The Ruins

The Ruins
By Scott Smith
Alfred A. Knopf, 2006, 319 pgs. Horror

From the author of A Simple Plan (both books have been made into movies) comes a book both gripping and disturbing.  A group of carefree college students on holiday travel into the jungles of Mexico to search for a missing friend.  After following signs that take them down a hidden path, they stumble upon a small mountain covered by vines and guarded by hostile villagers.  Once they enter the boundaries of the mountain, they are unable to leave.  I found this story to be claustrophobic and terrifying and I could not put it down.  There is no happy ending in this gruesome tale, horror loves will eat it up! 

The Mental Floss History of the World

The Mental Floss History of the World
By Eric Sass
New York: Collins Publishing, 2008, 416 pgs, Nonfiction

The authors of this entertaining book take you on a wild ride through 60,000 worth of world history. Not like any textbook you've ever read. At times hilarious, other times bizarre, but never boring. You will come away from reading this book with a head full of knowledge that you'll remember a lot longer than what you learned in school.

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The Hand that First Held Mine

The Hand that First Held Mine
by Maggie O'Farrell
Houghton Mifflin, 2010, 341 pgs, Fiction

A lyrical novel about the lives of two women living a generation apart in London. Lexie is a beautiful, strong liberated girl living in 1950s London; Elina is a married artist and has just given birth to her first child in modern day London. As the two stories progress O’Farrell alternates between the two characters lives and the affect that motherhood has on both of them. Some readers may find this device off putting at first, but stick with it, you’ll be glad you did. The reader slowly begins to suspect that there is some connection between the two women’s lives, and in the end you are rewarded with a satisfying conclusion.

We3: the deluxe edition

We3: the deluxe edition
By Grant Morrison
Vertigo Publishing, 2011, 144 pgs, Graphic Novel

In an updated and graphic version of previous tales like the Incredible Journey and Homeward Bound, three animals are on a journey home. In this more violent version they have been engineered by humans to become lethal cyborg killing machines. They started life as pets, but were taken and used as government prototypes, to be disposed of when the project is decommissioned by the military. Rather than see them die, their trainer allows them to escape, and the innocent and simple animals have only one goal, to go home. Terror and death ensue when the animals use the lethal hardware they've been equipped with to protect themselves and each other.

This is a disturbing and thought provoking novel. One that will leave you with much to consider about our society and the morality behind how we view animals as pets, food, or expendable objects to further our scientific and military objectives.

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Farm City: the Eduation of an Urban Farmer

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
By Novella Carpenter
Penguin Publishing, 2010, 288 pgs, Nonfiction

An entertaining tale of one woman's quest to turn an abandoned lot in downtown Oakland into a mini farm. Starting with bees, Novella worked her way up to chickens, ducks, rabbits and finally pigs. At times hilarious, readers will enjoy learning about her frustrations as she attempts to feed and care for the increasingly huge and unwieldy animals. In addition to those frustrations she must also deal with the homeless, drug dealers, and skeptical neighbors. A fun book, although be aware, she doesn't shy away from describing the process of slaughtering the animals for consumption.

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Sex on the Moon

Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story of the Most Audacious Heist in History
Ben Mezrich
New York : Doubleday, 2011. 308 pgs, Nonfiction

This is a really fascinating tale of a good Mormon boy gone bad. Thad Roberts hails from Syracuse, UT, from a seemingly devout but strangely rigid and unforgiving Mormon family. After being expelled from the family due to childish indiscretions he eventually makes his way to NASA. An obviously very smart, personable young man, he rises to the top of the interns and falls in love with a fellow student. The two of them and one other student decide it would be a lark to steal moon rocks. They pull off the stunt, but are caught by the FBI when they tried to re-sell them.

I really enjoyed this book, but it did leave many unanswered questions. Why was Thad's family so unforgiving to him? What motivated Thad to risk his hard earned position at NASA? This story left me wanting more. Also left unanswered was the question of whether Thad was allowed to return to the University of Utah to obtain his doctorate after finishing his prison sentence. The title is rather sensational, but this book is clean.

