2014: My Year in Books

Well, it's that time of year again. Goodreads has been especially useful in helping me track the books that I've read this year. I didn't read quite as many as last year, but considering most of them were bonafide adult books this year, it's not too shabby a list.

This was a year that I really went through some books that I didn't feel like finishing too - but don't judge too harshly. I have come to find that I have far and away too many books on my to-read list to bother with things that don't interest me, or just aren't my thing. I give most of them a fair shake, but if I've tried and it doesn't hook me, I'm okay with letting it go. This is something I haven't been great at thus far, but I'm getting to that point where I'm alright with it. I'll explain why in the short synopsis.

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio



Image from goodreads.com

• Awesome - loved seeing different sides of the same story, the perspective in this really cinched it for me. 
2. The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech
• Having loved Creech growing up, I was slightly disappointed. This was fine, but weird. Not in my typical love of weird. But weird.
3. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• This was fine. Still wishing it was the Hunger Games...
4. Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
• Great for young adult Jane Austen fans - fun and light reading. 
5. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 
• First Jojo Moyes book and now I'm hooked. Great for fans who like moral dilemma in a British-Picoult kind of way, but a little more romance. Nothing gushy though, and I liked that. 
6. The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
• Incredible love story spanning decades. Great sense of place. Obviously, I needed another of Moyes' right away.
7. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
• I am not allegiant to this series. Boring. Dull. Characters going totally against their character (here's to looking at you, Four). Also, Tris? I don't care. 
8. Winger by Andrew Smith
• Great for John Green fans - especially Looking for Alaska. Maybe a little too much, but still good for a boarding school book. 
9. Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
• Alterate history of the west with DRAGONS and other magical beings. I was duped - this book turned out to be SO BORING and didn't do any of the cool things it could have done. None of my teens liked it for book club either. So disappointed - I loved her Enchanted Forest series growing up. 
10. The Circle by Dave Eggers
• Freaked me out that this is what our world is coming to, with Google and the Internet taking over our lives, and us just sheep letting it take all of our information. Still gives me chills.

2013: My Year in Books

 Here are my books from 2013 with my brief commentary-- now that it's pretty much APRIL, I have finally gotten to posting this. I have tried to mark where they were graphic novels, audiobooks, etc., and also what age they might best suit.  I'd say 66 books ain't bad.

1. Across the Universe  - Beth Revis (half audiobook)
• Great YA space travel dystopian novel with lots of twists and turns. Also got my husband hooked on this, muahaha.
2. Delirium - Lauren Oliver
• YA dystopian novel where love is illegal -- maybe not fleshed out as well as it could have been, but was fun along the way.  See #54 for my thoughts on the sequel.
3. A Million Suns - Beth Revis (sequel to Across the Universe)
• I don't normally read sequels, but I couldn't help myself with this one! 
4. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
• My teens were obsessed with this, and it got a lot of hype, so I read it. So glad I did - funky characters, great dialogue, and totally fun to read. Great for upper elementary and middle grade readers.
5. The Case of the Deadly Desperados - Caroline Lawrence
• Western for the elementary set? Yes, please! Main character Pinky is hilarious and deadpan, and expect a lot of adventure, with a pinch of gruesome. Better for middle grade.

2012: My Year in Books

Here it is! The listyou’ve been waiting for. Or that I’ve been waiting for… so that I could finallygo back and remember the books that I read this past year in their entirety. Itried to write a short blurb about each one so that you were actually gettingsomething out of it by reading this list. Hope you enjoy!

