Breaking Dawn

Well, I finally finished this saga.  My niece, Michelle, will be happy about that.  Now, she won't have to worry about letting any spoilers slip out.

Surprisingly, I loved three quarters of this book.  At the beginning, I just couldn't put it down.  Unfortunately, the ending was a big snooze and I couldn't wait to be done with it.

I can understand why teenagers like this series.  It takes them into the unknown and mysterious and forbidden.  But once they're there, the excitement seems to stall, at least it did for me.  I guess I've finally grown up!

Fly Away Home

The title of this book is kind of ironic because my mom died a few days ago and it gives me solace to think of her flying away home to my dad, who died 13 years ago.  Six years ago my mom had cancer and since that time she has suffered from multiple health issues.  Finally, she's at peace and pain free.

The book itself was good!  It's told from three different points of view: a mom and her two daughters.  Sylvie is the wife of a US senator.  When she hears of his extra-marital affair, she must come to terms with her own life. 

Her older daughter, Diana, is a doctor, married to a man she doesn't love.  They have a little boy and she's having an affair with a medical student.  The news of her father's affair forces her to examine her own.

Sylvie's younger daughter, Lizzie, has just been released from a drug rehabilitation facility...and not for the first time.  When she hears of her father's infidelity, she realizes that she's not the only screw-up in the family and that helps her as she tries to live an unaddicted life.

Jennifer Weiner knows how to tell a story that grabs the reader right from the first page and never lets go.

As I read about these three women negotiating the avenues of their lives and finding their way to truthfulness, my mom was on her own journey.  Fly away home, Mom! 

I Am Nujood, Private, Sizzling Sixteen, Ballistics

Holy Cow, I've been lax in updating this blog!  Yes, I've been busy with traveling and other things but...really, I think I just got summer lazy.

I pretty much read this book in one day.  It's told through Nujood's innocent eyes and that makes it even more horrible.  The young Yemeni girl is married off by her father to a 30-year-old man who promises not to touch her until she reaches puberty.  Of course, he was lying and poor Nujood has to suffer his rape every night with her mother-in-law listening to her screams.

She finally escapes to the court and a kind judge and a woman lawyer help her get a divorce.  Really, so chilling to know this is going on in the world and it's perfectly legal!

I downloaded this novel for my plane ride and almost read the whole thing on my flight.  Love that uninterrupted reading time! 

Jack Morgan, an Afghanistan veteran, inherits a couple million dollars from his father and revives his private detective agency known as Private.  He only takes high-profile cases for the rich and famous.  The novel moves quickly through several of his cases and at the same time unravels the mystery behind Jack's nightmares of the war.

This was the perfect read to make a plane ride fly by!

The reason I went to Florida was to visit with my mom who is in an assisted-living facility.  My sister, who lives nearby, had warned me about my mom's mental deterioration and she wasn't exaggerating.  My mom is now in her own world but is not in pain and is kept clean and she seems happy.  Sad for me to see, though.  So, I needed something light-hearted to read next.  Stephanie Plum and her crew to the rescue!

In this edition of the series Vinnie has been kidnapped because he owes over a million dollars to his bookie.  Stephanie, Lula, and Connie must find him and find some money to keep the bail bonds office open so they'll have jobs. 

As usual the characters cracked me up and gave me the chuckles I needed.

I bought this book over a year ago and read it once, then, but needed some poetry last week so I downloaded this collection and read the whole thing, again.  I love Billy Collins!  His writing is simple and ordinary and speaks to me.  He has an eye for the everyday little moments that make up the big emotions of our lives.

Phew!  Caught up, finally!  My husband is in Florida, himself, this week visiting his dad so I've got some nice, quiet time to read.  I sat in bed last night reading as long as I wanted with no one bugging me to turn the light off.  Such a treat! 

Rules of Deception

Hallelujah!  I finally finished this book.  It was pretty good but contained just too much complicated political intrigue for my taste. 

Jonathan Ransom is a doctor working for Doctors Without Borders.  His wife Emma is the director of that program.  On a hiking vacation in the Alps, she falls into a crevasse and dies.  Shortly thereafter Jonathan receives a package addressed to his wife and he realizes she wasn't who she appeared to be.

