Anatomy of Peace

I have been reading in the last 2 months, I just never got around to writing about the books.

I'm in 2 book clubs now, but luckily, it hasn't been too hard to keep up.

The first book I read was this one: The Anatomy of Peace by the Arbinger Institute. I had never heard of it, but apparently this is a companion to "Leadership and Self-Deception". Neither of these titles are books I would typically pick up and read, but I really enjoyed this one.

It is written as a fiction story, but incorporates the philosophy of the Arbinger Institute. Basically, it's a way of looking at the world that allows you to deal with conflict in a more Christ-like way. Don't be mistaken though--it is not a Christian book. I just felt like what they describe were ideas Christ would support!

So, our lives are full of conflict. The book is not about avoiding conflict, but simply how to cope with it in a more healthy way. Ever have arguments with your husband? children? parents? Reading this book will help you look at them (and yourself) in a whole new way. I wish I could say I have fully implemented the ideas in my own life. I'm trying, but a refresher read would be good for me already!

Half Broke Horses

I just finished reading this story today. I really enjoyed it and was sorry (again) that it sat on my bedside table for so long. The author, Jeannette Walls, is the author of "The Glass Castle". My mom told me about The Glass Castle a couple years ago, but something about it has made me not want to read it.

When she brought me this book, I was hesitant. She said, "It's not like The Glass Castle at all. This is about the author's grandmother". So I said I'd give it a try. I liked it so much it has made me want to read The Glass Castle.

Anyway, Lily Casey (and then eventually Smith) is Ms. Wall's grandma. She was born and raised on ranches in Texas and New Mexico. She leaves at a very young age to teach in a one room school house (after going to boarding school herself) in Arizona. That's how the story starts out. I won't bore you with details of the plot.

I'll just tell you why I liked the book.

1) It is organized in short vignettes and sections within the book. This was perfect for me because I was able to read little bits at a time and wasn't feeling like I was missing anything.

2) It's told in 1st person and you really get a sense of who Lily Casey Smith was (at least how her granddaughter remembered and interpreted her). She was quite the character and becomes endearing in her own little way. She's exactly how I picture a woman of the west in the early 20th century to be. I didn't know Rusty's grandma very well, but from what I hear, Lily Smith reminds me of her. I don't know if it's a generational thing or more like a rancher thing, but it's interesting.

3) The book had a "These is my Words" feel to it, but it was clearly more realistic. Not because These is my Words was unrealistic, but because I knew Lily Casey Smith actually existed and much of the story could be verified. I don't know why that was important to me, but it was.

4) It made me wish I had asked my own grandmother questions about herself before she died. I was too young to care or understand how important this would become to me, but I never really knew my grandmothers on either side. I think that's sad, and wish I had cared more.

I highly recommend the book. It's entertaining, fun, light and a quick read.

The Road

I was reading the blog of a friend from high school and she recommended this book. She was an English major, so I thought, she must know what she's talking about.

The literary skill of this author was amazing, there's no doubt about that. But the subject matter was very difficult. I didn't know it was made into a movie until I started telling people I was reading it. I don't know why anyone would want to watch this movie.

The book is so depressing, and me being the casual reader that I am, wanted the author to give me way more information than he did. The setting is in North America somewhere presumably after Armageddon (but you never really find out what happened). It reminded me a lot of I Am Legend, without the zombies. Instead of zombies, there were cannibals, starving just like everyone else, but willing to feed their hunger with humans.

The main characters are "the man" and his son "the boy". The book follows the man and boy across the country toward the coast and warmer weather because they can't sustain life in the place they started. They come across horrific things and nearly starve to death numerous times. It's really a study of human nature and what it means to survive. If you were one of the last survivors, would you keep fighting or give up? Especially when you didn't know what you were fighting for?

It was an interesting concept, but I guess I'm just a weakling. I think I would have given up. Maybe that's because I have a hope for something after this life, a belief in something more than this mortal existence. Or maybe it's because I'm just weak and don't have what it takes. Either way, if you're looking for a book that would cause food for thought, this would be a good one, especially if you like dark drama. If you need something happy in your life, don't touch this one!

Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

I know, I'm a little slow. I just got around to reading these books and people have been talking about The Hunger Games for a couple years now. Well, I'm glad I waited because I read all three in less than a week and I really enjoyed reading them back to back.

Because I read them so close together, I honestly would probably get the plots confused and forget where one book ended and the other began, but here's a brief synopsis of the trilogy:

Katniss Everdeen is the main character, a 16 year old girl who lives in what is known as District 12. There are 12 districts in this fantasy country, supposedly where the United States is right now. The 12 districts basically feed the Capitol. Each district is responsible for a certain industry. District 12 mines coal. In order to keep the districts in line, every year the Capitol hosts "The Hunger Games": a gladiator-like competition where 2 kids from each district (24 total) are thrown in an arena and have to kill each other. The last survivor wins. Clearly the districts don't like participating in this, but have no ability to fight the Capitol, so they send their children each year to this awful spectacle.

