Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos

This book is lovely. Just lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the lives of Cornelia, Teo, and Clare. Their characters are engaging and easy to connect with and fully fleshed out so that you feel as if you've known them for quite some time. The writing is splendid - I just loved the way in which the author described the clothing, cooking, and cafe in such terms that you could imagine each of these items so clearly. I laughed out loud at the banter between Cornelia and her best friends Teo and Linny; and I cried my heart out when I read about how much pain Clare was in without her mother. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos is one of those books that you can't help but fall in love with. Upon first glance you imagine this book to be a chick lit type of novel, and perhaps to some extent it is (Cornelia and Martin, Martin and Viviana, Teo and Ollie, Cornelia and Teo, Linny and Hayes), but there is more depth to it than a typical chick lit novel. The story itself unfolds rather simply, which is quite nice. You almost expect to know the outcome and in a way you do know what is going to happen, but you don't get the entire ending right; which I think is great. We have Cornelia Brown, manager of Cafe Dora, who hits it off with Martin Grace and finds herself soon in a lukewarm love affair. Enter Clare Grace, Martin's daughter (whom Cornelia knows nothing about), and Viviana (Clare's mother and Martin's ex-wife) into the picture. We find ourselves learning about Clare and her fear that her mother is slowly going crazy. Each chapter alternates between Clare and Cornelia's perspective of what is happening to them and around them, which I think played out quite nicely in developing the storyline along. As Martin and Cornelia's relationship progresses we learn that Cornelia is not in love with Martin; and we learn that Clare's mother has left her on the side of the road and driven off, leaving Clare to fend for herself. At work one day Cornelia turns to find Martin standing before her with Clare, who suddenly begins to cry. Cornelia rushes to Clare's side and immediately begins to care for her. And so the story moves forward with Cornelia discovering more and more that she really does not know Martin; with Clare realizing that she is not alone and has Cornelia and Teo in her corner; with Teo and Cornelia realizing that they are more than just family; and with the return of Viviana, Clare's MIA mother. I could tell you the end and all the details surrounding each character, but I don't want to reveal anything else. I want you to read this book when you get a chance. Borrow it, buy it, or mooch it - but definitely read it! And now I am off to read some Wodehouse - The Code of the Woosters! Happy reading!!

The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry

I'm confused. Its been a few hours since I finished The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry and I am still mulling it over, because I'm not quite sure what really happened in the story. And to be frank, I'm not sure whether or not I liked the book. There were times when I was reading it that I became more and more interested in seeing where the story was going, but then something would happen that would throw me off a bit and then I wasn't really sure I wanted to know what would happen next. The writing itself was good, but I'll be honest and admit that I didn't care much for the excerpts from The Lace Reading Guide that were included at the beginning of each chapter. The plot itself is a bit puzzling because of the way it unfolds, although I do think that from the beginning we have some suspicion as to what really happened in certain storylines. At the beginning of the book we are introduced to the main protagonist, Towner Whitney (aka Sophya), who declares herself to be a liar and a bit of a crazy woman; thereby assuring the reader not to take what Towner claims to be truth to heart. And so the story begins with the disappearance of Eva, Towner's unofficial mother who has cared for her and Beezer (Towner's brother?) since the day their mother May decided to live on Yellow Dog Island. Upon her return home, Towner is forced to deal with her past and her family and everything that she ran away from. From domestic violence to issues with insanity, the author touches upon numerous topics that connect with each other in so many ways. The characters utilize the art of reading lace as a means to learn about the past and future, which I found to be a useful plot device. However, there was not much I really enjoyed about the book. Towards the end when the truth was revealed I wasn't surprised by it, so much as I was disappointed with it. This is definitely not a book I would recommend to friends. All in all, another book to cross off of my list for the Clear Your Shelves Challenge. Here's to hoping the next book I read is a good one. Happy reading!!

