#16 Olive Kitteridge- Is true love really so hard to hang on to?

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2009. I have learned that when book has a sticker on it that says something amazing that it won an award for, my expectations that it will be a great book increase exponentially and I am often disappointed. I feel this way about Olive Kitteridge. It is a great book that is designed to weave the story of one woman's life through the tangled history of many small town experiences. I liked Olive and I liked the way she showed up in the various vignettes. The thing I didn't like about the book is a continual theme of lack of fulfillment in marriage. I promise I am not living in a dream world and I understand that there are moments in marriages that lack the magic that was found in the beginning of the relationship, but I guess I want to hang on to my romantic notions that people really fall in love and stay in love. I struggled with Strout's perception that all marriages, even happy ones, often have some amount of unfaithfullmess. Regardless, I did love all the interesting characters she created and developed and I felt like I had taken a walk through this little town in Maine by the time I was finished. I am not adding this one to my list of favorites, but I still think it is a well-written, enjoyable set of stories that kept me interested throughout.

#15 How We Decide- You're going to love this one

How we decide by Jonah Lehrer was such a great read. Interestingly enough I read it as I was trying to make a very difficult decision. I would like to say that it gave me all the answers, but as much as it is great to have an amazing brain to work with, I am still grateful for advice from friends and God when you have a really tough decision to make, but that is all a little off the point. Lehrer takes a very complex process and breaks it down into manageable pieces. It is fascinating to hear his research and explanations on how the brain figures things out. It made me appreciate the capacity of this creation of God's that we understand so little about. I would highly recommend this book. I have been told that is along the same lines as Blink, but a better read.

#14 The Red Tent- This ain't no bible story

I have to say that enjoyed the first half of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent, but it had a little more getting to know each other than I really needed and so I didn't finish reading it. The story is a fictitious version of the events of surrounding the family of Jacob and his 4 wives Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah, and the only daughter mentioned in the bible, Dinah. This book handles the touchy subject of polygamy in a way that makes you believe that it could be possible for a man to to love and appreciate two women, even if the women don't always see eye to eye. The LDS church has a history of polygamy and it is sometimes difficult to imagine how the women of my own history could have survived and even thrived in these sorts of relationships. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I am all for a polygamist lifestyle, but I thought this author made a valid attempt to show the beauty that could come from a family like Jacob's. Don't read this book for a historically accurate view of the events surrounding Jacob and the House of Israel, but you might pick it up if you are curious about a uniquely different kind of love story. I'm interested to hear if anyone else has read this book and what you thought.

I have negleted my book blog

I just noticed that I have a few new followers so I felt compelled to explain my lack of posts on this blog. My apologies. Life got busy. I have started reading "Rough Stone Rolling" which is a book I have wanted to read for a long time, but I am not really far enough to make any meaningful comments. So don't give up on me. I will get back to reading soon. Please continue to tell me about the books you are reading. I am always excited to add new ideas to my list.

#13 My thriteenthe book was The Thirteenth Tale

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield was a very fun read. I'm going to warn you right away that there is some strange stuff going on in this book and that I almost turned back about a quarter of the way through, but I stuck it out and really enjoyed the adventure. The story is about a young woman who gets asked to write the biography of a famous author. The famous author has never truthfully told the story of her life and on her deathbed, she is ready to finally leave the truth behind. There are many twists and turns. There are unique characters that you may never meet the likes of again. There is a story that unwinds and unwinds and unwinds until you finally know everything. I promise it will keep you guessing. I definitely recommend this book, but not to your 14 year old daughter. Enjoy!

#12 Economics in One Lesson-Day One

Last night I was laying in bed with a miserable cold that I managed to contract last week and my stuffy nose and achy body would not let me sleep. So I turned on the light and picked up Henry Hazlitt's Economics in one lesson and started to read. What can I say, It's actually kind of interesting. The basic premise so far is that everyone out there is cuckoo. We have been taught that situations that create need, such as war, that appear to boost the economy have actually just diverted need. The demand for new homes, factories, and cars after a country has been demolished by war is a falsely created demand that would not have been there without the destruction. Had the country not have experienced war, there would have been a true demand for homes, cars, TVs, refrigerators, and other stuff because the people there would have been in the economic situation to have those things.
I am sure that is a poor explanation of what Hazlitt is trying to say, but I am only on the 2nd chapter. I will let you know if my understanding gets any less fuzzy.

I'm a little behind

It's great to hear that I have a few followers out there, so I thought I might apologize for being so slow on my next post. I do want to read Henry Hazlitt's Economics on one Lesson, but it looks so uninviting sitting on my night stand. The print is so tiny, that I feel like it will take forever to get through, so there it sits. Should I give up and move on to something else, or tackle this educational read. Stay tuned to see what I decide to do...