Book #10 The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson

This is the seventh book in the series starring Goldy Schulz. These are surprisingly good and exciting mysteries. How does a caterer in a small town find herself involved in every murder case in the Colorado town? Well that's simple; she's a busy-body. I actually ordered the 6th and 7th books (from Amazon of course) at the same time, and grabbed this one by mistake. I missed a few events in her life, but it didn't put me behind on the plot. Another nice feature of books like these; you can read out of order and still enjoy. So what I found interesting about this book, written in 1994, is that the premise involved a beast of a woman who was vice president of the local HMO. Much of the conflict revolved around the HMO making decisions about the healthcare of their members rather than leaving it up to the doctors. I wonder if the author wrote this book because at the same time, the Clinton's were trying to push healthcare through the Senate. Did she have an ulterior motive? Was she trying to display for the common, everyday, beach-novel readers what problems we were facing in the health care world? Was she trying to give us the inside view of the corruption, dishonesty, and cover-up? Something to ponder.

Book #9 - same kind of different As me. by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

When I started this blog, my best friend Kathye handed me this book and said I must read it. That's all she told me about it. This is the second very emotionally intense memoir I've read this month, and please let this be a lesson to my readers to spread some of these NY Times Best Selling memoirs out a little. I've been through the emotional ringer, and it is only January. The premise of the book was the unlikely friendship of a homeless, blackman named Denver and a rich, white art dealer, Ron Hall, that meet at a Homeless Shelter in Dallas, TX. The interesting part of their relationship is that neither wanted to be friends but both were forced in to it by Miss Debbie (Ron's wife). After weathering 25 years of the ups and downs of marriage, the Hall's began volunteering at the local rescue mission and that is where the story of these two men cross. It is an inspiring and heartwarming story of their friendship, but I was not nearly as moved by them as by Deborah Hall. If you would have handed me this book and asked me to read only the sections about Miss Debbie but put no name to the woman in the story, this could have been the life-story of my Aunt Susie. Caring, passionate, faithful woman who reaches out to every person she meets. Spreads joy and kindness to all. Compelled to get heavily involved in a local organization and falls victim to the fight of her life with cancer. The descriptions of the medicines, how it racked her body and yet she never gave up her hopeful spirit. The planning of future details to be sure her husband and children would be taken care of. The thousands of people at her memorial service. Like my Aunt, Deborah wasn't famous. She wasn't politically important. She didn't hold some huge, important job, and yet, she touched thousands of people. Like my Aunt, after her death, Deborah continued to contribute through all of those who loved her and continued her life's work. I hope that during the time after my Aunt died that my Uncle found solace in a friend like Denver. I think many times that friend was my Grandfather who also lost his best friend the day my Aunt Susie died. Denver was a remarkable man. Spent half of his life as a modern-day slave as a sharecropper picking cotton in Louisiana and felt as though he had 'moved on up' when he lived in Ft. Worth as a homeless man. Denver shared tons of practical wisdom in this book and though he could not read, his simplistic view on life gave him a greater understanding of God than any of us could dream of. One story that I want to share is of when he and Ron went to visit and elderly, white, homeless man in a nursing home. This old man had called Denver a "nigger" since the day he met him, and for three years, Denver continued to visit him, bring him treats, and keep him clean. On this occassion, Ron asked the man if there was anthing he could bring him, and the man asked for cigarettes and Ensure. When Ron and Denver went to the store to get these items, Ron was going to baulk on the cigarettes because they are bad for you. Denver's response was, "You asked the man how you could bless him, and he told you he wanted two things - cigarettes and Ensure. Now you tryin to judge him instead of blessin him by blessin him with only half the things he asked for. You saw the man. Now tell me the truth: How much worse you think he gon' be after smokin? Cigarettes is the only pleasure he got left." There are two things I will carry with me from this book. First, I will not judge, only bless, and second, even the simplest of people can make a huge impact by just caring for the needs of others.

