Books 'n Bars (October)

On October 26th we met for our fifth meeting of Books 'n Bars and it went great!

For those of you that are new (welcome, btw!) I crossed 'Start a book club' off from my bucket list this past summer and friends of mine, colleagues, class friends, and friends of friends have kept it going for almost six months now! I couldn't be happier and am so excited to see where it goes from here!

Since starting the club, I have received emails from authors (umm, wow!) and have discovered that there are WAY more readers than there are non-readers out there. We even had our first guy member join us a couple months ago! (I believe he is earning some major brownie points with his girlfriend ... ;) )

The books we have read so far are:

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
The Help
Secret Daughter
The Murderer's Daughters

The bars we have been to are:

Saints (in Beaverdale)
Tally's
Mullet's
High Life Lounge

Last month we read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and met at Star Bar. Star Bar is the ultimate after work happy hour spot, located just west of downtown Des Moines on Ingersoll it's location is perfect for anyone working in the area. None of us work in the area, but that didn't stop us. Our goal is to check out a new bar each month, preferably a local bar.

We had great conversation about Middlesex and pretty much everyone had a different opinion. A couple of people loved it, a few were so-so, and most of us just didn't enjoy the content.

Middlesex is about a girl named Calliope that is a hermaphrodite. The first half of the book covers Calliope's family history and the incest that has created this abnormal gene that caused Calliope's condition. She doesn't know for sure that she is a hermaphrodite until very late in the book, when she finds out the truth her doctor wants to do surgery to complete her female organs but she doesn't want the surgery.

I wasn't a huge fan of the book, and struggled through most of it. The text is very dense and the description is over the top. Jeffrey Eugenides is a beautiful writer and I love the way he writes, I can see why he won a Pulitzer for it, but I felt several areas were over emphasized. I would have rather learned more about Callie as a girl, and then Cal as a boy. Instead, we learned more about the family history.

I didn't hate Middlesex. But, I didn't love it either. I'm glad I was able to finish it, but it's not a book I would recommend to others.

For November we are reading We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver and we're meeting at another downtown bar, this time at The Lift.

If you're in the area we would love to have you! We're meeting at 7:30 on Wednesday, November 30.

What books have you read lately? Do books that have won awards, such as the Pulitzer, make you want to read them?

Summer is the time for chick lit!

I haven't been blogging, but I have been reading! Chick lit has been one of my favorite reading genres for quite some time now, but my favorite season to read chick lit is by far the summer! Wouldn't you agree? I do not think it is any coincidence that many modern literature authors for women release their new titles in the summer! ;)

Despite my busy June I have somehow fit in some reading time. In June I finished Laura Bush's memoir, Spoken from the Heart; Emily Giffin's newest, Heart of the Matter and What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.

I absolutely loved them all!

By now I'm sure you're familiar with my fascination with Laura Bush (if not, you must be new -- so welcome to ALPITC!) so when I found out she was doing a book signing in Kansas City there was no doubt in my mind I would be there!

It was fantastic and my only complaint is that we did not get a very good chance to take pictures or actually meet her. I really wish she would have done some sort of receiving line like they do at regular book signings, but I understand that she's a little different.... Maybe someday! It was interesting to see the Secret Service there and try to make them laugh. They're so serious!

I didn't learn very much about Laura that I didn't already know, but it was nice to read it from her and hear her elaborate a bit more on the stories I already knew. I'm really glad she wrote this memoir and truly hope she writes another one someday. She's definitely an important role model in my life and someone I hope I can be more like!

There isn't a book by Emily Giffin that I don't love so I've been waiting for what seems like forever for Heart of the Matter to come out. I was green with envy when my good friend Lesli got an advance reader copy! :)

This book did not disappoint. It was typical Emily Giffin fashion in that it was chick lit with a very controversial plot and characters that make it hard to choose sides. Throughout the entire book I kept flip flopping between who's side I was on and how I wanted it to end. When I did get to the end I felt very satisfied and knew that the ending was right.

Another thing that came as a big (and lovely) surprise was that Rachel and Dex from Something Borrowed and Something Blue made a cameo! It was nice to hear a little about those characters and even a tid bit about Darcy! Something Borrowed has been a favorite of mine for a years now and one of the only books I have ever re-read!

