The Happy Wives Club

This was our book club selection for the month of January? February? I honestly don't remember. Anyway, despite not actually finishing it in time for our book club meeting, I did finish the book a few days later. And I have a conflict of interest with what to write about it.

Here's the deal. Part of me wants to whole-heartedly endorse this book and recommend it to all my friends (female or not--the message of the book can be applicable for both sexes). In fact, I really want to pass my copy of the book around to others and share the message with them. But then I start to worry about how I would go about recommending it to my friends. I'm afraid that if I say, "Here, I think you should read this book about how to be a happy wife and have a wonderful marriage", all they'll hear is "Here, I think you should read this book because you seem terribly unhappy in your marriage and I think it could use some work". Even if I just think they should read the book because it's happy and uplifting and a positive book about marriage (for once!), I'm afraid there's no way to avoid my recommendation sounding like I think their life and marriage need improvements.

Here's my other hang-up with the book. While I loved the "secrets" the author uncovered about a happy, successful marriage on her journey around the world, I didn't truly find any of them earth-shattering. And, to risk sounding like I'm tooting the horn of my own marriage, I felt like Darrell and I already embodied most of them:

--Take divorce off the table. Never once has divorce been thrown out as a threat after a fight or particularly trying event. And it never will. We decided before we even got married that once those rings were on our fingers it was for good, and we would work at and do whatever it took to keep us together. Having parents who have never divorced certainly helped instill this mentality in us, but it was a decision we made together and we plan to stick to it.

--Laugh together every day. Please. Have you ever spent any time around my husband? Sometimes I wish he took himself and things more seriously. But only sometimes.

--Date your spouse. I don't exactly remember exactly when we started this ritual, but we make it a point to go on a date, just the two of us, once a month. We usually pick the night at the beginning of the month and plan something special, even if it is just dinner at a nice restaurant. We took a few months off right after William was born, but it's been especially good for us now to get back into the routine.

Those aren't the only "secrets", but I figured there was no sense in giving away the whole book because I do recommend this book and I do think lots of people should read it, regardless of their happiness level in their marriage. Because let's be honest--no one (and no marriage) is ever perfect.

Christmas Jars

This is going to be a short and sweet book review. Not only do I feel goofy writing about Christmas at the end of January, but this book also did not stimulate very much conversation at our book club meeting--in fact, it was only mentioned in the final few minutes as we were all leaving (and it wasn't for lack of time; we hung out for well over two hours! We just found plenty of other things to talk about and the book didn't exactly leave us dying to talk about it).

That being said, it is still a good book and definitely worth the (quick!) read. The biggest issue we had with the book, though, was that it seemed the author took a great idea--a Christmas Jar--and built a story around that (A Christmas Jar is a jar of money--loose change--that is collected over the course of the year and then gifted to someone in need). At times, the narrative seamed far-fetched or stretched to keep the novel from getting too long and thereby distracting from the concept of the Christmas Jar. And truthfully, I don't exactly fault the author for doing that--I think the world would be a much better place if every family implemented some version of a Christmas Jar--but just know that the book seems to be more about the idea than the story at times.

One serious pro about the novel being on the short side and not overly bogged down by "extra" narrative details (since I feel bad about possibly sounding a little judgmental in the previous paragraph)? It would make a great Christmastime read for a family with teenagers/pre-teens. Easy enough to read a few chapters a night, and a great way to foster a discussion about reaching out to those less fortunate. And now that I've written that out, I'm seriously considering buying the book so I can do that as William (and potential future kids) get older. Definitely sounds like a great family tradition--and truthfully, it would probably make a good tradition for any person or type of family. There's nothing like a quick, heart-warming read to keep you in the spirit of the season.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

You know how they say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover? Well, it's also true that you shouldn't judge a book by its title. I'd heard nothing but good things about this book since it came out, and I knew it had made it on to many bestseller lists, but I just couldn't bring myself to read it (or even put it on my list of "books to read"). Why? I was intimidated by the title. It was just so long. What good would it do me to read a book that I couldn't even remember the title of to tell people what I was reading? And besides, if the author couldn't pare down the title of her book to something smaller than a mouthful, it seemed to me that the rest of the novel would be full of other lengthy and seemingly superfluous details and descriptions.

Well, although I don't like to say this very often, I was wrong. About as wrong as I've ever been about a book. I loved this book so much that it's now on my "will buy" list if I see it at a secondhand store because I would absolutely love to read it again. And again.

