Book #46 Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts

This is the second book in the Bride Quartet series, and I really enjoyed this one as well. Light hearted love story that ended just right. However, I really enjoyed the independence, perseverance, and back-bone of the main character Emma. She refused to compromise what she was looking for in a life-long partner. She refused to settle for less than she deserved. Although she was a romantic and a bit old fashioned in what she wanted in a husband, she demonstrates that the modern, independent woman can have it all and doesn't have to give up some important part of herself to get the right fit in a mate. Very good book, and I look forward to reading the third book in the series and seeing how Laurel finds love.

Book #45 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

I know those of you who know me well thinks it is unfair of me to count this book on my 100 book journey because I think this is the fourth time I have read it. So, how did this come about? Why this book? Why now? Actually, quite by accident I chose to read this book again. Sunday night, my husband and I caught the 6th movie (which I own) on HBO and watched the end of it. The week prior, we saw the middle part of the same movie (the Half-Blood Prince) on the big screen on the cruise boat. Since I was waiting for the mail man (who is never in a rush to deliver my Amazon package since it requires her to get out of her truck, off the phone - so my husband says - and put the package on the porch) to bring my next batch of books, I told my husband I thought I wanted to reread the 7th one because I couldn't remember how it all ended. Of course, Harry triumphs and good defeats evil, but I couldn't remember all of the twists and turns in this book. You will all understand soon enough why they are doing the last book in two movies. There is so much packed in the nearly 700 pages, and none of it can be cut out or else the ending doesn't work. So now that my exceptionally long introduction is over, I'll get to it. First, J. K. Rowling is a genius. Those of us who love Harry Potter and love to read know that what she did in these seven books may never be repeated by another author ever again. She has written the greatest series of books of all time. I know what some of you are thinking, "what about Lord of the Rings; Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe; Star Wars"? J. K. Rowling blows them out of the water. Her story goes seven books, thousands of pages, creates a whole world WITHIN our world that we cannot see, inspires every age of reader, and all of the books are interwoven. I once saw an interview of her where she said she wrote the whole story at one time on a train ride. Her original outline had every bit of the seven stories (minus the detail). What a gift, and I'm so thankful she shared it with us. It is funny that often times when I get to the end of a series of books I feel sad because they are finished and I no longer have adventures of the characters to explore and enjoy; but this series keeps me coming back. Even after the movies came out (I actually saw the first movie and then decided to read the book...which was better of course), I still have come back to these books and have discovered new things within their pages. You could not force me to pick a favorite in the series because each one is necessary to complete the overall story.

I cannot wait for the day when my son and I begin this adventure together and I get to share the joy of these books with him. I know we will both look forward to bed time and reading a chapter or two each night. I will enjoy listening to his questions of what will happen next and how will Harry defeat his arch enemy. How wonderful was it during the 2008 presidential campaign to hear President Obama say he had to take a break from the campaign trail to go home and finish the last of the Harry Potter series with his daughter. That is what these books mean to all of us.

Book #44 - Teacher Man by Frank McCourt

My Dad bought me this book right after it came out in 2005 which just so happened to be my first year as a teacher. I had read and thoroughly enjoyed "Angela's Ashes", so I was excited to read about the latter part of Frank McCourt's life. At the time, I could barely make my way through the book. I couldn't believe how bad of a teacher he was and how easily his students got him off topic. So why did I read it again? Well, this just so happened to be the final book in my "positive motivation" class, and this one required that I read an analyze, so I attacked this book again. I still don't think that Frank McCourt was a very good teacher, but I do now have a new perspective after six years under my belt. First, I can now sympathize with the situation he was teaching in during the first 10 years of his career. He was in various vocational schools throughout New York City. He was teaching students who didn't care, with administrators who didn't care, and parents who didn't care. He was fighting a losing battle with no one there to support him or thrown him a floatation ring. He had no guidance, and a very rough crowd to please. It seemed as though when he got to a more academic institution (similar to the type of place I teach) that he came into his own. I like that he taught "outside of the box", but many times, he did not bring lessons back full circle to give relevance to the lesson or discussion. His book is a great display of what classrooms in America are like and what teachers face every day. However, I think Frank McCourt has demonstrated that he is not a good teacher but truly found his calling as an author after retiring. It's hard to believe no one told him to write a book sooner, especially since he was known to be a great story teller.