1. American Gods - NeilGaiman
• Great book. Not a light, fast read, but keepsyou thinking and the plot keeps moving. Gaiman has such a wonderful style thatit's hard to compare to anyone else. I think I liked Anansi Boys just a tadmore, if only because it was a bit more focused.
2. Nevermore - KellyCreagh
• This was an interesting YA read. Edgar AllenPoe's world comes to life in this novel (literally) for a seemingly unlikelypair.
3. Hunger Games -Suzanne Collins
• I had to wait on themiles-long list at the library for this…but totally worth it. Movie was a greatadaptation, as well.
4. Catching Fire -Suzanne Collins - see above
5. The Scorpio Races (audioand book)- Maggie Stiefvater
• In love with thisbook’s idea and execution – much better than Stiefvater’s Linger series. Greatif you love man-eating horses from the sea, adventures, and orphans.
6. Page by Paige - LauraLee Gulledge (graphic novel)
• Character moves fromCharlottesville, VA (!) to NYC, and struggles with identity and self as anartist along the way. Coming of age, poignant, very creative.
7. Dead Until Dark (audio)- Charlaine Harris
• Harris is hilarious.I watched True Blood first, so I saw all of it coming, but it didn’t take awayfrom it for me. I would read more of these fun little mysteries.
8. Copper (graphicnovel) - Kazu Kibuishi
• Creative, fast, read.Great for children, teens, adults, anyone. Drawing style is awesome.
9. Max’s Logbook (graphicnovel)  - Marissa Moss
• This and Amelia’sNotebook are told in drawing-diary format, which is cool and interesting.Not real deep or mind-blowing, but realistic. I liked them.
10. Amelia’s Notebook (graphicnovel) - Marissa Moss - see above
11. Mangaman - BarryLyga
• Such an innovativeconcept. I showed this to two of my guy friends who seem to know everythinggraphic novel, and was delighted to show them something they hadn’t seenbefore, and which they loved. Woot!
12. Mockingjay - SuzanneCollins
• Took soooo muchlonger to get this than the last. Others said they didn’t like this end to thetrilogy as much as the other two, but I think that’s just because they wantedto see another 24 people fight to the death in an arena.
13. Horns and Wrinkles - JosephHelgerson
• Fun, quirky read forchildren. A girl’s bully-cousin grows a horn when he does something nasty, andshe must undo the “rivery” business so she can set her family right. Involvestrolls, an eccentric old lady, the Mississippi, and people turned to stone.
14. 11 Birthdays (audioand book) - Wendy Mass
• Realistic fiction with a twist - a tale about agirl who must relive her 11th birthday over and over again until she figuresout what's keeping it from moving on. Like the movie Groundhog Day, only withan 11 year old girl. A great story, and great on audiobook.
15. Witches! The absolutelytrue tale of disaster in Salem - Rosalyn Schanzer
• Fun non-fiction ofthe Salem witch trials. Great for teens.
16. Rowan Hood - NancySpringer
• Great adventure tale for those who are fans ofthe Robin Hood tales and those who like a strong female lead-- it followsRowan, who decides to find her father Robin Hood and his band of merry menafter her mother is killed. She makes a lot of friends along the way. Lovedthis!
17. Dragonbreath - UrsulaVernon
• A fun and silly read for those who are juststepping into chapter books, and good for those being weaned off of graphicnovels or picture books. Semi-graphical in nature, it follows a DannyDragonbreath and his iguana friend as they take an ocean adventure that willhopefully help Danny get good marks on a school report.
18. Bless Me, Ultima -Rudolfo Anaya
• Big Read 2012 pick -- Six-year-old Antonio'sgrandmother is a curandera, a healer who uses herbs and magic, and Toni mustcome to terms with his own religious beliefs in this coming-of-age tale set inthe New Mexico area around WWI. Some magical realism involved, which I alwayslike.
19. Journey to the River Sea - EvaIbbotson
• This should become a new children's classic, asit reads like E.B. White or Francis Burnett. Ibbotson creates a fantastic worldfull of wonder in the Amazonian rainforest, where a British orphan girl namedMaia goes to live with her long-lost relatives who have taken her in hoping toget the money her parents have left her. She's adventurous, quick-witted, andmakes friends despite putting up with her truly terrible family.
20. The School of EssentialIngredients - Erica Bauermeister 
• Great light read that involves multiplecharacters and their back stories, all tied together through a cooking classthey are taking. It's a novel of the senses, a short read, and makes you wantto go cook something!
21. Theodosia and the Serpentsof Chaos - R. L. LaFevers (audiobook)
• Wonderful audiobook, Theodosia is a fun andinquisitive girl, and much smarter than she ever gets credit for. Mystery,adventure, and cool old Egyptian stuff. Great for elementary age kids wholike historical stories or mysteries.
22. An Abundance of Katherines - JohnGreen
• My FAVORITE of JohnGreen’s novels. And that is saying something. Everything he touches is gold.
23. Dunderheads - PaulFleischman
• Kids using all theirskills to show up a teacher to save a classmate’s item which she has unfairlyconfiscated.  
24. Jack Blank and the ImagineNation - Matt Myklusch
• A boy asking aboutthis book’s sequel intrigued me, so I had to pick it up. Full of robo-zombiealiens, infectious disease, a floating island in the sky, which is inhabited byheroes that you thought only existed in comic books. Great read-alike for thosewho like the Lightning Thief, but I like this even better.
25. Donuthead - SueStauffacher
• OCD neat-freak boymeets a dirty in-your-face girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and has todeal with her or be pummeled into oblivion. Not a love story, but they bothlearn a lot from each other. Nice realistic fiction for children.
26. Legend - MarieLu
•  I loved this dystopian novel – action-packedand has a revenge factor. Well-done, Marie Lu, well done. I thought it wouldpale compared to Hunger Games, but Legend held its own.
27. The Art of Forgetting - CamilleNoe Pagan
• Weird to read anadult book in the midst of all this teen and children’s lit, but I like a goodamnesia story, so this worked for me. A woman finds herself after hertake-control best friend gets amnesia and therefore no longer overshadows her.
28. A Dog's Journey - W. BruceCameron (sequel to A Dog's Purpose)
• Not as good as thefirst, but continues on the premise, now taking care of the original “boy”’sgranddaughter. Very sweet, and great for dog-lovers.
29.  Ashfall - Mike Mullin
• When a super volcanoerupts in Yellowstone Natl Park, a teen boy who has stayed home from a familyvacation sets out to find them amidst an ash-covered and government-absentlandscape. Realistic, survivalistic, sometimes gritty, with a bit of a love subplotthrown in. I LOVED this, and couldn’t stop raving about it.
30. A Mango-shaped Space - WendyMass
• I always wondered howit would be to have synesthesia ,and now, thanks to Wendy Mass, I think I’m starting to get it.
31. The Night Circus - ErinMorgenstern
• Beautiful book—theplace was extremely magical, and I kept reading to see how the circus wouldchange, but the characters were a little lackluster for me.
32. The Top 10 Deadliest Sharks -(Graphic novel) Joe Brusha
• Leave it to theDiscovery Channel to make a great graphic novel about sharks based off of theirsharks week. The title and format say it all. Bravo! Give me more!
33. Peter and the Starcatchers - DaveBarry and Ridley Pearson (audiobook)
• Jim Dale reads thisseries, which is awesome, and I could not be more impressed with the authors for this story abouthow Peter Pan gets to be Peter Pan. I absolutely love this story.
34. Paper Towns - JohnGreen
• Not as great as Katherines,but still, it’s John Green.
35. Blankets - CraigThompson (Graphic novel)
• Not my style of plotlineas far as graphic novels go, but the drawings were exquisite.
36. The Age of Miracles - KarenThompson Walker
• Disappointed by thisone – one of those natural-disaster dystopians which really fell short ofrealistic for me. The character was weak, didn’t ask almost any questions, andI felt a little cheated once I’d finished.
37. Rip the Page! Adventures inCreative Writing - Karen Benke
• Please, PLEASE readthis if you like playing around with words or just want some fun activities toget writing. I loved everything about this.
38. Artemis Fowl - EoinColfer
• Great for boys who want to rule the world, andanyone who likes the idea of an underground array of mythological creatureslike fairies, gnomes, goblins, and the like.
39. Ivy + Bean - AnnieBarrows
• Fun read about twogirls who are slight troublemakers. Great early chapter book.
40. Junie B. Jones and theStupid Smelly Bus - Barbara Park
• Junie is a bit of abrat, but from a kid’s point of view, she’s just right. She does the things youwish you could do, and her mischief is kinda fun. I mean, what kindergarteneractually likes the bus? I’d hide in the craft closet, too.
41. Bink and Gollie - KateDiCamillo and Alison McGhee
• Short and sweet.Great for stepping up to chapter books.
42. Flight of the Phoenix - R.L.LaFevers (Bk 1 of Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series)
• Great adventure storyfor kids stepping into chapter books. Great mythological beasts are in store!
43. Fahrenheit 451 - RayBradbury (audiobook)
• Loved this. I figured that I would, but afterBanned Books Week, decided I needed to finally read this one. Great audio(downloaded from Overdrive), and I literally would sit in my car long after Igot home just to finish listening to it.
44. Life As We Knew It - SusanBeth Pfeffer (audiobook) - DNF (did not finish)
• I wanted very badly to like this one, and gaveit multiple shots. Having just read The Age of Miracles andbeing disappointed by it, thought this would be better since it came out beforethat one. But no. The main character bothered me and didn't seem to have anyperspective, and said maybe every chapter, "How could it possibly get anyworse?" Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the diary format. Though I triedhard, I just couldn't finish this book.
45. Giants Beware! (graphicnovel) - Jorge Aguirre
• Great adventure storywith a tomboy girl who decides she has to prove herself by showing she is agiant-killer. She cons her friends into coming with her on her journey. Fungraphic novel and great for younger kids, but a lot of humor that older kidsand teens will enjoy too.
46. The Butterfly Clues - KateEllison (DNF)
• I wanted to like this YA thriller-mystery, butdislike the character so much I had to set it aside. Creepy, but not in anI-want-to-see-where-this-goes kind of way.
47. Ingo - HelenDunmore
• Magical underwater world. Strong femalecharacter, but not too girly. Reminded me a little of Scorpio Races for theyounger set.  
48. Lulu and the Brontosaurus - JudithViorst
• Quick, funny read about a girl with a nastyattitude who wants to own a brontosaurus. Judith Viorst at her best. Great forstep-up readers with a good sense of humor.
49. The Light Between Oceans - M.L.Stedman
• This book was okay, but given its hype, Iexpected more. Great premise, but didn't connect with any of the characters orcare too much about their plight. Setting was beautiful though, and dilemma wasa great idea.
50. Cinder - MarissaMeyer
• Fun dystopian take on Cinderella, where Cinderis actually a droid. Includes a plague, a handsome prince, and aliens that liveon the moon (Lunars).  
51. Sees Behind Trees -Michael Dorris
• Nice coming-of-agebook in a seemingly Native American tribe, but it focuses more on the characterand his relationships than trying to be an “book about Native Americans”.
52. Little Dog Lost - MarionBauer
• SO. FREAKING. CUTE. Great dogbook for children (or anyone, really). Told in verse, but not rhyming. Tellsabout how a dog brings a neighborhood together unexpectedly. Very fulfilling.
53. Granny Torelli Makes Soup - SharonCreech
• Great short book byCreech. The girl is very realistic and relatable, and Granny Torelli is full ofall the right information.
54. The Fault in Our Stars - JohnGreen
• It’s about a cancerpatient, so you know there will be sadness, but it is SO funny too. My secondfavorite John Green book, which is still saying something.
55. The Invention of HugoCabret - Brian Selznick
• This lived up to thehype. Selznick is a genius. The time period and the subject seems untouched,and I love that.
56. Wonder Show - HannahBarnaby
• After reading TheNight Circus and Water for Elephants, I was afraid the thrill of thecircus scene might have been done, but this felt different – it didn’tfocus on love or the magic of the show, but finding yourself amongst a group ofmisfits. A great YA read for those intrigued by the circus.
57. The Lemonade War -Jacqueline Davies
• This was a fast readabout sibling rivalry, and incorporated some business scheme that really had megoing. It’s been a while since a realistic fiction for children really spoke tome, but I devoured this book!
58. The Best Christmas PageantEver - Barbara Robinson
• It's interesting to me that I've never read thisbefore. I was asked to read this to an afterschool care center. It actually wasreally fun to read aloud, and while I usually think that reading chapter booksaloud is hard (attention-wise) for the elementary set, this held them reallywell. 