And honestly, I should have assumed that I would enjoy it--crazy title and all. After all, it is set during one of my favorite time periods to read about: WWII. And I know I say this about almost every WWII book I read, but the perspective of this book is a very unique one--and it is made even more so by the writing style. The book focuses on an island in the English Channel that was occupied by the Germans during the war, and subsequently cut off from all contact with the outside world. After the war and occupation are over, one of the islanders begins a correspondence with an author in London, and the entire book is written as a series of letters (and if you are worried that that would be confusing--as I was--don't be. It is wonderfully executed and easy to follow). There's bits that were humorous, bits that were sad, and even a little love story thrown in for good measure.

If I haven't sold you on this book yet, here is most telling bit of truth about how good this book is: the (fictional) author in London who is corresponding with the (fictional) residents of Guernsey decides that she would like to write an (fictional) article and then (fictional) book about their (fictional) story. On more than one occasion I found myself wanting to know what the name of that book was going to be so that I could read it next. That's how believable the characters are and how well written the novel is. And sadly, the author died before final publication of this book happened, so it's impossible highly unlikely that she will write any sort of follow-up novel. All the more reason to go out and read this one!

The Light Between Oceans

Lately, it seems like all the books I've been reading have been about babies and families. Or maybe I'm just more likely to notice those aspects of books because I have a baby of my own. Regardless, there is no denying that this book is centered around babies, families, and being a mother. One mother--after three failed pregnancies--would do anything to have a child of her own. Another mother--after the disappearance of her daughter and husband--would do anything to have them back, or at least have some answers to their fate. One man find himself wedged between the lives of the two women, and his own life becomes a wreck as he finds himself stuck between a strong sense of morality and the desire to be loyal.

At the end of novel, one of the characters admits that it wasn't until she had a child of her own that she could fully understand the decisions both women made. And although I never read this book childless, I honestly feel like I can say the same. While at times I morally disagreed with the decisions both women were making, I tried to imagine being in their shoes--and found myself wondering if I would have had the courage to do the right thing. Would I have had the courage to ask my husband to lie for me so that my prayers could be answered? Would I have been able to give up the life and child I had dreamed of to bring the child--my own flesh and blood--happiness?

While this book may be a tough read for anyone who has dealt with infertility/pregnancy loss and/or the death/disappearance of a young child, it is a beautifully written novel that truly captures one of the fundamental debates of humanity: doing what is right for someone else versus doing what is right for yourself.

Lightning

Back in August, my book club decided that it might be fun to try reading a love story since that was a little different type of novel than what we had been reading (and no--I'm not talking like a trashy romance novel). So, we pulled out our handy smart phones and did some Googling. One of the girls found a list of "Best Love Stories for Book Clubs"; seemed like a pretty good place to start, right? One of the first novels on the list was Lightning by Dean Koontz. If you are thinking "so what?", then you have clearly never read any Dean Koontz. I, however, went through a serious Dean Koontz reading phase (we'll ignore the fact that I was in late middle school/early high school and the books were probably waaaay inappropriate), and was shocked that one of his books would be on a list of best love stories. One of the other girls echoed my sentiments, and because curiosity got the better of us, we decided to give the book a shot.

While I will definitely agree that the book has a "love story" element, everything else about it is very typical Dean Koontz--lots of thrills, suspense, science fiction/fantasy, and a few murders for good measure. And while Dean Koontz may not be typical book club fare, we did actually have a pretty good discussion about the book's approach to fate/destiny. I don't think anyone regretted that we read this book--although I'm not sure we'll be rushing back to read more Dean Koontz anytime soon.

As someone who has read and enjoyed lots of Dean Koontz, perhaps my recommendation to read this book (or anything by him) should be taken with a grain of salt. It definitely isn't going to be one of those books that changes your life and sticks with you for a long time (in fact, about halfway through, I realized that I had in fact read this one in my adolescence, but had pretty well forgotten all the major plot points. Although some of that may not be a reflection the book but rather a testament to the fact that I used to speed-read like a madwoman), but if you've never read any Dean Koontz I definitely think he is a writer that has a very unique "flair" to his novels--something that everyone should try at least once.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Okay, so I've gotten a little behind on my book club blogging (surprise surprise). We read this book for our August meeting, and were looking for something a little shorter and lighter than some of the fare we've previously read. I had read this book before, and suggested it thinking that it would fit the bill perfectly.

