Review: Gifts by Kathryn Lynard Soper

Book Info:

Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives by Kathryn Lynard Soper

Paperback: 326 pages

Publisher: Woodbine House (May 15, 2007)

ISBN-13: 9781890627850

Genre: Non-Fiction

Source: My Shelves

Rating: 4/5

Having a baby with Down syndrome is not something most parents would willingly choose. Yet many who travel this path discover rich, unexpected rewards along the way. In this candid and poignant collection of personal stories, sixty-three mothers describe the gifts of respect, strength, delight, perspective, and love, which their child with Down syndrome has brought into their lives.

One of the things I like best about reading reviews from other bloggers is that the reviews aren't written by nameless, faceless people. We all get to know other bloggers and little bits of their personalities come through in every review. While I think all reviews have a personal touch, this one hits closer to home for me.

Some of you may know that we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first baby at the end of the month. What you don't know, is that there is a very high likelihood that our baby will have Down syndrome. In an attempt to educate myself and my family as much as possible I have been reading everything I can get my hands one. Gifts was provided by a local DS organization.

Gifts is a collection of stories written by mothers of children with Down syndrome. The stories are short, anywhere from one to four pages, but they are all filled with hope, strength and love for their children. All of the thoughts, questions and concerns I have for my baby have all been experienced by these other women, and it is a comfort just to know that we are not alone in this journey.

Most of the stories are written by mothers whose children are about 4 years old or younger. I really wish there were more stories from parents of older children included, but other than that I have found this book to be comforting and would highly recommend it to other parents or families facing a diagnosis of Down syndrome. 4 stars

Review: Lift by Rebecca K O'Connor

Book Info:

Lift by Rebecca K. O'Connor

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Red Hen Press (November 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9781597094603

Genre: Non-Fiction

Source: Author for review

Rating: 4/5

The culmination of a ten-year career in falconry, Lift is a memoir that illustrates the journey and life lessons of a woman navigating a man’s ancient sport. Captivated by a chance meeting with a falconer’s peregrine as a child, the indelible memory eventually brings the author’s life full circle to flying a peregrine of her own. Exploring themes of predator and prey, finding tribe, forgiveness and femininity, the memoir asks universal questions through a unique backdrop. Lift illustrates the beauty and meaning the sport of falconry can add to a falconer’s life, echoing the challenges and triumphs of being human.

I've never considered myself a bird person. My mom has birds and for the most part I find them noisy and messy. So when I agreed to review Lift I was hoping for an animal story that was different than the usual "my pet is wonderful story". Lift met, and exceeded, my expectations.

Falconry is a completely new sport to me. The terms of the sport were unfamiliar, but O'Connor worked her explanations into the story so flawlessly that I never felt like she was stepping out of the story to teach me the basics. I appreciated all the explanations, but don't think they would have taken away from the story if you already knew falconry fundamentals.

I also loved the relationship between O'Connor and Anakin, her falcon. I appreciated that the relationship was a partnership built on respect. So many books tend to treat animals as human, and because of this you lose their true nature. O'Connor worked with her falcon, instead of trying to change him.

Whether you are a bird lover or a sportsman, I would recommend Lift. This memoir is a quick, but very informative and interesting read. Lift doesn't just focus on falconry either, but includes personal stories which provide a well rounded story. 4 stars

Happy New Year!

I hope that 2010 is a year filled with happiness for all of you!

Thank you all for making 2009 a wonderful blogging year. I have truly enjoyed all the comments and friendships that have come about because of this blog. Here's to many more wonderful years!

Booking Through Thursday...2009 In Review

It’s the last day of the year, and you know what that means … nostalgia and looking back.

What were your favorite books of the year? (Books that were new to you in 2009, if not necessarily published this year.)





If you've read this blog for very long you know that I am pretty stingy when it comes to giving a book a 5 star rating. I rarely keep or reread books, and to me a 5 means that I loved a book enough that I can't bear to part with it right away. So, not all of my favorites may be 5's, but here are some of my favorite books this year.

