The Woman in Black

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I confess I only decided to read this because of the movie trailer. Thankfully, it was short and easy or I may not have made it through. This is a typical, albeit uncomplicated victorian type ghost story. I think it was supposed to be scary. I didn't find it very scary. I haven't seen the movie but I've heard it wasn't scary either.

I did have a hard time imagining there was enough in this story to make a movie. It seemed to me more of a short story than a novel.

It was classic in that the ghost is the woman scorned and the location is an isolated old house recently left empty by the death of it's elderly inhabitant.

I enjoyed it for what it was but can't say that I loved it. It was a little too predicatable and simple for my taste.

Still Alice

Of course the title of this book caught my attention but it was the story that caused me to read this book in one day. My eyes hurt when I was finished. This is not a happy ending type of story and yet it was heartwarming, It is the story of Alice a highly educated and respected Harvard Professor whose expertise in linguistics is highly sought after. She spends most of her time lecturing all over the world in between experiments and teaching. She is married to an equally driven and respected scientist also at Harvard. They have three children, a doctor, lawyer and aspiring actress. While Alice loves her children she finds her youngest daughter Lydia's choice of career in acting a disappointment. She believes she is wasting her intellect and wasting time.

Then things turn upside-down when Alice learns that at 50 she has Alzheimer's Disease. Her life and all she planned will not play out as she hoped and expected.

The story is told from Alice's point of view which gives you a eerie portrait of what is like to literally lose your mind. It is heartbreaking and yet heartwarming. I found myself unable to put it down and haunted by it when I finished.

The author told a dismal tale and made me enjoy it.

10 Beach Road

This time of year I always long for ocean breezes and the beach so I will always look for a "beach read." I really enjoyed this and I must admit it made me long for a frozen drink and cheese doodles on the beach which was a staple for the characters in the book.

The story was a little silly but nevertheless I liked it. Three women, a recently spurned HGTV type home show host, a high powered matchmaker and the sister of a million dollar con artist. The three women are thrown together after they lose everything in a ponzi scheme and find out all they have left is a share of dilapidated Florida mansion on the water. The three decide the best course of action is to rennovate, sell and try to move on with their lives. During the rennovation you can imagine, secrets are revealed, feelings are hurt and friendships are born.

The ending is very predictable but it made me happy. If you are in the mood for something beachy and light this was fun and enjoyable.

The Strangers on Montagu Street

♥♥♥♥
Ahhh the third installment in the Tradd Street series made me happy. Melanie, Jack and the gang were joined by Nola, Jack's daughter that showed up at the end of book two. I loved Nola and I love how she fit seemlessly into the story. I was worried when she showed up at the end of the last book that she would be too much of a foil to Mellie. I should never doubt Karen White.

In this installment the gang has to figure out the secrets behind a doll house given to Nola by her grandmother. While uncovering it's secrets a murder and plenty of secrets are uncovered. Admittedly, this series is not life changing or thought provoking; it is pure entertainment and I love it. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Before I Go To Sleep

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I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of a woman with amnesia who awakens every morning with no memories and is dependant on her husband to help her rediscover herself everyday. After finding a young doctor with new ideas on how to help her, Christine finds out that every thing may not be as it appears and with the help of her journal she can trust only herself.

This book kept me turning pages late into the night. At different points in the book I thought I had it figured out and admittedly I did figure it out but the author did a wonderful job of telling the story and moving the story along.

UR

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This is the story of a nerdy professor who buys a Kindle to impress his ex-girlfriend but when it arrives he quickly finds out that there is something different about his device. It provides a window into other realities and into the future. When he reads information about a tragedy he has to decide what to do. I didn't love this story. I found it predictable and not up to King's usual standard. Usually King's characters are more interesting than I found any of these characters.

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

♥
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.

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.