Secret Life of Bees

Another great book! I listened to this one over the last two weeks and sometimes it was hard to turn the car off because I wanted to know what happened next. This is about 14-year-old Lily, a girl from South Carolina who runs away from home in search of love and information about her mother. She finds acceptance with 3 black sisters, where she learns about bees and life. Sounds kind of crazy, but I loved it! Funny, heartwarming and so good. Read it.

Read/Listened: July 7 - 21

Next Up for the Car: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I read it when it came out in 2007 but I'm dying to re-read, especially after I see the 6th movie)

Devil in the Junior League

Emily let me borrow this book several months ago and I finally got around to reading it. I loved it!! Devil in the Junior League is one of those quick-witted chick lit novels that manages to make you laugh and surprise you. The plot is this: The fabulous Frede Ware, Junior Leaguer extraordinaire, is shocked when her husband leaves her and takes her money. To get back at her ex and recover her money, Frede hires her uncouth neighbor, lawyer Howard Grout. In exchange, she has to get his leopard-print wearing wife Nikki into the Junior League. The book is set in a small town in Texas and captures Texas high society perfectly. Think a cross between Highland Park in Dallas and Bellaire in Houston. Its fun and witty and I couldn't put it down. Perfect for laying by the pool!

Read: July 11-18

Up Next: American Wife

Reading Lolita in Tehran

Amazon Book Review: An inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, Reading Lolita in Tehran is a moving testament to the power of art and its ability to change and improve people's lives. In 1995, after resigning from her job as a professor at a university in Tehran due to repressive policies, Azar Nafisi invited seven of her best female students to attend a weekly study of great Western literature in her home. Since the books they read were officially banned by the government, the women were forced to meet in secret, often sharing photocopied pages of the illegal novels. For two years they met to talk, share, and "shed their mandatory veils and robes and burst into color." Though most of the women were shy and intimidated at first, they soon became emboldened by the forum and used the meetings as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule. They discussed their harassment at the hands of "morality guards," the daily indignities of living under the Ayatollah Khomeini's regime, the effects of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, love, marriage, and life in general, giving readers a rare inside look at revolutionary Iran. Threaded into the memoir are trenchant discussions of the work of Vladimir Nabokov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and other authors who provided the women with examples of those who successfully asserted their autonomy despite great odds.

My Review: I'm not quite sure what I thought about this book. I was intrigued about the idea of a memoir about a women's book club, classic English novels and Iran. I liked the general idea and story, but got lost a bit lost when the author discussed books I have never read...like Lolita and anything by Henry James. At times it read more like a lecture than a memoir and, to be honest, I had to force myself to keep reading. I really liked the parts of the book that focused on the girls in the book club and their struggles to find freedom and identity in Iran...but I had to skim to get to those parts. So, I do recommend the book sort-of, but only if you've read the books she discusses.

Read: June 15-July 10

Author: Azar Nafisi

Pages: 340

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I finished listening to this book a few days ago but I had to let it gel before I could write a review. I really enjoyed this book. I think I liked it even a little more than Kite Runner. This book tells the story of two women, Mariam and Laila, as they each grow up in Afghanistan and how their lives come together. The story really grabs you and at the end of the book, I literally could not get out of the car because I had to know what happened next! Its similar to Kite Runner in that you get some of the history of the wars in that area, mixed with a really good story that is a bit emotional. I recommend!

Read (listened): June 2009
Related books: Kite Runner (same author, story is unrelated)

Next Up (for my commute): Secret Life of Bees

The Other Queen

This is Philippa Gregory's newest book about Mary Queen of Scots. I was less than impressed by this one. Aside from learning a little bit about Mary and her relationship with Queen Elizabeth, the book was pretty uneventful. For the entire 330 pages, Queen Mary is imprisoned with one of Queen Elizabeth's courtiers. The novel goes back and forth with Mary's attempts to escape and reclaim her throne. Nothing terribly exciting happens and I didn't get as wrapped up in the characters. I almost stopped reading halfway through.

So overall, unless you have a thing for English royalty, skip this one.

Philippa is coming out with a new one at the end of the summer called the White Queen. I hope its better.

Read: May 7 - June 11 (a whole month...that means it was dull)
Author: Philippa Gregory
Related Books: This is the last book in the series on the Tudor family. It comes after The Virgin's Lover chronologically.
Next Up: Reading Lolita in Tehran

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

I recently listened to this book during my commute and loved it! Perfect for anyone with a hint of a Jane Austen obsession. Courtney, a 21st century gal and avid Jane Austen fan, wakes up in the body and life of Jane Mansfield, circa 1814 (ie right after P&P was published). As Courtney adapts to life with corsets, men in tights, and no plumbing, she must discover as much as possible about Jane and how they traded lives. This book was very entertaining and fun. Sometimes it was hard to turn off the car when I got home because I wanted to find out what happened next.

Read (Listened): May 2009
Author: Laurie Viera Rigler
Related Books: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict (a sequel about Jane Mansfield's experience waking up in Courtney's life in the 21st century!)
Just for Fun: check out the author's website! Lots of Jane Austen fun.

Water for Elephants

This book really surprised me. In January, I was getting a pedicure and the woman next to me was reading it. We had a little discussion about books (I was reading Twilight at the time and so we talked about it). Anyway, she had about 10 pages left of this book when her pedicure was done, and I said she should just stay and finish the book (because we all know how hard it is to stop reading with only 10 pages to go!). So she finished the book and left. But less than a minute later, she walked back into the shop, handed the book to me, and said to enjoy. Total stranger just gave me her book. It caught me off guard and was a gesture I won't forget anytime soon! So I finally got around to reading it!

Water for Elephants is about Jacob, a young guy in the 1930s who hops on a circus train, ends up becoming the show's vet and falling in love, with a girl and Rosie the elephant. The story is punctuated with scenes from Jacob's life as an elderly man, looking back on his crazy days in the circus. The story reels you in quickly and is really hard to put down! I learned a lot about the early circus days and what life must have been like. I had no idea what to expect from this book and ended up loving it. I highly recommend!

Read: April 21 - May 3
Length: 330 pages
Next Up: The Other Queen (Philippa Gregory's newest book). I am also on a little Jane Austen kick so I'm re-reading P&P. Then I really want to read her other novels! Has anyone read any Austen besides P&P? Which one should I start with?