Country Matters

Country Matters by Michael Korda

Korda shares his interesting, sometimes humorous, story of moving to the country. This book reminded me a bit of the movie “Funny Farm.” I enjoyed this charming memoir.

Monday Recommendations

Monday Recommendation List

Random list of 10 books Monday! I have read and enjoyed each of these enough to flag for a potential personal library purchase.

Be bold and just choose randomly, stick to your normal genre...or step outside of your normal reading zone and try something you usually wouldn’t. You can look up the descriptions at Amazon.com, or search my blog for old posts by entering the title in the little search box in the top left-hand corner and clicking the magnifying glass.

This weeks 10 recommendations (in no particular order):

1. For the brains: The Intellectual Devotional by David Kidder
2. Moving tribute: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
3. Surprisingly insightful: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
4. My favorite short story: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
5. Suspense: Cry No More by Linda Howard
6. Humorous: Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
7. Sarcastic: The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper
8. Young Romance: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
9. Motivational: Love Your Life by Victoria Osteen
10. Fun Chick Lit: The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

What a Difference a Mom Makes

What a Difference a Mom Makes: The Indelible Imprint A Mom Leaves on Her Son’s Life by Kevin Leman

Amazon Description:

"Every mom wants the best for her son. She wants him to succeed in life, to be a man of character, to find a good woman, to be a great dad. But sometimes boys are hard for moms to understand. Sometimes they're strange, annoying, and downright disgusting! Yet always they need a mother who is engaged and interested in them, because a mom is the most important person in a boy's life. In What a Difference a Mom Makes, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Kevin Leman uses his wit and wisdom to show Mom how to lay the groundwork that will allow her son to grow into a good man. Armed with Dr. Leman's expert advice and insight, Mom will gain an understanding of her boy at every stage, from that very first diaper change to the moment he leaves for college. Dr. Leman shows how to discipline a boy, how to command respect, how to let him fight his own battles, how to understand his sexuality, and how to weather the changes in the mother-son relationship as he grows up. Most of all, Leman shows Mom how to lighten up and have some fun along the way with that boy who will always have her heart."

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. The relationship that I have with my son is incredibly special to me. Leman offers great insight into the dynamics of a Mother/Son relationship. Trying to explain how I feel about my little guy just isn’t easy. I love everything about him. Even the more challenging parts of his personality. I see amazing things in his future. And it is true what is said above…he will always have my heart! Always.

An Independent Wife

An Independent Wife by Linda Howard

Amazon Description:

“Seven years after her husband walked out on her, Sallie Jerome Baines has finally recovered from her broken heart and picked up the pieces of her life. She’s lost weight, loosened up and turned her talents to news reporting for one of America’s leading magazines. Finally, she has become the independent, self-possessed woman her husband Rhydon always wanted her to be. When Rhydon unexpectedly re-enters her life, joining the magazine she works for as the new publisher, Sallie wonders if her former husband will even recognize her. Of course, having obtained her hard-won independence, there’s no way she would ever want Rhy back … or would she?”

My Thoughts:

I really enjoy some of Linda Howard’s more current work. Going back to her earlier stuff is very random, though. Her male characters are often abusive. She was doing dysfunctional males before it was “in.” This one is not so great…not as bad as some others.

Voices of a People's History of the United States

Show more Voices of a People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn & Anthony Arnove

Amazon Description:

“Here in their own words are Frederick Douglass, George Jackson, Chief Joseph, Martin Luther King Jr., Plough Jogger, Sacco and Vanzetti, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Mark Twain, and Malcolm X, to name just a few of the hundreds of voices that appear in Voices of a People's History of the United States, edited by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. Paralleling the twenty-four chapters of Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Voices of a People’s History is the long-awaited companion volume to the national bestseller. For Voices, Zinn and Arnove have selected testimonies to living history—speeches, letters, poems, songs—left by the people who make history happen but who usually are left out of history books—women, workers, nonwhites. Zinn has written short introductions to the texts, which range in length from letters or poems of less than a page to entire speeches and essays that run several pages. Voices of a People’s History is a symphony of our nation’s original voices, rich in ideas and actions, the embodiment of the power of civil disobedience and dissent wherein lies our nation’s true spirit of defiance and resilience.”

My Thoughts:

A must read for the passionate history lover. I have gone back to this book many times and will continue to go back. Masterful! Show more

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Monday Recommendations

Monday Recommendation List

Random list of 10 books Monday! I have read and enjoyed each of these enough to flag for a potential personal library purchase.

Be bold and just choose randomly, stick to your normal genre...or step outside of your normal reading zone and try something you usually wouldn’t. You can look up the descriptions at Amazon.com, or search my blog for old posts by entering the title in the little search box in the top left-hand corner and clicking the magnifying glass.

This weeks 10 recommendations (in no particular order):

1. Passionate about history?: Voices: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
2. Sweet Romance: What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
3. Creepy Classics: The Complete Poems and Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
4. Scary!: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
5. Thought Provoking: On Beauty by Zadie Smith
6. Hilarious: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
7. Unique: Stitches by David Small
8. Dystopian: Genesis by Bernard Beckett
9. True Crime: Columbine by Dave Cullen
10. Suspense: Look Again by Lisa Scottoline