This book completely blew me away. My mom lent it to me a long time ago and I kept putting off reading it because it just didn't sound that good. Well I was in the mood for something different, so I decided to give "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide", by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, a try. Simply based off of the title I assumed that this book would be a 'call to arms' to try to get readers to join a certain group. Boy was I wrong.
"Half the Sky" is comprised of a lot of true stories from around the world that share what life is like for a particular girl or community. It shows pictures and tells you (usually from the girl's point of view) what her life is like. Most of the stories are hard to get through because of how gruesome they are, and some made me cry. I knew that women were treated differently in other countries, I just didn't know how differently. This book opened my eyes and has truly humbled me. You need to read this book. I'm not saying read this book so that you can feel bad and donate money to some charity group. No, I'm saying read this book so that you can realize how good you really have it.
This isn't the type of book that you will pick up and read in one sitting. You might read it for a few days and then not read it again for a couple of weeks, but then pick it up and read it for a few days again. It's hard to get through because you don't really want to know about this stuff. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" applies here. Why read about a girl that was kidnapped and forced to become a prostitute? That will just make me sad. No. I think we need more books like this so that people can see what life is like in the world's poorer countries. I think that it is important for everyone to be educated on this matter. Even if all that comes of it is that we are more grateful for what we have. This is a perfect book for a reading group because I promise that you will want someone to talk with about what you are reading. Go pick up a copy and then share it. :)
If you have seen the movie "Warm Bodies", then you don't really need to read the book. I was surprised by how close the two are. "Warm Bodies", by Isaac Marion, is a most unusual love story. Zombies are usually the monsters in books, not the leading male role. However, Marion takes a normally gross and terrifying character and personalizes him. Now all of a sudden the reader is relating to this zombie and wondering what it would really be like to be in his shoes.
'R' is all that the (the zombie) can remember of his name, so that's what he goes by. He is living in an abandoned airport with a bunch of other zombies, but R is different from the rest because he is not content with being a zombie. On a run into the city to get some food, R sees Julie and he has the sudden urge to protect her instead of eat her. He sneaks her back to his home and tries to keep her like a pet. Being around a human starts to bring out some human qualities in himself that have been suppressed for a long time. Julie is slowly making him human again. The rest of the zombies can see the change and it sparks something in them too. Julie and R break the bounds set by society (what's left of it anyways) and start an uprising while almost getting themselves killed in the process.
Like I said, this book is almost exactly like the movie. The two biggest differences are that the book definitely gives the reader a closer look at R and what is really going through his head, and the book has way more swear words than the movie. If I had to choose, this is one of the rare instances where I would pick the movie over the book. I didn't feel like the language really added anything to the story, so the movie gives you everything that you really need. I LOVE this story though because it is one of the most unusual love stories that I have come across. I love unlikely love stories. If you want to read this love story though, I would suggest renting the movie. :)
My cute neighbor girl was babysitting for me the other day and noticed that I was reading "Hope Springs", by Sarah M. Eden. Apparently this is one of her favorite authors. So we have started swapping books and "The Kiss of a Stranger", by Sarah M. Eden, is the first one that she gave me to read. The more of her works that I read, the more that I like her. She is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors too.
One of the reason I like her so much is that she writes "proper romances", but with a twist. The stories are unique and so much fun. "The Kiss of a Stranger" is about a young girl in England who has been raised by her mean and abusive uncle. She is taking a walk in the garden one day when a complete stranger grabs her and gives her the best kiss that she has ever had. Unfortunately, her uncle witnessed it. He claimes that this kiss has completely ruined her and the handsome stranger that kissed her must marry her that very night. Within just a few hours of the fated kiss, Catherine finds her life completely turned upside down.
She is on her way to the London home of her new husband, Lord Cripsin Cavratt, and is thrown into his life of riches and society. Catherine has no experience with such things and has to learn fast how to appear to be the lady that society expects of Lord Cavratt's new bride. Despite their unusual beginning, Catherine and Crispin find that they are suprisingly compatible and are actually enjoying their time together. They both secretly hope that their marriage lasts, but modesty and bad circumstances come between them. Will their unexpected love be able to overcome the forces trying to rip them apart?
This book is so much fun! It takes a girl who has no hopes for her future, and plops her in this amazing life. All of a sudden she has nice dresses, good food, and a caring and adoring husband. It's basically every 'normal' girl's dream. This book is a twist on a traditional 'proper romance' because the main characters have all of the relationship rules that come with the time period, but they are forced to live under the same roof. If this same story were to be told in our era, the characters would act a lot differently because we don't have the same morals and modesty that they did back then. It is a cute love story and has a plot twist that I never saw coming, ending in a fight for their lives. This book is a fun and easy read and I highly recommend it. Definitely 5 stars. Check it out!