Well, as it turns out, not everyone felt that way about it. Some complained that it was hard to get in to because the action didn't move fast enough (a point I can agree with a little bit). Others complained that the "twists" were predictable (while admittedly I didn't catch them, I can see how figuring them out in advance would make the book less interesting). Overall, the consensus was just "meh" on this book.

Why then, you may ask, did I recommend it in the first place? What was it that made me think it was a worthwhile read? In short: the narrator. The book is told from the perspective of an autistic boy, which was just fascinating to me. It was so interesting to see the world from his point of view, to see how phrases we take for granted (like raining cats and dogs) can lead to a world of confusion for someone who lives in a literal world, to see how math and numbers and patterns could be so important in someone's life. Maybe it was the math geek in me that got me drawn in to the numbers and patterns in the book; maybe it was the literary nerd who enjoyed thinking about idiomatic expressions in their literal sense; heck, maybe it was just my appreciation for seeing the world through someone else's eyes that caused me to read the book in a matter of days. Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed it. And I standby my recommendation of it (although I felt really bad that it was not well-received by everyone in my book club).

I guess I can't necessarily recommend that everyone read this book, because apparently it isn't for everyone. That being said, I do think that anyone who works with or knows someone who is autistic (or really even just any sort of special needs child) should definitely read this book. Granted, I don't have a lot of experience with autistic children myself so I can't speak to the authenticity of this book, but based on the author's credentials it seems pretty believable that the book is a fair representation of how the mind of an autistic child would work. Which to me makes it well worth the read.

The Night Circus

I'll be totally honest, when this book was picked for our book club to read back in July, I was a little skeptical. Sure, I have nothing against a good love story, but fantasy and some sort of magicians' battle? Meh. Not really up my alley. In fact, fantasy has never really been my thing (except for Harry Potter. I definitely got sucked into those). However, I ended up loving this book. It was so fascinating and captivating and most of the time I actually forgot I was reading a "fantasy" novel. The characters (even the ones with "magical" powers) are all humans (as opposed to centaurs or something), the story takes place in real locations (primarily London and the American Northeast), and even the whole premise of the "night circus" is something that could realistically exist without any magical enchantment.

Unfortunately, aside from saying that there is a love story, a night circus, and a "battle" between two magicians, it's really hard to say much else about the plot without giving anything away. However, I can say that the book is beautifully written; although I'm always wary of books being made into movies, I think this book would make a spectacular movie. The word choice was so vibrant and descriptive that at times I found I was actually playing the book in my head like a movie while I was reading (although I know the images I was creating in my head were certainly not doing justice to what the author was describing). Of course, we all agreed that it could not be a low-budget production, because then it definitely would be disappointing.

I think the only complaint people really had about this book was that a few of the girls missed that different chapters (within the same section) of the book were set in different years. The author did include this information in small text under the title of the chapter, but unless you knew to read it carefully, it was really easy to miss that the years were jumping around (especially because in one section of the book they jump back and forth between the same day, but different years). And since some of the girls were reading the book on their Kindles/iPads, it wasn't exactly easy to flip back a handful of pages to check the year given under the chapter title. Perhaps a nuisance, yes, but in the grand scheme of things, it's definitely not a reason to refrain from picking up the book (in fact, it was inspiring many of the girls to want to read the book again and pay closer attention to those--and other--details. A sentiment I definitely agree with).

Even if you think this book is a little "outside of the box" of what you usually read, I seriously recommend picking it up anyway. Give it a chance--you won't regret it!

Bossypants

Isn't that a great cover? I sent Darrell to pick up this book for me at the second-hand store by his office, and he promptly called me after retrieving the book and asked "What kind of book are you reading?" I'm not sure what answer I gave him at the time, and I'm not sure I could give a succinct answer to that question after having read the book. Marketed as an autobiographic comedy by Tina Fey, there is so much more to the book than just that. There are reflections on childhood endeavors, notes about entering the "working world", serious points about the ever-changing role of women in the workplace--especially in positions of authority--and even some anecdotes about being a mother. All wrapped in with some bits from Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, and just being famous in general.

Personally, I would say that I liked probably half to three-quarters of this book. I've never watched 30 Rock, and most of the Saturday Night Live I have watched was during the Chris Farley era. So a lot of the references to those shows (including little snippets from specific episodes) were lost on me. However, I very much enjoyed the narrative style (and dry, sarcastic humor) of the book, so for the most part I could get past the references that were lost on me.

