Anne of Avonlea (Green Gables #2) by L.M. Montgomery (Read 8/24 to 9/7)

This is the second book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  It picks up the fall after the first book ends.  Anne is about to start her first term teaching at the Avonlea school, although she will still continue her studies at home with Gilbert, who is teaching at the nearby White Sands School. Marilla's third cousin dies and she takes in her two children while their uncle is out of the country.  The children are Davy and Dora, a set of twins as opposite as day and night.  They are initially meant to stay only a short time, but the twins' uncle postpones his return to collect the twins and then eventually dies.  This book follows Anne from the age of 16 to 18, during the two years that she teaches at Avonlea school.  The book soon introduces Anne's new and problematic neighbor, Mr. Harrison, and his foul-mouthed parrot.  Some of Anne's new pupils, such as Paul Irving, an American boy living with his grandmother in Avonlea while his widower father works in the States. He delights Anne with his imagination and whimsical ways, which are reminiscent of Anne's in her childhood.   This book sees Anne maturing slightly, even though she still cannot avoid getting into a number of her familiar scrapes that we all know and love Anne for.
I still love Anne, and I love Avonlea, being older than when I first read this book I'm able to relate to the maturity that a girl grows into, without loosing her sense of fun.  I'm sad there IAS not more of Gilbert in this book, and I relate to Anne's feeling of being left behind NY all her engaged friends.  But she still maintains her imagination and her joyfulness no matter what.

Anne of Green Gables (Green Gables #1) by L.M. Montgomery (Read 8/11-8/24)

Another BOTM selection, and one of my all time favorites,  In fact this was my favorite book before I discovered The Hobbit.
I still have my original book I got from my Mom, which she got when she was 9.  My version was published in 1944,  and according to the front there were only 4 books in the series at that time, now there are 8, the last published in1939.  It is considered the "deluxe" version because it has a cloth cover and 8 illustrations by Elizabeth R. Withington.   It is still one of my most cherished and loved books, it holds a place of honor on my bookshelf.
Anne Shirley is an 11 year old orphan that is adopted by Marilla and Matt Cuthbert (elderly brother and sister), and from the start there are mistakes and hi jinx.  Marilla really has no idea what to do with a  child, and shy Mathew just wants to spend time with the girl.  Anne meets her bosom best friend, Diana, and her arch rival Gilbert.  The book is set in the early 1900's on Prince Edward Island in Canada, in a small made up town of Avonlea. (Fun fact: the house Montgomery based Green Gables on was her neighbors, and it is located in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island)  It was published in 1908, so I can only assume that the setting is about that time  Being set in a simpler time, the story is simple at heart.  A girl and how she grows into a woman and brings love and light to all of those around her.  There is no technology, no cyber bullying, no television or radio even to be a distraction and a hindrance.  Anne's entertainment is her books, and of course her imagination.
Anne is such a fun and great character, a true kindred spirit to myself.  I have always felt a connection with her character, so full of imagination and hope and a general goodwill towards here fellow human beings.  She really makes Green Gables a lively home, rather than a lovely house.  In fact while reading this book, I realized that I had bought my own version of Green Gables, my new house is cream with green trim and cherry trees in the backyard.  I'm afraid to go to much into the plot, because I will give away all the fun things that are to discover in this book.  The way Montgomery writes is so straightforward and enthralling, that you can't help to love the characters, even the Pryes. All I can say, is read this book if you want to escape to a simpler world, where the golden rule still applied and honesty was the highest valued trait of them all.

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett (read 8/5-8/7)

I read this for my live book club, then sadly I missed the discussion meeting.  This is the story of Sabine (a magician's assistant) after her Magician and husband, Parsifal dies.  She is not handling his death well, and then secrets about his past and his family come out to throw he life even further into turmoil.  I loved Patchettt's writing, and her ability to create a complete character.  Did I understand each character and the characters reasons for who they were.  No not completely, but I still felt that they were a whole character, and like people in real life, not always fully understandable.  I loved the book.  I sped through it in a two nights after work.  It was so easy to slip into Pratchett's world.

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (read 7/10 - 7/14)

First book by author and is semi-autobiographical, it is set in Greenville, South Carolina in the 50's.  For some reason I had originally thought this was the story of a black girl, then realized that Ruth "Bones" Boatwright is white.  This is a story of family and family loyalties, Bone suffers abuse at the hands of her stepfather, Daddy Glen, and this book is about not only how Bone deals with the abuse, but how her whole family deals with it.  Loyalties are tested and hard choices are made.  The family is lower-class and poor in the South in the 50's and 60's and the family members often stick to their traditional gender stereotypes.  I thought it was really well written, and  the story was engaging.  It was a can't put down read for me.  Being such a controversial book, I have read plenty on the story line, and I may have even seen the movie once.  So I knew the general storyline before I read, but that didn't stop me from wanting to know what would happen next.  I cried that whole last chapter because I was so invested in the characters.

The Dark Tower (Dark Tower #8) by Stephen King (Read 7/3-8/5)

Finally, we reach the end of this story!  We are getting back to the heart of the story, ka-tet back together.  Only to be broken in order for Roland to finally reach the Tower.   I think that because I as so unhappy with the previous books that this one had no appeal for me either, although finally King cuts himself out of it, can I get an Amen!
King's writing seems to be a bit more normal but thanks to the distaste of the last two book I couldn't appreciate this one.  The story ends poorly in my opinion and I wish King could have finished this series so much sooner.

Song of Susannah (Dark Tower #7) by Stephen King (Read 6/16-7/3)

Next in the BOTM series read. I think I am starting to get burnt out, I had a hard time with this one.  *SPOILER* probably because King inserts himself quite prominently, and it bugs the hell out of me.  This was written after Kings accident, in my opinion he list his edge after his accident, and writing himself into the story is just vain and stupid.  I wish he had focused on the characters instead of himself.  The whole King portion of this book really turns me off, and makes the whole read a pain for me.

This book focuses on Susannah and her pregnancy, and the effects it has on the ka-tet.  We meet a new personality of Susannah's and seem some more twisting and conniving by the Red King.  There are some good fight scenes, but for the most part I felt that this book did nothing to move the storyline along and I could have been just as happy if I hadn't had to read it.

The Terminals: Spark by Michael F. Stewart (Read 6/14-6/19)

I received this book from the LibraryThing Member giveaway.  The premise is that when people die, they can communicate for a shot period of time with a psychic, Atilla.  It is by this means that criminals are contacted after death and crimes solved.  Bam!  Who says the death of the main suspect has to bring a case to a halt.  Except that a terminally ill patient has to volunteer to end their life early so that they can communicate.
Lt. Col. Christine Kurzow attempted suicide after eleven soldiers under her command were killed by a suicide bomber, of course she blames herself.   She no has special talents and is recruited into the Terminals as a handler.  Her first case is to convincing a Gnostic Monk to follow Hiller the Killer into the afterlife and find the location of a bus with eleven children he kidnapped before his death.  Does it seem coincidental that she lost eleven soldiers and now must rescue eleven children, tit for tat?  One little problem, this is a highly spiritual job, and Christine is an atheist.
I really liked this book, Stewarts writing style kept the story flowing and the pages turning, I kept getting drawn back in, with the classic line  "Just one more chapter."  I can't wait for the next one in the series.