One of my favorite things to do is to walk up and down the aisles at the library and randomly pull books off the shelves. I'll look at the title, read the back cover, and sometimes flip through the pages. If it feels right, then I'll take that book home with me. I've come to discover a lot of really good books this way, and "Hearth Fires" by Dorothy Keddington, is one of them.
The leading lady, Mackenzie Graham, gets the work assignment of her dreams. The opportunity to write an article on California's storybook homes. When she arrives at the first home her head spins with thoughts of princesses and Rumplestiltskin. Oddly, no one is home, so she decides to do a quick photo shoot of the exterior and the yard. While looking through her camera lens she doesn't notice the four men in the yard with her until after she has already captured a few photos of their clandestine meeting. She doesn't realize that the photos she has are incredibly dangerous until after her car and her hotel room are broken into, and an attempt is made on her life.
An attractive local detective and his handsome attorney brother come to Mackenzie's rescue. It is at their secluded ranch in southern Utah where Mackenzie realizes exactly how much danger she is in - danger of losing her life, as well as losing her heart.
This book is like a big pot of romance, suspense, danger, hope, and love all mixed together. I found myself squeezing in pages every chance that I got because I just had to know what happened next. I actually took this book with me to a girls night with my family because I knew that if I didn't at least finish that chapter then I would be thinking about it all night. My family just laughed because they totally understood. Some books just consume your life. I give this one a 4 out of 5 though. Even though I couldn't put it down, there were some parts of the story line that just didn't add up for me. Overall though, it was a very enjoyable book. Plus it's completely clean. So if your in to mood for a romance with a little danger mixed in, then go pick this book up right now and prepare yourself for some sleepless nights. Let me know what you think!
I borrowed this book from my mom, who borrowed it from her niece, who borrowed it from her coworker. It is getting passed around because it is THAT good! Sarah M. Eden is the author of "Longing for Home", and it's sequel, "Longing for Home: Hope Springs". I am going to write about both books in this post.
Katie Macauley has just traveled to Hope Springs, Wyoming Territory, and before even getting off the wagon she loses the job that she traveled all the way out here for. She is alone in the world, having been abandoned by her parents in Ireland 18 years ago, she has been on her own since then. She came to America two years ago to try to earn enough money to buy her parents land, and hopefully their love, back. However, she isn't going to accomplish that without a job. So determination drives her to get off the wagon and follow her would-be-employer to convince him to give her the job he promised.
Joseph Archer is impressed with Katie's tenacity and decides to give her the job, even though he knows he will regret it. Hope Springs is filled with a nasty feud between 'the Irish' and 'the Reds' as the rest of the town calls themselves. By hiring Katie (an Irishwoman) he knows what kind of troubles that this will bring up. Katie, on the other hand, has no idea what she is getting herself into by staying in Hope Springs. The Irish welcome her with open arms, but everyone else is incredibly mean. Through her confusion and troubles two men come to her rescue and her heart is torn in a tug-a-war between them. Joseph, who is a calm and steady rock for her to lean on. Or Tavish, who always knows how to make her smile and laugh away her worries. She feels ill-prepared to make a decision between the two, especially while the town is in such an up-roar. People are stealing, fighting, and burning each other's buildings. Is Katie strong enough to bring peace to the town as well as her own heart?
These two books are a fun twist on a traditional 'proper romance'. Katie's life is in total upheaval and it makes the reader feel for her and wonder how she keeps it all together. She is a strong character and you fall in love with her from the very first pages. She reminds me of Elizabeth from "Pride and Prejudice". They have a lot of the same strengths and personality traits. I also love a good love triangle. The love between Katie and Tavish, and then Katie and Joseph, are the same in all the good ways, but different in ways that really count. Does she want someone that pushes her to be strong or someone that tries to take her trials away so that she doesn't have to be strong?
These books are full of sacrifice, love, trials, and friendship. The characters are detailed and full of life. The storyline holds your interest the entire way through. I found myself smiling, laughing, holding my breath, and even crying while reading this story. I couldn't put it down. Plus, it's entirely clean. I can't think of a reason for you to not go pick these books up right now. Let me know what you think!
This isn't the type of book that you will pick up and read in one sitting. You might read it for a few days and then not read it again for a couple of weeks, but then pick it up and read it for a few days again. It's hard to get through because you don't really want to know about this stuff. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" applies here. Why read about a girl that was kidnapped and forced to become a prostitute? That will just make me sad. No. I think we need more books like this so that people can see what life is like in the world's poorer countries. I think that it is important for everyone to be educated on this matter. Even if all that comes of it is that we are more grateful for what we have. This is a perfect book for a reading group because I promise that you will want someone to talk with about what you are reading. Go pick up a copy and then share it. :) 