Inés of My Soul

Inés of My Soul
By Isabel Allende
HarperCollins, 2006, 321 pages, Historical Fiction

This is the story of Doña Inés Suárez, the founding mother of Chile. Stretching from her humble beginnings as a wife and seamstress in Spain, to her subsequent journey to the new world to find her husband, to her long life and all the trials, tribulations, and victories she endured. Upon arriving in Peru, Inés discovers her faithless husband has died an ignoble death in battle, whereupon she determines to make a life by herself in the new world. Soon she meets and falls in love with a dashing conquistador, Don Pedro de Valdivia. Together they risk everything in their quest to conquer Chile in the name of Spain, convert the natives to Christianity, and establish a civilized society based on their Christian ideals. A sweeping and often brutal saga of two larger than life historical figures.

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
by Ayelet Waldman
Anchor, 2007, 352 pages, Fiction

This story gives a realistic view of the immense pain that comes from losing a child to SIDS, as well as the difficulties of melding step-families and the minefields that often go with the territory. Emelia is a smart, young lawyer that falls for, and seduces her married boss. After finding out she is pregnant, he leaves his family and marries her. What at first seemed like a beautiful love story quickly goes south as Emelia tries to bond w/ her 5yr old stepson and deal with her husband’s angry ex-wife. The subsequent death of Emelia’s daughter Isabelle derails her perfect life, as well as further complicates her relationships with her parents, husband, step-son, and his mother. A funny, real, and painfully raw look at a family trying to cope with their modern day problems.

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The Word Snoop

The Word Snoop
By Ursula Dubosarsky
Dial Books, 2009, 246 pgs, Young Adult Nonfiction

This book could have been a dry boring look at the history of the English language. Instead, Dubosarsky grabs the readers attention with short chapters filled with jokes, cartoons, riddles, and random facts. A very entertaining look at all the eccentricities of the English language, covering everything from the plethora of silent letters, ridiculous punctuation and grammar rules, to an exploration of the art of texting.

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Raising an American Girl: Parenting Advice for the Real World

Raising an American Girl
by Therese Maring
Pleasant Company Publications. 2010. 173 pgs. Nonfiction

If you are looking for practical advice on dealing with a girl entering her teens, then this is the book for you. The short, concise chapters explain the seemingly irrational behavior teenage girls often exhibit; and it offers practical advice for handling said behavior. The more strength, perspective, and patience a mother can garner during this time, the better.

Sh*t my Dad Says

Sh*t My Dad Says
By Justin Halpern
It Books, 2010. 176 pages. Nonfiction

Halpern began collecting and posting the crusty quotes from his father in his extremely popular blog with the same name as the book. This is a collection of the best quotes along with Justin's descriptions and explanations throughout. The book is very entertaining, and his fathers' practical, straightforward, and in your face advice never cease to provide a laugh. Obviously, as per the title, there is profanity in this book, so keep that in mind if you find that kind of thing offensive.

My favorite thing about this book was that even though his father was often rough with some of his advice, his love for his family clearly comes through.

Ender's Game

Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
St. Martin's Press, 1985. 349 pgs. Sci-Fi

Ender's Game is the story of Ender Wiggin, born the third child in a future America where families are normally only allowed two children. Ender is the object of much abuse, which he ends by brutally beating the leader of the bullies. Due to his potential as a great military leader he is selected at the age of six to be enrolled in Battle School. Here he is trained to defend Earth from attacks by the Buggers.
This was a great story, and I enjoyed the morality questions. Was Ender's treatment fair? Do the ends justify the means in war? If you are one of the few that haven't read this book I highly recommend it, but, be aware that it does contain a great deal of violence and language.

Dress Rehearsal

Dress Rehearsal
By Jennifer O'Connell
Signet, 2007. 304 p. Fiction

Lauren Gallagher, the owner of an upscale cake boutique has a theory about couples. Lauren decides that she can predict the probability of the success of a marriage based on how a couple acts when they are picking out their wedding cake. She applies this theory to her own situation - torn between a past lover, and current lover - as well as her friends. This is a funny, romantic romp reminiscent of Sex in the City.

