On the Shelf

I have been a book reading fool lately! Some I would recommend, others, well, not so much... Here are my reviews in case you're looking for a good book.



I have been fascinated by the Holocaust since I read Eli Weisel's Night when I was a young teen. I will never understand how it happened - how so many people could have participated and/or turned a blind eye. This story portrays the Holocaust through the eyes of a young boy who ended up in a concentration camp so early in life that he scarcely remembers life outside of the camp. Indeed his view of the world, and grown-ups in particular, are formed by what he witnesses in the camps. After being liberated, he really doesn't understand why people are so intent on forgetting. It's a heart-breaking story of love, loss, trust, and learning to see the light again. One of the best books I have read in a very long time!

Pride and Prejudice is my all time favorite book! Probably because I see so much of my husband and myself in Elizabeth and Darcy. My romantic heart just loves that they end up together! This was a mystery involving Elizabeth and some of her dear friends. It was all right, a little far fetched, and certainly lacking the graceful prose that made Jane Austen such an extraordinary talent.

I so did not like this book! I kept waiting for it to get better, but I should have given it up for a bad job after I was disappointed with the first 50 pages. It's a story about a young girl and her family in a prison camp in Indochina during World War II, and the years that followed. It was a bizarre mix of realism, Chinese folk tales and superstitions, and what I can only imagine are hallucinations. Murphy's writing style was certainly unique, but I just ended the book wondering why? Why did someone publish it? And why oh why did I read that dang thing?

My best friend recommended this on her blog, and lo and behold on my next trip to the library there it was sitting on the new arrivals counter. It's a nonfiction thriller about what may have happened to the boy King and the man who finally discovered his tomb. I really liked it (although I may have been bored with it if I had started out knowing more about King Tut and his life).

This was a nice little collection of short stories featuring characters who all embark on some form of journey and come to realize something important about life on the way. There are often times in life when somebody can see something so clearly in your life, that for some reason you just cannot. These were about discovering it for yourself.

I can honestly say I think this is THE most overrated piece of "literature" I have ever read. I was waiting in agony for the two main characters to kill themselves or to be killed. It could not end soon enough for me! I most certainly did not think it was the "greatest love story ever" as the back of the book claimed. I thought it was a little sad and disturbing...

I LOVED this book! It's a beautifully written fable about a boy who embarks on a journey to follow his dream. He struggles with the fear of failure, and listening to his heart. It was insightful and inspiring!

I did not think this was the best written book I have ever read, certainly. And it could have used a little bit better editing. But it was a very powerful story about growing up in a world of violence, and of doing what one must to survive. And what do you do when war is over? How do you ever reconcile what you have seen and done? very moving.

This was a great story about two-sisters born in Ireland who emigrate to the United States after their little sister dies. It's a story of how two people with the same life experiences can see the world and life so incredibly differently. And ultimately it's about forgiveness. A good quick read...