Forever in Blue (The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood)

This is the final installment of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. I read all four books back to back. My world was so entrenched with these four girls that they became my friends for a short time!

This book is not as entertaining as the first three. I think that the third and fourth in the series are not as good as the first two. However, it was still an okay book. I liked it. I thought it was a pretty good wrap up to the series. The storyline was fading and I couldn't really see where else the author could go that would offer the reader something new. So it is appropriate that the series ends here.

In this book, the girls are in finished their first year of college. They are each doing something related to school through the summer though. Three are staying at their respective schools and one is traveling abroad. The still send the pants on to each other, but they play a much reduced role in this book. The only time the four friends are together is at the very end of the book when an emergency brings them together for one purpose. It is a very fitting end to the book and the series.

The author comments that she might revisit these girls at a later point in their lives. She doesn't think she is finished with them yet. If she does complete another novel with these girls, as women, I think I would probably pick it up. It wouldn't be one I would rush to the store to get, but I would want to read it to see where their lives have taken them to satisfy curiosity.

Overall, I would recommend this entire series. Reading all four back to back was enjoyable for me.

Happy Reading!

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood/Girls in Pants

I am lumping these two books together, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood and Girls in Pants (The Third Summer of the Sisterhood) by Ann Brashares, because I read them back to back. Literally; I closed one, picked up the next and started it. I finished the two of them in about 24 hours.

I enjoyed the Second Summer almost as much as the first. The girls, individually, get themselves all confused and messed up. Each one faces a crisis. The pants help sometimes and sometimes not. In the end, each girl figures something out about herself and grows a bit. One becomes more likable, one less so. But in some way, the reader can still identify with each of the girls.

The Third Summer is their last as "kids". They are all off to college at the end of this summer. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much, but it was still entertaining and I would recommend it. In the third installment, two of the girls branch into each other's families a bit. One works for the summer babysitting another's grandmother. One comes to the rescue at a most important time for another's mother. It was an interesting twist and one that was quite realistic. You can't love someone as much as these girls love each other and not be involved with the other people that are so important in their lives.

The one thing that I love about these books is that nothing comes between these girls. They adore one another but are not so far into each other's business to hurt one another. They listen and help and support without jealousy or vanity. I don't believe that is typical of high school friendships; I believe it takes more mature individuals to love like that. I love that aspect of the book though because I can so completely relate to it, having a group of friends like that myself.

I am very interested to see where the next summer goes with the girls, and so I have already picked up the fourth and final installment.

Happy Reading!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I know, I am behind the times. Most of the best sellers that I read, I read WAY after they have been on the best sellers list. This is one of those. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares was published in 2001, eight years ago! I had wanted to read it but it just hadn't made it to the top of my list yet. Then a friend loaned the whole series to me - all four books. I picked it up and was hooked. Finished this book in two days and started the second one right away.

The Sisterhood is made up of four high school friends. The girls mothers were friends but as their lives changed the adults became distanced. The girls, however, remained best friends. They have spent their lives together and this particular summer will be spending their first summer apart. They are girls that most readers can identify with in some way. The "pants" are a consignment shop treasure that miraculously fit all four of the girls, even though they are different shapes and sizes. Hence, their magical nature. The girls decide to share the pants. They see it as a way to stay connected during their summer apart. They make rules that must be adhered to and document the things that happen to them in the pants. The book is, of course, about more than the pants and the adventures that happen when the girls are wearing them. The book is about the individual sisters and the group as a whole.

I loved the sisterhood that the girls share. Having three best friends myself and being a part of a group that shares that kind of love made me love this book all the more. These girls are so open about their feelings for one another and are always there to support each other. Even when that supporting means saying something that the other does not want to hear. Each of the girls has her flaws. That makes the characters more real. They are there for each other through everything - which anyone who has a best friend can identify with.

I absolutely loved this book and started the second one right away. I would highly recommend it. I can't wait to see where the girls second adventure takes them.

Happy Reading!

Family Tree

I picked up Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky because a friend borrowed the other book I was reading and I didn't want to be without a book. I don't know much about Barbara Delinsky, but I expected not to be impressed. I expected it to be a trite romance. I was surprised.

