Keeping Faith (↑)

I've finished another book, a little later than I had previously expected. I mean I am home from school for Christmas, but the problem was that I've been super busy lately helping prepare for Christmas, that I haven't had much time for myself to just sit down and read (welcome to the real world, right?). Anyway, I've finished another Jodi Picoult novel: Keeping Faith. It was good, but I wouldn't really say it was one of my favourites. And it definitely didn't have the twists and turns that some of her other novels did. I do like the premise behind the novel, and as usual it was well developed.

The book is about a family that is getting divorced, and how a little girl develops an imaginary friend who is believed to be God. It follows this little girl and her mother as the media tries to exploit her. The father finds out and then starts to sue for custody, and then it all escalates from there. The idea of whether or not the child is actually talking to God is a good one, and is what drew me to the novel in the first place. It's hard to decide whether or not to believe her, or if they are making it all up. Picoult also developed a lot of the characters well so that the father's lawyer was one that I particularly couldn't stand and if I had met him in real life, I might actually have tried to smack him up side the head because he's that much of an irritant.  I always like when characters seem real and have those annoying traits, it makes the story so much more believable.

Anyway, I'm going to try and decide which book to start next. Until next time, Happy Reading!

The Last Concubine (~)

After how long, I have finally finished a book! The Last Concubine by Leslie Downer. It's a very informative book about Japanese culture in the 1800's, however, it was REALLY REALLY long, which at times made it difficult to get through, seeing as I was only able to read it randomly throughout my university semester (mostly 10 mins here and there). I wasn't really surprised to read about how women had no choice and were only thought as objects and weren't of value. That was similar to British culture of that time. What did surprise me was to what extremes they go to! I was also surprised by how the Japanese are bound by honour, and how they would rather kill themselves than become traitors, or retreat. Although it was too long, I still learned a lot, but I don't think I would recommend it to others unless they have a lot of time.

This book was about a girl who grew up in a village, but knew that she didn't belong there. She was then taken by the princess who was travelling through her village on her way to wed the shogun. As she grew up in the shogun's palace, she became very beautiful, and then became the shogun's concubine. War was started, and she had to flee, but along the way she fell in love with a samurai and meets her father and she decides she wants to find her true identity.

Anyway, onward to my next endeavor! Until then, Happy Reading!

Paperback Writer (↓)

I've finished a book. Sadly this one isn't quite as good as others that I've read. It is Paperback Writer by Stephen Bly. I don't know if it's the writer's style, or whether it was the basic idea behind the novel which annoyed me, but whatever it was I didn't like it. I found the novel hard to follow.

Basically the novel is about a paperback writer who is having a hard time keeping fiction and non-fiction straight. So he's traveling home, and he apparently has this exciting adventure, which didn't actually happen, but he imagined it. The whole time you are trying to figure out whether what's happening at that point in time is real, or made up. That's what makes it frustrating. A few times, I just wanted to stop reading it because I would get so frustrated. But I didn't. I persevered. I definitely won't be reading it again though.

Alright onward to another book. Until next time, happy reading!

Slammerkin (↑)

I've finished another book. Slammerkin by Emma Donnahue. I liked it a lot. It shows how rigid society was in the 18th century, and how it is difficult to rise above your current situation into a better life. For some reason, I found it slightly disturbing when I first started reading it, but I believe that that was because it was about prostitutes.

The book was about a girl named Mary Saunders who lived in 18th century London. She got pregnant from a ribbon vendor (she wanted a ribbon, but the only way to get it was to give the vendor a kiss, however, the man raped her). Her mother threw her out, and from there she became a prostitute. She gave up being a prostitute and moved back to her mother's hometown, where she became an apprentice to her mother's friend. A few other things occur. But i don't want to give away the whole story so I'll just leave it at that.

I definitely recommend it to people who like more historical novels, however, it is 400 pages long, so be in for a long read.

Anyway, I hope to be able to finish reading another book quickly, but I am in university again, so it might be a bit more delayed. Until next time, Happy reading!

Can You Keep a Secret? (↑)

I've finished another book. Yes quite quickly, but to be honest, I don't have much else to do before I head back into the city for school. Anyway this book is Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. Very easy read, as you can tell. I started it this morning, and I finished it just now. There's not much thinking to be done about this book. It's pretty basic chick lit, and I would recommend it to any female who wants a good pick me up book, or beach read, or cozy, rainy afternoon read.

