If you need a light poolside read that features well-developed characters, offers engrossing plot turns, provides a fair amount of substance for a summer read, and majorly keeps you reading, hang out in this Sisterhood one last time.
If you’ve ever been emotionally involved or interested in the Elizabeth Smart, Shawn Hornbeck, or Jaycee Dugard cases and admired their strength when their kidnappers were caught and persecuted, then this novel is certainly for you. While there are obvious comparisons to be made to these famous kidnappings/rescues, Room is its own story, and you will root for the confused yet courageous five year old narrator all the way through.
Need some last minute gift ideas? Maybe you’ve got all of your presents wrapped and waiting under your beautifully decorated tree. If so, I’m impressed! Oh well – ’tis the season for crazy shopping, weekends full of parties, tons of goodies and sweets, great times with family and friends, and some quality reflection on the real reason we are celebrating a forgiven, redeemed, and blessed life.
One of my classic reading conundrums involves choosing books that take place in the education world. On one hand, it’s not always much of an escape due to my own career teaching. On the other hand, it’s kind of fun to read different perspectives and stories that still share similarities with my own. Luckily, Prep has a great balance – I could relate and laugh at many shared insights, but the protagonist’s reality is very unique and significantly different from my own experiences. Sittenfeld is an expert at pulling her readers into her superbly crafted worlds, whether they be education or political, and Prep is no exception.
It’s that time of the year filled with candy, costumes, pumpkins, and maybe a black cat or two, but I for one have not read any scary novels lately! I actually don’t find myself reading much (or any) horror, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved a good suspense story.
Sometimes after a rough day, you need a book to just be really, really funny. Kristin Gore’s pair of books, Sammy’s Hill and Sammy’s House, certainly fits the bill. And because Gore is a Harvard grad, former SNL writer, and of course, the daughter of VP Al, she has an intelligent, hilarious, and insightful style when writing about life and politics.
Here’s another example of a terrific read I found simply strolling the bargain bin, this time at Books A Million. However, it’s definitely worth full price as it will stick with you for a while. I had to grab it when I saw that the setting is small-town Kansas. I feel like I often read books starring glamourous, independent and plucky heroines set in big cities or far away locations, so reading this bildungsroman (or coming-of-age novel), set in the Midwest during the 1980s, was a great change of pace.
The premise of One Day sounds completely intriguing: the relationship of two friends, confidantes, and possible soul-mates is revealed with a peek at just one day – the same day – over the course of twenty years. I gave myself a good two weeks to read One Day before the movie came to theaters, and hoped to love it enough to eagerly anticipate the movie (author Nicholls is the screenwriter too, always a good sign). Unfortunately, the book was such a disappointment that I could barely finish reading it, much less even consider watching the movie. Saved a good 20-30 bucks on movie tickets – my husband thanks you, Mr. Nicholls! In fact, I probably won’t even spring the dollar for Redbox – that’s how much I don’t want to see this movie (and of course, how much I did not like the book).
What would it be like to be stuck in a child’s body forever as a result of a genetic abnormality? How do others deal with various conditions that define their lives? How do you reconcile your adult life with your childhood and familial identity? The Condition explores all of these questions with sensitivity and depth.
Have you heard about this little book and movie? You know, the one that took its author five years to write, incurred her multiple rejection letters, and then went on to spend months on end on the bestseller list – oh, and inspire a true box-office success? Yeah, I can go ahead and verify right now that it’s a good one. An excellent one, in fact. If you haven’t read the book, please do – even if you’ve seen the movie. It’s definitely worth your time and will be a story that sticks with you forever.