Book #8 - I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

I wonder if James Patterson's mind ever slows down long enough to sleep. Think about it. To put out a new book every couple of months the way he does, he must have ideas running through his mind constantly. And while we are on the subject of ideas, this books' premise was fantastic. I didn't have any idea who the bad guy was until Patterson told me. I was throwing shots in the dark trying to guess who it could be. Another great book by Patterson (and yes, there are a few of his I didn't like...Lake House for one) staring Detective Cross. I feel sorry for Cross because he has a family member die or get kidnapped in every book. I feel like I've read so many book in this series that I am a part of the family, and I'm just waiting for one of my family members to die. We are up to at least 3 dead members of the Cross family: his first wife (killed by a serial murderer), the niece who played the violin in Kiss the Girls (guess she didn't actually die), and now another long-lost niece in this one. Excellent, quick read that will keep your heart rate high until the last page.

Book #7 - Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book was an entirely different type of read for me. I'm sure your are wondering why did it take me a week to read. This was a story of a woman's journey from broken and shattered to strong and vibrant. The journey from Italy to India to Indonesia documented in her 108 tales describes her passion for food and culture, spirituality and meditation, and finding the balance between two seemingly irreconcilable lives. I struggled through parts of this book, and found on many nights, I couldn't make it through more than a few stories at a time. Parts of the book (especially India) seemed to drag on, but I take from this several ideas. First, the author describes having children like "getting a tattoo on your face. You better be sure you really want it." That I found hysterical and yet so true. There is no turning back once your home pregnancy test confirms that you are going to be a parent, ready or not. As she described the greatest meal of her life, in Naples, I couldn't help but go back to a time when my little sister called from southern Italy claiming she had just had the best meal of her life. Or, when she describes how she started taking Italian lessons because she thought it was the most beautiful language, I thought instantly of my friend Cindy who did the same thing several years ago. Although I learned many interesting insights into the people and customs of the places she went, I found a likeness between the author and myself. I can remember first hand the feeling of total and complete loss and begging God in that moment to save me. And in that moment, feeling His presence wrapped around me. I too have dealt with pushing out the negative thoughts and dwelling on the broken times of my life. Like the plumber in India, I too had a sweet wonderful man tell me that I must forgive in order to move on in life. And like the author, I too found the happiness in life again. I came through stronger, more resilient, and happier than I had ever been. Just happy to be in my own skin. Happy to be a teacher. And most especially, happy to let a man love me with his whole heart. Now, coming to the end of the blog, I see why I struggled with this book. Though I didn't travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia, I did travel to Nashville, TN to find myself, to heal myself, and to live with joy and balance in my life.

Book #6 - The 5 Greatest Warriors - Matthew Reilly

This guy is the king of action thrillers. He blows all of the competition away. This is the third and final book of a series which Jack West, Jr. is out to save the world. The previous book, The 6 Sacred Stones ended with the hero falling into an endless abyss to imminent death. Kindly, the author opens this book with a synopsis of what happened in the previous two. I'd forgotten a lot of it and was extremely grateful for the reminder. This book was fantastic. FANTASTIC. I cannot believe Steven Spielberg hasn't bought the rights to all three. This trilogy would be better than Star Wars and Indiana Jones combined. I can't remember ever reading an author with a style like Rielly. Most authors open their books with several chapters of what I call "background and build-up". Not Rielly, all three of these books begin with our characters already in the throws of peril. The characters develop smoothly and are each so unique and endearing. Another one of Jack's crew die during the adventures of this book, and there are countless twists of fate and underhanded moves, but all ends well...just as we would expect. I cannot imagine the research that went into these books. Not only did the characters go to all of the 7 ancient wonders, but also countless exotic places of historical importance. Tied into the race to save the world, Rielly brought to light every one of the most important historical figures including Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Moses, and Jesus Christ. INCREDIBLE. Also, each of the locations Jack goes to is surrounded by elaborate and extensive booby-traps. Rielly is so creative in the way in which he designed them, explained them, and then drew diagrams to help the reader better understand what he was trying to describe. You could literally see them in your mind's eye. I'm so glad that the story ended the way it did, but like any trilogy, there is a bit of a letdown when it is finished. I will be curious to see where Rielly goes next. I can't imagine designing a series of books any more stimulating than these were, but if anyone could do it, Matthew Rielly could.

