Summer Reading

Hi guys!  Hope you are having a wonderful summer.  I just wanted to drop in this morning before I head to the middle school to get my son registered for school. I am not looking forward to having another middle schooler as middle school is drama and I am not sure it gets any better in high school; however, my two older sons have done a pretty good job of navigating these waters.  I just want to keep my sweet boy innocent and middle school seems to be where they get introduced to the world.  Anyway, before we left for Germany I had the opportunity to get some reading in and I have to give my husband a big thanks for this as he is so awesome with spending time with our children. Yahoo for great husbands. The first book I want to share with you or actually three books is a series starting with a book titled Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.  I have to admit that these books would probably not have been on my radar had it not been for my husband.  He was introduced to these books by an Asian colleague.  I was kind of skeptical when he handed me the book,, but it was really funny, and they get funnier with each book.  It does help to know a little about Asian culture, but it is not a prerequisite for reading the books.  My only criticism about the books would be the use of Singaporean words which the author does leave a translation of in the footnotes. Though this does add to the authenticity of the book  These books are not life-changing or leave you with any great wisdom, but you will have a good belly laugh.  These books have been so popular that they are being made into a movie.  The story begins with Nick and Rachel who are professors in New York City. Nick was born in Singapore and Rachel was born in China but moved to the United States shortly after she was born.  In the Asian community, she is seen as a banana because while she may look Chinese on the outside she is very American on the outside. Nick wants to take Rachel home to his family and for his best friends wedding and this is where all hell breaks loose.

The next book is Innocent Man by John Grisham. I love crime law books!  I was actually over halfway through the story when I realized that this book was based off a real-life story. Not my favorite of his books, but still a very interesting crime story.  One thing that one learns from reading this story is that ones past behavior really is a huge factor in how a courtroom will perceive you even if it has nothing to do with present crime and even if there is very little evidence to prove you did the crime.  A big life lesson and this book should be a mandatory read for all high-schoolers.

My final book for today is a book titled Elanor Oliphant is Fine.  I found this book on the bookshelf at the hotel in Sardinia.  Thank you to the person who left this book. I had actually wanted to read this book for a while, but having a stack of books on my bedside table I  had not ordered the book off of Amazon.  This is kind of a chick book and most men may not find the book amusing.  The story is about a young woman Eleanor who grew up in the foster care system of Great Britain. This is not a true story I should note, but it is sad, funny, and hopeful all in one. Elanor is kind of socially awkward and leads a kind of pathetic life as most would judge. One of my favorite quotes in the book is "Was this how it worked, then, successful social integration? Was it really this simple? Wear some lipstick, go to the hairdressers, and alternate the clothes you wear?... I had more positive attention from them today (nonmaleavent, positive attention, that is) than I had in the last few years. I smiled at myself, pleased that I had unlocked part of the puzzle."  Despite Elenor's pathetic life you can't help but love her and wish her the best.

Well, I gotta run! Have a great day and I hope you take a chance on one of these books as they really are great reads.