2015 Reading Challenge Review and Favorite Reads

At the beginning of every year I do a wrap up of my favorite reads from the previous year. Last year I committed to the 2015 Reading Challenge where I picked books from different categories, and I did pretty good with almost completing the whole challenge!

Here are the books I read to complete the challenge!

• A Book Published this year: At the Waters Edge, by Sara Gruen
• A Book in a genre you don't typically read: (biography!):  My Life in France, by Julia Child 
• A book everyone's reading All the Light we Cannot See, by Anthony Doer 
• A book you chose because of its cover: Huckleberry - A cookbook!  Couldn't resist! 
• A Book by A favorite author: After You, by Jojo Moyes  (def not as good as Before You)
• A book recommended by someone with great taste : Follow The River, by James Alexander Thom
• A book you should have read in High school:  For Whom the Bells Toll, by Ernest Hemingway  - actually I am still reading this one - it is slow and hard to get through but I enjoy the writing! 
• A book that's currently on the best seller list: The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown

Here are some other books I did not read in the challenge but I really want to read this year!

• A Book you have been meaning to read: Still Alice by Lisa Genova 
• A Book your mom loves: WALDEN or The Children's Blizzard (fact)  or Devil Colony ( fiction but lots of scientific fact)
• A book from my Childhood: The Borrowers by Mary Norton
• A book originally written in another language: Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• OTHER books by favorite authors: Lisa See - China Dolls OR Rainbow Rowell - Fangirl OR The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (The Red Tent was one of my fav books of all time!)

Anyway for My FAVORITE BOOKS of 2015...I read a lot of middle of the road books - i.e. 3 star*** books and none that I rated 5***** stars, so I really do not have any TOP favorites that you just HAVE to read, but a few good ones - 4**** star reads! - that would be worth your time!

Follow The River, by James Alexander Thom 

Probably my favorite read of the year! WOAH - this story was insane and what a crazy story of survival and determination! Honestly I did not know this was a true story until the authors note at the end with the history of the story. Throughout the book I thought there were some areas which were unbelievable and I thought the author could have made it more believable, but then when I realized at the end it was based on a true life account, I realized most of it really did happen and was impressed with the story.   Goes to show real life is stranger than fiction. So the story was awesome and the author did a pretty good job of filling in the blanks, but honestly he could have cut a third out of the book as about a third of it was the same journey trials over and over...but an amazing story and a fast read! Caution though - a few gory parts in the book too so would not recommend for younger readers. 

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick

This on was a doozy of a read and I started it at the end of December but finished it in 2016 but the movie about this is coming out so I would read it before the movie comes out! Very intense and what a story!

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

A touching heartwarming story of strength and courage to overcome hardships and endurance to persevere! Loved reading more about rowing and feeling more of a connection to a family member who coaches rowing at Stanford. Now I get what it is all about (well without the blood sweat and tears of it!) . A well written story interspersed with some facts about Germany during the Olympic days before WWII.

My Name Used to Be Muhammed: The True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian

Wow - what a story! I knew this was about a man who converted from Islam religion to Christianity (Mormon) but did not realize that he had been so deep in the Islamic Culture - the stories about his family are heartbreaking. The stories about his time in an Egyptian prison are crazy and the fact that he spent years in prison because of his conversion just makes me appreciate the freedom of religion we have in America! What a strong man and a amazing story.

And as always I post my reads and often a short review on Goodreads! 

And I need to start sharing some of my kids favorite reads too!  Shayla is my voracious reader so I will have to pass on some of her favorite as well!  

Here's to your happy reading in 2016!

2015 Reading Challenge

Woo hoo! A challenge that will be fun and I am sure many of you can join me on!

 I am joining my sister Amy on this reading challenge this year!  Who else is in? 

I always love book recommendations from friends and family and I love The Modern Mrs. Darcys 2015 Reading Challenge as it is a way to explore some new (or classic) authors!  

Here’s the deal: read 12 books in 12 different categories in 12 months. It’s simple and doable. But it provides the structure you need to approach your reading list with intention in 2015. I have never picked a book based on the cover, but I guess I will this year! I think I am more looking forward to a book from my childhood or one I should have read in high school! 