While there were definitely parts that I enjoyed (especially the comments about parenting), this is probably not a book I'll hang on to. If you are a Tina Fey/30 Rock fan, then I would definitely recommend this book, otherwise you're probably better off passing this one by.

The Alchemist

I'm almost caught up blogging about the books I've read (of course, just when I'm "almost" caught up I finish another book which puts me further behind)! This was our book club book for May, and it was a nice, light book to start the summer with. In fact, it was a book I've read before, and based on some of the notes I made in the margins, I was able to determine that I read it sometime around my junior year of college (I won't specify how long ago that was, but let's just say it's been awhile). The other thing I was able to determine from the notes I left in the margins? This is a great book to be read and re-read because you can find meaning in it for all times in your life. Some of the things I had noted when I initially read it were far less meaningful this time around (in fact, there were some that I was shocked I had ever found significant), and there were plenty more things that I was surprised to find I hadn't commented on the first time through.

In short, the book is about pursuing your dreams and fulfilling your own Personal Legend. The path may not always be easy and the direction may not always be clear, but with faith and trust anything can be accomplished. Coelho shares this message by telling the story of a shepherd named Santiago who abandons the "comfortable" lifestyle he has to pursue his Personal Legend.

I would be remiss if I didn't address the one point of contention some of the members of my book club had with this book. They felt that rather just "story-telling", Coelho was using the book as a means to share a belief system--and at times it seemed that he was "pushing" the beliefs rather than just sharing them. While I can certainly see how one could get that impression, it didn't bother me terribly. Many of the messages in the book, although presented under the belief system used by Coelho, could easily be translated into whatever belief system you follow.

This time through, the message that stood out to me most was that even though there may be a short or easy route to your "treasure", the longer path, although more difficult, will carry some scenery to make the journey worthwhile. I'm curious what message will stick me the next time I read it!

Light on Snow

So this is another book that I read way back during William's first weeks home from the hospital. And like The Deep End of the Ocean, I read it mostly during the middle of the night. So my review on this probably won't be the most accurate/reliable, but I'm going to share it anyway because this is my blog and I can do what I want  :-)

My biggest issue with this book (and it's something that has happened with other books as well--Suite Francaise comes to mind) was that I formed a preconceived notion of what I thought the book would be and it ended up not being that way. Which, for whatever reason, when that I happens I have a hard time getting into the book because I keep waiting for it to do what I'm expecting it to do. Obviously this isn't a flaw of the book itself, but just my understanding of the book and how I interpreted the synopsis.

In short, the book is about a father and young daughter who discover a newborn abandoned in the woods. And while there is plenty of excitement and anticipation with that discovery and the immediate resolution of it, things more or less fizzle out on that front pretty quickly. Instead, the focus seems to shift to how this discovery impacts the relationship between the father and daughter--a relationship that is developed through periodic flashbacks (flashbacks that seem, at times, random and disconnected from the development of the story).

Like I concluded with Suite Francaise, I think I would enjoy this book much more the second time through because I would have a better understanding of what to expect and wouldn't be waiting for something that was never going to happen. But even with my false perception of the book it was still enjoyable the first time through--the daughter was an entertaining character, the narrative style was easy to follow (aside from a few somewhat random flashbacks), and the plot was certainly interesting and unique.

The Deep End of the Ocean

To keep myself entertained (and awake!) while nursing William at night and then rocking him back to sleep, I've been reading through a few books that have been on my shelves for months. Of course, I wasn't very intelligent when I picked this book as the first one to read; the story is about a family (primarily the mother) and how they cope with the disappearance of their three-year old son. Great choice to read while I'm nursing my newborn :)

The clear disparity between my life circumstance and the book's plot aside, I actually enjoyed this book for the most part. It felt like I was following a news story about this boy's disappearance, complete with an inside look at the family life (and maybe it's just me, but I always get sucked into those kind of news stories. Remember those three missing Ohio girls who were found alive years later? I must have read every news article about that story. And I still occasionally Google for updates now that the story is out of the limelight). I liked how the characters seemed very "human", and acted in believable and realistic ways. I also found myself able to commiserate with the mother quite a bit, not just because I am now a mother, but because in stressful situations, I also tend to be more of a "flight" than "fight". And for about ninety percent of the novel, I enjoyed reading about the trials and sorrows of this family trying to cope and adjust to their "new" life.

