Friday, June 5, 2009

Good Books (MAY)

I just wanted to list good books I read in May. I have been reading at least one book a week. It's been fun to be able to explore fictional worlds. People wonder how I can read so much when there is a baby to take care of. I am a pretty fast reader... And pretty much the only time that I can read is during Matt's nap time or at night when he's in bed. As you all mothers probably already know, it's pretty much impossible to enjoy reading when your kids are running around, crying for your affection, or playing with the loudest toys they've got. How come we always keep going for the craziest and loudest toys anyway?? Anyway, I turn to books to find some kind of quiet peace, to relax, and to develop my imagination skills - sadly, I kind of stopped imagining stuff when I became a mommy, although I DO believe that I need to be ever more imaginative BECAUSE I am a mom. Hmm... yeah, I really do need to be. I want to teach Matt to be creative and imaginitive. I mean, it'd be hard to live a life without being able to imagine fun, good things. Because to me, imagination is almost same as hope.

So these are the books I read in May.

Eragon/Eldest: My husband Sean gave me these books for Christmas last year. I was a little skeptical about reading them because of the whole dragon stuff. I didn't think it'd be so interesting. But I figured it couldn't be worse than the whole vampire stuff (Sorry to all those who love Twilight series. I gave it a shot. I did like the first book although it was too... I can't think of a word to describe the book... I guess I'm just not that into romance stuff. I do like books that have romance, just not as the main theme. Anyway, I read the New Moon and decided that it just wasn't for me. So don't hate me for it! :-) Paolini is a genius! He's such a good writer who keeps you entertained throughout the whole book. He's so creative and very smart, I must say. I like his writing style. I am looking forward to reading the third book "Brisingr".

The Spiderwick Chronicles: I felt like reading a children's book during our vacation so I picked up these series at the library. The books are super easy to read and I finished the series within 4 hours. Don't expect TOO MUCH from these books, though - I mean, the characters are not as complicated as the ones in adults books, of course. But I did like the simplicity of the characters and the stories. Very creative and fun.

The Wednesday Letters: I loved the book then found out that it was written by a LDS, Jason F. Wright. It's about two old couple who died in each other's arms, leaving thousands of letters for their kids to read after they passed on. By the time I finished the book, I felt a strong desire to write Sean every Wednesday. I probably won't but am definitely writing him as often as I can. It's got several twists throughout the book. I don't know how many times I said "Oh my gosh!" while I was reading it. Such a cute and thought provoking book - about faith, love, and forgiveness.

The Secret Garden: You might think "really?" but this book really "wowed" me! What a wonderful book!! I love books like this - it reminded me of "Anee of Green Gable" which is one of my very favorites. I think The Secret Garden is one of them, too. I loved Burnett's sense of humor and her honest writing style. Her description of each character in the book was just amazing. I finished the book in two days, which only means that I just couldn't stop putting down the book until 2 in the morning! My favorite character was "Colin", he believes that he is going to die because everyone around him told him so ever since he was a little baby. Colin believes that it's magic in the secret garden that has cured him but I think it was really Colin himself who cured him, by believing in himself and by believing that magic (God) could cure him. I love the ending, the BEST ending I've ever read. It was a great sociological book.

In June, I plan to read some other classic books, such as the Wizard of Oz (I've never read the book, how lame!), Oliver Twist, and the Count of Monte Christo. Also I plan to read the Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright. I am excited! If you know of any great books that you think I might like, you'd better leave a comment!!!

8 comments:

Marie said...

I love love love the Count of Monte Cristo!! If you haven't read it, I would recommend The Great Gatsby and The Devil's Arithmetic. The 1st is an American classic and the 2nd is a young adult book set in the time of World War 2. Both are musts on my list!!

Sook said...

Ooh, I LOVE WWII books, as long as it's not overly depressing... Anne Frank made me depressed for a week but it is still one of my favorites.

Valerie said...

I think you should read a Tale of Two Cities. It's one of my favorites.

John and Karisa said...

Hey, you should join www.goodreads.com. (It's free!) It's kind of like facebook, except that it's all about books. Basically, whenever you read a book, you rate it (between 1-5 stars), you can write a review of it, and then all of your friends get to see what you thought of the book. It's a great way of finding good books to read-- you can see what your friends are reading and what they recommend. It's also a lot more manageable than facebook-- I have about 25 friends on goodreads, and that's about average (some have a little more, some have a little less).

Amy said...

Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorites! I read it in high school the same year the movie came out. The movie is such a let down that leaves out so many plots lines. I only read the abridged version, too! The extended version is 528 pages. I'd like to read that one. Let me know how you like it!

Amy said...

P.S. If you haven't read "Still Life With Rice" you should. It is set in mostly in Korea. There is a sequel too, "In the Absence of Sun." They are both based on real life. I haven't read that one yet, but the first was great, so I'd recommend it, too!

Sook said...

I am writing down all the names of the books that you all recommended. Thank you!

Rachel said...

First of all, The Count of Monte Cristo is amazing. Here are some other books that I have enjoyed over the years. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo (spelling is close but may not be exact) is fantastic. I also love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (actually, anything by C.S. Lewis is fabulous), In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do by Charles M. Sheldon. Ok, I really could go on for a lot longer (I started making a list of all the books I have read. It's over 100 and I'm not even close to done yet. :)), but that is probably much more than you ever wanted. I hope you enjoy. If you want any more comments or information facebook me and I'll tell you about them. Love ya!
Rachel

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