Explanation/Summary:
From the back of the book:

Logan Ward and his wife, Heather, were prototypical New Yorkers circa 2000: their lives steeped in ambition, work, and stress.  Feeling their souls grow numb, wanting their toddler son to see the stars at night, the Wards made a plan. They would return to their native South, find a farm, and for one year live exactly as people did in 1900 Virginia: without a car or electricity — and with only the food they could grow themselves. It was a project that would push their relationship to the brink — and illuminate stunning hardships and equally remarkable surprises.

From Logan’s emotionally charged battles with Belle, the family workhorse, to Heather’s daily trials with a wood-fired cooking stove and a constant siege of garden pests and cantankerous animals, the Wards were soon overwhelmed by their new life. At the same time as Logan and Heather struggled with their increasingly fragile relationship, as their son relished simple joys, the couple discovered something else:  within their self-imposed time warp, they had found a community, a sense of belonging, and an appreciation both for what we’ve lost — and what we’ve gained — across a century of change.

Analysis and Evaluation:

• Did the author achieve his or her purpose?

Definitely.  Ward shared the highs and lows, struggles and joys of his family’s transition from the year 2000 to their life living as the people of 1900.

• Is the writing effective, powerful, difficult, beautiful?

The writing is enjoyable.  I really liked reading about the family’s time-travel experiment.  Ward effectively communicates the events, as well as, the feelings/emotions that accompanied the situations.

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?

The strengths:  As some of my previous book reviews have mentioned, I have a thing for folks who do “a year in the life” kind of books.  This one did not disappoint me.  I truly enjoyed reading about Logan, Heather, and Luther as they started out in their journey.  It added that much more pleasure to the book as I was able to see how each person grew throughout the challenges of the year.

For the weakness:  I would have liked more historical information about 1900.  However, this was not detrimental to the book.

The one thing that I truly wish book editors in-general would address, is the use of foul language.  Sadly, it’s sprinkled throughout the book.  If it didn’t have the f-bomb and it’s derivatives in it, I’d let my kids read it…

• What is your overall response to the book? Did you find it interesting, moving, dull?

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book this much.  Ward is great at capturing the humor of the moment so there were many moments when I laughed out loud, much to the distraction of my family.  I loved seeing how the community encouraged their quest.  Also, I loved how their lives became exponentially more rich as they created bonds and relationships with neighbors.  I thought it was humorous that the family chose 1900 because toilet paper had been invented at that point in time.  As Ward summed up their year, I took much delight in finding out that the convenience they missed the most was running water.  I can imagine that I would feel the same way if I had to to pump, by hand, all of the water my family used in a day.

• Would you recommend it to others?

Yes.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I was sad to put it down when I finished – that hasn’t happened in a very long time.

Grade: A-

Explanation/Summary:
From michaelconnelly.com:

Mickey Haller has spent all his professional life afraid that he wouldn’t recognize innocence if it stood right in front of him. But what he should have been on the watch for was evil.

Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car, traveling between the far-flung courthouses of Los Angeles to defend clients of every kind. Bikers, con artists, drunk drivers, drug dealers — they’re all on Mickey Haller’s client list. For him, the law is rarely about guilt or innocence — it’s about negotiation and manipulation. Sometimes it’s even about justice.

Analysis and Evaluation:

• Did the author achieve his or her purpose?

Absolutely. This was a book with suspense, drama, and mystery.

• Is the writing effective, powerful, difficult, beautiful?

The writing is great. Connelly describes an intriguing story that grips the reader from the beginning, and keeps them hooked until the last page.  It has been a very, very long time since I’ve found an author who could keep my interest through the entire story.

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?

The strengths are the characters.  Connelly does a great job of making the reader feel like they get to know the characters.  Additionally, I think this book had an excellent editor.  I don’t remember any extraneous tangents or stories that didn’t get resolved.
For the weakness, I’m going to sound like a broken record because it’s my complaint about most books… I dislike the profanity.  Yes, it suits the characters that say them, but… I still don’t have to like it.

• What is your overall response to the book? Did you find it interesting, moving, dull?

