The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Dates Read: November 2011

After seeing the previews for the movie "Hugo" I decided to reserve the book that the movie is based on: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I knew it was a kid's book, but I decided the movie previews looked good so the book was probably good, too. And let me tell you, it was! It's a huge book (over 500 pages) but it is a super easy read (I read it cover to cover in only a couple hours) and even better, it is a delightful read! The author does a wonderful job incorporating the beautiful drawings - they are both a part of the story and they help tell the story in that there are some parts where the text stops and pages of pictures continue the story until the text begins again. Such a great imaginative story! I loved every word and I cannot wait to read this story with my kids one day!!


Summary: (from Amazon.com and nypl.org)
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Dates Read: November 2011

This is another book (like Sarah's Key) that I borrowed from Elaine. The title sounded odd, but I trust her opinion so I decided to read it this week. Let me just tell you - it was wonderful!!!! It was witty and charming, it made me literally laugh out loud (seriously, while trying to secretly read on my lunch break, I laughed out loud - so much for being secretive), and it included some interesting historical information regarding the Channel Islands during WWII. The story is told from the perspective of a series of letters and I was nervous I wouldn't be able to keep up with the characters, but I quickly learned I had no trouble remember the people because they were all so wonderful and entertaining!! Seriously, go read this book!!

Summary: (from Amazon.com and nypl.org)
January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

As London is emerging from the shadow of World War II, writer Juliet Ashton discovers her next subject in a book club on Guernsey--a club born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi after its members are discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island

Christmas Wedding

Dates Read: November 2011

I have only read one James Patterson book before but this one sounded interesting so I decided to reserve it at the library. I picked it up on Saturday and finished it Sunday morning. It was a great, light-hearted, quick read. (It was especially nice to have a light book to read after finishing Sarah's Key.) The summary states there were "twists" and I guess there were, but they weren't as shocking or surprising as the twists I've read in other books. Regardless, I now want to read more of his books (perhaps his mystery series?) but I will wait until a few other books have been crossed off my reading list.

Summary: (from Amazon.com)
The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married--and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day--she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.  But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise--she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season.

Sarah's Key

Dates Read: November 2011





Elaine recommended I read this book and she let me borrow her copy so I had no excuses not to read it. It was such a great read! Part of it takes place during the roundup of the Jews in France in WWII and part of it takes place within the last few years. There were parts of this book that were hard to read (sad how many Jewish children from France died!) and there were parts where I cried, but it was such a good read and I'm glad I read it.

Summary: (from Amazon.com)
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard—their secret hiding place—and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released. Sixty Years Later: Sarah’s story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own future.

The October's

Dates Read: October 2011

Over the last two weeks of October I read a four-book series called The Octobers. I heard about this brand new series on a blog that I follow. The series sounded interesting and they were inexpensive so Bobby and I decided to buy them for our Kindle (I read on my Kindle app and he'll read it on the Kindle).

Let me just tell you, the series was great! I guess you could say it's a mix between the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, but I'm not sure if that's the best description. Basically, there is a town where it is always October (hence the series title) and all of the sudden kids start vanishing. All four books take place over the same time, approximately a month, but from different perspectives. Each story introduces a new part of the mystery and gives clues to the parts of the mysteries introduced in previous books.

The series is written for tweens, but I am not embarrassed to say that I loved it and highly recommend it! It was a great, quick, fun read and once I got into Book 1 (which didn't take long), I was hooked and couldn't put them down!

Mansfield Park

Dates Read: October 2011

This is another Austen novel that I downloaded on my Kindle App. I had never read it but had heard good things so I was intrigued.

The basics of the plot are the same as the plot lines of the other Austen novels, but this one had a lot of twists and turns. There were several lulls in the plot, but behind each lull was a nice plot twist. I think this book was longer than the other Austen novels I have recently read and at times I wasn't sure it was ever going to end, but it was still a relatively fast read. And I definitely was not sure what Austen was going to do until I read the final chapter. Good read!

Sense and Sensibility

Dates Read: September 2011

I downloaded the Austen novels on my Kindle and I enjoy her novels (or at least I do so far), so I figure I might as well read all of them.

I vaguely remember seeing the movie for this book, but I forgot some key scenes so I read this book very quickly as I was anxious to see the results of the twists and turns.  This was a great read! I had trouble putting this book down (as evidenced by the fact that I would read during my lunch break).