Book Reviews

Here is a brief rundown on the books I have been reading recently (since November 2009). I tend to read in spurts, devouring a book or two or three, before moving on to something else to take away all my attention (schooling, scrapbooking, baking, etc.) before picking up another book and starting the cycle all over again. I'm really trying to learn to always be reading something at all times, but that isn't yet a completed lesson.

1. Going Rogue by Sarah Palin - I enjoyed reading this book and learning a little more about the former Alaskan governor. This was, I think, the first time I ever bought a newly released memoir. I did so because I didn't want to wait my turn for the library copy, plus I was able to get a discount. I'm happy I did, it is one that I will enjoy reading again one future day.

2-3-4. The Bourne Trilogy by Robert Ludlum - I have always loved the movies by the same name. I don't remember when I realized they were based on books, but last fall I decided to read them and requested them from the library. I quickly fell in love with them as much as the movies and promptly requested all three from Paperback Swap. The books aren't like the movie plots. That didn't bother me, I simply enjoyed this story, all the while envisioning the characters by the actors and actresses in the movies, imagining that what I was reading was more to the story. The movie was the first introduction to a "person", now I was spending more time with these "people", getting to know them more in-depth.

The only problem with this type of novel (one of my favorite genre's) is that I have a hard time putting it down and getting anything else done. I really get lost in the book and have to decompress afterwards, allowing myself to come back to reality and not have the pictures, plot, and scenes from the book rolling around in my head infecting my thinking. I know that there are three more Bourne novels, this time written by Eric Van Lustbader yet I haven't decided if I will read them or not. I don't know if I want to know more about this "friend" or if I would just like to leave it at this particular "happily-ever-after" moment.

5. Hungry by Crystal Renn - I first heard about this book from Elephant's Child. I thought it sounded interesting, and it was! This was a good book to read after The Bourne novels because it was so entirely different, it really helped free my brain from the plot of the Bourne story. I enjoyed reading about Crystal's life. I had to keep telling myself that this was happening now! Not years ago, but now, she is just on the healthy side of this awful problem. I was also amazed at what a strong-willed, self-determined, very-motivated woman she is. My eyes were opened to my own blindness of beautiful and how the media has shaped that through their portrayal of only certain, one-size-fits-all models. I hope that Crystal's message will help to change that and there are more models of every shape, size, and color shown in print. I still laugh to think that she is a "plus-size" model - at size 12!

6. Get the Salt Out by Ann Louise Gittleman - This is a list of "501 simple ways to cut the salt out of any diet" (the subtitle). I'm always interested in learning more about healthy eating and so I picked this up at the library when I saw it on the shelf. Some of it I already knew (#34: Taste food before you salt it), some of it I would never do ((#128: Switch to bathing in magnetically conditioned water instead of salt-softened water), and some of it I might attempt (#41: Fresh herbs can be frozen). One thing that bugs me are statements like this,

"Because the sodium content of the Paleolithic diet was quite low, the human body developed a taste for salt just to ensure adequate sodium intake. In addition, the body became adept at absorbing sodium and conserving every precious milligram it consumed.....What once was an evolutionary adaptation that served humans well for tens of thousands of years is now a hazard because we have dramatically changed our diet and, consequently, our intake of these important minerals. Simply put, the human body evolved to thrive on minimal amounts of sodium and much more potassium than sodium. Today, however, because we are faced with a growing number of environmental, emotional, and psychological stresses, many of us actually require more sodium than our Paleolithic ancestors consumed." (page 13-14)

I don't believe in evolution, but if you do, then why don't you believe that this is only the next step in the evolution process?

That is all of the books I have completed reading so far. Currently I'm reading three different books.

1. "Homeschooling: The Teen Years" by Cafi Cohen - Our oldest will be a ninth grader next year. It is now time to make the decision, will we send her to the local Lutheran High School or will we continue to educate her at home. We keep changing our minds, but I'm reading up on other homeschoolers who have educated their children at home during high school in order to get a better understanding and maybe confidence if that is what we decide is best for our daughter and our family.

2. "The Moon Spinners" by Mary Stewart - Our children watched the movie at Camp Luther in January with their good friends. Ellie liked it so well, she used her Barnes and Noble gift card to buy her own copy. She then found the book in the library and asked if I would pre-read it to make sure it was okay. I'm not reading it near fast enough for her taste. Better get crackin'.

3. "Before the Change - Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause" by Anne Louise Gittleman. A friend recommended this book awhile ago after finding it quite helpful to her. I remembered it once again when I read Ms. Gittleman's book I wrote about above. I'm interested to see what she has to say.