The Walk | by Richard Paul Evans

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans
(Simon & Schuster, 2010, 289 pages)

Richard Paul Evans is another writer than I always enjoy. The Walk is the story of Alan Christoffersen. This book covers everything, from his life writing in his diary as a child to the grown man journaling about the literal walk he was on and how that walk grievously began.  I found myself smiling through some of his passages as well as wiping the tears away so I could continue reading other passages. This was a very emotional book and one I have just finished reading for the second time. Why would I reread it?  Because it now has a sequel and I want to remember everything about the first book as I open the second…… Miles to Go.  I will let you know when I finish it.

The Lucky One | by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
(Grand Central Publishing, 2008, 336 pages)

Once again, I have to say how much I love Nicholas Sparks’ writing.  How is it that a man is sooo romantic??  He has taken something as simple as a soldier finding a picture and woven it into a tale of love, mystery, and chivalry!  I read this one because the movie was coming out and I always read the book before I see the movie.  Now if only the movie can be half as good as the book…

The Elephant’s Child | by Rudyard Kipling

The Elephant’s Child by Rudyard Kipling
(Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2010, 36 pages)

How I missed this book growing up I will never know!!  It is extremely imaginative and clever.  It is a children’s story of how elephants, long ago, had no trunks.  The curious little elephant in the story gets into a bit of a jam and ends up with a long trunk like elephants have today.  Extremely cute, but I must warn anyone reading this to a 4 year old… I should have prefaced the reading with the caution that is was NOT a true story and that imagination is pretend!  My grandson still asks questions about elephants and their trunks six months after I read this to him.  :-/

A Simple Christmas | by Mike Huckabee

A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories that Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit
by Mike Huckabee
(Sentinel, 2009, 240 pages)

This is a gentle book that recounts twelve of the author’s Christmas memories.  I found myself smiling through each story and sometimes there were tears in my eyes because it reminded me of a similar situation in my own life.  The book is designed to bring inspiration and enjoyment to the reader’s life during the holidays when there is stress, shopping, parties, and too much to do.  It inspires one to think back to a simpler time, like the first Christmas.  How far we’ve come from that first simple Christmas night. . .

The Book of (Even More) Awesome | by Neil Pasricha

The Book of (Even More) Awesome by Neil Pasricha
(Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, 2011, 400 pages)

This is a fun book of awesome things.  For example: experiencing deja vu; becoming a regular somewhere; the moment on vacation when you forget what day it is; taking a break from shaving; and riding home with a box of pizza on your lap.  This book took a while to read because each page has one awesome thing on it, so I read a few each night until I had read them all.  Cute, funny, and thought-provoking.  I now find myself noticing awesome things.

Cosmic Christmas | by Max Lucado

Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado
(Thomas Nelson, 1997, 112 pages)

Many of you probably know of Max Lucado from his books on living a Christian life.  I have read most of those and have enjoyed Lucado’s writing so when I saw this Christmas book, I immediately picked it up.  What a surprise it was.  The story is of the birth of Jesus Christ, but in a different light.  Imagine this……God preparing to send the seed of Christ by way of an angel, down to earth where he is to be born to save his people…….but there is a war before the seed is delivered…….Satan is waiting to stop the seed from making it’s way to earth and the war is on.  What a story!!  Totally something from Lucado’s imagination.  Or is it fiction??  Could this story have really happened?

I read this book every December and every time I read it, I am amazed.  It is a very small book and can be read in one evening, but WOW, you will never forget Lucado’s amazing imagination!

Lost & Found | by Jacqueline Sheehan

Lost & Found by Jacqueline Sheehan
(William Morrow Paperbacks, 2007, 304 pages)

When Rocky’s husband, Bob, dies suddenly at the age of forty-two, Rocky finds herself helpless.  She quits her job, chops off her hair, and moves to Maine where she hopes to find herself and come to grips with her grief.  She leaves her job as a psychologist in Massachusetts and takes a job as an animal control warden in Maine.  Grief is still following her and she can’t seem to shake it until one day she comes across a black Labrador who has been hit with an arrow in his shoulder.  As she unravels the mystery of the wounded Labrador and his missing owner, she finds that her grief is changing.

I am a sucker for any book with a dog in it, so of course this was a given since there was a photo of a black Labrador on the cover of the book!  I did enjoy the story and found it moved quickly.

Clementine’s Letter | by Sara Pennypacker

Clementine’s Letter by Sara Pennypacker
(Hyperion Books, 2008, 160 pages)

Clementine is in third grade and it seems finally, her teacher, Mr. D’Matz, understands her.  She had to spend many hours in the principal’s office having little chats to get to this point.  School has been fun this year, that is, until the principal, Mrs. Rice, comes in to make an announcement.  It seems Mr. D’Matz has been selected as a finalist to go on a trip to Egypt.  Ok, so he may be gone for a few weeks, Clementine thinks she can handle that.  But, NO, he will be gone for a week as a finalist and if he wins, he will be gone for the rest of the school year.

NO! Clementine doesn’t think she will survive the year without Mr. D’Matz.   Mrs. Nagel is the new teacher and it is obvious from the first day that she has it in for Clementine.  She just doesn’t understand Clementine!  On day four of the torture, Mrs. Rice comes into the classroom with another announcement.  She has the wise idea that the students take time out of their weekend to write a letter to the judges as to why Mr. D’Matz should win the trip.  No way, thought Clementine.  There is no way she can write a letter to help him to be gone for the remainder of the year.  Suddenly, Clementine has a great idea!  She would write a letter, alright, just not the letter Mrs. Rice wants her to write.

Now for the suspense……. I will not tell you how this delightful children’s story ends.  You will have to read it to find out.  My granddaughters and I have just finished reading it and the suspense over the weeks has been fun for them.

The Dream Manager | by Matthew Kelly

The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly
(Hyperion, 2007, 176 pages)

My husband reads MANY business books but seldom does he ask me to read one and give my opinion.  This one, he did.  The Dream Manager is a new concept on how to retain employees and keep employees happy by helping them reach for and attain their dreams.  As I was reading I couldn’t help but think how much the business concept of The Dream Manager was just like the old way of doing business.  Employees were more than just a number, there were relationships between employees and their bosses and/or managers. 

The Dream Manager is wonderful in that it shows how important it is for everyone to have a dream and to reach out for that dream.  It talks about how to bring relationships and caring back into the work space.    The author set the book up as a scenario in a bogus company so you felt like you knew the characters and could relate.  Overall, for a business book, it was really interesting to read.

Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant | by Jennifer Grant

Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant
by Jennifer Grant
(Alfred A. Knopf, 2011, 179 pages)

I ADORE Cary Grant so when I saw this book about him, written by his daughter, I thought – “How cool this will be – someone who can really talk about Cary Grant without all the rumor mill nonsense!”  My mistake!  Unfortunately, I found Jennifer Grant to be completely absorbed with Jennifer Grant.  I was disappointed.  I did, however, enjoy looking at the pictures and reading the captions, but I found the actual text to be way too much about the author reminiscing about herself growing up and not as much about Cary Grant.  Granted, her reminiscing included Cary, but only in the context of her involvement.   Oh well, I guess this goes to show I will read anything and once I start, I finish