Book report

I've read two great books in the last month worth recommending:

In need of a satisfying read?

Love a list of literary goodness:
Powell's Books 2010 Puddly Awards

Home & Outlander

We are back from our journey to the shore. It was the kind of week where you loose all sense of time: eating when you’re hungry, sleeping when you’re tired, reading when you feel like it (I read over 1000 pages!), staring at the ocean daydreaming, and then walking on the beach when you get antsy from sitting. We've returned home feeling rested and energized for school, work, and autumn.

And what could possibly compel me to read 1000 pages in less than a week, you ask? Well! The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon no doubt. Recommended by several others recently, these books have quickly found their way into my heart and home as favorites. And really, I can’t put them down.

It’s extremely good stuff, involving a time-travel love story spanning from post-WWII Brittan to mid-18th century Scotland Highlands. There are six books total, plus another one coming out this fall, and I LOVE them and can't put them down for a single instant.

The story makes me want to go to the Scotland Highlands and drink Johnny Walker. Really.

Book Club

Adios Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction.

Finished it minutes before meeting my new book club ladies tonight.

How was it? Sad. Funny. Very moving. A highly personal story of a father struggling to except and understand, then control, and finally let go of his son's meth addiction. It seems to me like the book would be most appreciated by those who love someone with an addiction. The message I came away with: addiction IS a disease.

But don't take my word for it. Go read it. And don't use this post as a comprehensive critique. I'm just happy to report I read more than vampire drivel. Honestly, Pride & Prejudice is just about my favorite book ever. Twilight runs a close second. Just kidding. Maybe. Sort of.

Next book club pick: American Wife. Yeah.

New favorite book series

Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mystery series, starting with the first book, Dead Until Dark, has quickly become a favorite.

Scrumptious.

Other favorite reads:
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
Modoc: the True Story of the Greatest Elephant that Ever Lived, Ralph Helfer
Greyson, Lynne Cox
Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
Middlesex: A Novel, Jeffrey Eugenides
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen
The Smoke Jumper, Nicholas Evans
The Heart of a Woman, Maya Angelou
The Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer
Big Stone Gap series, Adriana Trigiani
Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare
The Education of Little Tree, Forrest Carter

What are some of your favorites?

Dear Stephenie Meyer

No idea, none, that I could take up the company of vampires and aliens so quickly. What is happening to me?

I love you. I love your stories. And I think I have a huge crush on Edward (don't tell my husband). I just finished The Host and am waiting very patiently for Breaking Dawn. 21 more days until its debut, I think. Please send it my way, asap. What? Oh. No worries...I'm thinking about camping out at the book store, anyway, to be the first in line for the next novel. Like at the movies when the next Batman movie comes out, you know?

Yes, yes, I've pushed aside the others, Jane Austen, Emily Brontë, Leo Tolstoy, even Barbara Kingsolver and Robert B. Parker. It's just you now. My favorite author. Ever.

I will wait. I'll be loyal. Just please keep sending me your stories. Fast.

Your most devoted fan,
-Rebecca

Image from here.

Summer Reading

Well, I finally finished The Other Boleyn Girl. Loved it - can't get enough historical drama! What a crazy time that was - 16th century English Court. Not a good time to be a woman in European politics or religion.

Last night we watched the movie, which was very disappointing. No surprise there, I suppose. This review was kind of funny and completely dead-on.

Now I've moved on to The Host, Stephenie Meyer's latest & greatest. We'll see if it's as good as her vampire series. I've already pre-ordered Breaking Dawn, the fourth & final installment. I plan on re-reading the first three in August to refresh my memory before the last one arrives via amazon.com.

Moving on, these are my recommendations for a good summer read:
- Greyson, Lynne Cox
- Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived, Ralph Helfer
- Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
- The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
- The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
- Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen