Crystals Book Reviews

Any Book Suggestions?

2012-02-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking for book suggestions. Especially since I will have plenty of free time during the summer.

Please list some of your favorite books in the comments, who knows I might end up reading it and writing a review on this site.

Fool's Errand, Golden Fool, Fool's Fate

2010-05-29T22:24:00.001-07:00

This is another trilogy by Robin Hobb, about the same characters as the Farseer Trilogy. While these stories aren't as fast paced and exciting as the first set, the characters' relationships and personalities are explored more. These books are also very good, even if I didn't like the ending. If you read the Farseer trilogy, you will love revisiting the characters in this trilogy.

Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest

2010-05-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

This trilogy by Robin Hobb is the best of her work. In this world, some people have the ability to bond with the living world around him, including animals, called the Wit. Other people have the Skill, which is a telepathic power. Few have both powers.

A young man with the Wit and the Skill is the subject of this trilogy. He is a half member of the royal family (born out of wedlock) who is brought to the royal palace to become an assassin.

Hobb's best attribute is her ability to make characters that you love, care about, and remember. This trilogy is extremely well written, never boring (rare for a series), and worth reading again.

The Alchemist

2010-05-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Another book that educated people read.

This is the story of a young man who goes on a journey and ends up learning about the universe, God, and himself. The first half is actually pretty good. But, towards the end, when the man is having his spiritual awakening, the book becomes preachy. Ugh.

This book only took about an hour to read, so I think it's worth it. I just prefer to make my own insights about man's soul and the heavens while enjoying a good story, instead of being preached to in a book.

Anna Karenina

2010-05-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

I decided to tackle this book because I know that educated people are supposed to have read this. It was a long long book, and I'm just not sure it was worth the time, except for bragging rights of course.

Anna is a young woman living in Russia, and all kinds of things happen to her. People get married, have affairs, fall in and out of love, get killed, betray each other, and the like. The many many story lines in this book are much like those in any good Bronte book; however, there are so many characters to keep track of over such a long period of time that I stopped caring about the characters. Then, at the end, a corrupt person finds church, and the book turns preachy--which I do not like at all.

So, if you have hours and hours of time to read a book and want to be able to brag about it, go for it. If you want the same time period and type of story line, go for Pride and Prejudice.

Angels and Demons

2010-05-29T22:09:00.001-07:00

This book was a really fun read. The story is well written and goes by quickly. If you've seen the Da Vinci code, this book is about the same premise--solving a mystery using ancient clues left by famous old people.

Brown says that his facts about Rome, Vatican City, the art and artists, and the Catholic church's rules and customs are all correct, which is what made this book so interesting to me. I recommend it highly to anyone who is interested in the origins of the early Catholic church or Roman history.

The Reader

2010-05-29T22:07:00.001-07:00

I read this book because of the movie, which I didn't see. The writing was excellent--just the right amount of description without losing the pace of the story. However, the story was a little slow and a little puzzling--why on earth are we reading this story?

The book is about a woman who worked for the Nazi's, then moves away. She ends up living next door to an adolescent boy, whom she seduces. And that's about it for the story. Maybe I'm just not intellectual enough to get this book.

Warbreaker

2010-05-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm glad I didn't see this cover before I read it. Don't pay attention to it!

Brandon Sanderson, a BYU prof, is a really good writer. This book is about a society whose biggest commodity is the human soul, which is called "breath". One can sell his breath to others for money, and the gods of the society live for as long as they want to through sacrificed breaths of the population.

This is your typical story about a royal leader, the "god king", his court, the gods, and intrigue within--complete with a bride from a far land who comes and shakes it up. The aspect of soul trading makes the book, and I hope there is a sequel. Sanderson's writing is always good.

The only problem with this book is Sanderson's obsession with modesty. I couldn't tell if he was making fun of the LDS people who judge other culture's dress or trying to make a point that modesty is good. Whatever he was doing, it was annoying. He brought it up entirely too much. If he had just said that athletes were competing in loin cloths, I would have just kept on reading. But, because he talked about how the queen was from a land where people dress modestly, and so she could see much more skin and muscle and butt cheeks than she was used to and it made her blush and she couldn't stop looking--now I've got images.

Other than the preachy/mocking modesty, great book.

A Widow for One Year

2010-05-29T21:54:00.001-07:00

So boring. Horribly boring. After the requisite 100 pages, this book went back on the shelf. Why in the world is it a NY Times Notable Book?

Catching Fire

2010-05-29T21:53:00.001-07:00

This is book 2 of 3 of the Hunger Games trilogy. Equally as good as the first. You should read it.

The Hunger Games

2010-05-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is as good as all your friends say it is. And, bonus, this juvenile fiction book doesn't have any vampires, so you don't have to feel ridiculous reading it.

In a post-apocalyptic society, children are forced to participate in the hunger games to earn honor and food for their families and neighbors. This book's premise is intriguing, and it is well written. It is disturbing to think about what kinds of burdens are placed on children's shoulders and what happens to the human spirit within extreme conditions.

This is a great book that is perfect for when you need an easy read.

The Eye of the Needle

2010-05-29T21:45:00.001-07:00

This novel is about a German spy trying to make it back to Hitler with some important information about the attack on Normandy. The author says in the preface that he researched the book and it is based on fact--I'd be interested to know exactly how much is fact.

Although it is definitely apparent that this book was written in the 70's, it was still alright. There is one sex scene and too much cursing. Other than that, it is a pretty good book; although, I don't think it's as amazing as everyone else who's reviewed it did.

I have an aversion to old writing and old movies, so maybe you'll think it's awesome.

The Help

2010-05-29T21:35:00.001-07:00

What? I've been reading! I never stopped--just quit writing about it. But now I'm forgetting what I've read, so I decided to start up again. If anyone cares.

So, The Help is set in Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement, where the homes of some white families with black "help" are examined. A white woman, who wants to be a writer, decides to write an anonymous book about "the help" and publish it. At first, it's just a story for her--a way to get published. But, you guessed it, her heart is changed in writing the story. However, not as much as you would think. Just the seeds of equality are planted, which I like. If the woman had gone all underground railroad, rioting in the streets, this book would have traveled down the road of "Same Kind of Different as Me", and I wouldn't have liked the ending.

The writing is really good--easy to read. Remember Huck Finn in high school, trying to read with all the apostrophes? Stockett captures the southern accent and diction without losing the ability to read quickly.

Good read!

Front Row

2009-07-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

This biography about Anna Wintour was interesting, but a little slow to go through. I learned a lot about her. Decent read.

The Matchmaker of Perigord

2009-07-07T07:22:00.001-07:00

I couldn't make it through this book, it was really boring to me. A Barber in a small French town loses his business to a more modern stylist, so he decides to become a matchmaker. I got too bored with all the descriptions and every day minutiae that had to be examined. Maybe good?

A Good Year

2009-07-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

This book is an easy, enjoyable poolside read, but I think if I cared about wine I would be much more entertained. An Englishman loses his job, but inherits a chateau in France. So, he goes there to live in a small town and grow grapes and make wine. Pretty good.

Living Dead in Dallas

2009-07-07T07:18:00.001-07:00

This is the second book of the True Blood series. Same as the first. Slow, not very good plot lines (the conflicts and relationships are really underdeveloped and boring), and too much sex! I'm not reading any more of them.

Dead Until Dark

2009-07-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is the first book in the vampire series that True Blood (and HBO show I believe) is based on. Some friends recommended it to me, saying that it's more grown up than the Twilight series. It is, but only in a bedroom kind of way. The book starts really slow, but by the end I was interested. I'd rate it about PG-13 for explicitness, but a main theme in the book is sex. Same old vampire antics, though.

HP 7

2009-07-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

And of course after reading 6, 7 had to follow! Great book, except the 100 pages or so where Rowling goes all Lord of the Rings on me. Disappointing that after 6.5 fantastic and original books, she has to have HP wear a locket that makes him feel bad--and that also needs to be destroyed.

HP 6

2009-07-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

I had to read this again in preparation for the movie coming out in a week. Duh! Best book of the series.

Who...

2009-07-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

hasn't had time to read since school started last year? Oh yes, that's me. Well, it's summer again, so here come the books!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

2008-08-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

This book came highly recommended to me, and it was alright. The author is a man from Pakistan who attended Princeton and then went back to Pakistan after 9/11. It talks about his feelings toward his homeland, America, and the events that have happened to him. While very well written and very quick to read, the book didn't really teach me anything or have an impact on me. I thought his story was interesting, but there are far better books out there to be read. If you have a spare hour and there's nothing else at your house to read, then alright. Otherwise, go start something else.

Sarah's Quilt

2008-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

I had heard about this author from my friend Jamie, who had read her book "These is my Words". Since the RR library doesn't have that book, I settled for this one.

Sarah Prine is a woman living in the Arizona territories, raising cattle and family. The novel was decent, even if some of the twists and turns were a little weird. Turner put dates at the top of each suggestion, trying to make it more diary like; but, diaries usually aren't so well written (except this blog of course), descriptive, and full of dialogue. It was an unnecessary touch.

This book was alright. It took a good 50 pages to get into it, and then it was kind of slow reading until the end. Maybe you'll like it better than I did.

The Worst Hard Time

2008-08-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well, friends, if you're looking to read up on your history I stronly suggest Egan, the author of this book. It was well researched, from a human perspective, which gave his book personality and un-boringness. While dates were mentioned and places noted, the real story here was about the people of the dust bowl--how they survived, what happened to their livelihoods and families, and what we have learned. I really liked this book!

It was especially interesting to me because the dust bowl happened in my home-panhandle, so all the cities that were mentioned I knew about. I have been to a lot of them. Then, I got to ask my grandpa about his memories of the time, and that was really cool. The book would have been much better if any of my family members had been interviewed or mentioned.

Good read!

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, so good. Shout out to Nicole for going to WalMart at midnight with me to get this book. It's good to know I'm not the only one that's into teenage romance novels.

This fourth book by Stephenie Meyer is pretty good. The first and third books are my favorite in the series, but this one is still excellent. If you have read the series, you already know that's it great.

There are few disappointments, however. First of all, Renesmee. Did that really need to happen? I thought that it was boringly predictable, and didn't really add to the story or to the plot line. It felt like Meyer was desperate for somewhere to go, so she chose the most obvious path. I guess it turned out okay. Then, Jacob's imprinting? Seriously? Besides being creepy, it's a sloppy way to tie up that loose end. Maybe that's how Meyer has always envisioned this story, but I got the feeling that she was just looking to get this book done already and not have to think about Edward ever again. Which kind of hurts my feelings.

I still recommend this book, this entire series for everyone over the age of 16 probably, for the last book. And men, for the sake of your ladies, try to be a little more Edwardian in the future. We all would appreciate it.

Scarlet Feather

2008-08-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

I picked this book up off the shelf at the libary because it had a "best seller" sticker on the spine, and it turned out to be pretty good. It is about a woman living in Ireland and her catering business, called the Scarlet Feather, that she runs with her best friend. The book covers a year in her life, and talks all about the business, her family, her in-laws, and her relationships with all of them. There are a lot of story lines going on.

The only drawbacks to this book are that it took a long time to read, the chapters are soooo long so it's hard to find a stopping point, and I didn't really like the ending. I knew it would happen, but I still didn't like it. Decent read!

Total Control

2008-07-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, another Baldacci novel. Intrigue, romance, twists, turns. This one is about two huge companies, though, instead of the government. It is one of his earlier novels, and you can tell. Still good though!!

The Host

2008-07-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

Meyer's much anticipated book was really good--you should go get it. Thank goodness for Melinda (and her mom), who let me borrow this book so I wouldn't have to be on the waiting list at the library forever!!