You can even print the list out here to check them off as you go!

I would love any suggestion you have.. Next month our book club picks the books we will read for the year with everyone's input, so I am sure some will fit these categories!  But in the meantime, I have a few I am going to go for (or to recommend to you), such as: 

• A Book you have been meaning to read: Still Alice by Lisa Genova 

• A Book Published this year: At the Waters Edge Sara Gruen

• A Book in a genre you don't typically read: (hhmm horror or biographies?, will have to go with biography!):  My Life in France by Julia Child 

• A book from my Childhood: The Borrowers by Mary Norton

• A Book your mom loves: WALDEN!

• A book originally written in another language – Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• A book everyone's reading All the Light we cannot see by Doer 

• A book you chose because of its cover: The Sweet Life in Paris By David Lebovitz (I must have been hungry when I wrote this post and chose this one!)

• A Book by A favorite author: Lisa See - China Dolls OR Rainbow Rowell - Fangirl OR The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (The Red Tent was one of my fav books of all time!)

• A book recommended by someone with great taste : The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer  (Thanks Chris!)

• A book you should have read in High school:  For Whom the Bells Toll by Ernest Hemingway 

• A book that's currently on the best seller list: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Anyway that's a start! I love seeing the book covers and I posted them all on here so that when I am ready to go on to my next read I can come here and remember which ones I am shooting for this year! I always turn to Hoopla and Overdrive first  to try to get the books - they are my library's free service for audiobooks and eBooks and more!  I download the audio or ebook directly to my phone or kindle! Great for kids books too!  Most libraries have access to these free services and all you need is library card to sign in and have access to thousands of free books!  Keeps your book budget down too!

Let me know of anything great you read this year so I can add it to my list for next year!

Books: 2014 Favorites

Usually at the beginning of every year I share a round up of my favorite books!  Goodreads makes it easy to share and in early January I posted a link to my 2014 Books on my facebook with a few of my comments on my favorites, but I cannot let my blog be neglected as I share here every year!  So, here is a quick review of my favorite 2014 books!  Several of these books I read with a local book club that I have enjoyed going to over the years!  If there is anyone local who wants to come to book club with me, let me know! So here is my top book round up for 2014!

2014 Books - I read 21 books and 9,079 pages (thanks Goodreads Stats)
I didn't have any 5 star book reads these year, but I had a few that I still really enjoyed reading this past year. 

Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls

This was probably one of my fav this year!  A book by Jeanette Walls telling her grandmother's story - a story about one tough woman who lived through some amazing adventures and persevered through a lot!  Jeanetter knows how to tell a great story!

Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

A beautifully written book with layers of symbolism and depth in characters and the stories alike. I am almost embarrassed that I did not know that it was based on a true story of two sisters who were some of the most prominent female abolitionists and female rights advocates of all time (The Grimke sisters! Lets get these ladies in more textbooks!)! I am glad I read it just for that fact alone - that I know more about some amazing women in history as well as for the wonderfully written story.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

Wow! First of all, the story is based on the lives of people who actually live and survive and raise children in a toxic dump in Cambodia. That basis alone is enough to make for a fascinating read. To read about the actual living conditions about these people is unbelievable (although the story is fiction, the dump and the way people live in the dump is reality!). With the dump as the backdrop, a beautiful story is woven into the book and it made me fall in love with reading again. The teacher character in this story shares many fabulous tidbits of wisdom about literature and quotes many famous authors in ways that made me appreciate the access to books and stories we have these days! 

My Story by Elizabeth Smart 

I had never really read much about ELizabeth Smart's story other than a few short newspaper articles, so wow, this was a lot to take in! I did the audio book and Elizabeth Smart reads the book herself. That being said, she is very composed and calm for telling such a horrific story. She does a great job of telling her story and there are no graphic parts (mentions rape several times but never any details) and it is obvious that she could have been a lot more graphic, but she didn't need to be to get the story out. You hear her calm voice throughout the voice which contradicts her telling of her story of fear. In that she can tell her own story, the reader does get the sense how much she has overcome and has not let this time in her life define her. 

Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett - The last of the Century Trilogy and a great read. I love all of Follett's books as he is one of my top favorite authors.  This book was a bit different than many of his other books as it was in the most recent past, BUT it did reveval a bit more political bias (opposing my views) in places so that was a bit annoying, but otherwise a great historical (current) fiction novel!

The Outlander Series - Each book is very long so I usually read several books between a book in series.  I just finished the third book of series and have enjoyed all of them. 4 more books to go!

Honorable Mention: All very good too!

-The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

-The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

-The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

So there you have it...stay tuned for the 2015 Reading Challenge I am taking part in!

Larissa's Favorite Things List – Spring 2014

I try to periodically do a favorite things blog post since I enjoy reading others favorite things and often learn something new or fall in love with a new product that someone recommended to me, so here are my latest favorite things!  Click on the title to link to direct access. 

Favorite things:

GROWN UP  STUFF:

Books:

-I normally do a once a year review with all the books I have read that year and share my favorites,  but I have to share a few favorites that I have read so far this year if anyone is looking for a great read or a summer beach book! TRY THESE and you will NOT be disappointed

-For a taste of history mixed with an awesome woman’s life story – Half Broke Horses

-For a bit deeper read with a great story that was so well done and one in which you were constantly asking yourself questions about life - The Rent Collector

- For a fun beach read and a creative author : Eleanor & Park or Attachments both by the fabulicious author Rainbow Rowell

Apps:

Songza-  I am loving the app SONGZA lately – it is like a mix of Pandora and Itune Genres where you choose a mix of music based on how you are feeling  or what you are doing – working out, cleaning house, cooking with friends (a favorite!), waking up happy, etc.  You can also search for specific artists and the mixes are around those artists similar genre. Be careful as some mixes have profanity, but create a free account, and you can search for clean music or try a playlist for kids! I love the workout mixes as well as the Acoustic mixes – beautiful!

*Bonus -- I am also love the Pandora Playlist “Children’s Indie Music” – Just lots of HAPPY music!

NikeTraining App

A great app that has workouts you download one your phone- whether you want a quick 15 abs focused workout or a 45 minute toning session based on Serena Williams training, there will be a workout (or more)that you will love and can do from your phone!

Kids in Mind – An app and a website! A VERY detailed review of kids movies.  If you want to see if a movie is kid friendly – or even if worth your precious time - go to this app and look for the movie in question – it will rate the violence, sex, and language/profanity.

Random Favs:

-Bambooee Reuable Paper Bamboo Towels –  Seriously I got through so many paper towels that I love being able to rewash and reuse these!  They are great, but don’t throw them in the dryer or you may ruin them! 

AND WHEN YOU DO HAVE TO USE A REAL PAPER TOWEL – HERE’S THE BEST WAY TO REDUCE WASTE!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FMBSblpcrc

KIDS STUFF:

Apps:

Scribblenauts (also computer program!) - Oh my – this is so fun!  My little brother introduced this to the kids and they love it.  I love it.  Basically you type in the name of something (like lagre blue chihuauhua – shayls choice) and the item pop up on the screen and the main character integrates it into the play/game.  Try it for yourself or your kids and get a kick out of it while learning adjectives and spelling and more for the kids!

Youtube: 

Two favorite new shows introduced by my parents to my kids.  Very fun and clean and entertaining!

Masha – This is a Russian TV kids show but you do not need to know Russian to enjoy! A quote from my mom to describe this show “The Masha cartoons are funny, sweet, intriguing and each are about 6 - 7 minutes long. You will get to know more of Masha and her pets the goat, pig and dog. I love the big tree house the bear (who by the way is a champion juggler) lives in.”

Peppa the Pig – Also on Netflix I think is another foreign show that is a British preschool animated television series.  Fun and funny as well!

Food:

Hulled Watermelon Seeds!  On my!  These are delicious!  I had these at Expo West and I love them.   The kids like them too!

They taste like a lighter version of sunflower seeds.  Winco sells them in bulk are salted and roasted – high in vitamins and healthy fats.  There is a raw version from the company “Go Raw” I tried and raw is always better, but they are not for sale yet – they should be on sale soon at Whole Foods and online.

