The Book of the Dead

Ok I'm really not into the whole murder mystery stories, but I liked the Dan Brown books, and this one dealt with Egyptology a bit (plus it was recommended by a friend), so I decided to give it a shot.

Apparently it's part of a trilogy (the last in the trilogy) but it also works as a stand alone novel. It was very intriguing and suspensful (sometimes downright creepy!) and had a pretty darn good storyline. The one thing I really didn't like was that it had some really bad language thrown in (mostly in the prison chapters). There were probably about 6 or 7 f bombs in the book, which ticked me off. For this reason alone, I wouldn't read another one of their books, but if you can look past that, they write a good story.

Title: The Book of the Dead (not the original Egyptian one)

Authors: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (how coincidental that they have these first name. Don't you think Ellen?)

Type: Adult Fiction, murder mystery

The Best Pirate Book Ever

Ok we've all read Pirateology and How I Became a Pirate (or if you haven't you probably should), but this is absolutely the BEST pirate book I have ever read. It is a book for young kids (Jordan I can totally see Gavin eating this up. Maren, same for Bailey for some reason) but it so darling, anyone should enjoy it. And guess what one of the best parts about this book is - Most of the pirates are... GIRLS!!! Little girls that are rough and tough pirates! It's too cute. Even when they meet up with the grown up pirates, the worst curse the pirate captain can yell to the girls is "If you don't give me back my treasure, I'll tell my Mommy!"

This is an adorable book (with fantastic illustrations) that I will be adding to my collection ASAP! Get it!


Title: The Night Pirates
Author: Peter Harris
Illustrator: Deborah Allwright
Type: Picture Book

John Rosemond

A great find for all parents! My mother showed me this book when I was having a tough time with my olderst (5). She had used it when we were kids...so it is a little dated (sorry mom), but all the principals still apply! John Rosemond is a family phycologist & father, but his theories are derived from the latter. He gives parents the permission to say "No" to make rules, and to expect more from your kids. His 6 point plan is all about putting your marriage first, then helping your kids gain independence so they can leave the home capable and healthy. Take a look, he has a lot of great "ah-ha" things to say.

Too cute

This book is just too cute guys. It's about a mother duck who hatches all the eggs in her nest. One of them is actually a crocodile named Guji Guji. He does everything a duck does and grows up thinking he is a duck. Later on when he meets some big bad crocodiles that want to eat his family for dinner, it's up to him to choose who to be loyal to. Guji Guji will be your favorite crocoduck ever!

Author: Chih-Yuan Chen
Title: Guji Guji
Type: Children's Book

Sorry!!

I don't have any idea why Jake's celebrity collage ended up here instead of on my blog where I was trying to send it. I guess that's just technology for you!!

Abby

Hannah's Hope by Karen Kingsbury

This was a short, easy to read book--I finished it in a few hours.

This is the first book I have read by Karen Kingsbury, but apparently she has several in her Red Glove series.

The jist of this book is that a 15-year old, Hannah, finds out that her distant politician father isn't really her father at all. After finding this out, she recalls in her early memories a different man that was her best friend and had time for her. With Christmas near, she tries to find her real father, so she can have her Christmas wish.

I thought it had a pretty good message. Let me know what you think!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I finished this book a few weeks ago, for my ward book club. It was a very well written book about the Chinese culture in the 19th century. It describes how women were treated back then, including those that were bonded by lifelong, intimate friends (laotong, or "old sames"). Lily and Snow Flower, the main characters, go through so much together....

The following is an excerpt from a review:

...their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. While granting immediacy to Lily's voice, Lisa See (Flower Net) adroitly transmits historical background in graceful prose. Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life. Beginning with a detailed and heartbreaking description of Lily and her sisters' foot binding ("Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you have peace"), the story widens to a vivid portrait of family and village life. Most impressive is See's incorporation of nu shu, a secret written phonetic code among women here between Lily and Snow Flower that dates back 1,000 years in the southwestern Hunan province ("My writing is soaked with the tears of my heart,/ An invisible rebellion that no man can see"). As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle, this novel has bestseller potential and should become a reading group favorite as well."

We had a great time reading it and it's a great conversational piece. Let me know what you think!

New Member

I wanted to introduce you all to Katie since she is joining our book club blog! Katie was raised outside of Chicago, married Luke (from St. Anthony, ID), lived in Rexburg while going to school (moved to St. Louis when we went in 2003), and is currently living in Kansas City, Kansas. Along with half the other people we know! Who knew it was so popular? Katie and Luke were in our first married student ward in Rexburg, so we've known them for about 6 years. Katie and Luke have 2 kids - Livi is 3 and Spencer is 11 months I think. Almost 1 basically. Katie like mystery books among many other types, and has been known to be a tad bit competitive (Settlers? Monopoly?). Welcome Katie! Now why hasn't anyone been posting?