His quest to unravel her past involves him in an international plot involving Israel, Iran, Switzerland, the U.S., and nuclear bombs.

I liked the parts with Jonathan but got bogged down in the technical parts.

This is the first book of a trilogy.  Will I read the others?  Doubtful, but you never know.

I'm of to Florida tomorrow to visit my mom who is in assisted living down there.  The airplance ride will give me some uninterrupted reading time.  I'm almost glad they don't serve meals anymore because that was so annoyingly disruptive to my concentration. 

Eclipse and Ice Cold

It's been crazy around here!  First I had company for three days.  My MIL, son, his girlfriend, my daughter and granddaughter, Kylie, all descended on us at the campground.  We had a blast eating, swimming, boating, and enjoying each other's company.  There was no time to read, that's for sure!

Everyone left after 3 days except for Kylie and she stayed another 6 days.  She's a great kid and never fusses or misbehaves but Grammy is just getting too old! She wants to go, go, go all the time and I don't blame her!  Wish I had more energy!

A few times I let her play games on the computer so I could sit next to her and read.  That was nice, quiet time for us.  I managed to finish Eclipse.

It was okay.  I guess this is another area where I'm just too old.  I got kind of bored with it.  I've downloaded the fourth book in this series but need a break before I read it.  I'll tell you, I really got bogged down in this one and didn't think I'd ever get through it.  I'm glad I persevered but I'm definitely not gaga over it like my niece, Michelle.  It's nice to be able to discuss it with her, though.  And I'm certainly going to see the movie.

I've read all of Tess Gerritsen's novels and loved them all.  This one was no exception.  It was a pleasant break from all that teenage angst!   

This one involves Maura Isles who goes to Wyoming for a forensic pathologist convention and meets up with a former classmate.  Unhappy with her present relationship, she agrees to go on a skiing adventure with him and several other people.  On their way they slip off the road during a raging snowstorm and end up fighting for their lives against the elements and a group of religious fanatics. 

Maura's friend Jane Rizzoli and her FBI husband search for her and try to figure out what is going on in this isolated valley.

I definitely give this one a thumbs up!

I took Kylie home yesterday, my husband has gone fishing, and, now, it's time for me to relax and recuperate!

New Moon

This was a nice, quick read.  I read Twilight, the first novel in this series about a year and a half ago and wasn't sure I'd read the others.  But, my thirteen-year-old niece, Michelle, loves the series and convinced me that I should download the others.  So, I did.

Quite a few of my students didn't care too much for this second book and even Michelle said it was her least favorite so it took me a while to start it.  But, you know what?  I like it!  I guess I'm more of a Jacob fan than an Edward groupie so this one appealed to me. 

And, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I enjoyed Bella's suffering!  There is something wrong with me, I know. 

Now, I'm 35% of the way through Eclipse and am bored with it.  I'll keep plugging away through it, though, so Michelle and I can discuss it.

Here's where I read most of this book!

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Good morning, fellow readers.  My husband just left to go fishing for the day so I have hours of uninterrupted reading ahead of me.  It's starting to get busy around this seaside area so I've been biking to the beach in the morning and staying until it gets too crowded around noon.  I'm not a normal beachgoer.  I usually just wear my clothes and sit and write a letter and read.  There is something about the waves that is like a magnet to me.  I find it so peaceful and relaxing to be there.

I finished this book a couple days ago and enjoyed my couple of weeks with these characters.  I know there won't be any more in the series because the author died before publication so my reading was bittersweet. 

Of the three I think my favorite is the middle book because it focuses more on Lizbeth Salander than on Mikael Bloomqvist but I still really like all three.  This last one has just a tiny bit more politics than I care for but the trial scene is excellent.

The only thing that might put people off about this series is the hard-to-pronounce Sweedish names.  I think he mentions every street in Stockholm!  And many of the characters have similar names and that gets a little confusing.  For example, there is a Holm and a Malm and lots of Bs: Berger, Blomqvist, Bjork, Bjurman, etc.  Then there is Neimenen and Neiderman.

But those quibbles are minor.  Overall, a great series with believable characters and a sophisticated plot.

Now, time for me to get dressed and head to the beach!