Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 10 discs?

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Grade: A-

Synopsis: After the Dauntless attack while under simulation serum took place in the last book, Tris and the others are not hiding out with the Amity. While there Erudite and Dauntless traitors attack in an effort to find any Divergent who may be hiding out.

My Review: I actually read this book back in the spring, but failed to put a review together.  I don't remember a ton about the book (beyond the main plot), but I do recall enjoying the book but not as much as the first.

The Emperor's Code (The 39 Clues #8)

Title: The Emperor's Code (The 39 Clues #8)

Author: Gordon Korman

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Dan and Amy get into a big argument, Dan runs away and is kidnapped on Tienanmen Square in China by the Kabras.  He ends up in Jonah Wizard's candy factory, where Jonah finds him and hides him from Amy and their au pair Nellie.

My Review: The books are rushing towards the final clues and the end of the clue hunt.  Many more unbelievable occurrences and experiences, but another easy and enjoyable read.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Title: Me Talk Pretty One Day

Author: David Sedaris

Pages: 6 discs?

Genre: Humor

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is a collection of humorous essays written about Sedaris' life, most of them focused on the time period around his move from New York City to Paris.

My Review: I listened to the audiobook version, which the author reads himself, and some of the essays were recorded in front of live audiences.  I enjoy listening to Sedaris. He has a bit of a nasally voice, but his reading and intonation definitely play a role in the humor of the book.

Disclaimer: There is a bit of language, but I don't recall it being too terrible.

The Viper's Nest (The 39 Clues #7)

Title: The Viper's Nest (The 39 Clues #7)

Author: Peter Lerangis

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Amy and Dan's search for the 39 clues continues.  They've just survived a house fire in Indonesia, that was meant to kill them, but actually killed one of the Lucians (who Amy and Dan never would have guessed was on their side).  The hunt takes them to South Africa and Madagascar, where they continue searching for clues.

My Review: Honestly, I hardly remember this book as they're all starting to run together now.  I think I liked it about as much as all of the other books.

The Executioner's Song

Title: The Executioner's Song

Author: Norman Mailer

Pages: 1056

Genre: Creative Nonfiction, Pulitzer Prize

Grade: A

Synopsis: Gary Gilmore lived in Utah County in 1976 when he robbed two men on separate occasions and then shot them both at point blank.  This is Gilmore's story, from his release from prison, to the murders, then his fight FOR death on death row.  Gilmore was the first person executed in more than 10 years, after the Supreme Court had declared the death penalty constitutional. The lengths to which the Attorney General's office of the State of Utah went to finally execute Gilmore are fascinating, while it seems that everybody else wanted to fight for Gary's life, even though he himself was fighting for his sentence to be served.

My Review: This book was a pretty epic undertaking.  At over 1,000 pages it covers Gilmore's life after being paroled in extreme detail from extensive interviews (both with Gilmore while alive and with his acquaintances after his death), and explores his obsession with his girlfriend Nicole, which in a way led to his killing of two innocent and random victims.

Disclaimer: This book does not hold any punches, nor does it sugar-coat or censor any of Gilmore's letters or interviews.  His letters and conversations with Nicole are often vulgar and the language overall is quite strong.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Title: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Author: Amy Chua

Pages: 242

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Everybody knows that Chinese parents in America expect their children to be the best.  What people don't usually see is what goes on behind the scenes.  This book is a look how Amy Chua raised her two daughters, Sophia and Lulu, to be the best (at least in everything except gym and athletics). To do this, she and her daughters made tremendous sacrifices, such as having friends outside of school (or having playdates), practice the violin or piano for 6 hours/day, participate in any after-school extra-curricular activities, etc.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book.  It seems to be a very honest account of the things that Amy did right, as well as including the things that she may have done wrong, but she generally leaves the interpretation of her parenting decisions up the reader. From verbal abuse, to forcing her children to practice their instruments in hotel rooms, or wherever they could locate a piano while traveling, this was no holds barred parenting. While I don't subscribe to all of her methods, I was impressed with her dedication to helping her children be the best.  That is something that I can certainly improve upon.

