Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Angela's Ashes is a memoir that chronicles the life of Irish-American Frank McCourt. McCourt was born in 1930 in Brooklyn, New York but he spent most of his childhood in Ireland. Whether in the USA or in Ireland, his family lived in extreme poverty. They had little nutrition, lived in unsanitary conditions, had to struggle through the cold winters, and suffered from the tragic deaths of several of McCourt's siblings. Angela's Ashes captures in the innocence of an impoverished boy as he learns about life and grows into a responsible young man headed back to the USA.

Angela's Ashes was a moving story about family, morals, and surviving through tough obstacles. Frank McCourt not only survived starvation, a drunken father, and heartbreak, but he was able to later live successfully as a teacher. He tells his story with touches of humour but his message is a serious one.

This was a very good read. I do not recommend it on your next vacation or at the beach. It is a sad story more suited for a quiet winter day. It's a story that should be shared, especially among those of us that are Irish descendants. It shows us one of the darkest sides of life in Ireland in the 1930' and 40's yet, at the same time, sheds light on that darkness.

I give this book a Thumbs Up.

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Pandora in the Congo by Albert Sanchez Pinol

Pandora in the Congois the follow-up to Pinol's Cold Skin. In 1914, London, Tommy is given the task of interviewing a prisoner convicted of murder. Garvey stumbled out of the jungle alone months after a large mining expedition had begun. The entire crew and his masters were missing and Garvey had two large diamonds in his possession. Tommy is a young writer that had been given the task of transforming Garvey's incredible case into a novel.

Pandora in the Congo was an amazing story about love, greed, power, and primal instincts. Loaded with action, suspense, and mystery, this novel was an extraordinary read. Pinol is a master of the bizarre. If you liked Cold Skin you must read this book!

I give this book a Thumbs Up!!!

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The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks is a well-known romance writer. Many of his novels have become movies: The Notebook, The Last Song, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, and Dear John. His books are not the Harlequin-type novels you might think. They are serious, tragic, and passionate but always tasteful. Sparks books focus on true-love, and true-romance, not just passion and sex. The Notebook tells the story of Noah and Allie whom have an unlikely summer romance. They both come from very different worlds. Allie's parents are not impressed by Noah and expect their daughter to marry into an upper-class family like themselves. While their summer love is more than a fling, they are pushed apart. Years later they reunite when Allie is engaged but cannot hide her feelings for Noah any longer.

The Notebook is not the type of  book I would normally read. I am not really into that mushy romance stuff.  But I enjoyed the book and I liked the movie. It was a very sad story and I have heard that a lot of Nicholas Spark books are like that. I give this book a Thumbs Up.

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Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

Eclipseby Stephanie Meyer is the third book in the Twilight series. Bella is determined to become a vampire so she can be with Edward and the Cullens forever. She is concerned that she is getting older but Edward wants to get married first and encourages her to continue her education. In the midst of these difficult decisions Victoria returns to Forks to hunt and kill Bella. The Cullens and the Quileute werewolves temporarily set aside their hatred for each other so they can protect Bella.

This third book seemed similar to New Moon except that Edward was back in the picture. There is more jealousy and drama over who loves Bella more . . . Jacob or Edward and who is the best partner for her. I thought there was more action in this book than the first two but somehow to not keep my attention as much as New Moon had. I think there is too much fighting over Bella and I was expecting the story to be more involved and in-depth by now.

Overall, I did not like this book more than New Moon but I did like it more than Twilight. I was contemplating giving it a Thumbs Down because it did not meet my expectations and did not keep my completely engrossed as New Moon had. But I somehow still found it quite enjoyable and think it just narrowly deserves a Thumbs Up.

Stay tuned for the my review of the final book of Twilight!

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