The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult

I finally finished reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult and boy am I glad it is over with! I've always thought that Picoult's books are either hit or miss and this book proves to be a huge MISS! What we have is a book that deals with date rape, a father/daughter relationship, identity issues, infidelity, friendship and loyalty and so much more packed into a mishmash of flashbacks, comic book pages, and the revelation of what happened to Jason Underhill (the rapist). All of these topics alone make for a great novel, but Picoult just does not seem to get the recipe right. Its hard to describe what exactly she gets wrong in the story. The writing is good and the idea of inserting Daniel's comic, Wildclaw, into the book seems an interesting move - however I found it to be annoying and distracting. And no I didn't comb through the comic to find out what the hidden message is (apparently Picoult inserted a hidden message throughout the comic and you can go to her site to find out if you are right). As for the characters - what a disappointment! I found them to be trite and completely unsympathetic and therefore I could not muster an ounce of interest in any of them. I honestly had to make myself finish the book and even then I had to skim over the comics and some sections of the book that just bored me.
I don't really even care to talk about the book anymore, but I suppose I should provide some sort of summary, so here goes: Trixie Stone is date raped at a friend's party and the only people that believe her, are her parents. The entire town believes that Jason Underhill is innocent and that Trixie cried rape because she regretted having sex with Jason. Her parents, David and Laura, are having marital problems of their own - Laura has been having an affair with one of her graduate students. The cops believe that Jason is innocent, but continue to investigate the rape case, until Jason is found dead beneath a bridge. At first glance it appears to have been a suicide, but the more evidence that appears, it is soon apparent that Jason Underhill was not alone at the bridge and that someone pushed him over. David admits to fighting with Jason the night of his death, but does not confess to murder. Trixie is tired of everything going on at home so she runs away to Alaska (where David is originally from). Laura and David slowly begin to communicate again and find themselves searching for their daughter and praying she is safe. The detectives decide to follow the parents, believing they will be lead them to Trixie (whom they now believe to be behind Jason's murder). In Alaska, David confronts his past and is reunited with his family. The police arrest Trixie for Jason's murder and David confesses to the murder. Laura also confesses to the murder. In the end we find out that Laura was on the bridge that night and that Jason fell over the bridge and she tried to help him up, but wound up letting go of his hand. The end.
Okay, so that is over with. The only benefit from reading the Picoult book is that I can use it to cross another one off of the Clear Off Your Shelves reading challenge and the Fall/Winter Challenge - so, yay me!! Now, I can finish reading The Lace Reader. I still haven't finished S&S&Sea Monsters or In The Woods - truthfully, I'm just not into them at the moment, so, I suppose I will finish them whenever I get to them again. As for the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge - lets just say that I am a tad behind on my miles. I'm hoping to make them up this week!!
Ta for now and Happy Reading!!!

100 Mile Fitness Challenge

The 100 Mile Fitness Challenge!! I literally just read about this today and have decided to join up because I really need to start some sort of exercise regimen. I have been walking a bit in the mornings, but I think this will help motivate me to keep on walking and stop sleeping in! Trish at http://100milefitness.blogspot.com/ is hosting this challenge. Here are the details: The goal for the challenge is to exercise for "100 miles" in three months.

Here’s how it works:
In order to complete this Challenge, you will need to “travel” 100 miles from October 1st through December 31st.

Here's how you calculate your mileage:
*Running or walking 1 mile outside or on a treadmill equals 1 mile.

*15 minutes of other workouts equals 1 mile (elliptical, swimming, weight lifting, workout video, workout classes, etc.).

A few "workout" stipulations:
“Workouts” only include activities specifically done for the purpose of exercise. Shopping, house cleaning, walking to and from the parking lot, and other day to day activities should not be included.

Partial miles travelled on different days cannot be combined. For example, if you run 1.25 miles on one day, and .75 mile on another day, that does not equal 2 miles. It counts as 1 mile.

Minutes accumulated on two different days cannot be combined. For example, if you workout 10 minutes one day and 5 minutes the next day, that does not combine to equal a mile.

1 mile on the bike does not equal 1 mile, etc. Only walking/running is mile for mile. Otherwise it would be too easy, huh?

So, those are the details and any questions you may have can be answered at 100 Mile Fitness Challenge!

Sign up at: 100 Mile Fitness Challenge!

I know I'm a bit behind on this challenge but I am ready to start walking and catch up!

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

What a gem of a book! 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff tells the story of an American Writer (Helene Hanff) and the British bookseller (Frank Doel) she befriended. For twenty years Helene and Frank corresponded with each other about books, family, food, the Queen and so much more. Eventually Helene was not only writing and receiving letters from Frank, but was also befriending the rest of the staff at Marks & Co and Frank's wife, Nora. It all began when Helene was interested in finding some obscure books and happened to read an advertisement for Marks & Co (antiquarian bookshop in London, England) in the Saturday Review of Literature. She sent off a letter to the book shop with a request for some classics in 1949 and from that point on a dialogue between Helene and Frank was developed. Invitations were always lobbied Helene's way from the fine folk of Marks & Co; they all wanted to meet this lovely American woman who had gone from customer to friend. A woman with whom they shared details of their lives with and who was kind enough to send them parcels of meat, eggs and tongue during the days of rationing. Sadly, Helene was unable to afford a trip abroad during this twenty year correspondence and so she was never able to meet Frank Doel (he passed away in December 1968). Nora lets Helene know that Frank truly enjoyed receiving her letters and that she is always welcome to come visit. In the last letter we find out from Frank's daughter, Sheila, that Helene has asked the Doels' for permission to publish these letters of correspondence in order to create this very book, 84, Charing Cross Road. I suppose we know the answer to that inquiry. All in all, a very lovely book that is well written and refreshing to read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and imagining these two people writing letters to each other and their reactions upon receiving each others' letters and parcels. One letter that pops into mind is Helene's reaction to having received an abridged version of Pepys diary - the ranting and raving was over the top and the post script she included after berating Frank for the book was just icing on the cake - she inquired whether Marks & Co wanted powdered eggs or fresh ones. Its letters like this that truly made the friendship feel real and unique at the same time. One of the best books I have read this year!! And another book read for a few of my reading challenges - yay! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! Happy Reading!!!