Basically, it's about a woman who is stuck in a rut in her life, without her knowing it. She randomly meets a man on a flight with whom she shares all her darkest and most private secrets. She then finds out that this man with whom she shared her secrets, is actually the owner of the company she works for. Of course, many events ensue from this occurrence. Basically, she turns her life around, and becomes who she wants to be, just be falling in love with this man.

Simple idea = simple book. Still enjoyed reading it though! Onward to the next book! Until next time, happy reading!

You Suck: A Love Story (↓)

I've finished the last of Fairul's books. This one being You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore. It was dumb. Plain and simple. Easy read, but I honestly was rushing to get through it, because I couldn't wait to get on with a book with real substance. At least now it's finished.

Basically the book is about a vampire woman who changes her lover into a vampire, and from there they endure a lot of people chasing after them to try and hunt them down. Quite the story, and is quite retarded.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this unless you want a brainless read to take your mind off your life.

Hopefully, I can continue on and read books with actual substance. Until next time, Happy Reading.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (~)

I've finished another one of Fairul's books. It took me longer than I expected to get through, but I believe that this is because I've been sick, and I haven't been able to concentrate much. The title of the book is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal written by Christopher Moore. I must admit, that it is funny, and that I did laugh out loud once or twice while reading it. I don't usually laugh when reading, so this is a real feat haha

As the title implies, the book is about Jesus' life, but told from his best friend Biff. It goes from when Biff meets Jesus (in the book they call him Joshua) all the way up to when Josh is crucified. It is fascinating, seeing how a fiction book follows the gospels almost exactly. But I suppose seeing as it's based on the life of Jesus, it kind of has to go along with the Bible.

I guess what I didn't like about it, is that it seemed really long...There was a lot of detail to it, but I just found that it continued on and on even though it didn't have to. I will however, recommend it to people who like to laugh a little when they read, because this book would definitely be for them. I also would recommend it to someone who isn't religious...or at least someone who is but doesn't get offended easily when someone pokes fun at Jesus. I could see that if this book every became popular, the church would have a lot of problems with it. That always does seem to happen though. Take the Da Vinci Code book for example...I think that people need to lighten up and realize that it's made up, and has no truth to it, even if the author believes it does. Honestly, if a fictional book can change your faith, then obviously, you didn't have strong beliefs...but I digress...

All in all, it's a pretty good book! Onward, to the last book of Fairul's! Until next time, Happy Reading!

I Love You, Beth Cooper (↓)

I've finished another one of Fairul's books. This one being I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. I must say that is probably one of the dumbest books I've ever read, and is definitely not one of my usual books. It was funny sometimes, but overall I must say that it was a bit of a waste of time to read. I definitely prefer books that have a little more substance to them. It just seemed like the book would never end, although it was only 200 pages long. It'd be better if only 1 or 2 incidents occurred, than the 20 or 30 that occurred. It's definitely not a book I will want to buy for myself.

Basically, the book is about a boy who confesses his love to his long-time crush Beth Cooper during his valedictorian speech. Anyway, it continues to follow Denis throughout his graduation night when Beth Cooper and her two friends show up at his house.

It was a stupid book, but I must say that I am looking forward to reading the 2 other books Fairul sent me.

Anyway, happy reading!

The Girl From Junchow (~)

I've finally finished a book. It's not one of Fairul's which is because I was afraid that i was going to finish all of his books before he even got any of mine, but thankfully he's got the package now so I can start reading his again. Anyway, the book I finished was The Girl from Junchow by Kate Furnivall. It was an interesting book, but I wasn't able to just sit still and read it straight through, so I kind of forget what happened in the beginning, which makes me think that's it's not that great of a book. But it probably is. It's a continuation of another book (which I haven't read) so some of it I didn't really understand, so I guess I would recommend that you read the first book first. I found that the book dragged on a little, and didn't really get into the characters, however, the character bit might just be because of the previous book.

This book is about a girl and her brother searching for their father in Soviet Russia. It really divulges a lot of information about what it was like in Stalin's Russia, and how horrible it was for the prisoners in the labour camps. I don't know why they would have the labour camps when it is communism. But I suppose that it might be a way to 'smarten up' the richer people, seeing as I think that's what Stalin was trying to do: punish the rich people for making the poor people live in such squalor.

Anyway, all in all it's an okay book but I probably wouldn't recommend it unless the person read the first book first.

Until next time, happy reading!

