My Latest Reads

Now that I've finally finished reading the books for my student book club, I'm back to reading for fun again! Yay!

Amazing story. A brilliant neurosurgeon, happily married, on a great career trajectory finds out he has a rare form of cancer. It's a short read-he literally ran out of time to get his story down. It's tragic and sad, but also very interesting and uplifting. I'm so glad he was able to get his story published and in our hands.

I think Alice Hoffman is a brilliant storyteller. Sometimes the stories get confusing with so many characters to follow, as this one did at times. But this is actually based on real people and true scandal that rocked their family. It is mostly about the mother of Camille Pissarro who became an influential artist in the Impressionist period. I liked it.

I knew this book was going to be quirky and eccentric and boy, was I right. It's a dystopian story about a hive of bees and one of it's "workers". I think it's a very creative idea and will never look at bees the same way again-however, I do know it wouldn't be for everyone.

This is one of books for my 3rd-5th grade book club. I actually didn't like it at first, but got absorbed into the story. Living in Texas, we actually were told to evacuate for Katrina and loaded a car up with all our pets and valuables, heading for Austin. It didn't end up hitting us at all, but we spent several days watching the drama unfold on the news in Louisiana. I think this story is a great way to make that real for the kids who were too young to remember.

I did not really love this book the way I thought I would. I love mysteries, especially revolving around family secrets and the past, but I couldn't wait for this book to be over (and not in a good way). I just thought the plot was convoluted and then when they reveal whodunit it's so far-fetched. I was disappointed because I had read really good reviews.