Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

by Carol6 Comments
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout I enjoyed the way this book was constructed. It's a collection of stories about the residents of Crosby, Maine, dealing with their secrets and disappointments, their strengths, their passions, their despairs. The title character, Olive Kitteridge, a retired school teacher, appears in all the stories, although sometimes in only a minor way. Everyone in town knows her and she knows everyone else. Olive is the resident we come to understand the most. At times she can be mean and overly blunt, but she can also be patient, honest and caring. We see her grow through the stories, but at the same time, she is who she is. Olive's private view is that life depends on what she thinks of as "big bursts" and "little bursts." Big bursts are things like marriage or children, intimacies that keep you afloat, but these big bursts hold dangerous, unseen currents. Which is why you need the...
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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

by Carol7 Comments
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan I finally got around to reading this, months after Amber (10) was raving about it. It's no wonder she loves this series. It's full of adventure and mythology, trustworthy friends and angry monsters. Percy Jackson is having a tough time. He's being kicked out of boarding school, but that's the least of his problems. Percy's discovered he's a demi-god, son of Poseidon, but, not only that, he's accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, which explains why all the monsters are after him. In a way, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to...
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Teacher’s Advice

by Carol7 Comments
"I always remember she said one day, 'Don't be scared of your hunger. If you're scared of your hunger, you'll just be one more ninny like everyone else.'" (pg. 195, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout) In this teaser, a young woman is talking about something her former teacher, Mrs. Kitteridge, said, something that really struck a chord for her. Is there any advice a teacher gave you that has really stuck with you over the years? Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I borrowed my copy from the library and the above is my honest opinion. I am an Amazon associate....
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The Goldilocks Problem by Gregory Benford

by Carol4 Comments
"The Goldilocks Problem" by Gregory Benford I've been reading a lot of fairy tales lately, both the original versions and modern interpretations. A couple of weeks ago, I talked a little about "The Three Bears" so when I ran across this short story, I had to read it. Benford takes the the classic and transforms it into a story about planet and life creation. Three gods are each given a planet by Omega, the creator. Like the bowls of porridge, one turns out too hot, one too cold, and one just right. Such stately rhythms graced the waltz of the worlds, but only on Gamma's did the music play on. And it's only on Gamma's world, the just right world, that life truly takes hold. Omega stroked Gamma, imparted fresh vision—and on the green face of Gamma's World, a slow kindling began. In what is to gods a mere tick of time - and to Gamma, a nothingness, for it stands outside of Time—crafty cognition...
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Another Week in the Books

by Carol6 Comments
This week at our house was all about my husband, David, graduating. After 8 years, he finally received his Associates in Drafting and Design. We are all incredibly proud of him. It took a lot of hard work, and some classes he wasn't too fond of, but he finally did it. We had a party at our house that evening to celebrate. Needless to say, I didn't get much reading done, between attending the Honors Convocation, and planning and cleaning for the party. I do have two audiobook giveaways going on right now, though, The War Lovers by Evans Thomas and Eat the Cookie...Buy the Shoes by Joyce Meyer. I received a few books in the mail this past week. Put on Your Crown by Queen Latifah (a win from Freda's Voice. Thanks!) How to Never Look Fat Again by Charla Krupp (a win from Metroreader. Thanks!) The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham (a win from Devourer of Books. Thanks!) The Bordeaux Betrayal by Ellen Crosby...
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