Michael Vey - The Prisoner of Cell 25

Title: Michael Vey - The Prisoner of Cell 25

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Pages: 326

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Michael Vey is an ordinary 14 year old living in Idaho. Except that he has Tourette's Syndrome, and except that he has the ability to more or less control electricity and shock people. He's not popular in school and when the hottest cheerleader in the school takes an interest in him, little does he know the danger this will bring.

My Review: The book was a little formulaic (except for the part where Michel Vey absorbs and releases electricity), but I still found it enjoyable. I read it just after Ada, and she really liked it. It's a great book for 4th grade and up, and one that adults can enjoy as well.

The Pyramid

Title: the pyramid - and four other kurt wallander mysteries

Author: Henning Mankell

Pages: 10 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: The book contains 5 stories from the Swedish detective Kurt Wallander.  The stories range from the a murder case during the beginning of his career, to a complicated double homicide case that is eventually linked to a nearby plane that has crashed.

My Review:  I haven't read any other Kurt Wallander mysteries, but I still found these stories to be very enjoyable and easy to follow.  All could have been read as stand-alone mysteries.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum

Pages: 5 discs?

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Everybody is familiar with the story, originally written in 1900, about Dorothy Gale from Kansas who befriends a scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion while making her way to the Emerald City after her house fell on the wicked witch and killed her. Phew. That was a long one-sentence synopsis.

My Review:  The author wanted to write a book similar to the fairy tales of old, and I think he pretty well succeeded, especially considering the big-screen success of the classic 1939 film.  The movie follows the book pretty closely, except for a few scenes in the book that didn't make the final cut in the movie.  For kids, it was excellent. For me, it was pretty good.

In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6)

Title: In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6)

Author: Jude Watson

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: The clue hunt takes Amy, Dan and their au pair Nellie to Sydney Australia where they meet up with Shep who is an old friend of their parents.  He flies them across Australia and then to Indonesia as they continue to try and follow the path for clues and the journey their parents took many years before. Through it all Dan and Amy continue to outsmart all of the other teams in the clue hunt.

My Review: I always enjoy the clue hunt books that take place either somewhere that I've been or somewhere that I'm going.  Ada and I continue to enjoy each step of the journey.

The Greater Journey - Americans In Paris

Title: The Greater Journey - Americans In Paris

Author: David McCullough

Pages: 16 discs

Genre: History, Non-Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: During the 19th century not all pioneers went west.  Many American artists, doctors, writers and others made journey eastward across the ocean to study and hone their craft in Paris. Between the 1830's and 1900 hundreds of Americans went to Paris seeking inspiration, education and the chance to mingle with the greatest minds of the day.

My Review: I don't put this on the same pedestal as John Adam, Truman or The Path Between the Seas (my favorites of the 7 David McCullough books that I've read), but this was another interesting, unique and enjoyable book by one of my favorite authors.  I especially enjoyed the book because I read it in the weeks leading up to my own first visit to Paris and many of the same wonders that were present in the city over a hundred years ago are still there today.

Too Far From Home

Title: Too Far From Home

Author: Chris Jones

Pages: 304

Genre: Non-Fiction, Science

Grade: B+

Synopsis: When the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated on its return to earth there were three astronauts orbiting the earth in the International Space Station.  Once the disaster struck nobody knew for a long time how or when these men would get home. This book focuses on the lives, careers and time spent in space of the Americans Don Petit and Ken Bowersox and the Russian Nikolai Budarin.  At the time, the International Space Station was fairly new, as was spending long amounts of time in space.  It was supposed to be a routine 14 week mission, which turned out to be much longer.

My Review: It took me a while to really get into this book, and it took me longer than I would have liked to finish it, but I did enjoy it.  It's not really a thriller, but it is centered around events that most of us probably remember.

Silk

Title: Silk

Author: Alessandro Baricco

Pages: 132

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Herve Joncour is a Frenchman who deals in silkworms.  After an epidemic decimates the European supply in the late 1800's, Joncour begins to travel further and further to find healthy silkworms to bring back to France.  On his visit to Japan he comes across a woman with whom he never speaks, but who enchants him and becomes an obsession for him.

My Review: This is a short read (I finished in around an hour I think) and is a lovely story.  I believe the book has since been made into a movie, but I have not seen it.