Not quiteup to 60, so that will give me something to look to next year. Early in theyear went surprisingly well considering I was still in school (but also parttime). With graduation in May, moving into town, and starting a full time job,I don't feel too bad about not getting to 60. That's on next year's list.

2011: My Year in Books

So this year, I definitely topped last year's list of things I read. I can give a lot of credit to the classes I took this past semester-- Adult Reading Interests, Youth Lit, and Storytelling. Boy, did I cover a lot of material there.

Here's the list of books I read. Again, I didn't include any picture books here, or books I only scanned through or used for bits and pieces. Sorry cookbooks, but you didn't make the cut!

Stats: 66 books actually read, of that: 12 audio books, 20 juvenile (fiction and non-fiction chapter books), 15 young adult fiction, 7 adult nonfiction, and 8 graphic novels. I've noted audiobooks with a star, and written "Graphic novel" next to the graphic novels.

Banned Book Week 2011

What's your favorite book? Got one? Okay, good. Now imagine that because one person thought that book was offensive to them, it was removed from your local libraries-- school, public, and academic.  How does that feel?

 Banned Book Week is a week to celebrate all of the books that have been banned and challenged in the past. Censorship is a big issue in libraries, as librarians and library boards struggle to appease the angry people who think a book should be removed from a library due to its "offensive" nature, and their duty to provide all patrons the opportunity to read what they want to read. This year's Banned Book Week is going on now-- from Sept. 24 to Sept. 30th.

Image from http://www.forcesofgeek.com

Intellectual freedom is your right to access information and ideas, on any subject, from any writer, in any medium, regardless of content. Intellectual freedom, then, incorporates the ideals of free speech and free expression, which are listed in the First Amendment in the Constitution of the United States of America. If writers and authors don't feel comfortable expressing their views for fear of being censored, or their books being banned, that prohibits our intellectual freedoms. If books are censored and banned, then that doesn't allow us to have the freedom to access ideas and information, and that prohibits our intellectual freedoms.