-I have been loving this Avocado Egg Salad recipe! http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/04/avocado-egg-salad.html

-Also, I am always drinking green smoothies and feeding them to my kids (one of the main ways they get their veggies)– I usually have a clamshell of spinach in my fridge and throw in 2-3 cups with any smoothie I make.  I made a yummy one recently that sounds gross with chocolate and spinach but was so good:

CHOCOLATE GREEN SMOOTHIE

I normally just add to taste and so don’t have exact measurements, but this is approximately what I used: Serves 1 adult and 2 kids

1 Cup Almond Milk

½ Cup Water

3 Cups Spinach

2 Tablespoons PB Powder (or you can use Peanut butter or almond butter here)

3 Tablespoons Cocoa powder (or use your favorite chocolate protein powder for more of a protein boost)

1-2 frozen bananas

Sweetener of choice (1-2  packets or 6-8 drops of Natural Stevia OR a few dates, soaked until soft OR 2-3 Tbsp of maple syrup)

8-12 ice cubes Ice to thicken

*I throw in some raw Cacao bits I always have hanging out or even a few chocolate chips if you want.

*I LOVE Maca Powder so if you have some or want to try it, it is esp yummy in this smoothie too!

Directions:

Put all the ingredients, except the frozen bananas (unless you have Vitamax or Blendtec then throw it all in)  in you blender. Blend until well combined.

Add the frozen bananas, and blend until smooth. Add ice until thickness of your choice.  I like mine thick but kids like it thinner. 

That's it for now - keep sharing your favorite things too or let me know your feedback on anything you try from this list!

My Best Read of 2013

Every year I like to do a recap on my favorite books of the previous year!  Goodreads helps me remember and track them!  They even show you your stats – so it tells me last year I read 24 books and 9,235 pages.   Neat!  I love reading and discovering new authors and writing styles and meeting new characters in books!   And yes, I do most of my books on audio – it still counts! - while I am doing dishes, laundry, running, etc, so no excuse not to finish some good books this year!

Here are my top favorites and my do not waste your time books from 2013 – I would love to hear what yours were as well!

Dad is Fat, by Jim Gaffigan

My only 5 star book of the year because  #1: Jim Gaffigan is hilarious, #2: the only way to survive parenting is through humor and #3: I swear this was the book I WAS GOING TO WRITE ON PARENTING but from a mom's point of view and minus a few chapters and the title! Seriously almost every thought/chapter in his book was something that was so right on target and funny because it is so true and was probably something I thought at the time! If you are a mom or a dad you have to read this! If you do not have kids, don’t bother, you won't get most of it...I listened to this on audio which made all the difference I am sure as he reads it himself so it was like listening to his stand up act - so very funny - reading it may not have the same effect.

Voice in the wind, Echo in The Darkness, Sure is the Dawn – The Mark of the Lion Series - by Francince Rivers

 I had never read anything by her and breezed through this trilogy.  She is such a descriptive and beautiful writer and the characters and stories come alive and are marvelous (though tragic like most good stories). AND LOVED THE ENDING!

The Fault in our stars, By John Green

This story was so well written! I loved the quirkiness of the characters and the beauty that they portrayed through their lives and words. I felt like I could have met both main characters in real life and known them instantly. It is very touching and also humorous at the same time (so many quick witted one-liners!). It is a tragic love story as you may surmise from the fact that it is written from point of view of a teenager cancer patient, but at the same time a happy story because along the way, the characters find in their journey as they come to discover their own truth about life, death and love. A quick read and everyone should read this to appreciate such great writing! And they are making a movie out of this!

And The Mountains Echoed, By Khaled Hosseini

Hosseini is a brilliant storyteller! In this book he used the style of several short stories connected through the characters with each story having its own powerful ending/lesson. I really enjoyed each story and the way he tied all the characters stories together as the book concluded. There were a few holes in a few stories here and there which was a tad frustrating, but overall brilliant writing. I guess my other complaint is that so many stories were so depressing, but most great stories are bred from tragedy, and this book is probably the least depressing from all 3 of his books. The ending does have a shimmer of rainbow of happiness, but I still wish for a bit more happiness for the characters throughout the book.

