The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished March 25, 2011




From the Publisher

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlaying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one girl and one boy 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 also resolved to outwit the creators of the games. To do that she will have to be the last person standing at the end of the deadly ordeal, and that will take every ounce of strength and cunning she has.

Loved this book. It's being added to my favourites and to be reread list.

Signing off till next time.

Still Alice

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Borrowed from the Library
Finished: March 15, 2011

From the Publisher

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer''s disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what''s it''s like to literally lose your mind...


Reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind, Ordinary People and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Still Alice packs a powerful emotional punch and marks the arrival of a strong new voice in fiction.


My Thoughts

Wonderful story.

Alice just cannot find the word she is looking for during her lecture, it's just on the tip of her tongue but she cannot grasp it. Items are being forgotten. Alice is getting lost in her own neighbourhood, she knows there is something wrong and doctors are her only hope to figure out exactly what is happening to her.

Alice is given the answer she is looking for ~ Alzheimer's Disease.

Still Alice takes us through Alice's mental decline that her disease is inevitably to cause and what this means to her future and how it will effect the members of her family.

I'm a little late reading this novel. I remember when it first debuted, the last thing I wanted to do was read a book about a woman with Alzheimer's Disease and unfortunately for me I missed out for a few years. Just recently Lisa Genova's book Left Neglected was published, I read this book and loved it and felt I should give Still Alice a try. I'm so glad I finally gave this book a chance.

http://www.goodreads.com/videos/show/5927-lisa-genova-still-alice
Signing off till next time.

E-Reader Giveaway

Monica at Bibliophilic Book Blog is giving away an e-reader of your choice to enter this giveaway please enter here.

Good luck.

400 Miles Fitness Challenge 2011 3/6 - 3/12

This fitness challenge is hosted by Ellie at Books, Fitness & Other Stuff hop on over there for more information, just follow the link picture above.

My fitness:
Tuesday March 8, 2011 WATP DVD = 2 miles
Wednesday March 9, 2011 WATP DVD = 1 mile
Thursday March 10, 2011 WATP DVD = 1.5 miles

This week: 4.5 miles
Total to date: 20/400

Walk strong. Signing off till next time.

2011 ~ Book Reviews

I'm trying to keep my Blog as organized as I can.  I've only been blogging for a few months and when I started I figured there would be lots to learn along the way. 

I see how I've been organizing my Books Reviews could be a problem down the road so I thought I'd change things a little.

This is where I'll be keeping track of my books read, listed and reviewed, for 2001 anyways.  I've set a personal goal to read at least 40 books this year.

1. Room  by Emma Donoghue
2. A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith
5. The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith
6. Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith
7. Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith
8. Rock Jaw by Jeff Smith
9. Old Man's Cave by Jeff Smith
10. Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith
11. Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith
12. Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith
13. Rose by Jeff Smith
14. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsly  Did Not Finish
15. The Passage by Justin Cronin            Got to page 8, not a book for me.
16. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
17. The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
18. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
19. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
20. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
21. To Find and to Keep by Serena Yates
22. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins    
23. Mockingjay  by Suzanne Collins     
24. The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich
25. Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei, Yip
26. Robopocolypse by Daniel H. Wilson
27. The Other Life by Ellen Meister
28. The Gravesavers by Sheree Fitch
29. Trade Winds by Christina Courtenay
30. The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick  ***Didn't finish ***
31. The Deception of Lyme by Carrie Bebris
32. The 36 Hour Day by Nancy Mace
33. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon   *** re-read***
34. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
35. Songs of Love and Death by George R. R. Martin
36. Making Rounds with Oscar by David Dosa
37. The Alzheimer's Answer Book by Charles Atkins
38. Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning  ***Re-Read***
39. To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning ***Re-Read ***
40. 311 Pelican Court by Debbie Macomber
41. The Walking Dead ~ Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman
42. The Walking Dead ~ Miles Behind Us
43. The Walking Dead ~ Safety Behind Bars
44. The Walking Dead ~ The Hearts Desire

 Signing off till next time.

The Pilot's Wife

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished: March 10, 2011
Edition: Trade Paper Back
ISBN: 0-316-78990-9


Back of Book
A pilot's wife is taught to be prepared for the late-night knock at the door.  But when Kathryn Lyons receives word that a plane flown by her husband, Jack, has exploded near the coast of Ireland, she confronts the unfathomable - one startling revelation at a time.  Soon drawn into a maelstrom of publicity fueled by rumors that Jack led a secret life, Kathryn sets out to learn who her husband really was, whatever that knowledge might cost.  Her search propels this taut, impassioned novel as it movingly explores the question,  How well can we ever really know another person?

About the Author
Anita Shreve has taught at Amherst college and is the recipient of the PEN/L. L. Winship Award and the New England Book Award for fiction.  She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband and family.

Why I Read This Book
I purchased this book back in 1998 because it was featured on Oprah. It got lost in the shuffle and ended up on my "to be read shelf", well actually one of many.

I promised myself that I would raid my book shelves at least once a month and slowly start to read the books that have been neglected for years.

The Pilot's Wife has graced my shelves for 13 years and I'm most pleased that I finally read it and have found myself a new favourite author.

My Thoughts
Reading this book was a pleasant surprise and not at all what I was expecting. There were many twists and turns, gripping my attention with every turning of the page.

The only downside to this book is that it ended when it did.

Happy Reading, Signing off till next time.

Library Thursday ~ March 10

Library Thursday Blog Hop is hosted by Lazy Girl Reads.  Should you wish to participate please follow the picture link above.


I'm not usually one to visit the library.  New books are published and I'm to impatient to wait on the hold list for the book.  I'd spend hours at the local book store and mega dollars, leaving with stacks of books.  Pick one or two books to read, never finishing the stack before there were more books to purchase.  Probably like many of you, my house is full of "to be read" books.  The books took over and my husband (who does like to read) asked kindly if I could make some changes.  First I purchased a Kobo (reading device)  purchased books will now take up space in my computer, not the floor space of multiple rooms and I swore I would start to use the library and only purchase when it was absolutely necessary.  LOL to that comment.
So that being said, I have many books on hold at the library, and in some cases I'm the 100 th or so person in line.

I'm pleased to say that I received an e-mail today announcing that a book has been placed on the hold shelf for me and I will be stopping by later to pick it up.

The closest library for me is in the local mall.

The book waiting to be picked up is.......

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Happy Reading everyone.  Signing off till next time.