Image from GoodReads.com

The list of banned and challenged books will no doubt surprise you. Some of them might not. But whether or not a book is "appropriate" isn't the same to all people. My favorite quote about censorship is from the sharp-witted Mark Twain, who said:

“Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it.”
― Mark Twain

Does taking a book away from the public just because it offends one person make sense either? No.  

If you don't want to read something, then don't read it. But don't take away other people's rights to read it either. If you don't think your child should be reading something, then monitor what they read. Go to www.commonsensemedia.org to check out the ratings, etc. on a book before you let them read it. Or create a rating on it yourself if you want to warn others.

 Banned and Challenged Books from This Year: 

Note: This is not a COMPLETE list. For the entire list, go here.

(images from GoodReads.com)

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Contains a sex scene. When I saw this on there, I thought, "did I miss that part?", that's how significant the sex scene is.
2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. A perennial favorite on the banned book list-- because it is "soft pornography" and "glorifies drinking, cursing, and premarital sex." Having just read this, I'll have you also know that it is a book about a girl's difficult freshman year of high school after she gets raped by an older boy at a party, and spends her first year in high school an outcast. But let me ask you, does rape "glorify premarital sex"? 
3. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares. Banned because some of the characters have sex and drink a little.
4.  Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Why? Because it includes sexual material and homosexual themes. ??? Again, I missed something here. 
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I don't know if you realize how big these books are right now. At our library, there are 92 holds on this book. Why was it challenged? It gave a woman's child (11 years old) nightmares, and could make kids insensitive to violence. 
6. My Mom's Having a Baby by Dori Hillestad Butler. Why? Because it is inappropriate for children. Naturally, because telling them the truth about where children come from is absurd. 
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Why? Because this book about a boy with autism who tries to solve the mystery of a neighborhood dog's murder contains foul language.  I thought this book was wonderful, and again, this book doesn't stand out in my mind as being very linguistically offensive.
8. The Koran. I'm sure you remember the news about Pastor Terry Jones burning the Koran earlier this year. If you don't, try this Washington Post article on the subject.
9. Bone graphic novel series by Jeff Smith. Despite being hailed by Time as “best all-ages graphic novel ever published," this book was challenged by a parent because it contained some scenes of "smoking, drinking, and gambling".
10. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Another book frequently on the banned books list. Why? Inappropriate language.

 

 For a list of the 100 most banned/challenged of the past decade, click here.

I'm sure it's no surprise that the Harry Potter series is at the top of this list, but maybe you want to check it out to see which Eric Carle book (of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fame) is on the list? I'm still confused as to the how and why of it... 

Why Books Are Banned/Challenged:

Image from ALA.org

References:

1. Bill of Rights. U.S. Constitution, see http://www.constitution.org/billofr_.htm
2. Quote about censorship by Mark Twain on Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/239451 
3. Other quotes about censorship from Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/censorship
4. A great website for parents who want to see how appropriate a book, film, or video game is for their child-- with age-level recommendations and rating systems for violence, sex, and even good role models, you can use this to help select great new titles for your kids that won't offend. www.commonsensemedia.org
5. Washington Post article on Pastor Terry Jones' burning of the Koran: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/florida_pastor_terry_joness_koran_burning_has_far_reaching_effect/2011/04/02/AFpiFoQC_story.html 
5. For a complete list of the books banned/challenged from this year, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/2011banned.pdf 
6. For lists of books banned/challenged from previous years, go to: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/index.cfm
7. For a list of books most frequently banned/challenged in the past decade, go here: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm
8. For more information about banned books, go to the ALA website about banned books week:   http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/

This is Your Brain on Books: Books about the brain

I felt like it was time for another booklist-- these days I've been reading Brain Rules by John Medina. This book makes some sense of the human brain-- how it evolved, how it works, and what it needs to work-- and then he turns it into 12 rules that he calls (can you guess?) Brain Rules, which you can then keep in mind in order to make your life a little simpler and your brain a little happier.  I had started reading this a while back, but had to put it back down again because of school. I picked it back up because I remember the feeling of awe that I had in considering the lump of cells in my cranium. 


He touches on some of the topics I tend to think about on a daily basis (such as Getting 4 hours of sleep isn't really so bad, right?, or Okay, Hayley. Focus, there's a task at hand... ooh look, Glee is going to be on for TWO hours tonight, let's just watch a short preview...Wait what was I doing?). His rules discuss everything from short and long term memory to how male and female brains differ, and it's accessible. No highfalutin jibberjabber here! [*Is it ironic that those words sound like what they mean?]


So-- by reading this book, I noticed myself noticing other books about the brain, and thus this booklist was spawned.

General Brain Books 

• Brain Rules: 12 rules principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school by John Medina
• This book is also awesome because it has an online component. All of his brain rules are   online so you can peruse them now if you want to, and he has little power points for each one. Don't worry, he knows that brains don't pay attention to boring things, so they are short and interesting too! 

• Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina
• The second child to Medina's Brain Rules, this book exposes how children's minds develop in the first place, what parents can do to grow the best baby brains, as well as helping people get into the mind of a baby (you might think not much is going on up there, but I think you'd be wrong).

• Memories Are Made of This: how memory works in humans and animals by Rusiko Bourtchouladze 

• Incognito: the secret lives of the brain by David M. Eagleman   

• An Alchemy of Mind: the marvel and mystery of the brain by Diane Ackerman  

• The Brain that Changes: stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science by Norman Doidge  
• Focuses on the plasticity of the brain and the brain can heal itself. 
   
• Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot by Richard Restak

Sex on the Brain: 

• Sex on the Brain: biological differences between men and women by Deborah Blum
• Reviews on Amazon say that this book discusses a delicate issue with a dose of humor, with the author offering personal anecdote to slice the tension, while being simultaneously scientific.
• The Essential Difference: the truth about the male and female brain by Simon Baron-Cohen
• Sex on the Brain: 12 lessons to enhance your love life by Daniel G. Amen
• From the same author as Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and The Brain in Love (curiously, with the same subtitle: 12 lessons to enhance your love life), this goes into how sex affects the brain (it likes it, btw), and discusses attraction in the human brain.

Music and the Brain:

• Musicophilia: tales of music and the brain by Oliver Sacks
• Oliver Sacks is a well-known psychologist (see The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales and Awakenings, later a movie starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro)-- I'm listening to this on audiobook. A collection of studies of people who are deeply affected by music, how music helps cure some mental illnesses.  The first describes how a man struck by lightning suddenly gets the obsessive urge to play the piano. 
• This is Your Brain on Music: the science of a human obsession by Daniel J. Levitin
• The World in Six Songs: how the musical brain created human nature by Daniel J. Levitin

Economics of the Brain: 

• The Mind of the Market: compassionate apes, competitive humans, and other tales from evolutionary economics by Michael Shermer
• What do brain scans reveal about economics?
• Blink: the power of thinking without thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
• Gladwell describes what goes on in our minds when we make split-section decisions, and reveals how advertisers use this in marketing
• How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer 
• Delves into the science of decision-making and how decision-making exists in the brain

50 Influential Books of the last 50ish Years

I found this article about the 50 most influential book from the last 50 years or so, and it's a great list! A list of mostly non-fiction, I definitely have the itch to read some of these. I'm not usually really gung-ho about non-fiction, but I think some of these books could get me.

Visit it!

http://www.superscholar.org/features/50-most-influential-books-last-50-years/

But first it was a BOOK: Books gone Hollywood

There are some titles that everyone knows went from book to movie-- the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, etc. But there are so many movies out there that we've overlooked. We know them best as movies or shows, but a lot of them actually come from books-- I've listed a few here. It seems like every day I find another one, so don't be surprised if another list like this shows up on my blog at a later point in time. 

If you can think of more, please leave a comment and let me know, I'd love to hear it.

 

Forrest Gump- Say what? This iconic movie seems like it stands completely on its own, and rightly so-- it's pretty amazing. But first, it was a book-- called Forrest Gump also, by Winston Groom. It had a sequel called Gump & Co. I also like the fact that there is a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cookbook at our library that tells you all the ways you can eat shrimp... boiled shrimp. Broiled shrimp. Fried shrimp. Shrimp gumbo... 

What's Eating Gilbert Grape- The movie stars Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, and a young Leonardo DiCaprio as Johnny Depp's mentally retarded younger brother. The movie's pretty awesome, but I was really surprised to find it sitting in the stacks. First it was a book! Check it out -- same title, by Peter Hedges. 

High Fidelity- Film starring the ever-adorable John Cusack and comedian sweetheart Jack Black. Originally, a novel written by Nick Hornby, who also wrote About a Boy (later ALSO a movie with Hugh Grant), and a book called Bong Water. I just included that last one because it's an attention grabber, and for the record, whenever I put it out on display, it goes rather quickly. 

Jaws- The movie is iconic-- the music (who knew that two simple notes could strike terror into the hearts of swimmers everywhere), the tagline ("Don't go in the water"-- and Jaws 2 "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water,") but what about the book? Peter Benchley wrote Jaws in 1974- the movie came out in 1975. After all that time, younger generations have forgotten, but it's still there, lurking on the shelves.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Before the love story acted out by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett on the big screen, F. Scott Fitzgerald had written this average little short story based off of a quote by Mark Twain. It's not the love story from the big screen though, it's actually a little sad and depressing. But if you want to read it, it's in the public domain now, and you can read it here for free : http://www.readbookonline.net/read/690/10628/

The Green Mile- Stephen King. This man is a genius, and has had only about a bajillion of his books made into movies. This one isn't quite as creepy as a lot of his other novels, though, which is why it sometimes flies under the radar as a movie turned book. The movie is incredible-- with big shots like Tom Hanks, and the star of the show, Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey. He's absolutely fantastic. 

The Shawshank Redemption- Following up on that, let's mention that Mr. Stephen Awesome King also wrote the novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption", in a collection called Different Seasons, published in 1982. This became the movie we all know and love in 1994, and is by far the best prison movie ever made.  (Side note- other movies from Stephen King books are Carrie, Hearts in Atlantis, Stand By Me, Secret Window, Pet Sematary, The Shining, 1408, Children of the Corn, and even the TV show, The Dead Zone -- these are just a few of the more impressive ones, but a full list can be found on his website at http://www.stephenking.com/library/video.html ).

The Prestige- I have to admit, the movie wasn't greatly known. It came out around the same time as another magician movie, The Illusionist (with Edward Norton). This movie stars Hugh Jackson (yum!) and Christian Bale, as two competing magicians. But I loved it, and that's why I thought it was useful to mention that it too was a book by the same name, written by Christopher Priest.

I Am Legend - This movie was first a book written by Richard Matheson in 1954. It was popular enough to be made into movie form multiple times: The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007), and I Am Omega (2007). Wikipedia says that it inspired 1968's Night of the Living Dead as well. But then, it's Wikipedia, so who knows how accurate that is.

The American- The 2010 movie starring George Clooney was actually a book by Martin Booth first published under the title A Very Private Gentleman, but the book we own at the library was redubbed The American. I'm guessing this is probably because otherwise I wouldn't have picked it up, wondered about it, been surprised, and then posted this on my blog otherwise.

Sex and the City- Alright, if you're giving me a look as to "why is that on the list?" then just stop. I know, some of you know it, that Sex and the City was a book first. But not everyone does, so just chill. But although a lot of the characters appear, they aren't really the same as the TV versions, so it's a mistake to think they are. Just read the Amazon reviews, and they'll tell you. Bushnell has recently gotten further mileage out of Carrie Bradshaw with her newest book, The Carrie Diaries, the life of Carrie Bradshaw when she's first moved to the Big Apple.

