Hattie Big Sky

I read this book over the weekend. This historical fiction was a Newberry Honor in 2007. I could tell that it was written for young teenagers because it was missing the depth of descriptions & emotions that older readers might appreciate. But it was an interesting, clean, quick read, which was nice. I love reading books about times past. This book was set during WWI. It helps me appreciate those who came before.

My favorite quote from the book was this English Proverb:
"A man may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done." Oh soooo true!

This is the description from the publisher:

For most of her life, sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks has been shuttled from one distant relative to another. Tired of being Hattie Here-and-There, she summons the courage to leave Iowa and move all by herself to Vida, Montana, to prove up on her late uncle's homestead claim.


Under the big sky, Hattie braves hard weather, hard times, a cantankerous cow, and her own hopeless hand at the cookstove on her quest to discover the true meaning of home.

The Help

The Help is just plain fabulous! It's in my top 5 favorite books of all time. I found this description of the book, and I don't think I could word it any better.

Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” is excellent. It’s been a long time since I was so into a book that I was sad to finish it, but “The Help” was just that amazing. Set in the 1960′s, it tells the story of the African American women working as maids in the homes of white women in Mississippi. But the novel is so much more than just that. There are complicated relationships, broken friendships, unlikely bonds, surprises, misunderstandings and disappointments.

Sometimes characters are better than we imagined and sometimes they are gravely worse, but Stockett keeps us guessing – and intrigued. You fall in love with Minnie, Skeeter, and especially, I think, Aibileen. You feel their joys, heartbreaks, hurts, excitement and fear, and that is what makes this book unique, irresistible and lovable." It is a MUST READ!!!

29 Gifts

Book: 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life
Author: Cami Walker

I really enjoyed this quick-read book.

This gal Cami Walker has MS and was completely overwhelmed by major health problems and depression. It was very educational to read her description of all that people with MS deal with. She is such a great example of persevering and finding the good, even when life is hard.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"One of the points of this exercise is to practice mindfulness . . . to offer each gift with a
sense of consciousness and intention. It's true that I did a number of nice things for
others today, but I didn't do them with the conscious intention of giving." Cami Walker

"From the first day I started giving, the energy in my life changed direction. I felt that I
wanted to be here... I'm more capable of receiving assistance and love. ... It is easier for
me to laugh and smile. Fun is easier to find. I am more in awe of the people around me
and tend to notice their good qualities rather than their 'flaws'." Cami Walker

Welcome to the family book blog

Hello! I'm excited to hear about all the great books everyone has been reading lately. Please post some of your recent favorite reads to get it started.

Once you publish a post, you will see at the bottom of the post there is a 5-star rating you can click. Everyone who has read that book can rate that book. We'd also love for everyone to write additional comments on books that already have a post.

Please share any other ideas on how we can make this blog helpful for us all.

Here are some ideas to get us started on the Bookshelves (label). Feel free to create your own labels to categorize in more depth.

Picture books – Picture books moms read to their kids.

Learn to read – Books for beginning readers; guided reading level A- I.

Children’s – Easy reader chapter books; guided reading level is J-M.

Juvenile – Chapter books; guided reading level is N-Q.

Early teen – Books that appeal to upper grade elementary kids ages, 10 and up; guided reading level R-Z.

Young adult – Books for older audiences; Some may contain more mature themes.

Adult

Info from Mom Can I Read This?.