Labor Day

I finished Labor Day this past Saturday afternoon. While some people have raved about Joyce Maynard's books, I wasn't overly impressed with this book. It was good but took me about 75-100 pages to get into the story. Once I got a bit more into it, I was able to quickly finish it. In the future I would like to try another of Maynard's books to see if I like it better. I used this book for the "read a book with a summer word in the title" for the SuBC. My challenge point total is now 110. I'd give this book 2.5 of 5 stars. Below is the B&N synopsis.

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry—lonely, friendless, not too good at sports—spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele—a onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.
But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others—especially those we love—above ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.
In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boy—and the man he later becomes—looking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend.

Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange

I'm a little behind here! The home renovations and projects have taken my life over the last few days! I finished this book Monday and it was a great read. I've been having really good luck with my last few library picks. As always, I will only post the B&N synopsis so I don't tell too much. I thought the authors writing style was very similar to Toni Morrison's. I liked Amanda Smyth's style better though. She paints a very vivid picture as she writes which gave clear pictures of the characters and settings. I'd give this book 4 of 5 stars. Here is the the synopsis.

Men will want you like they want a glass of rum…One man will love you. But you won’t love him. You will destroy his life. The one you love will break your heart in two.So says the soothsayer, when predicting young Celia’s future. Raised in the tropics of Tobago by an aunt she loves and an uncle she fears, Celia has never felt that she belonged. When her uncle–a man the neighbors call Allah because he thinks himself mightier than God–does something unforgivable, Celia escapes to the bustling capital city.There she quickly embraces her burgeoning independence, but her search for a place to call home is soon complicated by an affectionate friendship with William, a thoughtful gardener, and a strong sexual tension with her employer. All too quickly, Celia finds herself fulfilling the soothsayer’s predictions and living a life of tangled desperation–trapped between the man who offers her passion and the one who offers his heart.

The Wedding

This afternoon I finished The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. It is the follow up to The Notebook. While I enjoyed the story, it was a typical Nicholas Sparks book. There was a little twist at the end that I wasn't expecting though. I read this book for the "wedding book" cateogory for the SuBC. I would give the book 3 of 5 stars.

Harry Potter the Prisoner of Azkaban

Last night I finished HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I used it for the "book with a teenager as a main character" category of the SuBC. I love how addicting these books are and the fact that the further into the series you go the better the books are! I told my husband last night that he was not allowed to talk to me until I finished the book because I had to finish it before I could go to bed! I have a book from the library to read first, but then I'll be moving onto the next book!