Read a part of this book.  It was not very appealling to me.  The prose really drags along.  It is the story of Walter and Patty who live in Minnesota.  Patty is a transplant from New York who came to the University of Minnesota on a basketball scholarship.  Walter is a native Minnesotan.  The book is supposed to be about their family and them selves, but after more than 150 pages, the author is still writing about their college days. 

I decided not to finish the book.  Nothing much was happening, and over 500 pages seems like a lot of reading effort to invest in the book.  I see that the book is an Oprah's Book Club selection.  Isn't this the author who refused to be a part of the book club several years ago?  If anyone else has some insight into this work, let me know!

Like prime numbers, Mattia and Alice are lonely.  They have a hard time functioning in the normal world.  Mattia turns to numbers for solace.  Alice turns to anorexia.    Mattia ends up as a mathematican, while Alice marries a doctor and works as a photographer.  Although they have known each other since childhood, it takes them to the end of the book to figure out that they are meant to be together. 

Some very good writing about some lonely. damaged people who finally realize they are meant to be together no matter how far the distance is.

This is a very good historical fiction book about the Battle of Petersburg during the Civil War.  Colonel Henry Pleasants is a mining enigineer serving with men from Pennsylvania who are coal miners in civilian life.  The lines of the Battle are not moving, so the men and and the colonel decide that they can help the Union Soldiers get to Petersburg by tunnelling under and blowing up Cemetery Hill.  This is a great idea and improves the men's morale, but the task will be accomplished without all the supplies they need.  General Burnside refuses to give them all the tools and explosives, so they improvise.  A huge explosion opens up the enemy lines.

The sad part of the story is that even after the lines are open, ineffectual leadership leads to the Union Army not taking advantage of the opening.  If the Union had taken the lead and used the huge hole, the War may have been over in 1864.  Instead, by not taking advantage, the war went on for another year. 

Members of the Teen Scene Initiative are definitely fans of James Patterson’s new young adult series..Witch & Wizard.  One member commenting she couldn’t put it down…and had to read it to the finish.  A definite dystopian novel, Wisty and her brother Whit soon discover that they have powers …powers that threaten the New Order (the corrupt, new government). The siblings realize that these powers could ultimately help free thousands of imprisoned children and Wisty’s and Whit’s parents.  Patterson keeps the reader engaged with action packed, short chapters.  The book is not for the squeamish, executions and tortures abound.  Witch & Wizard fans will find themselves waiting for the next book in the series, The Gift.

This is the first book in this inspirational, refreshing series Daughters of the Promise but each book will stand alone with its own story.  There are now four books completed and some of the characters may repeat.

Lillian Miller’s mother left the Amish community to live in the regular world.  Lillian has not visited with her grandparents much over the years.  However, when a relationship goes bad for Lillian, she begins searching for peace by going to visit her grandparents in Lancaster County, PA.  Lilly wants a lifestyle of simplicity and looks to the Amish for distraction from years of neglect and abuse.  When Lilly gets to her destination, she befriends a young boy working on her family’s farm and his attractive widowed father, Samuel Stoltzfus.  She also, meets some wonderful people, learns about the Amish beliefs and becomes a functioning family member.  The feelings Lilly and Samuel have for each other deepen and cause Lilly to make a decision.  Will she find faith in the Amish life or return to her former life?

I have never read any Amish books before, but loved these kind characters and their transformations.  The story explores joy as well as sorrow, forgiveness and new- starts.  I really liked the glossary that gives Amish words and their meanings and the cooking recipes for some Amish specialties.  I plan to continue reading some more in the series.     