I can't really tell you much more, otherwise I'll ruin it. But you can guess that Katniss is a participant in the Hunger Games in the first book, and if she's going to be in the next 2 books, you can bet she wins! Basically she ends up helping the rebels fight against the Capitol to stop their totalitarian control of the country. I LOVED the twist at the end of Mockingjay. I wasn't prepared for it at all and thought it brought a great conclusion to the series.

I wasn't dying over these books like some people are as of late. Apparently, I have read too much young adult fiction. These were just like "Among the Hidden", "The Giver" and even "Ender's Game". Clearly, teenagers really relate to these societies in which the citizens feel no control over the way everything is set up. Teenagers often get really upset at clearly morally wrong things. As an adult reading these books, I can't help but ask more questions like "are there no other countries in this world?". I think that's why they are written as young adult fiction, because adults would demand more explanation and you can keep it simple with young adults.

That being said, they are very well written, full of suspense, and entertaining to read. I highly recommend them. I am so mad to find out they are being made into a movie. Seriously?! Why can't a book just stay a book instead of becoming material for Hollywood? I'm sure they'll make it PG-13 because it needs to be available for the young adult audience, but they are so violent that it really should be R (if it were to be shown exactly how it is written). I think it's so sad that any popular book has to become a movie so the whole country can enjoy it. Why can't people just read the book to enjoy it? I still haven't seen any of the Twilight movies just to boycott the whole thing!

The Bonesetter's Daughter

I loved The Joy Luck Club when I read it in high school (don't ask me what's it's about now because I can't remember!). So, when I saw this one at a used book sale, I thought I'd give it a chance. I started reading it probably over a year ago, but never got past the first chapter. It went back on my shelf until just a week or so ago.

After we moved into this new house, we couldn't get reception for the TV on our digital antennae. It was a real bummer because we had gone so long without dish or cable, and I was glad. Well, we had to do something, otherwise we would have had no TV. So we got cable. And I hate it! I waste so much time watching total trash like "Keeping up with the Kardashians". Seriously, I have way better things to do with my time. One night there was nothing on, so I turned off the TV and went into the office. There I saw this book on the shelf and thought I'd give it another try. I'm glad I did.

The first part of the book is set in current day San Francisco. Ruth is the daughter of a woman who came over from China as an adult. Ruth resented the fact that her mother didn't speak very good English and really didn't get along with her mother at all. She discovers that her mom has Alzheimer's and it really shakes her world. She remembers a pile of papers that Ruth's mother had given her, all written in Chinese characters. She gives the papers to a professor to have it translated.

The second part of the book is the words from those papers. It's Ruth's mother's story told in her own words about what her life was before she came to America. This was the best part of the book. I am fascinated with Asian culture and I really know so little about Asian history. It's quite sad. After reading The Last Empress I wanted to know more, but I hate to admit I still haven't learned much!

Ruth comes to understand and love her mother so much more after reading her life story. I thought to myself, how would reading my mom's journals help me understand her better? Would I love her more? (Would she let me read them while she's still alive?) I know my mom has written many journals, so I hope someday I do get to see a part of her life that I wouldn't have otherwise.

The book ends with Ruth putting her mom in an assisted living place, but it really is a happy ending. I highly recommend this book.

The Senator's Wife

I have seriously neglected this blog for the past 3 months. I have read books during that time, but apparently didn't finish any. Until Friday. I finished reading The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller. Definitely not a book I would have chosen myself, but interesting enough that I wanted to finish it, which was a feat these days.

The book is set in New England and switches between the 2 main characters: Delia (the Senator's wife) and Meri (a young married woman who moves in next door). Basically, Delia has lived separated from her husband for the past 20 years after multiple affairs. They stay married and continue to see each other from time to time. It's an interesting relationship to say the least. Meri has just married Nathan who is a college professor in history. He gets a good job and they move to this college town. Meri gets pregnant and deals with all that entails. I don't want to go into too much detail, but reading the book makes you think about what marriage is all about.

Today in church we had a lesson about strengthening marriages. There were a lot of words of wisdom shared, and I contemplated my own. I think I could fill up pages and pages of marital advice, not because I'm an expert, but because I feel like I've had a lot of experiences in the almost 9 years we've been together. Also, Rusty's little brother is getting married this Saturday, and watching newlyweds, you can't help but think of yourself at that stage. They always seem so young and naive--and they are--but so were we. It's just hard to believe we've come this far. So marriage seems to be the topic these days, and without boring you with my awesome words of wisdom, I'll just say this: I love Rusty now more than ever and I've very happy to be married to him. Thank goodness I'm not Meri or Delia, because I wouldn't have wanted either of their lives!