All the Light We Cannot See

Title: All the Light We Cannot See

Author: Anthony Doer

Pages: 530

Genre: Historical Fiction, Pulitzer Prize

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Marie-Laure is a blind French girl who lives with her father in Paris. Her father works at the Museum of Natural History and builds elaborate models of the neighborhoods where they live to allow Marie-Laure to feel her neighborhood with her hands in order to learn her way around. Once Paris is occupied during WWII, Marie-Laure and her father flee to Saint Malo, near the coast in France to live with Marie-Laure's great uncle.

Werner is an orphan in Germany and is brilliant with electronics and radios.  He is recruited at a young age into the Nazi Army where he is put to work on their electronics.

This is the story of how their lives collide.

My Review: This is a book that I would say was beautiful.  It was on the artsy side as far as the writing is concerned, and it took me a little work to get into it, but once I did I really enjoyed everything about it.

Born to Run

Title: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Author: Christopher McDougall

Pages: 287

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This book explores whether or not humans are built to run, and what our anatomy, history and genetics may have to do with it.  Intermingled in this research are stories of great runners in history, including the Tarahumara Tribe that lives secluded in the Copper Canyons of Mexico, but who are known to be able to run 100 miles or more at the drop of a hat.

My Review: I don't run, I don't particularly enjoy running, but I really enjoyed this book.  The science and research is very well interwoven with the stories about great runners and a race that the author participates in with the Tarahumara Tribe and other invited long-distance runners. If you're a runner, you'd probably love this book, but I'd recommend it to anybody with legs.

Holes

Title: Holes

Author: Louis Sachar

Pages: 233

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Medal

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Stanley Yelnats and his father and his grandfather have always been cursed with very bad luck, which was mainly due to Stanley's no-good dirty rotten pig stealing great great grandfather. However, Stanley and his dad have always felt like their luck was on the brink of changing. That is until Stanley is sent to a juvenile detention center on an old lakebed, where everyday the campers are forced to dig holes.  One hole per person, 5 feet in diameter, 5 feet deep.

My Review: I'm surprised that I've never reviewed this book on here before.  I've like it for years.  It's not earth-shattering or anything, but it's quite enjoyable and the story has always seemed to be pretty clever.

Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit

Title: Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Pages: 404

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: C-

Synopsis: This book is a spin on the tale of King Arthur.  Gwenhwyfar lives at a time when gods walked among their pagan worshippers and a woman was expected to live her life doing a woman's work.  However, some women did learn to fight and became great warriors, which was the path Gwenhwyfar chose.

My Review: In full disclosure, I didn't actually finish this book.  I made it about 30% of the way through and just found that I had absolutely no interest in the book.  I've come to the conclusion that life is too short to spend time on books that are not interesting for me.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Title: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Author: Seth Grahame-Smith

Pages: 336

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Abraham Lincoln has gone down in history as an excellent President and a strong leader. He guided the country through the emancipation of the slaves and the civil war. What is less well-known about his history is his personal reasons for fighting slavery so boldly.  Abraham's mother was killed by a vampire in his youth (although he didn't find out the truth until he was much older). Once he did, he dedicated his life to the eradication of vampires, many of whom would prey on slaves.

My Review: This book is not for everybody.  Written in a similar style as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the book intricately weaves Abraham's fight against vampires into his biography.  I really enjoyed it and found myself often thinking, what if...?  All the while learning about our 16th President.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Title: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Author: Jonathan Safran Foer

Pages: 326

Genre: Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Oskar Schell is nine-years old and lives in Manhattan with his widowed mother after his father is killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center.  Oskar (who carries his own business cards) identifies himself as an inventor, explorer, jeweller, vegan, pacifist, percussionist and many other things.  One day after his father's death he finds a key in his father's closet and he is convinced that it was left for him. Now the only thing left for him to do is to track down the lock that this key fits.

My Review: Oskar Schell always seems to have about a million things going through his mind and this book seems to capture everything perfectly.  He's a bit of an unusual nine-year old kid, but one that becomes endearing after you get used to his quirks and manias. I really liked this book.

