Summer Reading List!!

Schools been out for a little more than a month now, and as usual, I have thrown myself into summer reading. Unfortunately, much of it has been a textbook that makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon. I have managed to squeeze-in a few novels, but I simply don't have enough time to do a full review on each. Thus - the "mini-review"!!

Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill
I had a real love/hate relationship with this book. While it was an interesting glimpse into the life of Camelot, I didn't feel any emotional connection with Jackie. It felt to me more like a simple retelling of the day to day activities of the First Lady. A few funny moments, but overall, not a fabulous read....especially knowing how it's going to end.
Three out of five stars.

Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
I'm not a fan of acronymns, but this book literally left me "ROFLMAO." How is it possible that one person can be so ridiculously warped? The book was almost too funny...perhaps even a little hard to believe in a few places. However...if I EVER find a Hamlet von Schnitzel...I will be the happiest girl in the world!
Four and a half out of five stars

Calico Joe by John Grisham
this is not your typical John Grisham book. There are no lawyers, no spies, no hidden schemes or plots. Calico Joe is a simple, but gut-wrenching story of jealousy, spite, and redemption. I haven't read anything that made me feel such contempt and disgust in a long time. This is a MUST READ for baseball fans, and a good choice for non-baseball fans.
Four out of five stars

I Suck at Girls by Justin Halpern
Like it's prequel, Sh*t My Dad Says, this book left me laughing out loud and giggling uncontrollably at night, trying not to wake my sleeping husband. Halpern is a master of the memoir, frighteningly honest, and unafraid to share his own humiliation again and again. I would recommend this book to anyone who can read. I even read a few chapters to my 11 year-old, and he giggled like a school girl.
FIVE STARS!!!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
A good friend of mine recommended this book several weeks ago, but I didn't really get interested until I saw the movie trailer (which looked fabulous, BTW). I downloaded the book and devoured it in less than 48 hours. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on this one. Chbosky's story is a psychological coming-of-age story of a 15 year-old boy struggling with his identity and the suicide of one of his close friends. The characters are interesting, but I just didn't find the narrator believable. I just don't know about this one.
Two stars....but I may change my mind later. ;)

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffengaugh
I definitely liked this book, although I thought some of the characters were undeveloped and one-dimensional. Victoria is an 18 year-old foster child who has just been "released" from state custody and must make her way through the world on her own. She'd rather sleep in a flower bed in the park than in a real bed, and she'd prefer to avoid all emotional connections with human beings.
But she is really, really into flowers. If you want to know why - check out the book.
Four and a half stars

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Another book recommended by a friend and so far, one of the top reads of the summer. This retelling of the classic Cinderella story was refreshing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book once I got past the first few slow and extremely sad chapters. This is a book I would love to use to teach perspective and point-of-view. I recommend this book, but only if you have a dictionary app. Maguire is very proud of his ridiculously over-developed vocabulary.
Four and a half stars

The Front Porch Prophet by Raymond Atkins
If any book I've read this summer is deserving of an entire blog of itis own, this is it!! I read this book last summer at the urging of my friend, Sarah, and I completely fell for it. If there was ever a male version of "Steel Magnolias," this is it! The Front Porch Prophet is a story of friendship, heroism, love, malice, family, greed, and secrets. Atkins is a master story-teller, letting the story unfold bit by teensy bit with snarky humor and wit along the way. His descriptions are vivid, making his characters lovable and unforgettable:

"Rufus' lineage was unclear, but he appeared to be a cross between a Great Dane and a bear...his hair grew in patches around scar tissue...AJ likened the dog to a creation by Dante on LSD. He was a hound from hell, and AJ had no doubt that if Rufus ever got a hold of him, there wouldn't be much left to bury, exept maybe a half-eaten shoe or a few small pieces of the Louisville Slugger."

'Hell, AJ, the man wore me down. Had some of those hot lights shining on me. Beat me with a hose. I confessed. He also made me admit that I was the second man on the grassy knoll and he may have me pegged on the Lindbergh baby."

This is a book that I could read again summer after summer. It's been a long time since a novel has inspired such a large range of emtions in me as this one did, and I know I'll keep coming back to it. After I read it TWICE, I went back and re-read all the places I'd highlighted just to experience it all over agin. You know those books that make you really sad when you finish reading them? Not because they're sad books or have sad endings, but you're just generally broken-hearted that they're over?? Yes...this is one of those. Double-up on the happy pills....
FIVE STARS

I'm currently reading Slammed by Colleen Hoover, and so far, I'm not really digging it. I'm assured it will get better, and that I'll be instantly downloading the sequel, but thus far, I'm not really convinced...but it is better than reading my textbook!!

Summer Lovin'

It's been just over three weeks since school ended, and I'm just now getting around to my first blog of the summer!! What a lazy arse I must be!!

