Sarah's Key

This book has been on my list for awhile now, mostly because of its Paris setting (I'm in love with Paris and the French language), and partly because of its subject matter: Nazi-occupied France and the deportation of Jews. As a teacher of World War 2, it's helpful for me to research and gain further knowledge of that particular, though extremely sad, period of time. Prior to reading this book, I had no knowledge of the Vel' d'Hiv roundup that occured on June 16, 1942, nor did I ever learn about the instrumental role the French police played in these tragic and inexcusable events. My leisurely strolls through the Marais in Paris certainly would have been different for me had I known then what I know now.

In the book...

Sarah lives with her mother, father, and brother in Paris in 1942. One summer night while Sarah is sleeping there are a series of knocks on the door, followed by voices that indicate it's the police. Sarah quietly scampers to her mother's room to wake her, while her father hides in the basement and her four-year-old brother sleeps in the bedroom. Her mother answers the door to French police that demand she pack clothes and leave with them immediately. Through tears, she does as she's told, and Sarah helps her brother into the closet hideout they play in. She makes sure he has water and a flashlight, and then locks him in and puts the key in her pocket. She promises she'll come back for him soon, and she knows her father will find him once the police leave and he can emerge from the basement. But things don't happen exactly as Sarah has imagined, and soon she, her mother, and father, are in the Velodrome waiting with the other Jews that have been torn from their homes in the early morning hours. What will happen to her brother?

The very short chapters alternate between Sarah's point of view and that of Julia, who is a journalist living in present-day Paris. Julia is American, in her forties, and married to a French man named Bertrand. They have a daughter, Zoe, who is a bit of a smart-ass. Her husband has just purchased his grandmother's apartment in the Marais district of Paris, and he plans to remodel it into a new home for his family. Julia doesn't seem too keen on the idea, but goes along with it anyway. Bertrand is an ass, for lack of a better word. He is condescending toward Julia and is involved romantically with another woman, Amelie. For whatever reason, probably because she loves him, Julia puts up with his despicable behavior and attends to her job at the American French magazine where she is assigned a story on the Vel' D'Hiv Jewish roundup in 1942. Her job will be to find and interview people who remember that horrid day and use facts only in the piece she writes. This is where things get very interesting for the reader. I won't give away the details, though, because this is such an intricately detailed plot. You really have to read it for yourself because any description I would give could not possibly do it justice. Tatiana de Rosnay has created a masterpiece with this novel, one that will stick with me forever. And there's a bonus: I learned something about history that I never knew before, something that I can share with my students, too.

Happy Reading!

Inside-out Wellness

by Dr. Wayne Dyer and Dr. Christiane Northrup





Oh. My. Word.





This is a hilarious recording of a live conference, and it absolutely reeks of truth.





Dyer has become one of my favorite people to listen to because he has such a soothing, uplifting voice. He begins this set of audio CDs with his usual positive words. Change your thinking, change your life.





Then enters Northrup. This is the very first time I've encountered Northrup, who is such a delight. She does not hold back as she lays out truths about the female (and male) body.

A very entertaining "listen" about the body and how Northrup thinks it should be cared for.

Bite Club by Rachel Caine

I got seriously "sucked" into this series (couldn't help the pun). I have been patiently awaiting the arrival of this book from my library hold list, and have been trying to get my teenage vampire fix elsewhere. That attempt has been dissatisfying and I am so glad I finally got to read this book! There is so much character development in this series, added to a fantastic and complicated plot, and TONS of action and adventure! I just ate it right up.

A little bit of background for those of you that might be unfamiliar with the series:

Claire Danvers is an exceptionally intelligent teenager with a passion for science. She could attend college at M.I.T, but her parents don't think it's a good idea for her to go so far away at the ripe young age of 16. So instead they enroll her at TPU, Texas Prairie University, which is only a couple of hours from home. Upon her arrival at TPU, Claire knows this has been a bad match. Claire narrowly escapes a murder attempt by a gaggle of mean girls who throw her down a flight of stairs. Too afraid to continue living in the dorms, Claire sets out to find an alternative place to live: The Glass House. After much persuasion, Claire becomes a housemate and fast friend to Eve (Goth Girl), Michael (Ghost Boy), and Shane (seriously hot and angry boy). But things don't settle down for Claire. She manages to get herself mixed up with the town's vampires, leading her and her friends into all sorts of hairy trouble.

