Still Alice

Still Alice by Lisa Genova.
I read this book last weekend and couldn't put it down.
It was a great read with a great storyteller. Alice leads us through her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's at the age of 50! An upstanding Hardvard professor, leads us through her ups and downs as she struggles with this disease. It was an excellent read that helped me understand Alzheimer's a little bit better than I already have. It was emotional and the family dynamics were true reflections of what the family goes through. I found myself in tears at the end of one of the chapters and couldn't put the book down until I finished it.

A goal of sorts

I have always liked reading books that have come recommeneded by other people. I was checking my email this morning and I saw an email from Barnes and Noble. It had a list of some of the best books of 2008. I enjoy reading fiction so I think a good goal would be to read all of the books that are on teh fiction list. Here is the list:
From sweeping tales of epic proportions to "small" stories that unfold with deceptive simplicity and understated elegance, here are the debut novels that dazzled us with their boldly original visions, ingenious plots, and unforgettable characters. Heading the list is Tom Rob Smith's suspenseful Child 44, a taut psychological thriller set in the nightmare world of Stalinist Russia.
1. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
4. The Boat by Nam Le
5. Sharp Teeth: A Novel by Toby Barlow
6. Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
7. Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
8. The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein
9. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
10. The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart by M. Glenn Taylor

I already have the story of Edgar Sawtelle, so I am going to start with that one soon.

Suite Francaise

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, was my lastest read.
It was good.
Very good, in my opinion. It was one of those books that I just kept itching to read even though I had other things I needed to be doing. It was one of those books I had to force myself to put down so I would go to sleep at a decent hour.
I will admit that some of the descriptions of humanity were all too realistic at times and unnerved me a little bit, but that is what made it so fascinating. I wanted to know what happened to The Michaud's, to Madeline, to Lucile and to everyone else mentioned in the book. Keep the characters straight was a little difficult (for me) and I am not sure why. I think it was because of their french names. I was distracted by Monsieur this and Madame that, but I managed to figure it out.
It was a good read that captured the esscense of human beings or animals (in a few cases).
Its a shame that Irene was captured and died in a concentration camp, I think we could have seen some wonderful things from her, had her life not been cut so short.

50 books for 2009

So by semi-stalking a friends of mine, i joined a group on the website: www.goodreads.com, called 50 books a year. So that's my goal. To read 50 books this year. I have a growing bookshelf at home in which I pickup things that look interesting, so I'll likely start with those first. Although, I have a Gift Card for Barnes and Noble that is burning a hole in my pocket and I am dying to go spend it!

I just finished my 1st book of 2009 called Suite Francaise. I'll review it in the next blog.
Book #2 is: Still Alice.

Hopefully I will finish it before I have to start seriously crackin' school books again.

3 cups of tea

I just finished 3 cups of tea last week. It was a GOOD book. Aside from that fact that found myself confused a lot of the time with the names and places, the central theme was always present. Greg wanted to help the children in Pakistan.
He had to overcome some major obstacles and came out on top in the end. I would throughly recommend this book to ANY teacher. It reinforces the fact that education can change the world and that ONE person can make a difference.