Tallgrass (~)

I've finished another book. It's called Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. It was another one of the books that Fairul sent me. I liked it, but I found that it dragged in parts. She definitely could've sped up what happened in the novel a little while, and it wouldn't change the story a bit. I also found the ending to be a little to quick. It seemed like she didn't know how she was going to end it, and didn't want the story to go on forever, and so she just wrote whatever seemed quickest. I must say that it is well written, and definitely shows what WWII internment camps for the Japanese in America were like, and how badly they were treated, so I have to give Miss Dallas props for that.

Basically this novel is about a little girl who lives in a farming town. When a friend of hers gets murdered, she has to try and discover who did it, and she also discovers other secrets along the way.

Anyway, onward to the next novel! Until then, Happy Reading!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (↑)

I've finished another book. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time which is by Mark Haddon. It's based in England, and is about an autistic boy who is trying to solve the murder of a neighbour's dog. 

It's really fascinating, because it let's you into the mind of an autistic child (he's not severely autistic mind you). Although the boy's physical age is 15, he acts like he's 7 or 8 years old. He is amazing at all things mathematical and scientific. It allowed me to realize that it can be very difficult to work with autistic children, and that you have to work around their quirks in order to have them do anything.

Anyway, all in all, I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is fascinated by autism, or wants a good read.

Until next time! Happy Reading

My Sister's Keeper (↑)

I've finished another book. This one being My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Another excellent read by her. You fly through the pages, but it's very much worth it at the end. I would recommend it to anyone. As usual, her book is thought provoking, but not enough to keep you up at night. It just based on a topic that begs to be discussed. Not to mention the ending will surprise the hell out of you! I suppose the one thing that does bother me tad is the ending. It just seems so abrupt and out of nowhere, and as if she just wanted to end the novel quickly.  Even so, it throws you for a loop when you read it.

This novel is basically about a young girl (13 years old) who was genetically matched before birth to be a donor for her cancer patient sister. She decides that at 13, she doesn't want to be a donor for her sister anymore, and would like to be medically emancipated from her family. She does realize the consequences of her actions (her sister will die) and yet she wants it anyway. This novel follows her throughout her trial, switching between viewpoints of herself, her sister, her brother, her mother, her father, her lawyer, her guardian ad litem.

Anyway, I hope that my next book is as good as this one! Until next time, happy reading!

Breaking Dawn (↑)

I've finally finished the Twilight saga! I have to be honest, I kinda liked the last book, Breaking Dawn. The only thing I have to say about it is that it's really long and sort of anti-climatic at the end. You expect a big fight, and it doesn't happen. It does tie up loose ends, so that's not bad. And it's not as lovey-dovey as the last 3 novels. I would recommend this novel, but of course because it is a series, I guess I have to recommend all of them...Damn haha Just when I thought I'd be able to get away from it!

Anyway, this book consists of the marriage of Edward and Bella, their honeymoon where Bella becomes pregnant, the birth of their baby who is half mortal and half vampire (never seen before, apparently). The Volturi hear about it and they come looking for them. In the meanwhile, the Cullens have to find 'witnesses' who will say that their child, Nessie isn't an immortal child but is in fact something different.

I guess what I like the most about the book is the non-mushy-ness of it. I definitely like the character of Renesmee (Nessie). She's cute and I can see how she could have the other vampires and werewolves wrapped around her little finger.

Anyway, I'm not sure what book I will be reading next, but hopefully I will choose one soon! Until next time, happy reading!

Eclipse (~)

Well here I am. I finished Eclipse (book 3 of the Twilight saga) by Stephenie Meyers today. Again, I found it irritating. Bella realizes that she's in love with not only Edward, but also with Jacob. The 2 boys hate each other (sworn enemies--one werewolf, one vampire), and yet Bella can't help but torture both of them by leading them on. She continuously says that she loves Edward, and yet she always goes running to Jacob whenever something goes wrong. I want to slap her. She's one of those girls who I absolutely hate in real life, the one who wants 2 men (or more) but gets upset with herself when she realizes what a bitch she is, but doesn't stop herself from treating those 2 guys like crap. I suppose I should say something good about the novel, seeing as the rating I gave it was '~'. This book made me think about my boyfriend, and how much I miss him. I think I gave it a semi-good rating mostly because it wasn't irritating the whole way through. Mostly in the very beginning and at the end. So the middle part was pretty good, I guess.

Anyway, this book is about how there is a vampire who is hunting down Bella, and is making 'newborns' who are uncontrollable. Anyway, it all ends up with the werewolves and the Cullens fighting together against Victoria (the hunting vampire) and the newborns to save Bella. Bella also chooses between Jacob and Edward. She decides on Edward, but the only way to be changed into a vampire by Edward is if Bella marries him first. So the book ends with Bella and Edward's 'sister' Alice planning their wedding. Aww how sweet...