So, in this book (#10 in the series), Claire finds herself trying to save her boyfriend Shane from self-destruction. The town's Founder's evil father has escaped imprisonment and returned to seek revenge on his daughter and the town's humans. But first he needs an army and funding, and Shane sort of unwillingly becomes a participant in this mad scheme to destroy the town. The old man orchestrates a version of Fight Club that involves humans versus vampires, and streams the fights over the internet. Claire and her friends discover Shane's secret and set out to convince him to ditch it before the Founder finds out and orders him and all other participants killed.

All this before the book's halfway point.

I read this in less than 6 hours because I couldn't bear to put it down. This series has very little dull moments. Things are always moving at a break-neck pace and I find myself reading voraciously and flipping pages feverishly to discover what happens next. If you're looking for an entertaining series, this one's a shoo-in.

Marked (House of Night #1) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

A young librarian recommended this series to me as I was checking out a Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires) book. Immediately I logged onto goodreads to see people's reviews. Had I heeded those reviews, I probably would not be in the predicament I am now: I was entertained by the book, but distracted by the lack of quality writing. The teenage dialogue seemed so unrealistic and forced. I spend 40 hours a week surrounded by teenagers, and I've never once heard them say, "hee hee." How about the continuous and confusing misuse of 'affect' and 'effect'? Isn't it customary for a manuscript to go through a rather lengthy process of editing before it is printed? Reading this book has given me hope that the novel I've been writing for 5 years has potential to eventually be published. But I'd lobby for a better editor...

Zoey is floundering through her normal high school routine when suddenly she is approached by a strange man near her locker. He Marks her, meaning he tags her as a vampyre (why is it spelled like this, anyway? Do the authors have something against the usual way - vampIre? That is never explained in the book, either.) She rushes home to tell her mother, running into her drunken boyfriend and his friends, who are absolutely horrified by her new Marking. When she shows her mother the Mark, her mother shies away in disgust and panics. Immediately she calls her new husband, a member of the People of Faith, who calls the pastor and the family psychologist to the house. Zoey retreats to her bedroom and escapes, driving to her Cherokee grandmother's lavender farm. Luckily her grandmother is more understanding and brings her to the House of Night before she dies from all the coughing (??). Her roommate, whose name I can't seem to remember even though I finished reading only moments before writing this, has a thick Southern accent and is very naive. She introduces Zoey to her friends and they accept Zoey quickly. Enter Aphrodite, the leader of the "mean girls" at House of Night. She is in training to be the High Priestess, but also makes it her mission to destroy Zoey. Naturally, Aphrodite's ex-boyfriend is interested in Zoey, and that just adds fuel to an already raging fire.

This book lacks many things, in my opinion, but what it does not lack is teenage drama. However, several of the characters aren't developed enough (Erik especially), and this makes it difficult for the reader to identify with them.

The marking on my book says "Young Adult", but I don't know that I'd agree with that since there are very inappropriate references to things that young adults needn't really be aware of...yet.

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Wow.
I've only read one other book by Elin Hilderbrand (The Blue Bistro), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So, naturally I had high expectations for this one - and Elin did NOT disappoint. She writes in such a way that I feel like I KNOW each character. She is such an expert at characterization. The plot is simple yet deep, and I like that because it allows the reader to really become acquainted with each character and their particular situations.

Birdie is recently divorced from millionaire Grant Cousins and is enjoying the company of a new man, Hank, whose wife has fallen ill to Alzheimer's and permanently resides in a caretaking facility. Her daughter, Chess, calls in the middle of the night to tell her that her wedding to perfect man Michael Morgan is off. Chess moves back home with Birdie in Connecticut, and Birdie decides to take Chess to her family's summer home on Tuckernuck island, off the island of Nantucket. Birdie's other daughter, Tate, who makes a very nice living as a computer consultant, calls to tell Birdie she is coming to the summer house, too. At the last minute, Birdie invites her sister India, whose famous sculptor husband committed suicide fifteen years ago. Together these four women set off to Tuckernuck, leaving the fast pace of the mainland for a more primitive existence on an island without electricity and warm water. Each woman carries with her a secret, along with the hope that Tuckernuck will save them from themselves.

