Book Reviews by Myndi

Click HERE to read reviews on 13 books. All sound like great books.
Thanks for the recommendations Myndi!

Attn Book Lovers

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much:
The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
by Allison Hoover Bartlett


I finished this book this week for book club. Let me just say that I liked it more than I thought I would. Give it a try!

Series books

The next series I want to start:
(I know, everyone loves this book. Don't. Say. Anything. I HATE spoilers. And I hate getting my expectations too high.)

Series books I've read recently:

The second in the series. Even though it's written by my cousin, I'm not showing bias when I say it's a really good book!


So this is the 10th in the series. But even though it's been awhile since I've read about this Mma, I was able to pick it up easily. This series is definitely a to-read for everyone. Not only are the mysteries interesting and fun, but the short lessons on life are practical and full of wisdom.


So good! If you haven't read the first three in this series, where have you been?!!!

Some books I've been reading this summer

Thought you might like them too!

(this whole series was quite enjoyable)


(don't read this if you don't want to get stressed about your food storage supply)


(so much better than I was expecting)


(loved it!)

Where the Wind Sings

My cousin wrote this book and I think it is fabulous!


Abandoned as a small child, seventeen-year-old Brannon Reeves has lived and worked with her aunt, Lila, tucked away from the modern world in a forest cottage. But an attractive stranger, an accusing news story, and the discovery of a long-kept family secret shatter her simple life overnight. Thrust into a world of betrayal and persecution, she must face an enemy she never knew existed. Will she suffer the same fate as her mother? Can hope, courage, and love conquer evil?

http://robynmschow.blogspot.com/

Another Recommendation

Hi there. One of my friends left a recommendation in a comment. So I thought I would add it here for all to see.

From Alicia:

I have a suggestion for a book... It's called Mr & Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy and it's a sequel (one of many) to Pride and Prejudice. Here is a link to a review and Q & A by the author. It looks like it might be worth reading for Jane Austen fans.

http://janitesonthejames.blogspot.com/2009/03/mr-mrs-fitzwilliam-darcy-by-sharon.html

Thanks Alicia! I haven't read any sequels or fan fiction to P&P.

The Face on the Milk Carton

Did you read this when you were little? I did. And then the book got passed around to all my friends and to all my sister's friends. And I remember thinking it was so cute. Well, I picked it up recently, just to read something (I didn't have a library card yet) and I found a fun story with lots of insight on teenage feelings.

And did you know that there are now 3 more books that follow this story?

Whatever Happened to Janie?

The Voice on the Radio

What Janie Found

I just finished the last two today. They are all quick reads and the story flows nicely. I didn't like the third as much as I liked the 2nd & 4th. And the 1st is still my favorite. However, I was surprised to get something more than just a story.

Caroline B. Cooney (the author) has amazing insight on what life is like for a young girl caught between two families. I found myself realizing that this book can give others a chance to better understand what feelings a foster child goes through. Or a child with divorced parents. Or an adopted child.

I'm glad I read these books and I would recommend them for anyone (teachers, parents, friends, siblings) who knows someone who's had any type of family crisis.

Rapunzel's Revenge

My book recommendation is Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale.

I'm sure all you Shannon Hale lovers out there have probably already read this, but if by chance you haven't yet, you should definitely give this a try (especially if you've read and enjoyed her previous books). It is a graphic novel. If your dumb like me and don't know what that is, it's kind of like a comic book, but it's also a novel. I was actually a little leery about reading it because of the whole comic book thing. I wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea, but I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did! It is absolutely hilarious, creative, original, and delightful!

The story is a twist on the classic tale of Rapunzel. The twist is it's a western. That's right. A western. What a great twist is that! After finding out that her "mother" (Mother Gothel) is not really her mother and that her real mother is enslaved by the woman that raised her, Rapunzel is locked away in a massive magical tree. The magic in the tree makes her hair grow insanely long, and as we all know, she uses it to escape. She then must brave all kinds dangerous odds in order to save her mother and destroy Mother Gothel's power.

