SUMMER READING REVIEWS

I have had the opportunity to read a lot this summer!  I LOVE reading.  And I love sharing what I have read with all of my faithful readers (ie. my mom and my sister!)  So here are my book reflections.

I recently re-read "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen because my daughters are reading it.  I love this story.  At it's heart, "Sense and Sensibility" is about two girls with completely opposite personalities, and the struggle to find love when you're either too romantic or too reserved for your own good.  What I really like is that Marianne and Elinor still love and cherish each other, even though their polar opposite personalities frequently clash.  (Sound familiar, sister?)  What's more, they each have to become more like the other before they can find happiness.  It is definitely one of my personal "classics."

I really loved reading "Making More than Music" by Gary McCallister out-loud to my husband as we drove to Ohio.  After each chapter, we would discuss the concepts that were illustrated and how we can apply them to our own lives.  This book is filled with "gems" of wisdom.  And the quotes at the beginning of each chapter are perfectly chosen.  I found myself wanting to immortalize them for my own piano and voice students.  Relating life to music makes sense.

While we were in Utah, we saw a preview for the movie, "Gone Girl."  It looked intriguing to me (but it also looked as though it would probably be rated R.)  So when I saw the book by Gillian Flynn, I thought I would read it.  Warning:  There is WAY too much foul language.  AND the ending STINKS!  (I can't stress how much I hated the ending.)  My advice:  Don't read it.  If you want to know the story, I'll tell it to you.

I also decided to read the novel "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs.  The idea of this book is kinda intriguing.  Riggs collects old photos and wanted to use them to tell a story.  The pictures were cool.  They added a whole new dimension to the story and didn't detract from a great story line.  The plot was actually compelling.  My problem with the book was the language.  Teen novels should not be filled with so many swear words (especially the Lord's name in vain.)  So once again, I can not, in good conscience, recommend this book either.

Let me end on a positive note:  If you want to laugh and be truly entertained by a GREAT novel, read "The Code of the Woosters" by P.G. Wodehouse.  Wooster's is a different world.  Bertie Wooster is over-educated but under-intelligent; he is useless to society but wealthy beyond any thing; he is completely numbed by the simple pleasures of an aristocratic life, but always there for his family and friends in a pinch.  Amusing enough, very few of the people that Bertie is enlisted in helping actually deserve anyone's aid.  He is usually blackmailed into putting himself into the most problematic positions.  What makes Bertie's antics more amusing is that he things he is a man of wit and decisiveness.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jeeves, his gentleman's gentleman, is the man who usually saves the day.  Without giving anything away, just know that I laughed out loud constantly.  Kotten Kandy even did a spit-take at one point.  This book is filled with situational comedy and wonderful dry wit.
So, if you have read all of my reviews, I recommend that you go read a good book today.