The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

☼☼☼☼
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. It is the true story of Henrietta Lacks who is unknowingly and unrecognizably one of the most famous people in the scientific community. Many only know her as HeLa which is the common name for her cells. Her "immortal" cells have even been sent into space. I left this story feeling sad and worried. Despite all the good HeLa cells have been involved with, I can't help but wonder if the end justified the means. In this case I'm not entirely sure it did.

Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in 1951 and before she died one of her doctors took cells from her tumor. These cells were the the first to be successfully grown in a lab. They are still available in most every lab today.

The story focuses on Henrietta's family and how they felt about what happened to their mother. I am a bit embarrassed to reveal that I didn't know about the treatment blacks received from doctors and hospitals. I was shocked to find out some of the awful things that were done in the name of science.

I loved the way it was written. Rebecca Skloot told the story with all it's awful details with incredible respect for Henrietta and her family. I hope this book helps give Henrietta and her family the recognition they deserve.

Catching Fire

☼☼☼☼☼
I am so happy to report that Book 2 did not disappoint and Book 3 is on my Kindle (lol)! Catching Fire begins exactly where The Hunger Games leaves off. Catniss and Peeta are home after the winning the games. Life, of course, can never be the same. Catniss has embarrassed the Capitol and become an unwilling folk hero. There is unrest in Panem and President Snow blames Catniss. He visits her at home and lets her know that she must convince the country that she is truly in love with Peeta and not making a mockery of the games. Unfortunately, he is not convinced and uprisings begin within Panem. As a result, the anniversary games will find Catniss and Peeta going back into the arena. Again, they must figure out how to survive. Only this time there are secrets, alliances and plans.
Book 2 ends at the end of the anniversary games....Book 3 picks up. What will I do when I finish Book 3??? Note: I did not ask that question at the end of Twilight. Actually I wished all the characters dead. I know, a little harsh but I have to save Breaking Dawn was one of the worst books I have ever read.
This series is sooooooo much better and not just for kids.

The Hunger Games

☼☼☼☼☼
After a brief hiatus, I'm back. The long cold winter had me reading The Black Dagger Brotherhood series which I've chosen not to review. Briefly, a friend describes it as vampire smut. I'll leave it at that. In fairness to the author they are good vampire smut books (lol). I'm a bit behind on my reviews and I will add a few out of order as I get to them.

Where to begin with The Hunger Games? I was wary to begin this series because of all the hours I spent with the Twilight Series. The books belong to the teenage market but have crossed over into the adult market. A major difference between the two series would have to be that Suzanne Collins is a much better writer. That, in and of itself made me happy!

The Hunger Games is set in post apocalyptic North America. Every year two young people representing the 12 districts of Panem are chosen to participate in the games. The game is a fight to the death survival contest orchestrated by the government. The games are thought to be an integral part of reminding the citizens who is in charge and what can happen if you rebel. The government tries reminding the citizens of the dark days and how they saved everyone after the dark days.

The actual games reminded me of Running Man--that old Arnold Scwartzenegger movie about a convict who is given a chance at freedom if he can elude hunters whose only job is to kill hunt him down and kill him.

The Distrct 12 representatives will change the face of the games. It is a survival and coming of age story. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to finding out what happens in book two (which I have downloaded and have not started for fear of getting nothing done today because you know book 2 will lead to book 3).

Heaven is For Real

This is the true story of 4 year old Colton Burpo who took a quick trip to heaven as the result of a ruptured appendix. It is told by his Father, Pastor Todd Burpo using Colton's stories about what happened to him. I loved this book. I wasn't sure what to expect and I was a bit apprehensive about it after reading Embraced by the Light which I found to be self-serving and hard to believe. Embraced by the light had none of the warmth or in my opinion honesty that the Burpo family shared. I am a Christian and I believe in Heaven but every once in a while it is nice to hear about what it might be like. Colton Burpo painted a picture of heaven that is so lovely.

Being a Pastor Todd Burpo was able to cross reference Colton's insights with Bible verses and it was at times astonishing. It was also a bit ominous. I'm not sure I wanted to know that the battle rages on with Satan. Of course I know there is evil but thinking about Satan is scary.

Colton didn't sit down and tell his parents he visited heaven when he was sick. He shared his experience with his family in a very matter of fact and ordinary way. He would mention something while driving in the car or playing quietly on the floor.

