Catching Fire - review

This book was everything that I was hoping, minus a couple of things. First, I was not impressed when they had to go back into the Hunger Games I felt like it was a repeat of the first book and was hoping for something more. Second, I thought that I would be rooting for Peeta but we got to know Gale a little more in this story and I do have to say he is a MAN! I turned sides and was rooting for Gale.

This book set it up really nicely for a great finale. It will be interesting to read how the Capitol decides to deal with all the rebellions and how or if Katniss continues to be the symbol of rebellion and what she decides to do with it. Will she end up with Gale? It does make you think that she will since she admits to loving him but you never know, we might be turned back into rooting for Peeta.

What did you think?

September Book Pick

I know you all have been on the edge of your seats waiting for the sequel to The Hunger Games to come out, right? Well.....Erin and I have been. We both finally had to order it from Amazon since our library waiting list is a mile long and we couldn't handle it. I did go to Target yesterday when it came out but..... nope! Target would not be getting it in. I was sooo bummed.

I am dying to know if we find out if Katniss goes with Gale her hunting buddy or Peeta her "boyfriend" from the Hunger Games. I for one want to her to be with Peeta I loved that he was so sweet to her. It melted me that he took a beating from his Dad (or was it his Mom?) so that he could sneak Katniss some bread knowing that her family was starving. I guess I will have to wait since Amazon doesn't deliver my book until Thursday. I know I will read it in one day just like I did The Hunger Games.

August Pick

Darci and I have been talking and we decided that at least through the end of the year we're going to start doing 1 book pick a month instead of our normal 2. We both are HUGE readers and both sometimes read more than 2 books a month ... but with both of us being pregnant & being so busy in both of our lives we're going to cut down the book that we read for this blog to just 1 a month. We hope that you continue to read along with us! We've got some good picks coming soon .... including the sequel to the great book Hunger Games!!!



For August I picked out "Domestic Affairs" by Eileen Goudge. My mom always gives me big stacks of books, mostly crime or mystery, which I really haven't been in the mood for lately, but I spotted this romance/drama/betrayal book and it looked pretty good. I know nothing of the author but apparently she has written other books too. I'm a few chapters in so far and it's a pretty easy read - and a pretty good story so far. Nice and no-thinking reading for me - exactly what I need when I'm 3 weeks away from having this baby!

I hope you'll read along with us ..... especially now that you have a whole month long to get the book and read it. Book review coming at the end of the month ....

The Finishing Touches - review

This book was everything that I wanted it to be, almost. It was a tad light on the romance side of things, but I tend to want more romance in anything I read. The story of Betsy was a great one. I loved reading about her friendships, especially with Jamie her best friends brother, they all were rich in character. I enjoyed learning more about the proper etiquette of things, especially the English version. Sometimes what they deemed as "proper" I thought was hilarious. It is a fun book. It really makes you like the characters or atleast understand them when you don't like them. Did anyone else read it along with me? What did you think?

July 1st pick

Hester Browne wrote a series of books that I LOVED called, The Little Lady Agency. There are 3 books in this series and I just found them to be so fun, funny and very entertaining. If you want to read some great books pick them up! They reminded me a little of Bridget Jones Diary.

I was really excited to hear that Hester was writing a new book. This one sounds completely different then The Little Lady Agency series, but equally compelling. Here is a little bit of what the story is about:

Twenty-seven years ago, an infant turned up on the Academy's doorstep, with a note tacked to her blanket by an elegant golden brooch -- Please take care of my baby. I want her to grow up to be a proper lady. Loved by Lady Frances Phillimore and her kindhearted staff, Betsy grew up aspiring to be an Academy girl. But when Franny and her husband, Lord Phillimore, advise Betsy to instead hone her considerable math skills at college, she brokenheartedly leaves behind the only family she's known.

Hopefully this book will fit my mood of light and funny and a book that I will want to read again and again.