I haven’t been this excited about a book in a long time.  After reading it, it is obvious why someone decided to adapt it for a screenplay – Thrilling story from beginning to end.  And, even though I know the book will be superior to the movie, I hope to go see it.  After all, the movie stars Matthew McConaughey and I think I could watch him read the phone book…

• Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, as long as the language won’t bother you.  Also, a warning there are some pretty descriptive crime scenes.  If you’re sensitive to that, you might not like this book as much as I did.  However, I think this was an excellent story.
Grade: A-
Other Notes:
This book was “read” via audible.com.  The narrator was fabulous. I’m hoping he’ll do the other books that feature Mickey Haller as the main character.  The little music interludes were kind of weird – their timing seemed really odd and out of place.

Rip Van Winkle - by Washington Irving
Fiction. A classic published in 1819.  The boys and I listened to this after reading the Wishbone book, “Digging Up the Past” for the Boy’s Book Club.  I was surprised at how much the boys enjoyed it.  The language is “olde”, so I did pause to give definitions to some words.  They didn’t know some of the history, so I paused to give a quick background lesson. But we all really enjoyed this story.  I give it an A.

 A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth
Autobiography. Oh, my word. This girl is funny!  From how she learned about God, to her struggle with Meniere’s disease, to her addiction to Jimmy Choo’s – she keeps the reader smiling through it all. I’ll give it a B+, only because I can’t imagine that a reader like my father enjoying this book very much.

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
Non-fiction. This is the kind of book that my husband & I listen to on road trips.  He doesn’t care for fiction, and I can’t stand to listen to gory war stories – so this is the compromise we both enjoy.  We are both intrigued by “why people behave the way they do”, so this type of book works for us.

The author/MIT college professor did many studies with his available pool of research subjects – college students.  One study that we found fascinating was that when he asked the students to recall the 10 Commandments, and then he gave them the opportunity to lie/cheat – they couldn’t do it.  This went for students of all faiths.  Previously, when he did the exercise without asking students to recall the 10 Commandments, the lie/cheat ratio was very high.  However, he found that once students tapped the moral area of their conscience, they couldn’t bring themselves to cross their own moral boundaries.  Fascinating!  I give it a B.  It was enjoyable, but some parts were pretty dry…

Every Other Monday: Twenty Years of Life, Lunch, Faith and Friendship by John Kasich & Daniel Paisner
Autobiography. At the time this book was published, John Kasich was a former Republican congressman from Ohio.  He had also been a host on the Fox News Network.  He’s now the Governor of Ohio.  The book is about how he, a Methodist minister, and a half-dozen men gather, as the title suggests, Every Other Monday to discuss how the Bible should/does influence their lives and their choices.  The reader learns about Kasich, his history, and how he comes to have a faith in God.  We  get to learn how the group is formed and what keeps them going.  I love the idea of having friends that I can discuss real Biblical truth with for twenty years.  I give it a B+.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
Non-fiction. I loved so much about this book.  The gist of the book is that Kingsolver and her family move from suburban Arizona to land that had once been owned by ancestors in rural Appalachia.  They take on a challenge: to spend a year eating only locally-produced, organic food.  The family raises much of the food themselves, but the book also describes how they partner with local families to barter other food items.  Barbara learns how to make cheese. (Something I really want to do now!)  Her daughter raises chickens so that she can sell their eggs to local families.  They also try their hand at raising turkeys. (You’ll learn more about turkey reproduction than you’ll ever want to know.) Her husband daily bakes the family’s bread.  They plant and tend to the gardens during growing seasons. They can and freeze everything possible during harvest season.
For me, the negatives of the book were the preachy segments on global warming and climate change.  There were also “spiritual” aspects that I absolutely do not agree with – however, I think the book offers valuable information when it comes to making thoughtful choices about where our food comes from.  I give it a B.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society byMary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Fiction. I absolutely loved this book.  I haven’t enjoyed a fiction novel this much in a very, very long time.  The book is a compilation of letters sent from and to the 30-something author Juliet.  Juliet is looking for her next book subject when she receives a letter from farmer Dawsey Adams.  He finds her name inscribed in a used book that he purchased, and he writes to ask her if she knows of any other books published by the author of the book in his possession. And so begins a delightful tale.  As Juliet and Dawsey begin to correspond, she is drawn into the world of Guernsey, an island in the English Channel.  The reader is given the treat of rich characters along with a bit of the island history of German occupation.  I give it a A-, because as much as I loved it, I think it’s “chick lit.”  I can’t see a reader like my dad enjoying this story.