This has got to be one of the best books I have read this year and I wholeheartedly recommend it to you all!

Handle With Care - Jodi Picoult

Just finished reading Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult and boy was I left with tears in my eyes. What is it about Picoult's books? Are they all tearjerkers? Well, let's get to it. Handle With Care tells the story of Willow O'Keefe, a five year old girl born with OI type III (osteogenesis imperfecta aka brittle bone disease). What this means is that Willow will suffer from up to one hundred bone breaks in her lifetime, along with several other severe health complications. Her bones are so brittle that a simple move, like rolling over in her sleep could cause a break, which means that Willow's mom, Charlotte, is constantly on call, waiting to hear a break so that she can rush her daughter to the hospital. All of this devoted parenting comes at a price: preteen daughter Amelia feels neglected, husband Sean feels as if Charlotte believes only she knows how to take care of Willow and is therefore the better parent, their house is falling apart and the fridge is bare and the bills keep on coming and so do the problems. And so, when out of the blue the O'Keefe family are finally able to take a vacation to Disney, spirits are high and worries are cast aside for the time being. Amelia and Willow are overjoyed - finally, a trip that promises to be fun! Of course, things do not always go as planned during vacations. While buying ice cream the O'Keefe's family fun turns into a family nightmare. Willow falls and bones break and a trip to the hospital finds Sean and Charlotte under arrest for child abuse and Amelia being led away to foster care. Without a letter from their doctor, Sean and Charlotte have no proof that Willow is an OI child and therefore cannot prove that those breaks are not the result of child abuse. Charlotte's friend and OB-GYN, Piper Reece, saves the day when she is able to get through to the doctor and get a confirmation of Willow's medical condition to the police. The O'Keefe's are released and reunited with their children. The nightmare is over. However, Sean feels as if the police and Disney treated his family horribly and he wants to sue. He takes his family to meet with a lawyer who promptly tells him that each party involved was just doing their job and that a lawsuit is moot. However, he does provide the O'Keefes with a different type of lawsuit which could possibly net them a huge amount of money that could ensure Willow will have the best medical care for the rest of her life. Two words: Wrongful Birth. What this means is that, if Piper Reece had told Charlotte at her 18 week sonogram that Willow would be OI type III, Charlotte would have had the option to abort the fetus. However, Charlotte did not find out about Willow's OI prognosis until her 27 week sonogram and by then, she was determined to carry through with the pregnancy. Sean is horrified by the lawyer's suggestion to sue for wrongful birth and fiercely declares that he loves Willow and would never have even considered having her aborted. Charlotte, on the other hand, is intrigued by this new proposition and begins to fantasize about all of the money that could be won from this suit and how they would all finally be able to breathe better knowing that Willow's medical treatments would all be paid for. Without telling Sean, Charlotte goes ahead and talks with the lawyer and proceeds to sue her best friend Piper for malpractice. This action alone sets into motion so many heartbreaking events - Sean decides to leave Charlotte and files for divorce; Piper and Charlotte are no longer best friends; Amelia is abandoned by her family and only friend Emma and so she turns to bulimia and cutting as a way of coping with her loneliness/depression; Willow hears her mother admit that she wishes she had never been born; Charlotte questions her mothering skills and devotion to her family; Piper leaves her medical practice, etc. Its amazing how one action can cause so many reactions from so many people. The book takes us through the trial and shows us how each person is emotionally broken and the ways in which they choose to handle their breaks. In the end, Charlotte wins her case and receives a huge settlement in the millions - money that will last Willow and her family for quite some time. We find out that Sean and Charlotte still love each other and decide not to get divorced. Amelia gets help for her self-harming issues and turns to painting. And Willow, well, we finally get to read what Willow's thoughts are on this whole lawsuit, the money, her family, etc. Its quite sad actually, what happens in the end and Willow's final thoughts. Its always sad to read about a family that is torn apart and how in the end they will continue to be torn apart. All in all, a good book that makes you cry and think about family, genetics, disabilities, health care, and so much more. I think I will take a break from Picoult - enough crying for now. I'm off to read 84, Charing Cross Road. Happy reading!!

