Sad and Happy Books!

Sorry it took me a while to blog. Here goes!

“Shattered Dreams: My life as a polygamist’s wife”, by Irene Spencer, is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. It is also quite sad. Irene was born into polygamy, her mother being a second wife. Irene was told that polygamy was the only way she can acquire heaven. Irene Spencer married her brother-in-law, Verlan Lebaron , as his second wife for 28 years before leaving that world behind. The book tells of her hardships she had to endure as being a plural wife and what it was like to live in poverty in Mexico. She has 14 children and 58 grandchildren.

I was amazed at the hardships Irene endured in Mexico to keep her family fed. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain at the thought of having to share my husband. I was shaking my head in disbelief at the reality of false prophets and the authority they can let go to their heads. I was so happy when Irene left that lifestyle behind and has been happily married to one man for 20 years. I discovered she is writing a book on that love story. I had signed her guestbook on her website telling her that I had enjoyed her books and am looking forward to the love story. To my surprise she had responded!

I am so glad that you enjoyed my books. I have almost finished seven. So, if God willing, you will hear from me for quite some time! Will send you notices each time a book is released..Irene

Another book I quite enjoyed (a much happier one) is "Marley an Me", by John Grogan. This book is so funny! I teared from laughter! I laughed out loud and even cried on one part. I enjoyed reading about Marley from when he was a pup. I can't imagine how much work goes into a dog like him. I laughed when he finally graduated doggy school. I cried when the dog comforted John's wife when she was heartbroken about her non-pregnancy. I laughed when Marley ate Jenny's neclace. I cannot believe even a big metal cage could not hold the massive dog! The stories were great. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh. Beware though, Marley has extreme terrors of thunder storms. The details can get a little shocking.

Have a good day!

Carmen

Hearty laughter is a good way to job internally without having to go outdoors.

-Norman Cousins

Wow!! It has been nearly four months....

since the last time we blogged! So sorry!!! Here is a quick blog for ya!

i have finished all the books in the Princess Diaries series. Although Meg skipped a year or two in Mia's life, it worked well and ended LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO!!! YAY!! i hate reading books that end wrong! It is just so... so... WRONG!

So there is my MicroBlog, trying to beat Carmen to the punch!

See ya all again soon!
Barb

A book may be compared to your neighbor; if it be good, it cannot last too long; if bad, you cannot get rid of it too early.
- Henry Brooke

What Barb has been reading....

Well since i last checked in here, i have read The Candy Shop War, by Brandon Mull (which was great... More review to follow) and then i decided to try something new in the form of The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot (Have read 4.5 of her books... If you have read the series, you know that she has actually published a couple of "half volumes"... Kinda strange, i know... More review to follow).

Then i took time out from the Princess Diaries to read the new Jude Deveraux book, Lavender Morning. i liked it! Slowed down a bit in the middle but it was a good read. This is the first in Jude's new "Edilean" series and i hope she is speedy about getting the next one out because i want to know what happens! Not that it leaves you hanging, it doesn't, but it leaves you wanting more. It actually reduced me to tears towards the end... but in a good way.

So, The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. Great read for kids and adults alike. The imagination in this book is terrific and i thoroughly enjoyed it (Thanks to my son Brennan who recommended it to me, and to kids in his class too). Quick read, lots of action, great descriptions and just an overall fun escape from our normal, everyday lives. Brandon also writes the Fablehaven series which has four books, three of which i have read and the fourth i am feverishly waiting for my little friends here are the library to get in!!

So, The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. This is a Young Adult series and you may have seen the movies of the same name but they are far and away from the books. i would say that the movies are the edited and squished versions of the books, thoroughly "Disney-ized". The books are actually a HOOT!! Meg Cabot has a truly wicked sense of humor and she shows it well through our heroine, Amelia Thermopolis/Renaldo... For example, here is something to get you interested... Amelia (fondly known as Mia) cannot start a new year of school without wearing her QUEEN AMIDALA PANTIES! Yep, you read that right, her Queen Amidala Panties... That is just one of many ***Snort Snort Giggle***s i had while reading the first 4.5 books of this series. Books 5 & 6 are on my nightstand and i just haven't gotten to them yet because....

i am now reading the new book by Mary Higgins Clark called Just Take My Heart. It has been pretty good, but here i am 160 pages through and they jury is already ready to deliberate the fate of this man, accused of killing his estranged wife, but i am only HALFWAY THROUGH THE BOOK!! It seems to me that Mary is dropping hints too fast and furious nowadays OR i am just getting better at catching them because for the last few of her books i have been figuring the plot out WAY too early! LOL!! i will just chalk it up to me catching on faster, sounds better anyway! i have gotta finish it soon though, there are lots of people waiting for it!

