the one I never would have read.

I love book clubs.  Peer pressure is generally not good.  But when applied in book clubs, it's a beautiful thing.  Never in a million years would I have finished Jayber Crow without a reason, a purpose.

Jayber Crow is a very, very slow read people.  Like swimming in molasses.  And I really don't like molasses.  But there are little silver linings sprinkled all throughout the book. 

It's a great book to read if you're disillusioned with modern life or need a reminder that we each have a calling or purpose.  Jayber lives by the less is more philosophy and is a cure for what ails if you are moving too fast in life.  I can't quite imagine Port William but I relate a bit when I head North and take residence on my parent's couch.  Or drink blueberry lemonade on a friend's back porch on the first lovely night of the summer.

Only 9 ratings on this book on BN.  I feel like I should get a prize for finishing this one.

the one that screams Wimbledon.

I finished Crooked Little Heart by Anne Lamott some time ago. 

Quick thoughts:
I used to love playing tennis.  I remember how stressful it was sometimes to announce line calls.  And I remember how awful it was to cheat like Rosie did at times.

Anne Lamott writes so deliciously.  I just want to sink into every one of her novels, no matter how dreary the subject or lackluster the writing.  This was not her BEST book but it was SO comfortable.

I like how Elizabeth takes her daughter away to the tide pools when she needs a safe place to talk.  I hope (above all) that I allow Maren a quiet place of her own to think and be centered.  My quiet place was sitting on the dock at our cabin.  I would never have escaped middle school if not for my alone time watching the waves come in.

the one where Laura really grows up.

I'll be honest.  I finished this book weeks, possibly months ago.  I'm not reading Little House to Maren anymore before she goes to bed.  She now likes her own board books (which all revolve around the topic of sleep typically) before I put her down.  I moved the chair out of her room and into our bedroom.  And while this seems like a teeny weeny change we're talking a major shift here.

Little Town on the Prairie makes me sad b/c Laura is all grown up and has lost some of her spirit.  She's obsessed with autograph books and the town's new literary society.  Mary has gone off to school and Almonzo is now on the scene as a romantic suitor. 

Maybe it's the prospect of Laura becoming a cynical old teacher.  Or the fact that I'm just SO into these Goodnight everything books.  But I just cannot pick up These Happy Golden Years.

the one about nothing.

I finished the book I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron at the lake this weekend.  I was gifted the book by a fellow book club member. 

It's hard to be overly enthusiastic about this book.  It's barely 100 pages and (without being too cliche) I honestly remember nothing about the read.   I loved You Got Mail but feel like Nora is writing for another audience.  One that doesn't blog and is not a personal friend of Arianna Huffington.

Maybe a good audio book? or something to hold on to while floating in a pool?  Moving on . . .

the one about the holocaust set in Mpls.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

haunting book about the German resistance in World War II.  switches between Buchenwald in the 1940s and current day professor of German history with Jewish ties.  found myself skimming through the present day story except for when i-94 and Lake of the Isles were mentioned.

good book but really nothing can compete (in my mind) with The Book Thief.