The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

About This Book

In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the 43-year-old editor of French Elle, suffered a massive stroke that left him permanently paralyzed, a victim of “locked in syndrome.” Once known for his gregariousness and wit, Bauby now finds himself imprisoned in an inert body, able to communicate only by blinking his left eye. The miracle is that in doing so he was able to compose this stunningly eloquent memoir.

In a voice that is by turns wistful and mischievous, angry and sardonic, Bauby gives us a celebration of the liberating power of consciousness: what it is like to spend a day with his children, to imagine lying in bed beside his wife, to conjure up the flavor of delectable meals even as he is fed through at tube. Most of all, this triumphant book lets us witness an indomitable spirit and share in the pure joy of its own survival.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the strange title for this inspiring memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Or is it? It is the author's beautiful and apt description of what life was like after his unfortunate stroke.

First off, I am amazed at how he was able to communicate his thoughts and desires, let alone an entire book. I might have to borrow the movie to understand better how he was able to communicate.

It was just so inspiring that a man in his condition was still uplifting and positive. It makes you really open your eyes about the things you take for granted, how one needs to appreciate what one has and really not complain so much.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

About This Book

“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.”

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends --- and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society --- born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island --- boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

It was interesting reading a novel completely composed of letters. It made everything seem so much more personal. But still confusing to me because I kept reading the letters without reading who it was addressed to. So I'd read the first few paragraphs and go, wait, who is writing to whom? It's probably because I am impatient and want to find out the meat of the story, so I lose sight of the details.

In the beginning of the book, you get the sense that Juliet is a very independent sort of woman that has been through a difficult time, understandably as it is after World War II. We learn that she loses her flat after a bombing that hits her neighbor's home which takes half of her flat as well. We learn that she has difficulty maintaining relationships or even finding a man that interests her, for that matter. Which is why it was a bit difficult for me to understand how she falls into a whirlwind relationship with a wealthy American publisher. It just didn't seem to jive with the character that I've come to know. But I supposed that it would be flattering and welcomed to have a fun, carefree relationship after the hardships of the war. I can't fault her for that.

Needless to say, I wasn't too surprised that she didn't accept right away when marriage was proposed. Her escape was to Guernsey which she had fallen in love with through her letters with the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The correspondence began with Dawsey who somehow ended up with a book that used to belong to Juliet. Dawsey writes in hopes that Juliet would point him in the right direction to get more books of that nature. He mentions the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which piques Juliet's interest and so the letters begin. One by one, the members of the society begin to write to Juliet sharing their stories about the Nazi occupation.

Juliet ends up visiting Guernsey under the premises that she will write an article about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but she ends falling in love with the people and the island.

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

About This Book According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.

Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He's chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he's chosen the Barrens as his new playground.

Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He's now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn't made it out of the boys' department at Macy's. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn't met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree.

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.

Diesel pops in and out of Plum's life like birthday cake - delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He's an uber bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He's after Grimoire, and now he's also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn't mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs.

Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.

Let me just say that only Stephanie Plum would get into situations like this. Plum Spooky is another funny book by Janet Evanovich. You have to be ready to suspend all belief when reading this book. Seriously, how else does Diesel and Grimoire do all that they do? Or even how does Stephanie Plum get into all the trouble she gets into? Noone is that unlucky, can they be? Yet at the same time be so lucky to have guys like Diesel and Ranger to clean up after her.

Definitely another fun, hilarious look into the life of Stephanie Plum!

Jumper Cable by Piers Anthony

About This Book

In the thirty-third thrilling escapade in Piers Anthony’s rousing Xanth fantasy series, an adventurous arachnid named Jumper must assume human form to save the enchanted realm from a cosmic peril.

A cataclysmic battle between two all-powerful Demons has severed a mystical connection that joins Xanth to our own world. The key to restoring it is hidden within a cryptic prophecy that Jumper discovers when he is suddenly transformed from spider to man. As he sets out to discern the prophecy's meaning, he gathers about him a half dozen alluring damsels who do their best to help him solve the riddle while vying for his attentions.

