The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a slow, magically beautiful book. Everything from the character development to the author's ability to capture the haunting dramatic breathtaking wilderness and lifestyle. It is hard to believe this is the author's first book....and hopefully not her last. I can not do justice to this book other than to simply say, you must read it.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This epic novel follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage. Follett seamlessly intertwines the characters lives with the facts of history and makes a riveting story. If only my history teacher made history half as interesting. I can't wait for the 2nd book of this trilogy to be released.

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Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a sweeping, emotionally riveting novel that follows the family from Africa to America. Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers growing up in a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, they are raised by Gosh and Hema. This book masterfully weaves in medicine as well as the story of the Ethiopian revolution. Even more enjoyable for reading this a second time. Loved it!

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Crocheted Bell Sleeve Pullover

This top crocheted up so quickly and easily.  I absolutely loved this pattern.  Doris Chan is a genius in how she designs her patterns.  I did adapt the bell sleeves a bit so that they didn't flare out quite as much as the original pattern called for.  I absolutely LOVE that this was one piece so there was no sleeves to attach or seams to sew.  When I finished, I was done!

This pattern happens to be free but, for Christmas I got Doris Chan's Crochet Lace Innovations book.  After making the above pullover and seeing how she writes such great patterns that are not only easy to follow but, well thought out, I can't wait to try some of her patterns from the book!

The Story of a Marriage

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book tremendously. The author does a wonderful job of not only capturing marriage but also of how we live our lives with others, never seeing those people for who they truly are, all along being misunderstood ourselves. It also beautifully captures the atmosphere of draft-time and war. Don't read anything about this book as there are twists that are better enjoyed as the book unfolds.

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Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Frankl's descriptions of his experiences and thoughts during the Holocaust were memorizing. To hear him express his professional thoughts alongside his memories so detached made it all the more powerful.

 When a man talks about having a purpose and meaning for living while he is inside of a concentration camp, it can inspire the rest of us to live a meaningful life. The second part of the book is very heavy on psychiatry but was still interesting. Overall, this is a great book that I would recommend.

Sword Song - 4th in the Saxon Series by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The adventures of Uhtred and Alfred continue with events that shape England’s future. This is the most incredible series that I am enjoying so much but, definitely not for the squeamish!

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Unsaid by Neil Abramson

Unsaid by Neil Abramson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am an animal lover and have experienced death and horrific grief and yet this book didn’t do much for me. It had a good premise, but the characters felt very one-dimensional and the writing was trite and downright cheesy at times.

 The story of Helena narrating this from the dead didn’t help this book and neither did the flat narration on the audio book. It felt like a cross between a bad soap opera and a disease of the week movie, complete with all the ends tied up in a sickeningly sweet bow at the end. I struggled to finish it and am now wondering why I did. I wish this book have been left 'unwritten'.

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Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Pope County, Kentucky, in the town of Aurora, this story spans the life of Olivia Harker Cross from when she was a little girl until the later part of her life. I enjoyed the telling of her life, including her relationship with her Pap, the self-taught veterinarian and the characters of Junk and Love Alice. There were a couple of twists at the end that I didn't expect (and am still not sure if I cared for) but, overall I really enjoyed this book. This captures the hard life of living in depression era Kentucky and all of the characters felt rich and three dimensional.

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The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful novel that, through weaving of the past and present, tells the story of a girl in the juvenile system and what happens to her after she turns 18. She has a passion for flowers and uses each flower for their meaning. Elegantly told with lots of heart. Excellent character development, plot and pacing.

The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I liked the premise of this book but, could not feel any empathy for the characters. It goes on my abandoned pile.

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eReader or Paper Books?

Yes, I love technology and the idea of saving trees by not having paper books.  Still, I wasn't sure if I would like an eReader better than a paper book or not.  The answer is a resounding YES!  I love my eReader and rarely ever read anything on paper anymore.  My little Kindle is so handy.  I have it in my purse and can pull it out anytime anywhere and it is loaded with books.  When we travel, I never have to worry about which books to pack and if I will like them or not.

I know many friends who were true die hard paper book readers and couldn't imagine giving up the tactile experience and they too now embrace their eReaders with a passion.  In my experience, anyone who tries an eReader for a month will never go back.

The Dance of Intimacy by Harriet Lerner

The Dance of Intimacy: A Woman's Guide to Courageous Acts of Change in Key Relationships by Harriet Lerner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Normally, I find 'self-help' books a struggle to read and, even if they are informative, I am usually very glad to finish them as the reading is so dry. Not so with Harriet Lerner's books. Whatever book I am reading of hers is always my favorite. The Dance of Anger is excellent in addressing overfunctioning/underfunctioning roles. This book continues to deal with influencing change by focusing on yourself but deals more with understanding triangles. I have already downloaded another Harriet Lerner book to my kindle from the library as I love all of her books.

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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Le Cirque des Rêves comes to town with no warning. It is only open at night. Inside each of the black-and-white striped canvas tents is a breathtaking unique experience.

I just finished this book and my brain is still swirling. I can see why this is a love it or hate it book. Some reasons that people may hate it are:

• The timeline jumps around from the early 1890's, to 1895, to 1893, back to 1898, up to 1901, back to 1899, etc. It was very struggling to read; she be in 1895 for a chapter, jump around through years for 5 or more chapters, then go back to 1985

• There are a lot of 'main' characters (15 in all!).

• Each chapter is told from a different characters perspective, and if that isn't enough, some chapters are written as if you are the one walking into a tent.

All of this being said, I am definitely in the 'loved it' camp. It takes a skilled author to be able to pull all of this off.  The writing is gorgeous. Don't worry too much about keeping track of everything. Read it and get lost in the magical beauty of the book and the circus.

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Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of two boys in China sent to the countryside for 're-education' where they flirt with the seamstress's daughter and devour band books. This has some wonderful story telling and captures what it was like to live under Mao's reign. It also makes you wonder how you would deal in a world without books. I am glad that I don't have to find out.

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