The Black Circle (The 39 Clues #5)

Title: The Black Circle (The 39 Clues #5)

Author: Patrick Carman

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Dan and Amy Cahill have followed the clues to Russia where they are being helped by an anonymous individual who signs all messages with the initials NRR. Dan and Amy aren't sure if this is somebody who they can trust, but they feel like they don't have any other options.  The tasks they're given require them to join up with another team as they have a very limited time to criss cross Russia searching for clues.

My Review: Another [unbelievably] amazing adventure for Dan and Amy Cahill.  I especially enjoyed this one because it took place throughout Russia. Ada gives it two thumbs up as well.

The Candy Shop War

Title: The Candy Shop War

Author: Brandon Mull

Pages: 8 discs?

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: A new Candy Shop opens on Main Street and Nate, Summer, Trevor and Pigeon are especially excited after they meet the sweet shop owner, Mrs. White, who recruits them to help her out with a few things.  As payment the children are given candies that allow them to do all sorts of things, such as defy gravity, change their appearance or become unbreakable.

My Review: Ada and I listened to this book on our short, ill-fated visit to Las Vegas (where we watched the Utes get creamed by Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament).  It was perfect for such a trip and Ada just loved it.  I think that she ended up listening to most of the book a couple more times before I had to return the discs to the library.  I like Brandon Mull's Fablehaven Series better than this book, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Following the Light of Christ into His Presence

Title: Following the Light of Christ into His Presence

Author: John Pontius

Pages: 255

Genre: LDS, Religion

Grade: B

Synopsis: Just as the title describes, this book is about following the Light of Christ through personal revelation.  Holding onto the iron rod and recognizing and acting upon the promptings of the Spirit are all keys for doing this.

My Review: The content in the book is decent (although it felt like about 1/3 of the book was just quotes from Bruce R. McConkie), but something about the material presentation just felt a bit off-putting and often came across in a holier than thou style (Not to mention that it took me almost 3 months to slog through).  However, as is usually the case, there was still plenty to think about and ideas and impressions of behaviors to implement in my own life.

The Boy in the Suitcase

Title: The Boy in the Suitcase

Author: Lene Kaaberbøl

Pages: 10 discs?

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Nina Borg is a nurse for the Red Cross who is contacted by her friend Karin with a key to a public locker in a train station.  When Nina gets to the locker she finds a heavy suitcase and upon opening the suitcase she is shocked to find a young boy inside.  The boy speaks no English (or Danish as in the original), so Nina embarks on a quest to find out more about this boy in the suitcase.  When her friend Karin is brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life is in danger as well.

My Review:  It was tough for me to get into this book as it jumped around quite a bit and things were hard to follow in the audio version as I wasn't always sure when a new section started and it was sometimes difficult to catch the different place-names.  Once I had that down, then I started enjoying the book more.  Apparently it was quite popular in Denmark, but it just ended up being ok for me.

Nineteen Minutes

Title: Nineteen Minutes

Author: Jodi Picoult

Pages: 18 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book takes place in a small town in New England.  An unhappy high school student brings an arsenal of guns to school looking for the jocks and popular kids killing 10 and wounding many others.  The best witness for the defense is the judge's own daughter, but she claims to not be able to remember anything about the whole ordeal.

My Review: I initially started listening to this book without knowing anything about it and when I realized that it was about a school shooting then I was going to skip it and move onto a different book (I didn't have a whole lot of interest in getting into the details of a school shooting).  However, after reading some reviews of the book online I decided to stick with it and I was glad I did because the book wasn't that bad and it makes a good case that there are always two sides (or more) to every story.  The shooter isn't excused from the damage or killing that was done, but you certainly feel for him as well as the victims.

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Title: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Author: David Foster Wallace

Pages: 378

Genre: Essays

Grade: D

Synopsis: The book is a collection of essays on topics from a Cruise Ship in the Carribbean to the Illinois State Fair and from tennis in the hot and humid Midwestern summers to a long analysis of the films of David Lynch.

My Review: The first essay wasn't too bad, and neither was his essay about the Illinois State Fair (although it was quite long), but I could barely make it through the other essays in the book before giving up entirely.

