Thank goodness for our childhood....

I just finished reading a book called The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. It is the memoirs of the author's childhood and I found it quite fascinating that she grew up this way. Her father was a dreamer and her mother quite anti-establishment/hippie. They spent their childhood wandering from town to town and never really settling down. Her father never held job for very long and the kids basically raised themselves. The amazing part of the story is how they all became such grounded, decent human beings out of all of it.

If you have the chance, pick it up and give it a read. It may change your perspetive on how everyone else really lives.

Done

I finished Mockingjay last night and I really enjoyed it. Dan read it first, and he's been waiting all week to talkt to me about it, so we had to hash it out last night. We were both thoroughly satisfied with the ending. Unlike Harry Potter that left me wishing Harry had actually shown some guts or actual skill and fought someone for real, I was so happy that Katniss was able to show her courage and be a part of the rebellion while at the same time exhibiting her compassion and the lessons she learned in the arena. The author didn't leave her off the hook from having to make tough choices. And, unlike Twilight, Suzanne Collins has an easy-to-read but grab-you-so-you-can't-let-go kind of style to her writing that I never got tired of. Her characters were multilayered and developed and the plot kept on being interesting right to the end.

If you haven't picked up this series yet, it's well worth it. A diamond in the rough that has not received as much attention as it really deserves.

Jen

So Good

Well, I read Mockingjay and I loved it. I totally got teary at the end because that is how lame I am! The whole time I was reading it, I just kept thinking how much I wanted to re-read the first two books. I definitely recommend it to everyone for a good read!!!!

Mockingjay

I just wanted to remind everyone that the third installment in the Hunger Games series comes out in about a month! I am very excited. I just leant mine to a girl at work, and she is enjoying them. I want to read them again before the next one comes out I think. -Emily

A Peek into Victorian Society

If anyone is interested in murder mysteries and Victorian society, Anne Perry is the writer for you. I actually enjoy just about anything by her. She writes historical mysteries in the 1800's, but she really captures the stifling, restrictive, hypocritical society of the time and brings out the fact that even though they tried to put forward the idea of perfect morality, immorality was always there under the surface. She also brings out the struggle of women to be viewed as equal members of humanity and touches on all the issues that present because of that. She writes one series that is a policeman and his wife - the first book is called the Cater Street Hangman and details how they meet. The second series is about a PI who has no memory beyond about 4 years previous due to an accident and he finds out he's not really who he wants to be. I'm sure you can find lots of them in the library, I know even Magrath carries them.
An interesting note- Perry joined the church later in life and you can see a lot of her thoughts reflected in her writing as she explores the values and beliefs of this amazingly claustrophic, narrow minded society. The books are not typical LDS fodder though, so don't expect it. She has no problem facing the dregs of society for what they really are, lol.
Usually a good twist at the end though, and always great characters. She is reminiscent of Agatha Christie or P.B. James in style, so if you haven't read those you may find it slower moving than mainstream mysteries and more psychological. Still, I really enjoy them. I find that she manages to touch on issues that make us uncomfortable without getting gory or using profanity or expliciteness. (Is that a word?) Jen

Archeology with a Murderous Twist

I just read three book by archeologists Kathleen and W. Michael Gear. They specialize in North American Native archeology and have written a number of fiction books based on their vast expertise. This series takes place in both modern times and aroudn 1200 B.C. The main characters are archeologists and anthropologists uncovering a site from the Anasazi era and finding all kinds of unexpected and slightly macabre pieces to their puzzle. The story keeps rolling between their findings and what was actually going on in the Anasazi world, where murder and fear are ripe. There are also a lot of parallels between the main modern characters and their historical counterparts. I found myself always wanting to know who-dunn-it, as well as wanting to know about the characters lives in our own day and time. There are also a lot of sub-themes regarding ancient theology, extinction theory and other things I find interesting. I suppose it helps that all of this fascinates me.

In case I have turned you off with the last bit, these books are not heavy in an academic sense at all. They read quickly and keep a quick pace that sucks you in.

P.S. The Anasazi were a native people living in cliff dwellings throughout the New Mexico area. They thrived for a number of years and then vanished from the historical record. There is a lot of debate about why, and the Gears keep you informed of all this as well as the historical context through the story.

Anyhow, if you're looking for something different, you might enjoy this twist on the everyday murder mystery. Oh, the first book is called "The Visitant" and the series is called the Anasazi Mysteries.

Jen

Thanks Mal!

I just wanted to thank Mallory for introducing me to Harlan Coben. Since reading Tell No One, I have read a few more of his books and have enjoyed all of them. They are very suspenseful without being trashy, which is hard to come by a lot of the time. -Em