In this story, aliens with a perfect society take over planets to, for lack of a better word, humanize the species living there and end violence, unhappiness, etc. When the aliens try to take over earth, however, they are met with resistance.

This story follows one alien who's host body won't give up.

I love Meyer's writing, totally my type of read. I also really liked the characters in the book. The best part, though, is that the end was left open. I really hope there will be a sequel to this book.

Just a little more time until Edward woos us all again...

Kabul Beaty School

2008-07-11T23:10:00.001-07:00

This non-fiction book by Deborah Rodriguez was supposed to be fantastic--it was just mediocre for me.

Deborah, unhappy here in the states, decides that she wants to volunteer her time and skills to help the women of Afghanistan after the Taliban have been driven out. Deborah is a hair dresser, so she decides to try to set up a beauty school there, so women can earn their own money and support themselves. The book tells tales of the women who are educated there and how their lives are bettered by Deborah's efforts.

The book is decently written, but by no means captivating or elegant. The story is heartwarming, but Deborah downplays those parts of the book, instead focusing on how her life was changing. She got married to an Afghani, had problems with her kids, had problems with her ex-husband, had problems at the beauty school, etc etc. If she had focused on the women of Afghanistan and their stories more, instead of letting the reader know just how selfless she was even though her life was soooooo hard, then the book would have been much better.

I have no doubt that Rodriguez made a difference for the women of that country--I just wish she had told their story better.

Goodnight Nobody

2008-07-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Weiner is one of those authors whose books you read about in People magazine and such, so I decided to try her out for a summer book. It was pretty good!

The story is about a housewife who moves to the 'burbs, but she is in a small town where everyone else and their kids are all perfect in every way. Then, one of her neigbors gets murdered. The rest of the book is a mystery about who did it, and the main character coming to terms with her family.

I liked Jennifer's writing style a lot--witty and quick. She is a good story teller, though I could have done without the R-rated language--it seemed so out of place. This was a quick and easy read, entertaining and fun. Decent read!

Jane Eyre

2008-07-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

First, can I say that if you do a google search for Jane Eyre to get a picture for a blog post, this book has the ugliest covers available!!!

Oh, Jane Eyre. So good. I love this book. This is my third time to read it. My bro and sis in laws, Ben and Marsie, gave me a collection of Bronte for a Christmas a while back, and this was the first to be read or re-read from that collection.

What can I say about it? You should have already read it, people. So, I love the story, and I love the romance, and I love the style of writing. Read it!

And, don't judge the book by the ugly covers out there!

Absolute Power

2008-06-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

Another David Baldacci novel for the summer! I really like his writing.

This book is about a thief who is robbing a house and ends up witnessing a murder in the house that involves the President. Conspiracies, murders, several subplots, and lots of good reading come after that initial shock. This book had an excellent story, I loved the characters, and it never got slow. The only problem is that the language wasn't really g-rated, and that got a little tiresome towards the end. The story, as always, didn't need it to be good.

This book has also been made into a movie starring Clint Eastwood--I think I might watch it this weekend! Good read!

Stranger in a Strange Land

2008-06-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ugh. Yuck. Terrible. Don't even read it. The only reason it gets two stars instead of 1 is that I actually finished it--why, I don't know. 1 star ratings are for books that I won't even finish.

So, the cover of this book says that the book is "the best science fiction novel ever written". Excuse me?? I don't think so. So, this book is set in the future, when humans have gone on a trip to Mars and found life there. Some people were sent in a space ship to get some data, some people in the space crew had a baby, but somehow the baby ended up not making it back to earth until like 25 years later. So, it's a Martian and a human.

Anyhoo, I guess that's supposed to be the "science fiction" aspect of the book--Martians existing. The guy from Mars comes back to earth, makes some friends, and then decides to start his own church. That sums up the entire book.

Besides not really being a science fiction book, the author is totally absorbed in his own church-hating (every church) agenda and sex obsession. This book is not recommended!!!

