Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

Aug 28

#26: Here Comes Trouble (Donna Kauffman)

by kennithfreeman

Another week, another novel. I was not feeling incredibly well last weekend and decided I needed an easy read this week. So I grabbed another fluff read that I picked up on a recent trip to Half Price Books last month. Here Comes Trouble looked like an interesting, easy read — and with a price of $3 on the clearance rack, I couldn’t go wrong.

Here Comes Trouble is set in Vermont where Kirby has opened a small inn near the new ski resort. Unluckily, her establishment is suffering due to the unusually high temperatures and absence of snow. She seems destined to lose her business and all hope of finding success in life.

That’s when Brett rides into town on his Harley, clad in leather jacket and chaps. The mysterious stranger becomes the lone guest at the inn and he single-handedly turns Kirby’s world upside down. A recently retired professional poker player, Brett is running from his past in Vegas and desperately searching a future that will make him happy. An unlikely relationship ensues despite the fears and hesitations of each. Will this simply be a fling or will it turn into something more?

Kauffman’s storytelling is rich. By the time I reached the final 100 pages, however, I was ready for the story to come to an end. The novelty of the relationship had lost its impact and the plot was becoming predictable. Still, Here Comes Trouble was an enjoyable read in a busy week when I didn’t want to stretch my reading muscles too much.

fiction romance

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Aug 22

#25: Be Careful What You Wish For (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

I didn’t finish the novel as quickly as I had hoped, but I completed another novel this week. I returned to the Clifton Chronicles and read the fourth novel in the saga, Be Careful What You Wish For. This volume is largely focused on Emma’s development and the trouble Don Pedro continues to bring into the lives of the Clifton and Barrington families.

Emma now finds herself as chairwoman of the family business as the company completes the building of its first luxury passenger ocean liner. Don Pedro is doing everything within his power to make the enterprise fail and force Barrington Shipping into bankruptcy. In typical Jeffrey Archer fashion, the novel ends with a massive cliffhanger that insists the reader return for the next installment to find out what happens to these beloved characters.

Be Careful What You Wish For is filled with love, tragedy, suspense, and humor. Perhaps I enjoyed this installment more than the previous book because I took a break from the saga and did some other reading. Honestly, I think this is a better book that returns Archer to the status of storyteller that he first held with his earlier releases. Either way, Be Careful What You Wish For was a welcome return to a thrilling story that held my attention and captured my imagination.

fiction Series

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Aug 15

#24: The Reading Promise (Alice Ozma)

by kennithfreeman

I was thrilled to complete another book this week. The Reading Promise has been on my TBR for a while, but I just decided this week to purchase a digital copy and get to reading. The memoir wasn’t entirely what I expected, but I am very glad that I read it.

Alice’s father was an elementary school librarian. Together, they made a promise to spend 10 minutes each night for 100 consecutive days together – Dad would read aloud to Alice. When the young Alice and her dad reached their goal, Jim asked what the next goal should be. Alice quickly replied, “1000 days!”

Obviously, Jim was a little apprehensive about such a lofty goal. There had already been close calls when they weren’t certain that the reading would occur before midnight and The Streak would be broken. Still, Alice’s father knew better than to discourage a youngster. Together, they made the reading promise. The Streak would ultimately last for an amazing 3,218 nights, finally ending on the day that Alice moved into the residence hall at Yale University.

The Reading Promise is not about the books that the two read together. Instead, the memoir focuses on the relationship between father and daughter and how the act of reading together strengthened their bond. There are humorous moments such as reading by flashlight in the parking lot after an extremely late theater rehearsal. An unexpected illness makes the continuity of The Streak uncertain because Dad can barely speak above a whisper. There is the heartbreak of Alice at her mother’s departure from her home and the financial stress the single-income home faces. Above all, there is clearly love presented page after page.

If you are uncertain that reading aloud to children is important, read The Reading Promise. If you want to see what can happen when a parent connects with a child in a unique and personal way, read The Reading Promise. If you are passionate about the power of the written word, read The Reading Promise.

memoir

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Aug 13

#23: One Tuesday Morning (Karen Kingsbury)

by kennithfreeman

This novel should come with a box of Kleenex and a warning to only read in the privacy of your own home. Tears are going to flow. You have been warned.

One Tuesday Morning and its sequel have been in my book stack for many years. I have avoided diving in because I was not ready to relive the horror of September 11, even in a fictional setting. I am so glad that overcame my fear and read this beautiful novel. Not only did I laugh and cry with the characters, I also began to experience healing that I didn’t realize was still needed. I don’t guess any of us really know the emotional impact watching the terrorist attacks in New York City had upon us.

One Tuesday Morning centers around two men and their families. Eric Michaels is a Los-Angeles based investment banker who is committed to his job and ignores his family. Jake Bryan is a member of the FDNY and a godly man who is incredibly in love with God, his wife, and his young daughter, Sierra. On a crystal clear September morning in 2001, the men’s lives and those of their families are forever changed. Eric and Jake meet briefly in the stairwell of the South Tower when Jake drops his helmet as he bends to help Eric back to his feet after a fall. Shortly after the interaction, the entire world changes as buildings and lives crumble as a result of the attacks on America.

Miraculously, Jake is found beneath a fire truck in the aftermath. He is alive, but he has no memory of his previous life. He doesn’t even know who he is. While helping Jake reclaim his memories and former life, Jake’s wife begins her own faith journey that ultimately gives her strength for the many challenges ahead.

One Tuesday Morning reminds us of the importance of hiding scripture in our heart and allowing its truth to permeate every fiber of our being. The novel emphasizes the importance of family and faith and challenges readers to re-evaluate their definition of success and the American dream. I am anxious to continue following the story of these characters in Beyond Tuesday Morning.

