A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana

This book was positively delightful and charming. It made small town America just seem SO fun, and I absolutely loved being in the mind of this young child. It made me want to be a little girl again, and wish that I had been half as spirited and tenacious as she was. I just loved, loved, loved it. The author - Haven Kimmel, is writes about her own experiences in such a wonderful way - she makes you feel you're right in the middle of those exact experiences feeling what she felt. I cannot recommend this highly enough - it's just a perfect, fast, fun read. Her other book, The Solace Of Leaving Early has also come highly recommended, and I will definitely pick it up soon.

The Witch of Portobello

I picked this up for a couple of reasons, but mostly because I had already read and loved The Alchemist by the same author - Paulo Coelho. I hadn't read anything else by him and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was very surprised....I think I was expecting a similar style story as The Alchemist, but it was totally different. I enjoyed it immensely, it was very interesting and thought provoking, but I don't know that everyone will love it. To explain why he wrote it, Coelho said, "I wanted to explore the feminine side of divinity", and that's exactly what he did. It was fascinating and well written, and I actually loved the section at the end about Coelho as much as the book! His life has been truly one to marvel at, and his personality is so fun and soulful. When asked if he dances (as there is a dancing theme in the book), he said (among other things), "... My soul dances with the angels, and my body dances with my wife." Love it. I definitely plan on reading more of his books...

So far this year...The Things They Carried, Heart of Darkness, Devil in the White City, Water for Elephants

This year has so far been a happy, more consistent venture into the many worlds of the written word. For too long I have let things get in the way of reading and I always miss it. It helps when I found and started with a few gems that have inspired, and have caused many sleepless nights as their covers practically grew into my hands....I simply haven't been able to put them down.

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
This book was written in such a way as to make the Vietnam war almost palpable. I love how Mr. O'Brien writes - his gift of storytelling is extremely refreshing. The stories were often gripping, sometimes heartbreaking, and yet almost oddly matter-of-fact. His viewpoint on storytelling was also very unique - in that it is more important to get the idea and feeling of the story across than be 100% accurate in every fact and detail. This book made it very easy to relate to the young men that served in that awful war, and how they themselves viewed what they were doing, and where they were. I highly recommend it, and would like to thank Darren for doing so to me.

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
I joined a book club that reads Classics, and this was what I thought the assignment was. I bought it ages ago and just never read it. I liked it, though it wasn't what I thought it would be. I expected something much more....more visceral, I guess. Especially given that it was the basis for Apocalypse Now. But his writing and viewpoints were very interesting. The horrors of the darkness of Africa at that time, and varied meaning and application of the word was what interested me the most. Though I left with mixed feelings about the book, I am glad to have read it.

The Devil In The White City - Erik Larsen
Now this book - this book I loved more than anything I have read in recent months. I cannot stop raving about it. It is written about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair from the perspectives of two very interesting men - the main architect of the fair (David Burnham), and a serial killer that capitalized on the fair (H.H. Holmes). Not only was the story of the Fair and the people involved fascinating, but the amount of historical crossings that occurred over the timeframe and life of the fair was absolutely astounding. Hundreds of amazing little historical tidbits, people, and events crossed the path or were affected by this event. I won't give anything away, so if history interests you even a little bit, this is a book you will love. I would also like to note that his detailing of the killer Holmes was just as interesting, but very mild and handled without any kind of descriptive gore - so don't let that scare you off. Thank you Lindsey for recommending it!

Water for Elephants - Sara GruenThis was a fun, read - very entertaining. Based on the life of circus-folk in Depression-era America, the author wove various true stories and facts together into an absorbing and captivating work of fiction. You come to love the very unique characters, and most especially, the elephant. I loved that elephant, and many of the shenanigans she got up to. I found out in reading the author's note that many of those very shenanigans were pulled off by real elephants, which was as shocking as it was delightful.

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger

This is Stephen King's attempt (and success) at fantasy. In his own beginning, he mentions that he did not want to create a typical fantasy with elves, dwarves, and forest creatures. So he created one based on the West - in a post-apocalyptic setting. I didn't know if I would love it, and for the first several chapters was rather dubious. But I did end up enjoying it - it is different, darker, and relatively intense. I really quite like the gunslinger character. I am starting on the second one now. I'm not sure if I will take the time to read all 7 right now, since I have many books on my list, but I think I will eventually. Thanks to my friend Mandra for recommending it!

Twilight, New Moon, & Eclipse

I devoured these books. Read them in one week, actually. It's been a while since a new story got my attention and captured my imagination. It is young adult fiction, but very well written and I would describe it as a guilty pleasure. The story revolves around a young woman and a family of vampires...which may have a teeny, tiny bit to do with what sucked me in...I love vampire stories.
I was quite intrigued and enjoyed the characteristics she gave these vampires, not at all the typical myths associated with them. I would recommend these to anyone who just wants to escape into a very interesting world for a while!

The Whistling Season

This is such a sweet, beautiful story. It is kind of a slower, mellow read but you can't help but turn every page to discover where he was taking you, and what these fabulous characters were going to do next. By the end of it, I almost envied the pace and lifestyle of the early 1900s!

Harry Potter 7 - The Deathly Hallows

I read this in a single 8 hour sitting. I couldn't put it down! It is truly the coup de grâce of a wonderful and very enjoyable series. I was immensely satisfied with all resolutions made, and thought she tied all the loose threads into a perfect tapestry. Small waves of melancholy still roll over me when I think that there will no longer be the tickling anticipation of waiting for "the next one"....