But a seductive siren and her demonic consort have determined to use their wiles to lure Jumper and his lovely companions away from their urgent mission. In a madcap adventure that is alternately harrowing and hilarious, they soon discover that danger, deception, and even true love may be found where they least expect it.

In Jumper Cable, master storyteller Piers Anthony spins a wild and witty web of wonder that is sure to captivate fans of fantastic adventure everywhere!

Let me preface this by saying I adore Piers Anthony. I love his fantasy books. They are the only ones I read in the fantasy genre. I adore Xanth. And I adore the puns. However, I do not adore Jumper Cable.

Piers Anthony began the Xanth series with the intention of it being a trilogy. Due to its popularity, Piers Anthony developed Xanth into a longer series. First a trilogy times three, then squared which would have brought the series to a whopping 27 books. Honestly, I think Piers Anthony should have stopped writing the Xanth series a while ago.

This book is a bit indulgent and is just all about S-E-X. Everyone just wants to sleep with someone or is trying to. It was getting a bit tiresome. And it just didn't seem to go with the whole Xanth vibe. It used to be a bit more wholesome and just hinted at naughty things. Now naughty things are said and done outright.

Definitely not one of my favorite Xanth books. Will I read his next one? Probably, but I won't rush excitedly to pick it up like I've done in the past.

Sam's Letters to Jennifer

I decided to go with Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson for my next read.




About This Book

Dear Reader,

Have you ever gotten a letter that changed your life completely? It happened to me once. I still can feel the urgency that overtook me as I opened the envelope and the hunger I felt for whatever that letter would say. It seemed as if my entire life hung in the balance as I read.

Sam's Letters to Jennifer is a novel about that kind of drama. In it, a woman is summoned back to the town where she grew up. And in the house where she spent her most magical years she finds a series of letters addressed to her. Each of those letters is a piece of a story that will upend completely the world she thought she knew - and throw her into a love more powerful than she ever imagined could be possible. Two extraordinary love stories are entwined here, full of hope and pain and emotions that never die down.

I hope you'll enjoy this novel as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It's not often that you get a letter that changes your life. But it should happen to everyone at least once.

Yours,
James Patterson

The book starts you off wondering "Who is Sam? Who is Jennifer? And who is Danny?" Are they involved? What happened to Danny? Are Sam and Jennifer couple? These were just a few, okay more than a few, questions that ran through my head as I started off the book.

The background is set. We learn that Sam, whoever he is, and Jennifer are extremely close. And that Jennifer is still, even after a year and a half, heavily mourning the loss of her husband, Danny.

Jennifer receives a phone call that tells her that Sam is in a coma and is needed by her side. Here we learn that Sam is Jennifer's beloved Grandmother who practically raised her and has been her support since her parents were gone.

Back in Grandmother Sam's home, Jennifer discovers a set of letters addressed to her. When she reads the first letter, a bomb is dropped. Grandmother Sam never loved her Grandfather Charles despite their 50+ years of marriage.

As Jennifer reads her letters from Sam, she learns that Sam finds love despite being in a loveless marriage. Jennifer also discovers that she can let herself love again when she finds romance with a childhood friend, Brendan, who is back in town visiting his uncle. She learns to live life to its fullest despite the losses she has suffered with her husband's terrible accident that cost him his life and her subsequent miscarriage. Brendan teaches her to live every day "from the crack of dawn until I closed my eyes."

When Sam wakes up from her coma, Jennifer is hit with more devastating news. Brendan who she is slowly falling in love with, has cancer. He has the kind of cancer that the only treatment is experimental, radical surgery with extremely high risks. Brendan had returned to his childhood haunt for one last enjoyable summer. But for her, Brendan is willing to take the risk. Sometimes you just have to take the chance for love...

I kept getting the feeling I read this book before. There were parts that I thought, hey I read this before, and then there were parts that were totally new to me. I am leaning towards my not having read this book before, but rather that the storyline is a bit predictable somewhat along the lines of Nicholas Sparks. It is a sweet, romantic read, nonetheless.