He told his family things that he as a four year old never could have known. He met a great grandfather, a sister who was never born, and he met Jesus. What could be better than that? I was so happy when he told his family there were animals in heaven--I personally always thought there would be.

It is a quick read. It is sweet and life affirming. It is faith renewing and thought provoking. If you have a few hours, read it. At the very least it will put a smile on your face at the innocence of a child but maybe it might also help you sleep better knowing that Jesus is waiting for you in heaven.

Falling Home

I was in the mood for something light and easy so of course I chose another Karen White. I've read several of her books and I am a fan but I have to admit that this one was disappointing. While her roots are as a romance writer her recent books have been better than your average romance novel and her stories are usually tight. This is one of her earliest books and unfortunately it showed. It is another story about a woman who leaves a small town for the bright lights of New York City. She heads to the big city after her sister steals her prom date and elopes with him. She spends the next 15 years making something out of herself that is the very antithesis of what she was in her home town. She became the post card image of a successful city girl complete with a high power job, high heels, tight skirts and a seemingly perfect fiance. When her father is on his death bed she returns home. She has no intention of forgiving her sister nor giving up the city for small town life. Yet after wrestling with her demons she quickly realizes the city might not be what she really wants. In the process she finds forgiveness, falls in love and grows up into the person she always was. It is very melodramatic and predictable. There is an unnecessary sub-plot about a lost sibling after finding out her father had a secret affair with someone in town before he married her mother that resulted in a child. This sub-plot seemed so out of place and as an after thought. It started and finished in just pages. It was obvious who the woman involved in the affair was and who the child was from very early on...I didn't care for that part of the story. Overall, I was less than impressed with this story and a little disappointed.

The Color of Light

I've loved so many of Karen White's books and I liked this one. Again, she makes me want to jump in my car and drive to the beach. Her descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of the low country transport me there every time.
Color of Light is the story of Jillian who returns to her favorite summer spot after a long absence. She is the product of a dysfunctional childhood and has grown up with those scars not allowing her to be happy. After her husband cheats on her because she was completely unavailable throughout their marriage she and her daughter Grace escape to the former home of her grandmother. She has been able to purchase the home at a bargain price. Her daughter has an imaginary friend that just happens to share the name of a missing teenage friend of Jillian's. Once at her grandmother's home Jillian re-connects with people she remembers from spending summers with her grandmother. She re-connects with Linc who was the boyfriend of the missing girl and the prime suspect. Together Linc and Jillian and Grace put together what happened to Lauren and in the process find what they both have been missing for so long.

I liked this book but it's definitely more like a romance novel than true mystery. I didn't enjoy this story as much as On Folly Beach or the Tradd Street novels...which I can't wait for the next installment.

Remember Me?

I can't believe this is my last review of 2010. This year flew by and found me leaving most of my paper books behind and loving my e-reader. I never thought it possible that I would abandon paper for an electronic device but I LOVE my N*ook! I love being able to have a book instantly and I love having a huge library of choices in one place. I also love having a book for any mood at my fingertips. I still enjoy browsing the shelves of a book store and touching the covers but now I download them from the comfort of home and read in seconds.

Remember Me is a quick easy relaxing read. Lexi Smart wakes up in the hospital after a car accident having lost 3 years of memories. She doesn't remember her husband, her high powered job, her lover, or who she became during the missing 3 years. With irreverent humor Lexi finds out that who she was is better than who she became. The message is be true to yourself to be truly happy.

It was a perfect read for vacation and it left me happy.

Happy New Year everyone...looking forward to my 2011 books!

Stash

Book Bag Rating: Maybe


This is a story about an uber-suburban housewife who decides to get some pot for a weekend trip with her family. She is on the PTO. She volunteers. She ferries her kids to and from all kinds of activities. She makes healthy meals. She belongs to a farm co-op. She is the picture of super-mom. The ironic part is she buys $500 worth of pot so she can share with a friend who happens to be her attorney's wife. After smoking a joint in a public park she puts the pot in the pouch of the seat behind her and proceeds to go pick up her kids (and a friend's). She wasn't supposed to pick up the kids but when a friend is delayed she goes. On the way she has a significant car accident. The accident is proven not to be her fault but the other driver dies and she has pot in her car and in her system.

The rest of the book is about the chain of events that occur after her subsequent arrest and release.

I liked the first half of the book but then I found the story to go flat in a bunch of ridiculous coincidences. The ending winds things up a little too perfectly.

