The Forgotten Garden

The library FINALLY had this book available...it seems like the waiting list was forever long. It was perfect-I was able to check it out and take it on my trip to VA! It was the perfect book to read on the long airplane rides.
It is pretty much three versions of the same story...you might say that isn't possible but it is! It takes place in the early 1900's, around the 1970's and 2005. It is about a little girl who is abandoned on a ship to Australia in 1913...and when I say little girl I mean she is about 3 or 4. Way too tiny. She only has a small suitcase with a few clothes and a book of fairy tales. The dock master finds her and after searching for someone to claim her without luck he and his wife give her a name (Nell) and raise her as their own. She is delightful and well loved by everyone. Her father is plagued by the secret of how she came to be and goes against his wife's wishes and tells her how she came to be part of their family. It turns her world upside down and inside out.

Decades later life didn't turn out like Nell had thought it would as a young girl but she is learning to be content. She then decides to find out who she is and where she really comes from. 30 years later her granddaughter finishes the hunt for the truth.

It is such a great book, I was warned by a few that the first few chapters where hard to get through, but then the story took off and was wonderful. I don't know what those guys where reading...I loved this book from the first page. The only hard thing was that I kept thinking this was a story that took place in America and I didn't recognized city names...and then I would remember (over and over) that it takes place in Australia and England. Also...since this story does take place over 3 generations I was constantly starting a new chapter a little confused as to where I was and with what character. Other than those two small things this was a wonderful story. I would love to see it turned into a movie.

Grade: A

The Snow Angel

*kind of funny that just a few days after my last post I have a book to review...that is how it goes*

The other day my mom gave me this book with strict instructions : "it is a gift read it fast I have to mail it tomorrow." That is how we do books in our family...we all read them before or after they have been given as a gift. It is so fun. That gave me about 24 hours to read it, 8 of which I was sleeping then there is kids to take care of what ever else I do during the day.

I didn't do it. I came very close, but since my mom decided NOT to gift it I was able to slow down and I took about 34 hours to read it in stead. It was a VERY touching story, one that I didn't want to put down.

It is a story about Rachel who is living a life none of us would really wish for-except for her sweetheart daughter (we all want one or two of those). Rachel's husband is a monster and with the help of a couple of true friends and the previously mentioned daughter Rachel rediscovers the power within. I don't want to give away too many of the details. But I will say that had Dave NOT walked into the room while I was reading the last few pages I would have been crying for sure...and knowing my pregnant weird-o-ness I would have ended up sobbing or something silly like that.

This is a sad book, with a very happy ending (I was nervous about the happy ending). Glenn Beck is an excellent writer and although this isn't a book I would suggest reading on Christmas Eve I would suggest reading this book.

My only issues with the book was that the 11 year old daughter seemed to be much older and instead of being 11 she should have been 14 or something. But that is pretty minor, in fact I think when I pictured the little girl in my mind she was older. Also there are two seperate stories that start off right away and I was very confused about why I was reading about two different people...I got through the confusion and figured it all out.

I will say...I am excited for Christmas and all the sweet stories that come with it. I think it is time to re-read Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater along with a few other favorites of mine.

Favorite Quote: I can't find it now, but was about being a construction worker and how he didn't just build houses he helped build homes. I liked that very much.

GRADE: B+

Something terrible

Well, I don't know if anyone noticed besides me but I haven't posted a book review for quit sometime. I am working on a few books...but I am really going slow at it.

WHY?

Well, I just don't want to read right now. Weird I know. I can't remember when the last time I felt like this was. I think part of it is the fact that at night when it comes time to either sleep or read I always pick sleep. So there goes a BIG chunk of time when I read.

I have thought of maybe just forcing myself to keep reading until I found my "want to" again. But doesn't that go against everything pleasure reading is about?

And so...my plan is to take a break. I am part of a book club so I will read the monthly book and I am still going to plug along with the books I am reading now (look off to the side to see the little list...they are mostly information books no novels). I assume that once winter settles in or who knows when I will be back to pumping the books out like a mad woman again and loving every pages of it..

But for now...I am reading when I feel like it and nothing else in other words I am going to do what I have been doing (makes this post seem a little pointless now doesn't it?).

I hope you (meaning the one person who reads this) are enjoying a book or two these days. Let me know what it is...maybe my problem is a lack of great novels ideas.

The Waterfall Concept

I finished this book earlier this month and I was just as excited to finish it as I was to read it! First off...note the author's last name is Stark. Yep, that is my uncle. How cool is that? It is a heavy topic so it took me a while to get through it all. But I can honestly say I am glad I read it, I didn't know anything on the topic of addiction or recovery; this book was a real eye opener for me.

It is 4 chapters long...I know can you believe it only FOUR it drove me nuts to have so few chapters (I like my chapters short remember). Thankfully within each chapter are short sections...phew. I always had a good stopping place. The first chapter was mostly about addiction...which was important to read since it was all new information for me. Then I felt like the rest of the book focused more on recovery, which I also learned is hard, long and never really over. I learned that there are many faces to addiction, many underlining issues, and no simple case.