True Blood- Stephanie Meyer is a hack compared with the intricacies of True Blood, and by that, I mean, the intricacies that Charlaine Harris created with her series, The Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series.  They are pure genius! It's a crime that Stephanie Meyer is so renowned as an author for creating her series, when Charlaine Harris is relatively unknown, yet she has so much fame for inspiring the HBO series, True Blood. I just recently got hooked, and it's my little guilty pleasure.

Sources: 

www.imdb.com

http://www.taglineguru.com/movie_taglines.html

http://www.readbookonline.net/read/690/10628/

www.amazon.com

http://www.stephenking.com/library/video.html

A Feast for the Imagination: Books Full of Food

Molten Lava Cakes = Chocolate Seduction 

I love food, and I love books, but the combination of the two is pure seduction. I've read quite a few books that entwine the two, and every time I do, I'm inspired to bake, cook, or just to savor the tastes that inspire these writers to create these impressive stories. This is a follow up to a previous post about books with food. After realizing how many books I've read that touch on the magics of food and cooking, I decided to create a list of some of the ones I've read, and others that are on my list of books to read.  The first 8 are ones that I've read, and I've reviewed the first 6 to get you started: 

The Food of Love by Anthony Capella

This book was one of those books that can only be described as seductive. Laura is an American student studying art in Rome who meets love-em-and-leave-em Tommaso, a waiter in an upscale Roman restaurant, and Bruno, Tommaso's shy friend and incredible chef working at the same restaurant. Tommaso convinces Laura to come to his house to dinner under the pretense that he is a chef, while Bruno is actually the one doing the cooking, and also has feelings for Laura, who is seduced by Bruno's culinary masterpieces.  The setting of this story, the narrative of how food entices the senses, and the juicy plot that is almost a modern comedy-of-errors, are a winning recipe that had me wanting more. I LOVED this book.

This book also contains recipes toward the back.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

 This book hits on the magic of food and engages in magical realism (a style where magical or extraordinary events or happenings are interwoven with realistic settings to enhance the meaning of the story or bring out the symbolism of the circumstances). The Waverley family is peculiar in their hometown in North Carolina. Claire Waverley is a caterer who weaves her garden's herbs and spices into her foods which can change people's moods and affect their emotions. She's thrown for a loop when her long-lost runaway sister returns home with a child of her own, and a neighbor shows an interest in her, and her world is changed suddenly and drastically. 

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Mysterious and alluring. Single mother Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouk move to a small town in France whose activities and characters are dictated by the Catholic church, under the local priest Pere Reynaud. Vianne opens a sweets shop just before Lent, tempting the townsfolk and irritating Reynauld by her uncommon friendliness and defiance of the common town order.

Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer

Julie Mueller is a single mother, whose life has gotten bland. Her mother, feeling guilty and remorseful that she secretly ended her daughter's relationship with a man named Michael (the only one her daughter ever really loved), seeks to bring them together again by enrolling them both in a dessert class. Julie finds the beauty in dessert making and is thoroughly taken out of her comfort zone by seeing Michael again for the first time in years, thinking that he had abandoned her to end their relationship. The book contains recipes at the back, and it's a light, easy read that is a lot of fun.

The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross

Ansley is a Southern sorority girl who gets dumped by her boyfriend, ruining her dreams of living a cushy, comfortable life and being a stay-at-home mom and housewife. Stressed at the prospect of having to actually find a job in the real world, she moves to New York City to live with a grandmother she's never met, and whose reputation at home is a scandalous one. There, she decides to open a cupcake shop as she tries to carve a niche for herself as a baker. This is another light easy, easy read that makes you wonder why you've never started that bakery/coffee shop/bookstore  that you meant to with all your friends that have egged you on over the years. Sorry, maybe that was a little personal. Seriously though, although this book is a little predictable or trite at times, but otherwise, it's fun and the recipes in it are simply delicious (I've tried a few so far, and have it in the cards to try many more!). 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

A new book by Aimee Bender. I was on hold for this book at the library for over a month, and I thought it would be really similar to Sarah Addison Allen's books (all of which are phenomenal). It's a book about a young girl who can taste food, not just the ingredients, but where they came from, and especially, the feelings of the person who made them. Although this is the synopsis, I'm going to go ahead and warn you that this isn't really a good thing...though it sounds like fun from the outset, she learns secrets about her family through her food.  She has a very interesting perspective, and the writing is absolutely exquisite. It's is dark and brooding, and alive with magical realism, although of a slightly more pessimistic type than Sarah Addison Allen.

Here are some other books along the same lines as the above, most of which are on my list of books to read:

The Owl & Moon Café by Jo-Ann Mapson 
Various Flavors of Coffee by Anthony Capella [Great book for coffee connoisseurs, but it does start slowly]

Baking Cakes in Kigali   by  Gaile Parkin [African food]

Belle in the Big Apple: A Novel with Recipes by Brooke Parkhurst [recipes included]

The Chocolate Lovers’ Club by Carole Matthews

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

La Cucina: A Novel of Rapture by Lily Prior [Italian food]

How to Cook a Tart by Nina Killham

Last Bite: A Novel of Culinary Romance by Nancy Verde Barr

Last Chinese Chef  by Nicole Mones [Chinese food]

Rosewater and Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran [Iranian food in an Irish setting]

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran
Secrets of the Tsil Café  with Recipes by Thomas Fox Averill [recipes included]

Baker’s Apprentice  by Judith Ryan Hendricks

Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks

Reckless Appetites: Romance with Recipes  by Jacqueline Deval

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel [Mexican food; magical realism]

Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray [Baking cakes as stress therapy!]

Under the Cajun Moon by Mindy Starns Clark [Cajun food]

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris [set in France]

The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni [Indian spices; magical realism]

After posting this, I'm starting see how common it is for stories alive with food to be done in magical realism. When you think about it, I guess it's not so strange, since food really can be magical.