June 15th pick & review

Yes it is almost the end of June but I couldn't let the month end without posting about this pick -- Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I really liked this book. It was kind of dark and morbid - but at the same time it did give hope and showed you that people can prevail even during the most trying times.

Just a little synopsis -- a random meteor hits the moon and causes it to be knocked off kilter a little bit. Because of this all sorts of natural disasters start happening - changes in the seasons, giant tidal waves, etc, and it is affecting mankind all over the world. We get to watch and see how one family handles the disaster and following months into winter with little heat, almost no food, sickness, death and worse.

It's eye opening and frightening and amazing all at the same time. I'd really recommend it. It's a young adult book so it's a quick read, also, like The Hunger Games was.

Handle with Care - review

I really don't know what to write about this book. It really disturbed me. The ending was terrible, and in my opinion just like her ending in My Sister's Keeper. After I read the book all I could think of was, can she think of anything else? Even my husband, who I shared the story with, said the same thing since I had told him about My Sister's Keeper back when I read that book.

It just seemed pointless to work hard and have all of this drama, but then right when it gets taken care of, something happens that makes it all pointless. (I am trying not to give any spoilers). Needless to say the ending really made me unhappy.

I also did not like that Jodi Picoult did not have any "good" stories going on in this book. If you have read her books before you know that each chapter is written in first person from someone in the story and tells the story from their perspective. Everyone's story in this book was sad and depressing. Usually in Jodi's books there is a story that you really like, someones life that is finding love or happiness, but not this book. I would have liked it a whole lot more if there had been happiness in one of the stories going on.

What did you all think???

On another note My Sister's Keeper is coming out in the theaters on June 26, I can't wait!

The Hunger Games - review

Soo .... The Hunger Games. What did everyone think? I posted that little snippet the other day saying how much I loved it -- and then I went and read it for the 2nd time -- and realized I LOVED it even more!

I think one of the reasons it's so enjoyable is that it's a very quick read and the plot of the story moves pretty quickly. You're wanting to know so badly what is going to happen to Katniss at different points in the story -- if she's going to be chosen as the representative from her District -- if she is going to even be able to survive the first days -- if she's going to be able to actually win the Hunger Games and be the last person standing -- that you literally can't put the book down and are thankful that it's such a nicely constructed book that there's not a lot of "extra fluff" bogging down the pages.

The author really strikes a great balance of what is right and what is wrong -- all throughout the book Katniss is presented with choices -- does she do the right thing or does she do the thing that will help ensure her survival? She knows there can only be one victor in the Games and that sometimes by being too compassionate she'd be putting herself in danger of being killed off. She does manage to make allys along the way, although these relationships are unfortunately short-lived, as in 12 year old Rue, that reminds Katniss so much of her little sister.

And of course weaved throughout the novel is the blossoming relationship of Katniss and Peeta -- who we learn has adored Katniss for years. But Katniss first only saw him as another opponent in the games, someone she'd have to kill. Even at the end when they're both declared the winners -- she's hesitant of him and still thinking about Gale, the boy back in her District.

The book ends so abruptly that you're just aching to know what is going to happen next. What will happen when Peeta and Katniss get back to District 12? How will their lives change? How will Katniss' relationships with Peeta and Gale both develop? And most importantly - what does The Capitol have in store for them - we're left to believe that they are not happy that there are 2 winners of the Games that seem to have outsmarted them - I have a feeling they're going to have some frightening plans for our two heroes.

Excited to hear what you all thought!

June 1st pick

Erin and I have read a lot of Jodi Picoult books and have really enjoyed them. I did learn that her older books were not my favorite, she had a different style of writing then. Handle with Care is her newest novel to come out, Erin and I each had an easy time getting it at our library's without having to wait.

Here is a short synopsis:

When Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s daughter, Willow, is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, they are devastated – she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. As the family struggles to make ends meet to cover Willow’s medical expenses, Charlotte thinks she has found an answer.

