The Actor and the Housewife

by Shannon Hale

from Shannon Hale's website:
Mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she meets celebrity heartthrob Felix Callahan. A few hours, one elevator ride, and one alcohol-free dinner later, something has happened, though nothing has happened...it isn't sexual. It isn't even quite love. But soon Felix shows up in Salt Lake City to visit and before they know what's hit them, Felix and Becky are best friends--talk-on-the-phone, drop-everything-in-an-emergency, laugh-out-loud-at-stupid-jokes best friends. Becky's loving and devoted husband, Mike, is mostly unconcerned. Her children roll their eyes. Her large extended family and neighbors gossip endlessly. But Felix and Becky have something special... something unusual, something that seems from the outside--and sometimes from the inside too--completely impossible to sustain.

I'm not quite sure how I felt about this book. I read it very quickly - something that is odd at the moment. So, on the one hand the book at least sucked me in. And, I will admit, I was curious how it would all come together in the end. On the other hand, it left me feeling a bit strange. I tried to explain it all to my husband and couldn't, so I would guess I won't be very successful here either.

In order to enjoy this story at all, you must remember that it's made up and as impractical as the whole thing is (because it is on many many levels) it kind of works if you let it.

Becky is great in her own little way. She's not preachy (most of the time), and I loved her never-ending love for her husband. I love the idea of their relationship. It just made me smile.

Felix didn't do as much for me, though he is quite funny.

I thought the ending worked, though I'm not sure if it's what I wanted or not.

A mostly enjoyable read. Nothing like I expected.

Alcatraz vs the Scivener's Bones

by Brandon Sanderson
my review of Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians is here.

Alcatraz is preparing to escape the hushlands for the free kingdoms when his grandfather fails to show up at the airport to pick him up. Instead Alcatraz catches a ride in a giant glass dragon with his cousin Australia, uncle Kaz, Bastille, and Bastille's (grouchy) mother. Together they must infiltrate the Library at Alexandria and save Grandpa Smedry.

This book is very clever. Annoyingly so at times (the three chapters in a row where he talks about erasing the beginning of the last chapter and inserting the following bit wasn't too funny by the end), but mostly the cleverness is funny. I do admit that I was in a silly mood when I read it though - if you're looking for anything remotely serious, this book is not for you.

Alcatraz is still trying to figure everything out, especially how to use his talent wisely. But, he's gaining control and is able to once again save the day.

I enjoyed Australia very much. She cracked me up, and her talent of waking up ugly was too funny.

I look forward to the next book in this series.

3.5 out of 5 stars

June Books

This month was not a super successful reading (or reviewing) month for me. Life's been kind of busy and stressful (and it looks like we're moving across the country in a couple weeks, so the stress isn't really lightening up...). And, I've found that I just can't force myself to sit and read. No promises that July will be super productive, but hopefully by August life will be back to normal and reading/reviewing can start up again.

Middle Readers
Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Mustache Mary, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book) *

• I love Sammy - this one was my favorite in the series so far
  

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy, by Wendelin Van Draanen (audio book) *

• Yep, still love her
  

Alcatraz vs. the Scrivener's Bones, by Brandon Sanderson

• This series is a crack up.
  

Young Adult Books
Heroes of the Valley, by Jonathan Stroud

• Sadly, not nearly as fun (or fast-paced or funny) as his Bartimaeus series
  

Fiction Books
All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows *
I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith

• Very enjoyable. I sincerely hope a review is coming soon
  

Non-Fiction Books
The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff

Dear Mr. Henshaw

by Beverly Cleary

Dear Ms. Cleary,

I read your book Dear Mr. Henshaw recently and enjoyed it. The first letter that Leigh wrote about "licking" Mr. Henshaw's book made me laugh. Leigh was an interesting boy, and I felt pretty sorry for him. Divorce is such a hard thing. Plus, it would be really hard always having your dad back out of things.