Love Survivor by Marcus Luttrell - A great hero story and pretty amazing to hear what he went through! I enjoyed the background of the SEAL training and how personal the story felt. Several F bombs (mostly the author quoting others) but not surprising as it is a retelling of a military story). But beyond that a story of courage which helped me to have an even greater appreciation for those protecting our freedom! Looking forward to the movie.

TO check out previous years reviews/books, click here!

Don’t waste your time

12 Tribes of Hattie

Sorry Oprah, I rarely like your book picks so maybe I will start using any you recommend as what not to read! The writing was decent. It was a collection of stories of each of Hattie's children in a snapshot during their lives, but only one or two of them had any semblance of closure which is very frustrating for me as a reader. Maybe I just did not get her literary style or goal of the book, but there was no message from the book and no morals in the stories. It was depressing as well and I kept waiting for the happy story/closure/something to tie the stories together, and it never came. So only 2 stars and there are many other books out there that are more worth your time

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls – Supposed to be one of the funniest comedy books of the year –  NO – although there were a few funny parts, I kept waiting for it to get better and wish I had not even wasted my time on it (although I did skip over some short stories when I could see where they were leading!)  but most of them seemed like he was trying to hard to be funny and other parts were very insulting and not funny at all.

If you don’t want to wait a year to read what I am reading you can join me at Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/641993

For past year’s favorites, go to http://niftynelsonnews.blogspot.com/search/label/books 

Best Reads of 2012

Here we go again – I hope that you enjoy reading about my best reads of the previous year, but even more so, I hope that you enjoy reading the actual books!  I was not a literary major, I do not have an extensive knowledge about all the classics, but I like to think I know a good book when I see – I mean read one!  I read about 20 books this year and here are the ones that were on the top of the pack for me. As I looked over my list of the reads I realized most of them were great reads and I would recommend almost all of them!!!  It is hard for me to choose the top this year, but I will list my top 5 with my reviews copied mainly from my personal reviews on goodreads so I can get my 2012 book review out before January is over!  You can read my reviews of all the books I read in 2012 and expanded reviews (although those are pretty short too) on goodreads - see end of post.

So here are my top 5 last year:

1. Moloka’I, Alan Brenner

Description:  Moloka’i tells the story of Rachel Kalama, a seven-year-old Hawaiian girl who contracts leprosy and is quarantined on the island of Moloka’i during the 1890s. Separated from her family and forced to grow up in the leper colony of Kalaupapa, Rachel experiences intense isolation. But she remains strong, finding moments of joy, and even love.

MY THOUGHTS: I had been WAITING for this to go on audio for years and it finally did!!!  I am glad I got to read it! I did really enjoy the story and it was written really well with lots of great characters. It made me research a bit on the history of the story and the Island of Moloka'i which had a leper colony for years. Some of the people in the story are based on real people but the main character is not. There had to have been so much strength for those sent to the Island and the families left behind. I did not even think about what would happen if a child is born there - of you want to find out, you have to read it to see! Such fascinating information and a great read!

2.  Heaven is Here, Stephanie Nielson  

Description: The survival story and love story of a woman, Stephanie was on the brink of death after a plane crash with her husband,  with burns over 80 percent of her body. She would remain in a coma for four months. In this moving memoir, Stephanie tells the full, extraordinary story of her unlikely recovery and the incredible love behind it—from a riveting account of the crash to all that followed in its wake.

MY THOUGHTS: An amazing survival story and amazing woman.  One to read!

3. Sarah’s Key, Tatiana de Rosnay

Description: Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

MY THOUGHTS: This was a very interesting and heart wrenching book. Hard to put down.  A unique way to intertwine two lives of the holocaust and recent day. I wish with all the sorrow in the book there could have been a happier ending though! There was a movie made of this story too which was equally good and depressing…

4. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

Description: On their fifth anniversary, Nick and Amy's marriage implodes when Amy goes missing and Nick is hardly as distraught as he ought to be.  What happens next is a great story and mystery!

