Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Zafron

Just finished this for my book club online (pickwickreaders.blogspot.com) and I was a little late to the party. It took me a while to get through it, but here is my Goodreads review:

Oh boy. What DID I think of this novel? SO many things, I thought. The writing is BREATHTAKING. Looking at my copy, you'd think this was a textbook with all the underlining and stars. It is phenomenal to think that this is a translation. It is beautiful. It is kind of spooky. It is very mysterious. And I have some complaints.
1) Without spoiling, I would just like to say, the end came too quick and was too tidy. I felt like he got bored with writing halfway through and the mystery was just kind of...resolved. Not ...........almostresolved......still not....then resolved. If you get what I'm screamin'.
2) I felt like Daniel's dad was WAY underdeveloped, and I loved him as a character.
3) I didn't finish it and then want to start at the beginning again. That would have earned five stars. But I was secretly just relieved when I finished.

2010 In Review

I kept track of all of the books I read in 2010 and I even met this goal. I was pleased. In wrapping up 2010, here is a list of my favorite books that I read during the year.

Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
The Hunger Games (the whole series really) by Suzanne Collins
Too Much to Carry Alone by Camille Fronk Olson
The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis
Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
In A Heartbeat by Leigh Ann & Sean Touhy
Juliet by Anne Fortier
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
Roses by Leila Meacham
Lacemakers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Now I am compiling my list of what to read in 2011. Anyone have any recommendations?

Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush

I have always thought that Laura Bush was very classy and intelligent. I found her charming when she was the First Lady and I felt like she always showed her strength, even when the world was criticizing her husband. I really enjoyed her biography, Spoken from the Heart, and I felt like it was a great start to my book reading of 2011.

This book told the other side to so many stories that we all saw in the press and it was fascinating. In my opinion, regardless of politics and what decisions a president makes, he and the first lady are still people and deserve to be treated fairly. I think that President and Mrs. Bush showed class and I especially think it is great to see a strong couple that always had each other's back. Laura Bush comforted President Bush through a significantly hard period in our country's history. They faced 9/11 together, they faced war together, they faced Katrina together, and they faced an onslaught of public hatred towards President Bush and his decisions. Bottom line, I think she is an incredibly strong woman who provides an amazing example of a supportive and loving wife.

I also learned all sorts of random facts that I didn't know. For instance, did you know that the president and first lady have to pay for all of their personal expenses while they are in office? They are sent a bill for their food, dry cleaning, clothing, and all their personal expenses. They are also billed for any guests that they have at the White House or Camp David. They don't have a mortgage or utilities but they don't live free either. Never knew that!

I really enjoyed the stories she told as well as her devotion to her husband, her beliefs and First Lady priorities, and her family. I am thoroughly impressed. If you want a good biography, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

The School of Essential Ingredients

I am not exactly sure where the new craze for "foodie" or "recipe" type books came from but I am loving it. I just finished The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister and wow, just wow. The book was one of my favorite books I have read all year. It was the type of book that has passages that I would read and then re-read just to feel the words again.

One of my favorite passages that I read multiple times is this amazingness: "He sank into the warmth of his child's fragile body against his shoulder, watched in awe that a baby, still essentially asleep, could keep a death grip on the blanket that meant the world was safe and loving, marveling at the thought that it was he and Helen who gave the feeling to the blanket, and the blanket to the child."

That was just a little taste of the book. The book is amazing!

The book is about a cooking class that is held once a week. The story is told by devoting a chapter to each of the attendees at the cooking class, telling their stories and weaving in their participation in the class and the lessons they learn. It begins with the instructor, Lillian, who is a master of matching spices to individual moods. She began cooking at a young age out of self-preservation and used food to draw out her emotionally absent mother. Lillian has a beautiful ability in her cooking classes to tie cooking into each of her student's lives in a subtle and extraordinary way.

The story continues with each of the students stories interwoven with the weekly course. The characters are so delightfully described that you wish you had been in the class with them just to learn from each of them and get to know them personally. I felt invested in each of their lives and treasured the pages dedicated to each of them. I felt so happy when I finished the book and I have nothing but absolute rave reviews for this book.

Read it. Buy it for yourself for Christmas!

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

My blip about a lovely book:

Holy smokes. What took me so long to read this? It was incredible, beautifully written, totally captivating and a little odd. All things this reader (me) LOVES. Just a little bit of genius this week.

Jaclyn's (my fellow book snob friend) more eloquent way of putting it:

From the moment I read the opening pages, I was entranced by Krauss' novel. Her storytelling ability is complex and beautiful. She approaches love and loss without trite cliches and placating explanations. Reading this book reminded me why we fall in love and why it's so hard to let go when love leaves and then why it's so important to fall in love again. Truly an exceptional book--

And a few words from Ms. Krauss herself:

"He wondered if what he had taken for the richness of silence was really the poverty of never being heard."

"Desire was born early, as was regret."

The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews

I realize Katie recently reviewed another Andy Andrews book, The Butterfly Effect, but they didn't have that one at my library, so I picked up his other one, The Traveler's Gift. Just to warn you, I was feeling particularly high-browed and literary when I read this...

I feel like a jerk giving this book two stars, because the advice given is pretty well thought out, and I think this is probably Andrews' compilation of all the advice he'd like to give to his children. However, if you want to write a novel, WRITE A NOVEL. If you want to give advice, just give it and call it self-help. I felt like I was gagging down horrendously presented motivational quotes intermingled with NO style.

That said, if you need advice, this might be a good place to go.

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews

A darling book about two cooking shows having a face-off, each trying to win syndication of their own cooking show in the "big time." Tate and Gina are the classic protagonists, hating to love each other. Set in Georgia, there is definitely a healthy dose of Southern charm and fried food tangled in with some clever moments meant to spark a completely fabricated but lovable romance.

I really enjoyed reading this, although there wasn't as much "foodie talk" as I was anticipating. It was a cute little love story, and a good break from the intellectual reading I've been doing lately. There was a bit of language, but nothing too totally abrasive. I enjoyed the story and finished the book in about four hours.

3 stars. It's a library read, for sure.