Skeletons at the Feast August 4, 2008

Marcia says:

Chris Bohjalian has done it again by taking us into the human responses and emotions from challenging events. In Skeletons at the Feast, we witness the end of WWII in Hitler’s Reich. A German family, a forced labor Scottish POW and an escaped Jew, who of all things is disguised as a Wehrmacht soldier, travel on foot across Germany. Hungry, cold, dirty and unable to understand the madness surrounding them, they are fleeing from the brutal Russian “liberators” into the hands of American and British solders. In spite of all the sad realities this book portrays, I was impressed by the fortitude of these characters and how they found friendship in one another.

Bloom, I Can’t Tell You, and Pieces of Georgia August 4, 2008

Kyla says:

I read Bloom by Elizabeth Scott. This book is about Lauren, a girl in high school is dating the most popular boy in school. She feels like that is what is expected of her especially since she is not really that popular. Lauren lives with her dad since her mom left them both when she was younger. Lauren and her dad don’t ever really talk about feelings or anything of any real importance. Then Lauren runs into Evan. Evan’s mom and Lauren’s dad once dated and ended things on a sour note. Lauren starts to fall for Evan even though he is not popular. Lauren has to decide what is more important to her, her popularity or actually finding someone that she loves. The book was ok. It was a little too predictable for me but I would still recommend it to others.

I read I Can’t Tell You by Hillary Frank. This book is about Jake, who is starting his freshman year in college. Jake gets into an arguement with his best friend and ends up telling him some things that he shouldnt’ have. His friend stops talking to Jake even though they share a dorm room. Jake decides then that he is not going to talk anymore because it just ends up getting him in trouble. He decides that writing messages to everyone is the way to go. He uses whatever is handy to write on, including napkins, scraps of paper, and paperbags. Jake starts to fall in love with a girl in his dorm. He uses the notes to try and get his feelings across. I thought that this book was extremely interesting. The beginning was a little tough since the entire book is written in notes and the speakers are not really identified. I did enjoy how it was written though once I was able to figure out who was speaking. I thought it was an interesting way to tell a story.

I read Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant. This book is about a young girl named Georgia. She lives near a farm with her father. Her mother passed away when Georgia was younger. Georgia is an artist but she feels like she can’t really share her art with her father since her mother was an artist also and it seems to make her father sad. Georgia has been classified as “At Risk” by her school since she gets nervous easily and doesn’t have a lot of friends. She is given a journal by her counselor to try and get some of her feelings out. Georgia really starts to enjoy her journal. She starts to figure out her dad and her best friend. She starts to actually be able to share her feelings with them. This is a good story about family and friendship.

Books by Janet Evanovich August 4, 2008

Diane says:

I have been reading books by Janet Evanovich. I can’t really say which one is my favorite because I love them all. They are funny, full of suspence and they really make you want to keep reading. I have read all but maybe 4 books and I can’t wait to read the rest. The other thing I like about her books is you don’t have to read them in order. Great books, all of them.

Five Lessons I Didn’t Learn From Breast Cancer August 4, 2008

Philirya says: I recently finished “Five Lessons I Didn’t Learn From Breast Cancer (and One Big One I Did) by Shelley Lewis. Shelley’s experience with breast cancer is just like anyone else’s. It’s her epiphany afterword, or her lack thereof that’s different. This isn’t a breast cancer survivor’s pink wrapped spiritual awakening. In fact, she refuses to be called a survivor at all. She doesn’t wear a ribbon or think cancer is a ‘gift’. She does get through cancer with humor and determination, even while she is scared. “Five Lesson I Learned” is a wonderful book, written for those of us who don’t believe in higher powers, that believe you have everything in yourself to get through life’s challenges, no matter how dark they may be. Shelley doesn’t disparage those people who do believe in higher powers, believing you should do whatever you personally need to do to get through. “If you believe in God, pray. If you believe in science, do some research. If you’re a gal who likes to hedge her bets, pray to God the science works”, she says. It’s great in this day and age to find such a clear-headed book written on cancer. I heartily recommend it.