A Thosand Splendid Suns

I stayed up until the wee hours of the night finishing this incredible book. I'm still sitting with my mouth open in awe about it! It's different than anything I've read before and I loved the inside look into modern Afghanistan. Before I read it, I didn't think I would like the book, but I really did. I was hooked from the first couple chapters.

I am amazed how a male author can describe females so well. There is some bad language and adult content in this book, so beware.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

A friend just loaned me this short true story. It is about a young school girl and how the A-Bomb that was dropped on Japan during WWII affected her and her family. It was very touching and took me outside of my tiny "box" of awareness. I guess I never thought about how much that impacted Japan, but of course it did. I guess my thoughts have always been about Pearl Harbor, but the world was deeply affected by the war and it took it's tole everywhere.

Gathering Blue

I really enjoyed Lois Lowry's Youth series about a Utopian society: The Giver, Gathering Blue, and The Messenger. I am a sucker for series and for youth fiction. I read them out of order, but they were all very good! I just finished Gathering Blue and really liked crippled Kira's quest to find blue thread in a city where there was none and in the process she found out what she was made of.

The Secret Garden

We read this book for Book Group this month and I ABSOLUTELY loved it. Can't say enough good things about it. I started reading it to my kids and Kaylee has really liked it. I read it as a child, but didn't remember very much about it. I consider it an must read as an adult!

Book of a Thousand Words

I finished Shannon Hale's, Book of a Thousand Words today and loved it! It was based on a Brother's Grimm fairy tale called "Maid Maleen". The story was familiar to me because my Mom read me those fairytales as a child. Although it wasn't Hale's typical writing it was still enjoyable and I would recommend reading it. Next on the reading list, Tale of Despereaux.

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

If you haven't read Shannon Hale yet, you are sorely deprived. I love her books! She has a series of award winning books called Princess Academy, Goose Girl, Enna Burning and River Secrets. They are sort of like a modern fairy tale and slightly fantasy-ish.

Make sure to start them when you are not that tired, because you WILL be tired when you stay up all night trying to find out what happens next :). When I signed up for River Secrets, the last one I haven't read yet, I was number 48 on the wait list at the library if that tells you anything.

My neighbor loaned me Hale's newest book about called "Book of a Thousand Words". I'm sure it's fantastic, but I'm kind of tired from staying up all last night reading Enna Burning, so maybe I'll start tomorrow!