Hobby Stash » Family & Relationships

The Shack by William P. Young

Linda — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:14:07 +0000

I actually finished The Shack a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been pondering a way to review the novel without issuing any spoilers and it’s turned out to be quite a challenge. Mackenzie Phillips has been struggling throughout his life with his relationship with God. He rediscovers Him in the shack. I don’t agree with all the premises in the novel regarding one’s relationship with God and religion but I was nevertheless touched by it. One’s relationship with God is clearly a personal choice.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Ape House by Sara Gruen

Linda — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:15:31 +0000

It took me way longer than it should have to finish Ape House. One reason is that I’ve been so darn busy with other projects and finding time to pick up the kindle has been rare. The other reason is that Ape House is not a can’t-put-it-down read…most definitely not in the same league as Water for Elephants. I didn’t want Water for Elephants to end–I couldn’t wait for Ape House to. The unbelievable plot with stereotypical, one-dimensional, animal activist-type good/bad guys might lead to a good action movie but left me wanting as a good read.

Rating: ★★½☆☆

A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Linda — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:41:48 +0000

Gosh, where do I begin with this review? I actually finished this a couple of days ago and have been struggling to figure out how I feel about it. My emotions ran the gamut. A Dog’s Purpose tells the story of a dog’s life in first person from the dog’s perspective. I found parts of it delightful but thought there were parts that might be too intense or upsetting for children with a family dog. Quite cute are the things dogs do that get them in trouble with their owner and that they don’t quite get what the problem is. But I felt the novel was very heavy-handed with the tear-jerker aspects of the story (over and over again).

The majority who read or listen to this will absolutely love it and but I also understand why some will most likely hate it. I enjoyed it but unlike so many other dog books I’ve read, this was not one of those I didn’t want to end. I was ready.

Rating: ★★★½☆

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

Linda — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:01:47 +0000

When I first started listening to A Single Thread, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. Although it was a slow start, I got pulled in as each character’s story started to unfold. I decided to read it because it revolved around quilting but non-quilters would enjoy this story as well. Life never turns out as you plan it–something most people can identify with–I certainly could. I think Ms. Bostwick did an excellent job of making each of the characters so very human. This wonderful story deals with meeting life’s challenges head on and about friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on reading the next in the series.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalvan

Linda — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:34:49 +0000

Until Tuesday is a story about Iraqi vet, Luis, and his golden retriever service dog, Tuesday. I listened to the Audible version of this book, which was narrated by Mr. Montalvan himself. I’ve admitted in the past, and do so again here, I’m a smuck for dog stories and this one is no exception. But this is much more than a story about a man and his dog…

It delved into the work involved in training a service dog, the work involved in preparing the recipient, discrimination faced by people with service dogs, and discrimination faced by people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mr. Montalvan also discussed his experiences in Iraq and his debilitating PTSD manifestations. And finally it covered his disillusionment with how the top brass handled the war and how vets disabled with PTSD have been handled by the VA system.

The book evoked so many emotions, I can’t begin to describe them all here. I can say I highly recommend it. It provided me a whole new depth of understanding with how devastating PTSD is for our returning vets and how our government needs to do so much more to help them out!

Rating: ★★★★★

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Linda — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:46:26 +0000

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel when I first started reading it, but quickly became involved with the characters as they unfolded. The story is told in first person by the three main characters, Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, and tackles racism in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. I couldn’t stop reading and didn’t want it to end.

When I searched for more information about Kathryn Stockett, I discovered she was born in and raised in Jackson, Missisppi and moved to New York to work in magazine publishing. Wow! I can’t wait for her next novel. Will there be a sequel?

Rating: ★★★★★

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

Linda — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:01:53 +0000

There were several seemingly unrelated story lines in the plot that intertwined as the novel progressed and came together in the end. It reminded me somewhat of Jodi Picoult with a mystery thriller twist to it. I enjoyed the intricacy of the story lines as they intertwined and joined to make sense in the end.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Memory of Running by Rob McLarty

Linda — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:42:20 +0000

I wasn’t too sure I was going to like this novel when I first started it. But I hung in there and was glad I did. Smithy Ide is an emotionally disfunctional adult male who starts out in Rhode Island and travels across the country on a bicycle to retrieve his sister’s remains at a funeral home in California. As the story progresses, the author uses the flashback technique to cover Smithy’s life and illustrate how he became who he is.

The tone, theme, and style of this book reminds of the tragedy novels Oprah tends to pick. I listened to the Audible version of this novel, which was narrated by the author himself. He does an outstanding job.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

Linda — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:16:49 +0000

No doubt about it, I’m partial to Jodi Picoult’s books. I love her formula of writing in first person and switching between the major characters of the novel. I love her choices of subject matter…they always provoke thought after the last page is read. But this one left me somewhat disappointed. The characters were not as likeable and more emphasis was placed on the ACLU lawyer and the priest than necessary and not enough emphasis on Claire (the heart transplant recipient) and her mother, June. Still a very good read that I would recommend.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Linda — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:39:25 +0000

This is one of those rare novels I just didn’t want to end. Edgar Sawtelle is born mute into a family that breeds and trains dogs. If you love stories about the companionship of dogs, this is a must read. But be forewarned, it’s a tear jerker! I’ve rewritten the ending a dozen times in my mind trying to put this novel to rest….

Rating: ★★★★★