This should have been a more dirty, gritty story. This seemed to be a sanitized version of what could happen.

The last few pages especially really irked me. Did these people learn anything?

I read this pretty quickly so it did hold my interest but I stopped enjoying it around page 185.

The Leisure Seeker

Book Bag Rating: Not for everyone.

I rushed through this book because I needed to get to the inevitable end (no pun intended). I liked this book and the author's style is engaging and readable. However, this is not a book that will speak to everyone. There are moments that are funny but it is pretty depressing for the most part.

This is the story of one last vacation road trip in Ella and John's faithful Leisure Seeker camper. They will drive from their home in Michigan to Disneyland following Route 66 as much as they can. Ella and John married more than 60 years set off on what will be their last vacation together due to her terminal cancer and his advancing Alzheimer's. Both their doctors and children tell them not to take the trip but Ella knows it is the right thing to do.

So much of their road trip was familiar to me which is just a little bit disconcerting. When Ella and John stop at Stuckey's for a pecan roll I was there with them. As a child Stuckey's was "the" place on the road second only to South of the Border. We all like to think how different our lives are but as the author points out we're all essentially moving in the same direction.

I like the relationship between Ella and John. Despite their diseases things are normal. They bicker, make up, share inside jokes and secrets and just know they are loved by each other.

The ending is perfect for this story. Strangely, I can imagine my last trip being a road trip to Disney World. I wouldn't mind my ending to be like theirs.

Sugar Queen

Book Bag Rating: Read it!

This was the third in a "hat trick" of books. I loved this one too. Sarah Addison Allen now has me as a groupie! This was another sweet love story with a hint of the supernatural sprinkled throughout. The main theme was forgiveness. Could Chloe forgive Jake for cheating? Could Josey forgive herself and her mother for her childhood? Could Margaret forgive herself and find love with Randall? Could Della Lee forgive herself and help someone? Could Adam forgive himself and learn to live again.

The story takes place in a small ski town where Adam has landed after a horrible accident nearly takes his life. He meets Josey who lives in a self imposed prison while trying to make up for her sins as a young girl. Josey meets Della Lee who shows up one day unannounced in her closet. Chloe meets Josey after Della Lee sends Josey for a sandwich in Chloe's shop. Chloe, Josey and Della Lee are bound by more than just problems. The three women will find every thing they are looking for with each other's help.

The other main characters in the book are books themselves. Maybe secretly this is why I loved the story so much. Books have a way of just showing up when Chloe needs them. Try as she might she can't escape the books.

I predicted the ending about halfway through but I still loved every minute of getting to the end.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Book Bag Rating: Read it!

I loved this story and the quirky characters in it. If I really think about the premise it's ridiculous but, if I just think about the characters it's a simple love story. Emily is sent to live with her grandfather whom she has never met after her mother's death. When she arrives in the small town of Mullaby, NC she finds out that her mother led a different life in this town and rather than living up to the altruistic mother Emily knew her to be she found out she had to live down the girl who grew up in Mullaby. It is also the story of Julia who grew up in Mullaby and knew Emily's mother. Julia also left town but when her father died she came back to tie up loose ends and she makes it clear she is only there temporarily. Both Emily and Julia are trying to find out where they fit in and where they belong. They are both searching for love and acceptance and despite not wanting to they both find exactly what they need in this small quirky town.

This is a fast easy read. I like the hint of supernatural that the author sprinkles into each of her books. It's there and on it's face crazy, but somehow Ms. Allen is able to weave a believable crazy story.

Garden Spells

Book Bag Rating: Read it!
I downloaded this book on a whim because it was cheap and because it was a B*arnes & N*oble recommended selection. I really didn't expect a whole lot but I was pleasantly delighted with it. It is the story of two sisters who are very different and yet very alike. They are born into a different sort of family where there are no coincidences and there is great power in things that grow in their garden. There is an apple tree whose fruit will show anyone who eats it the most important event in his life. This event may be good or bad. It is almost always better not to know. It is also about love and how you can find it in the most obvious and unexpected places. It is about good versus evil and happily here good wins! It is about reinventing yourself and learning to trust your instincts. I really liked this story. One of the story lines reminded me of Sleeping with the Enemy which I happened to like but that is only one part of the book. It is a short and easy read and perfect for the end of summer as the story takes place over a summer. Again even though I didn't plan it--I swear-- this story takes place in the south. Does anyone else see my wishful thinking?