Before a flight earlier this year, I went to a bookstore in the airport in search of a new book to read. My eyes landed on "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham.

I have a fairly good selection of Grisham books... none of them completed. So, why I even picked up the book in the first place still baffles me. However, I did and upon reading that the story is set in Ada, Oklahoma, I promptly purchased my find. My husband's boss is from Ada, and that fact made this book immediately appealing to me.

It wasn't until I sat down at my gate and cracked the book open that I realized that this was not a usual work of fiction by Grisham. Instead, it was a true story! That in and of itself also appealed to me, and before I knew it, I was engrossed in a story of a brutal murder and the chase to find the murderer.

However, this book is not so much about the search for the murderer, but about how two men were wrongly convicted of the crime... one of which was placed on death row. It is the story of the shoddy investigation, unfair trial, and the process of the men trying to be freed.

I became completely engrossed in the story of injustice being made right after far too many years. I highly recommend this book, even if you are not in any way interested in a "crime drama." Just the sheer fact that it is a true story will keep you interested, and Grisham's writing style will keep you from becoming bored and bogged down in legal jargon.

I finished "Sleeping Doll" by Jeffery Deaver a few days ago. It was good, it was the first book with Kathy Dance as the main character-she was introduced in the last Lincoln/Amelia story, "Cold Moon", which was very good. I enjoyed her character in that book, so thought I would give this story a try. I was able to get the hardcover version very, very cheap (less than 4$) on Barnes and Noble clearance. It was twisty (typical Deaver), and very good. I definitely enjoyed her character enough to keep reading more of her series, should he write more.

The other book I finished was "Something Borrowed", another very cheap clearance book at B&N. It was excellent! I read it in one day, and could not put it down, I had to see how it would end. While the main character commits an act I might not agree with, you can't help but sympathize with her and her sitation with her friend. The end might be a bit predictable, but enjoyable none the less.

I think my next book up will be "Before You Know Kindness" (same author as Midwives, which I loved years ago). "Something Borrowed" was book #6 for 2008.

So I reached my goal of 50 books in 2007 with a final total of 53. I read some really good books and some not so good books!

Favorites:

Heart Shaped Box
Twilight series
Whistling in the Dark
Other Boleyn Girl
Roseflower Creek
Me and Emma

Least Favorites

The Road
Poisonwood Bible
Memory Keeper's Daughter

My goal for 2008 is the same, to read 50 books. I have finished 4 already and almost done with #5. In 2008 I have read Kite Runner (finally!), Year of Wonders, Ghost Girl and Sold. Kite Runner was good, I am glad I finally read it, but for me it did not live up to the expecations I had due to the hype it recieved. It was a good story, but not one that I will remember for a long time. I LOVED Sold, an psuedo fiction book about a girl sold to a whorehouse in Calcuta by her stepfather. Quick read and touching story. Ghost Girl was about an elective mute and the teacher that tries to get her to talk and why she is mute-true story. Finally, Year of Wonders is excellent as well, about the 1666 plague in England.
I have a LONG to read list this year.. some of my future books are You Can't Hide, Willem's Field, Scandelous Summer of Sissy, Find Me, Remote Control, Ellie, Escape, Undoing I do, Unquiet Earth, Known World etc....
I am going to make more of an effort to update my reading here more often, during football season, time got away from me, but hopefully now that the season and holidays are over, I will have more time to spend online!

Happy reading!

Well, I finished "Flying Changes" last night, the sequel to "Riding Lessons", which I read in June or so.

It was good, the same rather simple writing and sometimes unbelievable situations, but the book still had me in tears at the end. I could relate to the main character and her past so well it was scary. I felt all those emotions rushing back and it just hit me, ya know?

I miss riding and my horse so much somedays it hurts...and this book multiplied that for me-but not necessarily in a bad way.

Overall, good story, heartfelt and worthy of a read.

Started "The Other Boleyn Girl" last night and so far, I really like it!

Hope everyone had a wonderful summer-it is so hot right here now, it certainly doesn't feel like September!

I have finished a few books recently, one took me forever, so I have not read much. I finished "Picture Perfect" by Jodi Picoult, "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer and "Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver.

"Picture Perfect" was ok, it certainly isn't my favorite Picoult book, but it wasn't horrible. It dealt with a controvesial subject, spousal abuse, and why a wife might stay with an abusive husband.

"Eclipse" was good, not as good as "Twilight" but I enjoyed it a bit more than "New Moon". I felt for Jacob, and think Bella doesn't think her actions through enough-but it was a good third book in the series.

"Poisonwood Bible" was one of the hardest books I have read in the past few years. It took me WEEKS to get through it-very unlike me. The only other book that took me this long was "Master and Commander". I enjoyed parts of it very much, some of the situations the family was in were fasinating, but not enough to keep me interested throughout the entire story. I was bored, and it was way too long, in my opinion. However, I finally finished-but it through me off track for my goal of 50 this year.

I am currently reading "Flying Changes" by Sara Gruen-the second in a small series of hers. So far, it's good..a bit simple in writing, but the story is intersting enough to keep me reading and pretty quickly too.

I am not sure what will be next, I am thinking of the Tudors series...as in the tv show. I saw "The Other Boleyn Girl" at my used bookstore the other day and it looked good. The reviews at Amazon.com were very good and I enjoy the show very much. I am a bit leary though..it's over 600 pages and I fear another Poisonwood Bible. My nasty habit of MUST finish what I start....

Take care,everyone!

Summary
Rose and Ruby Darlen are two conjoined twins, who are linked at the side of their head (imagine Laleh and Ladan Bajani, the two Iranian conjoined twins, if you may). Raised by Aunt Lovey (who helped their delivery) and Uncle Stash - after being abandoned by their mother two weeks after delivery. They are raised in Ontario - Rose with her love for books and poetry and Ruby with her fond of archeology. The book is written in sort of "autobiography" style, in which the girls wrote about events in their life.

( What I think of the book )

There is a quote from this book that I truly love and I'd like to share it with all of you. I hope you can feel as touched as I do when I read this line, as I sat on the plane alone, looking at the blue sky and white clouds.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir
by Jeannette Walls

I was walking through Target one afternoon, and I strolled past the books section. This book jumped off the shelf and attacked me! No, seriously, something about the title and the cover just made me reach out and pluck it up off the shelf. A new book was not in my budget for that trip, but it nagged at me and the summary on the back of the cover tugged at me. I walked out of Target that day with a new book. GUILTY!

This was a book that was a total page turner. Once you started reading it, you wanted to know what would happen next. However, once you DID put it down, it was possible to leave it for awhile and come back to it and once again get sucked back into Walls' life.

A true story of the daughter of a drunk and an eccentric painter, Walls takes you through her life of hardship to success despite having the deck stacked against her time and time again. The Glass Castle will make you laugh, cry, angry, sad and ultimately make you think. It is heartbreaking, but in the end you feel proud of her and her siblings for finding success despite indeed having every excuse in the world NOT to succeed.

I do highly recommend this book! Hopefully it'll jump off the shelf and attack someone else now.

finished my 35th book this year: Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

Book Description:
Nonny Frett understands the meaning of the phrase "in between a rock and a hard place" better than any woman alive. She's got two mothers, "one deaf-blind and the other four baby steps from flat crazy." She's got two men: a husband who's easing out the back door; and a best friend, who's laying siege to her heart in her front yard. And she has two families: the Fretts, who stole her and raised her right; and the Crabtrees, who won't forget how they were done wrong. Now, in Between, Georgia, a feud that began the night Nonny was born is escalating and threatening to expose family secrets. Ironically, it might be just what the town needs...if only Nonny weren't stuck in between.

( The review )

By the way, I'd like to point out the difference in the rating system of Good Reads and Amazon. Both have 5-point scale system. However, Good Reads descibes 5 as "amazing", with 4 as "really liked it" and 3 as "liked it". While Amazon.com describes 5 as "I love it", 4 as "I like it", and 3 as "It's OK".

While there are many books that I love, but not many that I can consider as "AMAZING" as it is in the Good Reads rating sytem. "Amazing" means it should have an extraordinaire storyline and/or characters - OR stories that makes me NOT simply love it but head over heals with it. For example - His Dark Materials trilogy or of course, the Harry Potter series (though not all of them), or "Twilight". That's why in the end, I think I have more books with 3 stars over at Good Reads - while at the same time, they get 4 stars in Amazon :)

Ok, now for the latest books read-I finished Painted Veil, The Orchard, Cold Moon, Memory Keeper's Daughter and Drowing Ruth.

I agree with at_midnight on Painted Veil, it is one of the few books where the movie was more enjoyable-athough the book was ok and certainly quick. The Orchard was good, about a local apple orchard trying to survive the Great Depression. It was a bit boring at times, but still enjoyable. Cold Moon was a Lincoln/Amelia story by Jeffery Deaver and I really liked it! It was long, but a quick, twisty, action packed read. Definitely a good summer book! I didn't care much for Memory Keeper's Daughter even though it had come highly recommended. Drowning Ruth was good-I have had it on my shelf for years and have never read it, it was a typcial Oprah read, imo.....a bit depressing, but interesting enough.
Not sure I would recommend any of the above except Cold Moon which was the best of the bunch.

Next up is Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult, one of the books of hers I haven't read yet-and again, been sitting on my shelf for years but haven't read. Trying to get through some of my older 'to reads' instead of just going out and buying new ones. Also, I am looking forward to two books coming out August 7th-Eclipse and 4th Comings, so I want to do quick reads so that I can start those when I get them.

Anyone else have any good summer reads??