Not true, my friends. Not true at all. These last three weeks have been packed full of travel, work, home construction, and grad work. Despite all this, I am absolutely lovin' this summer!!

We left June 3rd for a four day trip to New York. With 30 middle school students, 2 high school students, and nine adults, we flew from OKC all the way to the Big Apple for a fast, furious, and FABULOUS adventure!! The highlights of our trip included: FAO Schwartz, 5th Avenue tour (Trump Tower, Tiffany, Saks, etc), St. Patrick's Cathedral, the children's zoo in Central Park, Empire State Building, Strawberry Fields, John Lennon Memorial, Shakespeare Castle (all in Central Park), walking tour of Greenwich Village and Soho, World Trade Center Memorial (which was magnificent), Wall Street, Chinatown, Phantom of the Opera, the Today Show, NYU, a subway ride, Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios tour, Statue of Liberty, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, and lots of yummy New York treats - cheesecake, coneys, and New York style pizza!! We even got to see the space shuttle Enterprise as it was being pulled down the Hudson to it's final resting place at the USS Intrepid. I know that sounds like a lot to cram into four days...and it WAS!! We got home exhausted, but just in time to see the Thunder take-down the Spurs to win their conference!!

The whole gang in front of the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Plaza!

My girls at NBC Studios

Chelsea and I with the Naked Cowboy

The John Lennon Memorial

The Today Show!!

Which is the second reason I'm lovin' this summer!! I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I became a die-hard Thunder fan, but it was sometime between December and February, and it was life-changing! I love that there is FINALLY a team that unites my entire family. No more bickering over bedlam (well, until November, that is!). We're all completely enchanted by the Thunder, and watching their games has become a family event for us. With all these games, I'm finding it hard to even watch my beloved Yankees (gasp!). Yes, it's true. The Thunder has topped my darling Yanks as my all-time fave. We've only made it to a couple of games this season, but I'm sure we'll hit more next time around. It looks like we may have worked our way into a group of season ticket holders, so I'm definitely pumped for that!
The boys in the "Thunder-Mobile"...

And that brings-up yet another reason this summer has been so hectic. No sooner than we were unpacked, my husband was ripping-up carpet and throwing paint on the walls in my youngest son's room. We'd been planning on redoing the room, but I had no idea he'd dive into it with such ferocity the moment we pulled into the driveway! I do have to say, the room looks fabulous. Dawson wanted a "Thunder Dome," and we delivered!! Two blue walls - one OKC blue, one navy- and one orange wall. The fourth wall is white with a huge  Thunder logo hand-painted by my husband's aunt and extraordinary artist, Terri. It took her most of one day and another evening, but the design is amazing. We finished the room off by ripping the closet apart and building an organizer. He now has a brand-new room complete with hard wood floors, mini-fridge with Thunder fatheads, an autographed photo of Desmond Mason, and enormous basketball television! I'm so jealous!
Photos of Dawon's new, awesome room!

I've also decided to torture myself by starting grad school this summer. I had intended to start back in January, but I just didn't get around to enrolling...yes, I'm a horrible procrastinator. I missed the first two days of class because of the New York trip, and as of yesterday, I was so confused and behind that I was ready to drop the class and restart in August. I had a 4-page paper due by midnight last night, and I miraculously finished it by 10:48 (proofread and edited!). Despite being a little confused and somewhat overwhelmed by the though of a 20+ page research paper, I am going to tough it out and finish this class. I keep thinking that surely if I make it to every class, do the work, and put forth an honest effort, the professor will pass me!! Ordinarily, I wouldn't be satisfied with just "passing," but I'm not working on scholarships this time around, so a B (or even a C) won't kill me. However, my massive OCD may push me into overdrive and force me to earn a better grade. Time will tell...

On top of all this, I still have my wonderful, fabulous book club, which meets every other week. I adore book club and am so glad I took the initiative a year ago to officially start it. June is our one-year anniversary!! Yeah!! Go us! I've actually already read the next three books for our meetings, so I've started reading a couple of other things. I started Calico Joe today, and couldn't put it down. I read nearly the entire book while sitting poolside, and will probably finish the last few chapters as soon as I finish this blog. I sincerely hope my grad work doesn't get in the way of my summer reading....that would make me very angry. You woudn't like me angry.

I also have baseball games 2-3 nights per week for my 11 year-old son. Dylan usually plays first or second base, but he's been getting in some practice time as pitcher the last couple of weeks. I prefer him on first or second, but he'll step it up and do whatever is needed for his team. So far, they've beaten every opponent but one...not bad!