Book #5 - Whale Done by Ken Blanchard

This selection is dedicated to my best fan, my Dad. He gave me this book to read years ago. When I say years, I think it's been every bit of 5. He encourages me every so often to read it, and I've put it off thinking it would be a silly, boring, self- help book. Boy was I wrong. Should have know it was good because my Dad has recommended it to everyone, and frankly, he won't finish a bad book. This was a fantastic surprise written in a short 130 page book. My mind is already spinning about how I can implement "Whale Done" into my workplace and home. I've already discussed with my husband and assigned him to read it. I think the "Whale Done" attitude may be just what his high school football team needs. After learning the process of "Whale Done" at Sea World, the author uses his main character, Wes, to demonstrate all different ways this process of positive reinforcement and redirecting in all relationships of life. Unless you live in a box and never speak to any other human being, I highly recommend this book. Not only will your family, friends, and colleagues appreciate your new positive attitude, I would guess you would feel reinvigorated and excited to spend time in all of your daily relationships.

Book #4 - The Chocolate Snowman Murders by JoAnna Carl

Today was a "snow" day. I put snow in quotations because they canceled school at dinner time last night just thinking it might snow. The funny part is that it didn't start snowing until 10:00 today and stopped by 2:00. Even funnier than that is that they've already canceled for tomorrow. My theory is that all of the superintendents' of schools wanted to stay up late to watch the National Championship Football game. With it being a "snow" day, I thought that a book with "snowman" in the title would be a sensible choice. JoAnna Carl wrote another entertaining, short, murder mystery. I am stuck on several series like this one (others include Joan Fluke and Diane Davidson Mott) because they are fun, light, easy reads where you never have to worry about the main characters being killed off. What's funny about all of these is that the leading women in each of the series are the chief "investigators" in every murder in their small-town communities. You'd think they'd learn and butt out. As I was reading this, I was thinking about what I would blog and how I could possibly entertain my regulars (led by my Dad) with a no-brainer book. And just as my mind floated to that concern, on page 111, the authors, "soap box" rang out in the voice of Lee Woodyard. When the local, flashy, new-age pastor walked in with an air of narcisism, Lee's thoughts were the following, "I'm not an expert on theology, but I always distrust churches built as personality cults. And the secondhand reports that if we do good and believe in the correct theology, God will reward us with prosperity and happiness. This doesn't jibe with my observation that the most loving and faithful poeple around will still have lots of troubles and woes. They usually just cope with them better." Who says you can't learn a powerful message from a trivial novel.

Book #3 - Cross Country by James Patterson

Too bad school started today, or I think I would have stayed up late to finish this book last night. This one was like no other James Patterson I've ever read, and I think I've read 30 or so of his. Some things were very typical of the author: thriller, fast paced, hero almost dies 10 times, big twist at the end, etc. However, there was a huge difference in this book that struck a cord with me. There were about 50 pages in the middle that had nothing to do with the plot, and everything to do with the tragedies in Darfur and neighboring regions. It made me wonder if James Patterson has a passion for this cause and felt as though he has a media outlet to spread the word to millions of his readers (that may or may not know anything about the situation). He gave a heart breaking, disturbing, terrifying description of what the people of the African nations are facing. He described the hopelessness of it, and yet, through several characters in the book, like Moses, he showed the beauty and hopefulness of the African people. He didn't have to take Cross to Africa; there is plenty of horrible crime in the USA, and yet he did. I wonder if he did that to open eyes, our eyes, those of us that comfortably sit in our recliners and catch tidbits of Anne Curry or George Clooney, but feel unmoved and detached from the situation. Well, James Patterson got me on this one. I have been moved, terrified, and deeply troubled.