The Art of Making Money: The Story of a Master Counterfeiter by Jason Kersten
Biography. This is the story of Art Williams, a man who is a master counterfeiter.  This story was a perfect example of ” the truth is better than fiction.”  It was incredibly entertaining.  Art’s life truly seems larger than life.  He comes from the slums of Chicago.  Meets his mom’s boyfriend, a man named DaVinci, who introduces him to the world of counterfeiting.  The reader gets a front row seat to Art’s education about printing presses, inks, and paper.  We see how he beats the law for a while, and then ultimately how he is caught.
A strong warning.  This book should absolutely be rated R.  There were some aspects of the story that should have been left out.  There were tangents about trysts that really got out there.  Frankly, I think it was poor editing that allowed them to stay.  If I had to grade the editing, I’d give it a D ~ because it just stunk.  However, because the story was so entertaining, I’ll give the book a B.

Father and I Were Rangers: Little Britches #1 by Ralph Moody
Autobiography.  Another winner, and another book the boys and I listened to.  The story is the biographical tale of Ralph Moody and his family.  Ralph is 8 years-old when they move from New Hampshire to Colorado to become ranchers in 1906.  Through Ralph, we learn that he is the oldest boy of the family.  He has an older sister, and two younger siblings.  We learn that his father, though in poor health, teaches Ralph a tireless work ethic.  His mother, a refined lady, did her best to help her husband create the kind of life they wanted to have.   We witness the family establish their claim to a little plot of land.  We see them work together to plow, put in fences and irrigation systems.  We see young Ralph do what he can to help his family.  My boys were absorbed by this story.  They loved listening to Ralph’s tales of riding horses, and learning to do tricks.
I will give a word of caution to parents, the cowboys in the book say a few harsh words.  It is not out of character for the rough and tumble cowboys, but I wouldn’t want it to surprise you.  I give this book an A-.

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Rom Brafman & Ori Brafman
Non-fiction. This is another book that Hubby and I listened to on a trip.  A very interesting book that tries to explain some of “why people behave the way they do.”  One example they use to explain behavior is the horrible KLM Flight 4805 plane crash as an example.  The pilot, the head of KLM’s safety program no-less, makes multiple choices that go directly against safety rules and common sense.  Why would he do this?  The Brafman’s explain that the crash was the result of many incorrect minor decisions, rather than just one horrible decision.
Hubby and I were fascinated, but I’ll admit if you aren’t interested in the subject, you might think it’s pretty dry.  I give it at B.

I have a few other books left to review, but seeing as how this has turned into nearly 1500 words, I think I’ll stop for now.

Explanation/Summary:

From the cover:

In his first collection of short stories John Grisham takes us back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill.

Wheelchair-bound Inez Graney (…) Mack Stafford, a hard-drinking and low-grossing run-of-the-mill divorce lawyer (…) Quiet, dull Sidney, a data collector for an insurance company, perfects his blackjack skills (…) Three good ol’ boys from rural Ford County begin a journey to the big city of Memphis (…) The Quiet Haven Retirement Home is the final stop for the elderly of Clanton (…)  Lawyer Stanley Wade bumps into an old adversary (…) Clanton is rocked with the rumor that the gay son of a prominent family has finally come home, to die (…)

Featuring a cast of characters you’ll never forget, these stories bring Ford County to vivid and colorful life. Often hilarious, frequently moving, and always entertaining, this collection makes it abundantly clear why John Grisham is our most popular storyteller.

Analysis and Evaluation:

Did the author achieve his or her purpose?
I suppose so.  If his purpose was to create short stories that left “a bad taste in your mouth.”

