What are you reading?

Let's make a list of what everyone is currently reading ...

Eat Cake

I finished reading this book just before the Christmas break, and loved it.  It's short, funny and well-written, by Jeanne Ray.  This isn't the kind of book that would provoke deep thoughts or intellectual conversations; it's just a fun read that makes you feel happy.  So if you're in the mood for something light that will make you chuckle to yourself, then give it a try!  Plus, it'll have you dreaming of cake.  :)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Well, The Gilead is on backorder at the library so I put a hold on it and checked out The Alchemist. It sounds interesting. This is the exerpt from Wikipedia.

The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a bestseller novel that is the most famous work of author Paulo Coelho. It is a symbolic story that urges its readers to follow their dreams.
Originally published in Greece in 1988,[1] The Alchemist has been translated into 61 languages, a Guinness world record for the book translated in most languages.[citation needed] It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history.

Santiago, a boy living in Andalusia, leads a common life of travel through his trade of shepherding and entertains thoughts of marrying a merchant's daughter. One day he has a dream in which a child tells him to go to the Egyptian pyramids, a destination that will apparently lead to treasure. He consults a gypsy to interpret his dream, who simply tells him to go to the Pyramids to find the loot and asks for a tenth of his future treasure instead of a fee for her service. He becomes discouraged by this advice, yet she assures him that the wisest men would agree with the simplicity of this special case. However Santiago dismisses the dream and plans to continue on with his daily life, while he sits to read a book an old man strikes up conversation with him. The old man tells him the book is a troublesome one and later reveals himself to be Melchizedek, the King of Salem. He tells Santiago to continue on his quest and where to find the treasure for 1/10 of his herd. Santiago agrees and proceeds to sell his sheep and buy a ticket to Tanger, departing with the gift of Urim and Thummim from the King.
In Tangier, Santiago is tricked by a thief and loses his money and posessions. Discouraged, he curses his fate, however looking within his bag he sees Urim and Thummim and tries a simple test with them seeing if they can really help him make decisions, which turns out to be true. This reminds him of the old king and Santiago finds newfound resolve to continue his quest. Santiago also goes to the Sahara Desert, and falls in love.
When Santiago finally reaches the Pyramids, he is attacked and has to admit that he is searching for a treasure there. One of them laughs and reveals that he once had a dream about finding treasure in the very church where Santiago first had the dream. Santiago then returns to the church and finds the treasure, thus realizing his dream.

The Magician by Michael Scott

The Magician is the sequel to The Alchemist, the first in the series of young adult science fictions books. The third book, The Sorceress is coming out around May 2009. It was a super fun book, a quick and entertaining read. If you like science fiction kind of stuff (Stephanie Meyer without the romance and Lord of the Rings in the 21st century) then you will like these easy books. I would highly recommend them especially to teenagers and pre-teens. The book is basically filled with magical creatures and people with magic powers and immortal life. There are no bad words, sexual innuendos and even the violence isn't very graphic and gory. I listened to the first book on mp3 while I was excercising and it kept me going and finished the second book in a weekend. Very fun.

What should we read NEXT??!!!

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

I love children's books that purport to have disguised an important and moral-based theme into an otherwise charming story. The movie came out and I thought nothing of it until a couple of people remarked that the children's book was actually quite intelligently written with good lessons for children and adults alike.

I have to say, the messages did seem quite mature for the audience they were intended for but, at the same time, unfortunately appropriate for quite a few children I know; including themes regarding betrayal and parental abandonment.

DiCamillo also has a very interesting style of writing which was very entertaining. The book was written as if a narrator was telling you a story and sometimes talks directly to the reader. I also heard it compared to the Grimm's Fairy Tales which I absolutely love. She also uses large words which I think would be so great for kids to get interested in developing vocabulary.

I think this is a great book for kids as well as adults. It's a quick, fun read with a good moral ... We aren't always going to get what we want out of life but it's important also to have dreams, let's just make sure they're realistic and attainable.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

This is the second Barbara Kingsolver book I have read. The first was The Poisonwood Bible and I LOVED IT! It was a really great story; interesting and intriguing. This one was different, I still liked the book but I didn't LOVE it. The story was a bit dull. I guess I find myself reading something in order to escape for a time into a life more compelling than my own. I found myself hoping that the character in this book would end up having more of an adventure, it left me a bit let down.

This story is about a young girl, Taylor, who leaves home in lieu of staying in her "go nowhere" town where basically her only option is getting pregnant and being a young mom. She wants something better / more for herself. You find yourself rooting for her - go get 'em, make something big of yourself. Instead she ends up in another "go nowhere" town and, surprise, being a young mom. I think she realizes that this is the "something big" she was destined to do. It's not earth-shattering or monumental - except to herself and her "daughter". The side story is interesting but there wasn't enough details to be exciting. All it really does is make me feel like Taylor is just a bit selfish and self centered. The end of the book is beautiful and touching, however, and I feel she did a great job at resolving the conflicts.

Kingsolver has a way of making me feel uneducated about social and political issues of different cultures, like I'm not just isolated but a bit ignorant regarding societal calamities around the world. The Poisonwood Bible made me feel interested in learning more about African culture and history whereas The Bean Tree just made me feel a bit depressed and helpless. It's almost as if she's saying to her readers - be cognizant of the world and people around you, but in the end there's not much you can do to change things. I know the optimistic view of this conclusion, and maybe your opinion of the moral of the story, would be to say that one can't change the world but just a few of the lives of those in it.

In the end, I would recommend the book just not highly. Her style of writing is almost lyrical and so it is entertaining.

About My Bookshelf

I read quite a bit. I have friends who are also avid readers. To these friends I invite you to read along with me and share your comments and reactions as well. It would be great to use this site to recommend books, and even movies, to each other. Want to be listed as a contributor? Just let me know and we can all add our own reviews - an online book club!