Blind Side

Hmm, Strangely small picture.........

Blind Side by Clair M. Poulson

The book was about Noletta, a law school student. She is a victim of a random shooting, after stumbling upon a crime scene. After being shot in the head and left to die, she recovers, but is stricken blind. About 2 years later the book continues with Noletta back in law school and living with her guide dog Taffy. (She had Taffy at the time of the shooting. Taffy attacked the shooter, but was not injured herself. Taffy had been Noletta's pet, but was later trained to be her guide dog.) The person that shot Noletta knows she is still alive and tries to find out what she remembers and then kill her. Also, since the dog was a witness, the killer dog naps the dog.

A Salt Lake City detective, Martin, begins working her case.

*Spoiler* He and Noletta become very close as the case begins to climax.

Noletta is also involved with Walton a fellow law student. Creed, Walton's cousin is also vying for the affection of the lovely Noletta.

The book was more interesting than I thought it would be. It was a book club choice, not made by me. These are books that I generally read. I was hoping for one that I wouldn't normally pick up. The writing style is very simple, which bothered me at times. I would find the characters saying things that didn't seem like conversation normal people would have, like I thought they used names too frequently during dialog, instead of either pronouns or not saying the name at all. The dialog was not detracting, but noticeable to me. Also, the author's choice of names cracks me up. Some of them are quirky. I simply attribute that to the author living in rural Utah. Utah seems to have it's own unique names.

Although this is published at LDS fiction, the LDS faith was brought up maybe 3 times and only in passing. It seemed like it was an attempt just to get it published by an LDS publishing house. So if you don't want to read LDS fiction, don't be put off, it really never came up.

Rating 4 Entertaining enough. I liked the main character and the cop (of course). I enjoyed the characters enough that I would have liked to know more about them as time went on.

Rating G I am again, glad to be able to pick up a book that I know will be clean.

Blood and Chocolate

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Unfortunately for Blood and Chocolate, the title was the best part. It sounded intriguing and I wanted something to read for Halloween. The book is about a teen girl/ werewolf......Vivian. I kept getting the sense that there was a book before this one because there were a lot of references to things I felt like I should have already known. I still can't figure out if this is true or not, although this book has been made into a movie. Vivian falls in love with a human (meat boy) and wants to reveal herself to him in hopes that he will understand her. Her pack meanwhile is also having problems. They are trying to get a new leader, find a place to settle down, and control maverick werewolves that are endangering pack existence.

The descriptions of a werewolf changes were interesting and well articulated. I wanted to know what would happen between Vivian and Aiden (the meat boy). Besides that this book was basically trash. The family situation that Vivian comes from is disgusting to even have to ponder on.....although I feel like it might be common in some homes. Vivians' mother is only concerned about her own sex life and cares nothing for her daughter. Vivian is overtly sexualized for a teen. It's mostly all she thinks about......actually I think that is what the whole book is about. Strangely though she isn't actually having any.

Rating 2 ........I finished it because I wanted to know what happened in the end, but it was a waste of time when I could have been reading something better, or doing laundry.

Rating R swearing, murder, violence, sexual content, poor family relationships (the mother wants Vivian to drink and have sex as long as it doesn't interfere with her drinking and having sex).

One Tuesday Morning

One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

This book is written by a Christian writer, which I did not know when I picked it up. I grabbed it from the library and the cover looked new and in good shape.........so that's how I ended up with it. Once I figured out it was written as Christian literature I was interested to see what it would be like. I heard that Christian pulishers were sticklers for cleanliness.

The book is about two families whose lives entertwine during the events of September 11th. One family's father/husband is Eric. He is a high powered business man that has let work take over his life. He loves nothing more than power and money, which he freely admits. The other family's father/husband is a firefighter for New York City. This part really hit home for me and that is why I was interested. The fireman (Jake) is an awesome dad and husband and a dedicated Christian. Both men end up in the towers as they are about to fall. They bump into each other in a stair well, Eric fleeing the building and Jake going up the stairs to rescue victims of the tragedy. Eric stumbles into Jake and his helmet falls to the ground. The two men look at each other and realize they look like twins. Eric sees into the top of Jake's fallen helmet, which contains a picture of Jake's little girl. Eric realizes that Jake is climbing to his death. Each man resumes their direction. Eric knowing that Jake is climbing to his death, begins to be repentant of the way he has been leading his life. He begins to pray to make it from the building alive so that he may have one more chance with his family.

*Spoilers*

Jake dies praying with other firemen and victims, knowing that he is going to meet his maker, but having peace with that.......the only regret is that he won't be with his family.

Eric makes it out of the building just as it collapses and blows him under Jake's firetruck. A little far fetched, but it makes the story go.

Eric is found near the fire rig and is thought to be Jake, because they look so much a like. Even more far fetched. He is taken to the hospital with head injuries and burns and Jake's wife is called to come be with him. When he wakes he remembers nothing. Convenient.

To help him remember his life Jake's wife Jamie gives Eric Jake's journal and Bible. Eric learns how to be a good husband, father and Christian by trying to become Jake in hopes that his memory returns. Jamie is also converted to Christianity through this as she has not been a believer up to this point.

Finally Eric/Jake remembers who he is. He is reunited with his family as the man that they always hoped he would eventually be.

This book was pretty good. It was hard to read at parts, knowing what was going to happen......the World Trade Centers, and the fact that you knew Jake was dead and Eric was Eric. I really did enjoy the characters. I didn't feel like the book was too preachy, although if you are not Christian I can't imagine why you would want to read this anyway.

