Give up on this

I have to give up this blog as you can see, I haven't really been updating it. I keep up with my books on Facebook so this is more duplicating.

Also right now although I am still constantly reading, I am more worried about getting back my fitness and losing weight again. That has to be my main goal. Maybe I will start a blog about that. I do have one on Sparkpeople though, so I need to think about the work in updating two.

Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult

Another great novel by Jodi! I wouldn't rate it as one of her best, but it was good.

A woman takes off with her daughter leaving her husband. They travel cross country to her brother's place while the husband tries to search for them.

It was a great book, just not as great as most of hers. To say it was probably my least favorite of hers, but no means takes anything away from the book. It was still an excellent book.

Grade: B

In Search of Rhett Butler by Sharron Haynes

Okay I expected it to be more Gone With the Wind. It was a basic story of a woman looking for Mr. Perfect. Her name was Scarlett and she fell in love with the movie and spends her life looking for someone like Rhett. The problem was he was a fictional character.

It was a good book, but just not quite what I thought it would be.

Grade: C+

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty

A REALLY good book. This basically loser guy loses his parents in an accident and just picks up his old bike and starts riding. He ends up riding across the country. In the process he finds himself. It was an excellent book!!!

Grade: A

Big Love by Sarah Dunn

Cute book, typical what I would call "chick lit". It starts when her live in boyfriend leaves her right before a dinner party. He leaves to go get mustard and doesn't come back. The rest was pretty predictable. Girl is suddenly single and starts dating.

Grade: C

The Sixth Wife by Suzannah Dunn

This book was about Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. She was the one he was married to when he died. She did not have an easy life. The story takes place after he has died and after she married Thomas Seymour. He was a cad and ended up dying a traitorous death, being beheaded. Of course, this is after she dies after giving birth.

It was a good book, I love books from this time frame.

Grade: B

Mayada, Daughter of Iraq by Jean Sasson

This is a true story of a woman who comes from a prominent family in Iraq. She starts out a life of good fortune, but as Saddam's regime continues, her position changed. It tells the story of many people who were tortured and killed while he was in power.

The most heartbreaking to me where the neighbor boys who were around 14 and playing football in the street and were arrested because they "stared" at the police officers. Their mother asked Mayada to find them for her, she does but they are dead having been tortured. Eventually she was imprisoned and witnessed the torture first hand as a victim and witnessing her cell mates.

I tell you there have been times I have been conflicted about the war, but no matter we did the people of Iraq a huge favor by ousting Saddam. He was an evil, evil man as where the people that he was surrounded by.

Grade: A