American Wife (by Curtis Sittenfeld)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I read this on a recommendation from Elaine and it was well worth it. I had a hard time putting it down. This book is loosely based on the life of Laura Bush. The main character is Alice, and it chronicles her life growing up from small town Riley, Wisconsin, to big town Washington, D.C. The book includes stories of love, happiness, sadness, friendship, and trials and tribulations I found relatable (well except for marrying the president of the U.S.). I didn't know much about Laura Bush's life, and would have to ask friends for information about her or to verify a storyline from the book. Its about 50/50 I would say. And it doesn't matter whether you like her or not, its just a good, girly story.

Rating: CPD

Up Next: Same Kind of Different as Me (about half way through right now).

The Hour I First Believed (by Wally Lamb)

I finished this book this weekend. It took me three weeks to read this for many reasons. One, it was long with small type, two, I had a hard time getting through, three, too many characters. This was a well written, dynamic, and complex book. It starts off with the Columbine shootings, and ends on a farm in Connecticut. This book is about one man - Caelum Quirk, and the aftermath and emotional turmoil of the Columbine shootings, and its effect on his wife Maureen, who suffered PTSD from the shootings (she was in the library (this is ficitional character)). It also goes into Caelum's family and ancestors. I had a hard time with characters that were mentioned in the beginning and then not mentioned again until page 400 and had to refresh my memory. Its very historical and sometimes I felt a bit slow. It wasn't a can't put down book, but if you are in the market for a very developed, character driven book, this one is for you. But if you are looking for a light read, I'd pass.

Rating: Just okay.

Up next: American Wife.

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously (by Julie Powell)

I read this book in three days. It was a funny, witty memoir of Julie Powell's year long adventure to cook through Julia Child's "Master the Fine Art of Cooking". If you haven't been living under a rock, then you know what this book is about because the movie was released last week. I wanted to finish the book before I saw the movie (its generally how I like to do things, minus Harry Potter). It was an entertaining look at Julie's life while she attempted to cook all 600 or so recipes from the book. I related in a lot of ways to a lot of her stories and I think that made it more enjoyable. Let's face it, who doesn't get bored with their life and want to find a way to spice it up? Atleast every now and again. I can't wait to see the movie, because I have heard it is really fun! Julie's book is inspiring for all of us out there that like to cook, but have no training, and only have minimal space to cook, and not a lot of time.

Rating: CPD

Movie: Yes, out last week, with THE Meryl Streep and Amy Adams (who I adore)

Up Next: The Hour I First Believed (by Wally Lamb) (this is a long one, so a review might not come for a week or two).

Vision in White (by Nora Roberts)

This was a fun/easy read. If you love weddings and romance, you'll love this book. Its the first of four books in a series by Nora Roberts. I like Nora Roberts series (I read the Garden Series a few years back). I'm not sure when the 2nd one "Bed of Roses" is due out, but I heard in October. A group of four women, who have been best friends forever, start a wedding business at an estate that belongs to one of the four women. One woman is a photographer, one is a florist, another a baker, and another wedding planner. Each book is about each different woman. As you might tell from the title of this book, this book talks about the photographer - Mac. She is fun, witty, a little bit messed up, and easily relateable to. I recommed this book to anyone who wants a good, quick, light read. And, you'll find yourself wondering if there is another Carter Maguire out there for you too!

Rating: CPD the last half, it was a litte slow at the beginnig.

Movie: Nope.

Up next: Julie and Julia: A Year of Cooking Dangerously (by Julie Powell)

A little bit book crazy-

Last night I went to the bookstore, Borders. And as this blog can attest, I love books. I'm not sure what it is about bookstores but something just calms the soul when I go into one. Maybe its the thought of the endless adventures, stories, love, heartache, relationships, that I will be able to encounter by the books. Whatever it is...it consumes me. Which is why I don't let myself go into bookstores too often (and by too often, I mean I go probably 1/2 a month). I went crazy last night. I bought 4 books, at one point I had 6 books in my arms. Now, keep in mind, these are in addition to the already 5 book long list on the right side of this blog. I just felt an itch to get some books. Maybe its my mom who I inherited that from, she and I can do some serious damage together at B&N. Anways, the books I added to my collection, and will surely be reviewed on this blog are as follows: An American Wife; Julie and Julia; An American Wife; Julie and Julia; Same Kind of Different as Me; and I Know this Much is True (Wally Lamb). I'm excited to read all four of those. The other two I put down were "The Help" and "Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella. I'll save those for next time. And trust me, there will be a next time, and I'll probably still have 5 books on the list to read.

Vision in White review coming up shortly (about 100 pages left to read...)

The Pact (by Jodi Picoult)

I swear I don't always just read good books. I know it seems that way from all my CPD reviews as of late. This is another one of the CPD. I read this book because it is for my gal friends and I's monthly "book club" in August. I really liked it. If you are in the mood for a light hearted read, this isn't for you. It tackles a full range of aspects - friendship, love, commitment, legal, ethics, family, and the impact one person can have on another. Jodi Picoult always tackles the sensitive issues, and this one is definitely in that realm. It made me think about the implications of deep relationships and what it really means when you put someone above your own needs. I recommend this book, but only if you are in the mood for a thought-provoking dive into the human psyche.

Rating: CPD

Movie: The front of the book says it was made into a Lifetime Movie, I'll have to check that one out.

Up Next: Vision in White (by Nora Roberts)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (by JK Rowling)

I don't need to put a picture of this book on here because I'm going to go ahead and assume everyone knows what it looks like. I have to admit, I did not read any of the other Harry Potter books (well I read bits and pieces of the first one a while ago). I have just seen the movies over the past 7 or so years and I enjoy them. Well, after watching the last movie at the theater, I decided I didn't want to wait a year to find out how it all ended. So, I bought my first harry potter book, which happened to be the last one, and dove in. Man, was I hooked. I could not put this thing down. Everywhere I went I took the book with me in my oversized purse (even to the play I saw last week). I finished it this past weekend. It took me a week to get through all 750 pages. It was awesome, gripping, intriguing. It wrapped so many things up and made me wish I had read them all along. I definitely appreciated the characters a lot more. Maybe next summer I'll tackle the two prior to this last one. We shall see!

Rating: CPD x a million

Movie: Part one and two next year.

Up Next: The Pact (by Jodi Piccoult)