John Steinbeck

"Steinbeck deals with the nature of good and evil in this Salinas Valley saga. The story follows two families: the Hamiltons - based on Steinbeck's own maternal ancestry - and the Trasks, reprising stories about the Biblical Adam and his progeny."--wikipedia

I could not put this book down, I absolutely love it. It's one of my favorites. Steinbeck's writing is detailed and vividly marvelous.

Rating-5

(W)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_of_Eden
http://www.steinbeck.org/EastEden.html


(M)-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048028/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_of_Eden_(film)




"The book is set in the Great Depression and describes a family of sharecroppers, the Joads, who were driven from their land due to the dust storms of the Dust Bowl. The title is a reference to the Battle Hymn of the Republic."--wikipedia.

It's amazing how people survived the great depression. Steinbeck gave a truthful depiction of the day to day goings on during that dreadful time. It was a wonderful read because it opened up my eyes to see how easy my life is and how I've taken for granted the basic essentials in life. Loved it!

Rating-5

(W)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath
http://www.steinbeck.org/Bio.html


(M)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath_(film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032551/

Danielle Steel

Marie-Ange's life is torn apart at age 11 by a tragic accident which leaves her alone to be raised by an aunt she's never met and moves to a country she has never been to. As she turns 18 she gets a visit from an attorney who informs her she is to inherit millions from her parents estate. She leaves behind Billy, her best friend, to travel back to France where she was born. Then to find, Bernard, a loving and adoring man who isn't all he claims to be. This story will make your heart race!
Rating:3

(W)-http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440236993




Vanished was absolutely shocking and infuriatingly heart breaking. As a mother I felt how sorrowful and frantic Marielle felt as her son goes missing. Survival and endurance of a tragic life fills the pages of this book. Full of tension and conflicting feelings, this was a bumpy ride to the end.

Rating: 3

(W)-http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440217466

Hush Hush Freebies!!

Want to win SIGNED copy of Hush, Hush and a Limited Edition Poster!! Go to http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/ and become a follower.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I settled into this book towards the end. It started out slow and I was trudging along until I hit a dilemma. Huxley really shocked me with the "erotic play" for the children in this book. It was a HUGE shock!! I can't say that enough but after about a day of wondering if i should keep going I realized that the "erotic play" is meant to shock us and show us how different he created his world so I picked up the book again. This book is about breeding and conditioning a peaceful society but their is always a catch. It was a interesting read.

Rating-3

(W)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley

http://www.huxley.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World

(M)-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145600/

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I really enjoyed this book it is funny and smart. This story will take you back in time and show you how life was back in the 50's. Scout and Jem made me laugh while they reminded me of how innocent we all were as children. Then I cried at the injustice of racism back in those days. Their dad is a white lawyer defending an innocent black man in the south. It's a great story.

Rating-4

(W)-http://harperlee.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird

(M)- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056592/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird_(film)

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Grab some Kleenex because this story is full of misery and agony from misfortune and lost loves. Tess is a victim of societal taboo and endures many heart wrenching obstacles. She is left with a broken heart and a shattered life wondering through her existence with just the love for her husband and the hope of reconciliation.

Rating-5

(W)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hardy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tess_of_the_d'Urbervilles

(M)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tess_of_the_D%27Urbervilles_(TV_serial) FYI I bought the DVD at B&N for about $30 and is totally

worth it.

Just FYI on The Twilight Saga upcoming books

Seth, Stephenie's bother has posted some news on StephenieMeyer.com about some upcoming books:

"Hey. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Stephenie's publishers asked me to remind everyone that there are a few new editions and titles going on sale in the next few days:

-The first one actually has been on sale for about three weeks already (I forgot to post a reminder...sorry): The Twilight Saga: New Moon Movie Tie-in. This is no different from the original New Moon except for the cool cover art.
-The second goes on sale tomorrow, October 6, 2009: The Twilight Saga: New Moon--The Official Illustrated Movie Companion. I have not seen this book yet, but the Twilight edition was very impressive. It is a great way to get even more excited about the movie (only 45 days left!)
-Finally, next week (October 13th) we have two more items going on sale: New Moon Collector's Edition (to match the Twilight Collector's Edition) and The Twilight Journals, both of which would make good gifts, in my opinion.

If at any time in the future you would like to find one of these titles or even one of Stephenie's recommendations, you can go to our Amazon aStore. Everything is in one place, and I do my best to keep it up-to-date.
--Seth"

The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

I thought this book was hilarious most of the time. It's about a 16 year old boy who is confused about life and has no goals or inspiration to go anywhere or do anything. Holden keeps flunking out of school because he doesn't want to be a "phony" (as he would say) and who is trying to find a girl he can give the "time" to. It's a very short book with lots of activity going on. I enjoyed it.

Rating- 4

(W)-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Salinger

(M)-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1206286/

The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

"The House on Mango Street, first published in 1984, won the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award in 1985, and is required reading in middle schools, high schools, and universities across the country. It has sold over two million copies since its initial publication and is still selling strongly. "--sandracisneros.com

I know this book has won awards but I was just Confused! I couldn't enjoy this book as much as I probably should because i was too obsessed with tying to correct all the sentences and punctuated marks, and the grammar it was total chaos. LOL! But I guess that was the point because it is written in a teenagers point of view. I just could get into it. It really frustrated me and i just wanted to put the book down after each page, but I kept going,

wanting to know the ending. It just wasn't my kind of book.

Rating- 2

(w)-http://www.sandracisneros.com/bio.php