Aubrey-Maturin Series (Patrick O'Brian)***

I just finished book 9 in this series and continue to enjoy them (I plan on reading all 21). The series revolves around two main characters - Captain Jack Aubrey, an officer in the British Navy, and Stephen Maturin, a naturalist, a surgeon, and an international spy. The richness of the series is the development of these two characters and their comraderie as they work to bring about the downfall of Bonaparte.

They are probably best read in order, although O'Brian writes them so that you could read some as stand alone novels. I think that Treason's Harbor is my favorite of the ones I've read up to this point.

All Things Wise and Wonderful (James Herriott)**

I've enjoyed reading the stories from Herriott. Sometimes the stories are funny, sometimes poignant, and usually enjoyable. This particular book is a short and easy read. Since the stories don't build on each other, it is a book that you can put down and pick up again without any problems.

Jeeves in the Morning (P.G. Wodehouse)***

I picked this book up by complete chance and quite enjoyed it. It is a clever comedy about a good-hearted but not so bright member of British high society. In many ways, the story line is like a good comedy from Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde: the first half of the story describes a series of chance incidents that tangles the characters in a web with the second half of the story focusing on how things are resolved. This book involves the main character stuck in trying to help two pairs of lovers get things worked out while dealing with a difficult uncle and a young boy scout whose desire to live the scout slogan causes more harm than good.

It is light-hearted, enjoyable and an easy read. I'm planning on reading other books by the author.

Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-69 (by Stephen E. Ambrose)*

The title is a pretty accurate description of the book. It focuses just on the construction of the transcontinental railroad - that's right 432 pages about the details, rich details, of the transcontinental railroad. No discussion about the implications or effects of the railroad, simply a discription, a 432 page description, of building the railroad...

I enjoyed the first few chapters and the chapters about the Church and it's members. However, it is a dense book that in the middle was hard to finish because of the rich detail that it covered. I think I only finished it to say that I did. If you have some reason to care passionately about the railroad this will be interesting - otherwise I think it will be a tough read to finish because of all the detail.

From Beirut to Jerusalem (Thomas L. Friedman) **

570 pages. Hooray! I finished it! This took me a few months to read. It's written by a Jewish journalist who lived and reported from Beirut, Lebanon for a few years, then from Jerusalem. It contains some of his experiences, thoughts, and opinions about the middle east, primarily during the 80s and early 90s. It was interesting and I learned a lot, but I was ready for it to be done long before it actually was.

State of Fear (Michael Crichton) ***

An excellent book with much social commentary on topics including environmentalists, politics, and universities. Crichton wraps some story on what is basically a critique of the envrionmentalist movement -- specifically about global warming and the greenhouse effect. He did a lot of research for this book, and it shows. I even spent time reading the authors notes and annotated bibliography at the end. Highly recommended if for nothing more than to give you food for thought. For sensitive readers, probably rated R for language and adult situations.

Christmas Jars (Jason F. Wright) ***

Very quick read. It's a nice, short, seasonal book, about a family tradition of collecting pocket change throughout the year and giving it to someone in need on Christmas. The book describes how the tradition spreads and the kind of effect it has on people. We're reading it in our Book Group.

The Wednesday Letters (Jason F. Wright) ***

Good book, easy ready. It's about a couple in which the husband wrote a letter to his wife every Wednesday of their marriage, and they are discovered by their children after the couple dies. Uplifting, sentimental, kind of mushy in places, but enjoyable. New York Times bestseller.

Eclipse (Stephenie Meyer) ***

This is the last in the vampire series I read. Twilight was probably my favorite, then Eclipse, then New Moon. It's definitely geared toward young women. But it's an easy read and I enjoyed them.

The Freedom Writers Diary (Erin Gruwell) **

277 pages. Kristen and I read this book together. It is composed of diaries from a group of 150 students living in the hood in LA who wrote about the problems they were experiencing and how they bonded together to graduate from high school, fight intolerance, and make their lives better. At times we got tired of all the "Ms Gruwell is so great" [she's their teacher who helped put the book together, and it's definitely not for little kids (Kendrick) due to the bad words, etc. But overall, it was a good book.

New Moon (Stephenie Meyer) ***

This is the 2nd book in a series of three about a relationship between a normal girl and a vampire. The first was called "Twilight". It's such a good read! Romance, suspense, action, fantasy, etc. I'm really enjoying the series.