Is the writing effective, powerful, difficult, beautiful?
The writing is typical Grisham.  He’s great at describing people, but most of those people aren’t people you’d want to know.   The cover said, “Featuring a cast of characters you’ll never forget,” let’s just say I wish I could forget.  Just about all of them seemed sleazy and seedy – and if I were to shake hands with them – I’d want to go wash my hands rather quickly.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
The strength is that (I’m sure) it sold well because John Grisham’s superstar name was attached to it..
The weakness is that (IMHO) the characters were awful. I didn’t like a single character in this book. Frankly, if I don’t have some ‘connection’ with one of the characters, why would I want to read about them?

What is your overall response to the book? Did you find it interesting, moving, dull?
Obviously, per my previous answers – I did not enjoy this book.  I remember laughing at a few moments, but for the most part I felt like this book left a lot to be desired.  Grisham needs to stick with what he does best – and short stories “ain’t it.”

Would you recommend it to others?
Nope.

Grade: D

Explanation/Summary:

From the cover:

An innocent man is about to be executed. Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

Analysis and Evaluation:

Did the author achieve his or her purpose?
Yes, and then some…  Grisham produced a good story with plenty of plot twists and turns.  Then when the story was over, he got on his political soapbox.  My perception is that he included in the story his opinion regarding the death penalty. Let’s just say, I don’t agree with his opinion.

Is the writing effective, powerful, difficult, beautiful?
The writing is superb. There is no doubt that Grisham is a talented writer.  He is a master at making the reader feel like they get to be a “fly on the wall.”  He paints pictures with his words so you feel like you could describe the setting quite accurately, right down to the color of the carpet if necessary.
With one small exception: a line that was early in the book where a Texas private investigator was questioning a character. The character asked the PI if he had a gun, when it was affirmed that he did, the PI said “Do you want to see my permit?”  The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.  No Texas gun owner I know would EVER ask if someone wanted to see a permit.  For one, most Texans believe it is their God given right to own a gun.  Secondly, permits are not required to own guns in Texas.  There is a permit for conceal carry.  After a discussion with my father, I decided that perhaps the author’s intent regarding the permit question was meant for the concealed handgun license.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
The strength is, no doubt, a good story.  Characters that become alive in the pages of a book; that draw you in and have you cheering or jeering for them.
The weakness is interjection of personal political opinion.

What is your overall response to the book? Did you find it interesting, moving, dull?
I enjoyed the book. I would have liked it better without the author’s political opinions. 
Also, part of the story takes place in Huntsville, Texas.  My college years were spent in Huntsville at Sam Houston State University.  It was fun to see the author’s take on the town and recognize certain landmarks when they were mentioned.

Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, as stated previously, it was a good story.  If you’re a fan of legal drama, this book will be right up your alley.

Grade: B

Other Notes:
This book was “read” via audible.com

Vanished

Author: Joseph Finder

Publication Information: St. Martin’s Press; 1st Ed edition (August 18, 2009), 386 pps.

Genre: Fiction/Espionage/Thriller

Explanation/Summary:

From the cover:

Nick Heller is tough, smart, and stubborn. And in his line of work, it’s essential. Trained in the Special Forces, Nick is a high-powered intelligence investigator–exposing secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. He’s a guy you don’t want to mess with. He’s also the man you call when you need a problem fixed.

Desperate, with nowhere else to run, Nick’s nephew, Gabe makes that call one night. After being attacked in Georgetown, his mother, Lauren, lies in a coma, and his step-dad, Roger, Nick’s brother, has vanished without a trace.

Nick and Roger have been on the outs since the arrest, trial, and conviction of their father, the notorious “fugitive financier,” Victor Heller. Where Nick strayed from the path, Roger followed their father’s footsteps into the corporate world. Now, as Nick searches for his brother, he’s on a collision course with one of the most powerful corporations in the world–and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

Analysis and Evaluation:

Notes: Several years ago I read Finder’s Paranoia and Company Man.   I found both of them to be as intriguing as Vanished.   I think Finder is a true “find” as an author.

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen

Author: Susan Gregg Gilmore

Publication Information: Shaye Areheart Books; 1 edition (January 1, 2008), 296 pps.

Genre: Literature & Fiction/Southern Fiction

Explanation/Summary:

From the back cover:   Sometimes you have to return to the place where you began, to arrive at the place where you belong.

