A pretty tall order.....

I was feeling the pressure - surely I must be the very last person who participated in Katrina's Fall Into Reading 2007 challenge to post her wrapup.

345 people participated. I'm the 67th person to post her wrapup. Whew! I feel all better.

So here we go!







Between September 23rd and December 21st,
I read this stack of books - 27 books - but who's counting, right?

By the way, if you're bored, you should do this.
Try stacking 27 books up in one pile.
As you stand there holding your breath while you take a photo,
you'll realize it's been ages and ages since you were that excited!
If this stack had fallen over,
it would have landed in a sink full of soapy water. LOL


Honestly, I don't know where to start. I'm not one to post an in-depth review every time I finish a book. I honestly don't have that much confidence in my skill as a writer. I know what I like. And I definitely know what I don't like. And so my tendancy would be to write reviews along the lines of, "Wow! This was a good book and I really, really liked it and you should read it," or "Warning: this book stunk to high heaven - don't waste your time."

Because I'm all literary like that.

I'm not at all surprised I read 27 books. That's about normal for me.

This stack contains two books I'd go out of my way to tell you to avoid. One of them, I flat out could not finish. And the other, I read halfway through, watched the movie, and felt so depressed I knew I'd never pick the book up again.

I'll bet you can figure out that second one.

For the sake of not exploding my brain, quite a few of these will be right off the back of the book. So, in no particular order:

In The Fall by Jeffrey Lent

Let's just get the worst out of the way right up front. This is the book I could not finish. It's the darkest book I think I've ever read and honestly, I don't see the point of a book like this. Briefly, it's the story of Leah, an escaped slave, who finds Norman, son of a Vermont farmer, wounded in the woods at the close of the Civil War. She nurses him back to health, falls in love with and marries him and let me tell you, it goes downhill from there. She can't escape her past and when it all crashes down on her and she hangs herself from a tree, leaving her husband and young children behind, I put the book down. Do yourself a favor. Stay away from this book. In my opinion, there's no point to it and life is too short. There are way too many good books out there.


We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

Another waste of time. I'll admit I bought this book at Twice Upon a Time because it rang a bell (probably because I'd heard of the movie title) and I was curious. I did read about half this book. Then the Netflix movie arrived and Rob and I watched it. Then I had absolutely no desire to finish the book and I put it away. If you thrive on being depressed, this is the book for you. Again, I don't understand the point, at all, of a miserable ends-badly book like this.



The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

"A most untraditional love story, this is the celebrated tale of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who involuntarily travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate affair endures across a sea of time and captures them in an impossibly romantic trap that tests the strength of fate and basks in the bonds of love."

It took a while to get into the swing of the whole time travel thing. But once I accepted that whole concept, this book was truly a good read. And by the way, this book is about a marriage, not an affair. Just thought I'd make that clear.


Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

"When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. But neither can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world. John must choose between love and country. When he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover that loving Savannah will force him to make the hardest decision of his life."

and

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

"Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life, he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage, and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heart-wrenching question of all: How far should you go to keep the hope of love alive?"

It's Nicholas Sparks, people. Keep the tissues handy. I like Nicholas Sparks. A lot. I own all his books. If you're a fan, these books won't disappoint.


After the Leaves Fall by Nicole Baart

"Julia Bakker's life has been marked by loss. After her mother leaves and her father dies when she's just sixteen, Julia is determined to escape the confines of her gossipy, conservative Christian town. When her best friend and first love, Thomas, breaks her heart, Julia leaves for college -- the perfect place to reinvent herself. But one wrong decision changes her forever, and she returns to her grandmother's farm, weary and defeated. Yet hope takes root in unexpected places, and Julia discovers that starting over looks nothing like she imagined."

I won this book in a blog giveaway and I loved it. It's Nicole's debut novel and I see a bright future in writing for her. Nicole lives in Iowa, is the mother of two young sons and the wife of a pastor.


The Three Mrs. Parkers by Joan Medlicott

Briefly, "...a heartwarming story about three generations of women who find their way past old hurts and losses to understanding, forgiveness, and love."

If you're familiar with Joan Medlicott and enjoyed her Covington series, you'll enjoy this book.


In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols

" 'Today is your birthday...I want you to know that you are in my heart, as you always have been. I pray for you every day. I pray I did the right thing...' Thus wrote Miranda DeSpain on the anniversary of the day that changed her life forever, the day her heart was torn in pieces."

I raced through this book - I couldn't put it down.


The Good Mother and While I was Gone by Sue Miller

I don't even know how to describe these two books. I'd never read Sue Miller before. They're both excellent books, but they do get a little hot and steamy in places. Honestly, if you're interested, I recommend Googling these titles for objective reviews. I'm not sorry I read these books, but this is a family friendly blog and I'm not going to review them here.


The Titanic - End of a Dream by Wyn Craig Wade

and

Collision Course by Alvin Moscow

Occasionally historical non-fiction captures me and certainly both these books, about the ill-fated Titanic, were excellent. I was in just the right mood to read these when they were sent to me by a blogging friend.


