the tale of Renata DeChavannes a Hollywood screen writer who becomes overwhelmed trying to deal with the death of her mother and the supposed cheating of her long time boyfriend and work partner which is being documented by paparazzi while he is on assignment in Ireland. After an accidental hair cutting she books a flight to Alabama to stay with her grandmother Honora DeChavannes. While there she has a fight with her soon to be new stepmother, is accused of putting her into a concussion, and spends many hours drinking while be brought up to speed on what really went wrong in her parents marriage.


I'm going to move to a five star scale because it just makes more sense.

On the Five Star Scale *****

Naughty Bits (****) - This book is funny but really crass and after a while just wasn't worth it to me.

Readability (****) - 304 pages. Beach reading.

Final notes (**) - You know this book started out and easy read and funny but there was a lot of crude humor.

Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan

So I realize some of you might feel that reading a book for sixth graders is below you but I'm in a funk and didn't want to read anything at all so I figured some reading is better then none. I picked this little beauty up down by the kiddos picture books. It follows the immigration of Esperanza the daughter of a wealthy land owner in Mexico who after her father's death is forced to move to California and start a life as a field hand.

On the Four Star Scale

Naughty Bits () - Please this baby is for children and to be honest it was nice to not have to cringe over someones false attempts at romance. Oh my, why am I so bitter right now.

Readability (****) - 288 pages with big print. I finished it in a hour and half while the kids were playing at the playroom.

Final notes (****) - I really enjoyed this story. I said to Dr J, "You know how everyone has read Grapes of Wrath?" And he said, "I never read it." And then I said, "What? Is that some kind of joke?" Anyway my point is this story gives you an idea of what was going on in California in the farm fields before and when all the dust bowl refugees started showing up. It also is a wonderful reverse fairy tale. Usually in a fairy tale you watch the pauper become the princess. Here you watch the princess become the pauper. The happy ending is that she realizes that material things are not final and all you can really hold onto is family and friends. Esperanza also becomes more humane in poverty. The story is sweet and it gives you a little history on California field hands during the Depression. My personally favorite part of the book is the final three pages where the author talks about her family, her grandmother who was the inspiration for the story, and the history of Mexican labor and strikes during that time period. Really fascinating. To be honest it makes me want to check out a book on farm labor. So I guess for my book funk that is a good sign.

Book Sabbatical

I'm taking a little sabbatical from reading this month. I don't know what my problem is. I've started probably seven different books that have all been interesting but I just can't make myself finish them...hopefully I can pull myself together soon.

Once Upon A Country - Sari Nusseibeh

My current read. 560 pages and couped up kids...we'll see how long it takes me to read.

Playing for Pizza - John Grisham

Rick Dockery is a third string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. With 11 minutes left in the Championship game Dockery finds himself in the game. In those 11 minutes he manages to blow a seventeen point lead and get knocked out until the next day. Dockery wakes up in the hospital to find he has lost his job, is a hated man, and no other NFL teams are interested in picking up his contract. On a suggestion from his agent he goes to Parma, Italy to play in a very small American Football League for $20,000 and a car and apartment.

On the Four Star Scale

Naughty Bits (**) - Dockery hooks up with a cheerleader type.

Readability (****) - 272 pages. Small book.

Final notes (*) - I have now read 19 books by John Grisham...why, why, why. I think that it is time to stop. If you want to read a book about football read The Blindside. If you want to read a John Grisham book read The Client. I used to just have a problem with the way Grisham ended his stories. It seemed like he struggled to tie up all the end bits. His shoddy story lines have spread now.