Hattie and The Host

We've selected the next two books that we will be reading...Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson and The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

Hattie Big Sky:

For most of her life, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one distant relative to another. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to leave Iowa and move all by herself to Vida, Montana, to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim. Under the big sky, Hattie braves hard weather, hard times, a cantankerous cow, and her own hopeless hand at the cookstove on her quest to discover the true meaning of home.

Natalie will be reviewing this book on June 5th.

The Host:

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Jennifer will be reviewing this book on June 30th.

We had a poll about which book to read next and the only votes we got were for Fever 1793. Would anyone like to do the review on this book? It's a great book and a pretty quick read. Please let us know if you would like to be the next reviewer!!

Once Upon a Marigold

Whew!! I didn't think I would be able to get this review posted in time since the library just got my copy of Marigolds in the day before yesterday!! BUT this book was a very easy read and kept me interested enough that I finished it really fast.

I really enjoyed this book. It really was "part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" and I thought that Ferris had a great imagination. Although the ending was kind of predictable (who didn't know from the very beginning that Christian was probably a prince?), it was how Ferris got us to the 'happily ever after' part that was so much fun.

I also enjoyed the characters and their development. Even though this was a fairy tale, and even though the characters were portrayed in a silly way, they still had me hating or loving each one of them in the end. The only characters that surprised me were Meg, who after not too long proved to be a little skanky (I wanted to kick her when she kissed Christian and then Rollo came in), and the triplets. In my mind, the triplets were like the evil step-sisters until we met them just before the wedding and I loved them.

Another thing that for some reason surprised me was that Olympia was drugging Swithbert, but after we learned that she was drugging him, it made sense all along. We're you surprised to learn that all of the girls were adopted? I was! You can probably guess that my favorite part of the book was when Swithbert explained to the girls that because he loved them from the first moment he laid eyes on them, and because he walked the floor with them when they were sick and taught them things like riding and cheating on cards, he was their real father. Yes, it brought a little tear to my eye, and no, I'm not afraid to admit it!!

Overall, I loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone...especially because it's clean and fun. Ferris did make a sequel...I think I am going to have to check out Twice Upon a Marigold!!

I've enjoyed the reviews with questions for us to answer, so I am going to add a few in on this review...

1. Did you like the book? Why or why not?

2. What if Christian had been found by one of the other magical inhabitants of the forest as a little boy? It could have been Tooth Fairy Mag, Hayes Centaur, etc. How would that have changed the story?

3. If you could have a birth gift like some of the characters in the book, what would it be?

Marigolds and Midnighters

It's that time again! Time to select our next books that we will be reading!!

This time, we will be posting the next 2 books that we will discuss so that everyone will have enough time to get the books!

First, we will be reading Once Upon A Marigold by Jean Ferris. This story is part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. It is "Happily-ever-after turned upside down, inside out, and completely over the top!" Jennifer will lead the discussion for Once Upon a Marigold on April 24th.

Then, we will be reading Midnighters by Scott Westerfield (you'll probably remember him from Uglies). Here is an excerpt from the book:

"Jessica paused at the front door. This had to be a dream: Millions of diamonds filled the air, floating over the wet, shiny asphalt. Only a few inches apart, they stretched as far as Jessica could see, down the street and up into the sky. Little blue gems no bigger than tears. Jessica raised a hand to touch one of the blue gems. The little diamond wobbled, than ran into her finger, cold and wet, and disappeared. Then Jessica realized what the diamond had been. The floating diamonds were the rain, somehow hanging motionless in the air. Nothing moved on the street or sky. Time was frozen around her."

Natalie will hold the discussion for Midnighters on May 15th.

The Appeal

**Don't read this if you haven't read (and plan on reading) The Appeal!**


I have mixed feelings about this book! It was definitely NOT one of my favorites by John Grisham. I liked the "good" characters in this book, and I disliked the bad characters in this book. I think that was how we were supposed to feel, so that's why the end was upsetting!! I assumed the bankrupt underdogs would win! Isn't that how things are supposed to happen in fictional novels??? I guess I never knew how much I appreciated a happy ending!

I really didn't like Carl Trudeau, so I enjoyed seeing his interactions with his wife. Having a trophy wife can make you a little miserable and cost you a lot of money! Money, obviously, does not buy happiness.

I loved Wes and Mary Grace, which made the ending that much worse! They seemed like really good people, and they lost everything to fight the good fight. I really wanted them to get some sort of settlement so they could live the life they desired, which was so simple compared to Trudeau's!

I'm kind of torn over Fisk. He seemed like a good family guy who got into a not-so-great situation. He ended up selling himself short. As his partner said, "The Ron Fisk I remember had great respect for the law. Justice Fisk seems determined to change all of it." It was very sad about what happened to his son.

I reread most of Grisham's novels, but I probably won't reread this one. The ending kind of ruined the book for me.

Here are some questions for you!

What did YOU think of the book?

We've seen in different books and movies that political positions are often "bought," like Fisk and Senator Rudd. Do you think that really happens?

What do you think about suing? That's kind of a tricky question.... I think it probably depends on the case. Some people do get a little carried away, but there are definitely legitimate cases where there was gross negligence. Would you have sued in the case of Fisk's son?

What kind of judges would you prefer in the supreme courts? Someone who declares themselves conservative or liberal and always makes the predictable decision, or someone like Judge McCarthy who made her decisions based on the circumstances of each case?

What Should We Read Next?

I was reading through our past suggestions, and we have a pretty good list! Here are some of our options:

Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Farris
Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
How to take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison
Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

I'll let you do your own research! :) Let me know what you think!

Stay tuned for The Appeal discussion.

The Appeal

The next book we will be reading is John Grisham's new book, The Appeal.

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it. Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

Go here for an exerpt from the first chapter of the book!!

Natalie will lead our discussion on February 28th.

Suggestions for Next Read

It's time for us to select the next read!

Let us know what you would be interested in reading next! The discussion will take place on February 11th.

Screwtape Letters

Well...I have to be honest...I didn't really like this book, which was really disappointing to me because I had heard such good things about it.

In previous reviews, everyone has posted what they enjoyed or found interesting about the book, but this time, I am going to just post a few questions and see what you all felt about the book instead.

1. Did you enjoy this book? Why? Why not?

2. Did you feel that the strategy of Lewis to write the book from the prospective of a devil trying to secure damnation of the 'patients' soul was effective?

3. Did your book have each word rewritten in pencil in Spanish above each line like mine did? :)

4. What do you think it is about God's relationship to man that Screwtape finds so unfathomable?

5. What were your thoughts of the book?