The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

"Their story began with one letter on their wedding night. It ended with a final letter before either one had a chance to tell their children the truth. Soon the Cooper children discover thousands of "Wednesday Letters," clues to a family secret that will bring them face-to-face with a life-changing moment of truth."

Another book sent to me by a blogging friend (I participated in an email chain book thing). This is another book I raced through because I couldn't put it down.



The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I'm sure this is unnecessary, but here's what the back of the book says:

"This powerful first novel tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseini's privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country's (Afghanistan) revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence - forces that continue to threaten them even today."

This book is mighty hard to read in places, but I guarantee it will soften your perhaps media-induced negative perception of Afghanistan. To me, this book is a must-read, especially now.


Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

I've mentioned several times that Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. She's never written about an "easy" subject and the subject of every one of her books is different. This was the only Picoult book I didn't own and hadn't read. My collection is now complete.

Very briefly, "Jodi Picoult explores the fragile ground of ambivalent motherhood in her lush second novel."

Simply put, this is the story of a young mother who is still struggling with the aftereffects of being abandoned by her own mother when she was only five years old. An excellent book...but I freely confess I'm a huge Picoult fan.


Breathing Lessons, Back When We Were Grownups and The Amateur Marriage

all by Anne Tyler

Truly, Google Anne Tyler. Breathing Lessons won a Pulitzer. She.is.amazing.


These Boots Weren't Made for Walking by Melody Carlson

"This sassy and hilarious novel follows Cassie's journey, stumbling through the wilds of romance, career, and spirituality and learning to trust that God's plan will always be the perfect fit."

That about sums it up. All I can add is, if you think you have problems with YOUR mother.... This was a fun book to read.


Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins

Leave it to me to start a trilogy with the second book, but I couldn't find the first book and couldn't wait. LOL

This is the second book in the Kanner Lake Series. "The senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible."


The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

Try to imagine Sherlock Holmes, years after he's retired, falling in love with a woman young enough to be his daughter. If you're a Sherlock fan, you'll love this book.


If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

I wonder if you know that Cecelia Ahern wrote P.S. I Love You. And she's the daughter of the prime minister of Ireland. I love all her books. This one's the story of a very uptight young woman and how her life is turned upside down and around by a very real but not quite real character, a young man who just suddenly appears in her life. A whimsical and fun read.


Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

This was a Barnes & Noble Recommends book last October. I walked into the store and was completely unable to walk past the huge display without buying this book.

"In her first novel, Sarah Addison Allen has written a tender, bewitching book told with captivating invention, peopled with characters to care about, and filled with the irresistible magic of dreams come true.

The women of the Waverley family - whether they like it or not - are heirs to an unusual legacy, one that grows in a fenced plot behind their Queen Anne home in Bascom, North Carolina. There, an apple tree bearing fruit of magical properties looms over a garden filled with herbs and edible flowers that possess the power to affect anyone who eats them in curious ways."

A delightful book. I completely enjoyed it.


Like A Watered Garden by Patti Hill

This book really moved me because the author lives in Grand Junction. Where I live. So I especially enjoyed it because the story takes place here and I'm so familiar with all the places mentioned throughout the story.

"Garden designer Mibby Garrett can't seem to get her life back on track after losing her husband in a bicycle accident six months ago. Mibby devotes her time to one goal: avoiding "whammies o' grief," those painful reminders of her husband and their former life, especially her son's baseball games and trips to the grocery store.

But when all Ky can find to snack on is blue Kool-Aid and saltines, and the only friend Mibby has left is her black lab named Blink, she decides something has got to change.

A new garden-design job, an old remodeling project, the puzzling case of dying rosebushes, and the arrival of a mysterious young stranger get Mibby back on course.

Then comes the biggest whammy of all...."


Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg

In true Fannie Flagg form, this book is hilarious and a joy to read.


A Marriage Made in Heaven or Too Tired for an Affair by Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck is my hero. And I loved this book about her marriage, from the very beginning. Erma Bombeck left this earth way, way too soon.


Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon

If you love Mitford and Father Tim, you'll love this first book in the new Father Tim series.

"In this first of the Father Tim novels, Jan Karon takes her celebrated Mitford character to territory he has long avoided, the uncharted territory of family, giving us a spellbinding and poignant narrative laced with the wisdom and forgiveness only a trip back home can inspire."

What can I say? Who on earth doesn't love Father Tim? After more than 38 years away, Father Tim goes back to his childhood home, Holly Springs, Mississippi.


So, in summary....LOL

I'm not going to wax on about what I got from reading all these books. I read all the time and I read a lot of different kinds of books. It's pretty obvious that I read because I love it. It takes me away, and I find endless peace and relaxation in books. I have since I was a very little girl.

So...if you hear a loud bang and smoke starts coming out of your computer, you'll know I just hit "publish."