-What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen (review)
-Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (review), audio
-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (review), audio
-The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez (review)
-Impulse by Ellen Hopkins (review)
-Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (review)
-Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (review), audio

One thing I always find interesting when I look back over my reviews is how my feelings towards a book may change. As I was browsing through my 4-5 star books for this list I came across a few books that I was surprised were rated as high as they were. Obviously, some books are more impressive right after you finish them than months down the road.

I was also surprised how many audio books made this list. It goes to show that a well done audio production can have amazing staying power with me. For example, I can still hear the voices and accents of many of the characters in Guernsey, nearly a year after I listened to it!

What are your favorites for the year?

Review: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Book Info:

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Doubleday Books (September 15, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780385504225

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Fiction

Source: Library

Rating: 2.5/5

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -- artfully encoded with five symbols -- is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon -- a prominent Mason and philanthropist -- is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him.

It's been quite a while since I read The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons, but I remember loving them. I think I spent a long weekend curled up with both book and I devoured them within just a few days. This time around I wasn't quite as impressed.

For the most part I found Brown's writing to be overdone. It seemed like he was mainly writing so that another movie could be made. I felt like he was trying so hard to be creative and secretive with the plot that it came across as cheesy quite a few times. Another thing that I found distracting was the excessive use of italics. All of the characters thoughts were in italics and I thought it was a bit much.

This was the first full length book I read on my Sony Reader though and I loved it. I loved the portability and really enjoyed the actual reading process. I love the physical feel of books and I was afraid I would like the Reader much, but that wasn't the case. I also loved the simplicity of getting the book from the library. It was really easy to download and transfer to my Reader. So, while The Lost Symbol wasn't a hit with me, my reader was. 2.5 stars

Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Book Info:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Paperback: 150 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (November 24, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9781440472909

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Source: Project Gutenberg, eBook

Rating: 4/5

One of the most beloved Christmas stories in English, this engrossing tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge's ghostly journeys through Christmases past, present and future and his ultimate transformation from a harsh and grasping old miser to a charitable and compassionate human being. A perennial classic that has become as much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe and evergreen wreaths.

I don't usually get into holiday stories, but I wanted to get at least a little closer to completing my classics challenge, so I gave this one a try.

The thing that surprised me the most about A Christmas Carol was how readable the story was. One of the main reasons classics intimidate me is I'm afraid the language will be hard to read. This was not the case with A Christmas Carol at all. While I'm sure knowing the story helped, the story flowed well and I am excited to give Dickens another try. 4 stars

Do you have a favorite Charles Dickens book?

Unfinished Challenges for 2009

As 2009 draws to a close I know that there are a few of my challenges that I'm not going to finish...and so I'm officially giving up on them.

The Read Your Own Books Challenge was probably the hardest one for me, and also the one I did the worst on. I think that is pretty funny considering these are all books that I picked out from my TBR, and yet I never got around to reading them.

I finished 4/10 books on this list. I also should, but probably won't, be trying this particular challenge next year.

1. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
2. Dry by Augusten Burroughs, (review)
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory (review)
4. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
5. The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis (review)
6. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross (review)
7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
8. The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory
9. Amagansett by Mark Mills
10. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Another challenge I struggled on was the Classics Challenge. There are so many classics I want to read, but I never seem to make time for them with new books always showing up on my shelves. I read 3/4 books for this challenge and am pretty happy with this result. I also did a classics challenge last year and didn't read a single book for it. This may be one I try again in 2010.

1. My Antonia by Willa Cather (review), audio
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (review coming soon)
3. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (review coming soon)

The last challenge I was unable to complete was the Book Awards III Challenge. I only completed 3/5 for this challenge. I know I had more award winning books on my shelves, but I never felt compelled to read any of them. I'll probably be skipping this one if it's held again.

1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (review) - Pulitzer Prize Winner
2. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review) - D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, Listen Up Award
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (review) - Romantic Novel of the Year Award

As of right now I am still one book away from completing the War Through the Generations Challenge, and am 100 pages into my last book for it. Since I'm so close, I'm going to work hard on completing it in the next couple of weeks. So far, I've read 4/5 for this challenge.

1. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (review)
2. Resistance by Anita Shreve (review)
3. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review), audio
4. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (review)