Same Kind of Different as Me

2008-06-04T07:24:00.001-07:00

This book was given to me as a gift from one of my students--shout out to Lily! This book is about two different people, who came together to accomplish something great. Denver is a black man who grew up as a sharecropper in the 50's and 60's--and I'm talking 1950's, not 1850's. He was uneducated, and always indebted to the Man. I was really surprised that this was still going on at this time period--sharecroppers picked cotton, but had to buy clothes and food from the plantation owner, and always ended up in the hole after any transactions. Ron is a wealthy art dealer who lives in Dallas-Ft. Worth with his wife and two kids, while he's not on his ranch in another part of Texas.

Ron's wife decided that they needed to do more with their money and time than buy stuff, so they decided to volunteer every day at a homeless mission. Denver ended up at this mission after leaving Louisiana and riding a train to Texas.

Anyway, Ron and Denver become best friends, they change the lives of many homeless people, and it's really a pretty good story. The only drawback is that about halfway through, the book becomes rank with evangelism. The Billy Graham talk is really off-putting and really ruins the story telling. I get that church was a big deal for these people, but the way it was presented and hammered in made the last half of the book really tedious. It took away from the story for me.

Thanks anyway, Lily! It was a good story.

The Glass Castle

2008-06-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

This book is a memoir of a little girl who grew up in a very dysfunctional family--her father was an alcoholic, and her mother was flighty, immature, and unable to take responsibility for her actions or their consequences. The story begins as Jeannette, the writer, is a little girl who starts a fire while cooking hot dogs--she was three years old. As a young girl, Jeannette is enamored with her father. He spins their circumstances in a way that is exciting to her--sleeping in cardboard boxes in a train depot is an adventure! It isn't until she is in her teens that she finally realizes what is happening. Her older sister moves out of the house as soon as she graduates from high school, and Jeannette and her brother soon follow. They make a budget, get jobs, and Jeannette even goes to college. Eventually, all 4 siblings move away from the family and start their own lives.

This story is heartwarming, full of hope, and interesting. Good read!

Saving Faith

2008-05-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

David Baldacci is always a pleasure to read. He writes mystery/suspense books, always centered around Washington, D.C. and the government, FBI, CIA, etc. His books are exciting, easy to read, have really likeable characters, and a little bit of romance. Reading my first Baldacci of the summer has me pumped to sit by the pool.

This story is about a lobbyist who is bribing members of congress to pass riders on bills that fund relief and charity efforts throughout the third world. She gets caught up in and FBI/CIA mess, and Lee Adams has to rescue her. Decent read!

Elantris

2008-05-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

This is Brandon Sanderson's (of Mistborn and Well of Ascension fame) first book. The story is about a country about to go under and a strange society that lived within that country. That was a terrible description, but I can't really think of anything succint and illuminating.

So anyway, the story was good. It was a good concept, very original, and I liked the main characters alot. The writing was alright--it was pretty slow at the beginning, but it picked up. Not the best Sanderson book out there, but if you're looking for another fantasy book to read (Nicole, I know you are), then this is a decent one.

Renegade's Magic

2008-05-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this final book in a trilogy by Robin Hobb was disappointing. The first book was great--I really loved it. The second was fuddled and slightly inappropriate for the average Mormon reader. So, I was hopeful to read this third one. The rating went back to a G, but the book was slightly boring and it just tuckered out at the end. What started as a great idea and story just lost its energy--it felt like Hobb lost interest in the story or just couldn't find something great to end with.

So, definitely read the first one--Shaman's Crossing. Then, if you love it, go ahead and read the other two. They're alright--just alright.

My Louisiana Sky

2008-04-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

This children's book is by the same author as Keeper of the Night, the one that Shaunna works for. I liked it. It was alright.

The book is written for youth, so it was very easy to read. It is about a middle-school aged girl who has parents that are mentally retarded. It was a decent read. I think that kids would like it a lot. If you're an adult and looking for something Louisiana Sky-esque to read that's a little older, try The Secret Life of Bees.

