The Rapture of Canaan

By Sheri Reynolds
My friend and coworker Belinda recommended this book to me and I really enjoyed it. It was totally different from anything else that I have read lately and I needed that. The author has an amazing writing style, it totally sucks you in. She has great descriptions of emotions and people, she has fine tuned the art of giving you lots of information in subtle ways that don't drag on forever. Her writing style is also really easy to read; the book is a decent size and I read it basically in one sitting.

The Rapture of Canaan is obviously meant for adults. which surprised me because the main character is a young girl. The writing is clean and decent for anyone to read, but the themes in it and the issues that the characters deal with are definitely better suited for adult readers. The book really makes you think about some hard issues in life. I don't want to tell you too much about the book, because I think it would ruin the reading but here is a little gist.

The main character, Ninah, lives in a religious community run by her grandfather. They have very strict rules, most of which lean to the absurd side. The grandfather didn't start the community to be absurdly religious, but more to keep his family together and near him. The book follows Ninah for over a year as she grows from a child to a young adult. During that time Ninah, with the help of her grandmother, learns how to balance making your own decisions while still being a part of a large, connected family. A lot of really interesting things happen along Ninah's journey, but I don't want to tell you. Then you wouldn't read the story.

P.S. While looking for a picture I found this other review by someone else who loved it.

An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

By Farah AhmediI just finished reading our book club book for this month, just in time too! Our meeting is tomorrow night.

I loved this book. It is a very easy read. It is written by a teenage girl and it feels just like she is talking to you and telling you her story. In fact, if you can find it, I think this might actually be a wonderful book on tape (and I normally don't like books on tape). It would be just like listening to someone speak. The book is about this girl who stepped on a land mine when she was 7 or 8 and ended up losing her leg. The story follows her hospital stays, how the war in Afghanistan affected her family, and how she ended up a refugee in the U.S. She has a really great attitude about her life. She knows it's been difficult and is very honest about feeling angry and sometimes afraid. She is also very positive and optimistic about her future. She has such a strong will to live and to live happily. She has lost so much and yet still finds so many things to be happy about.

This book is a great book for anyone to read. Except for the fact that hard things have happened to her, there is nothing offensive about this book whatsoever. I think it could be enjoyed for many different reasons, I will let you know what everyone else thought after tomorrow night!

Breaking Dawn

By Stephanie MeyerI accidentally read this book. Crazy I know. I wasn't going to buy it yet (I want to buy them all together) and was I waiting until I ran into someone who would loan me their copy. I showed up at my parent's house on Tuesday night to go to my cousin's wedding and help with my sister's wedding. And Rachelle had a copy she had borrowed and didn't have time to read until after her honeymoon. So I wasn't very helpful for the first 30 hours or so I was there. Or very sociable. Because I loved this book and couldn't put it down until I finished it.

I agree with some other people that it is very different from the first three books, but I think it is different in a good way. If it was more of the same it just wouldn't be any good. I was very happy that it felt like a new book to read and that the characters were still changing and progressing. Most of the book was very unexpected to me, which I loved. I hadn't expected the plot to go in that direction at all and I thought it worked perfectly. The book didn't leave you hanging, wondering what would happen next to the characters and I really appreciated that. It was a great ending for a story that will supposedly never end!

What did all you who have read it think?

His Dark Materials

By Philip PullmanIf you haven't read these books you really should. I know there has been a lot of controversy about them but there was controversy around Di Vinci Code and Harry Potter too, try them and decide for yourself.

The series is mainly these three books that stand alone together, The Northern Lights is published in the US as The Golden Compass. The books follow a little girl named Lyra as she tries to rescue her friends. While she is trying to help her friends, she gets pulled into something much bigger and has many adventures as she tries to make the right decisions.

I know that is very vague but give me a break. There are three action packed books, a lot happens and I wouldn't want to give it away. Wikipedias page on His Dark Materials is really good if you want to know more about the plot. It talks about both sides of the controversies too. There is a lot of symbolism in these books; they are partially a retelling of Milton's Paradise Lost.

Basically these are fantasy novels that can be enjoyed as a child or read as an adult, similar to Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, or Harry Potter. Anyone of you who has read those know that there are many levels on which to enjoy the story, same thing here. And they have that "epic story" feel that I love. They have multiple worlds layered upon one world, armored bears, witches, magical tools, angels, and tiny spies. The characters are very well developed, with good back stories and realistic motivations; you really grow to love them and want to help them.