So that is how my crazy literary life has been going lately, come and comment on this post and lets chat!

~Barb

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. ~Mark Twain

Jeane DuPrau

Been awhile since i talked about books here. Just read City of Ember and People of Sparks. I'm waiting for Prophet of Yonwood to complete the trilogy. City of Ember dragged just a bit in places, but the series as a whole is an enticing journey through post apocalyptic societies. Two of them to be exact -- one that's been hidden away and left untouched and unaware of the disasters happening in the world out side Ember and one that's cobbled itself together and is finally seeing growth and success in a harsh post-war world. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline moved nicely aside from a couple bumps in the first book. You'll find the books in the Young Adult section and the movie made from the first book in the dvds. ~April Dawn

Meg Cabot

Can you imagine reading a story written entirely of emails? Meg Cabot has written the Boy series where the stories are created with emails, faxes, chats, diaries, phone messages, legal documents, receipts, telegrams, and memos. Yes, even memos!
"The Boy Next Door" is the first I read in the series. Mel Fuller is a New York journalist whose neighbor, Mrs. Friedlander, falls into a coma. Max, the neighbor's nephew, has come to take care of the dog and the apartment. They meet, hang out, and fall in love. Although, is he really the neighbor's nephew? This book is my favorite of the series. I really liked Mel, she's funny.
"Boy Meets Girl" is the second I read in the series. I didn't like this one as much as the first one. Kate Mackenzie works at the New York Journal but she really wants to be a social worker and help others. This is why she feels horrible for having to fire Mrs. Lopez for not serving pie to her supervisor. Yeah, like the first 80 pages have to do with pie! Also this book does contain a lot of bad language. Just a warning for those of you who can do without that.
"Every Body's Got One" is the last of the series. I attempted it and lasted 20 pages before I quit.

What I found annoying was the lack of character building in the main characters. I felt, in each book, they started to sound the same.
In "Boy Meets Girl", Mel would say:
"I think he really does love me, and it IS just a stupid societal more. Marriage, I mean."
Or "And he's not a businessy type of person (Dale, I mean)..."
And "Only he's SO NICE--Mitch, I mean--and he smells good, too..."
Then Mitch would say: "The fact of the matter is, Stuart's girlfriend really pulled a number on us both. Kate and me, I mean."
In "Ever Body's Got one", Jane says: "Which wasn't even what I was asking him to watch. My water, I mean. Clearly, I meant my BAG."

Believe me, I had many examples to choose from. I just wondered why they all sounded the same if they were supposed to be different people.

The Gemma Doyle Series.... completed.

This week i finished reading "The Sweet Far Thing" by Libba Bray, the third and final book in her Young Adult Gemma Doyle Series.

The first book in the series "A Great and Terrible Beauty" was very good, started a tad slow, but picked up well and finished nicely. The second book in the series "Rebel Angels" was terrific and i finished it in record time. Staying up late into the night with this page turner that i just couldn't bear to put down was a treat that i haven't had since my Harry Potter days...

The third in the series, "The Sweet Far Thing", i must say, was a disappointment. The story did resolve itself, the good guys won, more or less, and Gemma proved herself magically, but it took 819 pages to do it. ***Sigh*** Too long in my opinion and it took me over a month to read it.

i would compare my disappointment to this: if i had read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book #7), gotten to the end and Harry had lost Ginny in the final battle and not lived happily ever after? That would adequately describe my disappointment in the end of this book. It really was a shame too because the series itself was good, i just couldn't get over the length of book #3 and the deeply disappointing denouement.

i have moved on to reading The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull, a Juvenile novel recommended to me by my 10 year old son. i am about 80 pages into it so far, so stay tuned for updates! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

Barb

Until next time...
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
Marcus Tullius Cicero

What Carmen just read...

“Scarpetta”, by Patricia Cornwell, is the newest of the Kay Scarpetta series. If you like forensics and suspense, this series is quite the master piece. Kay Scarpetta was once the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia and is now basically a consultant who has accepted an assignment in New York City. Oscar Bane, extremely paranoid and voluntarily being held Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward, insists on seeing only Scarpetta and tells her of a murder he didn’t commit. Or did he? As Oscar’s doctor, she cannot discuss the interview with anyone, including her forensic pathologist husband, Benton Wesley. Lucy, Kay’s billionaire computer genius niece, joins the team and helps solve one of the biggest mysteries of who runs a gossip website. They are all reunited with Marino, a NYPD cop, who is the lead investigator. I quite enjoyed this book. Very suspenseful and educational! And it was good to see Marino again. He disappears in the last book to get away from some damage he created. Even though he's extremely rude, he's my favorite character.

Free Stuff!

In these times of economic insecurity and hardship, many of us are looking for ways to tighten belts and stretch budgets. Almost always, one of the first things to go is the budget line for entertainment. Nobody understands the money crunch better than your local library, which is why we're glad to provide many services to you free of charge! For example: newspapers and magazines for your need to keep in touch with what's going on outside of our little corner of the world; VHS and DVD movies that can be checked out on your library card and kept at your home for a full week; board and card games that can be played at the library; internet access for adults and for the under 18 crowd who's parents have signed permission for them to use the computers; a children's section with board books, toys and audio books; weekly activities for families and for teenagers; access to information that may not be on our shelves via inter library loan; and the list goes on and on. Let us help you ease the budget stress a little, if you don't have a library account in any of the public libraries in Navajo County, bring your driver's license or MVD ID to the front desk with a piece of mail that you've received in the last couple weeks (needs to have your name, address and the postmark) and fill out an application for a library account. It's easy and it's free!

What Barb is Reading....

i am reading a new and very interesting series by Libba Bray. This is the first series she has written and i am quite enjoying it. The first book in the series is called A Great and Terrible Beauty and it was recommended to me by an awesome patron (who shall remain nameless!)

The series features Gemma Doyle, a sixteen year old English girl, who had been raised for most of her life in India, who soon discovers that she has an amazing ability, the ability to See. She begins having visions, sees the deaths of someone close to her, and from there her life spirals out of control. Gemma is now sent to a "finishing school" in England where she explores her new ability and the power that she is able to call upon to take her into The Realms, a magic plane of existence, where creatures of light and dark coexist, although not always peaceably...

Book two is called Rebel Angels (and it was great too) and i am now reading Book three which is called The Sweet Far Thing.

Hope this review helps you find a new favorite to add to you book list!

C'ya at the Library!
Barb

What Emily's Been Reading

I just finished reading Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz. I really enjoyed this book. When I read I like books that have really strong characters and so I really like it when I find an author that has created people that I feel like I know. Jayne Anne Krentz is one of those authors. This book is the 6th book in the Arcane Society series and she has done something a little different. Half the series in set in Regency England and the other half is set in modern day United States. Because the series is split between time periods she is also publishing them under two different authors. The Regency ones are published by Amanda Quick and the modern day ones are published by Jayne Ann Krentz. I'd never seen an author split a series like that and thought it intriguing but it is a little confusing. Just remember that they do still read better if you read the series in order.
Have a nice day!

I've discovered a new online toy -- it's called www.goodreads.com. Basically it's an online, booklover's community. You can suggest and rate books with a five star rating system, see what other people are reading, test your trivia smarts, watch book trailers and discuss with friends all over the country what you thought of your latest read. I'm only just starting, but if you want to see what I've rated so far go to http://www.goodreads.com/sassette