Middlesex

2008-04-23T19:33:00.001-07:00

So, this book is on Oprah's book list, and I knew going into it that it was going to be "controversial". The book is about a person who is born as a hermaphrodite, due to a recessive gene on his 5th chromosome. The blurbs on this book said that it would be a story about his life, how he was treated while growing up, how he decided what gender to embody, and how he generally dealt with this condition. I was excited to read this story.

The writing was lethargic and too wordy. Have you guys noticed that writing is really important to me? Anyway, the entire first half of the book is about his grandparents, who happen to also be brother and sister. It deals with their immigration to the US and their children. Now that I have told you that, you can skip the first 150 pages or so. Then, finally the story gets to where it's supposed to be.

BUT--he romanticizes his life choices and actions in a way I just wasn't too comfortable with. His parents thought all along that he was a girl, because their doctor was really old when he was born. They raised him as a girl, and didn't actually find out his XY genotype until he was about 14. So, since he was actually a boy, he liked girls. The book goes into too much detail about that. Then, later in the book, he runs away from home and it's just not good!!Anyway, if you're sensitive at all, don't read this book. I was interested to hear about his life and relationships, but just not in the way that he told his story. I don't agree with Oprah on this one!

Blindness

2008-04-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

You don't realize how important punctuation is until you don't have it any more. This book was translated from Portuguese--the author is from Portugal. I don't know anything about traditional writing there, but I really REALLY feel like the translator should have modernized/fixed the punctuation. I couldn't get over it!!

Anyway, this book is about an epidemic of blindness. At first, the afflicted get separated and housed in an old hospital. Pretty soon hooligans take over, demanding money and other things in return for food. Finally, the compound catches on fire and the blind are let out of the compound to find that the enire world is also blind.

Great concept, terrible writing. I wish OSC would rework this concept. I was so bored that I didn't read the last hundred pages or so--just the very last one to see what happened. I don't really recommend this at all.

Collected Fictions

2008-04-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

I am nervous as I write this post. Brian, please still let me come to Mexico!!! I just didn't get this book. It might be a common theme with celebrated Latin literature (see my post on 100 Years of Solitude). This was a collection of short stories and weird essays that I just didn't get. I think they were supposed to make you think and be very very allegorical, but I just can't really get into that kind of writing. I'm glad to have read it though! I am on my way to being "well read".

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

2008-04-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

Pretty good! For any of you who got in on the Wicked craze, this book is by the same author. I tried to read Wicked, and I couldn't take it. I hated that book. I gave it the standard 100 pages, even a little more, and just couldn't read it. So, I was wary to try this book out.

This book was so much better! To me it was like someone else wrote it. It is about Cinderella--a retelling of this fairy tale. You don't really notice it's that story for a while though. The writing was fair (compared to Wicked, excellent) and the story was unique. There were a few things that weren't explained well enough for my taste, but it didn't take away from the book too much. Decent read!

Keeper of the Night

2008-04-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law works for the author of this book, Kimberley willis Holt, and said that she liked her books. So, I got a few! This is the first that I have read, and I liked it. I like her writing style--very quick and to the point. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that she had millions (it seemed) of mini chapters instead of 10 or 12 long ones. some of them were a paragraph long. It seemed like all I did was turn the page, and sometimes I wouldn't read the title of the chapter and then I was confused.

This book is about a girl living in Guam who's mother kills herself. The book is about the aftermath of that event--her family relationships, her friends and their reactions, and how she feels about herself and her mother. It is a young adult fiction book, so it was a quick read. I liked the story and the messages inside--and it was fun to learn about the culture of Guam. The jacket says that Holt lived in Guam when she was in grade school, so I trust her portrayal. Good, quick read!

Drowning Ruth

2008-03-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

This book was pretty good. A recommendation from Kitty that wasn't a bomb! This story is about a woman who's sister died. The woman is now raising her niece during World War 1. The reason that the book is good is because you don't realllly know what happened to this family until the end of the book. The writing was excellent throughout. My only complaint is that you know 99% of the "mystery" about halfway through the book. Then, I just wanted the book to be over so I could know that one other tidbit. She should have told us that information and gone on with the story or cut down the rest of the story. After I figured out what happened, my interest level plummeted. Decent read!