Alright, time to start the final book in the series. Until next time, happy reading!

New Moon (~)

I finished the 2nd book in the Twilight Saga. New Moon by Stephenie Meyers. Surprisingly enough, I actually liked this one better than the 1st.  I don't know whether it's because there was less mushy stuff in it than the first or whether Stephenie Meyers writing has gotten better (which is probably doubtful). I'm not saying that I loved this book, and would save it in my bookshelf, and re-read it hundreds of times; all I'm saying is that it was better than the first. Definitely not worth saving on my bookshelf though.

So basically, this book was about how Edward left Bella because he didn't think it was safe that he was around her so much. Bella goes into depression, and the only way that she was pulled out of said depression was by a guy named Jacob, who incidentally becomes a werewolf, and incidentally the werewolves and vampires are enemies, so once Edward comes back (after Bella saves him from committing suicide) Bella can't see her best friend. Oh, and now Bella has 4 other problems: another evil vampire is 'tracking her', an evil vampire family that is considered royalty will kill her if she doesn't become a vampire by the next time they see her, her father has grounded her for what seems like life, oh and if Edward's family bites her on the neck to turn her into a vampire, the werewolves (who just happen to be indians) will hunt them down and kill them, Bella included because of a treaty that Edward's family signed. What a conundrum!  Just seems like one thing after another, and honestly, it's a little tiring hearing Bella whine in the book about how she has so much going on in her life. SHE BROUGHT IT ON HERSELF, GODDAMNIT!

Anyway, enough ranting about this series...Now onward to the 3rd book: Eclipse.

Until then, Happy Reading!

Twilight (↓)

I've finished a book. I've finally started reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers. I'm going to read the whole series to say I've read them, but honestly, I don't really like them. I couldn't wait for Twilight to be over when I was reading it.

Anyway, for those of you who have been living in a hole the past few years, Twilight is about a human girl who falls in love with a vampire. The whole book is so far-fetched in the romance department, that it almost makes you sick to read. It almost ruins the ideals young women (teenagers, seeing as that is the audience this book is written for) that they should be expecting for love when they get into a relationship. It also can influence the young women to believe that no matter what trouble they get into their 'knight in shining armour' will come to rescue them, which isn't always true.

Overall, I have to say that I didn't really like the book. The characters were too basic (and annoying...), the storyline was dumb and basic, and the writing was too simple.  I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick and easy read that they don't have to think about, and won't be nagging them later with unanswered questions. You can definitely tell it was written for a younger audience by comparing the writing of Ms. Meyers with any adult fiction writer.

anyway, I am onward to reading the 2nd novel in the series. Let's hope I enjoy it a little more than the last one.

Until next time, 

Happy reading everyone!

Sushi For Beginners (~)

I have finally finished another book! It's called Sushi For Beginners by Marian Keyes. I've already read a book by her, and didn't think it was anything spectacular, but I decided to give her another try. Again, it wasn't the best book in the world, and it really doesn't have any substance to it, but it's still one of those books you want to read in order to make you feel good. I guess you could say that it's 'chick lit'. The only thing is, I came out more sad after reading it. I don't know whether it's because I'm already feeling lonely, or if the book in general made me sad. Who knows!

Anyway, the book is about 3 women who have 'inter-connected' lives. It's about how these women go about trying to find their happiness in life, and all the 'trials and tribulations' they have to through beforehand. I guess you could say that it's a pretty sappy book, or at least the theme of it is. It's 564 pages long, but really it didn't need to be that long. But sometimes authors want to expand their storyline more than it should be expanded.  The good thing is, Marian Keyes doesn't insist on describing everything in a room, she tends to leave that up to the reader. Another thing I liked about the books is that it's set in Ireland, yes it does sometimes make it hard to understand what the characters are saying because they use slang words that I've never heard of before. But that's just something you have to deal with, I suppose.

All-in-all, it's an okay book.

Hopefully, I'll be able to settle on one book a lot easier/faster than the last time! Until next time, happy reading!

Craving a Read

This is horrible. I've been trying to find the perfect book now for a couple days. I flipped through the library books I picked up, but none of them seemed in the least bit appealing. I settled on Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It's over 800 pages long, so we'll see if I will last through out the entire thing. Let's hope it satisfies my craving of the perfect book to read. If not, I might think about reading Memoirs of a Geisha.

