Books in March

This has been a good reading month so far, so I just can't wait to post. I finally feel like I've read some good books.

Laura Werlin's cheese essentials : an insider's guide to buying and serving cheese : with 50 recipes - I never really thought about all the different kind of cheeses there are. Next time we have a weekend free we have got to go up and try one of the world's best cheeses, made right here in Michigan by Traverse City. I liked how this book had "homework" to have you try different cheeses and sample - I want to buy this or check it out again and try all these assignments.

The savior by Drucker, Eugene
I feel like I am kind of doing "theme" reading this month, as this book is about a German who plays his violin during the war at hospitals as a kind of military service and then is given a special assignment to play at a concentration camp. I started out really like the book. But towards the end, I just wasn't so sure. The ending was not what I expected at all. In the end, this book gave me lots to think about: about guilt, about the Holocaust, about standing up for others, about whether or not you or others are good people. By the end of the book, I questioned - who among all of these people was good? Who was really acting out of more than self-interest?

The Poets' corner : the one-and-only poetry book for the whole family
I didn't read this entire book, but I'd definately like it and want to check it out again. The selection of poetry was very eclectic and I liked to read poems from it in the morning at breakfast. Andrew and Katsu didn't pay a whole lot of attention, but ... I didn't get a chance to listen to the CD it came with but I found the idea interesting.

Here if you need me : a memoir by Braestrup, Kate
This book is about a widow who goes on to live her husband's dream of becoming a chaplain to the Forestry department (or something like that) in Maine. I have secretly always wanted to be a minister and find these kind of occupations fascinating. While the stories she shares of her work on the job were very interesting, but what I enjoyed most about the book is reading about this woman's relationship with God. I find her ideas about religion very different than mine, but I really like what she had to say. I especially loved how she took "God is love"; the loving acts of others in our times of need is the evidence of God in our lives. A good (fast) read.

Animal, vegetable, miracle : a year of food life by Kingsolver, Barbara
I really really enjoyed this book about a family trying to live off local food. I love her writing style to begin with, but I found the information about different plants and how they grow fascinating. This family worked so hard and really truly enjoyed the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. This book gave me an added appreciation for the food I eat, a desire to eat more local food, and a desire to grow and store more of my own food. A great read.

The book thief by Zusak, Markus
A total MUST read. I loved this book. I mean, how can you not love a book with Death as a narrator. At first, I was a little skeptical, but this viewpoint worked wonders for a story about a German girl growing up during World War II in a foster family of sorts as she experienced the war, the persecution of the Jews, etc. Death always describes the scenes about the color and the way each day felt. The diction and imagery of this book is AMAZING. And the characters were so vividly portrayed. This is the best fiction book I have read in a REALLY REALLY long time.