The Year of Living Biblically

2008-03-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Great book! This writer, A.J. Jacobs, decides that he is going to take 1 year to go through the Bible, live every single law that is humanly possible, literally I might add, and see what happens. He starts with some basics--the 10 commandments, not shaving his beard, eating kosher food... Then, he moves on to some pretty crazy laws. Who knew that the Old Testament bans wearing clothes that have a mixture of linen and wool in their fabric?

I learned so much about Jewish faith and the Bible in this book. Jacobs is an excellent writer--I can't wait to read his other books, and this book is such an interesting concept. He is also well researched and really tries to explain what modern day religions are doing with these commandments. He has a "spiritual advisory board" to help explain certain things and to teach about their philosophies. There are some heart touching moments about his interactions with his family in this book and lots of laughter through all the characters that help him through his biblical quest.

The only shortcoming is that Jacobs didn't spend near enough time on the New Testament. I guess there are way more laws and commandments in the Old, but it would have been nice to have seen some more influence of Christ in his book. Read it!

Well of Ascension

2008-03-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

If you've already read Mistborn, which you should have, you will LOVE the second book in this trilogy. You should read it. BUT--you should wait until September. Trust me. Unless you want to agonize over what's going to happen next until it comes out in October, wait. This is way worse than waiting for the next vampire book to come out.

The excellent writing and really well thought story were great to read. I'm glad I read it over spring break so I could read into the wee hours of the night and sleep in! I can't wait for the next one! Read something else while you wait, but don't forget that you have a book date for September. Maybe I should send out a reminder...

Mao's Last Dancer

2008-03-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of memoirs out there about people growing up and experiencing the cultural and economic changes during Chairman Mao's reign of China, and this is the best one that I have read.

Li Cunxin is a peasant boy who lives with his large family in a commune, and he gets picked to go to a dance/arts academy run by Madame Mao to learn to dance. He writes about his years in this academy and how they were affected by Mao's political power. Li eventually visits America, where he realizes that the Western world is not what Mao and the Gang of Four have said it would be.

Cunxin is a good writer--from the first page you want to finish. He has an easy flow, and I particularly liked that he retold many Chinese folk tales throughout his story. Read this book!

Austenland

2008-03-07T15:33:00.001-08:00

If you're looking for some Jane Austen-y reads, just go for the real thing. If you're looking to read something by Shannon Hale, you should read Princess Academy! It's about a poor girl who gets a chance to go to a school to become a princess. A great story that is easy to read and fun, too.

Austenland was pretty predictable, and I wasn't really sure why I was reading it. A girl who's obsessed with Austen gets to go on a 3 week vacation where she pretends to be in Austen times, and there's actors and period costumes to go with the whole thing. I didn't understand where the ending came from. The only redeeming factor was it's length--it took about an hour to read.

MistBorn

2008-03-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

I know not a lot of you are into science fiction (TJay has just informed me that this book is FANTASY! Excuse my extreme oversight) out there, and frankly, neither am I unless it is very well written. This book is great! The book is about a theiving crew in a kingdom, and all in the crew have some sort of power that uses metal to enhance themselves. There's political intrigue, a little bit of romance between a slave pretending to be a noblewoman and a house heir, and a struggle to overthrow evil. I liked this book a lot! Give Brandon Sanderson, a BYU grad, some support and read his book--you'll like it.

Snow Falling on Cedars

2008-02-26T16:18:00.006-08:00

I read this book on recommendation of TJay's mom, Kitty. She loved it. I guess we don't have similar taste in books. I'll tell you why I didn't like it.

So much description!!! Get on with it! I am the person that doesn't really care about scenery or clothes or scenery or scenery or long drawn out sentences. I like the author to get to the point. And not talk about the scenery. Anyway, so it was drawn out, and the story was pretty pedantic as well.

