Friday, February 12, 2010

Book Review!

Ok so I have been reading a ton! But I've been bad at posting my reviews. Sorry.

Have a little faith

I LOVE all of Mitch Alboms books. When his new one came out I knew I wanted it. It didn't disappoint! It's a true story and right around the same type of thing as Tuesdays with Morrie. It is about faith & religion. Great story!


Synopsis
What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together?

In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight year journey between two worlds – two men, two faiths, two communities – that will inspire readers everywhere.

Albom’s first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie was published twelve years ago, Have A Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an 82-year-old rabbi from Albom’s old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.

Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he’d left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor – a reformed drug dealer and convict – who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof.

Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Mitch observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi, embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat.

As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Mitch and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers and histories are different, Albom begins to realize a striking unity between the two worlds - and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.

In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor’s wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Have a Little Faith is a book about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story.

The Host

Wow. Ok, ok I'm a fan of Twilight. I'll admit it. I love the books. When the host came out I didn't want to read it. I didn't think it was any type of book I would enjoy. Wow was I wrong. My best friend Sheena told me I had to read it...so when I got it for Christmas I did. I recommend it to everyone. The way SM writes is great for me. I don't like too much sex and swearing and this books didn't have any.

Synopsis
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.
Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.
Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.
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Percy Jackson & The Olympians
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Great books! I read all 5 in about a week. The lighting thief is the first of the series. They are for the younger crowd but not too bad that adults don't enjoy them.

Since it's a series here is what I got off of Wikipedia....
The protagonist is Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes. He learns that the legendary beings of Greek mythology still exist and have always existed, including monsters, cyclopes, empousai, Titans, and also the Olympians (Greek gods) themselves who dwell in Olympus which is now situated at the mythical 600th floor of the Empire State Building. He is frequently attacked by monsters because he is a child of one of the "Big Three" (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades). Percy meets many other young demigods, both friendly and hostile, who are also in the process of discovering their heritage and powers.

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Water for Elephants
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I really liked this book. I didn't really know what to think when I started reading it. But it was like nothing I have ever read before. A little love, history and a great story line all made for a really great book!

Synopsis
As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

3 comments:

GUAMtastic said...

Thanks for the reviews!!!! Makes me think I need to read A LOT more :) Have a great weekend!!

Wren said...

I really enjoyed your reviews, thanks for sharing.

http://z10.invisionfree.com/Journey_Back_in_Time

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

I haven't read any of these books so it's great to see a review!