The Eight

Oh I can't BELIEVE I forgot to put this in here. I read this before the Harry Potters...and it is AMAZING. Gripping, historical, it's DaVinci Code meets Searching for Bobby Fischer meets Nancy Drew (but way cooler). That may be a really bad description, but this is a fantastic book. It came out in the mid-80s, and it was the precursor to all of the current Knights Templar fuss. Ironically, it sat on my shelf for years, which is a shame that I'm just reading it....I wonder what other treasures I own but haven't read!

Harry Potter 5 - Order of the Phoenix and 6 - The Half Blood Price

I decided I needed to re-read these two books in preparation of the book 7's imminent release - the final installment (in theory) of the Harry Potter series. Five and six are two of the best of the series...a bit darker, but VERY enjoyable. I forgot how fast and intense these are! I couldn't put either of them down and finished them both in about a week. In fact, I put these in front of quite a few things I *should* have been doing. It's been really fun to watch the author improve immensely from the first book to what the current Harry Potter world is now. It is such a clever concept - I love the idea of wizards living among us in hiding. Though......I wish with my whole soul that I wasn't a Muggle.

The Last Juror

I picked this up in a random coffee shop while I was waiting for some chai, and got hooked early on. Set in the deep south in the 70s, a small town paper that sees a grisly murder and the fallout from the trial (obviously, given the author). I enjoyed the colorful characters, but I am used to a faster paced novel from him...though I suppose it moved at about the same pace as that small southern town moved. It has been a while since I read anything from Mr. Grisham, though I do enjoy him - he is an excellent writer.

Wicked

Loved it. This is the "life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West" - the classic evil witch from Oz. This book turned Oz into a completely different world, and added great depth to all the predictable, flat characters of the film. I loved it because it was a fun, entertaining read, but also touched on a lot of themes that interest me. Such as the definition of evil, differing religious perspectives, political viewpoints, and inspections into all sides of a soul's behavior and emotions. Granted, the author may be using talking Animals, and Munchkins, and Wizards to make a point or raise a question, but they are well said nonetheless (and more entertaining in my opinion). Most of all, I came to appreciate the little green Witch for being just like the rest of us - vulnerable, smart, compassionate, cruel, and loving. Dare I say, human.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

I just finished this book a couple of weeks ago. It took me a while to do so - I think mostly because life got in the way of reading (which while criminal, is sometimes inevitable). Regardless, I enjoyed this immensely. It is about two nineteenth century English magicians who are trying to "bring back English magic". It is written in such a way that it feels like straight fiction, not fantasy - even though magic is involved. In fact, magic is more like a character in the book, not so much a fantastical element. The characters are rich and come to life, you cannot help but love Strange and Norrell. There were several parts that made me laugh out loud - she writes in ways that appealed to my sense of humor. It was especially funny to me when Ms. Clarke (a British author) would mock the French in brilliant ways (though I have no quarrel with the French personally, of course). Many thanks (yet again) to my brother Darren for recommending it to me).

Old Favorites (ones held close)

As this blog is starting relatively late in my life, I thought I would begin with a list of a few of my favorites up until now - though I read most of them long ago. Methinks you'll sense a theme pretty quick....

The Wheel of Time series - by Robert Jordan
I'm not sure why I love this series so. I have managed to read 9 of it's books about 3 times, though I decided to stop and never do it again until he finished the damned thing. It's a fantastic series full of characters you identify and fall in love with, all in a world that comes to life in your mind. It is quite original, and it is my opinion that since the great J.R.R. Tolkien, it is hard to find a truly original fantasy series. However as mentioned earlier, I recommend NOT reading these until he is done with the series. I started over a decade ago, and he has yet to finish. On top of it all, he decided to go back and write a prequel! Oh how I hate him (and yet love him).


The Shannara Series - by Terry Brooks
This was one of the very first large series I ever read in my youth, and it was the spark that lit a great passion for fantasy epics. Terry Brooks is a fantastic author with amazing talent for the written word, a fantastic imagination, and a gripping storytelling ability. I remember even crying when one of the integral characters died in one of the books...I was that attached. He has received criticism for being too like Tolkien (with Elves, Dwarves, etc.) But I find it to be still quite different, imaginative, and more than entertaining. I have yet to read all of the later Shannara series books he has written, but it is only a matter of time.


Ender's Game (and series) - by Orson Scott Card
Ohhhh Enders game. There are almost no words to describe how much I love this book and all subsequent books in the saga. You can't help but fall in love with Ender and Bean - the children that are not children, and all that goes after. A fantastic book with a twist, and an insight into humanity through a very unique view. I must thank my brother for introducing it to me early on - it is truly a favorite.



The Lord of the Rings - by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Alpha and Omega of fantasy. For some reason I didn't read these until about 5 years ago. For a true fan of fantasy this is almost unforgivable (though I did read The Hobbit). However I deemed it quite necessary to read them before seeing the films, as it would have been a travesty to let Peter Jackson tell me the story instead of Tolkien himself. I was not disappointed - they are breathtaking. He created a world unlike any other, complete with full created languages. I once heard that he and his friend C.S. Lewis wrote their books because they finally wanted something worth reading. Well....it worked. I recommend these books even to the non-fantasy minded (just skip the songs) - there is much worth to be found there, at all levels.



Fairy Tales
What can I say - I'm a sucker for the classic fairy tales. I especially love ones adapted by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by her brother Mercer Mayer (famous artist of children's books). East of the Sun and West of the Moon is one of my all time favorites.