Terri: The truth

Uncle tom's Cabin

Thin for Life

Bet you can tell where my mind and energy has been lately.
A compilation of strategies that masters of weight loss use and proven things to keep the weight off. Not a vary intriguing book, but it did include personal stories of people who have lost a good deal of weight and have kept it off long term.

Flip the switch, lose the weight

This was an interesting read with a lot of good and easy ideas you can use to boost your metabolism.
I would reccomend it.

Cherry Cheesecake Murder

We read this in our book club. It was OK. Made me realize that I no longer really enjoy "fluff" fiction, or as my mom calls it, "mindless reads". It just seemed like such a waste of my time. I didn't feel edified or enlightened by it and even the writing style did not strike me.
The redeeming quality of the book was that it had a few recipes scattered throughout it that looked good, but since I am watching my diet I can't make them. :(

South beach diet

After watching the scale top at a weight that I have previously delivered at I was scared......
I turned to SB on Nov. 1 and am as of today down thirty pounds. It's not for everyone but Matt has also lost thirty pounds and is down to a weight he was at while in the military (without the PT) Love it and would suggest it to anyone who may want to shed a few pounds.

The Bonesetter's Daughter- Amy Tan

Twilight- Stephanie Meyer

The Vaccine Book - Dr. Sears

timeline- Michael Crichton

Raising boys- Steve Biddulph

Peter And The Starcatchers

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

The Merchant Of Venice

William Shakespeare

We read this for our Classics book club. Honestly, I think it is the first Shakespear I have ever read. I did enjoy the play. I found it hilarious at times.

The book club was even more interesting. One of the ladies is a literature major and very well versed in shakespear. She and Matt were so interesting to watched as they got into very animated discussions. It was also a good insight into my husband as I never knew he knew so much about Shakespear.

I am planning on reading more oh is works this up coming year as Seri is very interested in reading some of the plays.

Fall On Your Knees

Ann-Marie MacDonald

The third book in the afore-mentioned book club.
Once in awhile you come across an author who literally leaves you in awe of their talent. This is one such author.
I loved this book, not so much for it's content if that makes any sense but more for the ability of the author to put emotions I have felt and not been able to explain into eloquent words. She is at once blunt, yet subtle. Observant and yet ambiguos (sp). This one will keep you reading until you reach the end and even then will have you thinking about it long after.
Be fore-warned some of the content is disturbing. It is not one I would let my daughter read.
My favorite part is when it says that one of the characters believes that anything worth saying is worth saying in a civilized tone. This means she climbs a lot of stairs. Man, do I know this feeling as I stand at the bottom of my stairs debating whether to climb them or save myself the trouble and just yell up them like an un-civilized being.

A Patch Of Blue

Elizabeth Kata

This was the second book in the book club I moderate. A fairly short and interesting book, but nothing I would rave about.
A blind girl in a bad home situation befreinds and later has feelings for a colored-man, whom she does not know is colored.
It does make you think about racism, and where our prejudices come from so from that stand point it was worth the read.
For the record, my favorite part is when the grandfather finds out she beads necklaces at night. He replies "You do it in the dark?" Hehe......guesse he doesn't get the whole "blind" thing.

Black and Blue

Ann Quindlen

A few years ago when I actually had the time and desire to watch Oprah each day, I decided to try to read as many of her "Oprah book club" books that I could get a hold of. This was one in that collection and has been sitting on my shelf for about three years.
After the last few books I have read I was actually ready for a good novel that I could read mindlessly and get lost in.
This was perfect. A good story written by a great author. A battered wife leaves her husband with the help of an underground network. She attempts to begin a new life for her and her husband. This is the kind of author who could write about nothing and you would still be enthralled. I adore her style of writing.

The Midwifes Apprentice

Karen Cushman

Another recommendation from the midwives library. A short book. I wasn't entirely impressed with this one but it was such a short read that I don't feel as if I wasted my time.

The Last Of The Mohicans; James Fenimore Cooper

I read this as the first book in a book club that I am moderating. I was excited to read it at first because of it's status as a classic. However, I never did really get into it. Not sure why. In fact, I must confess, I tried to finish it before we met but didn't, and then two moths later I still haven't finished it. Guesse I am off to valiantly get through the last chapter or so.