Book #43 - I Scream, You Scream by Wendy Lyn Watson

So I've made it to the bottom of my reserve of books and am avidly waiting for the UPS driver to drop the next batch from Amazon. So when you get to the bottom of the stack, this is what you would find. I ordered this book several months ago because it was recommended by Amazon based on other books I'd purchased. I thought I'd take a chance even though it was a brand new author with very few reviews. This is the start of a series of books about a small town ice cream shop owner who gets wrapped up in a local murder investigation. It was actually pretty good, and I liked that it had more modern twists to it than the other series' like this that I read. I have to say that I had figured out who did it about half way through, but interesting twists as to why the perp did it kept me interested through the end. Very light and easy reading for a hot summer day.

Book #42 - Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick

I was inspired to read this book by my sister, the artist. This genre of "a novel" about a historical person has really captivated me as of late. I've so enjoyed being a part of the character's lives. This book was a look at the life, tragedy, and talent of Vincent Van Gogh. As I read this book, all I could think about was the line from the Josh Groban song Vincent when he says, "I can tell you Vincent, the world was not made for one as beautiful as you." Vincent was haunted in life by the love of a woman he could not have because of her social status, the harshness of those living around him calling him strange and crazy, and the inability to sell his work. During his 37 years of life, Vincent Van Gogh painted hundreds of paintings, but only sold one for 400 francs. And he was haunted by that. The author did a fantastic job of getting us inside his head and experiencing, yes experiencing the world as Vincent saw it. The most incredible thing is that when he died, the world did not yet realize the enormity of the loss in Vincent. Vincent gave us a foreshadowing of how his story was to end when he said, "I don't know how much longer I can do this, Rachel. Sometimes I know exactly what I want and feel I can do it forever, other times I think it will be the death of me. But I can't stop. I can do without everything else - money, people, even God - but I can't do without my painting. Even if someday it kills me." Though we will never know why Vincent suffered and what drove him to take his life, one thing is for sure, he will live on forever in the beauty of his life's work.

Book #41 - Visions in White by Nora Roberts

Like all Nora Roberts' books, this one was a great love story. Actually, this was the perfect book for a week on Carnival Cruise Line. This is the first in a series of 4 books about the lives of 4 women who run their own wedding planning firm. In this one, the photographer, Mac, falls in love with a former high school classmate who is now a high school English teacher. The part of this book that really hit closest to home was when one of the parents of Carter's students came in to thank him for sparking the interest of learning in her son. I think this was Nora Roberts' shout out to the helicopter moms to try to say thank you rather than crabbing about everything. AS a teacher, I could totally relate with the elation he had that day. 95% of the feedback we get from parents is negative. However, we can live on one positive phone call or email for months.

Book #40 - The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

I actually finished this book on June 6 on the airplane heading to Miami to catch the Cruise we just got home from. It is the follow up to "Nefertiti" that I read some time ago. After nearly 4000 years since the height of the Egyptian empire, I have found that politics have not changed. "Royalty" is always jockeying for power and position using secret alliances and withholding secrets until the optimal time. Like "Nefertiti", I found that the author tied a fascinating story into the history of the Egyptians. At times, it is so hard to believe that children like Ramses II (19 yr old) and Queen Nefertiri (16 yr old) were drafting the first peace treaties in recorded history. The author placed an interesting twist with the book ending and Nefertiri releasing the Hailbu people from Egypt. Although historically, she says Moses (who is found in no other references except the Bible) would have been a thousand years before, the story dictates that Nefertiti allowed Moses to lead his people to freedom and out of slavery. So refreshing that although Nefertiri did things to position herself to be Queen, she (unlike her Aunt Nefertiti) did them out of her love and devotion to Ramses. She could not bear to be apart from him nor could he from her. There was far less pressure to produce heirs and for more natural, real enjoyment in their marriage. Perhaps this is why Ramses lived to almost 90 years old.

Book #39 - The Poet Prince by Kathleen McGowan

Riveting. I've never used that word before in describing a book, but this one is truly riveting. This is the third book in "The Magdalene Line" series, and lucky for us, she's already in the works for a 4th (the role of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII). Kathleen McGowan is a fantastic story teller. She has woven an adventure of the current day Order of the Holy Sepulcher (the original followers of Christ who have stuck to his teachings of love) and a look at the history, art, and corruption of the Renaissance. The Medici family nurtured the greatest artists of this time including Botticelli and Michelangelo, and according to this author struggled and sacrificed to pass on the ancient teachings and capture them in great works of art. This was a heart-racing page turner that I literally could not ingest fast enough. I found that I couldn't even comprehend or internalize the amount of information that the author provided to me, but with that being said, I did not miss anything in the translation. I could read this book 10 times and not stop learning. I only wish I could remember more of what I learned in my high school Art History class; lucky for me there is an artist in the family.