The story is about a little fishing town on the west coast, and somebody died on their boat. Well, a Japanese man gets blamed for it. And, it turns out that the lawyer for the prosecution is in love with the defendant's wife. Apparently that's supposed to be exciting.

The book follows the entire trial, and flashes back to the past when lawyer and wife were kids and best friends, when lawyer went off to WW2 and fought (I just skipped that chapter--it was one long description of the scenery and guns and fighting, and I did not see how those 20 pages (!!) were remotely germane to the story). So, the trial ends, and that's that. Nothing! I do not recommend this book. A lot of other people like it though, so maybe give it a try.

Ana's Story

2008-02-26T16:18:00.005-08:00

Watch out all you Dem's out there, Jenna's intelligent. (I love you TJay). Despite using some tired analogies and metaphors, this book's not bad! Jenna did an internship with Unicef last summer and went to visit South American youth living with AIDS. She met a girl, named Ana, and wrote this book about her life. It's interesting and heart warming to meet a girl in pretty poor conditions make the right decisions with her life even though she has been afflicted with this disease since birth and the people around her don't push her in that direction.

This book was also a quick and easy read. The pictures, taken by Jenna's best friend Mia Baxter, are stunning. An added bonus is that if you buy this book, all profit goes to benefit Unicef. You can watch a short video of Jenna's time there on the Unicef website. I listened to her speak at the last Texas Book Festival (thanks to Mom for making me get out of bed), and she was so fun to listen to. I hope she does more humanitarian work and gets the message out about what people can do to help. Unicef is a great organization if you're looking to donate time or money, and buying this book is a great way to do it. Or, you can just borrow my copy to read if you want.

Girls of Riyadh

2008-02-26T16:18:00.003-08:00

This book is about 4 friends who are Muslim and are living in Afghanistan. This book follows them in their years after high school--pursuing education, men, and freedom of some sorts. I liked this book a lot--it was very interesting to learn about how the youth of very strict Muslim culture date, get together with their friends, and think about life.

The book was a quick, easy, read, so pick it up if you're looking for something light. There are email things at the beginning of each chapter--skip those.

The Lost Children of Wilder

2008-02-26T16:18:00.001-08:00

Excellent!!! This book has been so eye opening to me. The book was written by a New York Times writer who researched thoroughly and managed to make a non-fiction book interesting and fun to read! This book follows a young girl in New York City who gets placed in foster care. It follows her horrible life and all of the things that happen to her through her years, until she gets pregnant inside a state-run mental health facility. Then, the book follows her son, Lamont, through his equally horrible stay in the foster care system. The girl, Shirley, was born in the 70's, and the story ends with Lamont exiting foster care system in the early 90's, with a brief history of how the foster care system came to be in the early 1900's. You would not believe the state of the foster system at that time! It is unreal to me how bad those kids had it and still have it. When people talk about how horrible foster care is, I always assumed that was a thing of the past and it was taken care of. It is still not okay and needs a LOT of work to truly service those kids who need it.

Now, I realize that this book only talked about New York's system. I have no idea if the entire U.S. is under this same system, but I can't imagine that it's much different anywhere else. The saddest thing is the lack of foster homes, the quality of foster homes, and the even worse alternatives for those children that aren't placed in neighborhood foster homes.

I STRONGLY suggest reading this book if you are interested at all. Even though the topic and story are not particularly "fun" to read, it is so good to know now what kinds of things those children are going through. I feel inspired to treat human beings better because of this book--what have they gone through?

100 Years of Solitude

2008-02-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

This book was confusing! I generally give all my books a standard 100 pages to impress me, and this one barely made it. Everything is grandiose outrageous, and weird. I have a friend who is a professor of Latin American Literature, so I asked him--do I just not get it? He says it's supposed to be that way. This book is supposed to be a classic, but in my opinion it's not really worth the read. Unless you're into crazy things happening to crazy people in a small town in South America.