About My Sisters by Debra Ginsberg
5 stars
The true story of family - mainly the relationship of 4 sisters, but it includes the parents and the lone brother. Ms Ginsberg does a nice job of taking current events and reflecting back to childhood. While not everything is perfect between them all, there is a true sense of love. This is the type story that shows the importance of family. I enjoyed it and by the end of the book felt as if I knew them all.
4 stars
This is another work of non-fiction. This is the story of Curtis Kyles - a black New Orleans man that was charged in killing a older white woman in the parking lot of a Schwegmann's grocery store. The book follows Kyles through 5 trials and 14 years in prison, detailing not only the legal and investigative issues, but the emotional toll that this case took on many of the people involved. A well written book that makes you think about our system.
Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
3 stars
This book was not what I expected. I knew there was a crisis that occurs, but I didn't know it was going to be a serious book. I was expecting something light hearted. Also once the crisis hit, I knew where the story was headed, which in some strange way made me detach from the story. It is an interesting concept and a good way to tell a story, but I was disappointed in the book.
Bitsy's Bait & BBQ by Pamela Morsi
5 stars
This is a fun book to read. It was a fairly predictable story about family. But being predictable didn't make it boring. The interaction between the characters seemed real and believable, even though it wasn't deep. A good book to read when you are wanting a "feel good" read.
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
3 stars
This is another one of those books that I really wanted to like because of the topic, but it just didn't pull it off for me. There were times that I enjoyed this book - I felt like I was there with Mr. Mortenson and could picture the people, land, need, etc. Other times I felt as if I was trudging through and I felt a total disconnect. I'm not sure why - but think it was due to the writing style. I hate to give this an average rating because it is about such a noble, needed cause. I'm glad I read it because it has made me think about some things and it has educated me, but as far as the actual "read" goes - it was an average book to me.
Dreaming Southern by Linda Bruckheimer
4 stars
This is the story of a kindhearted, simple woman who is driving her kids from Kentucky to their new life in California. Her husband has gone ahead and is waiting for them there. There are a few detours along the way and you know with detours there usually comes adventure. I really felt like I was getting a glimpse of a family trip. I also liked that the last section of the book filled the reader in on where the family members were in their current lives. I enjoyed it.
Rick & Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family and Anything Else We Can Think Of by Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey
5 stars
This is a compilation of short stories by 2 radio personalities. I don't think that I've heard Rick and Bubba on air but I'm going to check them out some morning. I had laugh out loud moments throughout this book. I don't know if it's because of my southern roots and being able to relate, because of the mood I was in when reading or just because they were funny. I found myself sharing passages with my family. A good, clean, funny book.
A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
4 stars
The story of girl growing up in Moreland, Indiana. As I was growing up I thought to have a biography or memoir you had to be someone famous. Now I see that anyone can write a memoir about the normal life and it can be entertaining. Haven Kimmel had a fairly normal life with enough abnormal thrown in to make it interesting. I see it mainly as a book of relationships - family, friends, authority, etc. Another good one to read.
Life's a Beach by Claire Cook
5 stars
I read my first Claire Cook book earlier this year - thanks to my friend Debbie for sharing it with me. I enjoyed it and that's what made me want to check this book out. This story is once again mainly about family relationships. There are a lot of tangents to the story, just like real life. Ms Cook does a good job of building interest and connecting the reader to the characters. By the end of the book I felt as if I knew the family.
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
5 stars
I like Ms Flagg's writing style and subjects. She has a wonderful way of telling a story with good character development. While the book is about a pre-mature visit to heaven, it is really more about life on earth. A really down to earth story about people, life and how we live it.
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
3 stars
This is a Pulitzer Prize winning book that I feel as if I should give more stars to, but I can't. I didn't dislike the story, but for me it was hard to read at times. It is a letter/journal of an older father to his young son. The father is a preacher so there are spiritual things thrown in. I liked the idea of the story, I liked the story, the characters and how it developed. I think what I didn't like was the writing style.
Saturday by Ian McEwan
4 stars
I expected more suspense from this story. Instead it was about a some what normal day in the life of neurosurgeon Henry Perowne with a twist of an accident that affects the whole day. Not in a outward way, but an inner, as accidents do. By the end of the book we have seen the total affect of the accident, not only on Perowne, but his whole family. All in one day. This book has one of my favorite conflicts - the moral dilemma. After spending a day in the life, I thought I knew how Dr. Perowne would act, but there was part of me that wasn't sure. The beginning of the story was a little hard for me to get through. It is establishing background and includes a section about the surgeries that Perowne had performed the day before. It got a little too "medical termish" for me. Otherwise, a good book to end the year on.
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