Book Blog #20, The Secret Life of Bees, week #2

The Secret Life of Bees                                                                                              by Sue Monk Kidd

Lily meets the out-going sisters, August, May, and June. Lily and Rosaleen instantly feel at home. She learns about religion and life styles she couldn't dream of. From beekeeping to praying, she starts to fit into the wacky lifestyle when a tragedy occurs. It affects everyone in the household. She always wonders about her past, and she ends learning more about it than she ever wanted to know. Her future has been filled with twists and turns, and she wonders how much change needs to take place before Lily can settle down into a normal routine again.


Book Group Assignment Paragraphs
I personally enjoyed this book a lot. I enjoyed how many emotions were conveyed through it, and how much I felt like I know the characters. The other thing that I really like about it is how realistic it is. There were very few parts of it that seemed unrealistic, which make it seem more believable and authentic. The time that the book is set in is portrayed very well, and it is accurate as far as I can tell. This improves the story for me because it makes it seem more realistic and enjoyable. I like that relationships between characters progress really well and realistically. This like I said above, helped the book feel more realistic to me, and made it seem like all of the characters were growing and changing. The style in which the book is written also helps to progress the book, because how people talk and think are written in a similar fashion. The author also put the right amount of thought and length into everything that happened, which paced the book really well.

Even though that all of the main protagonists are female, it is still a good book for boys to read because there is a lot of thought that goes on and interesting discussion topics no matter your gender. This makes it a good book group for anyone because there are so many interesting topics and controversial things in the book. It has a story and history that is important for people to know, because it is about the Civil Rights Act, which is important to learn about.


Warning!! There is a fair amount of profanity used in this book, although most of it makes sense in context, but it is a little excessive at some points. There is also some violence, but it did not hinder the story, but it was realistic.

TBR list
Seveneves   by Neal Stephenson
Side effects may vary   by Julie Murphy
Into thin air   by Jon Kraukauer
Leviathan Wakes   by James A. Corey
Farenheit 451   by Ray Bradbury

Book Blog #19, The Secret Life of Bees, week #1

The Secret Life of Bees                                       by Sue Monk Kidd
Lily Owens has never really known her past only the future. Her mother died when she was young, and she only remembers that it was partly her fault. Her dad, T-Ray has abused her and never acted like a true father. Rosaleen her nanny has been the only kind parental figure in her life for ages. Lily runs away with Rosaleen after she decides she has had enough. She is soon in a new place with only Rosaleen, a place she came to on a whim. She finds a picture of colored Mary, the same picture her mother had. She decides to find the beekeeper who produces the honey, who had to know her mother.


So far I have enjoyed this book quite a bit. One of the things that I really like is that from what I can tell, the author portrays the time really well, and it is detailed and accurate. One of the other parts I like is that it is a unique perspective on the civil rights act. I think that the authors writing style fits the book well. The book is written in the same way that the characters talk, which for me brings me into the story. The story isn't predictable, which I like. I am never expecting what happens next, and it always surprises me when something unexpected occurs. Overall, it is a good book and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of foul language.


I would like to do a book group in the genres of Sci-Fi, or fantasy. I would like to do a book group in one of these genres because they are not as often discussed, and I would be interested in hearing other peoples opinions on them.


Warning: There is quite a bit of cussing in this book, but most of it is in context or it suits the character.


TBR list
The Stone Angel     by Margaret Laurence
In the Time of the Butterflies     by Julia Alvarez
Ape House     by Sara Gruen
At the Water's Edge     by Sara Gruen
Roses     by Leila Meacham
We are all Made of Molecules     by Susan Nielsen

My dog, Rhyming poem

Mel

The energetic ball chases across the floor,                                        A
she gives you love, more and more.                                                  A
As desperate as she may seem,                                                          B
her eyes will always start to gleam,                                                   B
as soon as you open the door.                                                            A

After you've been around for a while,                                                A
she slumps down into a great big pile.                                               A
She lies down on the rug,                                                                     B
and she lets you pet her and give her a hug.                                       B

She bolts up into the air,                                                                     X
gains traction on the floor,                                                                 A
lets out a loud bark,                                                                            X
at the stranger at the door.                                                                 A

As you start to rest,                                                                            A
you give her a treat.                                                                           X
She knows that you love her best,                                                     A
a fact that she can never detest.                                                         A

Book Blog #18, Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants                                                                                                           by Sara Gruen
With no money and no family or home, Jacob Jankowski jumps onto a freight train in the dead of night. He soon finds himself in the midst of a busy circus show, trying to find his way. They realize that he will be the shows veterinarian. The show is desperate for anything to get business up, and they buy a "useless" elephant. When Jacob discovers the elephant's talents, it quickly becomes a show stopper. He quickly falls in love with a performer, and his relationships get increasingly more difficult. It is told by a 93 year old Jacob as he recounts his circus days, and as you see where he is now.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The author did a phenomenal job of setting the scene, and I felt like I really knew a lot of the characters. It was a very fast read, and I never got bored. One of the other things that made this a good book was that there were things happening constantly, and that there were always new twists and turns in the plot. I think that the author also new what she was talking about, and it was very realistic. I also think that because it was so vivid it would actually progress the storyline instead of making it drag on and on. One thing I didn't enjoy were the factors of it that definitely made it young-adult literature. They could sometimes hinder the plot and make it harder to read for me. The movie is PG-13, and it is very obvious why to me because it is very much an adult book.

Warning: There is a lot of sex and romance in the book that is described. There are affairs and things like that. There is some amount of violence and gore but it is not terrible. Finally, there is a lot of extensive cursing, to a point where it can sometimes hinder the storyline.

I would like to start reading things that will challenge me more and to start reading more difficult things. I would also like to continue to branch out with the genres of the book I read. I want to start choosing books that are different from each other from week to week. I think that I aspire to get back into the habit of reading a lot more, because I do enjoy books a lot.



TBR list:
The Marvels   by Brian Selznick
The House of The Scorpion   by Nancy Farmer
Fangirl   by Rainbow Rowell
Postcards from no man's land   by Aidan Chambers
2001 a space odyssey   by Arthur C. Clarke