Still Life with Woodpecker

Title: Still Life with Woodpecker

Author: Tom Robbins

Pages: 288

Genre: Fiction, Humor

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Princess Leigh-Cheri, a red-headed, vegetarian lives with her exiled royal parents in Seattle.  The liberal Leigh-Cheri travels to Hawaii with Gulietta, her family's last loyal servant, to go to the CareFest gathering where her idol Ralph Nader will be speaking.  While there she meets Bernard Mickey Wrangle, who is an outlaw bomber that has been running from the law for decades.  After Bernard (also known as the woodpecker) sets off a bomb at the CareFest, Leigh-Cheri places him under a citizen's arrest, before falling in love with him.

My Review: This is without a doubt one of the strangest books that I have ever read, but I really enjoyed it. I think Alison was sick of me reading it because I often broke out into laughter while reading.  Aside from the theme that redheads are from another planet, I'm not sure I can do this book any justice by attempting to describe it any further.

Disclaimer: There is some love-making and other descriptions of an adult nature.

From the Book: "(Pg. 8) Once, Princess Leigh-Cheri used a papal candlestick for the purpose of self-gratification. She had hoped that at the appropriate moment she might be visited by either the Lamb or the Beast, be, as usual, only Ralph Nader attended her."

"(Pg. 52) To Gulietta, indoor plumbing was the devil's device. Of all the follies of the modern world, that one struck her as the most unnecessary. There was something unnatural, foolish, and a little filthy about going indoors. Ont he European estates where she was reared, it was common practice for servant girls to lift their skirts outside. Gulietta had seen no reason to alter her habits in Seattle. Despite the difficulty there of doing one's natural duty without being rained upon or receiving from a blackberry bramble a bite as sharp as hemorrhoids, she felt comfortable--happy, even--when she could squat in fresh air. Besides, it was an opportune way to spy frogs."

Blind Descent

Title: Blind Descent

Author: Nevada Barr

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: A woman on an expedition to map yet unvisited areas of Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park is injured deep inside the cave and must be transported out through the treacherous cave.  Her only request is for her friend, Mesa Verde park ranger Anna Pigeon to come down with the rescue team.

My Review: I've had Blind Descent on my list of books to read for ages.  However, I don't think that this is the book that I was thinking when I originally put it on the list (there is a small handful ok books with the same name...).  I didn't love this book when I first started it, but after a few CDs, I was enjoying it.

The Disappearing Spoon

Title: The Disappearing Spoon - And other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Author: Sam Kean

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This book explores the origins of the periodic table of the elements and specifically many of the stories behind the creation of the periodic table and of the elements themselves.  The periodic table of the elements is one of mankind's crowning achievement, and has unlocked many mysteries of the Universe and will potentially give us something consistent to communicate with once we have made contact or been visited by aliens...  A few tidbits from the book: Gandhi hates iodine, gallium melts at 84 degrees (thus creating the perfect disappearing teaspoon), Lewis and Clark can be tracked across the continent by the mercury in their waste and Marie Curie's was a regular magician with her glowing radioactive elements.

My Review: This book had a perfect mix of chemistry, physics and stories to keep the book interesting and to ensure that there is something intriguing for everybody.  I've always had a fascination with the elements and I really enjoyed this look at the elements on an individual level and how they fit in the table and relate to their neighboring elements.

Beyond the Grave (The 39 Clues #4)

Title: Beyond the Grave

Author: Jude Watson

Pages: 192

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The search for the 39 Clues continues with Dan and Amy Cahill zipping from Japan to Egypt to search for the next clue within one of the many ancient tombs.

My Review: I thought this was the best book of the series so far (but that's not saying a whole lot...). This one takes the kids throughout Egypt, which is always a fun country to read about.

Shen of the Sea

Title: Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children

Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman

Pages: 221

Genre: Children's Fiction, Short Stories

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book is a collection of Chinese stories (not authentic, but written by an American in the "Chinese style") that won the Newbery Medal in 1926.  The stories are witty and clever and explain how many things that are used in China today actually came to be, including gun powder, kites, printing chopsticks, tea and fine china.

My Review: Honestly, I've been fairly disappointed with the Newbery Medal winners from the 1920's so far.  The stories in the book were enjoyable, but were fairly simplistic and was more of a chore to read than something I was truly interested in.

