Catching up with Books

Now that my infant daughter has grown up to a point where I feel I can read again, I'm beginning to make up for lost time.  I found myself with about $150 worth of reading material in my hands a few weeks back but refrained myself from actually buying the books.  I knew I wouldn't be able to justify the expense.  I did jot down the titles and authors on my iphone and made a library visit requesting them all.  I did purchase one of these books, and borrowed another from my mother.  The rest were library loaners.

First, A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. 
It's hit or miss I find with Anita Shreve.  She's written one the best books I've ever read (Testimony) and then a few of the most boring books I've ever read.  This one I liked, once I got into it.  The premise is a newly married couple living in Africa during the 70's.  They find there a many hidden tensions in the land (and in their marriage).  I don't want to say much more than that as I fear giving away too much plot.  If you like Shreve's style then this one is worth reading, just give it a few chapters first.














Next up was The Celebrity Mother by Deborah Wright

It appealed to me as a possible quick read and look at the trend of celebrities who adopt foreign children.  Karina West (the lead character) was once a leading British Pop singer who is searching for a way back into the spotlight.  The young lady chosen to become her daughter is an Indian orphan named Devika.  I actually quite enjoyed this book.  It was written much better than I expected.  If you are looking for a good beach or bubble bath read, I suggest picking this one up.  Sorry no link to Amazon.com for this book, it is available through Amazon.ca.

And onto Old School Ties by Kate Harrison
This book has recently been republished as Harrison has had some success with later books she's written.  She did add a note at the end of the book saying how much she enjoyed revisiting the character.  It also explains why a seeming new book seems to be so dated.  This was one of those books that I marginally enjoyed, but I didn't want to leave it either.  At first I really just didn't like the main character, but I stayed in it to find out what all the secrets in the story were.  The premise is set on Tracey Mortimer, a woman whose glory days of high school popularity still shine over her unfulfilled life.  She has the opportunity to be the main subject of her high school reunion in a reality TV spotlight.













Then onto the Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

OK, I knew I would like this one before I even opened the cover.  It's endorsed by one of my favorite authors, Margaret George, as authentically bringing ancient Rome to life...and I agree.  Rome definitely comes alive as Quinn tells the story of Thea, a slave girl who survives much and achieves much.  Through Thea's story you also find the story of Julia, the mad niece of the Emperor; the Barbarian, a gladiator and many others who are so realistically brought to life.  Definitely worth reading.














Finally, there's Baby Laughs by Jenny McCarthy
Say what you will about Jenny McCarthy, the girl can write and she is funny.  I read her Belly Laughs during my last pregnancy and thoroughly enjoyed it.  This one added to the collection.  Jenny writes each chapter essay style, so it's really easy to pick up and down (something important when you have a little one demanding your attention).  She's also very real.  I don't think I would enjoy a celebrity book that focused on being a celebrity mom, she focuses on being a real mom.  One of my favorite quotes is when she declares that having a $150 stroller is good enough for the average mom, it's good enough for her.














So what's next?  Well, I'm currently enjoying The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim.  I'm also waiting for a few more reads to come in at the library (they are newer and currently popular so I'm suspecting they may be a while yet)

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

I know, yet another book recommended to me a while ago that I didn't pick up, but once I did I loved it and am now telling everyone else that they need to read this book. (Why don't I listen to my friends).  This is also the only book I've read in completion that isn't a cookbook (more on that to come) since having my daughter in January. 
For those of you who haven't heard about this book yet (there is a sequel out, which tells you how behind I am), this is a true story.  It is the story of Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber who accidentally got into the business of building schools.  The schools he builds are in hard to reach places, particularly to educate girls.  I don't think I can adequately describe the journey that he takes.  It is absolutely fascinating reading.  There is also a junior version of the book, which a good friend of mine gave to some students of hers to read.  From reading that book, they decided to start fund-raising in their school for Pennies for Peace, assisting other children in the world to be able to attend school.  It's that kind of impact that this book has.  If nothing else, it helps us in the west open our eyes to the people of the Middle East, not the terrorist news stories we hear every day, but the every day stories of the people who live there.  It's a wonderful read, well worth it!

Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

I don't think I've reviewed a cookbook on this blog before.  This kinda surprises me because I really love reading cookbooks.  Some people will totally get this and others will think this to be very strange.  You see I love to cook.  I also blog at my own cooking blog and visit a lot of cooking blogs too. 
I'd been hearing a lot about Jamie Oliver's new book, but really hadn't followed what he was doing.  It just continued to be that I was hearing more and more about this particular cookbook that I checked it out and bought it for myself.  I'm so glad I did.
The mission of the book is simple, get people cooking.  He writes very easy to follow recipes with step by step pictures.  I've cooked 3 of these since buying the book last week - they are delicious (head on over to my cooking blog Whatcha Eatin' to find the recipe reviews - 2 of the 3 are posted).  I completely recommend this book to beginner cooks (and forwarded it to a good friend who wants to learn to cook) as well as cooks like me who are looking to get re-energized in the kitchen.  Well done Jamie!

Giveaway Alert!

My friend Jill and I are hosting a giveaway on our parenting blog site Clever Mamas. Pop on over and take a look here!

I'm officially withdrawing - this year

I really don't know what I was thinking. At the beginning of this year I was all about what challenges would I attempt this year. I was pregnant at the time. 3 months later the reality of life with a baby plus two other children sets in...I want to read, really I do, but I've been working on the same book for over 2 weeks now and not getting very far. There is no way I'm headed to 100+ books this year and I don't want to stress about it. So I'm out. I will read what I can, when I can this year and worry about challenges in 2011.

World Without End by Ken Follett

Here it is, the long anticipated sequel to Pillars of the Earth. Of course it's more dramatic if you read the first one when it was published 20 years ago instead of reading them back to back. First about the sequel context. We are in the same town, but we are 200 years later. All the characters are new, but some are descendants of characters in the first novel. Because this was promoted as the sequel to Pillars of the Earth, I can't help but compare the two. I liked Pillars of the Earth much better. Both books are well written, but the story behind the story in the first book kept me hooked. This one was more depressing. I'm still glad I read it and I think it's worth reading, just if you had to pick one over the other go with the first.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

This could just as well be titled, "Why I owe Ken Follett a huge apology". I bought this book last summer. My mom loved it and thought I would too, so I bought it out of respect for her. Then it sat on my shelf. It looked big and boring to me. I like to read books I'm interested in, not books just because Oprah thinks they are good. I mean how could a book that focuses on building a Cathedral be? Okay, I was wrong. It was good, very, very good. I ate this book up. I know, a thousand page book and I flew through it in just a few days. Yes, there is the cathedral building element, but there is so much more to this book as well. If you are like me and are one of the few people left who haven't read this book, put it off no longer my friend, this is one worth reading.