Mrs Hughes, I need to steal you for a minute. I have to check the linen books.

Ok, now for the "real" books that I've read recently.


Non-fiction first:



The Money Class by Suze Orman

The Review: This had some good tips and some things that I am working on implementing. But, like all financial books, the basic assumption is that you are in debt. Which for me isn't true. So the book fell a little flat for me there.




The Woman Who Wasn't There by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr.

The Story: As the subtitle says, this is "The true story of an incredible deception." A woman joined the 9/11 survivors' group and spun amazing lies about her experience in the Towers.

The Review: This was amazing. It was a quick read and easy to get into. And the whole time I was thinking what? why would someone do that? and how much is a lie?

I totally recommend this book.




Beauty Gone Wild! by Diane Kidman

The story: This is just what it sounds like. A cookbook for personal care stuff.

The review: I got it because it was free on the Kindle. And I'm a little "granola-crunchy, hippie-type." I found it interesting and when I get a little time and can locate the ingredients, I actually want to try out the moisturizer.




Little Princes by Conor Grennan

The story: True story. Conor goes to volunteer at an orphanage in Nepal. He falls in love with the kids there and discovers that they are not actually orphans. They have been trafficked because of Nepal's civil war. He sets up an organization to try to reunite the kids with their parents.

The review: Great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Conor writes really well and is very entertaining as he tells his stories. And despite the large number of children he talks about, he manages to help you remember individuals and care about them.

I totally recommend this book. And so does the rest of my book club.




Knockout by Suzanne Somers

The story: Suzanne starts with her personal story of a major health scare and then interviews doctors who are curing cancer in all kinds of non-traditional ways.

The review: First it makes you absolutely furious at the medical system we have to deal with. And then it offers some practical things we can do to not get cancer. I found it a fascinating read.

******

And then fiction:



The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

The Story: Hassan becomes a chef and has an amazing gift for creating food. He is eventually taken under the wing of a renowned french chef.

The Review: I thought there would be more story to this story. More action, more direction. I don't know. It left me disappointed and thinking, wait that's it? While simultaneously thinking, wow, that was so long!




The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Story: A family struggles through the Great Depression.

The Review: Steinbeck's style takes a moment to get into and it is very slow. But really for a good reason. And I hated the ending. But the fantastic news that I can now report on is my students survived this one! I'm so proud of them. -- I'm actually serious about that, it's not sarcastic at all.




Frozen Heat by Richard Castle

The Story: Nikki Heat continues her story and this time is looking to solve her mother's murder.

The Review: So I was enjoying this, and then I got sidetracked, and then the show came back on and I was disappointed with how this season began. So then I was disappointed with the book. I just felt like it was flatter than the others. Like it lost the charm and humor that I liked so much about the Castle series. So it wasn't my favorite.