2010: My year in books

This past year I found that I checked out 533 titles (books, magazines, DVDs, audiobooks, CDs, etc) from the library. This number will probably be significantly different for 2011 since I won't be checking out so many kids' books now that I'm no longer babysitting Milo, but it's still pretty hefty.  The books that I'm considering myself to have "read" are books or audiobooks that I've read through.  This doesn't count for how-tos or books that I only use pieces of, and are mostly novels or non-fiction books that can read like novels (let's face it, I don't typically read non-fiction all the way through.) The following list also doesn't include children's picture books.

Stats: 35 books actually read, of that: 16 audiobooks, 12 juvenile fiction, 9 young adult fiction, 2 non-fiction (haha); audiobooks are *ed

1.  Open House - Elizabeth Berg -- She's an awesome writer, but I found this story a little dry.

2. The Food of Love - Anthony Capella -- I fell in love with this book, and led me into the world of food-related stories. :)

3.  The Penny Pincher's Club - Sarah Strohmeyer -- Easy read, but well-written.

4.  Ransom of Red Chief - O. Henry -- A short story really, but absolutely funny.

*5. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (This is actually the first audiobook I checked out to really listen to novels, and I found that listening to Jane Austen is much more enjoyable than reading her from the typed page.)

6. The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen -- I love every book she's ever written. They all have magical realism in them, but they are... delicious and irresistible.

*7. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - BBC version of the audiobook was wonderfully narrated and intense to listen to!

*8. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak- I'm glad I got the audiobook because I got to hear how the German words were pronounced. Zusak is awesome, and this story rules.

*9.  Look Me in the Eye - John Elder Robison - Robison is the brother of author Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors), and tells his life as a guy with Asperger's before it was diagnosed. Really funny at times.

10.  The BFG - Roald Dahl - Rereading one of my childhood favorites, and it didn't disappoint.

11. Coyote Blue - Christopher Moore - So funny and sometimes raunchy, so I'll bet even guys who don't think they like to read would enjoy it.

12. The Giver - Lois Lowry - A children/young adult classic that I hadn't read, and I'm so glad I did. It took me a few hours to read, and the story line is SO original and incredible.

13. The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke - Funke is an incredible author, and this book has a little bit of everything. Loved it.

*14. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan - I wasn't as thrilled with this as I thought I would be (I mean, come on, it's about Greek mythology coming to life... ). It could have been that I didn't like the narrator of the audiobook, but it all seemed a little too... simplistic.

*15. My Stroke of Insight - Jill Bolte Taylor - I could NOT stop talking about this when I was reading it. Taylor was a neuroscientist who had a stroke and then recovered enough to be able to write a book about her experience. Such a good read.

16. Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson - I decided to see what the fuss was about James Patterson, and I've decided that he's immensely overrated.  This had such a good plot line, but it was ruined by cheesy writing, and a sappy ending.

*17.  Animal Farm - George Orwell - Another classic that I never had to read in high school, so I decided to check it out since it's super short. Definitely worth your time.

*18. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis - I can't believe I never read this, and I'm really glad I did. The narrators of the series are really good as well.

19. Midnight for Charlie Bone - Jenny Nimmo - The first of the Children of the Red King series, this is like a less intensive Harry Potter, and although has a lot similarities, remains distinctive and fun to read.

*20. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis - I had to see where the next story would take me.

21. Going in Circles - Pamela Ribon - When I read her first book, Why Girls Are Weird, I fell in LOVE with her. Ribon is hilarious. So when I picked up this book about girls and roller derby... such a fun book to read.

*22. Charlie Bone and the Time Twister - Jenny Nimmo - These books don't build on each other necessarily, which is kinda nice. I guess it helps to know who each character is though.

*23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling - I needed to reread it before I watched the movie. I'm not one of those people who has to reread every Harry Potter book before I see the movie, but since I had almost NO memory of the story, I figure I had better catch up.

24. The Juliet Club - Suzanne Harper - A young adult book that for me was pretty weak. The characters were lame and the story contrived. Not a fan.

25. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender - The concept of the story sounded good, but it's darker than you'd expect, and gets a little weird at the end. Still pretty good though.

*26. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling - I realized that my memory was also bad on this book even though I remembered loving it. What to do? Audiobook it!

*27. Number the Stars - Lois Lowry - This handled the subject of the Holocaust well for the age group it's meant for. I've read a lot of books about the Holocaust, and this didn't stand out terribly in my mind but it won the Newbery Medal.

28. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan - This was a really funny book about boys and relationships and being a gay teen in high school. Can I just have a friend like Tiny? He rocks.

*29. I, Coriander - Sally Gardner - I started out listening to this on audiobooks, but eventually had to get the book because I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't in my car. Absolutely wonderful-- the world she creates is perfect and beautiful. This story has everything.

30. By the Time You Read This I'll Be Dead - Julie Anne Peters - Dark but honest look at a suicidal high schooler. I really enjoyed this and think it's something a lot of adults dealing with teenagers should read.

*31. Lady Windemere's Fan - Oscar Wilde - After watching the Importance of Being Earnest and listening to the Picture of Dorian Gray, I decided to get another Oscar Wilde piece. He's funny and is so quotable it's ridiculous.

32. 13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson - Great story line, but weak characters. A little disappointing.

*33. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke - Picked this up after reading the Thief Lord, and love it. Such an incredible author!

34.  The Mermaid Chair - Sue Monk Kidd - Not as good as the Secret Life of Bees, but the characters are well drawn and story well laid out.

35. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein - I loved this book! Told from the dog's point of view, it's original and fresh, and each character is very real and deep. I loved this and recommend it to everyone.

So there it is-- and I'm going to top it next year. I'm not thinking that will be too hard, but then again I wasn't in school most of last year. Time will tell!  Comment if you have anything to say about any of these books, I'd love to hear it.

