A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

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This is one of those books that many read during high school but I didn't and it's always been on my list of "when I have time" books. I'm so glad I made time. I loved this book and I found myself stealing away minutes when ever I could to read a few pages.

The story opens when Francie Nolan is 11 years old in 1912. The book follows her into young adulthood. Things are never easy for the Nolans and yet they survive. Her father is an alcoholic and yet he was likable. He and Francie had a special relationship that benefited her. Katie, her mother was strong and a survivor. She always did what was needed and she never complained. At times I disliked Katie especially in her favoritism of Francie's brother Neeley. I hated that she didn't go to Francie's graduation because she decided to go only to Neeley's.

Francie's speech toward the end of the book to her mother said everything I was thinking. Yet I understood when she apologized because she recognized her mother's flaws.

This was one of those books that left me sad when I was finished because I will miss the Nolans and peeking into their world.

Ravenous

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I so wanted to love this book, but I didn't. In fact I stopped reading at 69% (according to my Kindle) which is rare for me. My OCD usually won't let me not finish. This is a journal written by a woman who has an obsession with food-I can relate (LOL). So she decides to try to demistify her favorite foods by learning all she can about them. She hopes by doing this she will overcome her obsessive eating habits. It started out well enough. She reminices about her childhood; bakes bread, eats chocolate, cooks from the land, etc., but then she decides it is a good idea to go to a slaughterhouse. That is where I decided to make my exit. I am all for the humane treatment of animals and I suppose you could call me a hypocrite but I can't know how the animals are killed. Awful, I know.... To me the book had already become quite boring any way. After the first few chapters it was the same thing with a different food. There were a few interesting recipes scattered throughout but not nearly enough for me to recommend the book. Liquid chocolate sounds very yummy!

The Glass Castle

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It's hard to say that I loved such a horrible story but I loved this book. Jeannette Walls told her story with such honesty and feeling that as I read I found myself really cheering for her and family. I wanted things to work out for them. Jeannette is the daughter of an alcoholic father and mentally unstable mother. I can't imagine the struggles she lived through and I find it amazing that she was able to not only make it through but that she did it with out a regret or apology. This is not a memoir that blames or complains but rather a story of survival and triumph. Ms. Walls seems to have made her peace with her parents and I saw and understood how she loved them despite their faults. The way she shared her complicated relationship with her father touched me. I understood how she loved him and remained hopeful that he might actually turn it around until the end. Her relationship with her mother baffled me. Her mother who is clearly mentally ill was not a very likable character yet again the relationship is so complicated. I admire that Ms. Walls is able to now accept her for who she is with only small pangs of guilt at not being able to help. I get that.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

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It was raining when I downloaded this book onto my Kindle. I guess I was in the mood for something peculiar...This is a fantasy story despite the scary cover. I believe this will be book one in a ongoing series. I liked it but I'm in no rush to find book two. It is the story of a lonely teenager, Jacob, who is searching for answers to what is real in his life and what is fantasy. Jacob was very close to his grandfather who told wild stories about strange friends that he had in his youth and about fighting the monsters during WWII. When Jacob was a child he believed every word about a levitating girl, an invisible boy and other odd characters, but as he grew up he began to think his grandfathers stories were just that, stories. Scattered throughout the book are pictures of the peculiar friends. When his grandfather dies under questionable circumstances and Jacob finds a mysterious letter, a quest begins to find answers. Maybe his grandfather was telling the truth. Jacob always assumed that the monsters his grandfather fought were the Nazis but maybe there are other monsters and maybe there was some truth to his stories. The book kept me turning pages as the secrets unfolded but I have to say I was a little let down by the ending. Although as my sister (who loved this book) pointed out the author was setting the stage for the next installment. If you like fantasy quest type stories you will like this book. I would however put it with young adult fiction rather than adult.

Mockingjay

☼☼☼☼☼
I'm so sad that this is the last book in the trilogy. Already I miss Katniss, Peeta and Gale. I'm not sure if it was because I knew the series was ending or because of the way it ended that this was my least favorite of the books. I still raced through it at record speed and enjoyed every minute. I felt like there was so much build up and then...well it just ended. In some ways I felt it ended the way it had to end but yet the ending made me sad. I am an eternal optimist so I wanted a happy ending where everyone is content.

I cannot wait for the movie so I can revisit The Hunger Games.