The Journal of Hélène Berr (~)

I've finished another book! The Journal of Hélène Berr. It's a true story, of a Jewish woman, in Paris during WWII. It's similar to The Diary of Anne Frank, only, Hélène is 22 years old and is a university student. It really allows a person who has not lived through the war to grasp how horrible Jews were treated. I liked the book because of this perspective, BUT I didn't like it because it was very poetic (she was an English literature major) and sometimes hard to follow. It also differs from The Diary of Anne Frank in that Hélène wasn't hiding from the Gestapo, while Anne and her family were. 

I must say that Hélène should be an inspiration to anyone. She was a strong woman, she cared so much for everyone, especially the little children who became orphans because their parents were deported and (probably) killed. She dealt with being mocked and criticized for being Jewish. I'm not doing her justice here, but all I can say really is that she was an amazing woman, and if she had survived the war, she would've been an amazing mother and grandmother. She would've taught her children compassion, which is what the world needs more of at the moment.

Anyway, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the suffering of the Jews during WWII.

Until next time! Happy reading!

If Life Was Like a Story...

I've been thinking off and on about this idea for awhile now. I have joined a penpal site, and sometimes, people don't respond, or they have many friends they talk about, but I don't know them. I know this probably sounds weird...But I've come to realize that everyone has a story. How they came to be the person they are today. What made them that way, who they're friends are, and why they are the way they are. When you write a book, a character must be introduced. It's like they are being created from scratch in front of your eyes. They have no prior history, they can focus all their attention on you, you don't have to be careful how you act around them, because they have no prior history, so they have no memories or which could be triggered.

I guess what I'm saying, is that making friends is difficult. It'd be much easier if when you are trying to make friends, you don't have to compete with the old ones they already have. You don't have to worry about prior histories of friendships, relationships, and other things. I wish life could be like a story you're writing yourself, where you can make up people as you meet them, and if you don't like that person, or you make a bad mistake, you can delete it easily, and not have any repercussions. But I guess the problem with this is that you would never learn from your mistakes, and you would be bound to continuously repeat the same thing over and over again. But if you are the one writing the story, then you will still have to memory of that mistake, and you wouldn't repeat it even if you deleted it...hmm, fascinating topic...The way I suggested it, it sounds like if you delete something from your "story" then, you would also delete it from your memory, but I also described it as if you delete something from you "story" then it wouldn't be deleted from your memory...Hard to decide which is better...

I will think on this some more, and get back to  you.

Happy Reading!

Slumdog Millionaire (↑)

I have finished a book, finally! And I have finished my 3rd year of university so I have a lot of time on my hands, so I should be writing more blogs more often! Anyway, the book I have finished reading is called Slumdog Millionaire. It's the book that the movie is based off of. It's a really good book, and brings to light the horrible plight of poverty-stricken people. I'm not really sure in what era this book was set, but if it's in this day and age, I am shocked to learn that there are still people living in horrible little slums, with no running water, and no electricity. It also makes me sad that the poor are persecuted so easily in that country, and that religion plays such an important part in making decisions of who you can be friends with and who you can't be friends with. I guess in some areas of the world, they are still "backwards". Hopefully someday that will be rectified.

Until next time, happy reading!

Vanishing Acts (↑)

I have finished a book! Finally, you say!

This one is another by Jodi Picoult. It wasn't as good as the Tenth Circle, but I still liked it all the same. It's about a woman who finds out she was kidnapped by her father 30 years before. Her father is then arrested for said crime, and they go on trial in Arizona. It basically tells the story of this trial and all the other proceedings, and other things that go on outside of the court-room.

It is also told from many different perspectives, which I didn't think I would like at first, but I'm glad I did. It made me gain respect for the inmates in prison, along with made me realize the alliances and fights that can occur in prison and how dangerous that place actually is.

I really don't have much else to say about this book, other than I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fairly fast paced read, but wants a longer book.

Anyway, until next time, Happy reading!

Just Thoughts

I haven't finished a book yet (sadly), but I've found that Jodi Picoult books are a wealth of information, or good quotes at least about finding yourself and what it's meant to be yourself. I don't really know if my full character has developed yet, seeing as I am only 20, but I kind of hope, I have the characteristics I think I have. That might sound a little confusing, but hopefully you will understand.

Anywho, I should probably get back to my work...It's not quite the end of term, so I still have to get some work done.

Until next time, happy reading!