I did think that Leigh was a bit annoying at times. I hated how he didn't want to respond to Mr. Henshaw's questions so he was so rude about it. But, I guess if writing to my favorite author became more like a chore, I wouldn't want to do it either. However, Leigh is also pretty clever. The burglar alarm he made for his lunch box was really cool. I would have loved something like that when I was younger. My sisters were always getting in my stuff!

I just wanted to say that while it wasn't my favorite Newbery winner, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to friends.

Sincerely,
KT

3 out of 5 stars

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

summary from bn.com:
January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…. As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

I enjoyed this book very much. It reminded me quite a bit of 84 Charing Cross Road, which is also told through a series of letters (though that one is non fiction) and is the story of book lovers. I loved that even with only letters you get to know this funny little community well. The book just made me smile. I feel like everyone has read, reviewed, and praised this book so much that don't really need to do that. There were a few things that I didn't like as much so I will mention those.

Whenever there is a telegram the author used periods instead of STOP. I realize that is totally minute and doesn't really matter, but for some reason it really bothered me!

I also thought the ending was a bit cheesy. It came together so perfectly that it was just too much. I like happy endings, but I guess this one was a bit contrived for me.

That said, I really did enjoy the book. It is so fun to read about people of who love books and love to share books. Definitely recommended.

4 out of 5 stars

All The King's Men

by Robert Penn Warren

summary taken (in part) from Goodreads.com:
All the King's Men tells the story of Willie Stark, a southern-fried politician who builds support by appealing to the common man and playing dirty politics with the best of the back-room deal-makers. Though Stark quickly sheds his idealism, his right-hand man, Jack Burden -- who narrates the story -- retains it and proves to be a thorn in the new governor's side. Stark becomes a successful leader, but at a very high price.

This is one of those classics that I've tried and failed at several times. This time, I was determined to finish it, so when I got bogged down by the first chapter (which is nearly 50 pages long!) I just made a deal with myself to only read 20 pages a day. Once I actually got to the story of Willie Stark and his rise to political power, I had a hard time putting the story down, but it sure takes some work to get to the exciting part.

I really enjoyed this story. I love Jack, and I appreciate Willie. I really enjoyed watching Willie shift from politician who really wants to do what's best for his state (which is never mentioned by name, but is likely Louisiana) to the wheeling, dealing, dirty politician he becomes. The slide is there and obvious, but it does take some time for him to fall.

The story is loosely based in Huey Long (from Louisiana), who I know a bit about. It was enjoyable to see the comparisons.

The only real downfall to this book are the long drawn out sidetracks that Jack takes us on. Occasionally I wondered if Warren was getting paid by the word like Dickens did. There were some stories that I'm still not sure how they fit in. However, these are easily recognizable, so I suppose one could skim these sections if necessary.

On the whole, an enjoyable read. But, it would probably be less enjoyable for people who aren't super excited by politics (though I could be wrong there).

The Tao of Pooh

by Benjamin Hoff

From the back cover:
The Tao of Pooh in which it is revealed that one of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese...or a venerable philosopher...but is in fact none other than the simple bear created by A.A. Milne - Winnie the Pooh! While Eeyore frets... and Piglet hesitates...and Rabbit calculates... and Owl pontificates... Pooh just is. And that's his clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists.

I read this book in conjunction with an online book club I participate in and found it to be an enjoyable little read. I have no knowledge of Taoism, so I can't tell you if it is even remotely accurate, but I felt like there were lots of interesting thoughts presented:

"It means that we need to recognize What's There. If you face the fact that you have weak muscles, say, then you can do the right things and eventually become strong. But if you ignore What's There and try to lift someone's car out of a ditch, what sort of condition will you be after a while?" (p43)

"The surest way to become Tense, Awkward, and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard -- one that thinks too much." (p77)

"Do you want to be really happy? You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what you've got. Do you want to be really miserable? You can begin by being discontented." (p137)

Following said thoughts were examples from the Pooh books of how Pooh represented the positive principles (and the other animals didn't).

While I didn't necessarily agree with everything that was said (I thought he was particularly hard on Rabbit), and none of the ideas are super thorough in there presentations, I thought it was worth the time. Apparently there is also a sequel: The Te of Piglet.

Recommended.