Orphan Train

Orphan Train was a very interesting book, and I really enjoyed reading it.  I was unfamiliar with the practice of trying to find homes for orphaned children in the early 1900's by putting hundreds of them on trains.  The train would stop at towns along its journey, and the children would be paraded in front of couples hoping to find a child to adopt.  Many of them were given loving homes, while others were used for cheap labor.  This is the story of a girl who rode one of the orphan trains.  I could hardly put the book down and bet you won't be able to either!

The author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be delivers her most ambitious and powerful novel to date: a captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.

Nearly eighteen, Molly Ayer knows she has one last chance. Just months from "aging out" of the child welfare system, and close to being kicked out of her foster home, a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvie and worse.

Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

The closer Molly grows to Vivian, the more she discovers parallels to her own life. A Penobscot Indian, she, too, is an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past. As her emotional barriers begin to crumble, Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life - answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.
(review taken from www.goodreads.com)

Where We Belong

Books written by Emily Giffin are some of my very favorites.  I enjoyed reading this book about characters who experience the joys and complexities of adoption...a subject close to my heart.  I hated to see this book come to an end, but feel hopeful that it might have a sequel.  Its ending certainly lent itself to that possibility.  Pick up a copy.  I bet you'll love it, too!  

Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.
 
For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.  (review taken from www.goodreads.com)

Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury

I've read all 22 books by Karen Kingsbury that feature the Baxter Family.  This is the last book about the Baxters, and I'll miss reading about these characters that I've come to know over the years.  Coming Home was a great book that had a central theme...God's faithfulness.  If you've never read any other stories about the Baxter's, you won't be lost by reading this one.  Kingsbury used the first 140 pages to recap their story.  Honestly, that part of the book became monotonous for me, and I read through it in turbo mode.  I tend to like books where the characters live "happily ever after".  Unfortunately for me, that didn't happen in this novel.  Reading this book was like waking up from a really bad dream and being extremely thankful that it wasn't real.  Although this story was very sad, if you are a huge Kingsbury fan, you won't want to miss reading it.

Coming Home is a novel about tremendous victory and unprecedented loss, a story of faith and a forever kind of love, love that will stay with you long after the last page. This stand-alone novel will serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion in the saga of the Baxter Family. The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven’t had in years. But before the big day, the unthinkable happens. As the Baxter Family rallies together, memories come to light in the grief-stricken hours of waiting and praying, memories that bring healing and hope during a time when otherwise darkness might have the final word. In a season that changes all of them, the brilliance of family love overshadows even the valley of heartache as the Baxters draw closer to God and each other. Along the way, secrets are revealed and the truth about the Baxter Family history is finally made known. Ultimately, in this portrait of family love, the Baxters cling to each other and to God’s promise of forever.  (review taken from www.goodreads.com)  

Catching Fire

One of the things that I love about the Hunger Games series is that it's motivated so many people to read the books.  Take Darlin Arlin for instance.  In the sixteen years that we've been married, I've seen him read very little besides his computer manuals.  After he saw the Hunger Games movie, he told me that he was going to try to read the sequel to it before the next movie comes out.  (in the Fall of 2013....Yes, we have to wait that long.  Dang!)  I have to admit that I was a little doubtful, but I'll have you know that he's already started reading it.  It's great to be able to discuss this book with him...something I could never do when it comes to computer manuals.

A fifth grade girl recently came into the library holding her own personal copy of Catching Fire, so we started talking about the book.  I told her that I couldn't wait to start reading Mockingjay (the sequel), because Catching Fire left me quite confused and that I was sure the next book would make things clearer.  (Authors are tricky like that, you know.)  The student sweetly said, "Mrs. Hobbie, after I finish reading Catching Fire, I'll explain it to you."  Love it!

Here's the scoop on Catching Fire.

Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge. 

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.
(review taken from www.goodreads.com)

Hunger Games

I didn't have any intentions of reading The Hunger Games.  Fantasy is not my favorite genre by a long stretch!  When a friend asked me if I'd read it and my reply was no, she insisted I reconsider.  Plus, so many of my elementary students who came into the library were asking me the same thing and if we had the title.  Of course, we don't, because it's not reviewed as being appropriate for primary children.  Curiosity got the best of me.  I read the book first, saw the movie, and really liked them both!  I'm now on the second book, Catching Fire, and like it even better than the first.  So, even if fantasy isn't your thing, you might be surprised about The Hunger Games! 

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.  (Review taken from http://www.goodreads.com/)

Sarah's Key

I really enjoyed this book and liked trying to figure out how the two stories would intertwine into one.  Since it was about the Holocaust, though, I'm ready to find a happier subject to read about next time.  

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. 

Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.  (review taken from www.goodreads.com)

Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite YA (Young Adult) authors.  She writes about many topics that teenagers face.  Although I'm several years past that stage in my life, I know a few girls who aren't, and it gives me a glimpse of what their world might be like. Ms. Dessen makes one think about the actions of themselves and others.  Her books show different opinions and viewpoints that teach valuable life lessons.  So, when teenagers ask for great book suggestions, I  have an answer ready.  Plus, a good book is just that...a good book, and I enjoy reading these YA novels myself.

Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she'ss been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.
 
That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking website around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, thepromise of college and a future. It's a dream come true, so why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again.

A librarian friend of mine recommended that I read a book called The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and it is one that I'll never forget.  The story is told from the perspective of a nine year old German boy who arrives home one day to discover that his family is moving from Berlin to Auschwitz where his father will serve to oversee a concentration camp.  Forced to leave his three best friends, Bruno very soon discovers that life in his new environment is lonely.  He sets out one day to explore and meets a boy his age.  Although he finds out that he and Schmuel have a lot in common, living on "opposite sides of the fence" makes their playtime not only difficult, but has a devastating consequence to their friendship. 

I had a very heavy heart after reading this book, but was captivated by the author's choice of using the perspective of a child to tell the story of such a daunting time in history.  Make sure you have plenty of kleenex available while reading it.  Several moms have told me this week that they need a good cry before Monday when they have to drop their kindergarten babies off at school.  This is your book, ladies.  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is recommended for YA (Young Adults).  In my opinion, it's not a good fit for elementary aged children to read. 

This title was made into a major motion picture, and I've included a movie trailer for you to view. 

Recently, I was browsing the shelves of a Christian bookstore.  There were so many interesting new books that it was difficult to choose which one I wanted to read first.  The Amish Midwife jumped off the shelf at me because it held many good (gut!) elements that I find entertaining to read about...mystery, adoption, the Amish and Mennonite lifestyles, suspense, and romance.  I couldn't put the novel down.  It was anything but predictable and held many WOW elements right to the very end. 

A dusty carved box containing two locks of hair and a century-old letter regarding property in Switzerland, and a burning desire to learn about her biological family lead nurse-midwife Lexie Jaeger from her home in Oregon to the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country. There she meets Marta Bayer, a mysterious lay-midwife who desperately needs help after an Amish client and her baby die.
Lexie steps in to assume Marta's patient load even as she continues the search for her birth family, and from her patients she learns the true meaning of the Pennsylvania Dutch word demut, which means 'to let be' as she changes from a woman who wants to control everything to a woman who depends on God.

A compelling story about a search for identity and the ability to trust that God securely holds our whole life-past, present, and future.

I'll be starting its sequel soon! 



My library aide, Amber, and I love to read the parenting books in our elementary library.  When she told me about this one, I knew I'd have to buy it right away.  Author Larry Winget doesn't beat around the bush.  Do I concur with all of his opinions?  Uhhh...no.  However, if I can gather only an idea or two from a book that will make me a better parent, it's worth the read, don't you agree?  I especially liked the author's suggestions for teaching children about money by using the 10-10-10 rule.  Save 10%, invest 10%, and give 10% to those less fortunate.  I hope you also get some great advice from this common sense approach to parenting.

Straight-talking, bestselling Pitbull of Parenting Larry Winget says "This is not a fix your kid book. It's a fix the way you parent book. You owe it to your kids to parent with a plan!"
Being a parent is the toughest job in the world, especially with the increasing number of negative influences and pitfalls facing our kids today, from childhood obesity and out-of-control celebrity culture to the dangers of the internet and credit card debt. Larry Winget has never been one to shy away from tough truths, and what he says here may well be difficult for some parents to swallow: we are in the midst of a crisis with our kids. Kids today are over-indulged, over-entertained, under-achieving, and under-disciplined, with a sense of entitlement that is crippling society. And the real problem is that parents aren't paying attention to what's going on. If they were they would realize that most kids today barely read and write, except with their thumbs on their cell phones!

Well-behaved, respectful kids are the exception, not the rule, and for the most part, parents are to blame. Responsible parenting is about beginning with the end in mind and parenting with a plan. But most parents have never stopped to consider what kind of adult they want to raise. They have all this fun creating a baby, but they don't have a plan for the end product.

Larry's message to parents: Teach your kids to become the best adults they can be. But don't expect your kids to improve until you improve. Your Kids Are Your Own Fault covers familiar lessons and principles that have led Larry's readers to greater success with money, career, and goal setting, this time at a level where they can be taught to children. This book shows parents how to design the adult they want their kid to become and work backwards to make sure it happens. Kids don't come with an instruction manual, but finally being a parent does!

(review taken from http://www.goodreads.com/)

I first took interest in reading the book Something Borrowed when I heard about the movie.  Of course, I always have to read the print version of the story first!  This is a book about two lifelong best friends.  Something Borrowed, tells the story from Rachel's perspective.  The sequel, Something Blue, is Darcy's rendition.  I'll be loading it on my nook right away! 

Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy's fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feels the same way. As the wedding date draws near, events spiral out of control, and Rachel knows she must make a choice between her heart and conscience. In so doing, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself.

Another fun installment (#6) in the Shopaholic series...

Nothing comes between Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) and her bargains. Neither act of God nor budget crunch can shatter her dreams of wall-to-wall Prada. Every milestone in her well-shopped life (travel, long-lost sister, marriage, pregnancy) inspires new vistas to explore in the name of retail therapy. But now she faces her greatest little challenge yet: Becky’s two-year-old daughter, Minnie.

While motherhood has been everything Becky dreamed it would be—Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for toddlers—adorable Minnie is wreaking havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “MINE!” and her penchant for Balenciaga bags, Chanel sunglasses, and online purchases has no rival under age five.

Becky is at her wits end. On top of this, she and her husband Luke are still living with her parents. Thankfully it appears house buying attempt number four is a go! Until a huge financial crisis causes panic everywhere, and nobody wants to shop—not Becky’s personal shopping clientele, not her friends, nobody. And with Luke in the doldrums, it’s time for Becky to step in—with a party: A surprise birthday party for Luke (on a budget) is the perfect antidote to everyone’s woes. At first.

Will Becky manage to keep the party of the year a surprise? Can she hire jugglers, fire-eaters, and acrobats at a discount? Will enlisting the help of Luke’s unflappable assistant to convince him to have another baby realize her dream of matching pom-poms? Will Minnie find a new outlet for her energetic and spirited nature (perhaps one with sixty percent markdowns)? She is, after all, a chip off the old shopping block. And everyone knows a committed shopper always finds a way.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, and I found out today that several of her books have been made into movies for the Lifetime Channel.  I rented three of them today from iTunes, so I see a movie marathon in my future. 

I just finished her book called Keeping Faith.  Picoult did it again in that she wrote another great and captivating novel that I couldn't put down.  The research that this author puts into her books is amazing.  You won't want to miss this one!

When her parents divorce, seven-year-old Faith finds a friend who supports her--a friend who may be imaginary. Is Faith a prophet or just a troubled little girl? From the acclaimed author of The Pact comes a provocative novel about belief, betrayal, and miracles, and the fierce love of a mother for her child.
(review taken from http://www.goodreads.com/)

This was an awesome book.  Who wouldn't like a novel that opens with a quote from Dr. Seuss?  However, this is not a kids book in any stretch of the imagination. 
"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant...
An elephant's faithful- one hundred per cent!"
-Theodor Seuss Geisel, Horton Hatches an Egg

I can't wait to see the movie! 

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.
(Review taken from http://www.goodreads.com/)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and couldn't put it down.  It's a beautifully written story about a childlike view of Jesus and heaven. 

Heaven is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.
Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.
(Review taken from http://www.goodreads.com/)

Karen Kingsbury is a contemporary Christian author, and her books are awesome!  I've read almost everyone of them starting with Redemption from the Redemption series.  In this book, the Baxter family is introduced.  They definitely have their ups and downs but remember to stay strong in their faith and let God work in their everyday situations.  Reading the last book about the Baxters (there are three series) was like saying goodbye to dear friends.  Thankfully, Mrs. Kingsbury continues to include the Baxters in her current novels.  She has also written stand alone titles that are great, too.

I just finished reading Karen Kingbury's latest book...Leaving... in the Bailey Flanigan series. I'll anxiously be awaiting the second book coming out in June. 

  The Bailey Flanigan series begins with Bailey leaving Bloomington for the adventure of a lifetime. She has won an audition for the ensemble of a Broadway musical in New York City. She's determined to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but is she really ready to leave family and friends for the loneliness of the city? And what of Cody? His disappearance has her worried about their future and praying that their love can survive. 
 
In order to be closer to his mother in jail, Cody takes a coaching job in a small community outside Indianapolis. New friends, distance, and circumstances expose cracks in his relationship with Bailey Flanigan.

Love, loneliness, big opportunities, and even bigger decisions highlight the first book in the new Bailey Flanigan series that features members of the popular Baxter family and finally completes the Bailey Flanigan/Cody Coleman story.
(review taken from http://www.goodreads.com/)

For those of you who have kept up with Bailey and her love life...Are you for Team Cody or Team Brandon? 

Because I am an elementary librarian, I spend much of my time reading children's books.  When I do read an adult book, I often turn to author Jodi Picoult.  She researches her topics thoroughly and her titles are always unpredictable.  I like it that there is usually a surprise I didn't see coming at the end. 

Although one of her older books, Plain Truth is one of my favorites that she's written.  The Amish always intrigued me as a child so learning a little more about their lifestyle in this book was very interesting to me.  This book was entertaining, informative, and helped me learn a little more about myself. 

The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide -- and for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within -- to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life.
(review used from http://www.goodreads.com/)