However, the last ten percent of this novel seemed rushed and disjointed to me (bear in mind, I was reading this in the middle of the night, so perhaps that affected my judgement a little). You know how sometimes when books are made into movies parts are cut out or shortened to keep the movie from getting too long? I felt like that's what happened at the end of this book. It was like the author was quickly approaching her deadline, or felt like the book was getting too long, so she just hurried up and ended it. While there was still resolution to the conflict and an effort to wrap up loose ends, parts of the ending were just weird at times (at least to me) because it felt like the book was jumping from point A to D without any clear explanation as to why.

I would probably recommend this book (but maybe not to people who just had their first kid!), and I think I would even reread it myself--just not in the middle of the night.

Gone Girl

At our book club meeting at the end of March, we were debating what book to read for our gathering in April. Thanks to my dear sister-in-law, I happened to have Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn sitting around my house, and pulled it out as a suggestion. After reading some reviews on it and a brief synopsis, we reluctantly agreed to give it a shot.

Why, you ask, do I say that we "reluctantly" agreed to read it? Well, as we were looking up information on the book, the things we were reading made us a little nervous about what we were going to be getting ourselves into. Here is just a sampling of some of the reviews/comments about this book:

"Marriage can be a real killer"
"[Flynn's] work draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction"
"Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn"
"Compulsively readable, creepily unforgettable, this is a must read for any fan of bad girls and good writing"
"An ingenious and viperish thriller"
"Burrowing deep into the murkiest corners of the human psyche, this delectable summer read will give you the creeps and keep you on edge until the last page"
"[Flynn's] most intricately twisted and deliciously sinister story"
"Gone Girl is a dark, satisfying, psychological thriller"

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Lots of references to "dark", "thrilling", "psychological", "creepy"--you can understand why we were a little unsure about picking this for our book club selection. Especially since not all of us were thrilled about the prospect of a book that would keep us up at night. The final verdict, though? We LOVED it. Yes, it's definitely dark, thrilling, psychological, and creepy, but not in a "there's a serial killer lurking outside your window" kind of way. Of course, it might still keep you awake at night, but only because your thoughts will be so consumed by how disturbing and dysfunctional this couple is that you won't be able to sleep. But at least that's not nearly as traumatizing.

I don't really want to say too much else about the book because it would be hard to go into any more detail without giving away some of the twists and surprises. So I'll just end by saying that you should definitely read this book. And be prepared to be blown away.

The Kite Runner

Confession: When we read this book for Book Club last month, it was actually the second time I had read it (gasp!). However, I got to the part that I remembered as being the climax of the novel--and realized I still had two-thirds of the book left to read. Not only that, but as I was reading the last half of the book, I was actually incorrectly predicting what was going to happen based on the foreshadowing the author was using. It was like that portion of the book had be wiped from my memory completely.

Now, before you go and make the assumption that the latter part of the book is boring and uneventful, which is what caused me to forgot it, let me assure you that it is not. It's just that the major event that happens fairly early on in the book is so central to the rest of the story that it kind of trumps some of the other action (plus, it's kind of harrowing and very dis-heartening, which adds to the indelible impression it left). In fact, one of my friends who was also reading this book for the second time echoed my sentiments that there was a lot of action that she had forgotten--but the one particular event stood out in her mind clearly as well.

Ultimately, I think this is very in-line with the overall plot line of the novel. The main character ends up being haunted his entire life by an event that happened in his childhood, and even as an adult that event affects many of the decisions he makes. So it's only fitting that as a reader, that event is the one you walk away from the book remembering most--not some of the other details.

There is so much more I could tell you about the book--I could talk about its unique perspective on life in Afghanistan, its look into friendship and betrayal, its exploration of father/son relationships--but instead I'll just tell you that this is definitely a book worth reading for yourself. And maybe even worth owning a copy of so that you can pick it up every so often and re-read it to remember the details you've forgotten.

Suite Francaise

From the synopsis on the back of the book, the storyline seemed captivating enough: Parisians fleeing the city in advance of the inevitable German occupation, transitioning to a look at how life in a small village is affected by the presence of German soldiers. After reading the translator's note at the beginning of the novel, I further understood that these two stories were only part of a larger whole, a whole that was not completed due to the untimely death of the author in Auschwitz. In spite of that, I still was definitely not prepared for the content of the two stories, especially the transition (or lack there of) between the two. I've since read the appendices (which include some of the author's original notes on her plans for the whole five-part novel) and some additional information online, and I now have a much better understanding of the two stories. An understanding that I wish I would have had prior to reading.

