Going Rogue - Sarah Palin

First of all, I must admit that I did not read this book for pleasure. I read it for work purposes (and that's all I can say). I am not a Palin fan, I have actually blogged about it on my personal blog, but I needed to give her book a shot. I went in with an open mind.

But I still am not a fan. Her book did nothing but reiterate why she was not a good candidate for Vice President. Small town politics does not mean you are ready to run an enormous country. Just because Alaska has great natural resources doesn't mean you have the solution to all the world's problems. I do agree with her that the US needs to become more energy independent. I do not agree that that means relying solely on drilling. It's true that Alaska could provide the US with some oil, but it will only last for so long, and what happens when it's gone? I believe the US needs to consider alternative fuel sources as a long-term solution.

A few things I noticed.



On page 29, she talks about how Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was so instrumental in ushering legislation for Title IX, but doesn't mention the fallen Ted Kennedy. (Surprise, surprise).

On page 169, she mentions that her oldest son, Track, left high school for awhile and played on a travel hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan; ironically, my hometown.

On page 270, she defends her interview with Katie Couric and said that KC was badgering her about the magazines she read. She did admit that she handled that interview poorly because she was annoyed. Well guess what, when you're a politician, you need to better prepare for those "annoyances." What was the problem with just listing a couple newspapers and magazines and being done with the question?

In the end of the book, Sarah talks about how she resigned as Governor of Alaska, mostly in part to the lack of work her administration could complete because they were so innundated with ethics complaints. I do agree that if you are not able to effectively carry out your message and your promises, it would be hard to govern. And I've never been in politics so I can't really imagine the scenario. But where did all the ethics complaints come from? Surely not every single one of them was untrue. (Just my opinion of course).

I just find it so crazy why everyone is so fascinated with her.

Nanny Returns - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Oh my how I couldn't wait to read this sequel to The Nanny Diaries! I just loved The Nanny Diaries when I read it back in 2003, and a few years later, I moved 1200 miles from home to be a nanny, so when I heard a sequel was coming out I was thrilled to receive a copy.

The story returns with Nan Hutchinson who is married to "Harvard Hottie", aka Ryan, and has recently moved back to the U.S. (NYC to be exact) after traveling all over the world for her husband's job. She is finally glad to be back, although their house renovation project keeps her from actually living in her new home. What she is also glad to have is the start of an HR consulting business, and friends from long ago. Well...what she thinks are friends (really a bunch of snobs).

Then bam - one day Grayer shows up at her door, and hence...the return of "Nan-eh!" and the X family. Except Grayer is now a disturbed teenager with a kid brother. Who is in need of some serious help and guidance as his parents are off making messes of their own lives. When Mrs. X asks Nan to help Stilton, Grayer's kid brother, with some school projects, she agrees.

Only you just know that once she says yes...

Pretty soon, Nan is the only worthy female figure in Stilton's life (and Grayer's too, but he seems to have it out for her). I couldn't believe some of the things Nan ended up doing for the X boys because of their folks...first of all, she stood in for Mrs. X so Stilton could get into a prestigious school, she helped the boys as their life unraveled when their parents split up, she took the boys into her care for a week - a week! - when Mrs. X was "off receiving cancer treatments" that didn't turn out to be cancer at all, and Mr. X couldn't deal after the truth came out about his investment firm being so far in the hole and his famous actress-fiance left him. Whew!

All the while, Nan's husband was absent working, pressuring her to have a baby, all of her friends were actually having babies, and her consulting project required her to become a little too familiar to Grayer's life at a prep school. And all the teenage shenanigans that came with that. As shocked as I was to read about some of the activites in which the teens were partaking, I really shouldn't be so surprised. It was NYC after all.

In the end, Nan realized what a great mother she would make as she considered asking Mrs. X for custody of the 2 boys. And after having it out with Grayer, her husband came home and she felt content again. Happily ever after, right? Or will there be another one?

*Disclaimer: I received this novel from Kathleen at Simon & Schuster.

The Christmas Secret - Donna VanLiere

This was a quick, easy read for the holiday season.

From the book jacket:

When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets in motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination -all the while setting her on the path to finding true love.

Life isn't easy or simple for Christine Eisley, the hardworking mother of seven-year old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband goes out of his way to make her life extremely difficult. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, and because she's behind in the rent, she needs to find another place to live. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson's department store, the owner of Wilson's wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing the job she depended on to feed her kids. Marshall Wilson sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious "Christy." It's the last job Jason wants...but is finding Christy the one thing he really needs? To protect herself from being hurt yet again, Christine holds her secrets close, but in the end it's the discovery of a safely guarded secret that will change the course of her life forever.

The Christmas Secret is a novel for anyone who wants to see how love is a gift that keeps giving back; that hope is a treasure that never runs dry; and that faith is a miracle reborn with each new day.

I really rooted for Christine. She's one of those really likable, slightly naive, really hardworking mothers who is really looking out for her kids. I hated her ex-husband and all the trouble he brought her. I hated her landlord who couldn't give her one last break, and for most of the book, I hated her neighbor...who I thought was just nosy.