The next couple of weeks will continue with the hectic madness. The spouse and I are playing in a golf tournament on Saturday morning, and I have a family reunion that afternoon. Sunday is the designated lake day (weather permitting), and I have to drive to Alva on Wednesday for some peer editing in my class. We leave next Friday morning for a long weekend in Dallas with the boys - Dallas Aquarium, Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, Madame Tussaud's, Rangers baseball, and some relaxation time by the pool. Of course, we'll have to spring from our beds on Monday morning and fly back to town in time for Dylan's baseball game at 6:00....

I definitely have a full plate for these next few weeks, but I absolutely relish this time of year. Hopefully, we can find time to squeeze in a camping trip or two, as well as a day at my favorite summer hangout...Whitewater Bay!!

So, dear reader...what are YOU lovin' this summer??

Book Review: Night Road by Kristin Hannah

I just finished reading Night Road, a novel I wanted to purchase at our school book fair last week, but decided to download on my Kindle Friday afternoon, as I was out of reading material for the weekend.

From the cover: For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her childrens needs above her own, and it shows - her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mias best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harms way. It has always been easy - until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time Mia and Zach leave the house, she worries about them. On a hot summers night her worst fears are realized. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget... or the courage to forgive.Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.

I have to say, this book is by far one of the best I've read in quite some time. The characters were bright and believable, and the story held me completely captivated from Friday afternoon all the way until Saturday evening. I would have finished it much earlier, but I had to put it down a few times to attend my son's basketball tournament! The story is told from three points-of-view, which makes it a little different from the typical first-person narration. Throughout the course of the novel, I found myself moved from laughter to tears on more than one occasion, as my heart broke time and again for Lexi and her seemingly hopeless situation. I was angered at Jude for her controlling nature, her bitterness, and for abadoning her family when they needed her the most, and I completely empathized with Mia- the awkward, book-loving, Disney-singing teen in a tutu and Converse All-Stars. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like Hannah developed Zach- the character at the center of the plot, which made it hard to connect to his emotions or his part in the novel. I wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling, and what it was he really wanted.

If I had to pick something that I didn't like about the novel, it would be Jude's relationship (or lack thereof) with her mother. I was really hoping after all the tragedy and heartbreak, she would reach out more to her mother, reconnecting and rediscovering the love that had been lost. I wanted Jude to come full circle in her role as both mother and daughter, and was disappointed when the novel ended with just a hint of a reconnection between the two.

Overall, I absolutely loved this story, and I'd highly recommend it to the majority of my book-loving friends. I haven't checked yet to see if it's lendable or not, but I do know its available at our middle school book fair!

Kindle me this, Kindle me that...

My name is Amy, and I am a book-aholic. Reading is my drug of choice. Simply entering a book store causes my heart to race, my palms to sweat, my mouth to water, and my ability to make rational decisions to completely fly out the door. My husband frequently jokes that if we lived in a larger city, he wouldn't have to worry about me staying out late at the clubs.  He knows if I was out late he'd likely find me hidden-away in the corner of the neighborhood bookstore, latest novel in hand, eyes glazed-over and spittle forming at the corners of my mouth. Bookstore clerks would be my new BFF's, and new bookshelves would have to be erected in our home to store "my precious." He refers to my novels as my "boyfriends," and jokes that if we're ever hit by a tornado, they'll be able to find our house by the remaining pile of books. That's why I was shocked two years ago at Christmas when he bought me the latest e-reader, the Amazon Kindle.

To be perfectly honest, I was skeptical about the Kindle. I'm a real "book-lover." It's not just the stories that I desire - it's the actual book. I love the smell of book glue, the crisp feel of the pages between my fingers, and the weight of the book in my hands. I relish the excitement of coming home, new book in hand, admiring the cover, and the anticipation of where the story will take me. I take pride in my vast personal library - a collection of books started when I was only fourteen! Could I really give all that up to read books electronically??....

Absolutely. I love my Kindle!! I honestly think it's the best gift my husband has ever given me, and I am constantly telling people how great it is. Personally, I think Amazon should put me on their payroll or give me a percentage of the sales, because I'm pretty sure I've convinced several doubtful people to purchase the Kindle in the past year or two!

One of the main reasons the Kindle is so fabulous is because Kindle books are actually cheaper than the hard copies. For example, my book club is preparing to read the novel Room by Emma Donoghue. The Kindle version of the novel is priced at $9.99 (no shipping/handling necessary). As a new release, the hard copy ran $24.99 on Amazon.com, and that is before shipping and handling!! On this one book alone, a reader can save over $15!! Of course, you have to consider the purchase price of the device ($139.00). At this rate, the Kindle pays for itself after the purchase of about ten newly released novels, and then actual savings on the novels begins.