The biggest issue for me was the fact that the two stories had very little connection. They could almost stand alone as individual novels, which is not something I was prepared for. I kept waiting for familiar characters to show up in the second story, which kept me from getting into it as much as I could have. Once I was able to let that issue go, I rather enjoyed the second story. It reminded me of Resistance with it's discussions of how the presence of the German soldiers affected life in the village, but with more development on how the occupation affected the Germans as well. And despite the fact that it was only the second story in what was intended to be a five-part novel, it had a good amount of closure and wrap-up to the main plot line.

The first story, however, was definitely lacking some of that sense of closure (which is probably why I expected the stories of those characters to be continued in the second story). It wasn't all bad, though; I didn't mind terribly that there were lots of characters to keep track of (a little similar to the movie Love Actually with it's network of characters and plots that overlap in random places), and I actually rather enjoyed reading about how a wide variety of people dealt with with impending German occupation of Paris (as well as the issues they ran into in their attempts to flee). But at the time, I just couldn't get over the feeling that I was left hanging (which, I suppose I should have expected to happen since technically the entire novel is unfinished).

As I was finishing the book, I probably would have told you that I would not recommend it. It definitely wasn't one of those "can't put it down" kind of books, and I actually considered not finishing it at all. However, now that I've done some research (and read through it once already), I think at some point I might actually be interested in going back and reading it a second time. Since I know what is going to happen, I won't be tempted to "wait" for the re-introduction of some character that isn't going to happen (and thus allow myself to actually get involved in the story that is evolving). And I would probably even read the first story differently; since I know that many of those characters don't reappear, I would probably read a little deeper into them and seek out the closure that exists instead of waiting for it to come later.

If you do decide to read this book, hopefully my notes will keep you from making some of the same mistakes that I made and you'll be able to enjoy it for what it is: two (mostly separate) stories of an unfinished whole, written as the author herself was facing some pretty harrowing circumstances.

The Pact

As I've mentioned before, I know that I can always count on Jodi Picoult to deliver a captivating novel. In fact, her novels are often captivating to a fault--usually once I start reading I can't stop until I've gotten to the end. I think the longest it has taken me to finish any one of her books has been four days, and this book was no exception. I found myself pulling this book out during any and all breaks at work, for an hour or two in the evenings, just to figure out what was going to happen next.

And the crazy thing about this book is that it appears to be resolved from the start, seemingly leaving little mystery or suspense about what could happen next. Two teenagers--neighbors their whole lives and boyfriend/girlfriend as of the past few years--apparently devise a suicide pact that ends up getting botched, leaving one of them dead and one of them in the hospital. The police aren't satisfied with the story of the suicide pact, though, and a murder investigation is launched. However, the story is told alternating between flashbacks and the present day, which provides the reader with information the police are not privy to, and subsequently seems to create a clear picture of the events that unfolded on that fateful night. Or at least that is what Picoult is leading you to believe--up until the very end when she throws a final (totally unpredictable, as is usually the case with her novels) twist into the story.

Would I recommend this book? Of course. It's the perfect opposite to Romeo and Juliet--instead of two lovers whose families are at odds with each other, these two teenagers are raised as best friends and have parents that fully support their blossoming relationship. Despite those differences, however, the end result is the same as in Shakespeare's tragedy.

I will say, however, that this was possibly not the best book to read while pregnant--or perhaps at anytime when you are raising kids. Because it definitely isn't afraid to delve into tough parenting issues; namely, the fact that you may not know your child as well as you think you do, and there may not be anything you can do to fix that.

Life of Pi

If I had typed up this review yesterday, it probably would have been much more glowing than it will be today. You see, I finished this book on Sunday and was So.Excited. to meet with my book club to discuss it last night (if it hadn't been for the book club, I probably would have made Darrell read the book IMMEDIATELY so that I could discuss it with him) because I loved the book. It was fascinating, captivating, and had a totally surprising twist. Perfect trifecta in my opinion.

But after talking about it with my book club, I realized that there were some definite faults in this book. Things that I had totally forgotten by the time I got to the end. Granted, I still definitely recommend the book (and from what I hear, the movie as well), just not as glowingly as I would have yesterday.

