Queen of Babble - Meg Cabot

I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading this. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked it up, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Lizzie Nichols is the title character in this chick lit, and her big mouth often gets her in trouble. When she "graduates" from college and travels to London chasing a boyfriend she barely knows, she inadvertently sets herself up for the summer of her life. Things don't work out with that loser of a boyfriend, and she heads to France, where she stumbles upon a dashing man on the train ride there and spills her guts. Really spills her guts. It's so hilarious you just know she's going to see him again!

And she does, of course, because it's his father's house where her best friend is staying in France for the summer. And it's there where the truth comes out about her college education and plans for the future, her relationship with her now ex-boyfriend, and her crush on the guy she met on the train.

Of course there this book has a sequel. Two actually; Queen of Babble in the Big City, and Queen of Babble Gets Hitched. And of course I want to read them now.

150 best selling books of the last 15 years

I'm back! After a couple months I finally feel I have gained (a litte) ground on my bookshelf. I am no where near where I'd like to be as far as completed books go for the year, but I'll take what I have. I've been so distracted for the last 6 months by work and blogging, including my (not-so) new project, K Squared.

I do have some reviews coming, so stay tuned. In the mean time, check out the following.

USA Today, one of my favorite national newspapers, has listed their Top Selling Books of the last 15 years. I got this from Maggie's blog. And you know, I like to see where I measure up, so here are the rules: Bold what you've read, italicize what you own, star* books on your TBR list. Here we go!

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling

2. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution - Robert C. Atkins

3. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown*

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

10. Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson*

11. The South Beach Diet - Arthur Agatston

12. Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom

13. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown

14. What to Expect When You're Expecting - Murkoff, etal.*

15. The Purpose-Driven Life - Rick Warren

16. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

17. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

18. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini*

19. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - John Gray

20. The Secret - Rhonda Byrne

21. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki

22. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

23. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - and It's All Small Stuff - Richard Carlson

24. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

25. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert*

26. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer*

27. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

28. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

29. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

30. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden*

31. A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle

32. Oh, the Places You'll Go! - Dr. Seuss

33. The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz

34. Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt

35. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold*

36. Body-for-Life - Bill Phillips, Michael D’Orso

37. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer

38. Night - Elie Wiesel

39. Chicken Soup for the Soul - Jack Canfield, etal.

40. The Greatest Generation - Tom Brokaw

41. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer

42. The Celestine Prophecy - James Redfield

43. Wicked - Gregory Maguire*

44. Good to Great - Jim Collins

45. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

46. Eragon - Christopher Paolini

47. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells

48. Your Best Life Now - Joel Osteen

49. In the Kitchen With Rosie - Rosie Daley

50. Simple Abundance - Sarah Ban Breathnach

51. A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer

52. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

53. The Testament - John Grisham

54. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul - Jack Canfield, etal.

55. Deception Point - Dan Brown

56. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

57. Marley & Me - John Grogan*

58. Dr. Atkins' New Carbohydrate Gram Counter - Robert C. Atkins

59. Life of Pi - Yann Martel

60. The Brethren - John Grisham

61. The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide - Arthur Agatston

62. The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town - John Grisham*

63. For One More Day - Mitch Albom

64. The Polar Express - Chris Van Allsburg

65. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

66. The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow

67. What to Expect the First Year - Arlene Eisenberg, etal.

68. Love You Forever - Robert Munsch

69. Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss

70. A Painted House - John Grisham

71. The Rainmaker - John Grisham

72. Skipping Christmas - John Grisham

73. Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier

74. The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time - Mark Haddon*

75. Life Strategies - Phillip C. McGraw

76. Seabiscuit: An American Legend - Laura Hillenbrand

77. The Summons - John Grisham

78. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt

79. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

80. The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

81. Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown

82. The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger

83. Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson

84. The Giver - Lois Lowry*

85. Embraced by the Light - Betty J. Eadie

86. The Chamber - John Grisham

87. You: On A Diet - Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz

88. The Prayer of Jabez - Bruce Wilkinson

89. Holes - Louis Sachar

90. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown

91. The Shack - William P. Young*

92. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger

93. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen*

94. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini*

95. The Seat of the Soul - Gary Zukav

96. Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul - Jack Canfield, etal.

97. The Partner - John Grisham

98. Lord of the Flies - William Golding

99. Eldest: Inheritance, Book II - Christopher Paolini

100. The Broker - John Grisham

101. The Street Lawyer - John Grisham

102. A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

103. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

104. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer

105. The King of Torts - John Grisham

106. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell

107. The Horse Whisperer - Nicholas Evans

108. Hannibal - Thomas Harris

109. The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama

110. Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs

111. The Glass Castle: A Memoir - Jeannette Walls

112. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

113. The Last Juror - John Grisham

114. The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson

115. Left Behind - Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins

116. America (The Book) - Jon Stewart

117. The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

118. John Adams - David McCullough

119. The Christmas Box - Richard Paul Evans

120. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares

121. Sugar Busters! - Leighton Steward, etal.

122. Blink - Malcolm Gladwell

123. The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle

124. 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life - Don Piper

125. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien

126. 1776 - David McCullough

127. The Bridges of Madison County - Robert James Waller

128. Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts

129. The Ultimate Weight Solution - Phillip C. McGraw

130. Protein Power - Mr. & Mra. Michael R. Eades

131. Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul - Jack Canfield, etal.

132. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer

133. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides*

134. Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin*

135. You: The Owner's Manual - Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz

136. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List - Patricia Schultz

137. Self Matters - Phillip C. McGraw

138. She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb*

139. 1984 - George Orwell*

140. The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

141. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley

142. The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory

143. The Zone - Barry Sears, Bill Lawren

144. The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shreve*

145. The Lost World - Michael Crichton

146. Atonement - Ian McEwan

147. He's Just Not That Into You - Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo

148. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

149. The World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman

150. Cross - James Patterson

Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger

I did finally finish this chick lit. I don't have much to say about because my first thought after finishing it was "if this took me over 2 weeks to finish, it really wasn't that good."

And another thing, I have been busy with work, soccer, events, friends, my other blog, and various other distractions that I can't give this blog the time it needs.

Sooo, I'm on a break until further notice.

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.