Before you quit reading this review because you aren't a drug, sex, or alcohol addict let me say this about the book. It is a mix between a informational book on the topic and a church book on change, the Atonement, and moving forward. I found myself thinking at not times not about the addicts the author was talking about, but instead about the things I am addicted to in my life (facebook, The Bachelor, sweet treats, avoiding dishes, blogs) and how I can use the Waterfall Concept to make changes in my life for the better.

On the back of this book it was recommended that parents and church leaders should also read this in addition to those in addiction recovery read this book. At first I will say I was doubtful of that need-after only a few pages I realized the truthfulness of that statement. I would bet that most parents are extremely unaware of the reality of this issue and how close it is to our children. And as youth leaders, bishops and others in leadership rolls knowing the information in this book would be priceless. Knowing how to approach someone entering addiction and those in recovery would be helpful not only to those in leadership positions but also to the addict in recovery.

Now. You might be thinking "well, duh, Angela is going to give this book a screaming review it is by her uncle in law ." I will say I was worried about that when I started reading the book...what if I didn't like it? or couldn't finish it? or (gasp) didn't want to? It did take a while...like most non-fiction books do for me. But like I said before, it was a lot new information for me that I am glad I have now, and it also taught me through the Spirit. What more could I want in a non-fiction book?

Favorite Quote: (it was hard to choose just one) "In our addiction, we find ourselves very low in the stack [spiritually speaking], perhaps very near the bottom. The same rules apply while we struggle in additions; we must move up, line upon line, no matter how low our starting point is. Our goal is always the next line, to keep progressing along the right path. Don't worry about time or history; they don't matter. All that really matters--all that He really wants--is for us to move towards Him on this right path."

Grade: B (especially if you are a parent or church leader or teacher)

Stay

This was one of those books that I picked up off the shelf randomly. Sometimes it is a fun and great adventure doing that and sometimes it can be such a let down. SO are you wondering which this book was? Sitting on the edge of your seat awaiting my verdict!!!

Well, the story was amazing, the characters so well developed that I actually cared about what happened and that everything would turn out as it should. BUT it reached the swear word quota early on in the book. I was so sad about that but after ready a few chapters and hit that quota I was already way too involved in the book and the characters. I just couldn't set it down. So that makes it hard for me to scream "THIS WAS A GREAT BOOK READ IT" since there were too much foul language. I mean, really do people in real life talk like that? How sad.

Before you start to think that every other word on the page was foul, it wasn't.

So the story: Clara is now graduated from high school and running away with her dad to a beach. No one knows where she is going or for how long. That is how the story starts. With Each chapter we learn more about Clara and her father in their present situation and then the next chapter will have a flash back to the "beautiful" relationship she is literally running away from. On top of that Clara's dad is keeping a HUGE secret from her that changes things she knows and believes about her mother that passed away years before. It is a touching story about forgiveness, friendship, love and moving forward.

It is a gripping story, so well written and full of all the great things that make great books....well except the swearing. I am not sure if I would put this among the other teenager books. However, I think more and more teenagers are finding themselves in abusive relationships and perhaps this is a topic that they should be aware of more fully....you know without the swearing.

Quote: "But you are naive. The mostly good in your life has made you that. You've spend so much time seeing the bright side that you don't even believe the other side exists. You are wrong about that."

GRADE: A- (if you don't mind the swearing)

D+(if you do mind the swearing)

Saving Madeline

This was a nice story. Nothing more. Nothing Less. It was better than the last Nunes book I read though so that was good.

This is a story about a lady lawyer who defends the bad guys: the killers, drunks, rapist, thieves, kidnappers. What a difficult job to defend those who are most often guilty. But everyone deserves a fair trial...right? Well, then she was asked to take on a certain kidnapping case where the kidnapper is so handsome and seems so honest. He couldn't possible be guilty...especially after meeting his ex-wife. The woman he (the kidnapper) feels will eventually kill his little girl because of her drug addiction.

Of coarse at the same time the lady lawyer starts hooking up (aka dating...it is a very clean book after all) with a couple of guys at the office all the while falling for the one guy she shouldn't be falling for. Like my mom always says "when it rains it pours."

It is a nice story.

Quote: oops returned the book already.

GRADE: C+/B- (depending on how you want to look at it.)

Chasing Yesterday

One of the perks of not feeling awesome all the time is the amount of reading one can get in. When I am feeling a bit on the sick side I am able to rest for a bit with a book...which is helpful for the nausea I am feeling these days, but not so awesome for my messy kitchen. Oh well, I can't win them all!

It has been years...really decades since I last picked up a Rachel Nunes novel. Remember are Ariana series? Totally awesome! So I was excited to try her again when I came across the Nunes Row at the library. Seriously I didn't realize the woman had written so many books.

Chasing Yesterday is about a young woman who after coming home from her mission and finding her best friend dating someone else Savvy (what kind of name is that?) ran away to California to finish school and forget about the old BFF. While there her step sister shows up on her doorstep and turns things upside down and inside out for Savvy.

It was an okay story. Kind of predictable but still plenty of love story for the girl in me to enjoy. I think what bugged me the most was her name "Savvy" and the title and cover of the book. Neither had anything to do with the story. At all. I mean really shouldn't the title have something to do with the story?

Favorite Quote: I feel too sick right now to go find it. Sorry.

Grade: C