I first read about What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty on Chick Lit Reviews and News, which btw is one of my favorite book blogs! The blog features many books that aren't available in the US and this book was no different... After reading the review I knew I had to read it as soon as possible, but it wasn't available in the US... so I headed over to The Book Depository where they have FREE shipping anywhere in the world and ordered it right away. It was the first time I used this website and was very pleased! I will definitely be ordering from them again. It didn't cost anymore than ordering on Amazon (probably less, actually) and only took about a week and a half to arrive.

This book is about a 39 year old woman who loses 10 years of her memory and thinks she is 29 again. She wakes up and thinks it's 1998 and she's pregnant with her first child and happily married. Actually, it is 2008 and she has three children and is going through an ugly divorce. I don't want to spoil the book, so I won't go into too many details but it really highlights how much people change in as little as a few years. It really shows how we can lose sight of what is really important in life.

It really made me think about what happens in TEN YEARS. This was a good read for me because it reminded me that I do not have to be in a hurry. Just because I am now in my late 20s (and pushing 30 as my dad likes to say) does not mean my life is anywhere near over. There is so much more to look forward to and many memories to be made!

If you're a fan of Sophie Kinsella or Jane Green I think you will love this book! I'm definitely going to check out more of Liane Moriarty's work! Her writing is right up my alley and definitely great for summer reading.

Now, I am getting ready to start Jane Green's Promise's to Keep. I have already heard wonderful things about this book and get the feeling I will be done with it very, very soon!

Have you read any good books lately? What are you reading now?

Just a little Nicholas Sparks love...

Earlier this year I promised to write a review of every book I read in 2010 and I'm holding myself accountable for that promise! Since The Da Vinci Code I have only read two books. Can you believe it? I think I'm still trying to find my comfort zone being in this relationship and combining new habits with old ones. ;)

I read Dear, John and The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I used to read his books almost as soon as they came out, but a few years ago I think I got bored with them but after reading these two I think I'm back on the Nicholas Sparks bandwagon! So without further ado, here goes!

I bought Dear, John at that really cute bookstore in Cy's hometown so it will always remind me of that day!

This book, like all of Nicholas Sparks' books was a fast and easy read. It was definitely a tear jerker and made me really think about the different kinds of love we have for people. It also made me think about a comment that Amber wrote recently about fate and soul mates. I do believe there is one person that is made for you. Your true complement that God has planned for you, that person that immediately feels like family. But, I also believe that there are several people that you could spend the rest of your life with that, although are not your soul mate, you could live your life happy with.

On Friday I saw the movie, and I have to say I was very unhappy. If I hadn't read the book I probably would have liked the movie but some of the changes made were unnecessary and made the entire story awkward.

Have you read Dear, John or seen the movie? What did you think?

Right after I finished Dear, John I picked up The Last Song.

At first I was a little resistant of this one because I knew the role of Ronnie was practically written for Miley Cyrus. Not that I don't like Miley Cyrus, I'm just a little Miley'd out from the past few years.

This book was predictable Nicholas Sparks, but was still a page turner for me. I don't even know what to write without giving away the entire book, so I don't think I am going to write much. I'm really, really looking forward to this movie now and can't wait to go see it. I get the feeling (and really hope) that this one is going to be a hit like The Notebook and A Walk To Remember.

There are several more Nicholas Sparks books that I haven't read yet like The Choice and The Lucky One and I'm really looking forward to picking them up! His books always leave me feeling inspired and I love it!

Are you a fan of Nicholas Sparks?

The Da Vinci Code

Description from Amazon.com

A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself

I know I am a little late to the game with this book seeing as it was published several years ago but I'm really glad that I got around to reading it. I even avoided seeing the movie because I have this thing with movies that are adapted from books. I must read the book before seeing the movie. If I don't there is a 99.99% chance I will not read the book after seeing the movie.

This type of book really isn't my "thing" and I'm not really into thrillers like this but I may be changing my mind! I tend to lean more towards the chick lit genre but in 2009 I tried to broaden my reading tastes and am looking forward to continue doing so in 2010.

The Da Vinci Code is fast paced and really easy to understand. This is a book of fiction but there are several references to Christianity that I know are true and it was really interesting to read about. Dan Brown is truly an exceptional writer and I cannot wait to pick up more books by him!