I loved this book because it surprised me- I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. Second, I loved how strong Rapunzel was. She was no damsel in distress but it wasn't in a "I don't need no man to help me" kind of way. Third, I loved the humor. Fourth, I loved the originality, even though the story has been around forever, and fifth (I could go on all day really), I loved it because I was able to read it with my four year old. We had so much fun reading it together. He loved looking at all the detailed pictures, and he would often pick it up and look at it on his own. It is a very fun book to read with kids, but adults will enjoy it too. This will definitely make its way into my personal library.

If you read it I hope you like it as much as I did.

P.S.- This book was selected by The Today Show's Al Roker for Al's Book Club for Kids.

A Friend Like Henry

I think Ruth has already mentioned this book, but I finally got the the chance to read it .... I loved it. It is about an autistic boy and a dog, that helps him come out of his world!
My son is Autistic so now I really want to get a dog!!

These is my Words

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Definitely one of the best books I've read! Here are some favorite quotes:



Pg. 121: "There is no outrunning fear, though, it comes on you and you have to face it. Childbirth is not an enemy you can fight or conquer or outrun, it takes you and tears you apart from the inside out and you have to just submit to it. I never understood why a girl would choose to be an old maid, but now I do."



Pg. 166: "It seems to me that any time there are men making a war, somewhere there are women and children at home waiting and worrying."



Pg. 309: "It seems there is always a road with bends and forks to choose, and taking one path means you can never take another one. There's no starting over nor undoing the steps I've taken."



Pg. 327: "Mama told me to make a special point to remember the best times of my life. There are so many hard things to live through, and latching on to the good things will give you strength to endure, she says."


View all my reviews.

My Favorite Christmas Book

I love Christmas picture books. It was hard for me to decide on a favorite because I have lots. I decided to pick this one because it was one of the first Christmas picture books I fell in love with. It's called The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski. First of all, the art work is absolutely beautiful. It is a visually gorgeous book, but the story is equally lovely if not more so. It is about a widow and her son who ask the local carpenter to make them a new Nativity for Christmas. The carpenter, Jonathan Toomey, is a sad and bitter widower, but his heart is opened again as he carves each piece of the Nativity. It is a sweet story about the healing and peace that comes as we open our hearts to the love that was born on Christmas night.

Women who changed the world, Ros Horton & Sally Simmons

“I am not afraid. I was born to do this.” Joan of Arc

“I believe in hard work. It keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” Helena Rubinstein

“Her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith.” Senator Lister Hill of Alabama, speaking about Helen Keller

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do.” Mother Teresa

“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” Anne Frank

This book features 50 women who “are outstanding individuals who achieved exceptional things in the major fields of human endeavour—politics, literature, art, science, music, social reform, entertainment, sport, and adventure.” Each woman’s life story is told in a 3-page mini-biography. I enjoyed this format and even made a list of people, movies, and songs I want to look up now that I’ve read a small introduction. Some of the women I found interesting to learn about include Cleopatra, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Margaret Bourke-White, Katharine Hepburn, Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, and surprisingly, Madonna.

Other well-known women featured in this book:
Amelia Earhart
Benazir Bhutto
Billie Holiday
Dian Fossey
Diana, Princess of Wales
Eleanor Roosevelt
Elizabeth I
Eva Peron
Florence Nightingale
Isabella I of Spain
Jane Austen
Margaret Thatcher
Marie Curie
Marilyn Monroe
Susan B. Anthony
Virginia Woolf

Little Women/Good Wives

Did you know that the movie Little Women is actually taken from two of Louisa May Alcott's books? Yep! I found out because when I borrowed the book Little Women from the library, I was distressed the closer I got to the end. Why? Because it wasn't the end of the story. So I thought I had gotten ripped off by the British for only getting half of the book. But now I know there were actually two different books to begin with. Yesterday I just finished the second half, Good Wives. And let me tell you that it was so adorable! Now, I've read a lot of books. But I would say that Little Women (parts 1 & 2) is now on my top 10 list. That's saying a lot! So for anyone looking for a wholesome read that offers great advice & sweet love stories, Little Women & Good Wives are the books for you!

Has anyone read the sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys?

