Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks

LOVED IT! I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants and I bawled like a baby at the end. Such an interesting family life that Nicholas and his brother Micah have had. They tell their story through this trip that they take together around the world. (Can we say, jealous???) They visited places like Machu Pichu, Ayers Rock in Australia, Easter Island, Norway, Cambodia, India. So cool. I won't say much more as you'll have to check out my book group's blog after May 16th to see if the others liked the book. :)

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

This was a fun read about a woman in Victorian England who marries a man to get away from her overbearing mother. Unfortunately her husband dies within the first year of their marraige. She comes to know him through his friends and his diaries. And she's off on a path to solve the mystery of all of this antiquities that have been delivered to their house in the country.

I enjoyed this--the style is easily read and was it was an engaging plot line.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

A new series that I wanted to try out. Reichs' Temperance Brennan books are the basis for the TV series Bones. I have not seen the TV show at all, but the premise of these books is that Brennan is a forensic pathologist in Montreal and she is working on cases for the various police departments. She starts piecing together that two of her cases may be linked together and may have been victims of a serial killer. She starts helping out in the investigation of each and finds her own self in danger. It's fast-paced and much like the Scarpetta series by Cornwell, but different and has it's own charms. I would read more of this series.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

I loved this book. It took me awhile (I'd say 150 pages or so) to really get into it because almost immediately you know the ending. The fun part is reading the middle and trying to figure out how it will all fit together. I won't fool you--I was scared by the 600 pages that I had to read for my book club. I was a little put off by the use of CAPITAL LETTERS for everything OWEN SAID. You get used to it though--keep reading!

There is so many symbols in the book--the dummy, the red dress, the baseball, the armadillo. You wonder what they all mean. Each one plays a role as a result of Owen's death. I didn't see it coming, but Irving really set up different aspects of the story to all come together at the end. His storytelling is so rich and you know the characters inside and out by the end. You don't want it to end.

Highly recommend adding this to your MUST READ list!

Wow! I didn't realize it had been that long since I had last posted on my blog here. I'll have to get back on track here, but for now here are my thoughts on these books. I've read some books since Feb 1st:
"Bleeding Kansas" by Sara Paretsky--pretty good story, but sometimes dragged in the middle as well
"Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell--a little slow in the middle, but redeemed itself at the end.
"My Antonia" by Willa Cather--very good book, definitely read it if you haven't, Cather's writing was very good and the novel generated a lot of good discussion with my book group (see lovestoeatlovestoread.blogspot.com)
"Just One Look" by Harlan Coben--fun mystery that I listened to on the way to work

Code to Zero by Ken Follett

I am now a huge fan of Ken Follett. I listened to this book on CD. The narrorator was fantastic...I forget his name, but it's the version published by Recorded Books.

This was a great spy story. The main character, Luke, wakes up in a public restroom in DC not knowing who he is. The whole story is about him figuring out who he really is through the people around him. It's set against the backdrop of the launch of the first satellite/rocket into space in the early 60s. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was very entertaining. I recommend this one for anyone who likes good mysteries with a love story thrown in for extra good measure.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Ok. Now I've wanted to read Wuthering Heights for a long time now. I think I bought the copy I have over a year ago...maybe even two years ago now. It took me a little while to get going and once I did I was really enjoying it. I had to put it down in the middle to finish "Beside a Burning Sea" for book club which hurt my momentum. I did finish it this morning though.

I have to say, I didn't love this book. I know it's a classic, but I found the story to be really sad. Two people who love each other, but then marry other people. Hello? No happy ending for those two people. Then their children, who are cousins, end up together at the end after they say some hurtful things to each other and act stupid.

I'll say that the writing style takes getting used to and is just as difficult to read as Jane Austen is. I really loved "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte (sister of Emily)--story was great and writing style was easy to read. WH was the opposite.

I will say that even though I wasn't thrilled with this one, I'm glad I can say that I've read it. Another crossed off my forever growing list of books to read.

I'm sure Nancy will post on "Beside A Burning Sea" at lovestoeatlovestoread.blogspot.com. I really enjoyed that one--fast paced read with love stories and a villian during WWII. It was fun...some of the gals in bookclub didn't think so. It was a fun discussion though.