Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

What would the Bennet family from Pride and Prejudice be like if they lived in the twenty-first century? In this imagining, so much is different and yet so much has stayed the same. To start with, the Bennet family are from Cincinnati in this version. Liz is a magazine writer living in New York City, as is yoga instructor Jane. Kitty and Lydia are focused less on careers and more on CrossFit. Mary is in the process of getting her third Master’s degree online and barely leaves the house except for a mysterious outing every Tuesday. But as some things simply don't change as Mrs. Bennet is focused solely on marrying off her daughters, especially Jane who is quickly approaching forty. And who has Mrs. Bennet set her eyes on for Jane? That would be Chip Bingley, the handsome doctor and recent star of the reality dating show "Eligible." When Mrs. Bennet wrangles an invitation to a Fourth of July barbecue, Jane and Chip hit it off. But Liz is less than impressed with Chi...

A quick post sharing what my kids, ages 9 and 6, have been reading lately. A1, Age 9 Camping Aux Chutes du Niagara - Geronimo Stilton (Field Trip to Niagara Falls) Shannon the Ocean Fairy - Daisy Meadows Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney A2, Age 6 Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets - Dav Pilkey Galaxy Zack, Hello Nebulon! - Ray O'Ryan

Welcome to the fun and delightful world of Marian Keyes. It’s a lot like the rest of the world but with keen insight into the everyday issues we all face. Not sure how to break up with your hairdresser? Don’t like answering the “what do you do for a living?” question while on vacation? Fake tan not working out for you? Marian has all of the answers to the dilemmas you face. Making It Up As I Go Along is a collection of essays, articles, and blog posts written by bestselling author Marian Keyes. Fans of her writing, or her Twitter account, will find themselves laughing their way through the book as Keyes recaps the memorable moments of her life. This is a cute book. It is divided into subjects - Health and Beauty, Travels, Friends and Family, A Year in the Life - which then include previously published articles as well as some unpublished work by the stellar Irish writer.  Most of the essays are only a few pages long so it is an easy book to pick up when you don’t have a...

Hermione Winters is really looking forward to her senior year. She’s the captain of her schools championship cheerleading team and one of the most popular girls in school. She has a bright future ahead of her and she plans to make the most of her last days of high school. But just before the school year begins her future is changed in an instant when someone spikes her drink at a party. Everyone at school knows about it and now she is being talked about for all the wrong reasons. But Hermione isn’t going to be “that girl.” She doesn’t want to be known by what happened to her. And with the support of her best friend Polly, her parents, and her cheerleading team, she is determined to defy all of the labels being placed on her. Exit, Pursued by a Bear , by E.K. Johnston, is a touching and poignant story about a young, determined woman and her journey to recovery and acceptance after a terrible crime. I was pretty impressed by this book. Hermione is a young woman who has...

Shirin Ebadi’s work as a human rights lawyer has inspired millions of people around the world and earned her the distinction of being the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. But it also attracted unwanted attention for her in her own county of Iran. A brutal regime that controlled the country for decades tried to intimidate her but it was in 2005 when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rose to power that the persecution intensified, culminating in the need to leave her home and never able to return. Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran is Shirin Ebadi’s story of how she fought for the voiceless in her country for decades, remaining defiant in the face of persecution. Wow. Talk about bravery, determination, and commitment. When I picked this book up I knew that I would be inspired but I didn’t know just how much. This is an incredible story, one that shows both the beauty and brutality that exists within the country of Iran. It is Ebadi’s tribute to her cou...

Sripathi Rao has made a lot of mistakes in his life but he doesn’t apologize for them. He has a lot of problems but he doesn’t see why he should make any changes because of them. His mother chastises him for never living up to her dream of seeing him become a doctor. His sister is unmarried and well past the average marrying age but that doesn’t stop their mother from scaring off any suitors. His son Arun is involved in political activism but Sripathi thinks he is just lazy. And his daughter Maya is, to Sripathi, the biggest problem of them all. When Maya broke off her arranged engagement to marry a White Canadian man, Sripathi cut her off completely. He and his wife Nirmala never attended the wedding, never saw Maya again, and never met their granddaughter Nandana.  But Maya and her husband have been killed in a car accident and Sripathi is seven-year-old Nandana’s only kin. He has to travel to Canada to bring his granddaughter home to their small city of Toturpuram, In...

March wasn't a busy month for me reading-wise but it was definitely busy the rest of the month. Between work, March Break, and Easter weekend there was a lot going on and any down time I had was spent sleeping or watching tv (mostly watching tv, I still feel like I didn't get enough sleep last month.) But the books that I did read were all very good. Here they are, with my GoodReads ratings: Still Mine - Amy Stuart***** Girl in the Dark - Marion Pauw***** Until We Are Free - Shirin Ebadi***** Bone and Bread - Saleema Nawaz***** Exit, Pursued by a Bear - EK Johnston**** Becoming Lin  - Tricia Dower**** Thoughts Lately I've been getting into the mystery/crime fiction genre and I must say it is really good. Still Mine  and Girl in the Dark  are two very good books from that genre. Until We Are Free is an inspiring book about a woman's fight for human rights in Iran and committing to the cause to the point where she had to leave your country, never to return....