It’s the early 1970s. The town of Ringgold, Georgia, has a population of 1,923, one traffic light, one Dairy Queen, and one Catherine Grace Cline.   The daugther of Ringgold’s third-generation Baptist preacher, Catherine Grace is quick-witted, more than a little stubborn, and dying to escape her small-town life.

Every Saturday afternoon, she sits at the Dairy Queen, eating Dilly Bars and plotting her getaway to the big city of Atlanta. And when, with the help of a family friend, the dream becomes a reality, Catherine Grace immediately packs her bags, leaving her family and the boy she loves to claim the life she’s always imagined. But before things have even begun to get off the ground in Atlanta, tragedy brings her back home. As a series of extraordinary events alters her perspective – and sweeping changes come to Ringgold itself – Catherine Grace begins to wonder if her place in the world may actually be, against all odds, right where she began.

Analysis and Evaluation:

I started something new with the boys on the Sunday night of our Spring Break week.   I learned about it from a friend in high school.   He said his parents let him stay up as late as he wanted when he was a kid, just as long as he was reading.   He ended up being a voracious reader and loved books.   I took that little idea 20 years ago and filed it away thinking that it could be a great tip to use.   Well, sure enough, the time is here.

I’ve implemented the plan with a slight modification – bedtime is now 30 minutes earlier than usual.   To increase the boys’ excitement about this new thing, I bought each of them a new book.   For Woody, I selected the first of the Amazing Captain Underpants books.   I picked it because I knew the boy humor would get him interested.   Other characteristics that I thought were important for him (at this time) were:   lots of pictures, some pages incorporate a comic book style, and it’s a chapter book.   For Tigger, I selected a level 2 reader that offers a little bit of a challenge, but he gets most of the words.

Since beginning this “Love to Read” campaign.   Tigger has read 10 to 20 minutes each night, then he rolls over and goes to sleep. Woody’s record is a little different:   Sunday – 30 minutes; Monday – an hour and thirty minutes;   Tuesday – two hours;   Wednesday – 30 minutes.

So far Woody has read 2.5 of the Captain Underpants books.   I think he’s hooked.   He likes the characters and of course the boy humor.   I looked to see if we could get subsequent books in the series from the library, but they didn’t have any of them.   I took him up to the book store, where he purchased with his own money, the next two Captain Underpants books.

I need to find another series that is the right reading level and that is available at our local library.   If not, we’re going to be in big trouble because someone will be asking for daily trips to the book store.

Do you have any books that you would recommend for boys almost 8 and under?

The Help: A Novel

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Publication Information: Putnam Adult; 1 edition (February 10, 2009), 464 pps.

Genre: Literature & Fiction/Historical Fiction

Explanation/Summary:

From the back cover:

In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. Black maids raise the white children, but no one trusts them not to steal the silver. Black maids clean the toilets, but they have their own out back. Everyone stays within the lines. But, suddenly, three women Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter find themselves tired of the lines.

Analysis and Evaluation:

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

Author: Julie Powell

Publication Information: Little, Brown and Company (September 28, 2005), 320 pps.

Genre: Biography/Memoir/Cooking Essays

Explanation/Summary:

From the back cover:

With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Julie Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saved her soul.

Julie Powell is 30-years-old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that’s going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother’s dog-eared copy of Julia Child’s 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes. In the span of one year.

At first she thinks it will be easy. But as she moves from the simple Potage Parmentier (potato soup) into the more complicated realm of aspics and cr�epes, she realizes there’s more to Mastering the Art of French Cooking than meets the eye. With Julia’s stern warble always in her ear, Julie haunts the local butcher, buying kidneys and sweetbreads. She sends her husband on late-night runs for yet more butter and rarely serves dinner before midnight. She discovers how to mold the perfect Orange Bavarian, the trick to extracting marrow from bone, and the intense pleasure of eating liver.

And somewhere along the line she realizes she has turned her kitchen into a miracle of creation and cuisine. She has eclipsed her life’s ordinariness through spectacular humor, hysteria, and perseverance.

Analysis and Evaluation: