The Forgotten Blog...er... Garden

Long time, no update.

I know, I know - no time for excuses.

I have finished so many books, so I thought I would give a quick snapshot, along with a yay or nay for each book, rather than dedicate one post to each book.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I was looking forward to this book - there was a lot of hype. I also love Julia Roberts so I was entertaining visions of loving the book and rushing to see the film - spoiler alert: I have not seen the film.

I didn't like this book. I found it quite bad. I flipped through many a page without reading.

I was really enjoying the Italy part (maybe because it was all about EATING Italian food! - mmmm) and then the rest of the book happened. I found the book self-absorbed and I really struggled to finish it. While I believe we all need to go on a spiritual journey, I believe the point of that journey is to lose ourselves and find God. Not really what happened here....moving on!

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

It is no secret that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mr. Martin's work. It is so emotionally rich, without being sappy or preachy - so perfectly written! That said, this is not his best. The story is good, and there are some tear-jerking moments, but if you are new to Charles, I suggest you start with "The Dead Don't Dance" followed by "Maggi" and then some "When Crickets Cry." I'm just saying.... If you are a tried and true fan, you will probably enjoy the read, but it may leave you feeling disappointed.

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs

Ms. Jacobs had a two-part series about knitting and I loved both books. They are light-hearted, chic lit, to be sure, but they were about one of my favourite pasttimes. I felt these books made knitting look cool and even included patterns - you can't go wrong!

Comfort Food, like its predecessors, was a light read. It was not as entertaining as the knitting series (it is about an aging TV chef), but still a good beach read (especially if you like cooking shows!)

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

That this woman lived to tell this tale is amazing! The Glass Castle is a biography of Jeannette and her siblings during their struggle to survive while living with their transient parents. While this book is eye-opening, it is also incredibly hard to read. The littany of trials this family goes through, particularly the young children, goes on and on and rarely lets up. I wished Jeannette had expanded more on what happened after the story ends, but definitely a story of human resilience!

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

You may recognize her name as she wrote The Time-Travellers Wife - a book I really loved!

This book is even stranger (hard to imagine) and deals with the after-life (which may be a turn off to many readers). THe ideas were incredibly strange and the characters very strange...but it was an intriguing read. I left the book not really knowing what I thought of it....

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow getting into it, but this book spans across three generations, flipping per chapter between them. I love reading a story from multiple perspectives and this was both a character piece, while also being a historical mystery! It is a little slow moving and I predicted the end about 1/2 way through, but I read to the end to see if I was right, so that made it enjoyable.

That's all for now... happy reading! :)

Currently Reading: Blackfly Season by Giles Blunt

Up Next: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay