My Own Little Book Corner

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout It's hard to start describing this book. It is actually a collection of short stories set in the town of Crosby, Maine. Through most of the stories Olive Kitteridge makes an appearance in some way - even if as just a mention. Through these snapshots we get a picture of the how others view Olive and eventually as she views herself. She is an interesting character and through out the book she reminded me of different people I know. But this book is about more than Olive. In one of the chapters an observation is made about seeing the houses around us and not really knowing what kind of life people have. To me this book is a glimpse into many lives. It is a somewhat sad story in that so many of the glimpses are of the things that are wrong in their lives. Even when I was beginning to feel a little cheery half-way through reading Winter Concert, that story took a turn. This story offered many different perspectives on people and events in life and i...

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak This is a Young Adult book that I really enjoyed. Things begin getting weird when a young taxi driver becomes a hero by foiling a bank robbery. After that event, he recieves 3 playing cards that each have an address. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff An interesting story that jumps between the 19th century and modern day with two stories of wife number 19 - one married to Brigham Young and the other to a modern day polygamist. My impression is that the bulk of the book is set in the late 1800's and since I like historical fiction, I enjoyed greatly. Left for Dead:My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers Not exactly what I expected. I thought it was going to be more about the experience on Everest. Instead it is more a story of his life and marriage. It was ok - but nothing spectacular. A below average read in my eyes. Welcome to the Great Mysterious by Lorna Landvik I really enjoyed this book. It is a story of twin sisters - grown - whose...

A Song I Knew by Heart by Bret Lott An "OK" book. I expected much more of a book based on the story of Ruth. The storyline was a little weak in areas and while the story of love and forgiveness is definitely a good one, this book just didn't deliver as well as I expected it to. One L by Scott Turow While this book is old - published in 1977 - I still found Mr. Turow's reflections of his first year as a law student very interesting. I know part of the reason is that in the late 70's/early 80's I worked with 2 people who were also attending law school. It brought back memories of what they were going through. It would be interesting to read a more current book written by a 1L to see how much things have changed over the years. Sutter's Cross by W. Dale Cramer I like Mr. Cramer's books. This one did not disappoint. A story of family, greed and miracles. Another one worth reading. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah A really good book! It was one of those s...

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks A very good book. The book in the title is a rare Haggadah. The people in the title are those who owned the book or had some other connection to the book over the 300+ year history. This is a very well written story that brought to life the many persecutions that people have gone through because of their beliefs. A nice work of historic fiction. The Known World by Edward P Jones I stuck with this but don't know why. A depressing, story that was a drudgery to read. We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg I enjoyed this story. There were just enough twists to it to keep it interesting and a little less predictible. I felt like I knew the characters and that's always important to me for enjoying a story. The story also gives you things to think about as far as stereotypes and prejudices. A good one. She Got Up Off the Couch:And Other Heroic Acts from Moreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel A continuation of Ms Kimmel's memoir. Interesting...