I guess we will have to read to find out what happens. Jodi Picoult's novels always have a story that gets you thinking about the tuff choices that some people have to make and make you wonder if you would have done the same. I can't wait to see what this book makes me feel. Anyone else with us?

Review + Discussion soon

Have you finished the May pick yet -- Hunger Games? I've got one word for it: WOW! I'll be posting the review and discussion post in a day or two so you've still got time to get yourself a copy and read it (I read it in a day - it's a quick read and very hard to put down!)

May pick

So, another extended break. Hey, that's what a crazy holiday season and then both of us getting pregnant within a few months of each other will do to us! We're both now (mostly) over the first trimester exhaustion and are both ready to get in some good summer reading.

The book we're jointly picking for May (since we're halfway through the month already) is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.



I read about the book first on my friend Erin's blog, and it sounded really good. Then reviews of it started popping up everywhere with people saying things like "better than Twilight??" and "an amazing book that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time". When I went online to put a hold on it so I could pick it up at the library, I was shocked to see that I was #98 in line - in our library system that had over 50 copies of the book! Since that was 2 weeks ago and I've only moved up a few spaces in line, I finally broke down and just ordered online. Darci has already read it (in less than 24 hours) and said it was great - so I knew I would want it eventually.

I hope that you'll be able to find a copy and read it with us! It's the first book of a trilogy, with the next installment due to come out in September. From what I've heard most people that finish the first one are dying for the next one to be released! I can't wait to get it in the mail!

March 1st pick

My sister called me to tell me about this book, how she thought it was wonderful, and I HAD to read it. I decided to get it from the library but the waiting list was over a month long. Then I decided to go to the used bookstore close by and the owner told me that I would not find that book used, "Anyone who reads that book keeps it to read in another 6 months". Well. I guess I just better buy the darn book then.

This book sounds sad, but really inspiring.

On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.

What would you want to say as your last and final lecture???

A Thousand Splendid Suns - review

I just finished this book. I am torn as to how I feel. In the beginning I liked the book. I loved reading about Laila and Tariq, they were so sweet together. I loved that Tariq beat the boys that threw pee on Laila, that is my kind of man!!! Then in the middle of the book I was ready to throw the book across the room and never speak to it again! It was very frustrating and maddening.

The hardships these two girls, Mariam and Laila, had to endure got to be to much sometimes. The life they had to live in the Middle East during the war was CRAZY! Most of the war talk was hard to take in, it was confusing and hard to understand. I can't imagine having a husband like they did, let alone the rules that they had to follow. The lack of so many things that we take for granted just because you were a women. No medical treatment, a prisoner in your own home, no make-up, no laughing, etc, sounded crazy to my American ears. It really made me upset and disturbed. I am so glad that I live where I do and I can live how I want.

The ending did make up for some of the book, it made me happy (I won't give anything away). Still a sad book, but it had moments of sweetness. It opened up my eyes to others hardships and a way of life that is totally different from my own.

What did you guys think?

February 1st Pick

A Thousand Splendid Suns is my pick and I know what you are all thinking, this is not a typical pick of Darci's! It is so true, but I have heard such great things about this book and many people talking about it being the best book they have ever read. It made me curious and willing to give it a try. So here we go.

It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives -- the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness -- are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love -- a stunning accomplishment.

It sounds very interesting and very moving to. I just hope there isn't alot to do with the war in it, that is my one draw back, but I have heard it is mainly about 3 girls and there lives and loves.

January 15th Pick

... and we're back!

We took an extended break because of the holidays and new year ... but I don't know about you - I am READY to get back into reading some good books. The first book of 2009 is my pick - and I chose "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. It's a memoir by the author about her childhood growing up with an alcoholic father and mentally ill mother. I've read that it's as haunting as it is humorous - as delightful as it is sad. I can't wait to get started!



I've also got some older reviews I need to post to get caught up to date ... so if we read a book that you're dying to discuss (I know you are, Jill!) then I should have them all posted in a few days! :)