New Moon

New Moon
Stephanie Meyer
5 Stars
If you loved Twilight you cannot miss the sequel New Moon. As the relationship with Edward and Bella carries on, each day she is around her family anything can minor accident can put her in real danger. Her friendship with Jacob also develops and she is put in a new danger.

While I loved Twilight, I loved New Moon even more. To me there was just some attraction towards Jacob's character. I loved the new twist in the series. If you find yourself bored in the middle just keep reading, the last third of the book is so fast pace you will not be able to put it down. Her third book in this series comes out in August of 2007

Twilight

Twilight
Stephanie Meyer
5 Stars
A superb read! One of my blogging friends, who was a past roomate read this book and suggested it to me. I did not want to read a vampire novel. After a few months of it lurking in the back of my mind I finally checked it out from the library and gave it the 10 page test. It passed. I couldn't put it down.

This is not your typical vampire book. It’s a romantic thriller. It’s about a forbidden love. It’s something you cannot put down. There is not much information I can disclose without giving away a lot of the book. Bella is the new girl in town and falls in love with Edward, a vampire. The plot thickens as their relationship develops. I read this book in two days, over Mother’s Day weekend. All I kept saying to my husband was, “I just want to be left in my room alone with my vampire book!”

The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver
4 Stars
This is an Oprah’s Book Club Classic. Barbara Kingsolver is a great storyteller and very intricate with details. Some have found this story slow, but I loved the way that the author wrote it. Each chapter is told from a different characters point of view. Follow the family of Nathan Price, a Baptist preacher, into the Congo in 1959.

I read this book about 8 years ago but I still recommend it to my friends. I might be adding it to my must read book again for this summer.

Forever in Blue, The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the sisterhood
Anne Brashares
2 stars
I was looking forward to this book but was very disappointed in this fourth (and hopefully) final edition of this series. The girls have finished their freshman year in collage and are growing up. The book isn’t as innocent any more and I thought that the author was trying to fit her book more in with to many other YA girl books.

While there was love and hints of sex in some of the earlier books, this book goes full out in details, which I didn’t find appropriate for an YW novel. Some of my friends did enjoy it, so while the first three books in the series I would recommend this one; I leave up to you, my friend.

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
Girls in Pants, The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
Anne Brashares
3 ½ stars

Honestly, I get these two books mixed up in the series. I really enjoyed the first book and I had a hard time with the fourth book. The second and third book feel someplace in the middle.

The summers continue with Tibby, Bee, Lena and Carmen. They face hardships and find love. Bee goes to her Grandmothers and faces issues with her mother's death. Carmen's mom tries on the pants and starts to date. Tibby goes off to summer school and Lena tries to find true love again.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Ann Brashares
4 Stars
Don’t think that if you have seen this movie that you don’t need to read the book. Isn’t it always the case – the book is always better. Follow Lena, Carmen, Bridget and Tibby through their first summer away from each other. While it s a young adult book, it’s easy to lose yourself in the lives of these girls who spend the summer finding out who they are, find true love and find out more about their families. This is an easy, light weekend read.

The Price We Paid

The Price We Paid
Andrew D. Olsen
4 Stars
This is the extraordinary Story of the Mormon Willie and Martin Handcart companies. (blog). The book is divided into sections; the first covers the Willie Company and their journey west. The second covers the Martin Company and their struggles. The author gives accounts from many of the travelers and has done extensive research on this subject. It wasn’t light reading, but very had very spiritual and inspiriting stories.

My dad, after reading it, sent each of my siblings a copy, and I am a better person because of it. If you are looking for a good historical book to read I think this one is very interesting and will open your eyes to some of the sacrifices that others have gone through.

The Sweet Hereafter

The Sweet Hereafter
Russell Banks
31/2 Stars
I read this book for my freshman English class in college. It begins with a school bus accident in a very small town. The story is told from four different characters, something that I think is very hard for most writers to do, or at least do well. It kept my interest and has such an interesting plot. What happens when the worst happens? How to people respond?

It does have some language, so if you are sensitive to this, you should beware.

First-Time Mom

First-Time Mom
Dr. Kevin Leman
4 Stars
As far as parenting books go, I love Dr. Leman. Yes, in general, I love a lot of different parenting books, but Dr. Leman hits very high marks in my book. This book is a great book for a baby shower. I picked it up when my oldest was already almost 2 and we were thinking about number 2 on the way. Dr. Leman gives practical advice for any mom or parent. (He also writes marriage books as well).

He has 5 children and I love the stories he tells about his household as they were all growing up. While Dr. Leman is not a member of my faith, he shares very similar strong family values and I LOVED the chapter in this book about whether a mom should work or not.

The MomsTown Guide to Getting it All

The MomsTown Guide to Getting It All
Mary Goulet and Heather Redier
3 Stars
After seeing this on the Dr. Phil show and on the shelf at my local library I thought I would give this a try. I am typically happy with my life, but why not read suggestions on how to be happier, right? This book is geared towards moms who stay at home, work from home or work part time. It follows a 10 week program with each chapter and gives homework type assignments with each week. For example, get a journal and write in it, buy a planner and use it, make your bed each morning, pay attention to your eyebrows.

I found it pretty simple to follow and items that I did each day before reading this book. It didn’t have any suggestions that I didn’t like, but nothing really new to me either. It was fun to read and gave me some inspirational thoughts along the way. If you have problems feeling guilty about wanting “me time” this might be a good book to pick up.

Raising Your Spirited Child

Raising Your Spirited Child
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
3 ½ stars
When my first son was born he was very colicky for a solid year. After many doctor visits –and different doctors, we concluded that he just has a strong personality, which can be a great thing if channeled in the right direction. I found myself reading many different parenting books and loved this one.

I love that she points out that these different types of children are “spirited” not “challenging” or “difficult.” She offers many suggestions and has simple parenting plans. In the third chapter she offers a test where you can rank your child on some simple scales to understand their temperament. It was very insightful to use and helped me better understand my sons temperment. On the flip side, I didn’t like some of the suggestions that she pointed out in the second half of the book. A lot of them worked around the child, which are great, but I also believe that the parent can’t always be the one that has to bent, temperament or not.

She also offers a workbook that goes side by side with this book. I haven’t purchased it, but have looked at it. If you are interested in this book, you might check out the workbook as well.

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading
Esmé Raji Codell
4 Stars
If you have problems getting your kids to read, or have a reading lover already this book is for you. It has lists and lists of all kinds of books. Each chapter examines a different subject and gives helpful advice on gives reading material that might be helpful. I came away with a very lengthy list after reading this book. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is it was a tad old for my little ones. In a few years, I'm sure I will change my mind.

Some of My Favorite Children Books, a Growing List

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Judi Barrett
The Tale of Three Trees, Angela Elwell Hunt
Take me out of the Bathtub, and other silly songs, Alan Katz
Tikki Tikki Tembo, Arlene Mosel
King Bridgegood is in the Bathtub, Audry Wood
Sammy and the Dinosaurs, Ian Whybrow
Sammy and the Robots, Ian Whybrow