I wanted to talk this week about a book I've recently read. Years ago, for school, I was required to read Lord of the Flies by Golding. I think that I was one of the very few of my classmates who really "got" this book. At the very least I am the only person I've talked to since reading it who would rate it a five star book. I was then and am still fascinated by the concept of a world without adults. I ponder often what would happen to our friends and neighbors if society and the thin veil of civilization that we wrap about ourselves were to all of a sudden disappear. I wonder what my reaction would be, how I would cope, if suddenly I was thrust into a situation where all the rules changed in the blink of an eye. Gone by Michael Grant explores all of those concepts with a classically science fiction twist. Like Lord of the Flies the characters are all kids. Unlike Lord of the Flies, the characters all live next to a nuclear power plant that had a small accident nearly 15 years ago. Now everyone over the age of 14 has disappeared with out warning and everyone else is left to fend for themselves. I think the most interesting comparison between these books is the use of young people to tell a story. The question on forums and among adult reviewers of the books is why children. The answer that occurs to me is that kids, in a situation where civilization disappears, will have the most honest responses. We, as adults, like to think that we have things under control. Surely if stranded on an island or put under a 10 mile bubble, we would be able to organize and take care of ourselves and others. Certainly, there would not be the chaos that is described in these stories. After reading these stories--after pondering the ramifications--I have to say that, from what I've seen, civility and humanity are very thin veneers. While I would hope for the sake of the human race that I am wrong, I must say that I think that Grant and Golding had it right. When all of the rules disappear, a person's true colors shine through. It would be hard to say how I would react to the situation, but I do know that based on what I've seen of human nature, it would be a crazy ride.

I found out a couple weeks ago that I'm officially diabetic. Because of the other stuff I've been dealing with, it was really just a matter of time, so this was not a shock. What was shocking, however, were the foods that make my blood sugar rise. Foods that I used to think were good choices, like wheat bread and carrots and potatoes, shoot my blood sugar up faster than a handful of peanut M&Ms. So, I got out my old Sugar Busters book and went shopping. Again, I was in for a surprise. How hard can it be, I mused, to find sugar free condiments and whole grain bread without malt or sugar. Surely there are lunch meats without sugar added and rye bread at Safeway! I really want to do this without getting the sugar free stuff since the artificial sweeteners (excluding Stevia and Xylitol) leave a really metallic flavor on my tongue. I finally had to settle on a loaf of 12 grain bread that had sugar on the very bottom of the list and some turkey that had it listed nearly last and cheese. Lots of cheese, mostly because it was the only thing on the list in the book that I was able to find that didn't have any sugar added. The experience was a little disconcerting and very eye-opening for me. It got me to thinking about the column I did a few weeks ago about America's top model and the issues that most of us seem to have with body image and self esteem.

I went to the shelf here at the library and started looking at what resources the library has on self esteem. There are some really wonderful books for teens and adults that are designed to help a person really look at themselves and see the good that exists and be more objective about the things that could be improved. Some of the ones that caught my eye were Choosing Happiness by Veronica Ray, Be Your Best Self by Thomas S. Monson, Healing your Emotional Self by Beverly Engel, The Inside Outside Beauty Book by Barbara Barrington Jones and Sexy Girls by Hayley DiMarco. I've not read all of them, but liked what little I did see in the ones I flipped through. Wendy suggested some good ones as well, including 25 Days to Better Thinking and Better LIving by Linda Elder, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum, What Do You Stand For for Kids by Barbara A. Lewis; Girls Who Rocked the World by Michelle Roehm, Life 101 by John-Roger McWililams, and Every Girl Tells a Story by Carolyn Jones. These are just a few of the resources the library has on self esteem and building a positive self image. Online and printable there is also a resource for moms and daughters to work on together, a workbook designed to get you talking about how you feel about how you look, how you feel and life in general. I was looking through it and will most definately be working on it with Kaitee when she gets a little older. (http://www.dove.us/#/makeadifference/downloads.aspx/)

I've been overweight since Junior High and morbidly obese since sometime around college. There are things about me that I not only would like to have changed, but things that I need to change to be healthy. I think the trick, though, is being objective and only comparing yourself to you and nobody else. So many kids and teens, though, are being hit with pressure to be skinnier, prettier, more cool, sexier and bombarded with images of gorgeous people who don't exist outside of Photoshop. How hard is it, for all of us, to look in the mirror and take a true stock of what we like about ourselves? Maybe that's the first step in finding out how to combat the self-image issues we all seem to have. I can stand in front of a mirror and list 20 things i need to change (or more)...maybe instead I should list ten things that I like about me. Try it this week. See how many things you can list that you like. If you have children, maybe you can do this with them...it's never too soon to start building them up and teaching them to be confident and self-assured. Feel free to come and look at the books that I've listed and others like them in the 150s in the nonfiction sections and if you don't have access to the internet, we can print a copy of the Dove Campaign for Beauty workbook for you to have.