The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was an excellent book. I told someone the other day it's like "The Giver" for adults. Atwood's writing style was refreshing to read. I guess I hadn't read a really good author for a long time. Her use of metaphors and description were fantastic. Although it was easy to read, I didn't rush through it because there was a lot of thinking involved.

The setting is somewhere in the U.S., (although at the end, you find out it's probably Maine) in the future sometime. The book is kind of a mystery, in that you don't really understand what's going on, or how the society they live in got to that point. To be honest, you really don't know even by the end. She just gives you some clues throughout the book and you have to piece it together.

The main character is Ofglen (although this is not her real name). The handmaids in this society are called a name that relates to the men they are with. (So I would be Ofrusty). The men are not their husbands. The handmaids are sort of like concubines. Their sole purpose is to reproduce. The men have wives, but for whatever reason, the wives aren't able to have kids, so they get handmaids to do the job for them. It's very strange, but the whole point of the book is to get you thinking, "what if life were like this? What if I lived in a society like this? Would I be like Ofglen, or her best friend Moira (who chooses a different role in the society).

Atwood is making a statement about so many things in this book: women's rights and feminism, nuclear waste, terrorism, religious fanatics, etc. It's a compelling read that will get your wheels spinning about the society we DO live in.

If you're looking for a book that will make you think, but at the same time entertain you with exceptional writing, this is one for you! I highly recommend it.

The Thirteenth Tale

I'm on a role! I can't believe I read another book in only a week. It's nice to be in a reading groove again--I don't think I have been since before the baby.

Anyway, this book, written by Diane Setterfield, is a very interesting read. It was gripping, mysterious, and dark. There were many turns in the plot that kept you guessing and captivated. Perhaps that is why I was able to read it in a week!

Basically, it's about a very famous author in England (fictional of course) who is a recluse. No one knows where she came from or who she really is. She offers many interviews a year and in each one she tells a different story, so everyone knows it's not true. This author, Vida Winter, is dying, and decides to finally tell her story. She chooses someone to write her biography for her. The book is the biography that she wrote, except it's not your typical biography. Margaret, the biographer, is trying to figure out the truth within the story and as she does, she discovers things about her own past as well.

I know this is a pretty ambiguous summary, but there are too many details to include! I highly recommend this book. It's got the feel of something like Wuthering Heights, I'm not quite sure why, but it just does for me. Definitely two thumbs up!

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key, written by Tatiana De Rosnay, is a book that switches from 1942 Paris to contemporary Paris. In July of 1942 there was a round-up of French Jews by the French police. They sent the Jews to camps in France and then ultimately to Auschwitz. Anyone sent to Auschwitz didn't come back alive. What was alarming about this round-up was the number of women and children involved. It was so sad to read about.

The main character in the book, Julia Jarmond, is an American who had been living in Paris for 25 years. She married a French man and had a daughter. She was a journalist for a magazine that asked her to research the round-up for the 60th anniversary of it. While doing her research, Julia discovered the story of Sarah, hence the title "Sarah's Key".

I will not lie--the first 1/2 of the book was so depressing I could only read a couple pages at a time. I have read many Holocaust books in the past, but for whatever reason, this one was especially hard to take. Maybe it's because I'm finally a mother now. I always thought the idea of families being ripped apart was terribly sad, but now that I can imagine someone doing that to me and Jack, I can barely stand it.

The second 1/2 of the book was not nearly as depressing, but the switch from 1942 to current stopped and it just stayed in the current time period. I found myself missing the point of view of Sarah. I wanted to read more of her story, not Julia's. Julia becomes a little obsessed with Sarah's story and I found it a little unrealistic.

It was an interesting book, but I'm not sure I'd consider it a fave. Too sad at the beginning, too unrealistic at the end. But you'll have to read it to see if you agree!

Keeping The Moon

This book is a young adult fiction by Sarah Dessen. It was our book club book for the month and I have to say I wasn't sure about it. I LOVE young adult books (ask Rusty, he's always bugging me to read more "adult" books), so it wasn't that that I was worried about. I'm just not one for realistic fiction.


Anyway, this story is a kind of coming of age story; growing into your own self kind of story. I think I probably would have really liked it when I was 16, but I'm passed that stage now and have no desire to go back. I was talking to my mom about it and saying "I just couldn't relate to Collie (main character). She was always worried about what people thought of her and I was never like that." My mom corrected me and reminded me that I did care what people thought of me when I was a teenager. I then corrected her and said, "Yeah, maybe, but I was never willing to change myself to fit their expectations". I've always kind of had this attitude of "take me as I am, if you don't like it, that's your problem, not mine." Not exactly conducive to adolescence. It definitely didn't work for flirting with the boys.