Here's the rundown--a teenaged boy gets stranded on a lifeboat after the ship he is on sinks, and the only other survivors with him are zoo animals (a tiger, an orangutan, a hyena, and a zebra). Before long, he and the tiger are the only two left alive, and the novel details the remarkable story of their survival.

At least, that's what I would have told you yesterday. Because I had been so captivated by the last two-thirds of the book, I had completely forgotten about the first part of the book (which provides background information on his family life and religious beliefs). Overwhelmingly, the consensus was that the first part of the book moved slowly and then wasn't really relevant to the remainder of the book. Which, given the fact that I had totally forgotten about some of the things that had happened, I can totally agree with.

Like I said, though, the disconnectedness isn't really a deal breaker. In fact, I actually found the first part to be interesting in its own right, but it was definitely overshadowed by the story on the lifeboat. And given that his family history and/or religious beliefs didn't seem to significantly impact the story of his time on the boat, it seems like the background information could have been covered in a little less detail (hence the complaint that the first part of the book was slow).

Ultimately, I'm still really glad that I bought the book. I definitely intend to read it again, especially to see that if in my excitement and rapid-page turning through the middle/end of the book I missed some of the religious undertones that were present (plus I want to read it again now that I know the twist!). And I still plan to encourage Darrell to read the book, because I know the Boy Scout/religion major in him will definitely find it captivating. And really, I think there is something in this story that just about anyone will find interesting--especially if they power through a somewhat-lathargic first seventy-some pages.

Sarah's Key

It's been a long while since I've had a book review to share (almost five months exactly!), and I have no excuses other than I really haven't been reading. Well, at least not leisure reading; I have made my way through a few pregnancy/baby care books, but I haven't really felt compelled to share my thoughts on those (mostly because I have no experience by which to gauge the applicability and use of the books--at least not yet).

I finally got around to starting a book club with some friends in December, though, so that forced my hand at doing some reading for fun. And I'm glad it did--this is a book that I've been wanting to read for quite some time, but probably would have never bitten the bullet to go out and get it if it hadn't been for the club (the same is true of the book we're reading for next month--Life of Pi).

Sarah's Key starts by alternating between two separate stories--the story of Sarah, an eleven year-old French Jew who is part of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in 1942; and the story of Julia, an American journalist in France during 2009 who is writing an article about the upcoming anniversary of the roundup. During her research, Julia discovers that her husband's family (Paris natives) is connected to Sarah's story, and Julia makes it her mission to discover the truth, no matter what dark family secrets she must unearth along the way.

As a whole, I really enjoyed this book. Rather than being distracting and hard-to-follow, the style of alternating narrators actually caused me to become more engrossed in the book and subsequently increased the pace with which I read the book. I was also fascinated by the story of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup--in all of my reading and studying of WWII, I was unfamiliar with this particular event, which is a testament to the French government's attempt to keep quiet about this dark spot in their history. However, I did feel at times that there was too much going on--family secrets, marital struggles, internal conflicts, etc--and that all these themes were in some ways only loosely connected and addressed. I also thought that some of the character reactions and responses were a little contrived and over-exaggerated, but after discussing with Darrell and my book club I found that I was a minority in that perception (as someone who has no personal experience with many of the conflicts that occurred in the book, I had a hard time rationalizing an appropriate response to the situation, which caused me to be overly-critical of the character's response).

I would definitely recommend this book to others; the few flaws that it may have are not enough to distract significantly from the griping (and at times, heart-wrenching) story.

Sing You Home

As I was preparing to write my review for this book, I realized that this is the first Jodi Picoult book that I've reviewed on my blog. Clearly, at some point I've neglected to blog a book (or two or three) that I've read, because this is certainly not the first book of hers that I've read in the past two years. And while I don't remember the exact titles of the other books of hers that I've read (although I'm sure I could take the time to look online to refresh my memory), I can pretty easily sum up all the reviews in one fell swoop--the books are great. I have been absolutely captivated by every Jodi Picoult novel that I've read, and even in spite of my incessant efforts to try to predict the ending, Picoult always manages to throw some final twist in there to catch me off guard.

