I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

This is the biography of Nujood, a young girl from Yemen, a country in the Middle East. She comes from a poor family and was still a child when her father arranged for her to be married to a man 3 times her age. She tells her story with embarrassment and bravery. Unable to bear a life of beatings and cruelty she tries to get help from her family. Her family was unable to help her because they felt if she left her husband the family's honor would be damaged. She was asking everyone and anyone if they could help her. Her father's second wife told her she should go the courts. She felt her only choice for a better life was to seek help from a judge. This was really an unusual thing to do as almost half the girls in Yemen are married underage, and being children they have very little knowledge of what alternatives they have. Nujood's story is an encouragement to

other girls in her situation who might want to seek help.

Nujood's situation is still precarious. She lives again with her parents and siblings. They have some improvement to their lifestyle with moneys from her book and help from organizations, however Yemen, being in a war zone, is a dangerous place to live. So her education and future are up in the air. Nujood plans to keep trying by doing homework, being a good student, and working hard so that she might go to college one day.

This book was an eye opener. You really get a feel for what life is like for someone living in another culture and socio-economic background. You come away wishing you could help change deeply embedded customs and admiring this little girl for her courage.

Celebrate the Season 2010

This is a non-fiction book with many beautiful illustrations of how you can decorate and cook for for Christmas. First I just paged through the whole book enjoying the various crafts, table settings, gifts to make, beautifully wrapped presents,and recipes for tasty goodies. Then I decided to go ahead and use an idea for making tags for presents. I had gotten turquoise and red wrapping paper for all my presents, so the tags I made had a background of red or turquoise (which I salvaged from my scrap booking supplies). I glued on acrylic gem sparkles using the first initial of every family member that I was wrapping presents for. People with the same first initial have their names written on back of the tag. I snapped a whole in the top with a paper punch, and put a silver string through (stolen from my embroidery supplies). When all the presents are under the tree the tags add just a little bit of beautiful sparkle to make our holiday bright.

Bound by Antonya Nelson

Bound is full of moral dilemmas. The characters must face up to their responsibilities, from their own pets to friends, families and the world they live in. After learning of her high school best friend Misty's death, is Catherine Desplaines obliged to be the legal guardian to Misty's daughter Cattie? Also, how can Catherine's husband Oliver justify his adulteries by thinking that he doesn't purposely seek for it, but love just stumbles upon him like an "accident?" Tying in the apprehension of the BTK serial killer in Wichita a couple years ago, Nelson's new novel makes for a thought provoking read.

Hell's Corner by David Baldacci

Oliver Stone is asked (by the government no less) to investigate a bombing that was successfully carried out right across the street from the White House. Which nasty group is responsible? Was the bombing an accident or a test, and is a bigger terrorist event planned? Oliver isn't completely comfortable working for the government that betrayed him, and finds himself misled and manipulated at every turn. He has the help of a competent and interesting British agent, but he is reluctant to involve the Camel Club. Nevertheless, he wants to solve the case, and it turns out he needs all the help he can get. Hell's Corner is a decent thriller, but not one of Baldacci's best.

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane

The economy has made things tough for Boston private eyes Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Patrick is forced to take work he doesn't like and can't afford to take work that doesn't pay. Still, when a woman from his past asks him to look once again for her niece (Amanda McCready from Gone, Baby, Gone) who is now 16, Kenzie can't say no. It's a great tale you won't want to miss!

The Confession by John Grisham

An innocent man sits on death row in Texas. His execution date is fast approaching. The man who is actually guilty of the crime is dying of brain tumor and decides to do the right thing and confess to the crime. With the help of a Kansas preacher and a committed defense attorney, he sets out to free the condemned man. It's a page-turning read with interesting characters and moral dilemmas. This would be a great book for discussion groups!

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris, illustrated by Ian Falconer

Sedaris's latest book anthropomorphizes an array of animals, from a disturbingly brutal "vigilant rabbit" to a knowledge-seeking great horned owl which befriends a gerbil and a hippopotamus. With this, the author mirrors the human conditions and afflictions.
In the title story, the squirrel and the chipmunk are starting a relationship only to be discouraged by the chipmunk's ignorant family. Readers are also introduced to an alcoholic cat that loathes the prison's AA meetings. The stories are full of dark humor, as well as both gross and clever dialogues. At times the depiction is very graphic (warnings!) along with Falconer's illustrations, as in The Crow and the Lamb and The Motherless Bear. The creatures will linger long after I have finished reading their tales.