July Books

Six months ago, I decided I would challenge myself and see if I could read 100 books in one year! I am excited to say that I am almost half way there! It has been a great adventure and challenge. Tomorrow,  I hope to post a recap. For now here are the July Books!

The Little White Horse
Maus II
The Google Resume
Love in Time of Cholera
Much Ado About Nothing
Out of Oz
Who Moved My Cheese


Scaling back to 8 books after a back to back 9/10 month reading! Excited for a little bit slower pace.

Happy Reading!

When psychology intersects human nature

Charles Gordon is not your average guy. After his family could no longer keep-up with handling his mental disability, a family friend takes him in as a janitor at the bakery. When a new science experiment promises to make him smart after Algernon becomes the smartest mouse alive, Charlies's world is turned upside down. And so begins, Daniel Keys great story: Flowers for Algernon

Photo credit: Goodreads

What a great book! To question so many grown-up issues in the eyes of an emotional 6-16 year old and pair it with a good plot is amazing. In a few short months, Charlie's intellectual capacity grows exponentially while his emotional side struggles. During this experiment, many researchers seemed to have lost the human  component of Charlie. As a reader this is ironic since the story is told at the intersection of this struggle with his Progress Reports. 

 Learning and education is so important to everyone, but this book sheds light on a topic that is not well addressed in main stream media. How do we support those with mental disabilities?  Charlie is bullied and eventually loses his sense of self.  (Read the book..  I don't want to give away to much here) It is a great book with excellent writing and character development. Flowers for Algernon reminds us that there is a person behind every new discovery. What is the sacrifice they were willing to make?

Happy Reading!

I am almost half-way done. I didn't make it to the library today so I think The Little White Horse will be my first book of July! Sneaking in Nicholas Sparks to end the first half of my Adventure!

Let me use my super-human powers for good...

Page one. Myfanwy Thomas is in a new body, well kind of. Then a story of supernatural powers, mystery, government agencies, and treason emerges.  I read all 480 pages of O'Malley's The Rook and am surprised by how much praised it has received. It was a good book, it was not a great book. The plot was heavy in details and you are left with a story that is so far fetch you cannot believe. I was a little disappointed as I wanted a page turner.

I might be a little hard on this book because I am not a huge fan of paranormal or crime. This book has both. It held my attention, but it started to get out a hand with a little bit of  " I can make a bigger twist than you" mentality. Read it especially if you like mystery/crime novels.

Happy Reading!

Discovering Your Personal Legacy

The Alchemist..what an awe-inspiring book by Paulo Coelho . The belief that faith in a greater being has the ability to lead you to your personal legacy. Omens, fate, and destiny can lead us to your destiny. I understand that not everyone may be able to buy into this idea, however Paulo articulates a wonderful story of hope, love, and a search for a quest. In turn we leave with a thought-provoking story on life and the greater life forces that impact us all.

Santiago is a shepherd in Spain. After having a reoccurring dream and meeting a king, he gives up his current life to visit the Egyptian pyramids in search of treasure. Luck and fate guide him as he learns to let his mind and heart speak the same language. After saying person after person throughout the story, The Alchemist sees in the young boy something special. In the end, the Soul of World can be heard throughout each page.

Read this book soon! Take time to reflect on your hearts desires and dreams. Anything is possible if you have the power to believe.  The Alchemist turns lead into gold... what will your Personal Legacy become?

Happy Reading!



“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Photo Source: Goodreads

Have a Heart

 So I guess I should preface the post with saying, I love the Wizard of Oz. Gregory Maguire is a fabulous fantasy fiction writer. Wicked has inspired millions and recreated the Wizard of Oz for an entire generation. A Lion Among Men  is the third of four books surrounding an atypical world of Oz.  For those of you that have read LL Balm version of Oz be prepared everything is not shiny and emerald green. Maguire creates a world of government corruption, war, famine, and hard times throughout all three books. Magic and mystery surround the familiar characters but their story is not always the same.

If you are just getting started this is a series that has to be read in order. Wicked, Son of Witch, A Lion Among Men and finally Out of Oz. Wicked is my favorite and a true classic. Son of a Witch is good and gives you a closer look at Dorthy and some of your favorites from the classic movie. A Lion Among Men however is shaping up to be my least favorite.