I also love that her books deal with "hot topic" issues in a generally unbiased way. I have found that as I get older I most enjoy books that deal with real issues (as opposed to say, talking animals), and it's always a relief to not feel like the author is trying to push his or her own personal agenda onto me. Sadly enough, I get enough of that from media sites and even places like Facebook, so it's nice to just be able to read something (even if it is literature) that presents information from both sides of the issue without condemning you for having a belief one way or the other.

Sing Me Home, in particular, deals with homosexuality and, to some degree, scientific advancements in procreation. In just the first few chapters there's a failed pregnancy, a failed marriage, and failed sobriety. But, as the book progresses, the former spouses are able to piece their lives back together, even as the journey takes them places they never thought they would go, including into a courtroom in an unprecedented legal battle.

Despite my general praise for Jodi Picoult novels, I do have one complaint with the ending of this book. There is a final chapter that serves more or less as an epilogue, although I found that it raised more questions than it answered. I'm not opposed to books that don't have nice, clean, totally wrapped up endings, but if there is going to be some ambiguity in the ending I prefer not to be limited in how I imagine the next six months/years of book will play out. However, I found that the information included in the "epilogue", short though it was, gave so many partial details that I was actually more confused how the book got from the ending to the epilogue than I would have been if the book had just ended without the epilogue. But, that's just my opinion; I'm sure many people appreciated the extra details/wrap-up that the final chapter contained.

Overall, it should come as no surprise that I would recommend not only this book but any novel by Jodi Picoult!

The Other Boleyn Girl

Set in 16th century England, The Other Boleyn Girl chonicles the life and role of Mary Boleyn, sister to Anne Boleyn, who was the second wife of King Henry VIII. Although historically she is largely forgotten in the wake of her more prominent sister, Mary Boleyn is shown in this book to be an equally capable temptress with dreams of her own. But throughout the book, the question lingers--how much of the girls' actions are dictated by their own desires, and how much are controlled by the girls' power-thirsty parents and uncle?

I loved this book. The plot and action were thoroughly engaging, which was a little impressive given the length of the book (nearly seven hundred pages!). There were so many sub-plots, so many coniving twists, that the action was constanly peaking, resolving slightly, then peaking again. Plus, as someone who has a sister, I could really relate to the sibling rivalry between Anne and Mary (although my sister and I would fight over toys, not kings). I also love the historical aspect of the novel--reading about a time period and lifestyle that is so drastically different from the one we live today is just fascinating to me. Granted, I realize the novel is not wholly historically accurate, but that tends to happen in historical fiction. That being said, though, the novel did inspire me to do some research on Tudor England because I was so captivated by the time period, so some of those inaccuracies were cleared right up.

Perhaps I was a little predisposed to enjoying this novel in the light of our recent trip to London (including the Tower of London, which is a setting for a few parts of the novel), but I think that even without that trip and some of the background knowledge it provided I still would have been thoroughly engaged by the novel. Regardless, I definitely plan to continue reading about this time period.

The English Patient

The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje, was a book that I was readily drawn to because of its premise--love and mystery at the close of WWII. Random chance brings four people together at an Italian villa--a Canadian nurse, a Canadian thief, an Indian Sikh who specializes in bomb removal, and a horribly burned man whom they call the English patient. In unraveling the mystery of the English patient, each of the characters is forced to let down a few of their own walls and they are able to rediscover some truths about themselves.

I would love to give the book a rave review. I really would. But the truth is, I had a hard time getting through it. I know the book is highly acclaimed, and was made into a very successful movie, but I just really struggled getting into it. The progression of the plot is very non-linear, which made it difficult to stay focused and involved when I was only able to read for fifteen/twenty minutes a day. On more than one occasion I found myself needing to turn back a few pages to remember where I was at, and even that wasn't always successful because of the disjointed nature of the plot line. Additionally, even when I did have downtime and would have been able to read for a longer period of time, I found myself consciously finding something else to do because trying to stay involved and piece together the parts of the book made it feel somewhat like a chore.

However, I think part of the reason I did not enjoy this book was due to my own faults, not that of the author. Once I stopped trying to force the book and characters into a plot that made sense to me, the pieces of the book came together naturally and I was actually able to enjoy it. But I think that I spent so much time fighting against the natural progression of the book that I actually lost a lot of the depth of the characters and plot.

While this book didn't leave the most lasting impression on me, I don't think that I would discourage others from reading it. My only encouragement would be to make sure you have a few solid chunks of time to commit to it; the nature of the book doesn't lend itself well to a book that you can regularly pick up and put down without getting a little lost.