Book Club Friday {Week 7}

I finished reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay 2 weeks ago but was too busy to write a review last week. Lame, yes. 

I got the sample of this book to read before buying it because I wasn't really even sure what it was about. I read the sample and was hooked. Here is the description from Goodreads:

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life. 

This book was hard to read at parts. If it doesn't break your heart, I don't know what will. The depiction of what went on behind those fences at the camps is disturbing beyond words. I think it's important, though, that de Rosnay wrote this book. It's important for people to know what happened, even if this book is Fiction, we all know the holocaust was not. This is a great story and I love the two different perspectives from two different time periods. I highly recommend this book! 

Oh and BONUS! There is a movie!!! I found this out when I was about halfway through the book. I waited a few days and then watched the movie (learned my lesson with The Help) and I loved the movie. It really did a great job of telling the story just as it was in the book. Seeing the horror that went on though was much more difficult than just reading about it.

What good books have y'all been reading? I need a new one to read!

Book Club Friday {Week 5}

So, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. 

The summary of the book is pretty long. I pulled this from the end of it to give y'all an idea of the plot (from Goodreads):

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

I am certain I am the first person to give this book less than 4 stars. I give it 3. I didn't love it. I liked it. Maybe it's because the past few books I've read I have been instantly hooked, or maybe it's just because this isn't my kind of book. It just wasn't a "must-read" for me as it seems to be for everyone else. I did really like the message of the book though and it truly put into perspective how much we take for granted these days. 

I will say that I liked the book a lot more than the movie. It took me 3 days to watch the movie. I don't know if it's because I started it immediately after I finished the book or because it was just boring. I know I'm going to take some heat for this but I just did not like it at all. I thought it was lacking so much and the end just seemed to be a collage of events pushed together. 

I want y'all to know though that I did like the book - I just didn't think it was "the best book ever."

Book Club Friday {Week 3}

Last week, I read The Shadow Wife by Diane Chamberlain. I was anxious to read another book by her since I loved The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes so much. Here is the Amazon description of The Shadow Wife:

Life and death seem to go hand in hand in Joelle's life. When she was born while her parents were living at a commune in Big Sur, California, the cord was wrapped around her neck, and Carolynn, a famous healer, saved her. Thirty-four years later, she's contemplating asking Carolynn for help again. While giving birth more than a year ago, Joelle's best friend, Mara, suffered a brain aneurysm and has been left in a semi-vegetative state. As Mara's husband, Liam, and Joelle visit her in a nursing home, they end up romantically involved until guilt destroys their friendship, leaving Joelle to face the consequences when she discovers that she's pregnant. Driven by her desire to see Liam and Mara happy, Joelle decides to contact Carolynn and find out if she truly is a healer and will be willing to help. As Chamberlain examines myriad forms of love, her complicated novel will bring tears to her readers, but they won't regret the experience.

This book was not as suspenseful as I hoped. The beginning was good, the middle was a bit slow, and then the end picked up again. There was a big twist at the end of this book which definitely came as a shock. I am glad I read this book and I would recommend it but it's less mystery and more about relationships and life. Diane did an excellent job of depicting each character just as she did with the other book. She's an excellent author.

Book Club Friday {Week 2}

Time for Book Club Friday again! This week I'm posting on two books so I can get caught up and start posting on the book I read the same week!

Lindsey suggested I read The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans and I'm so glad she did. When she recommended it she didn't realize I'd been to Peru. The book is based there and it made it that more interesting to read about somewhere I'd experienced. Below is the description on the back of the book (from Amazon).

In the wake of personal tragedy, two people meet on a humanitarian mission in Peru. Christine is a shy, unadventurous woman whose fiance broke off the engagement only a week before the wedding, and Paul is a former emergency room doctor whose glamorous lifestyle, stellar reputation, and beautiful fiancee are cruelly snatched from him one fateful, snowy Christmas Eve. Deep in the Amazon jungle, against a backdrop of poverty and heartbreak, they must confront their deepest fears and, together, learn to trust and love again.

I really enjoyed this book. The love story was so natural and realistic, not ridiculous like some can be. Parts of it felt more like a history lesson on the area of Peru but for the most part it was a great book. I'm glad I read it and recommend it!

I also recently finished reading A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard. This book is written by Jaycee and depicts her horrible, tragic life of 18 years in captivity. 

I cannot say that I liked this book, considering the contents but I will say I have a different look on life after reading it. This book was very difficult to read; it's obviously an emotional book. I finished it in a day. I wanted so badly to get to the part where she was rescued. If you read this book, be prepared to be heartbroken for this innocent child. It's hard to fathom that this is a true story. (I wouldn't pay $12 for it though. Borrow it from someone or get it at the library.)

What have you been reading? I still need more books to add to my "to-read" list!

Book Club Friday {Week 1}

This is my first ever Book Club Friday post. I've all of a sudden gotten back into reading and I'm loving it! A couple of weeks ago I read The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain. Here is the description by Amazon:

 

In 1977, pregnant Genevieve Russell disappeared. Twenty years later, her remains are discovered and Timothy Gleason is charged with murder. But there is no sign of the unborn child.CeeCee Wilkes knows how Genevieve Russell died, because she was there. And she also knows what happened to the missing infant, because two decades ago she made the devastating choice to raise the baby as her own. Now Timothy Gleason is facing the death penalty, and she has another choice to make. Tell the truth, and destroy her family. Or let an innocent man die in order to protect a lifetime of lies…


I have to say this is by far one of the best books I've ever read. It is intriguing and mesmerizing. It really made me feel like I was right there with CeeCee. I read this book in just a few days, which is unusual for me. I cannot say enough good things about this book! I can't wait to read another of Diane Chamberlain's books. I just hope they are as good as this one!


Have you read any good books lately? I need more on my "to read" list!


Happy Friday!! I get to meet Lindsey tomorrow!!! Yay!!!!! :)