What I have been Reading...

I had a dry spell of reading...where you start a book, put it down, start another book, put it down...it was a vicious circle I foudn myself in and couldn't get out.  I finally picked up a book that I had read years ago, and loved!

 A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follet.

At the start of the novel, which is set in 1888, the characters are in" high school" and have decided to go for a night swim. One of the kids ends up dying, but we do not find out who killed him. The book goes on to follow the boys and their families through their early adult lives and then into their later years of life.  It twists and turns due to the fact that most of the characters are greedy, want money and status and will do whatever it takes to get it...even further killing of the friends in the group.  It demonstrates how one decision can effect a life time!  Loved reading this the second time as much as I did the first!

My inability to find a decent book continued.  the boys and I were at the library one night and I saw this YA  novel, New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, and decided to check it out. . I had read the first novel in the series, Twilight, years ago and thought maybe this could get me out of my slump...I just wanted to read something!!!

If you are not familiar with Twilight, the main character, Bella, is in love with Edward.  The catch is that Edward is a vampire.  The first novel was OK...very predictable.  Edward and Bella are in extreme love, so much so, that she wants him to change her into vampire so she can live for eternity with him.  There is a lot of love dovey ewie gooey look into my eyes i love you i love you too...which gets old.

But with this second novel, Edward leaves unexpectedly (yea!) and Bella "renews" her friendship with Jacob, which is more realistic. Suddenly Jacob doesn't want anything to do with Bella because he is going through a change...and not a vampire one!!  The books are pretty long 300-400 pages, but they are fast to read. Just what I needed!

I then thought i could read one of the books on my night stand...there are a lot of them! So i picked up The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht.  It is her first novel and was on several best book of the year lists.

This is the Amazon description of the book:
In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.

I found the book to be a bit of a folk tale.  The stories about the Deathless Man and the Tiger's Wife do catch and keep your attention.  While reading these stories, you discover that most of the characters are weaved together, but in a subtle ways...meaning, you might miss the connection if you don't pay attention.  It is a slow read, due to the fact that I felt that I needed to read every word.   I did have a bit of trouble understanding where Natalia, the main character, was at present time and what the people around her where doing. But, it was an interesting read.

A side note, Moose's first "mom" is a HUGE reader and sent me a great list of books to read. Can't wait to read some of her suggestions.  The best part is that we have read a lot of the same novels, so we are on the same page (pun intended!!)

Thanks Cheryl!!!