This book was about a family that gets the surprise of a lifetime when their baby is born of a different race. They have to deal with the surprise and all of the feelings that go along with it: mistrust, anger, confusion, concern. They also have to look inside themselves and try to discover exactly where they stand on the issue of race. And they search for the missing link...where did this come from? It is a book about family history, and what exactly that truly means.

While the book was a little predictable, it was still highly enjoyable. Mixed in with the main plot are a few sub plots that keep the story moving and allow you more access to the main characters and their personalities. Overall, this was a fast, easy read and very entertaining. I would recommend it, and I will read more Delinsky in the future.

Happy Reading!

The Year in Review...

Wow...as 2008 comes to a close, I get to look back at all of the reading I have done. This is the first year that I have chronicled my reading, so I have nothing to compare it to...but, wow. 34 books in 12 months. That works out to almost three books a month. For being a stay at home mom with four kids...that is a lot of reading!

I would have to list my favorite books of the year as the Twilight series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn), the Harry Potter series, The Kite Runner and Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral. I enjoyed all of the books that I read, but these would be the top picks for 2008 and the ones I would recommend most highly.

I wonder how many books I will read next year...it will be really fun to have something to compare this year to. Happy Reading!

2008 Book List
The Bell Jar
Obsidian Butterfly
The Handmaid's Tale (Book Club)
Blue Moon
Burnt Offerings
The Killing Dance
Bloody Bones
The Lunatic Cafe
Circus of the Damned
The Laughing Corpse
Guilty Pleasures
The Call of the Wild
Cane River
Fourplay
Name Dropping
Breaking Dawn
Fearless Fourteen
Lean Mean Thirteen
Dark Rivers of the Heart
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral (Book Club)
Sweet Memories
Flowers for Algernon
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
The Host
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
The Kite Runner (Book Club)
Eclipse
New Moon
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Twilight
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
The Society of S (Book Club)
Plum Lucky
A Long Way Down (Book Club)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This novel was recommended to me by a friend who is a literature teacher. It is a novel about a woman facing the pressures of life and going through a mental breakdown. It is beautifully written and haunting; at times very dark and at times quite funny.

Because the novel is written in the first person, the dark moments are disturbing. It is an excellent look at what madness truly is. The descriptions, the things the main character (Esther Greenwood) sees, the intense detail here and lack of detail there. This is not an uplifting novel. Added to its disturbing nature is the fact that the novel is semi-autobiographical. The author wrote this novel by fictionalizing her own life and the people in it. The history behind the novel is as interesting as the novel itself. The novel could not be published until the author's mother died. (The Harper Perennial publication has a forward that describes the publishing process for the book, and a "biographical note" at the end regarding Sylvia Plath's life.)

Definitely worth reading. Don't be fooled by its small size. This novel took me a while to finish. Partly because of the time of year - being Christmas time with not much time to read, and partly because of it's intense nature.

Happy reading!

Obsidian Butterfly

Wow, it took me a while to finish this book. I will admit that I have been busy, BUT, this is an unusual amount of time for me even with a busy life.

I have to say that this Anita Blake novel was not as good as even the last. So, they are going a little downhill for me. I peaked with Bloody Bones, I think. In this edition of Anita's extraordinary life, she goes to New Mexico to help her friend and co-monster slayer, Edward. It is a good look into Edward's life, as the novel focuses on him and his world. There are mentions of the vampire and the werewolf in Anita's life, but they are not in the book themselves. So, for the fact that Edward's character is explored and revealed, the book was worth reading.

That being said...the plot was very confusing to me. The monster that they were tracking and its motives still eludes me and I am finished the book. I didn't really follow the how and why and even some of the who of that part of the story line. It was confusing and quickly explained and quickly wrapped up. It took me so long to finish this book because I simply wasn't that interested in that part of the story. I found other things to do, rather than read, and that isn't like me. When I have the time, reading is what I choose to do. While reading this book, I chose to watch TV or a movie, and on one occasion actually rake leaves. Not much of an endorsement for the book.

Laurell K. Hamilton also goes farther with the gore and disturbing acts of violence in this book. With each book, I think she can't get any darker or any more horrendous with her victims or the level of violence. And each time she proves me wrong. In this book there is very disturbing violence that takes place in the nursery of a hospital and also child sexual abuse. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

I will keep going in the series. I am still interested enough to see where life takes Anita. But I am not going to pick up the next book right away. I am going to read something else first, then pick up the next one.

Happy Reading!