MY THOUGHTS:  Wow - what a book! First of all, it has way too many F-bombs so if you can find an edited version go for that one, but beyond that the author is brilliant to write such an intricate story and nail the characters and the plot. I was drawn in and loved listening to it (the audio characters did an amazing job with voices interpreting the characters!) I did find a few holes in the so-called perfect evidence that were not discussed( you will see what I mean by evidence when you read it). I could not "put this book down" and I would have given it 5 stars if the language was not as bad and I did hope for a different ending! But two big thumbs up! Another great beach or car read as you will want to zoom through it!

5. Winter of the World, Ken Follett

Description:  Winter of the World picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families—American, German, Russian, English, Welsh—enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs. These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as their experiences illuminate the cataclysms that marked the century. 

MY THOUGHTS: I have to include him by default as he is one of my favorite authors and I have been waiting for the second book in his trilogy (one every two years right now!)  Another masterpiece by Ken Follett! This one's main focus was on WWII and there were so many angles to the story and so many great characters. The only thing that seemed to bug me a bit about this book is that I figured out all the big surprises before they happened in the book. It didn't take away from the story, but I like suspense (;

Almost made the list:

Where'd You Go, Bernadette – Maria Semple – This was a fun, fast read – a beach read so to speak with creative writing!

Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy, Lisa See – This were both wonderful stories and so vibrant and dramatic!

As always I would love if you post in the comments and share your favorite reads of 2012 too – they may make my list next year!

If you don’t want to wait a year to read what I am reading you can join me at Goodreads athttp://www.goodreads.com/review/list/641993

For past year’s favorites, go tohttp://niftynelsonnews.blogspot.com/search/label/books

Best Reads of 2011

It is now time for my annual book wrap up blogging post! Last year I read around 25 books (actually I listened to most of them but same thing!) so I wanted to share my top favorites! My reviews are short and sweet (who has time for lengthy reviews when there are so many good books out there still to be read!) So these would all be 4 stars, two thumbs up, must reads, etc!

1. Prince of Tides, Pat Conroy

Description: Spanning forty years, this is the story of turbulent Tom Wingo, his gifted and troubled twin sister Savannah, and their struggle to triumph over the dark and tragic legacy of the extraordinary family into which they were born.

MY THOUGHTS: This has been on my list of books I have wanted to read forever – I am glad I finally got to it! It is a beautiful, poetic, lyrically written story. I LOVED this book and think it is a masterpiece of literature! Talented authors like this just amaze me. The story had a few holes and there were a few somewhat graphic parts, but overall a wonderful book and story about a family finding their way after a lifetime of craziness and abuse.

2. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese

Description: Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics—their passion for the same woman—that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him—nearly destroying him—Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

MY THOUGHTS: This book was one of those that I stumbled upon and so glad I did because it was an AMAZINGLY well written book and story! I never wanted it to end but wanted to get to the ending to see what happened! I really enjoyed the story and although it is fiction the author based a lot of the story's background on his own life as an Indian Medical student from Ethiopia. He intersperses medical terminology into his story but it is interesting and not boring at all and true to form. The way the story was put together and brought together at the end was very poetic!

3. The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield

Description: Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness -- featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess,a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

MY THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this book! Very enthralling and enchanting! It was one of those books I did not want to put down (or in my case of audio book- did not want to turn off!) Although a bit slow to start, I really delved into the characters and the book. It is a neat story within a story and so creative and mysterious! I also really enjoyed how intertwined in part of the story was a thread about the beauty of books and about reading! Reading is a true beauty of life! I NEVER got close to guessing the ending - which always helps to make it a great book in my eyes! And the overall theme of the book really came down to what makes a true family and how important family is in one's life. Give it a read and you will surely enjoy this book!

I also read most of the Eragon Series last year (finishing up the last book now). If you like light fun fiction like Harry Potter, etc, this is a fun young adult easy-to-read series I have enjoyed (although the last 2 books have been a little LONG they are very entertaining)

What are some of your best reads last year – please share so I can enjoy too!