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles is a YA novel that I won on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers' program. It took me about two hours to finish the book and I have to say for such a short novel, it certainly was a good read. The book centers on a group of kids in high school: Ellie, Corrine, Caleb, and Josh. Ellie is sixteen and finds herself pregnant as the result of a one night stand. Corrine, Ellie's best friend, struggles to understand why Ellie is always "hooking up" with boys who don't like her. Caleb has always been in love with Ellie since grade school, but cannot fathom the notion that she has slept with nearly all of his friends. And Josh, is the father of Ellie's baby, the boy who took her in the back of the van and then left her there afterwards to tell his friends he was no longer a virgn. All in all, quite an ensemble of kids, all coming to grips with the realities of sex and its consequences, first love, friendships, family and loneliness. We have kids who feel abandoned by their parents, who long to feel wanted by their peers, who use alcohol as a means to bond/escape and kids who wind up talking to a doctor about abortion - showing us readers the everyday battles that teenagers face. Knowles has written a simple, yet engrossing story that makes you realize just how complicated teenagers' lives can really be. I really did enjoy this book and even though its not my usual cup of tea, I'm glad I read it. There were some things that I'm not sure I was completely in agreement with, but in the end it is fiction. So, I guess another book off of my Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge! YAY! I'm on a role!! Okay, I'm off to read! Happy reading!!! Oh, and of course, Thanks to LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's Program!!! Cheers!!

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Finally. I am done reading Columbine. Wow! What a book. It took me so much longer to read this book then any other book, because I would only read small sections of it at a time so that I could slowly digest what I was reading. It was a bit weird for me to read it so slowly, because I usually just dive right in and finish books rather quickly, but this time was different. I don't know why it was so different, maybe because this is a true story and maybe because I could only take so much ugliness at a time. Either way, I did it, and I'm done. And as a result I was reminded of when I was in college and I read Philip Gourevitch's book, We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families , and how I couldn't stop imagining what I was reading and I couldn't grasp how as a nation we were well aware of this impending situation and yet we did not intervene prior, during, and/or after, and it just made me sick to my stomach and well it really opened my eyes to the ugliness in the world and not just in my backyard. Not to say that I was naive and unaware of the atrocities being committed on a daily basis overseas, but I just wasn't as aware of our role in these atrocities - so I suppose I was a bit naive with regards to politics (which was how I came to take a Political Anthropology course - I wanted to know what was going on in the world, not just in the US). But I digress, my point is that Dave Cullen's book, Columbine, brought me back to a reality that I had forgotten about - a reality that lurks in our schools and our towns and mortifies us when we are confronted with it. A reality that shakes us as a nation and screams at us to wake up! Cullen has produced a well written and gripping book that details the events leading up to April 20th, 1999 and the aftermath that followed. I remember watching the news that day and wondering to myself what would make these kids do such a horrible thing to their peers and themselves. I remember the pictures splashed all over the papers and news - kids running out of buildings, someone falling out of a window, people clutching each other and crying; I just couldn't believe my eyes. And then the facts came together and you find out that two boys were responsible for drastically ending/challenging/changing lives and a whole community - and you think to yourself, what the frack happened to these kids that they would even consider, let alone actually shoot up their school and then kill themselves. What the frack was going on in Columbine? The answer to that question is simple - read Columbine by Dave Cullen to find out. Okay, so the book doesn't totally answer all of your questions, but it nearly does, which is as close as we are ever going to get to understanding what happened that day. The research, interviews, and planning of this book must have been exhaustive to say the least, but in the end, Cullen has created a meticulous piece of writing that helps provide a clear understanding of how one day can completely shatter so many lives in so many different ways. The misinformation that we were fed by the media is cleared up within this book. We learn about Eric and Dylan (the two murderers), the people that survived and the ones who didn't, the community and how it was affected by such a tragedy and the police investigation into April 20th, 1999. Cullen includes excerpts from Eric and Dylan's diaries and websites and he discusses the Basement Tapes that both boys created as an explanation as to what they were planning and what they envisioned as a result. Cullen also included biographical information about the people involved in the investigation, along with detailing how evidence was bungled, information withheld and how on April 20th, 1999 the police could have responded differently to the chaos. There were so many surprising facts revealed in this book that you are left with the realization of how much information was fabricated by the media and how little truth was actually reported. This has to be one of the most eye opening books I have read in quite some time - it definitely left an impression on me. I would most definitely recommend this book to everyone, because even though it is disturbing to read, it is an important book that needs to be read. And so, I move on to my next reads, which are Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles, S&S&Sea Monsters, Handle With Care and In The Woods. I would have to say that this book qualifies me for one read off of my Clear Off Your Shelves reading challenge and I would place it as a RIP read, because boy did it scare me at times to read about two boys who were capable of such horrible acts. Alright, well, I'm off! Happy Reading to everyone!!!