With the end of the book comes some kind of closure for each character, depending on her need. But, it also provides hope for the future, a revival of sorts. Additionally, Hilderbrand's novels have instilled in me the 'itch' to spend part of a summer in Nantucket. So, if you have any connections or advice on where to inexpensively stay for a week or so, please be so kind as to share. I've got Nantucket on the brain for summer 2012!

(I have to thank my friend Rebecca for not only turning me on to Ms. Hilderbrand, but for also being my supplier!)

Despite its thickness, this book is a fast read. And it will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy afterward :) Enjoy!

The 5 Love Languages by Gary D. Chapman

Written by a man who served as a marriage counselor for 30 years, The 5 Love Languages is a book about, well, love languages. "Love Languages" is a term that Chapman designed to explain what works best for people in a marriage, namely what makes a person feel loved. The 5 languages are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

Chapman describes that each person involved in a relationship (marriage) has something called a "love tank". When a person's tank is full, they are happy in their marriage, but when their love tank is less than full or even empty they become dissatisfied with their marriage. How do you know whether your partner's tank is full or empty? Pay attention to what your partner nags you about or witholds from you: that is probably their love language. For example, if your partner constantly nags you to take out the trash or load the dishwasher, their love language might be Acts of Service.

According to Chapman, many a marriage has been rekindled and resurrected by deciphering which love language your partner speaks and then "speaking" that language to them and filling their love tank.

Not everyone speaks the same love language, AND some people are bilingual.

It would be ideal for both partners in a relationship to read this book, determine each other's love language, and then use Chapman's tips to fill each other's love tanks.

The terminology is cheesy but the idea just might work. He cites many examples in detail and he encourages that it would give any struggling marriage a boost.

{Maybe someone should forward this book to the Catholic Church to use in place of their Pre-Cana marriage seminar/workshop. A priest lecturing couples on sex and family planning might not be the best method of marriage instruction. Gary Chapman would be a much better, more practical and realistic choice!}

Ghost Town (The Morganville Vampires) by Rachel Caine

Well, I have finally finished reading all the books from this series that I can get my hands on. There is one more on hold at the library, and I think the author has another one coming out in November. I was really captivated by this series, especially the earlier books. I love Claire - she is brainy and attractive, has a devoted hunky boyfriend, has parents that love her immensely, and she is crucial to keeping Morganville running. Much of the time the cards are in her hands, even though her life is constantly being threatened. She has way too many close calls...

Caine has artfully created a world in which vampires and humans live together, but under forced and regulated (mostly) conditions. Humans are free to roam during the day, but once dusk arrives they shut themselves in for fear of the vampires who roam at night. Each human citizen pays taxes, but not in the form of money. Instead, each person must donate blood once a month at the blood bank, and that blood becomes meal replacements for the vampires. But there are always some less-than-cautious humans who allow themselves to be bitten, and it usually works out o.k., except when a vampire can't stop. Many people hate living in Morganville, but unfortunately can't leave due to the town's strict border control and mind-altering effects. Those that do leave never come back, except for Claire's boyfriend Shane and his father who seek to avenge relatives' deaths. What will happen when the system breaks down and Claire is commissioned to help fix it? And what if things go terribly wrong once the machine is up and running? Who will save the town from Myrnin's psychotic grasp?

Just when I thought she couldn't possibly come up with any more unique ideas to keep the series going, I was surprised! Each book presents a new, seemingly impossible problem that Claire somehow is needed to help with.

As a devoted Twilight fan, I highly recommend this series as a contender at least, but maybe better? It's just different, so hard to compare. A quick, entertaining read of adventure, action, risk, love, and survival.