If you don’t want to wait a year to read what I am reading you can join me at Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/641993

For past year’s favorites, go to http://niftynelsonnews.blogspot.com/search/label/books

Best Reads of 2010!

Last year I blogged about some of my most and least favorite books that I had read in 2009 and so I thought I would continue that again for my reads in 2010 and blog about it before January ends! I know I love to hear what good books others have read too so I can add them to my must read list!! I use goodreads.com on a regular basis to track and share the books I read if you want to follow me there. It is a fun easy way to track what you read and share what you think with others. I rarely have time for a lengthy review but still like to catalogue what I read as I have been tracking what I read for at least the last 10 years via journal and this website makes it much easier to do. So I read (or mostly listened to via audible.com on my ipod in the car, during workouts, and on walks) about 20 books last year and here were my top favorites. I don't really have any I read that I did not like last year (or there were a few I started and never got into but those don't count).


Fall of Giants
Ken Follett
Description: This book follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage. Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits...Gus Dewar, an Ame...moreThe first novel in The Century Trilogy, this book follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage. Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits...Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House...two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution...Billy's sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London...

MY THOUGHTS:
Ken Follett is my favorite author so no surprise that this was probably my favorite book this year! And its the first novel in a trilogy so that makes me more excited!!! It was another work of magic by Ken! His historical fiction truly brings the story and characters to life while educating one of the topic - in this case WWI. I did not want it to end! It was so neat to read about the development of WWI through the eyes of citizens of different countries at the time and loved all the characters and relationships (although it did seem like everyone was in love with everyone else - like a soap opera war novel - but that is probably what made it a fast read too!).

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Laura Hillenbrand
Description:
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

MY THOUGHTS: Seabiscuit is another one of my all time favorite books because Hillenbrand is such a good author and this book by her is another that did not disappoint! Definitely another one of my all time favorite books! This story is so well written and an amazing story of - as she puts it - Survival, Resilience, and Redemption during the war from survival at sea to surviving prison camp in Japan. My stepgrandmother was in a Japanese prison of war camp during WWII so those descriptions touched me deeply too. I would recommend it to anyone and just a miraculous story.


Juliet
Anne Fortier
Description:
Twenty-five-year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved aunt Rose. But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister. The only thing Julie receives is a key—one carried by her mother on the day she herself died—to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy.

MY THOUGHTS: This was a fun take on the history of Romeo and Juliet and a very fun, easy read that was well written and well thought out. It can be cheezy and a few plot holes at times, but overall I would highly recommend it as a fun, fast read and made me want to revisit the traditional story of Romeo and Juliet again after reading this!


Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
Description:
Set in NM on the border between a small village and the huge llano (plains), Bless Me, Ultima is Rudolfo Anaya's much acclaimed and award-winning coming-of-age novel from the Hispanic perspective. Antonio is torn between his father's cowboy side of the family who ride on the llano and his mother's village and farming relations. Many conflicts are presented here: Hispanic vs American culture, Catholicism vs paganism, parents' expectations vs the child's desires, Spanish blood vs native blood.

Antonio's life is forever altered when his aunt Ultima, a curandera (healer) comes to live with the family; she teaches Antonio many things, most importantly how to gather the self-knowledge that will help carry him into adulthood.

MY THOUGHTS: I read this years ago in high school and remember liking it. I read it again this year as a book club read and was so enthralled with the story and the way it was told and the beautiful vignettes of life in this boy's family. I did really enjoy the book from the way the story is told to the many poignant topics and questions the main character brings up and invites us to think about with him - Do we make our own destiny? who is God? Why is their death in this world? Why do people suffer? What is evil?

The Postmistress
Sarah Blake
Description:
Filled with stunning parallels to today's world, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.

On the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, does the unthinkable: She doesn't deliver a letter. In London, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Frankie vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape. The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during wartime, when those we cherish leave. And how every story-of love or war-is about looking left when we should have been looking right

MY THOUGHTS: My mother in law recommended this book and I really enjoyed it! Being a war story it is depressing, but this story was well told and from an interesting perspective rarely seen in WWII stories. I liked the characters and the way everything connected in the end and had a "moral of the story" type ending. Check it out if you are looking for a new book to read.