The Secret Life of Bees (~)

I have finally finished another book! It's The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I don't really know what the title means, but it is a very well written book. It's about a young girl who is motherless and runs away from home when her and her black nanny get in trouble with men at their town jail. She lives with 3 black women who happened to know her mother. She finds out some truths about her mother, but in the ends realizes that even if her mother is not there in flesh she is still there in spirit inside of her, and that she shouldn't worry if she feels lonely because she has many friends who care about her.

Yeah, kind of corny description of the book, but there's really no other way to put it. It's beautifully written, but not so much so that it makes it difficult to get through. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an inspirational read.

Now it is time to continue on to another Jodi Picoult book. Hopefully this one is as good as the last one I read by her.

Happy reading, and until next time!

Freedom to Read

I was reading the newspaper today and I came upon the article talking about Freedom to Read week. I checked out the list of books and magazines that have been banned from public school libraries because of their "inappropriate" material. Some of them I agreed with, but others I was appalled at the reason behind the ban.

A few of the books are Harry Potter, the Golden Compass, To Kill a Mockingbird, Underground to Canada.

The way I see it is that how can you educate children about equality and acceptance of other races and of homosexuality if you do not allow them to read about how it used to be and how things should be changed? Parents believe that children are impressionable, (and don't get me wrong, they are) but I'm sure that reading ONE book is not going to change their attitudes towards a race or religion or change their sexuality. I also believe that it would be better to inform our children of how things used to be, and for them to gain more information about prejudice and other past societal views than it is to shield them from it. How are we ever going to learn from our mistakes if we do not accept them and continuously view them? As someone once said (sorry for the missing citation) "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it".

To think also of how nowadays people believe we are so accepting of gays and lesbians, but we won't allow children to read books about homosexuality because we are afraid that it will influence their beliefs. Do people not realize that homosexuality is NOT a lifestyle choice, but is biologically driven? And that by reading books "endorsing" homosexuality will not change their sexual preferences?

I was also surprised to see that Harry Potter and the Golden Compass made the list. Apparently, according to some parents, Harry Potter was inappropriate because of the magical themes (come on! It's for entertainment!) and how the Golden Compass is promoting atheism. As I said before, reading 6 books on that specific theme will not influence their religious beliefs because children do not delve that deep into the meaning behind books, most children only read them for entertainment. In comparison, you don't see any bans on Disney movies because of "magical themes", especially in the older movies (Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, etc.).

I do agree with banning some books, and I believe that there should be an age restriction on books, especially those like To Kill a Mockingbird. I believe for a book like that, it should be read by children who are old enough to understand that it is inappropriate now to say the "n-word" but it was part of the culture from that time period.

I think parents are just making a big deal out of nothing because they want to control their children's beliefs for as long as possible. I believe it's better for them to be informed as early as possible so that our world can continue to move towards a less prejudiced place.

I say, support Freedom to Read week by reading all of the "banned" books, which can be found in a list on this website: www.freedomtoread.ca.

Happy reading!

The Birth House (↑)

Hello everyone,

I know it took me forever to post again, but I'm back in university so my reading time is now limited, sadly.

The book I just finished is: The Birth House by Amy McKay. Superbly written book, and is well researched (as far as I know). It follows a young girl in the early 1900's in the backwoods of rural Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia (up near the Bay of Fundy) as she becomes a midwife, and how she triumphs over a obstetrician. It makes me think of how women were only perceived as the baby makers, and how they weren't able to hold steady jobs, even though they damn have the right to. It's amazing to see how far we've come since then. To know that women are now allowed to hold jobs, and even make more than their husbands, without having their husbands pitch a fit about it.

I hope our society continues to improve upon equality between men and women.

Fairly short post this time. Hopefully I finish a book more quickly next time!

Until then, happy reading!

Thoughts

So, I haven't finished a book yet (sadly...), but these are some thoughts --or a thought, depending on how much I remember--that I've thought about after I read some books. One of them was actually said by a famous Canadian author (Lucy Maud Montgomery). If I remember correctly, she mentioned how that most people who like to read do so because they do not have any true friends. I believe this is true because I am that way. I have friends, yes, but not ones that make an effort to see me, or include me in things. I look at my mother who is also an avid reader, and she was the same way. My boyfriend and ex-boyfriend are readers and they too do/did not have any close friends. Maybe people who do not have close friends and read a lot find friends in the books they read (the characters), or maybe it allows them to dream about a life they wish they could have. Is it sad to read only as an escape from your own life? It is, but it isn't. I mean everyone needs an escape, but it's when the person believes that it's real, that it would become sad, or a true problem.

I forget what other thoughts I had pertaining novels I have read, so this is all for now.

Happy Reading! Oh and Happy New Year!