A Lion Among Men follows the cub,Brr, that Elphaba saves at Shiz University through his long life throughout Oz. Brr turns out to be the same cowardly lion that helps Dorthy defeat Elphaba years later.  Through his long pursuits he searches for the links to his past and his long connection with the Wicked Witch.

After starting to write this, I realize I cannot write to much about this without giving away to much about this great series. The Lion is not written to be a favorite character in this portrayal. He is cowardly and leaves those he cares for many times. Many questions are left unanswered and many stones unturned.

In the end, the coming of the fourth book will be the salvation for the series. I will read the last book next month. Until then Happy Reading!

Photo credit: Goodreads

( I had to make a quick swap for Maus II to the Alchemist because of  a book delay) 

Redefining Success

I come from an education and communication background. I like exploring hard issues and looking at new ways to find solutions. Malcolm Gladwell Ouliers: The Story of Success was a truly outstanding book. Gladwell takes stories from everyday life and shows how we need to refine our notions of success, wealth, and even to some chance.


Let me start by saying I loved this book. Malcolm is an amazing writer with a great ability to talk about hard issues with stories. However, I didn't think anything he said was earth shattering. Stable homes present more stable environments. Stable home environments produce cultures of success. We are all impacted by our culture for generations. Hard work pays off.

Gladwell illustrates that great people are often back-up by some pretty important life events that led them on the path of success. Even if they grew up in a simple urban home in the South or Midwest.

Anyone interested in better grasping the idea of cause and effect and life impacts should read this book. The world is not black and white and neither should our definition of success.


(Gladwell's blog is also awesome!)

Happy Reading!

Photo credit: Goodreads

Books are not quite the same as they were in 1924

Photo credit:Goodreads

So I finally finished a Passage to India by E. M. Forster. Wow, this is one of the hardest books I've read in a while. America is different, India is different, Great Britain is different. This book is ten steps back on culture, race, and women relations.

In A Passage to India, Miss Quested wrongly accuses Dr. Aziz of misconduct while he takes Ms. Moore and Miss Quested on an adventure into the India caves. What results is the portrayal of Indian and British relations during the Indian revolution from British rule.

This is a long book. You feel like you are traveling through India. This was not one of my favorite books as the writing was great but heavy on the detail. The content and context of the material has changed so in many areas from the US to India and everywhere in between.

Fielding and his moral compass in the book is a bright spot. Many times I take some time and I have more to say about a book. With this book, I struggled to put to words exactly how I felt. It was okay. I am not sure I would ever read it again.

I am finishing Outliers today!

Happy Reading!

So I read Cat's Cradle

I just realized I never wrote my blog on Cat's Cradle.

Photo credit: Goodreads

Kurt Vonnegut wrote an interesting book on human nature, theology and abandoning American nature.

After WWII, John the narrator goes out to find stories about the Felix and the creation of the atomic bomb. Felix has since died, but his children then provide the backdrop for this story. I am not going to lie this book was weird and I am struggling to write this blog (hence I put it off).

An entire motley crew follows John down to the fictional island of San Lorenzo as they search for the eldest son, Frank. Angela, Newt, and Frank all split a hazardous substance that their father invented at his death. Cat's Cradle goes on to lead the reader on a whirl-wind trip of a new theology, loss government ruling, and questioning of the morals in grain in human beings.

In all this was a thought provoking book. The idea that people can be so adapt to follow a ruler and ideas with no foundation is scary. America is comfortable. This book pushes you to think outside of your comfort-zone.

Happy Reading!

A Mole, A Rat, A Beaver, and that Toad

I have a secret. I love children's literature. It may be a young adult series or a kids book or a fable, but there is something magical in books written toward the kid audience. Grahamae's The Wind and Willows has that magic. As a kid, I know I saw the movie and heard the tale of the wreck-less Toad and his loyal friends.

In the fable tale, Rat takes in Mole as they go through their daily life on the River. Toad wrecks his way through life and other adventures. In the end, his friends help him learn a valuable lesson. One of my favorite ideas about this book is the simple messages the author created to teach children and adults a like.  The great descriptions and charterers have been for ever instilled into children's literature.


Happy Reading... Finishing Cat's Cradle Tonight

Langdon's return..and my trip with Inferno

Photo credit: Goodreads

Let me start by saying Dan Brown is one of my favorite authors. With that being said, I do not think he is an amazing writer but he does have a great way of connecting a story to history. Inferno takes Dante's greatest work and creates a fairly unpredictable tale surrounding a biochemical disaster.