The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues #3)

Title: The Sword Thief

Author: Peter Lerangis

Pages: 156

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Dan and Amy Cahill continue on in their search of the 39 clues for a chance to find out what the greatest family secret in the world is.  The book starts where book 2 left off, in Rome where they had found a sword that would lead them to their next clue, which appeared to be in Tokyo, Japan.

My Review: These books are great (for 8-9 year olds).  I'm not sure why I'm reading them, but I've been sucked in now, so I'd better keep on keeping on.  Nothing believable and completely ridiculous, but still enjoyable.

Naked at Lunch

Title: Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist's Adventures in the Clothing Optional World

Author: Mark Haskell Smith

Pages: 320

Genre: Memoir?

Grade: B

Synopsis: The history of nudism is intertwined with stories from the author's experiences while venturing into the hidden world where clothes are options.  From a nude cruise, to resorts in the USA and Europe and hikes through the Alps, the stories and experiences are quite interesting and sometimes a bit irreverent.

My Review: Sometimes you walk by the New Releases table at the library and something catches your eye.  With a title such as this one I was sucked in from the get go.  The book was quite interesting about a topic that I hadn't thought a whole lot about (besides the rumors from camping with scouts in the Uintah Mountains that there was a nudist resort nearby)...

Let the Great World Spin

Title: Let the Great World Spin

Author: Colum McCann

Pages: 351

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book is a collection of interconnected stories about people and events from one August day in New York City in 1974.  On this day a man mysteriously begins tight-rope walking on a cable strung between the two newly completed, 110 story World Trade Center Towers.  Nobody knows who this man is, or how he was able to string the cable from tower to tower, or even gain access to the roofs of the towers.  The tightrope walker captivated the people below, once they started noticing the ant sized exhibitionist from the ground below.  All the while, there are other people living their daily lives including a group of prostitutes in the Bronx, a young Irish Monk who lives among them, a gathering of mothers in a Park Avenue apartment who mourn the passing of their sons in Vietnam, a judge who wants to be remembered, and a young artist and her boyfriend who are involved in a hit and run while high on drugs.

My Review: I had a hard time following this story for the first few chapters, once I was able to keep track of the different characters I really started enjoying this book.  Rather than having one single protagonist, instead there is the event that loosely ties everybody together (i.e. the tight-rope walking between the World Trade Center towers). I'm always intrigued that everybody has a story to tell and this book explores that concept in a really interesting way.  The book itself is a little more artsy or allegorical than I usually like, but I still found it enjoyable.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Title: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Author: Raymond Carver

Pages: 159

Genre: Short Stories

Grade: B

Synopsis: This collection of 17 short stories was originally published in 1974.  As is true of most collections of short stories, some are better than others, but most of the stories leave you wanting more and wondering what happened next.

My Review: Oddly enough, my least favorite story was the one for which the collection is titled.  I quite enjoyed most of the others and none of them felt like they were getting too verbose.

The Dip

Title: The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches You when to Quit (And when to Stick)

Author: Seth Godin

Pages: 80

Genre: Self-Help?

Grade: B

Synopsis: Every new project, hobby, job, etc. starts out fun and exciting, but eventually they all lead to the doldrums.  For those people who can weather the storm (i.e. the dip), they are setting themselves up for bigger rewards. The challenge in life is to figure out which efforts are worth sticking with it through the dip and which are not. Quitting is not bad, when it is done strategically.

My Review: This is a short book and fairly easy to read in one sitting. The basic premise makes a lot of sense.  Some of the first electrical engineering courses that I went through were essentially weeder courses.  They were structured to be difficult enough to weed out anybody who was not completely serious about sticking with it (I think that 40-50% of the people who started that first year of electrical engineering did not complete it.  I hate math, yet somehow I made it through...).  What I find far more challenging sometimes than sticking with something is to figure out which efforts will be worth it in the end and which efforts will lead to a dead end.

D-Day, June 6, 1944

Title: D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches

Author: Stephen E. Ambrose

Pages: 20 discs

Genre: Non-Fiction, History

Grade: A

Spoiler Alert: We won.