Book #2 - Altar of Eden by James Rollins

I know, I know, it seems like I'm making all of this up. How could I have read this book in just one day? Let this be a disclaimer to you: Do not start this book unless you plan to finish it. I have to say when it came in the mail yesterday (Amazon, who else), I was deeply disappointed that it was not a continuation of the saga starring Gray, Painter, Monk, and Kate. I love James Rollins' books featuring these characters, and I'm dying to know if Monk recovers his memory, etc. So, with a bit of a heavy heart, I opened this book at 12:00 (noon) today thinking I'd read a little and maybe take a nap on my last afternoon of Christmas vacation. I was quickly wrapped into the plot involving genetically altered exotic animals (which you find out later is due to a virus that causes the addition of chromosomes to the genome). This book is heavily coated with Biology, and some of it may be difficult to a non-Scientist, but with that being said, I don't think my blood pressure came down until 10 minutes ago. It was intense. There is no other way to describe the book. 9000 mph the entire read. Probably why I couldn't put it down (although I did long enough to make and eat dinner). This was by far the best book by James Rollins that I have read, and I felt like I was reading old-school Michael Crichton as I turned the pages. It had that cutting edge science that as my Mom would say, "gave me the creeps". Scary because, what if. There are plenty of brilliant yet crazy people out there that may be experimenting with this very idea of creating new forms of biowarfare. All that is to be done now is to ship the book to my brother, also a science teacher, so he can hurry up and read it an then we can discuss the possibilities. FANTASTIC read. Going to have to take a brain break after that one.

Book #1 - The Tribute by Nora Roberts

I read 5 books over Christmas break, and really enjoyed all of them. This book was the 5th and completely by default. I have a stack of books on my desk that are "too be read". Some are passed from my mother-in-law, some from friends at school, some from my brother, and many I've bought myself. So the 1st four books I read over break were all books I had picked, purchased, and received from Amazon. Two of them were from my favorite authors: Michael Crichton (so sad this was the last one, but the pirate book was awesome) and Steve Berry (Paris Vendetta much better than his last one). The choice for "The Tribute" was because of the lag in the mail because of the New Year Holiday. The new James Rollins book was trapped in the postal system, and I had finished the other four. My mother-in-law gave me "The Tribute" a long time ago, and for whatever reason, it was the one I picked out of the stack. I started in 12/31 and finished in 1/2. It was really good. Surprisingly. One of the nice things about Nora Roberts is that the love story turns out just the way you want it in the end. This one had a great element of suspense that also kept you reading, and I personally loved reading about her renovations on the house she bought. Ms. Roberts' books always seems to be overwhelming in length, but they are so well written and enticing that you can't hardly put them down. I recommend this book for some light and thought-free reading. Great for vacations of all kinds. My only wish was that Ms. Roberts would have written a short epilogue to tell us what happened to the heroine and her one true love. I always love to know where they wind up.

A New Year's Project

I have always been addicted to books. For as long as I can remember, I wanted books. My brother and sister are the same way. There was an unwritten rule at our house as children. When we were out shopping with Dad, the answer to everything and anything we wanted him to buy us was always "NO", except for books. EVERY time we asked for a book, Dad would buy us one, and to this day, he still does. I've tried to incorporate this practice into my own family. Not only do I buy books for my son William whenever he sees one he likes, but I try to always stop what I'm doing to read to him when he asks. I hope that he finds joy, adventure, and escape in books just as I have. So this year, I was telling my husband that I would like to try to read 100 books. He thought that was way over the top, but actually, I think I come pretty close to that on a yearly basis. He thought maybe a blog (inspired by Julie and Julia) would be a neat way to catelog what I've read. I do not pretend to be a writer. I am simply a high school science teacher who loves to read and is always looking for more good books. I hope someone out there finds a good book based on what I write. We'll see how far I get on the 100 books...my husband doesn't want it to rule my life, and neither do I.