Andrew just finished reading these too and couldn't put them down. The first book is the slowest, so don't be discouraged when you are getting started. The movie also doesn't do the books justice, movies never do. The author put so much thought into this world and all of the details motivating the characters; a lot of those details are lost in the movie. I love these books, this is the second time I have read all three in less than a year. Maybe third...I can't remember. Also like Lord of the Rings, Chornicles of Narnia, and Harry Potter, you get something different each time you read them.

One last word about controversy. The controversy is that Pullman portrays the church and authority negatively and all of the "good" characters fight against the church. This is very true. But the church in His Dark Materials is bad. It is oppressive and controlling and wants to take away peoples ability to think and make decisions. The church is using the name of the Authority (or God) to do bad, bad things. Some religions have tried to do this before. Makes sense to fight against a church like that, right?

Makes me wonder about the churches that don't want people to read these books.

100 books

I read about this on someone else's blog and I have no idea if it is true or not. Somebody should snopes it (new verb, kind of like google). Supposedly the average adult has only read 6 of these 100 books. I thought that was interesting since most of them are well known titles. I bolded the ones that I have read.

1. Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen-I love all of Jane Austen's books, they make me wish I lived in a different time.

2. The Lord of the Rings-JRR Tolkien-These have to be reread every couple of years.*

3. Jane Eyre-Charlotte Bronte-This goes right along with Pride and Prejudice to me.

4. Harry Potter series-JK Rowling-I love them, what else can I say?*

5. To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee- This is a book that anyone could like, everyone should try it.*

6. The Bible-Do you have to read it cover to cover? I tried that and got bogged down with all of the genealogy stuff.

7. Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte- I liked it, I read it in a big chunk with Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. They are all very different but I read them at the same time so they go together to me.

8. Nineteen Eighty Four-George Orwell-Kind of creeps me out but I like it.*

9. His Dark Materials-Philip Pullman-I have read it and I am currently rereading it right now. I love these books.*

10. Great Expectations-Charles Dickens-I made the mistake of starting this in the middle of the school year and got about halfway through. I should try again.

11. Little Women-Louisa May Alcott-I love this book. And Little Men, and Eight Cousins, and Rose in Bloom.

12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles-Thomas Hardy

13. Catch 22-Joseph Heller

14. Complete works of Shakespere

15. Rebecca-Daphne Du Maurier

16. The Hobbit-JRR Tolkien-How could you read Lord of the Rings without reading this?*

17. Birdsong-Sebastian Faulks

18. Catcher in the Rye-JD Salinger-I don't remember a lot about it. Thats bad I know, I should reread it.*

19. The Time Traveler's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger

20. Middlemarch-George Eliot

21. Gone With The Wind-Margaret Mitchell-The book was so much better than the movie, but still slightly ridiculous.

22. The Great Gatsby-F. Scott Fitzgerald I don't remember a lot about this one either, should go on the reread list.

23. Bleak House-Charles Dickens

24. War and Peace-Leo Tolstoy

25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy-Douglas Adams Great book! I haven't read this in a long time either!*

26. Brideshead Revisited-Evelyn Waugh (I hadn't heard of this until I saw the movie preview, I want to read it though).

27. Crime and Punishment-Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I think I started it once and didn't finish it. It was in high school though, maybe I should try again).

28. Grapes of Wrath-John Steinbeck-This one was kind of slow, I really love East of Eden by John Steinbeck though.*

29. Alice in Wonderland-Lewis Carroll-Good, good, kind of crazy.*

30. The Wind in the Willows-Kenneth Grahame-I don't remember much except that I liked it.

31. Anna Karenina-Leo Tolstoy (I keep meaning to...)

32. David Copperfield-Charles Dickens (this one too...)

33. Chronicles of Narnia-CS Lewis-I love these too, they have to be reread every few years.*

34. Emma-Jane Austen-why didn't they put this one up with the others?

35. Persuasion-Jane Austen

36. The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini-I loved this, very different type of book. I really want to read 1000 Splendid Suns

37. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin-Louis De Bernieres

38. Memoirs of a Geisha-Arthur Golden-Good, I highly recommend it.*

39. Winnie the Pooh-AA Milne-Fun, everyone should read it.*

40. Animal Farm-George Orwell-I read this in high school and I don't remember much, I should read it again though.*

41. The Da Vinci Code-Dan Brown-Great, you should definitely read Angels and Demons too.*

42. One Hundred Years of Solitude-Gabriel Garcia Marquez

43. A Prayer for Owen Meaney-John Irving

44. The Woman in White-Wilkie Collins

45. Anne of Green Gables-LM Montgomery-What about the rest of the series?

46. Far From The Madding Crowd-Thomas Hardy

47. The Handmaid’s Tale-Margaret Atwood (On my list to read)

48. Lord of the Flies-William Golding-another high school read, I found it slightly disturbing*

49. Atonement-Ian McEwan-I saw the movie preview and now I want to read it (notice I have only seen all the previews and not the actual movie?

50. Life of Pi-Yann Martel-I liked it, it is an easy read too.

51. Dune-Frank Herbert-Is this actually any good?

52. Cold Comfort Farm-Stella Gibbons

53. Sense and Sensibility-Jane Austen-They could have just done these in a list

54. A Suitable Boy-Vikram Seth

55. The Shadow of the Wind-Carlos Ruiz Zafon

56. A Tale Of Two Cities-Charles Dickens-Good, I like this one.*

57. Brave New World-Aldous Huxley-I read this one in high school, but I do remember liking it.*

58. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Mark Haddon-I love this book. About it a boy with Autism, great.*

59. Love In The Time Of Cholera-Gabriel Garcia Marquez-I heard this was good, has anyone read it?

60. Of Mice and Men-John Steinbeck-Really short and easy and wonderful. You could sit down and read it in a day.*

61. Lolita-Vladimir Nabokov

62. The Secret History-Donna Tartt

63. The Lovely Bones-Alice Sebold-On my to read list.

64. Count of Monte Cristo-Alexandre Dumas-This is a great book, you have to read it with The three musketeers and the Man in the Iron Mask though.

65. On The Road-Jack Kerouac

66. Jude the Obscure-Thomas Hardy

67. Bridget Jones's Diary-Helen Fiedling

68. Midnight’s Children-Salman Rushdi

69. Moby Dick-Herman Melville-I think I tried in high school but didn't make it. Maybe I should try again.

70. Oliver Twist-Charles Dickens-Don't remember much...must reread.

71. Dracula - Bram Stoker-Don't remember much...must reread.

72. The Secret Garden-Frances Hodgson Burnett-I love this book. I just found a great copy at the thrift store.*

73. Notes From A Small Island-Bill Bryson

74. Ulysses-James Joyce

75. The Bell Jar-Sylvia Plath

76. Swallows and Amazons-Arthur Ransome

77. Germinal-Emile Zola

78. Vanity Fair-William Makepeace Thackeray-the movie was crazy, the book wasn't great but it was better than the movie.

79. Possession-AS Byatt

80. A Christmas Carol-Charles Dickens-Good, one of the first of his that you should read.

81. Cloud Atlas-David Mitchell

82. The Color Purple-Alice Walker-I should reread this, I haven't read it in a long time and I think I liked it.

83. The Remains of the Day-Kazuo Ishiguro

84. Madame Bovary-Gustave Flaubert

85. A Fine Balance-Rohinton Mistry

86. Charlotte’s Web-EB White-Everyone should have read this.*

87. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom*

88. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-It was good, I think I want to buy it.

89. The Faraway Tree Collection-Enid Blyton

90. Heart of Darkness-Joseph Conrad

91. The Little Prince-Antoine De Saint-Exupery

92. The Wasp Factory-Iain Banks

93. Watership Down-Richard Adams-I just bought a copy and mean to read it.

94. A Confederacy of Dunces-John Kennedy Toole

95. A Town Like Alice-Nevil Shute

96. The Three Musketeers-Alexandre Dumas-Why didn't they put this with the Counte of Monte Cristo? They go together.

97. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-Roald Dahl-Good, fun read.*

98. Les Miserables-Victor Hugo-Good, longer than it needed to be but I liked it.

99. One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest-Ken Kesey-I love this one, I tried one of his other books and it was no where near as good.*

100. The Scarlet Letter-Nathaniel Hawthorne-Good, I forgot about this book. I should start looking for it.*

I read 47 of them, how many have you read? Do you have any thoughts on the ones that I haven't read? That was kind of a fun way to remember which books you need to read.

The * are Andrew's reads, he has read 26.