Sorry for the lack of postings this weekend but I took a break from my camera all together. It was a very mellow weekend for the Hellers. We did a bit of swimming in the neighborhood pool, had swim lessons, and hung out. Mommy got some great girl time with Lori and some new friends from the MOT mom's group. Next weekend we are off to Fresno for more fun!
I have gotten through a few books since my last update but not as many as usual as I have taken some PTO. No commute means no time for listening :(. At any rate. I actually had a really good run with the last few books but now I am stumped as to what I should read next.
![]()
First off I read the Lincoln Lawyer. I heard the movie was quite good so I figured the book had to be even better as it always works that way. I was not let down. This was a great suspense novel and I really got to know the characters well. Most of the time I have the "who done it" part figured out earlier on but this one held my attention nearly the whole way through.. I was excited to hear that this was a series but disappointed when I found out that the narrator was not the same one as for this book. Once you get to know a set of characters with certain voices its hard to switch to others. I decided to take a break and come back to the series when it was not so fresh. I recommend this as a good fun read to male and females a like who don't want to think too hard but want a page turner.
![]()
Next up I read Shanghai Girls. I had read earlier Lisa See books (Peony etc) and enjoyed then as she does a good job of weaving a lot of history into her books. You get to follow the drama of things while at the same time you get a sense of what is going on during that period in history. Both this novel, and the sequel provided an excellent look into China during Mao's rise to power and the beginning of the "Great Leap Forward" for China. If you read both books you get a good sense of Shanghai both before and after Communism took root. You also get a good look at what it was like to come through San Francisco's Angel Island as an immigrant which I hadn't read much about before. Most of the stories I have read have been out of New York City and Ellis Island. It's also interesting to see what the country produces now, so many decades later. I think these books are great, but would recommend them as a read for someone who was really willing to get into a character/emotion based plot.
![]()
Dreams of Joy is the sequel to Shanghai girls. It was a bit more drawn out than the first book but it did have the benefit of coming from 2 voices, the mother and daughter. If you read the first book I would say there is reason to do the second, but I wouldn't read this one on it's own. I don't think it has enough legs to stand on without the first book.
![]()
Water for Elephants was a funny one. I had bought this book years ago and tried to read it a few times over and never really gotten into it. I had the same problem with Devil in the White City and still haven't finished that one. I read the reviews of the audio version online and they were really good so I gave it a whirl. I fell in love with the book. I listened to it nearly constantly from start to finish. (Adam was in NYC). I found at night instead of TV I was listening to this book. In the bath, in the car, while doing yard work with headphones. At any rate, I liked it. Definitely a good book for anyone really. A simple love story at it's core, but one that provided a fun look into another time in our country's history. When the Circus was a big deal and traveled by train. When people didn't have countless options with what to do on a Saturday night. Going too much into the plot of this one will give it away as it is not a terribly complex story, but, if you want an easy poolside read this is a great one.
![]()
So this one may not be for everyone but I LOVED it. It was one of those books that I kept checking to see how much I had left to go. I am a huge Harry Potter nerd and this had the same type of core to it. You have to want to believe in witches, vampires, and the like. If you are good with that, then this book is great. (Notice I said WANT to believe in, not believe in). The best way to sum this up is to say it's a combination of Harry Potter and the Twilight series. If you know what that means and you liked both, read this. If you don't know what I mean then this book is not for you. I can't WAIT until the next two books are released.
As I said, I have no idea what to read next! But, I am tired of China so looking for something maybe based in Europe WWII. Any suggestions?
