Eating Animals

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

My Rating (Out of 5 stars):

4 stars—I really liked it.

Amazon Description:

“Like many young Americans, Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his teenage and college years oscillating between enthusiastic carnivore and occasional vegetarian. As he became a husband, and then a father, the moral dimensions of eating became increasingly important to him. Faced with the prospect of being unable to explain why we eat some animals and not others, Foer set out to explore the origins of many eating traditions and the fictions involved with creating them.”

My Thoughts:

This is a very detailed and passionate account of a carnivorous diet.  Eating animals is a subject that I remain conflicted about. In fact, I am disappointed in myself in this area, always have been.

This book was informative, without feeling “preachy.” It definitely allows the reader to self-examine.

Who Should Read?:

I recommend this to anyone interested in the modern food industry, the vegetarian or the conflicted carnivore.

Monday Recommendations (On Tuesday...Again!)

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 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 week-- 10 recommendations (in no particular order):

1. Awaken the Spirit Within by Rebecca Rosen
2. At Home by Bill Bryson
3. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
4. Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
5. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. The Gift by Julie Garwood
8. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
9. Voices: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
10. How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

Vengeful in Love

Vengeful in Love by Nadia Lee

My rating (out of 5 stars):

3 stars—I liked it.

Amazon Description:

“Revenge is sweet...

Self-made billionaire Alex Damon wants his pound of flesh from the people who ripped his family apart. When he discovers his enemies' daughter is working at his company -- and most likely spying for them--he decides to start his revenge by seducing her.

Natalie Hall is stunned at the personal interest from the CEO of her company. Vulnerable, with an already bruised heart, she wants to avoid any involvement--but she can't deny the desire he arouses in her.

...but love is sweeter...

What should've been a straightforward eye-for-an-eye starts to unravel as Natalie's unflinching loyalty and kindness begin to thaw Alex's cold intent. But caring for her is unthinkable...since he plans to use everything in his power to ruin her family and everyone else she holds dear.”

My Thoughts:

This was a decent  contemporary romance. I enjoyed the characters and the relationship between them. I disliked the end. I felt that there were loose ends.

Overall, though, I liked Lee’s voice and think she has promise for even better stories in the future.  

Recommend:

I recommend this to the contemporary romance fan who has time to kill.

And the Mountains Echoed

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Amazon Description:

"Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page."

　

My Thoughts:

 

Hosseini is one of the great story tellers of our time. He has such talent…all of his work is rich and beautiful. I have read all of his books and never been disappointed.

 

"And the Mountains Echoed" was no different for me. I was caught up in the story and moved by the genuine characters.

 

A definite recommend.

The Seventh Victim

The Seventh Victim by Mary Burton

Amazon Description:

“It's been seven years since the Seattle Strangler terrorized the city. His victims were all young, pretty, their lifeless bodies found wrapped in a home-sewn white dress. But there was one who miraculously escaped death, just before the Strangler disappeared. . .

Lara Church has only hazy memories of her long-ago attack. What she does have is a home in Austin, a job, and a chance at a normal life at last. Then Texas Ranger James Beck arrives on her doorstep with shattering news: The Strangler is back. And this time, he's in Austin. . .

He's always craved her, even as he killed the others. For so long he's been waiting to unleash the beast within. And this time, he'll prove he holds her life in his hands--right before he ends it forever. . .”

My Thoughts:

This was a good serial killer suspense. Both the characters and plot were well developed. I had the killer mostly figured out, but the author did have me guessing.

Suspense fans…definitely give Burton a try!

The Ledge

The Ledge: An Inspirational Story of Friendship and Survival by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughn

Amazon Description:

“In June 1992, best friends Jim Davidson and Mike Price stood atop Washington’s Mount Rainier, celebrating what they hoped would be the first of many milestones in their lives as passionate mountaineers. Then their triumph turned tragic when a cave-in plunged them deep inside a glacial crevasse—the pitch-black, ice-walled hell of every climber’s nightmares.

An avid adventurer since youth, Davidson was a seasoned climber at the time of the Rainier ascent. But the harrowing free fall left him challenged by nature’s grandeur at its most unforgiving. Trapped on a narrow frozen shelf, deep below daylight, he desperately battled crumbling ice, snow that threatened to bury him alive, and crippling fear of the inescapable chasm below—all the while struggling to save his fatally injured friend. Finally, alone, with little equipment and rapidly dwindling hope, he confronted a fateful choice: the certainty of a slow, lonely death or the near impossibility of an agonizing climb for life. A story of heart-stopping adventure, heartfelt friendship, fleeting mortality, and implacable nature, The Ledge chronicles the elation and grief, dizzying heights and punishing depths, of a journey to hard-won wisdom.”

My Thoughts:

This was a very moving account of survival in a horrendous situation. A recommend for the memoir enthusiast…