Jane Eyre ; Charlotte Bronte

This was a very difficult book for me to get through for the first 150 pages. It was just so slow, I couldn't keep focused. Matt was having the same trouble. A friend of mine was over and we were talking about what we were reading. When I told her I was reading Jane Eyre, she replied that it was her favorite book of all times, I gave her a look like "you must be joking". She then asked if we were talking about the same "Jane Eyre".
Once you muddle through the first half though it is a good book. I kept thinking that they should have just done away with the first half, but I suppose it was needed to define Jane's character. Jane was not a very likable character for me, which many at book club disagreed with. I just found her as very rude, cold and self-possessed. The end of the book was wonderfully written.
On another note, Matt has infiltrated both of my book clubs and is now the only male in both. Got to love that man.

* The merry adventures of Robin Hood of great renown, in Nottinghamshire

Howard Pyle

The children and I read this book for our coop book club. What a wonderful story!! The old-english it is written in took me awhile to get the hang of reading out loud, bu tthen you really get into it. After reading it I would sometimes catch myself or the children saying something in the Old English style and Seri is forever calling her brother a roug (sp). I did wonder if they were able to understand, but upon asking them to recall what we had read, all doubts were put to rest.
I never knew there was so much to the story of Robin Hood. I also found it strange that Maid Mariane was only briefly mentioned once.
For the most part it was fighting and feasting, but you do get wrapped up in the story.
I wonder why so much is often left out of the retold versions. Then once again I suppose that is their way of "dumbing things down" for us. As in "this is really good but we don't think you will be able to comprehend it unless we put it in simpler terms. But, we still want you to be exposed to it". I am finding this all too often as we explore literature. there is no more going to the source, it is now a matter of going to the simplest version and saying you have read it.
At the end Robin Hood dies and I was so not prepared for it. Matt and I were both in tears.

The Midwife: A Novel

Gay Courter

My midwife recommended this book from her library at one of my recent appts. It was such a wonderful book. It follows a girl from Germany through midwifery school and then follows her journey to the states. It is more of a fictional romance than anything but it is well written and at the same time sheds some light on America's switch from midwifery care to OB. I really enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it.

The Lonesome Gods

The next book in our family book club. I adored this book. Another coming of age story about a boy whose father is dying so he takes him out west in the hopes that his only living relative, a grandfather who has tried to kill the father, will have pity and take care of him.
My mother was a little astonished that I loved this book because she remembers L'Amour as being a very country/western writer. This book was one that not only Matt, Seri and I enjoyed but mother also enjoyed it once convinced to begin reading it.
Definitely one of those books that you do not want to put down once you have begun to read it.

the Chosen

Chaim Potok Our next book read in our "family" book club. The story of two Jewish boys who are raised by influential fathers. Fathers who are vastly different in their approaches. One boy is Hasidic while the other was just orthodox. The boys form a friendship that is tried by their different backgrounds. It was an insightful book, but one that I had a hard time with.
As I have gotten older and added more responsibilities my reading time has been limited. I think somewhere along the line I came to the conclusion that I can't read everything so I limited what I read to mostly non-fiction so that I would feel as if I hadn't waisted my time on mindless reading but rather that I had actually learned something. With Thomas Jefferson we are reading a lot more fiction than I am currently used to and I am finding myself having to break through that mental block to really enjoy the book.
Another component of TJ is that one actually studies as he reads. If you don't know a word or are not familiar with a phrase you underline it and look it up. If a certain passage strikes you and causes you to ponder, you write your thoughts in the margin to be discussed with others at a later time. Matt really enjoys this part, I not so much. The book was full of Jewish references and I know almost nothing about the Jewish religion. True to my public school upbringing I did not want to do this much research, or put in this much effort, I just wanted to read the book. At the end Matt really enjoyed the book whereas I did not. Maybe the amount of effort he put in was a reflection of this.
A third thing I have discovered is that I am a fast reader. I tend to not think to deep about the material and skip over minor details and descriptions. TJ encourages you to read books slowly, to ponder and think. I am so not used to this and find it incredibly frustrating! I have always considered myself a good reader, and now at 33 I am having to learn how to read all over again. How unfair! I am thankful however that I have learned these things while my children are still young so that I can teach them these principles and enrich their lives with learning rather than just mindless passing of time.

A Thomas Jefferson Education

A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century


Oliver Van DeMille
This is a book I have meaning to read for awhile. Finally had a chance to as it was the next book for bookclub. A lot of my friends use this educational approach with their children and I was curious about it.
The main points of the philosophy are for the children to be exposed to classic stories and great literature. For them to learn directly from the great minds through their original writings rather than through a watered-down approach that is presented through PS and other arenas. Then once they are exposed, to truly think.....not regurgitate. To see how the material applies to them in their lives.
Another huge portion is to have mentors who will lead them and guide them through the learning stages with support and love on an individual basis rather than an assembly line.
Matt read the book and we are both excited about the prospect of introducing this learning style to our children and learning more about it.