April Books

Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers -- I heard about this guy when I was reading Into Thin Air a few weeks ago.  His story was pretty interesting although he wasn't a good family man.  I'm glad he got another chance with his wife and children. 

Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs - a J Biography that won the Newberry Medal; a good way to learn more about Louisa Alcott. I kept thinking "wow, so much name-dropping" since her family knew many famous people!

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis -- another J Fic book from the black man I mentioned in last month's post. This was about a motherless child who had lived in a Home and a foster family. He decided to set out to find his father - or the person he thought was his father.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis -- a good way to learn more about this settlement in southern Canada - the land of the free! - where escaped slaves went to live.

 

 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett -- A story I remember my fifth-grade teacher reading to us that I wanted to read again.  A good story about the power of fresh air, positive thinking, and gardens!  Especially nice to read in spring when everything is blooming so prettily.

 

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult -- the longer I read this book, the more I realized I read it many years ago, but still it was good to reread this story about an Amish teen who was accused of smothering her newborn. 

 

 

Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy, M.D. -- " a doctor's reflections on race and medicine" --  I've read a few accounts by doctors or paramedics in recent months, but I had never read a book by a black doctor.  This doctor studied at Duke University's Medical School which is not too far from where I live.  He tells stories of his classes - when he was mistaken by a professor as the guy there to fix the lights - and also many accounts of working in a rural clinic (where all the patients were black). He talks of racist patients who didn't want a "nigger doctor" and also tells of doctors who discriminate.  He speaks of his own homophobia growing up, and the color of HIV/AIDS.  Yes, he focus a lot on race and how race pertains to health particularly of black people.  His stories are good, and I'm glad to know more about him.

 

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold -- the mother of Dylan of Columbine; advocate for brain health

The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis -- this is a companion to a book I read a couple of weeks ago about Elijah who lives in Buxton, Canada.  This book revisits Buxton and nearby Chatham and tells the story of Benji and Red, their lives and how they meet.  And it also talks about the madman who lives in the nearby forest!

The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick -- This story is partly true. It's about a mother and daughter who walked from Washington to New York with hopes of winning $10,000 in order to keep the family farm from foreclosure.  The fiction part fills in the blanks of what happened later.  A pretty interesting story about Helga and Clara Estby.

Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler -- The story of a fearful of most everything thirty-something lady in Mount Olive, NC, who was born in Japan - the place where she lost her mother to a house fire, and her father to her mother's death.   This was an easy read in that I could read it fast, but it seemed a bit plodding-along at times.  Reminded me of the laid-back lifestyle many claim we Southerners have.

One Perfect Day by Lauraine Snelling -- a good reminder for us to be organ donors; one family's heartache at losing a young family member gave hope and continued life to a twenty-year old needing a heart

Forbidden by Wilma Wall -- What happens when a Mennonite woman and a Japanese-American man fall in love after World War II?  This tells the story of Annie and Donald, and the tough time they faced as a "mixed-race" couple at a time when Japanese were not well-liked in the US.

The Healing Quilt by Lauraine Snelling -- a community comes together to update the hospital's mammogram machine; women come together to discuss grief and forgiveness as they create a quilt to auction off for funds

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements -- a J Fic book about a preteen in Illinois who earns extra credit by writing to a young girl in Afghanistan. Only it's the girl's brother doing most of the writing, and both learn about the other's world and come to appreciate their own homes better through their correspondence.

 

 

Sandwich With a Side of Romance by Krista Phillips -- 20 year old Maddie is trying to earn enough money to afford a house and get her brother out of foster care.  Unfortunately the first hair cut she gives goes badly and she ends up working at the sandwich shop in town.

House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson -- I seem to read quite a lot about women (moms) in families with mental illnesses.  This was no exception.  I could relate to Bailee's anger and bitterness towards God...how he can know someone is dangerous to others, and hurting others, yet not step in to stop it?  I truly do understand the feelings some express at how can God be loving and all-powerful, yet allow people to be tortured, abused, neglected, raped, murdered. 

Tea for Two by Trish Perry -- I'd read book one of this series awhile back, and remembered it was rather silly. But I saw this at the library while looking for some easy reads so I picked it up. I liked it better than the first book.  It's about the produce man Zack, a single father trying to raise teenagers, and the therapist, Tina, who gets to know the family.  Nothing unpredictable, really, but OK for a quick read.