For me, the best thing about the Kindle is that I have access to novels INSTANTLY!! I am a true night owl and something of an insomniac, so it's not unusual to find me up at two in the morning finishing my newest book. If this particular book happens to be part of a series, I want the sequel now! I live in a small town in northwest Oklahoma, so unless Wal-Mart happens to have it (and they usually don't), I'd have to order the book online and then wait on the USPS (aka the slowest delivery service known to mankind). With the Kindle, I simply access the Amazon store, select the book, and BOOM - there it is!! No postage, no waiting, no wasted gasoline, and I can buy the books without ever changing out of my pajamas or brushing my teeth!! Could anything be more perfect???

The Kindle also gives me the advantage of having a new release the minute it drops. Last year, I pre-ordered Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I anxiously waited up the night of it's release and at midnight - SHAZAM!! There it was on my Kindle, ready to be devoured!! I had read the entire book by 5am, while my non-Kindle owning friends sadly waited nearly a week for their hard copies to be delivered (and they paid more than I did!) With the Kindle, gone are the days of hovering around the front of Wal-Mart in the middle of the night, waiting for the newest Harry Potter book, shoving-away small children, and visciously fighting the crowds just to get a copy!

For Kindle owners, there are no lines, no snotty bookstore clerks telling you the book you want is old and out-of-stock, no waiting for packages that take an eternity to arrive, and no need to drive two hours to the closest bookstore!

Of course, there are still those who argue that traditional books are better, and that is fine with me. Let them continue to enjoy their old-fashioned, hard copy books and their eight-track players.

Cutting for Stone

“Call me unwanted, call my birth a disaster, call me the bastard child of a disgraced nun and a disappeared father, call me a cold-blooded killer who lies to the brother of the man I killed, but that loamy soil that nurtured Matron’s roses was in my flesh."

It's taken me a few weeks to finish reading, but I devoured the last couple of pages of Cutting for Stone (560 pages) this afternoon. From the publisher:

Lauded for his sensitive memoir (My Own Country) about his time as a doctor in eastern Tennessee at the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, Verghese turns his formidable talents to fiction, mining his own life and experiences in a magnificent, sweeping novel that moves from India to Ethiopia to an inner-city hospital in New York City over decades and generations. Sister Mary Joseph Praise, a devout young nun, leaves the south Indian state of Kerala in 1947 for a missionary post in Yemen. During the arduous sea voyage, she saves the life of an English doctor bound for Ethiopia, Thomas Stone, who becomes a key player in her destiny when they meet up again at Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa. Seven years later, Sister Praise dies birthing twin boys: Shiva and Marion, the latter narrating his own and his brothers long, dramatic, biblical story set against the backdrop of political turmoil in Ethiopia, the life of the hospital compound in which they grow up and the love story of their adopted parents, both doctors at Missing. The boys become doctors as well and Vergheses weaving of the practice of medicine into the narrative is fascinating even as the story bobs and weaves with the power and coincidences of the best 19th-century novel.

Let me begin by saying that I haven't had a love/hate relationship like I did with this book since the last time I put on a pair of Spanx (and no - I will not tell you when that was!). Vergheses jumps straight to the point with the novel, opening with the doomed Sister Praise, bloody and dying, in the middle of labor with her quickly-arriving twin boys. I was both amazed and frustrated at his ability to thrust me into the bedlam and chaos of the operating theater, forcing me to feel the confusion and panic that the characters were enduring. I hated how he jumped from character to character and from setting to setting, and I foud myself angst-ridden, grinding my teeth and mentally pleading with him to go back to the hospital and deliver those damn babies! Only an extremely clever writer is able to make the reader feel the madness, the anticipation, and the confusion that the characters are experiencing - without even knowing it! This is Vergheses' talent... and he is indeed a master.

CTS is a story with strong characters whose lives are affected by the events of revolution, and it does a tremendous job of portraying Ethiopia. Unfortunately for me, I am completely ignorant of African history, so I spent quite a bit of my time merely skimming the chapters detailing the revolution and the politics of the era. If I had a complaint about the novel, this would be it. I lost interest several times, and nearly stopped reading the book completely. But I'm not a quitter (when it comes to books, at least!), so I dug in my heels and vowed to finish, and boy, am I glad I did! What the middle section of the book lacked, it more than made-up for toward the close. Perhaps it was because I had nearly given-up and thought the book was a lost cause, but the last several chapters completely trapped me, and I found myself fighting-off droopy-eyes and Ambien late on several nights, just to read a few pages more.

Cutting for Stone is a sweeping novel, broad in scope and with deep characters. Marion (one of the twins) recounts his life story, and the stories of his parents. There are a ton of side stories and what initially appear to be meandering reflections, but Verghese ties everything together. And not in a neat, organized manner. If he includes the most random detail, you can be assured it’s for a darned good reason. This book left me teary-eyed and week at the knees, despite my early disinterst. It was a heck of a ride, and I’m bummed that it had to end. If you're not a patient reader, stay away from this one. But, if you're looking for something to challenge your grey matter and tear at your soul, here it is, my friend!