I give the book a 4.

Also the book is rated G. I was happy to see that the book was entirely clean yet you still had great emotions for the love between the couples.

The Thieves of Heaven

The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch
This book is about Micheal St. Pierre, a thief with morals. The opening is enough to reel you in. He gets caught thieving, even though he is a great thief, because he stops to help the victim of another crime. Michael is later released from prison and has sworn off thieving. He opens his own business and life is going well for he and his gorgeous wife Mary. Events quickly turn for the worst when Mary is diagnosed with terminal cancer and Michael has no way to pay for the treatments. In steps August Finster, tempting Michael with a heist and enough money to care for Mary. Michael carries off the heist and finds that he has stolen the keys to heaven for the devil himself. Michael then tries to return the keys to the rightful owners, the Catholic church, as his wife's life slips away. Time is running out because if Mary dies before Heaven's gates are unlocked again, she will remain in purgatory for eternity and her soul will be lost.
Very entertaining in a Dan Brown kind of way. I really enjoyed the premise. It was completely fictitious and running completely against my own beliefs, but once I made myself stop comparing the two things I was ready for the ride. I was very entertained and loved the characters......Michael, Mary, (not the devil so much), and Paul (Michael's best friend and parole officer. Who doesn't just LOVE cops? I can't think of anybody!!), and Simon the sniper priest (A good sniper priest really comes in handy when dealing with evil.)
Rating 4
Rating PG 16 There was swearing, the F word, and some sexual content.

Life At These Speeds

Life At These Speeds by Jeremy Jackson

Wow did I enjoy this book. The writing was so witty and the characters so smart that I wanted to know them in real life.........or have to book go on. A HUGE downside is that by page 4 the F*** word showed up and didn't back off. I am so disappointed! This book is aimed at teens, about teens. I would surely not want my teen having profanity flashed in their face every page. It shows a true lack of ingenuity and creativity amidst awesome writing. If your characters are that great and smart, I'm sure they could think of a few better things to say.
The book is about an 8th grade track runner. Nearly his whole class at school belongs to the track team (small town). After a track meet one night Kevin (main character) rides home with his parents, while the rest of the team travels home in a van. The van crashes into a river and the whole team, coach, friends, and girlfriend of Kevin die. After this Kevin kind of loses touch with reality for sometime. But the tragedy also is some kind of catalyst that turns Kevin into a track phenom. He begins breaking records at his new school. (There wasn't a grade left for him to attend at his old school.) Sounds kind of lame if you aren't into sports. But the character development is quirky and witty. The supporting characters have really out there names, which I found odd and funny (Bobolink, Henny, Andanda, and Umber).
I can't recommend the book based on the truly crappy language for the audience it is aimed at....but if you don't care about that then give it a try.
Rating 4. I would have given it higher but I am SO disappointed in the language.
Rating R for the unwarranted use of serious swearing.

Fablehaven Rise of the Evening Star

Fablehaven Rise Of The Evening Star by Brandon Mull

This is the second by of Fablehaven. I think that we may have enjoyed this one even more than the first. The characters (Kendra and Seth) seemed better developed. Kendra didn't seem as flat to me. She was more mature. The opening of the book was something my kids and I both enjoyed. We felt like it was a much better intro. The book does follow the same pattern at the last, where there is a big 'OH NO!' sort of moment and then the children are left to once again rescue Fablehaven. The satyrs are still funny characters. The supporting cast is better. The magic and fantasy are better. The ending is a total set up for book 3.
I will give this book a 4. It was a great book but I'm not head over heels in love with it.
Also I still think it's a G. There are some scary moments but they didn't bother my three year old.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
A National Book Award Finalist

A very unique work of children's fiction. The book appears huge (533 pages) for children's lit. Once you open the book you realize nearly half of the book is dedicated to 284 pages of original drawing by the author. Also, many of the printed pages are not full pages so don't feel daunted.
The book is about an orphan, clock keeper turned theif out of necessity. Hugo (the child) lives in in Paris in the walls of a train station. He lost both of his parents and has been taken in by a drunken uncle. The uncle is the clock keeper for the train station. The uncle disappears one night, never to return. In an attempt to not be taken away and put in an orphanage Hugo begins tending the clocks so that the station inspector doesn't know that the uncle has gone missing. His father was a clock maker and between the uncle and father, Hugo is able to fix and keep the clocks running. Hugo's one passion is an automaton. A small man filled with tiny gears that is able to write or draw, once wound up. Hugo's father first found the automaton in the museum where he worked. The museum burned down, along with Mr. Cabret. Hugo recovered the automaton from the ashes of the museum. His only connection to his father and his previous life. His desperate attempt to fix the automaton and keep his father alive in memory leads Hugo on an amazing adventure.
A quote that I really liked from the book...."I like to imagine that the world is one big machine You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too." Hugo is and his friend are wondering what their place in the world could be.
I am not a huge adventure fan. The drawings were wonderful and I am glad they took up so much of the book because I just wasn't into it. My 8 year old on the other hand......loved the book. It is a good book and I don't want to disuade anyone from picking it up. It is a great family book and a great book for young readers with a lot of illistrations to keep their interest piqued. The book has won awards and received great reviews. I have to say that part of that may be because of the amazing amount of pictures for a novel. I'm not sure what it was that made me not love it.
I rate the book a 3.5
Also the book is G