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!

Freebe--July

Ok, since I've been totally behind, and having stupid Internet issues, I've decided to not have anyone assigned for July. Summer can be really busy for most people anyway. So if you happen to read a book in July, please post comments here. We'll make this month one where we just recommend good books for each other.

Oops!

I've been so busy with work that I forgot to assign someone to choose a book for us to read for the next few months. So if you would like to be in charge of the book choosing and discussion for July, August, or September, please leave your comment here!

For more info on what to do when it's your turn to choose, see the little blurb to the left.

Book Discussion for June

Well, here are the discussion questions for The Princess and The Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison. I've never lead a book discussion before, so sorry if my questions are lame. Here we go:

1. Did you like it? Why or why not? I hope everyone enjoyed it, but I'm sorry if you didn't.

2. What do you think of the title of this book? Do you think it works or do you think it misleads the reader? Why do you think the author went with that title?

3. Many say this book is a twist on Beauty and the Beast. Do you see why they'd say that or do you disagree?

4. Were you surprised by the book's ending?

5. Do you have a favorite part?

Please feel free to add any other insights.

The Glass Castle Discussion Questions

1.  Did you like The Glass Castle?  Which scenes were the most shocking, the most inspiring, the funniest?

2.  What kind of man was Rex Walls?  What were his strengths and weaknesses, his flaws and contractions?

3.  What kind of woman was Rose Mary Walls?  What did you think about her description of herself as an "excitement addict?

4.  What is the "glass castle" and what does it signify to Jeanette and her father?

5.  Though it portrays a hard life, The Glass Castle is never depressing.  How did the author achieve this?

6.  Did you find it easy or difficult to be nonjudgmental toward Jeanette's parents?

Book of the Month for June

I've recently discovered how much I enjoy young adult fiction, particularly fantasy. That's one reason I chose "The Princess and the Hound" by Mette Ivie Harrison. Don't be mislead by the title. It is more about a prince and is written from his perspective. Also, keep in mind when you finish it that there is a sequel. Amazon recommended this book to me I think because I bought Twilight. I was interested in it not only for its story but for its reviews. There is a very complimentary review on the cover by Orson Scott Card. So, I gave it a try. It's an interesting story about a prince who has the animal magic, which is punishable by death. He is betrothed to a strange princess in a neighboring kingdom who has an unusual bond with her hound. They both have secrets they've kept from the world, and these secrets will either bring them together or keep them apart. I liked it very much, and I hope you will too.

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.

Book discussion on Austenland

I'm glad to hear you all pretty much enjoyed this book. I think all of has a little bit of romance in ourselves and sometimes our books are an escape into that romance world. I, myself have fallen into all of the remakes and similar stories of Pride and Prejudice.
Just a couple of questions for you to answer or just think about.
Who did you think she would end up with, Martin or Mr. Nobley?
Did you have a hard time figuring out what was their play acting world and what was reality (especially in regards to their feelings)?
Please feel free to leave additional comments or ask any questions!

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.