Synopsis: This book mainly covers the events of D-Day, June 6th, 1944, but it also includes details about the Allied build-up to D-Day. The full industrial might from the United States was put to work building tanks, boats, landing crafts, guns, ammunition, airplanes and anything else that you can imagine was needed for a full-scale invasion from water to land in 1944.  From Utah beach, to Omaha beach to Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches, Ambrose describes the landings and fighting at each beach.  The invasion starts in the days before the landing with heavy air bombardment, followed by paratroopers behind the enemy defenses along the beaches.

My Review: The Allied landings on D-Day are some of the most amazing war-time feats in history.  I especially enjoyed reading this book around Veteran's Day, as I felt that I could greater appreciate some of the sacrifices and efforts that were expended by those who are willing to risk everything for our freedom. This book was very, very well done and I often found myself arriving at work or at a meeting at an architect's office with tears in my eyes from the stories included in the book.

D-Day by the numbers:

• 156,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on D-Day, with more than 4,400 deaths, most of which occurred during the first hour or two of the landings. The biggest memories for residents of Normandy and the German soldiers were often about how the English Channel was simply full of thousands and thousands of Allied ships, destroyers, landing craft, etc.  It looked as though you could walk from ship to ship all the way across the English Channel.
• 11,590 airplanes & almost 7,000 ships were involved.
• Within 5 days, over 326,000 troops and over 104,000 tons of supplies landed on the beaches.

The Curse of Senmut

Title: The Curse of Senmut

Authors: Vickie Britton & Loretta Jackson

Pages: 270

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The archaeologist Ardis Cole is summoned to Egypt to help her good friend, Jane Darvin excavate a tomb that had recently been discovered.  They thought that the tomb had been for Queen Hatshepsut, but when somebody murdered Jane Darvin, it was up to Ardis Cole to continue to unravel the mystery of the tomb and Hatshepsut's lover Senmut.

My Review: The story and premise was not terrible, but something about the writing style and presentation made it so I didn't really love this book.  There was just enough intrigue to keep me reading, but overall it was not that great.

All That Was Promised

Title: All That Was Promised: The St. George Temple and the Unfolding of the Restoration

Author: Blaine M. Yorgason, Richard A Schmutz & Douglas D. Alder

Pages: 374

Genre: Mormon History

Grade: B+

Synopsis: As Brigham Young was growing older and the Salt Lake Temple was still so far from completion, he set out to fulfill the charge given to him by Joseph Smith, which was to bring the temple ceremonies to the people again.  Brigham Young had always had a passion for Utah's Dixie and the stalwart Saints that he called to make that land their home.  He was inspired to have the third temple of the latter-days built in the recently settled town of St. George.  Great sacrifices were required from the residents of St. George and the surrounding areas, but they diligently worked to build the last pioneer temple of these latter days.

My Review: I trace many of my family roots to the communities around St. George, so I've always had a bit of an affinity for the area.  This book was very well done and well researched and told the story of building the temple in an area with a small population and no railroad access for hundreds of miles (making this temple the last pioneer temple according to many LDS Historians).  My biggest complaint was that while the bulk of the book is written in a chronological fashion, every once in a while there were parts that seemed to skip around.

Recommended By: This book was mentioned during a fast and testimony meeting in La Verkin a few years ago.  It made it on my list, and I'm glad that it did.

From the Book: "(p. 323, describing the raids attempting to locate prominent LDS polygamists by the federal government) Stories of hiding out and near captures abound, including a humorous account of President Wilford Woodruff escaping capture because he was weeding a garden at the Squire home near downtown St. George wearing an oversized "Old Mother Hubbard" dress and bonnet sewn for him by young Sister Emma Squire. She wrote: "Soon after our marriage the president of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, came to live with us. It was the time of the raid, when the Government took the property away from the Mormon people...and they were hunting all the men that had plural wives and putting them in jail. ... We had some neighbors that knew we had someone staying with us, and they were very anxious to [discover] who it was. ... [So] I made [President Woodruff] a Mother Hubbard dress and sun bonnet and...dress[ed] him up ... and disguise[d] him so he could come [and go]. ... We called him Grandma Allen so the people wouldn't know."