My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult) ***

423 pages. Kate was diagnosed with leukemia as a child. Her parents went through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, so that Anna would be born as a perfect match to be a donor of bone marrow and other organs. At age 13 Anna decided she wanted to make her own choices about being a donor. It's a story about how this family deals with it all. Sometimes the language isn't that great, but otherwise it was very good and captivating.

The Brotherhood of Pirates (William Gilkerson) ***

Inside cover says it was published in the US as Pirate's Passage.

Children's book (probably aimed at about age 12). Tim picked it up at random at our library. From the back cover: "One stormy night, fierce winds force a small boat into port. The captain is the eccentric Charles Johnson, who takes up residence at the local inn run by a young boy, Jim, and his mother."

Very well written book which gives a nice history of pirates while you read. Recommended.

When Crickets Cry (Charles Martin) ***

Very good novel about a cardiac surgeon and how he recovers from losing his wife from a bad heart. His life changes when he meets another little girl with a bad heart. I recommend it.

A Painted House (John Grisham) **

Bryan and I were looking for a quick paced novel for the drive from Utah to Nashville, so we picked a John Grisham. It was totally different from his others that we've read. It was a slow paced tale of a southern farming family. Still good, but not the action packed suspense novel we were expecting.

Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) ***

This is categorized as young adult and is the first in a series of three. It's a quick read about a vampire and a normal girl who fall in love, and all the challenges that go along. Very good; I'm anxiously awaiting the other two.

Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) ***

499 pages. This is the story of Sayuri, a Japanese "entertainer", called a geisha. It tells about how she was sold as a young girl, her training, her life as a geisha, her heartaches, and her long-time desired and finally achieved romance. Very well written, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Big Cherry Holler (Adriana Trigiani) **

270 pages. A continuation of the Big Stone Gap. It's not a must read, but it's pretty good.

Big Stone Gap (Adriana Trigiani) **

Big Stone Gap is a real place in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia where the author grew up. It's an enjoyable story about a woman named Ave Maria who grows up there and learns more about her family after they're gone. It's got some great characters. It's the first in a series of three and I want to read the other two. It's supposed to become a movie also.

Life of Pi (Yann Martel) ***

319 pages. This was a very interesting book about a young boy (Pi, short for Piscine) who survives in a lifeboat in the ocean for 7 months. His only companion is a Bengal Tiger, who he manages to train. The first part of the book was a little slow, with a religious slant to it (Pi practices Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam). The second part was hard to put down, and the third part made me stop and rethink the whole book. I really enjoyed it.

1776 (David McCullough) ***

294 pages. Excellent book. It follows the Continental Army, George Washington, and important events (like the Declaration of Independence) during the year 1776. I enjoyed it more than "John Adams", possibly because it's shorter, but also because there's a little more action. I finished with the impression of how miraculous it is that we won the Revolutionary War, considering all the difficulties and disadvantages that had to be overcome in the early years.

The Peacegiver (James L. Ferrell) ***

199 pages. This is a story about the Atonement, and how it can be applied in our daily lives. Specifically, it was about a man in a troubled marriage, being taught lessons by his Grandfather. Basically it seemed like the author was putting his institute lessons about the Atonement into a story format. I enjoyed it.

Wish You Well (David Baldacci) ***

This is about a 12 year old girl and her 7 year old brother who live in New York in 1940, then move to the mountains of Virginia with their great-grandmother after a family tragedy. It was a fun read, imagining the family learning to live off the land and all the struggles that go along with it. I got pretty wrapped up in it. My ward book group read it last month, and again, I'm behind. 400 pages.

O'Henry's Short Stories - part 1

I've been reading a collection of O'Henry's short stories. I'm about a third of the way trough and I thought I'd share a list of the ones that are best:

The Gift of the Magi - Story about true giving.

The Trimmed Lamp - Story about what makes people truly happy.

The Social Triangle - Ironic story about people's perspective of social status.

The Guilty Party - The responsibility of parents to children.

The Last Leaf - I read this as an interesting metaphor for the Atonement. Christ makes the ultimately sacrafice for us, even though we act silly.

Marley and Me

This was a great story about a family and their crazy dog. We follow the dog and the family as they grow up. Very well written: made me laugh and cry. I'd recommend it. 3 stars.

