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Night Circus

What a strange book.  It was good though.  I liked it.  I saw it on a bestseller list and thought it sounded funky.  Why not? 
It's about a magical circus that is only open through the night and moves from place to place secretly.  It's about a boy and a girl, pitted against each other unwillingly by their guardians to compete in a duel of illusions.  They compete through venues at the circus.  But of course there is the love story factor. 
What a cleverly descriptive book.  It's almost overwritten.  The circus is amazing.  Somewhere you could lose yourself as so many in the story do.
It's a pretty clean book.  The one f-bomb is in the beginning of the book and then one short, clean sex scene is all there is.  The characters are people you can picture easily and the book has steady flow. 
One of my favorite sayings in this book:  "You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someones soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose.  That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they will do because of it, because of your words."

Garden Spells

Way to go Courtney!  I couldn't put this book down.  It had good flow and a easy story.  I don't know how to describe the garden, but I loved the "magical" side of it.  And I love the "character" of the Tree.  I like that it had a bit of everything also.  From love, to fear, to history and so on...  I really enjoyed this read and look forward to reading more by this author.  It did have some language and some sexual content.  Not overwhelming though. 
Story about a "strange" family in a small town.  The townspeople have a certain respect for the Waverly's but don't particularly want to be their best friends.  This is a story about coming home and finding your roots and loving without being afraid that it could go away.  Beautifully written.  Can't believe I have never read her books before.  Someone please read this so I can chat with you about it.

The Solace of Leaving Early

By Haven Kimmel
So, if you remember right, I LOVED Haven Kimmel's "A girl named Zippy"!!  One of my all time faves for sure.  So when a few people told me this book changed them a bit, I was stoked!  This is a novel, not a memoir like Zippy.  But I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  Yes people, it has taken me forever!!!  It is a read before bed but nothing more kind of book.  I will admit that it may take a certain mind frame to be in.  Not sure.  Here' what I thought.
Pretty clean book.  I think there was 1 f-bomb and a little violence.  That being said, it's pretty deep.  There were times I skipped several pages to get back to the story and out of the clouds.  It was moving along fairly well at one point only to jump like an Olympian to the end.  So I feel like it wrapped up pretty fast. 
The story is of a pastor and pretty much a spoiled woman that meet under circumstances regarding 2 children that witnessed their parents die.  They become caregivers to the girls, but continue to hate each other to death!  What happens in between all comes down to a dream.  Did I mention the little girls speak with the Virgin Mary daily.  Yep, it's a pretty deep book.  Not a hard read, but deep.
I most likely will not read this book again even if I were in the mood. 

"I Don't Have Time To Read"

So, sadly, I was working with a woman this past week that told me she didn't have time to read.  How tragic!  I was thinking that was like saying I don't have time to breathe!  That being said, I did think, not out loud, that I really don't have time to post on the blog about all the books I read.  I didn't think this lady would feel the same so we didn't get into this debate.  But as I thought about it, I really did think this was tragic.  A little background:  I never read a full book until my 20's.  There you go.  My dirty little secret.  How did I ever make it through school?  Who knows? But what I know now is how much I missed out on.  When I read, I am transported to another place and time where dinner for my family is a last on my to-do list.  (Poor children)  When I read, I am happy.  I LOVE a good book that I haul around with me wherever I go.  I love having to read "just one more chapter".  I love the smell of the pages and the click of the kindle.  I love having kids that love to read.  If I am reading a really good book, I will take it from room to room with me hoping to get a page in.  But even if I am reading a mediocre book, I read daily.  Right be fore I go to bed at the very least.  Sometimes I have to read the last few paragraphs to remember what happened as I was so tired the night before.  So, here's to the woman that doesn't have time to read.  You have my pity.  Make time if you desire to read.  It sounds like you could use it more than anyone!
That being said, when the dust cleared after our remodel, I bet you can guess what my favorite upgrade is....
Yep, this beauty was custom made to fill in this wall.  16 shelves to fill and believe me, I will.
I. LOVE. TO. READ!!!

Bookshelf, I love you!

Some of the books I have been reading.  Forgive me if I don't go into detail.  I have to get back to the current read.  So, "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson.  Fabulous!  Painfully honest and at times, a downright tear jerker.  I love how she doesn't sugarcoat anything about her horrific accident and recovery, but that she tells of ways she made it through.  Highly recommend this one.

"The Little Giant of Aberdeen County" by Tiffany Baker.  I couldn't put this one down but I don't know why exactly.  I thought it would have a grand ending, but no such luck.  It was actually kind of a downer book, but it had good flow and was intriguing.  Very clean also.

This one......wowow!  "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one powerful book about overcoming odds.  This is an autobiography about a woman escaping an arranged marriage to a cousin she had never met and becoming a hated enemy of Muslims everywhere.  Her story is awful and fantastic!  If you are a lover of politics or love to learn a little more about the Islam faith, this is quite amazing.  Some of this book is difficult to read as she talks about genital mutilation but she does not go into gruesome detail.  For the subject, I thought it very tasteful.  Shocking reality here folks.  This stuff is going on today.  Honor killings have even rocked our nation. 

So, I am now reading one of my favorite authors again.  Haven Kimmel that wrote "A Girl Named Zippy" has a novel out called "The Solace of Leaving Early."  I am just starting it, but will let you know how things go. My parting words....

FIND TIME!

Stuck in the series

AUGH! I am stuck in this series and can't get out! Sadly, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know either. It is full of violence, sex, language, you name it. And of course, I read on. Sad. However, Larsson creates a pretty compelling story and the characters in this book are maddening! Lizbeth Salander is an intriguing and amazing heroine/victim/not sure what! I won't go into a lot of detail here because fairly certain no one I know will read it, but if you are in for an intense read with a lot of weird twists and turns, let me know and I will fill you in.

Moon Over Manifest

So, so cute! I loved this one. It reminded me a lot of "Saving CeCe Honeycutt". Just a well written, easy read about a little girl and trying to find a home. Like many books I have read recently, this skips a little bit in time back and forth, and I love that. You feel like you could be friends with any of the characters in this book. It also is a small town book which make it all the more endearing to me as a small town girl. It is a Newberry winner and it can be enjoyed by anyone adult and child alike. Very clean and easy to understand. Love it.

NOW, anyone got a good one for me? Cause I am in need....help a sister out