Epic = Awesome

When I went into the library to get Pillars (I had it on hold), the librarian was super chatty. She apparently had lived in England for a time with her husband, and she adored English historical fiction. Anyway, she loved Pillars and spoke its praises. Then she told me (repeatedly- She made me write it down.) that if I liked Pillars, I would love Edward Rutherfurd. I have yet to read any of his books (I'm still recovering from Pillars), but I looked online and found the one I WANT to read: Sarum. Apparently it's an epic novel... and from my experience with Pillars, I have deduced that "epic" actually means "really long, super complex, and ultimately AWESOME!" I may have to take a few deep breaths before I begin yet another EPIC novel... but I can't wait. Stonehenge, here I come!

Dont Tell Your Husbands

I finished "Pillars" last night! Man that one took me a while. It was such a great read. I am way excited for our meeting in August. Just a reminder- the meeting will be on August 13 at Shanna's house.

Also Caron is hosting a movie night at her house on Tuesday. Yay! Come prepared for a good time!

Lit Lover Friends

Hey all my "Between the Cover" friends. I thought I would be adventurous and post a note on our awesome blog (since it is being monopolized by Becca and Mindy-just kidding). So I was at young women camp a few weeks ago and ran into some pretty famous people. One was a very high ranking YW church official and the other a prestigious camp coordinator. I was lucky enough to finagle my picture with them. I am the googly looking fan on the left.
Also I wanted to say I am sorry I won't be able to make it to book club this month. Just so you know I am doing my best to get through "Pillars of the Earth" and my review (if I was present) would be on the book "The Chase" by Clive Cussler, since that is the only book I have finished recently not for our book club. It was a great summer read. I recommend it if you like adventure and a quick easy story line to follow. I have read quite a few of Mr. Cussler's books in the past and worried this new one wouldn't meet my expectations, but it was enjoyable. I am reading a few other books at the moment as well, "The Innocent Man" -John Grisham and "The Host" -Stephenie Meyer, both good so far. Hope you are all having a wonderful summer, see you in August.

"O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?"

Stealing one of Romeo's lines, I've gotta say this is exactly how I felt when I finished reading the third (out of four- the fourth to be released in a thousand years -- aka: August 2nd) book of the Twilight Saga. Ugh! Utter agony! I read each of the books 1 1/2 times over (had to re-read the "good" halves) in a day each, leaving my house and family pretty neglected for a while there. It was chaos that I had to "awaken" to... dishes to wash, laundry to fold, disaster to tame... but it was DEFINITELY worth it!

I am absolutely in love with Edward, and I CANNOT WAIT for Breaking Dawn (#4- the final one) to come out in August. I'm not sure how I'll handle the suspense until then. What happens? What happens? Does he... ? Will she... ? Are they gonna... ??? It's excruciating. And fun.

I should be ashamed to admit that I am finally and entirely a committed "Twilighter." But I'm not. Admit it... neither are you.

Our June Meeting

Thanks for a great meeting in June, ladies! Thanks you Becca for hosting us. The cake was yummy!

For July we have decided to do book reviews. Read a book of your choice and come prepared to introduce it to the group and tell us what you thought of it. Please refer to the sidebar for more specific details. This will hopefully give us a little more time during the busy summer months to get through Pillars of the Earth. If you have questions let me know. Also, for anyone who did not receive a invite to be an author on this blog, get me your email address and I will get a invite out to you. Happy reading ladies!

A Painted House... by Grisham??

My dad sent me this book for Christmas. I haven't really read John Grisham books, mainly 'cause that style doesn't seem to appeal to me. But he told me that this book is nothing like Grisham's other books, and he thought I'd like it. Although my dad and I have slightly different book style preferences (ie. he DOES like the rest of the John Grisham collection), I trust his recommendations. For some reason, I didn't get around to reading this book until... oh-- last week. But MAN am I glad I did!

Here's a blurb about it that I found online... to tease and tempt you:

***

The hill people and the Mexicans arrived on the same day. It was a Wednesday, early in September 1952. The Cardinals were five games behind the Dodgers with three weeks to go, and the season looked hopeless. The cotton, however, was waist-high to my father, over my head, and he and my grandfather could be heard before supper whispering words that were seldom heard. It could be a "good crop."

Thus begins the new novel from John Grisham, a story inspired by his own childhood in rural Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents in a little house that's never been painted. The Chandlers farm eighty acres that they rent, not own, and when the cotton is ready they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it.

For six weeks they pick cotton, battling the heat, the rain, the fatigue, and, sometimes, each other. As the weeks pass Luke sees and hears things no seven-year-old could possibly be prepared for, and finds himself keeping secrets that not only threaten the crop but will change the lives of the Chandlers forever.

A Painted House is a moving story of one boy's journey from innocence to experience.

***

Highly enjoyed, highly recommended. The story will remain with you long after the final page has turned. Read it, and let me know what you think!

Breaking Dawn

The cover for the last book in the Twilight series came out this week. So what do you ladies think of it? I instantly liked the covers of the first three books, but this one is going to take some time to grow on me. There are lots of theories brewing out there about what the cover means. I would love to hear your ideas on it if you have any- cuz I am a bit at a loss right now. Let me know what you think!