Good Books (JUNE)

I just wanted to list the books I read in June. But first, I would like to say I'm grateful for the local library where I can check out up to 50 books at a time. Without the library, I would have gone broke a long time ago.... I mean, I am already spending too much money on books. Can you imagine how much more money I would be spending if we didn't have a great library around the area? Matt loves going to the library, too. We go around the shelves in the kids book area and Matt helps me pick out books for him to read. Sean checks out 5-6 audio books every time we visit the library. He usually listens to mystery books. I do, too, but I'm just trying to stay away from them for a while since I already watch too much of those on TV!

The Christmas Jars (by Jason F. Wright): It's a good story to tell your kids around Christmas time. It was impossible to put the book down, even for a minute. The story is brilliant, heart warming, and hopeful. It's good to know that there are still many people who would do something nice to strangers without asking for anything in return.

Mr. Monk goes to the firehouse & Mr. Monk and the two assistants (by Lee Goldberg): As you might already know, Monk is my favorite show ever! I was a little hesitant to read the books because I thought maybe the books would ruin the TV show (normally, it's usually the other way around). But knowing that Goldberg was the writer for the show, I decided to give them a chance. Well, I knew I was going to love the book when I started reading the first page of "Mr. Monk and the two assistants". It's about Sharona's comeback as Monk's second assistant and how Natalie deals with it while Monk investigates two murders that happened in LA and SF. Although these two murders seem unlinked, Monk manages to find connections and solves the case. I read this one before I read the other one "Mr. Monk goes to the firehouse" which is the very first Monk series that Goldberg wrote. You'll enjoy the books if you're a fan of the TV show. It's hilarious!! I loved the books because I was looking for some easy reading for entertainment and these books were completely satisfying.

Momo (by Michael Ende): I picked up this book after watching a Korean TV show, called "My lovely Samsoon". The show talks about this book quite often so I thought I would read it. It's supposed to be a children's fantasy book but to me, it was way more than that. It is a very sociological book - very wise and thought provoking. It made me think about how I spend my time. Am I always busy and in a hurry? Or am I really enjoying every second and minute of my time with my family and friends? It was a good book for me because lately I had been thinking about my role as a mother.... Sometimes, I would see other women working full-time and making me feel "worthless" because I stay home with my kid. In their eyes, I am just staying home doing nothing "worthwhile". I am not very productive. I am just dependent on my husband's income to take care of things.... You know how that is. I am sure some of you have felt it before. I started comparing myself to these women and felt like I really wasn't doing anything productive. Well, I guess Heavenly Father heard these thoughts of mine. Because when I opened this book and started reading it, I got my answer. I knew that I was doing the right thing by staying home with my baby. I am not taking him to a "child depot" where he will be taught how to play properly and how to succeed without interfering with my time as a working mother. I want to be the kind of mother who takes much time to play with him, chat with him, listen to him, etc. So this book was a very good experience for me. Very clever, witty, and wise.

The tales of beedle the bard (by J.K. Rowling): Rowling's imagination amazes me. What a good writer. I liked all the tales in the book, along with Dumbledore's comments. It's not as good as Harry Potter series, though. But it's an easy reading.

The count of monte cristo (by Alexandre Dumas): A lot of people recommended this book to me so I finally decided to read it. I was worried that I might not understand a lot of words since it's a classic novel but I didn't have a lot of problems reading it. I was surprised how easy it was to follow. I fell in love with Dantes' character immediately. Oh and I am SO glad that he got to kick those bad guys' butts! I won't say anything more because I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read it. It was a very good book! I am glad that I read it.