Many of Brown's other books are formulaic guy meets girls, work to solve a life or death puzzle, science and history are brought together, oh wait there is a twist, and they save the day. Inferno did not disappoint. The plot moved fast and we were entertained by our favorite symbolism and art professor, Robert Langdon.

If you have yet to read Angels and Demons or The DaVinci Code,  I would read these first as they explain Langdon's mannerisms better. Overall, this is a great, fun book, but not an earth-shattering meaningful book.

Happy Reading... I am almost done with The Wind and the Willows

A little dark with purpose

The Lovely Bones may have been one of the more talked about books of my high school and college days. I have been an avid reader most of my life and I always avoided this book. Everyone seems to have read it and liked it.

I now can say I join this club. Susie Salmon is kidnapped and murdered within the first 20-30 pages of the book. She then leads her family and close friends to the killer and then how to come to peace with this difficult time. While this book is not traditional in any form or fashion, it has enough plot and story line to keep non-readers entertained, but it has enough depth and meaning to keep the serious readers appeased. I was impressed. Overall, the book was great. To see a family fall apart, yet carefully come together was brilliant.

Alice Sebold did an amazing job with this difficult topic and text. While this is not my favorite book because of this topic,  I do believe most people will like it! Go check it out!

I just finished Dan Brown Inferno.

Happy Reading... starting on The Wind in the Willows

June Books

Here are the June Books. This looks like a pretty good list with many recommended from friends, recent list etc. Overall, I am pretty close to being on track. At the end of May, I was at 40 books toward my 100 book goal. I think I can read 10 books this month to stay on track! 11 books are below just in case I run into trouble finding one. Also this month, I plan to go through and update, add content to older post, and sharpen up the blog. Feel free to send me any suggestions.

Thanks for all your support and I hope your reading journey is going well!

Kate


 Inferno Dan Brown

A Lion Among Men Gregory Maguire 

 The Rook Daniel O'Malley
A Passage to India, E.M. Forester
A Bend in the Road, Nicholas Sparks
Cat's Cradle Kurt Vonnegut
Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell
 The Alchemist  Paulo Coelho
The Wind in the Willows
Flowers for Algernon David Keys

(Family vacation was amazing. I only read 2.5 books though. The Lovely Bones post is coming up next)

Happy Reading! Almost done with Inferno!

Just what is that Catch 22?

So I decided it would be a great idea to read Catch 22 on the beach...

Let me tell you this was one of the harder books I have read. Joseph Heller wrote and published this WWII novel in the late 1950s and released the book in the early 1960s. All 400 pages describe a not so patriotical view of military life primarily in the 1940s Mediterranean Sea.  The story is centralized around Yossarian desire to quit the war since he has flow his required number of missions. His support group of friends and comrades allow the readers to see how Yossarian boarders on brilliance and craziness. Morality, respect, family, loyalty among others come together to shape this interesting book.

Catch 22 refers to the idea that he is crazy for constantly flying out to the war zone to have the chance of being killed, yet he will be called crazy for asking to leave the war as well. In a sense, it is a lose-lose situation. Reflecting back, I have heard this phrase used before and it is part of everyday slang or lose American language. I am not sure everyone uses it correctly. When you are stuck with no good solution, you are forced to chose the best alternative. These situations are not always Catch 22s as sometimes they are portrayed. Looking back at Stephen Covey and The Secret, they would tell us there is always an alternative if we try hard enough. I'm a pretty positive person and I look for the good in things. I say try to avoid the Catch 22 in your life.

Heller is well-praised and sited for this work in Catch 22. It is an atypical portrayal of military life. This book however, did not make my favorite lists. It is tough book to manage with non-chronological story telling, detailed character descriptions, and weird plot twist. I appreciate this book and I am glad I read it, but it was not a good choice for the beach.

Reading this book made me appreciate the amazing English teachers I have had in the past. I was able to navigate this book just fine because I learned how to read literature for themes, plot, characters  etc. through their guidance. This book showed me I was okay doing it on my own. Read the book if you like classics or if you want to understand Catch 22 a little more.

Happy Reading!

(Vacation put me a little behind on blogging. Lovely Bones post and June Books coming today!)