ETA: I've heard a new song lately called According To You by Orianthi. The sentiment of the song makes me think of the relationship Sam had with her husband.

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

Yay, my first book of the year. And I started with a good one.



Product Description

The Cookie Jar's busiest time of the year also happens to be the most wonderful time...for Christmas cookies, Hannah's own special plum pudding - and romance! Holiday orders are high, and Hannah's slated to provide dessert at the Reverend Knudsen's upcoming nuptials. She's busy as can be and loving it. She also gets a kick out of 'Lunatic Larry Jaeger's Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot', a kitschy carnival taking place smack-dab in the middle of the village green. Larry thinks he's crazy like a fox with his wild business schemes, but this time, the entrepreneur may have bitten off more than he can chew. Rumour has it that Larry's in the red - an idea that takes a sinister turn when Hannah discovers the man himself dead as a doornail in his own office...

It seems quite a few people would have liked to fill Larry's stocking with coal and then bash him with it - including his bitter ex-wife, his ex-partner's daughter, a woman he was wooing, and the Crazy Elf Tree lot's extremely exasperated investors...

Now, with so many suspects to investigate and the twelve days of Christmas ticking away, Hannah's running out of time to nab a murderous Scrooge who doesn't want her to see the New Year.

I really like the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. Plum Pudding Murder did not disappoint. Hannah Swensen is the resident cookie maker of picturesque Lake Eden with a knack for finding bodies. What is this, book number 12 for the series and a dead body for each? Something tells me that I would not want to live in Lake Eden, although Hannah's cookies might be strong temptation....

Hannah and Lisa, owners of the The Cookie Jar, have their hands full baking for the holiday season. Along with their regular customers, they are supplying the Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot with cookies to sell. Larry Jaeger is the crazy owner of the Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot with questionable business practices, as Hannah discovers through the Small Business Practice class that she is taking with her mother. Apparently Larry's motto is "We sell below cost and make it up on volume." Not exactly kosher business happening here. And it seems that someone else agrees. Hannah and Norman find Larry and his big screen television victim to a gun toting murderer.

Hannah sleuths around while baking delicious goodies, trying to keep Moishe (her cat) from destroying her Christmas tree and heirloom ornaments, tracking the whereabouts of Norman's mother to find out why she has been acting so mysteriously lately, and still bouncing back and forth about her feelings for the two men in her life, Norman and Mike. Yes, Hannah is a busy lady.

The discovery of the murderer is a bit convoluted, but very Hannah. And the ending leaves us with a major cliffhanger that you could see coming a mile away.

Oh, and the recipes.... there were so many recipes in Plum Pudding Murder that I want to try. I will be back to update how yummy or not so yummy they are.

2010 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

Reading with Tequila has a great challenge that I want to try to. I know I'll be reading some great books! I am shooting for Level II, subject to change if I'm feeling ambitious.

1. Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
4. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
5. Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

Level I met! Yay! I have a feeling that I might not get to Level II.

6. Shadowland by Meg Cabot
7. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
8. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Unwed and Undead by Mary Janice Davidson

Level II! Success! Yay!

Book bloggers are my favorite source of book recommendations. More than any other source, they consistently introduce me to books and authors that impact my life. Therefore, I have created the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge.

The Top 25

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling
2. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
3. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
4. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
5. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
6. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
7. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
8. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
9. Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
10. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
11. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
12. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
13. Eragon - Christopher Paolini
14. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
15. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
16. The Host - Stephenie Meyer
17. The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough
18. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
20. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
21. The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel
22. The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
23. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
24. 11 Minutes - Paulo Coelho
25. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

Click here to see the entire 2009 Book Blogger Recommendation List.

The Levels:
Level I - Read 5 books from the 2009 Book Blogger Recommendation List
Level II - Read 10 books
Level III - Read 15 books
Level IV - Read 20 books
Level V - Read 20+ books

The Rules:

• Challenge will run January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge.
  
• Create an intro post, linking back to this post.
  
• Sign up with the MckLinky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page.
  
• Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins.
  
• All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.)
• Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you.
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.