After watching the multi-part PBS series, "John Adams," I was interested in reading about his wife Abigail Adams.  I was able to find a book by Charles W. Akers in our collection.  Mrs. Adams was a remarkable woman: a mother of four living children, three sons and a daughter. One son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth President of the United States.  Unfortunately, Abigail Adams did not live to see this take place; she died before she could see this come to fruition.  Mrs. Adams was an extremely intelligent woman, she was not highly educated but she read constantly.  She could hold her own in conversations in European courts and speak equally intelligently both to men and women.  This was the first biography of Abigail Adams since the family manuscripts were opened. The book draws on hundreds of her letters, presenting an extraodinary American woman.  Actually, reading excerpts of her letters on nearly every page slowed my reading down. The spelling of words in the late 1700s and early 1800s was unusual.  The biography was very authentic and entertaining.  This book reveals a discriminating woman, who was very smart and able to counsel her husband, guiding him in his decision making.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this fascinating woman and the time period that influenced her life.  Many years were spent separated from her husband while he was fulfilling his public service in government and as an ambassador.  These separations caused Mrs. Adams to single-handly run the farm, control the servants and her children, and handle all the money.  I am glad I perservered with the reading; I learned a great deal about an amazing woman and an individual in her own right.

This was an interesting book about 43 year old Smithson Ide, an overweight, beer guzzling toy factory worker, who has no purpose in his life but eating and drinking.  After  his parents are killed in an accident, he takes a look at himself and wonders what his purpose in life is supposed to be.  Just as his parents are buried, he receives a letter telling him his sister, Bethany, who disappeared on her honeymoon several years before has been found in the morgue of a town in California.  through flashbacks, we learn about the family and especially Bethany, who had some kind of odd mental illness and 3 days into her honeymoon, she just disappeared never to be heard from. 

Smithy, for some reason, has the urge to take a trip to California to deal with Bethany's remains.  How he gets there is truly odd.   He starts out riding his bike and rides clear to California, from his home in Rhode Island,  discovering himself along the way, and losing many pounds in the process.  He finally realizes that he has not grown up.  With the help of his friend and romantic interest, Norma, he is able to come to grasp with his situation and be the person he is supposed to be. 

The writing is very good.  There are great flashbacks to Smithy's childhood, his service in Vietnam and his life in general.  I really enjoyed the book.

During the icy weather, when I couldn't go anywhere, I read 2 books by Lorna Landvik.  The first one is Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.  It is set in Minnesota, and is about a group of women on a street who form a book club that continues from the late 60's to the nineties.  The title is also the name of the club; although it  is about the books they read, it is also about the support they receive from the group, when they have problems or tradegies.  The ladies of the club are always there for one another and you get a tour of popular literature during the period of 1960-1990's.  Some of the books they read were surprising.

The second book I read was Welcome to the Great Mysterious.  It is also set in Minnesota and is about Geneva Jordan, a hometown girl who made it big on Broadway.  When Geneva returns to take care of her twin sister's Down Syndrome son, Rich, she learns a lot about herself.  She meets the neighborhood mailman (a romantic interest) and lots of nice folks who show her she is not the spolied diva she thinks she is.  After she returns to Broadway, things are never quite the same.  She ends up back in Minnesota for a funeral and ends of marrying the mailman, who turns out is also a concert pianist.

I enjoyed both books a lot. 

Composed is a memoir by singer, songwriter Roseanne Cash.  She writes of her life as an artist trying to find her own voice in the shadow of her father, country music legend, Johnny Cash.  She brings interesting insights into a performer's life, particularly those who perform with their families.  She didn't perform with her father very often, but she was friends with Randy Scruggs who performed with his father Earl and his brothers.  When one of his sons would do a solo well, Earl would give him a nod.  An example of conflict not noticable to the audience was of the Judds.  Sometimes when they performed together Naomi, the mother, would touch Wynona's hair, and her daughter would flinch just a little.  Ms. Cash was eloquent when discussing the losses she has experienced in her life particularly in 2003.  First she lost her aunt, her father's sister, then her stepmother, June Carter Cash died unexpectedly in the Spring.  Her father passed away on September 13th.  His health had been failing for so long, that his family had been expecting it.  I'm sure it didn't lessen the loss, but it was not a shock as with June's.  Six weeks after her father's dead her stepsister Rosey died of carbon monoxide poisoning.  I enjoyed the book partly because I like her music, but it was also very well written.