Water For Elephants: Mystery and Mayhem at the Circus

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

PLOT

The circus comes to town right next door to 93 year old Jacob Jankowski’s nursing home setting off a string of memories.  When Jacob was 21 his parents were killed in a car accident and he ended up running off and joining the circus.  Jacob’s memories give the readers a behind-the-scenes peek at the greatest show on earth.  Like any workplace the circus Jacob works for is full of politics, a pecking order, backstabbing and fighting.  When Jacob falls in love with his boss’s wife, he learns that the circus he joins has dark secrets.

SCOOP

This is the first book I’ve ever read that involves the circus.  It is not the circus I remember going to.  Gruen does a great job researching the circuses that travelled the country on trains back in the 1920’s and 1930’s.  This story has great twists and turns and chracters to root for.  Guren does a great job describing the acts, I was able to picture the acts in my mind easily.  Although the story has some dark parts, it is a fun book to read.

Water for Elephants

The Awakening on My Ultimate Reading Quest

I’ve tackled yet another book on My Ultimate Reading Quest.  The Awakening took me to New Orleans at the turn of the century.  The Awakening caused a huge scandal when it was published, a scandal that haunted Kate Chopin for the rest of her life.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

PLOT

By all appearances Edna Pontellier has a great life in New Orleans: two beautiful little boys, a doting husband, a large house and summers spent at a resort. But one summer, while at the resort, Edna discovers her this really isn’t the life she wants. She is befriended by a single man who awakens in her desires she long ago buried deep inside. Once these feelings begin to surface, Edna begins to look for the life she wants to live. Unfortunately for her, what she wants is frowned upon by the society and time in which she lives. So she is stuck as she attempts to figure out who she is and who the rest of the world wants her to be.

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The minute I started reading this book I figured at the plot: married woman meets single man, falls in love, realizes she no longer wants to be married with children and so on. However, I couldn’t get over how tame the story is. There are no steamy love scenes, no sneaking around. However, when I looked at the date this was written (1899) I began to realize how this story, so reserved by today’s standards, would have been scandalous in its day. Kate Chopin’s Edna was ahead of her time in trying to find her own place in the world. Although this story may seem simple and sweet, it is complicated and sordid and makes me glad I was born 70+ years later. You will relate to Edna’s quest to “find herself” and understand the struggles she goes through.

The Awakening

The Red Tent: Historical Girl Power

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

PLOT

How many of you have heard the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors? Heck, there’s even a musical about Jacob’s favorite son and his many brothers. The Red Tent offers a different view of this famous family. Back in their day, when women were menstruating, giving birth or sick they were sent to the red tent. This was a place only for women (and their infant sons who still needed mom’s constant care). Through the eyes of Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter, we see the women’s perspective and it is a far different tale than we are taught growing up. Through it all, we see the bonds of sisterhood and that even in the days were women were subjugated, they could still embody strength, independence and femininity.

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WOW. That’s the best word for this book. This is a story about feminism way before it’s time. Of women who are strong and independent without rocking the boat. This is also a story about the great friendships and bonds that women have together. Honestly, it made me almost wish we modern girls had a place like that where we could go for a few days each month. After you read this book you will feel empowered as a woman.

The Red Tent

Janet Evanovich’s Full Series: Full of Fun

The Full Series by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes

PLOT

This series began with a single book, Full House, back in 1989 written by Janet Evanovich under the name Steffie Hall. Evanovich and her good friend, Charlotte Hughes, teamed up to make the book better and create a series from it. Fully of quirky but lovable characters, this series is funny and off the wall. Each book in the series comes with its own mystery, love story and slightly off center plot. There is no main character central to each book; rather they are all interconnected and take turns in the spotlight. This series is full of fun and laughs.

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Evanovich is most known for her Stephanie Plum series, and this series is right up there. You can see similarities in the writing style. This series is a definite read for those who enjoy the lighter, funnier and sexier side of life. I was pleasantly surprised to find this series after I became hooked on the Stephanie Plum series. These are the perfect books to curl up on the couch with, along with some ice cream!!

Full House

Full Tilt

Full Speed

Full Blast

Full Bloom

Full Scoop

My Life Among the Serial Killers: Enlightening and Frightening

My Life Among the Serial Killers by Helen Morrison, M.D. and Harold Goldberg

Is there any scientific way to tell if someone will become a serial killer? Are their brains wired differently? Is there a biological reason they behave this way? Is it because of something that happened to them? These are the types of question Helen Morrison, M.D. has been searching for. In this book she details her interviews with some of the most well known serial killers. Through her years of research she has developed answers to these and many more questions. This book is a fascinating look into the mind of a serial killer. It will enlighten and frighten you.

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