Melody was SO right....Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is impossible to put down.  I started this book late yesterday and just finished it.  It's another one of those books I picked up numerous times and put down.  I really didn't want to read this story - about a teenagerl killed by a serial killer.  But, as Melody said it was a beautiful story of this young lady who watches her family and friends from Heaven.  She watches and is with them as they try and heal from her death, and how this impacted their lives.  

This book made me pause and think of my friend Caron.  Caron and I had breast cancer at the same time.  We scheduled our radiation appointments back to back so we could car pool into Denver.  This made the trip and experience bearable, even fun.  It was more like getting tea with a friend, as opposed to getting zapped.  Shortly after we were through this experience her daughter was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer.  She died less than a year from her diagnosis.  Rachel was only 20.  She was an absolutely beautiful young lady, inside and out.  

Many things in Lovely Bones made me think about Caron and her family as they approach the 4th anniversary of Rachel's death in January.  I've had glimpses into what a family goes through after loosing a child.  One thing that really resonates is how differently people deal with loss.  Also how important it is to acknowledge the loss.  Caron says so many people won't mention Rachel's name to her because they "don't want to upset her".  What the don't realize that they can't make her upset, she is already upset.  That it can be comforting to have someone to speak with about her daughter.  This book really spoke to this.  

i think I'm going to need to re-read this book again, just like the Shack.  Moving.  Riveting.  Thought provoking and amazing.   

I just finished reading Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl.  This book was wonderfully entertaining for me.  It's was a mixture of a coming of age novel and a cook book all rolled into one.  Ruth, who today is a restaurant critic, weaves a really nice tale around her growing up and young adult years, her love of food and good wine, two things hard not to love. 

So, if you are looking for a fun book, this is it....and, some of the recipes woven in the story look amazing.  I've flagged some to try myself!  Bon Appetite!  

One of my all time favorite 'quiet time' activities is reading....I've been an avid book worm my entire life.   

In grade school I was not a "cool" kid.  I remember going to the school library on Friday's and checking out an entire grocery sack full of books for the weekend.  I would sit in my parent's formal living room curled up in the corner of the green couch at our house out in the coutry and read, read, read.  I would continue reading long into the night, even after my mom made me turn off the light, diving under my covers to continue on reading with a flashlight until the wee hours.  

So, you get the picture.  Braces, frizzy hair, glasses.  No good at sports.  Not cool.  (My sister was the cool one

But, it's not all about being cool.  Reading is still a passion, and even though I might be just a little bit cooler now than I was when I was in grade school I read every day.  I decided it's time for a new blog category on "reading". 

I promise I will never give away the plot of a book, but I will report on my impressions.  Did the book move me?  Make me think?  Or, was it just pure escape and enjoyment?  Were there twists and turns that kept me guessing? Or, could I not bring myself to finish the book?  A dud....

I'll be back with a report soon....

I just finished reading "The Shack" written by W.P Young.  All I can say is W*O*W.  Better yet, Double-Triple W*O*W....

I have to admit I picked up this book a number of times before I bought it.  In spite of it being a best seller the back cover turned me off.  It's a story about a man who lost his young daughter tragically to a serial killer.  Right there that was enough to make me put the book down.  I really don't like to read stuff like that.  

Well, after picking it up once again at the airport last week the gal at the book store said to me "that's a really good book".  Given I was short on time I went with it.   Sold. 

I am so glad I did.  W*O*W.  It is an incredibly creative story about love, forgiveness, acceptance and our relationship with God.  It amazingly addresses why God doesn't jump in and fix all the suffering in the world.  I won't go into any more detail about the plot here, but trust me on this, walk, no run, to your nearest bookstore and get this amazing work.  It's really transforming.  I really can't say enough.  W*O*W.

So, please, please, please wonderful blog readers, give it a try.  I'd love to know what you think.