I remember once when I was about 14 going into my parent's room. I was depressed, feeling like no guys liked me. (Typical feeling for that age group, especially since all my friends seemed to have boyfriends). Anyway, my dad, of all people, asked me if I flirted with the guys. I didn't know what he really meant by that. He asked, "When they talk to you, do you act interested?" And my reply was, "Only if what they're saying is interesting!". He then said, "Well, that's your problem. You have to act interested, even when your not." That just seemed like the stupidest thing to me.


So yeah, I never had what it took to be a good flirt, or to impress other people. Luckily, I think I turned out ok. I found a guy that wasn't really interested in flirting either! I wouldn't really recommend this book unless you're a teenager feeling like no one understands you or you don't understand yourself.

Feel Good Books by Mitch Albom

My sister, Jennifer, was over at my house with her kids (pictured in my profile picture) today. She asked me for a book to read. My favorite question to answer! I was asking her, what kind do you want? Inspirational? Easy Read? Fantasy? She decided on the inspirational, and I sent her home with 2 of Mitch Albom's books.

The first, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", we read in book club the first year it began. It was a great book for book club and we had a great discussion about it. To my knowledge, all of Mitch Albom's books are very short and easy to read. At book club we also watched the movie staring Jon Voight. I highly recommend watching it. If you're not a reader, you need to put this book in your Netflix queue! I felt like it was very inspirational, and I read it shortly after my niece London died. I just really put into perspective what our life is all about.

The other book I gave Jel was "For One More Day", Albom's latest book. This was the other book I read while in Cabo that I couldn't remember. Again, it's a quick read, but carries a very powerful message. These two books are fiction, but you really feel like the characters are real and what happened could happen. If you are needing a pick me up, check them out! WARNING: Unless you are very hard-hearted, you will cry!

I've also read "Tuesdays With Morrie", Albom's first book. This is a non-fiction, and describes the last days of one of Albom's college professors. Morrie got Lou Gehrig's disease, and Albom goes to visit him once a week as he's dying. I love Morrie's outlook on life and how he accepted his impending death. This book I definitely cried in more than the others, but is one that everyone should read about once a year, just to keep a perspective on things. One thing that I really liked that Morrie did was have his funeral BEFORE he died. It was a party, a celebration, that he actually got to hear all the nice things about himself! (Of course, I believe that our spirits can participate in the funeral anyway, but I suppose it's not the same!)

I'm trying to make these entries shorter, but it just doesn't seem to be happening! Those of you who know me are not surprised by this as I tend to be quite the talker! Sorry!

Children's Book--Chasing Vermeer

This kids book by Blue Balliett is a mystery story. It takes place in Chicago, at a University School. Two kids, Petra and Calder, get involved in trying to solve a mystery when a priceless Vermeer painting is stolen on it's way to a Chicago Gallery. They use all sorts of different methods to link incredible coincidences and come to a conclusion.

I was a little disappointed in this book. For one, I felt like the author was making too many connections between events and people in the book. It was just a little too far fetched for me. Kids, on the other hand, might really appreciate this, I'm not sure. The other thing that really bothered me was the classroom scenes. Blue Balliett herself was a teacher at a laboratory school in Chicago. I suppose a laboratory school means that they weren't directed by state standards, because the classroom in this book was so unrealistic to me. The teacher was the kind of teacher that didn't have a curriculum. She just would think of a topic of interest, ask the kids questions about it and let them research it. Call me cynical, but I just don't see this working in a typical classroom. Maybe it was a classroom of gifted kids, but in a normal classroom, not every student would be engaged and administrators would not be ok with nebulous ideas and no real structure.

I see this alot in children's books I read. I feel like writers think that this kind of classroom is ideal. Maybe for a writer it is, but it's not likely to work for everyone, and certainly not in our current system of No Child Left Behind, high stakes testing, merit pay, etc. Perhaps this method would be the best way of teaching, but they're certainly not teaching teachers to teach this way nor creating an environment where it is possible. I guess I just get frustrated when kids read stuff like this and think "How come my teacher isn't like this? or I wish my teacher did stuff like this." , when it's not something we have complete control over anymore.

The one thing that was nice with this book was the illustrations. Brett Helquist is an LDS illustrator, famous for his illustrations in the Lemony Snicket "Series of Unfortunate Events". They were a pleasure to look at and added a lot to the story.

There is a sequel to the book called The Wright 3, but I don't think I'm going to rush to read it anytime soon. I just wasn't that impressed.