Imperfect: An Improbable Life

I saw Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott and Tim Brown recommended in the Washington Post one time and added it to my to-read list. It is a memoir about Jim Abbott, a baseball player (pitcher) who was an Olympic gold medalist and also threw a no-hitter as a Yankee. And, he was born with no right hand. The book tells his life story from childhood until his retirement from baseball--following the highs and lows.

This was a really good book! I was almost surprised that I ended up reading it all the way through because before I started, I thought I might get bored with it. (I was wrong.) It was interesting and inspiring. I had a decent level of baseball knowledge before reading it, but I learned more (but was also still confused by lots of the details sometimes). It was just really neat to hear about this guy's accomplishments and how he didn't let his disability define him.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Selection

My friend Katherine recommended The Selection by Kiera Cass to me. It is about America, a teenager who is a Five in the caste system--meaning she has some food to eat (not as bad as the Eights), but her family never has leftovers. When the time comes for the prince to get a wife, America's family wants America to apply for the Selection--because if she is in the running, their family gets some extra money. When America surprisingly makes it as part of the Selection, she leaves behind her family and boyfriend in a competition for something she doesn't even want--or so she thinks.

This was a super engaging book. I read it super fast (although that could also be because we are an empty house with no Internet and so my time-wasting Internet time was instead spent reading). From the very beginning, I was pretty hooked into the story. It reminded me of several other books I read and enjoyed--just had parts of lots of good books (Hunger Games, Princess Academy, Uglies, etc.). Even though the book was sometimes a little cheesy or sometimes had a tell-rather-than-show explanation, I thought it was a fun story and a cute chick flick. The characters were great, and the story stayed in my mind after finishing it.  Unfortunately, it is Book One in a series, which I didn't realize until the end when I could tell the book was not going to be able to conclude in the few pages I had left. Bummer! I wanted to see what would happen, but I guess I will have to wait until book two.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Hattie Ever After

Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson is the sequel to Hattie Big Sky, a Newbery Honor book I read and loved years ago. This book is about Hattie moving to San Francisco trying to make it as a reporter. The book follows her adventures in trying to write stories as well as trying to uncover more about her Uncle Chester's past. And, of course, it follows her relationships with Charlie as well as Ned--a reporter she works with.

This was a really good book. I loved the characters and thoroughly enjoyed any parts having to do with Hattie/Charlie.  It was a fun plot, but it took awhile to really pull me in. The book was a little too historical for me at the beginning sometimes--seemed to take away from the story itself. But, it was a fun read with some good twists and admirable (and not so admirable) characters. It was also fun to get a glimpse of the time period and what life was like for women. I was really happy to follow Hattie in another story and would be excited to read a third book if the author wrote one.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Giver

I read The Giver by Lois Lowry several times in my past (childhood then again in high school or college).  Lois Lowry has written several companion books to The Giver, including a new one called The Son.  I wanted to read The Son but figured I should re-read all the other books first.  So, I decided to start with The Giver.  Even better, Connor and I decided to read all these books together, so we read this one, reading aloud over the past week or so.  This book is about Jonas, who lives in a futuristic community that has embraced Sameness.  Their lives are pretty perfect--no pain or real emotions in their orderly society.  When Jonas is selected to be the next Receiver, he realizes that there is more to their lives than he ever knew.

This is such a great book.  It got more and more engaging, and finally last night, we just had to stay up late and finish it up because we couldn't put it down.  The book has great characters and is super thought-provoking and deep.  I love how it (like many good books) is both funny and sad.  (I even had to pass the book over to Connor to read a couple times when I got teary.)  I'm glad we re-read the book, and I'm looking forward to Gathering Blue next.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Theodore Boone: The Activist

I saw that John Grisham had written a new book in his Theodore Boone series, so I found it at the library. This one follows Theo, the son of 2 lawyers who is pretty smart about the law himself. In this story, politicians are supporting a new bypass that will go through the town where Theo lives, and Theo finds himself getting involved in the fight.

This book had a really slow start for me where it just seemed kind of slow and preachy, but it picked up about halfway through, and by the end, I got through it really fast. The end especially was exciting and fun to see what Theo would do with the information he had. The book got me a little nervous at times and also made me laugh. Even though sometimes I am not sure how completely believable the stories are, I think this is a really fun series.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)