Freakonomics

This book was recommended to my by a few people -- I think Mom was one of them. It was pretty good. Basically an economics guys' theories on why people do certain things. Some of the ideas were interesting and I found it entertaining. I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical of some of his theories, however. He seems to say other ideas are unbelievable, and the propose his own idea as the truth. I guess I wasn't easily convinced. But it was still a good book. 2 stars.

These is my Words (Nancy E. Turner) ***

555 pages. It's a story about a woman living in the Western frontier during the late 1800s. Written as journal entries, it goes through 20 years of her life and all her adventures, excitement, romance, sorrows and heartache. My ward book group read it a couple months ago and I'm just catching up. I had a hard time putting it down. It was well written and totally pulled me into the story of this woman. The only negative is it ended kind of sad, but at the same time made me want to be a better mother, wife, and woman.

Games Babies Play: From Birth to Twelve Months (Vicki Lansky)

Dan and I got this book from the baby shower. It might be out of print (the book we have is used), but we have enjoyed reading it and using the games and songs it suggests with Mark, who seems to respond to the games and enjoy them.

Zen Shorts, by Jon J. Muth

This is a children's illustrated book. It's about 3 children who make friends with a panda bear. The panda bear teaches them each a lesson by telling them a short story (a "zen short"). The illustrations are beautiful (even more so because they have been painted in watercolor and ink), and the story is excellent. I'd go as far as to buy it in hard back. Afterall, it does have a panda bear in it....

Swimming to Antartica (Lynne Cox)

322 pages. Autobiography about an incredible lady who twice broke the male-female world records for swimming the English Channel, swam the Beiring Strait during the Cold War, the Straits of Magellan, Glacier Bay, and a bunch of other places including a mile to Antartica in 32 degree water. Mom recommended this book to us. We (Bryan and Kristen) read it together, and it was pretty good. I think it would have been better had it not been an autobiography -- she may be a good swimmer, but we got tired of reading "I swam harder than I had ever swam before" and we particularly did not like the parts where she was talking to herself and writing it down. But there were also very good parts, such as when the people of New Zealand were cheering her on for crossing some waterway, or when she reached the Soviet eskimos after crossing the Beiring Strait. We give it two stars.

While They're At War: The True Story of American Families on the Homefront (Kristin Henderson)

We hear a lot about what soldiers go through when they go to war, but we hear less about what their loved ones experience while they are away. I enjoyed reading this book about their families' experiences while loved ones are away. For one thing, this book teaches you a little more about military culture. It was an easy and enjoyable read. It should be at the library.

MOVIE: The Big Clock (1948)

Okay, so this is a movie (based on a book I think...). We've been watching movies from the genre of Film Noir. This is a well done film. A man tries to cover up a murder he committed by trying to frame a mystery man whose identity he doesn't know. He ironically hires the man he is trying to frame, to discover the identity of the mystery man.

Two thumbs up.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

I read this last October with Michele. We both enjoyed it, but it was a little darker than I had remembered as a kid. Apparently this was the make-or-break book in the author, John Bellairs', career. He originally wanted it to be an adult horror novel, but some twist of fate turned it into a kids' book. Others followed, and somehow or other (I think from our family bookworm, Jessica), I was weaned on these bizarre, frightening books. It was a fun read (for kids at least 10 years old)! ...But you don't have to take my word for it!

Lone star nation (H. W. Brands)

582 pages. The full title:
Lone star nation : how a ragged army of volunteers won the battle for Texas independence - and changed America. I read this sometime last year, actually, but it was good if you can handle all that history.

The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis) **

I read this as a kid a long time ago. Back then I considered it my favorite one of the Chronicle's of Narnia. It's definitely no longer my favorite, but it was still enjoyable. Kristen and I read it together.

John Adams (David McCullough) ***

750 pages. Excellent book! I am not a big history buff, but this is a very enjoyable and well-researched biography about President John Adams. I learned a lot about the Revolutionary time period and important people during that time. It is long, and took me a while to read. But I highly recommend it.

The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis) **

202 pages. This is part of the Chronicles of Narnia series. It's an easy read, enjoyable, with a lot of Christian symbolism. I started reading the series after watching the movie "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". I tried to read them in the order they were written (as opposed to the chronological order like they have them in the series), but got mixed up on the last two, so this was the last one I read. I enjoyed them all, and recommend them to anyone who hasn't read them yet.