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I chose to read this book this month. I've been wanting to read it for a while now, and it seemed like the appropriate time. I really enjoyed this book, though it was slow going at times. The book is about one family's attempt to become more connected to their food by eating local for one year. They own farm land, so they grow, harvest and preserve most of the food they eat (including meat). It's interesting to think about eating more locally and eating food when it's in season. This book is not for everyone, but if you're looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, save money, or become more self sufficient it's a good resource.

The Kabul Beauty School

The Kabul Beauty School: The Art of Friendship and Freedom

by Deborah Rodriguez

I give this book 4/5 stars. This book is for anyone who liked The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns. It's also for anyone interested in learning more about life in Afghanistan. I think the hardest part about reading this book was knowing that all of these women's stories were true! I don't want to say too much because I think you'll like it if you don't have too high of expectations. Just read it!

Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf

I have a recommendation: "Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff" by Jennifer L. Holm. This is the most unique and creative book I have ever read. The story is not told the conventional way. It is literally told through stuff like the title says. Each page tells the story through various things like Ginni's (the main character) to-do-lists, shopping lists, school class schedules, report cards, English essays, notes from her mom, etc. It was such a fun way to get to know Ginni and her 7th grade year of middle school. I think all of us can sympathize in some ways with Ginni. Shannon Hale recommended the book on her website, and it got rave reviews on Amazon.com, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. It was a very fun read. With no interruptions, you could probably read it in an hour or so. I had a hard time putting it down because I was so drawn into the story and how it is told. It is a very clever book and very well done too. If you're interested in something light, fun, and interesting you should give this book a try.

Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell

"I believe . . . that the task of making sense of ourselves and our behavior requires that we acknowledge there can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis."

Are you interested in how the mind works? Do you ever wonder why people do what they do? Do you like reading short case studies of interesting historical events? Do you have to make quick decisions under pressure? Are you interested in music, art, politics, or psychology? If your answer is yes to any of the above, this book is for you!

This book was recommended to me by one of my professors in my MSW program. I have been wanting to read it since then and just barely picked it up from the library. Because I had high expectations, I was worried that I would be let down. I am happy to report that I was not!

This book is well organized as the author takes you through various case studies and research experiments. The logic was easy of me to follow and his style of writing kept me entertained. More than once I stopped in the middle of a chapter to write down a term, person, or website to look up online. This is a book I could enjoy reading over and over again. Indeed, for me to fully grasp the concepts, I plan to re-read it when I have more time to ponder the ideas and someone to discuss it with. This would make an excellent choice for a book club.

Another Great Fantasy Series

This fantasy series by Maria V. Snyder is fabulous; I finished the last book of three this weekend. The second book is called Magic Study and the third book is called Fire Study. For all those romantics out there, you will appreciate the romance. For all those adventure folks out there, you will appreciate the constant conflict and action. I liked Poison Study by far the best out of the three books and since I loved it so much I was compelled to quickly read the other two. The final book, Fire Study, was a little complicated and left a few questions...but maybe that means there will be a companion series in the future. I certainly hope so.

I tried to upload the other two books but it was taking too long. You can search for them on the web, however.

Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely is a young adult fantasy written by Melissa Marr. It is about a human girl who can see the faires (faeries) who live in our world. I think Amazon recommended it to me because I bought the Twilight series. Anyway, this book was so fun to read! The end was a little predictable but with some unexpected twists. At first it was hard to get into because nothing is explained as unfamiliar terms are used. However, that seemed to keep me reading just because I wanted to figure it out. I found myself thinking about this book as I was ironing, doing dishes, and even falling asleep. I also found it amusing that the author was voted by her highschool classmates as the most likely to end up in jail.

Good book to read

I just finished such a good book. It's called In search of Eden by Linda Nichols. It's about a girl who was forced to give her newborn up for adoption when she was 15. It tells the story of her searching for this baby and in turn learns something about herself. I was crying, laughing, and enjoying the whole way through. It is told by a very devout Christian (not LDS). So there is alot of prayers, scripture references, and overal amens but they definitely add to the story line. Enjoy.