I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby

In the book "I Am Hutterite" by Mary Ann Kirkby, Mary Ann goes in to detail to describe the history and life of a little known religious group known as the Hutterites. She describes the life that is lead in this community, from the food to the religion to the activities they participate in. This book is great for anyone who is interested in finding out what this religious community is like. I found the book to be too detailed. The author describes the day to day life excellently but I felt as if she could have left out many of the details she added in, including the detailed description of the wedding rituals the community practiced. I also did not like the author using the Hutterite vocabulary because every time she used one of the Hutterites words it may have been translated for you, but most of the time it was not and although there was a glossary in the back of the book I found it to be distracting to have to stop and look it up and then continue on. I also found myself forgetting what some of the words meant even though I had already looked them up or were told what they meant and would have to look them up all over again. Besides the book being a little too detailed and the use of Hutterite vocabulary, I found it to be a very interesting look into a community I had never heard of. I am well aware of the Pennsylvania Amish community but I did not know about this group of individuals from Canada. Unless you would like to learn all about the traditions, religious beliefs, and practices of this group I would not read this book but I did find it very interesting to learn about a whole new group of individuals.

Summer Reading List

I know it's been a while but what can I say... busy?



Anyway, excuses aside, it's time to "announce" the summer reading list once again.



You may notice some, as I like to call them, "repeat offenders" but I made a bet with myself that by the end of the year, at least, I could finish reading every book on my bookshlef that has been sitting there for over a year waiting to be read....



So here we go:

1. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien
2. William F. Buckley (Christian Encounters Series) by Jeremy Lott
3. Twilight (The Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4. uncharted terriTORI by Tori Spelling
5. The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer
6. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
7. The Spellman Files [SPELLMAN FILES] by Lisa(Author) Lutz
8. The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer
9. Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger
10. Ps, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
11. High On Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips
12. The Best of Friends: Martha and Me by Mariana Pasternak
13. Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice by Maureen McCormick
14. My Life in France (Movie Tie-In Edition) (Random House Movie Tie-In Books) by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme
15. I Know Where I'm Going: Katharine Hepburn, A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler
16. Knit Two (Friday Night Knitting Club, No 2) by Kate Jacobs
17. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
18. Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen
19. I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage by Mary-Ann Kirkby
20. High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto
21. How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood by William J. Mann
22. Cary Grant: A Biography by Marc Eliot
23. Moon River and Me: A Memoir by Andy Williams
24. Atonement by Ian McEwan
25. Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy A. Cordery

Happy Summer Reading!!

The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel J. Miller

The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel J. Miller outlined the life of one of American History's most well known beings. The book tells the story of a young man following in his father's footsteps who would one day wind up being known by every child who ever took an American History class in school. The book does not go into too much detail regarding his life but does paint the picture of a brave and honorable man who fought for what and who he believed in. Many people do not know the other side of Paul Revere and should. He is not only the man who warned the colonists during the American Revolution; he was a father, husband, politician, silversmith and so much more.

I was not fond of the book; many because I am not the largest American history buff. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to know what happened during the American Revolution and find out what the people who fought for our freedom was really like. It is not a horrible book it is in fact a well written, informative book about an amazing man who helped create the nation we live in today. For anyone who loves history, this is an excellent book for you. I would recommend this book for middle school or high school students especially so they can learn about the sacrifices made for their freedom.

Jane Austen

My attraction to Jane Austen only began about a year ago when this movie came out. Ever since seeing this movie I bought a book, and then a few of the recently released spoofs of Austen, watched the Anne Hathaway movie and even became obsessed with a mini series from the BBC... given it was a hybrid of Jane Austen and Alice in Wonderland. When I saw this book I HAD to read it.

Now, watching the movie about her, I never would have known the role religion held in Austen's life. No movie or simple biography about her has done her justice until now. This book by Peter Leithart was fantastic. You do not have to be an Austen-addict to enjoy it. There are great reference pages in the back which can help those who have never even held an Austen novel to understand who the characters in her novels are.

Jane Austen is not the person many have depicted her as being. Yes she was an author, but she was not a poor servant-type daughter of a man who made no money and needed to sell his daughters into marriage in order to sustain his life. Her books were not based on her. The men that did enter her life were not the drunken, boxing fools as they were depicted. She was an intelligent, independent woman who wrote based on her surroundings and managed to live her life the way she wanted to. She cared for her family but never got to enjoy the fame she would one day obtain because of her writings.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Austen.

** True Austen fans~ I do not recommend the spoofs**

Being a girl I of course have to let you know that this book is the perfect size for a purse so you can bring it anywhere! No big clunky books this time... It fit perfectly in my purse and even in the center console of the car.

Buried Alive

Buried Alive is a book about an American contractor who has his trust in others torn from him when a fellow colleague goes against the American Government and joins forces with a group of Iraqi Terrorists and kidnaps Roy Hallum, the contractor, and others. The book follows the trials and tribulations Roy and the others must go through while being held captive and what they had to go through in order to survive.

I was very excited about reading this book because I thought it was going to be an inside look into what really goes in with the Iraqi people when they kidnap and possibly a better look into what is really going on there. I was disappointed with this book. Although it is a quick read, I found it difficult to start and at times found myself dosing off mid-page. I've read other books about Americans being held captive, and I have found them very interesting. This book just did not do it for me. I found the writing to be a little bland and boring at times. Although it is a fascinating story, especially considering what this man went through, but the way in which it was presented fell flat with me.

The King

Having been made to believe Elvis died of a drug overdose by “ the hands of those around him”, I was very interested in hearing the doctors’ side of the story. In today’s world, you are constantly hearing about a different celebrity overdosing on some drug- be it Heath Ledger or Michael Jackson. The first thing all reporters say is “Who was their doctor? Or How did they get all those pills?” Having just read a book about Marilyn Monroe, I came to find out measures in which many celebrities will use to obtain the drugs they want. It’s not only their main physician anymore; it’s more of a “shopping” method many of these celebrities use to get what they need from whomever will give it to them.
Dr. Nichopoulos does a great job of explaining his position with Elvis- from his many ailments to his family and social circle to his touring life and how it affected him to the pills he prescribed Elvis while under his care. He goes into detail about his relationship with Elvis and the many methods Elvis used to get the drugs he wanted when Dr. Nichopoulos would not prescribe him any. Although no one will really know what happened that night, Dr. Nichopoulos explains their relationship in such a way that you do truly believe he cared for his famous patient. Whether you believe him or not, this book is worth reading, especially for people like me- those who are interested in finding out what happened to celebrities who died way too soon.

The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister

Having seen this book on the list of possible books to review I was very excited. Being a lector at church, I thought this book would be very helpful for me in understanding the gospel a little better.

I began reading the book and quickly had flashbacks to my Ancient History course in College. I am very interested in history and learning about why certain days are named for certain Saints and what they did and why we celebrate certain holidays the way we did but something about this book made me feel as if a quiz was going to be handed out when I finished and I better take notes! The book reads like a textbook and when it isn't giving you pure, basic information, the author gives you some real life comparisons that really don't help. It took me quite a while to get through this book. I am still interested in all the aspects of the church and the liturgical year but I feel that this book did not help me answer the questions that I had. It is a great reference book for people who want to know what a particular event in the Catholic Year.