Book Review: Honor Bound

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Did you follow the Amanda Knox trial in Italy?

If so, Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox written by Raffaele Sollecito and Andrew Gumbel should be the next book you read.  It's a gripping memoir that chronicles Raffaele's experiences with Amanda, the media, the Italian police, and the Italian judicial system during the four year period over which the trial took place.

While I didn't follow this story the entire four years it played out, I began keeping track of it for the last year of the trial.  I read the articles, watched the news, and was relieved when Amanda Knox was released and welcomed back to the United States.  After reading media stories from the initial incident four years ago and then more closely at the end of the trial, it is amazing to read Raffaele's side while seeing how clearly the media was able to twist facts.

The Daily Beast's review featured on Barnes and Noble's website says it quite well: "Not only does Sollecito give a great insider’s look at the trial from his unique vantage point, he also clears up a number of mistruths that Knox’s ardent supporters pushed throughout the four-year affair.[...] Sollecito's book is sure to satisfy."

Book Review: Sergeant Rex

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I love dogs.  You all know that.  So I am totally a sucker for books about dogs, but I was still completely surprised when this book was part of my Christmas gift from Carl.  Who knew he could find a dog book I had never heard of?!  Well, he definitely did and he picked out an amazing tale.  I brought it along on our Rose Bowl trip and I had finished it by the time we landed in Chicago on the way home.  I.could.not.put.it.down.

Sergeant Rex, written by Mike Dowling, tells the story of a Marine dog handler, his dog, and their amazing bond.  The pair was sent to Iraq in 2004; the first time the Marine Corps had sent dog teams to the front lines since Vietnam.  Dowling details firefights with Rex and raids in which his dog sniffed out weapon caches, IEDs, and bomb-making materials while dispersing short family and initial dog-training stories throughout.  He also excellently captures the camaraderie among the Marines deployed together.  The book gives the reader a glimpse inside the Iraq war while simultaneously building an attachment to Rex and his likability.  (While writing this blog I googled for a review only for an article to pop up stating Rex passed away in December; I teared up.)  This book was both captivating and well-written; I definitely recommend picking up or downloading a copy! 

The San Francisco Chronicle said it best: "The best kind of nonfiction -- an impossible-to-put-down true life story." 

Comparisons

Whew, it's been a week!  But for good reason.  My sweet husband (who is still rehabbing his shoulder in NC) showed up here on the front porch at 5am on Valentine's Day.  Um, yes, I will take that surprise over flowers!  He actually had a week break before his next physical therapy appointment and I don't start my new job until this Monday, so I took advantage of every spare second we got to spend together...and therefore slacked on blog updating.. Oops.

Anyhow, a couple weeks ago, I blogged about how much I loved reading the Beautiful Creatures novels.  Naturally, I was anticipating the movie so much we had to see it only a day after it was released.

Consider this a public service announcement:  The books are MUCH better than the movie; read them before you watch it! 

The books are so much different from the movie that at points during the show I caught myself almost not watching, but trying to piece together what was left out and what was actually happening instead.  My biggest pet peeve was that there is a large handful of very important characters in the book that are completely left out of the movie.  Of course, my other pet peeve was the serious changes to the story line.  I was expecting something of a Harry Potter or Twilight nature - easy to follow book to movie...not so.  You will not get that between this book series and this movie.  While there are four separate books in the series, the movie jumbles together events from the first three novels, making a sequel inconceivable.

I don't want to post any actual spoilers on here in case you have read the books and are planning on seeing the movie or vice versa, but I will link the article I read the second the movie ended:

The Daily Beast's 14 Notable Differences.

Also, this E! article touches on how readers of the series were disappointed with the film adaptation:

Beautiful Creatures: Why the Spell Fizzled at the Box Office.


So, have you read the books or seen the movie?  You have to let me know your thoughts if you have!!

Beautiful Creatures

So, we've all read the Twilight books, right?  I know I have.  And I never thought I'd really get into a similar series again.  I mean, I'll admit it, I never even read The Hunger Games or watched the movie...just didn't sound interesting to me.  However, a couple of weekends ago, Val [my favorite sister] suggested I read the Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  It's being released in theaters on Valentine's Day, so of course I'd seen the previews and it did look interesting so I thought I'd give it a go. 

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Oh my gosh, download this book!  Better yet, download all four!!  Seriously, if you liked Twilight, I'm positive you will like this series.  It is definitely a southern gothic novel revolving around all kinds of characters: mortals, casters, demons of all sorts, seers, etc.  These said characters play out mysteries tangled in love stories all while perfectly set in a quaint South Carolina town.  The authors do a wonderful job of building each character and weaving them into the plot while not getting too carried away with extreme details.  Furthermore, the book combines the present world with this other world and even parlays back into Civil War era events.  Refreshingly, it is told from the mortal boy, Ethan's, perspective, which is a nice change.  Overall, the book is wonderfully written and keeps you on edge.  You won't want to put this down!

Happy reading!

If You Love Dogs...

www.adogspurpose.com

Let's be honest, if you love dogs and you read the book A Dog's Purpose (written by W. Bruce Cameron,) you will most likely cry.  Several times.  But it's so good, it's definitely worth a few tears.

This novel is actually written from a dog's perspective.  Just a normal dog, going through life, trying to figure out his purpose.  The thing is, he goes through several dog lives (making me tear up) while trying to figure this out.  The story line is that he will keep being re-born until he recognizes his purpose in life.  So basically, you're in for four separate, but still intertwined stories about his different dog lives all culminating towards the end.  The author does a great job of developing relationships between the dog and the human characters in the book, keeping it relevant and drawing the reader into the plot.

A Dog's Purpose is very well written and it's basically a must read for dog lovers.  I highly recommend it!

Bond Girl: A Novel - Book Review

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Go get this book now!!!

Okay, but seriously I could not set this book down.  I read it in two days.  I mean, I know I'm unemployed right now so having two whole uninterrupted days to read a book in is not a big feat.  But still.

Awhile back I saw Lauren Conrad's fall reading list, so I scrolled through.  Immediately this book caught my eye, as the website's description was "The Devil Wears Prada but on Wall Street."  Um hello, I downloaded it right away and that tag line was completely correct.

The book follows the main character (a young woman who recently graduated from college) learning her ways of the typically male-dominated Wall Street both on a work basis and a personal level.  It has all the qualities of your typical 'chick lit' book, but maybe it's the financial career aspect that keeps it grounded.  Either way, it's good.  It's well-written and holds the reader's attention at all times.  In fact, I'm really hoping that Erin Duffy writes a second novel, because I will not hesitate to scoop it up the second it's published.  If you're looking for something to read over the holidays, I definitely recommend this book!  Let me know if you like it as much as I did!!                                                                                                    

Knee Shock & a Good Book

When I started this blog, I also said I planned on including updates, so I suppose I'll consider this my first partial update.  In addition to mentioning a good book, of course.

Right before I left NC, my knee was being very irritable leaving my doctor worried that I had torn my meniscus gradually over the summer.  Fast forward a month, and it has been decided my meniscus is a-okay, meaning no surgery for me!  Yay!