Book banning?

I promise not to make this a political post, but did you know that as Mayor in Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin questioned the librarian about the possibility of banning books? She then threatened to fire her, although she never did. Read about it here.

On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan

First off, this was not the best book I've read recently. What tends to happen with me is that a book is so hyped up and I get very excited to read it but for some reason can't seem to find the time to finish the book. So once I actually do finish it, it just wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Don't get me wrong, McEwan can definitely write and I will probably read another of his works, but it just didn't affect me like I thought it would.

On Chesil Beach is about the wedding night of Edward and Florence, who were married in 1962. They are in love, which is evident, but do not know how to communicate about sex and so both have much tension about consummating the marriage. Add to that the fact that they come from completely different backgrounds - Florence came from a sophisticated, well-to-do family and the thought of sex is well, revolting to her. Edward on the other hand, is extremely excited that he will finally have this moment with his new wife. The tension around this event is so heavy that it creates a devastating, life-changing situation for the newlyweds.

What happens after that highly anticipated moment? Well, you'll have to read it to find out. It's short - my paperback copy is 203 pages - so it won't take you too long.

A few others who have reviewed this book:

• Books I Done Read
• Caribousmom
• 1 More Chapter

Tell me what you think.

Summer is over...moving right into fall!

I just returned from a trip home to Michigan, where I attended a birthday party, a wedding, and many visits with family and friends. I'm back in Florida with lots of work projects, a possible hurricane (or several) headed my way, and another wedding this weekend, in which I am a bridesmaid and so I will be very busy this week!

Coming soon, a review of On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan.

Mistaken Identity - Don & Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerak with Mark Tabb

From the back:

A grief reversed. A hope deferred. The stunning true story of two families trading places from graveside to bedside.

Five lives were lost in a tragic accident involving a Taylor University van, and one young woman, severely injured and comatose, was rushed to the hospital.

Five funerals were held. Families, faculty, students and communities grieved their losses and joined in prayer and hope as the one young woman, Laura Van Ryn, fought for her life in a hospital bed. The national news spread the story, and people everywhere shared the grief and the hope.

Five weeks passed for the Cerak family. Believing they had buried their
daughter, the Ceraks clung to their faith and worshipped Gof through their tears, learning to look forward with hope to an eternal reunion with their lovely daughter Whitney. They spent weeks of mourning and grief surrounded by loved ones, slowly moving toward healing.

Five weeks passed for the Van Ryns. Keeping a constant bedside vigil over their precious daughter Laura, they sat and prayed and hoped. Confronted with tubes and surgeries, vital signs and healing signs, they rejoiced at each tiny advance toward recovery. Their friends and church and family members, along with a steady stream of students, celebrated with them each sign of Laura's healing.

And then the shock!

"Okay, Laura, I would like you to write your name for me," the occupational therapist said.

W-H-I-T-N-E-Y

An event that could be seen as pure tragedy becomes a celebration of life's unfathomable gifts and mysteries.

Amazing and heartbreaking story. I don't really have the words to express my feelings about this book. I am not a religious person, but both of the families affected by this tragedy really relied on their faith to pull them through these horrific events.

It was eerily odd to read about Taylor University and the towns of Caledonia and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids is about an hour north of my hometown, and I am familiar with the hospital and rehabilitation center where Whitney recovered.

My heart goes out to these families. It's really incredible the bond they forged and that they were able to adopt a positive attitude through their tragedy.

my new project

I decided I don't already have enough on my plate what with work, soccer, volunteering my time for the Children's Advocacy Center and its upcoming fashion show, networking events, time with friends, not to mention the plethora of upcoming weddings of my friends/family, that I would start another blog.

Visit here.

Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name - Vendela Vida

First of all, has anyone been paying attention to Tropical Storm Fay? Well it's lingering around my house and won't stop dumping rain and huge wind gusts on us. My boyfriend and I went to Key Largo last weekend to celebrate his birthday and were evacuated on Sunday morning because of the impending storm. Fay has since made her way north and is hovering a bit too close to my territory.

That said, I had some extra reading time today because we had a half hurricane day - and we have another full day tomorrow! Here's to more reading time (maybe).

Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name was a fascinating look at Lapland, the area north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Vendela Vida, who won the Kate Chopin Award for this novel, spent three years and several trips to the icy land to write the book. It begins with the death of Clarissa Iverton's beloved father. Shortly after his funeral, she finds out that he was not her biological father after all, and that her fiance kept that secret from her for years. Clarissa also has not seen her mother in over a decade, and knowing that her mother was once in Lapland, sets out to find her biological father. In the process, she meets some nice Sami folks, who actually know more about her than she thinks in the beginning.

It is there, on the other side of the world, that she discovers she is pregnant with her fiance's child. But she doesn't necessarily want to return to him. After figuring out that her mother was raped and that she is living on this cold, dark side of the world, she tracks her down - only to realize her mother has no interest in being a parent, and does not care that Clarissa is about to be one herself.

This is a devastating story of family; a nice, intelligent woman discovers her whole life has been a lie and that her fiance knew it all along, and that her mother does not care about her, and that she is the product of a brutal rape. It was a very intriguing story, a real page-turner, but the ending was quite anticlimactic and not what I expected. Still, it is worth the read.

In Their Shoes Challenge Update

Completely unintentionally, the last 4 books I read were memoirs! I have officially completed the In Their Shoes Challenge! YAY!

Here's what I read, with links to my reviews:

So Many Books, So Little Time - Sara Nelson*
Lucky Man - Michael J. Fox
The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
Candy Girl - Diablo Cody**
The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch
Sister Salty, Sister Sweet - Shannon Kring Biro & Natalie Biro
Night - Elie Wiesel
The Mistress's Daughter - A.M. Homes
Hannah's Gift: Lessons of a Life Fully Lived - Maria Housden
Three Little Words - Ashley Rhodes-Courter

*I didn't review this as I started my book blog after I had already finished. I'm including it in the challenge though, because I read it after January 1.
**I did not fully review this book. Click on the link to see my tiny remark.

I'm hoping I can read even more memoirs/biographies before the end of the year, considering the large amount I've got waiting to be read on my bookshelf.