The Devil's Punchbowl

Title: The Devil's Punchbowl

Author: Greg Iles

Pages: 580

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Penn Cage is the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi, right on the banks of the Mississippi River.  The city has seen better days, and is currently relying on the economic benefits of the casino steamboats that float on the river in the city. When Penn is shown some damning photographs by an old high school friend that implies that illegal dog-fighting, prostitution and other vices have corrupted this town, he must decide whether to fight this battle or not.

My Review: I'm a sucker for page turning thrillers such as this one.  This one had all the usual qualities of a good thriller, crime, sex, drugs, torture and as an added bonus dog-fighting. I was on the edge of my seat, what can I say?

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Title: Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Author: Obert Skye

Pages: 368

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Leven Thumps is a fourteen-year-old boy living a dismal life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma.  Nothing ever seems to go right for Leven, that is until he meets his little sidekick Clover, a friend Winter, and Geth, who is a toothpick for most of the book.

My Review: This book was a little too strange for my liking.  The story was ok, and it was enjoyable, but I always felt like things were too contrived and that they author was trying too hard to come up with a fantastical story.  There was too much of the ridiculous in this one.

Tales From Sliver Lands

Title: Tales From Silver Lands

Author: Charles J. Finger

Pages: 225

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award, Short Stories, Fairy Tales

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book is a collection of 19 tales that the author collected and compiled from Central and South America.  Many of the fairy tales are similar to fairy tales that we're familiar with, while others are more unique.

My Review: I was a little nervous for this book, but it exceeded my expectations (or rather, my judging the book by it's cover).  First off, I couldn't find the book at any of the libraries close to my house, so I requested it through an interlibrary loan and it ended up coming from BYU's library (an book from the original 1924 printing, no less).  Secondly, the book does not have very many reviews on goodreads (at least for being a Newbery Award winner) and most of the reviews were fairly critical.  I didn't love the book, but it was an easy read, most of the stories were only 10-15 pages long and they weren't all that bad.

You Are Not a Stranger Here

Title: you are not a stranger here

Author: Adam Haslett

Pages: 240

Genre: Short Stories, Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis:  This book is a collection of 9 short stories, some of which have previously been published in The Atlantic or other magazines.  The topics the stories covered is quite varied ranging from mental illness and estranged families to homosexuality and death.  Each story was unique and short enough to read in one sitting.

My Review:  Every once in a while I find it refreshing to pick up a book of short stories.  Most of the short stories in this book left me wanting more, which I often find to be a hallmark of a good short story, although at other times it can be frustrating.  Most of the stories in this book left me thinking for a few minutes at the end of the story.  Both about things that may have happened next and about things in the story itself.

King Solomon's Mines

Title: King Solomon's Mines

Author: H. Rider Haggard

Pages: 264

Genre: Adventure, Classic

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book was written in the space of just a couple of months as a result of a 5 shilling wager between two brothers. Haggard had bragged to his brother that he could write a better novel than Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. At first rejected by a few publishers, it was finally published in 1885 and became the year's best selling book with the publisher unable to keep the shelves stocked. With that preface, I was fairly intrigued by this book that I had never even heard of (it was a random pickup from the library shelves).

Allan Quatermain was an adventurer living in Durban (now a part of South Africa), he is approached by another white man with a request to help him track down his brother who had left on an expedition to try and find the fabled ancient mines of King Solomon. The excursion requires a dangerous trek across a long desert (remember, this is long before motorized vehicles or other modern conveniences) and the travelers are required to defend themselves against the natives, many who have never seen white men before.

My Review: I was surprised by this 19th century gem. It was surprisingly good for being the first African adventure book published in English.  The book was very engaging and imaginative and fulfilled my need for a good adventure book.

Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 487

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The novel takes place in a future Chicago, that has been transformed into a dystopian city where everybody lives in one of five factions.  When Beatrice Prior turns 16 she, along with all other 16-year-olds, must choose which faction in which to spend her life. The majority of youth choose to stay within their own faction as find a place within another faction is challenging, but Beatrice feels the pull of something greater.

My Review: This book is in a similar vein as The Hunger Games where teenagers are growing up in an imagined world that is both similar and different to our own.  I didn't find myself loving the book or the writing style, but I did enjoy the story and became attached Beatrice Prior.