Books to Cure a Broken Heart

This post is a semi-recycled post from Oprah's website called "8 Books to Read With a Broken Heart," written by

Oprah.com lists these books with these synopses:

1.      Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak by Writers Famous and Obscure Edited by Smith magazine

If you could describe your breakup in six words, what would you say? At a loss for words? No problem. Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak is happy to fill in the blanks. Composed of hundreds of nuggets on love and loss, these memoirs say just what you've been trying to articulate yourself—without going over six words. Whether it's heartbreaking ("What once were two, are one"), tongue-and-cheek ("Reclaimed maiden name after every divorce") or just confusing ("Don't trust a man who waxes"), this read has a sliver of wisdom for anyone with a broken heart. There's also a little something for those who wish to remain optimistic on the state of love, including, "At 12 found soul mate, still together." Now don't we all wish we could write a memoir like that? 

 

2.      What Was I Thinking? 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories By Barbara Davilman and Liz Dubelman

For every woman who missed that red flag waving wildly in her face (He owns a faux dog! He's Homer Simpson's clone! He's a porn star!), this book is for you. Fifty-eight women share their hilarious tales of the romances (and the men) that took a nose-diving turn for the worse. Even if you can't relate to their stories, you'll at least get a good laugh out of them.

3.      Love, Loss and What I Wore By Ilene Beckerman

Two divorces, six children and one fabulous wardrobe. In this quirky pictorial for adults, author Ilene Beckerman takes you back through the most pivotal moments in her life...and what she wore along the way. From Brownie uniform to prom dress to wedding gown, each clothing item holds a strong memory. Good and bad, Beckerman remembers them all and encourages us to look back on our own lives and wardrobes. By the end of it, you'll be throwing out that old he-broke-my-heart dress, strapping on some ready-for-a-fresh-start heels and heading out to create a closet full of new memories.

4.      Bridget Jones's Diary  By Helen Fielding

This classic chick lit book might be the ultimate tale of what not to do when you're single and lonely. Do not stare at your phone for an entire weekend, binge on chocolate Christmas tree decorations or have an affair with your cad of a boss. However, this book's plucky heroine also does quite a few things right. On Bridget's to-do list? Do lean on your fabulous friends, give that nice man (whom you once snubbed) a second chance and turn every humiliation into a laugh-out-loud moment, all in the name of finding love and "inner poise."

5.      Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert

This soul-searching memoir has become the bible of all breakup books, and if you haven't already turned to it to nurse your broken heart, you need to now.  After going through a bitter divorce and a disastrous love affair, Elizabeth Gilbert sets out on a journey that changes her life forever. She finds pleasure (and pizza) in Italy, peace in India and love in Bali. And the best part? It comes complete with a happy ending.

6.      Split: A Memoir of Divorce  By Suzanne Finnamore

It's a story as old as time: Boy meets girl, boy asks girl to marry him, and five years later, boy downs two martinis and announces that he wants to divorce girl. We've all heard this tale before, but for California journalist and author Suzanne Finnamore, it was very real. With brutal honesty and deadpan humor, she divulges the dirty details of her marriage and divorce—and how she ultimately muddled her way through all the lies, betrayals and attorneys. Finnamore's book is not your typical divorce diatribe. It's more like sitting down with your wittiest, most acerbic friend as she throws out her filter and tells you how it all went wrong...and how you can do things differently.

7.      Personal History  By Katharine Graham

Take notes from a woman who survived much worse than a breakup. In Katharine Graham's powerful autobiography, this Washington socialite recounts her husband's very public affair, his mental illness and subsequent suicide, as well as her unexpected accession to power at the Washington Post. Here's why you'll relate: Katharine Graham suddenly found herself thrown in a situation that she never wanted or expected (sound familiar?). She never claims that these changes were easy or that she walked into them with confidence. Instead, she says: "What I essentially did was to put one foot in front of the other, shut my eyes, and step off the ledge. The surprise was that I landed on my feet."

8.      High Fidelity By Nick Hornby

Want to know what's going on in his head? Of course you do! You may remember John Cusack in the movie adaptation of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, a cynical breakup tale told from the male perspective. After being dumped yet again, music addict Rob looks back on his "all-time top five" breakups. Read along as he relives the losses, and then ask yourself, "Does this breakup really make my top five?"

I’m not sure I completely agree with 6 and 7, but I’ll leave them on there to complete the 8… I wouldn’t want to leave you all wondering, after all. But I have a few of my own to add to this list that I’ve read and loved—

1.      Going in Circles by Pamela Ribon

After leaving her husband and wallowing in self-pity, new friend Francesca helps down-and-out Charlotte Goodman find herself again when she makes her join roller derby. Pamela Ribon is absolutely hilarious. She’s contemporary, makes ridiculous but insightful comparisons, and gives a funny yet realistic spin on a subject people usually don’t like to talk about.

2.      Open House by Elizabeth Berg

A woman who’s been left by her husband decides to take in boarders to help pay her bills, and by doing so finds a little more out about herself than she realized. Elizabeth Berg is truly an amazing writer—her characters are so real and full. Sometimes the characters are a little too realistic, and you realize she’s somewhat of an annoying woman who’s lost herself along the way and wants to cry about it, but sometimes you then realize that you’re in her shoes after a breakup and want some commiseration. 

3.      Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Cannie Shapiro is a 28 year old woman who’s nursing her ego after her boyfriend Bruce dumps her. Her ego takes an even bigger hit after she reads her ex’s magazine column where he states that “loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world,” officially marking a downward spiral into tequila and self-wallowing. She pulls herself back up, gets her dreams back in order, and finds out that there are bigger fish to fry in life. Weiner is absolutely delightful to read, and while the story reminded me of Pamela Ribon’s other book Why Girls Are Weird (which might be one of my all-time favorite books), it has its own uniqueness and humor to it that makes you just love Cannie.

That’s all for now… feel free to post a book you think is good for getting over a broken heart-- Oh, and about the formatting. Don't start a blog out in Word. The formatting doesn't translate.

Hamilton, A. (2010, March 18). 8 Books to Read With a Broken Heart. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from Oprah.com: http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/What-Books-to-Read-When-Youre-Going-Through-a-Breakup/1