When Christine saves a woman's life, she does so because she's a good person. But saving the life makes her late to work, and in turn, she loses her job. Rundown yet again, she schelps along looking for work. When an older lady takes a chance on her, she settles into her new job pretty quickly, but then a mysterious man appears, looking for "Christy." Never really thinking someone could really be after her for a good reason, and not just sent by her ex-husband, she does all she can to avoid him.

But things keep getting worse for Christine. She gets evicted for not paying rent and must find somewhere to go. Her kids' Christmas presents get stolen from the trunk of her car while she works late one night.

But then one day, gifts begin arriving in her car. And money too. It's like a miracle...only finally Marshall Wilson and his grandson Jason have figured out that she's "Christy", the Christine who saved Marshall's employee, and they are saying thank you. Pay it forward type of thing.

A great read for Christmas, as it truly is the season for giving.

Disclosure: I received this book from Anne at The Book Report Network.

2009 Recap

I actually wasn't sure how I was even going to recap my 2009 reading, then I spotted this meme on Marie's blog and thought, well here's an easy way out! My year in review. Enjoy!

How many books read in 2009? 38
How many fiction and non fiction?
26 fiction, 12 non-fiction
Male/Female author ratio?
12 male, 25 female, 1 male/female combination
Favorite book of 2009?
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Least favorite?
Tie between Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and Scott Smith's The Ruins. With both I had really high expectations (partially due to hype) and was extremely disappointed.
Any that you simply couldn’t finish and why?
I don't think so - I toughed 'em all out this year!
Oldest book read? Revolutionary Road - originally published in 1961
Newest?
I think that would be The Christmas Secret by Donna VanLiere.
Longest and shortest book titles?
Longest: NUTS! Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success by Kevin & Jackie Freiberg. Shortest: Lottery by Patricia Wood
Longest and shortest books?
Longest book: Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Shortest: The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.
How many books from the library?
Zilch. I'm not a borrower really...I buy and trade.
Any translated books? I don't believe so ?
Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?
Jodi Picoult wins with 2. This is not new as I hope to read everyone of her books.
Any re-reads?
No re-reads.
Favorite character of the year?
Oh, I really loved Lizzie Nichols in Queen of Babble in the Big City - that girl can't keep her mouth shut to save her life and it cracked me up!
Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading? Ireland, Spain, Egypt (and everywhere in between in The Alchemist), the Mexican jungle, all over the U.S. of course.
Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation? I wouldn't have read Len Williams' Justice Deferred, which is based on a true story.
Which author was new to you in 2009 that you now want to read the entire works of? Not sure on this one. I guess if it's hard to answer that then my answer is no one, right?
Which books are you annoyed you didn’t read?
More annoyed that I read The Lost Symbol really. It really put me behind about a month in my reading.
Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?
Yes - I really wanted to read The Time Traveler's Wife this year and finally did it, and I loved it!

There you have it - finally - my year in review. Phew.

Brazen Careerist - Penelope Trunk

This was one of the best business books I have ever read. I have written a lot about Penelope Trunk recently on my personal blog, and she truly does have great life advice - it's not all business. Here are a few of my favorite passages from this book:

"The only way to lead an interesting life is to encounter uncertainty and make a choice. Otherwise your life is not your own - it is a path someone else has chosen. Moments of uncertainty are when you create your life, when you become who you are." (p. 12)

"So you have to find your authentic self: know what you are passionate about. What is really driving you to talk about what you talk about? Understanding your personal motivations is the first step toward projecting your authentic self. You will change throughout the years, but the practice of projecting who you really are will not change, once you learn how to do it." (p. 109)

"A great career doesn't fall on you. You have to seek it out by moving in the direction toward which your heart pushes. If you know yourself and you take passion seriously, your work will provide structure and support for a happy life." (p. 194)

I also really loved that she talked specifically about money. Even I sometimes get caught up in the money aspect of work, but Penelope wrote about the $40,000 rule - that research shows it really that amount of money that makes people happy. I agree that much less and much more than that probably brings a lot more added stress. Something to keep in mind as I move forward in my career.

Fall Into Reading Challenge Wrap-up

The Fall Into Reading 2009 is coming to a close. My goal was to read 5 books and I finished with 7! Here's what I read: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (for the record, I don't recommend it), Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot, A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, Julie & Julia by Julie Powell, The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano and Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk.

Thanks to Katrina at Callipidder Days for hosting this challenge!

GIVEAWAY!!

This is my first giveaway here at Katie's 101 books!

I was contacted by Anne at The Book Report Network to receive a review copy of The Christmas Secret by Donna VanLiere, and I received an extra copy to share with one lucky reader! Since it's already December 13th, I will open this contest now and close it at 8pm Thursday, December 17. I will pick a winner that evening and get the book in the mail on the 18th.

Thanks to Anne and The Book Report Network for this giveaway!