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Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts.

Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts.
by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson
Harcourt Publishing, 2007, 292 pgs. Nonfiction

This book was all about self-justification and how people use it to cope with their daily lives. Subjects varied from politicians, to repressed memory, to criminal law, and in each the authors explain how it happens that people make bad decisions and then proceed to justify them to themselves and others. This was an entertaining book, and informative and eye-opening as well.

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain
By Annie Proulx
Scribner, 1997, 55 pgs. Fiction

A compelling tale (more a short story than novel) of unconventional love. Two cowboys raised to be tough and unemotional face an overwhelming attraction to each other. Because their situation does not allow them to be together, they each marry and attempt to live conventional lives but are unable to break their connection to one another. There is some graphic language and sexual content but it is not gratuitous and is not the focus of the story. The heartbreaking and abrupt conclusion evokes compassion and sadness for anyone caught in their situation.

The Undomestic Goddess

The undomestic goddess
By Sophie Kinsella
Dial Press, 2005, 374 pgs Fiction

High powered lawyer Samatha Sweeting has no time in her life for anything but work. On the verge of becoming a partner in her law firm she discovers that she has made a devastating error that will cost her client 50 million pounds. Realizing her career is over, she blindly walks towards the train station. She boards a train, gets off, and eventually stops at a house to ask for water. When she is mistaken for a candidate applying for a housekeeper position, she stays, playing the role, and and telling herself that she will confess everything tomorrow. Days turn into weeks, and along the way she learns to cook, to slow down and appreciate the simple life, and falls in love.

This was not a believable story, but nonetheless, it was very entertaining fluff that I enjoyed listening to. Rosalyn Landor is the reader and she does a great job giving a different voice and accent to each character.

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Paper towns

Paper towns
By John Green
Dutton Books, 2008, 305 pgs. Young Adult

This is the story of Quentin, a 17yr old coasting towards graduation. Q lives a predictable, boring life until one day everything changes. His exciting and slightly unhinged neighbor takes him on an all night adventure that ends with breaking into Sea World. Q thinks that his life is going to change now that they have shared this experience and so, he is deeply disappointed when he finds out that she has abruptly left town. Determined to find her, Q and his friends travel across the country on a caffeine fueled mission. I enjoyed this young adult book, it was lighter and more humorous than Looking for Alaska, while still exploring teenage pain and angst.

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Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
by Roddy Doyle
Penguin, 1993, 288 pgs, General Fiction

What begins as a rough and tumble look at a group of boy's lives in 1960's Ireland turns into a poignant story of a boy dealing with his parents impending separation. The author manages to capture all the excitement, frustration, pain, confusion and horror that is life for these boys. At first the writing style may turn you off, but persist, this is a story worth reading.

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Chains

CHAINS: Laurie Halse Anderson: Simon and Schuster: Young Adult: 320 pgs.

Set during the American Revolution, this is the story of two sisters that have grown up as slaves on a farm, and treated kindly. On the death of their owner they were supposed to be freed, but the will was hidden and they were sold to a rich couple from New York. The couple are loyalists and have no sympathy or kindness for their slaves and servants. After a devastating incident, the older sister decides to spy for the patriots. This is a wonderful, character driven story. Highly recommended.

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The Dewey Decimal System of Love

THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM OF LOVE: Josephine Carr: New American Library: Romance: 272 pgs.

An uptight, celibate, cat lover librarian goes throughout her day working at the reference desk, and overseeing the staff of a large library. Long ago she decided that she liked being alone, and prefers life without a man. After a chance encounter with a charismatic orchestra conductor, she slowly realizes that her libido is not dead. In order to get closer to the conductor, she begins volunteering in the orchestra records room and runs across some expensive, first edition manuscrips. Various twists and turns and evil doings, and the story becomes a mystery that she must solve. It's wrapped up a bit too perfectly, but overall, this was a fun read.

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