Christian fiction

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Aug 7

#22: Rumor Has It (Elisabeth Grace)

by kennithfreeman

I admit it. I’m a sucker for a love story. I guess it’s just another sign that I am my mother’s son. Typically, I find these stories couched in something that is more akin to literature than smut. I prefer for my love stories to feature all of the emotional complexity without the graphic details.

There’s another genre that tells the stories for a more mature audience. Romance novels are a booming business. They often push details to the boundaries without getting too explicit. I don’t venture into this genre very often at all. But sometimes, you just want to read a little smut. Rumor Has It was available as an e-book this week and was free. I quickly found myself connecting with the characters and their story. The book was quite enjoyable.

Mason is a misunderstood hip-hop artist who is spending a few days out of the public eye in a Virginia beach house. Through a comedy of errors and some confusion about how to get into the house, Mason meets Ellie and is fascinated by her. The two get to know each other — although Ellie doesn’t recognize Mason as a star — and begin to fall in love. Rumor Has It explores the challenges of dating for celebrities while asking what you would be willing to give up in the name of love. This is the first book in Elisabeth Grace’s Limelight series that continues to follow the adventures of Mason and Ellie.

No, it’s not high literature and definitely a departure from the norm for me. It should come with a warning that the book is intended for mature audiences. Still, it was a nice diversion from the stress of the world and very entertaining.

fiction romance Series

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Aug 3

#21: Inside Out and Back Again (Thanhha Lai)

by kennithfreeman

I love visiting Half-Price Books whenever there is a store nearby. I head directly for the clearance stash to see what unknown treasures await me there for less than $3. This time, I visited a store in Oklahoma City and stumbled upon Inside Out and Back Again. The description grabbed my attention and the price sealed the deal that I would give this short novel a shot. I’m so glad I did!

Inside Out and Back Again tells the story of Hà, a 10-year-old girl living in war-torn Saigon in February, 1975 — the height of the Veitnam War. She lives with her three brothers and mother in a small house not far from the docks. Her father was a naval officer who went to fight for his land and has not returned. As things become more and more dangerous in South Vietnam, Hà and her family are forced to flee Saigon near the end of April aboard dilapidated boats hoping to reach Thailand. Hà and her family are among the boat people.

Their boat is met by U.S. sailors who take the refugees to Guam. As the family struggles to find stability in their temporary setting, they are forced to decide where they will immigrate. Hà and her family settle on the United States and ultimately land in Alabama.

In the American South, Hà is no longer seen as the intelligent student she has always been. Rather she spends much of her time feeling stupid. School becomes a place of ridicule and bullying. In order to gain acceptance in their new community, the family feels as though they must abandon their Buddhist faith and accept Christianity. What was promised as a land of opportunity and hope presents Hà with unimaginable challenges as she navigates a foreign land with very few friends and less understanding of the world around her.

Beautifully written in poetic form, Inside Out and Back Again is largely based on the experiences of the book’s author. Its gripping accounts of the feelings of a child in a war-ravaged land as well as the frustration of learning a new language are some of the hallmarks of this delightfully written novel. One of my favorite passages comes near the end of the book. Hà has begun after-school tutoring with a retired teacher, Miss Washington. In the poem entitled “Start Over,” Hà recounts a valuable lesson she has learned from her tutor.

MiSSSisss WaSShington says/ if every learner waits/ to speak perfectly,/ no one would learn/ a new language.

Being stubborn/ won’t make you fluent./ Practicing will!/ The more mistakes you make,/ the more you’ll learn not to.

They laugh.

Shame on them!/ Challenge them to say/ something in Vietnamese/ and laugh right back.

Inside Out and Back Again, 253-254

Inside Out and Back Again was published in 2011 by HarperCollins Children’s Books. The following year, Thanhha Lai’s work was listed as a Newberry Honor Book by the American Library Association.

Children’s literature fiction historical Newberry Honor Book

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Aug 1

#20: The Answer Is (Alex Trebek)

by kennithfreeman

Driving back to Texas is always a perfect time to fit in an audio book and increase my annual reading tally. This trip, I opted for a significantly shorter book because I also wanted to catch up on some podcasts that had stacked up on me while in Arkansas. I have long been a fan of the quiz show Jeopardy! and thought that listening to The Answer Is….Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek (read by the author and Ken Jennings) would be a great option.

The book required about 4 hours of my listening time. Most of the book was read by Jennings with a few pivotal chapters read by Trebek himself. Chapters were very short and succinct for the most part. By his own admission in the opening, The Answer Is was not intended to be a memoir. It was simply a look back at some of Trebek’s fond memories and his experiences in television and broadcasting. Perhaps that is where things fell flat for this listener. I found myself hoping for more detail quite often; just as I became interested in a story or recollection, the memory ended and we moved on to the next. In the quiz show, I enjoy the constant shift of topics. In my reading, it leaves me wanting more.

When the book arrived at Trebek’s memories of Jeopardy! contestants, the increased continuity made the listening experience much more enjoyable. I began to sense the rhythm of the book hitting a comfortable pacing. Then Alex basically ended the book as though it was his farewell swan song to his fans and family. It was heart-breaking.

What’s my final take on the book? I still don’t really know. I enjoyed much of it. I feel as though I have a better understanding of Trebek’s life and career. I find myself still having questions. I struggle with the knowledge that this man that I have welcomed into my home for many hours over the years will not be with us much longer if the doctors’ prognosis is correct. So much uncertainty and so many questions have me wondering what The Answer Is.

audio memoir non-fiction

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