The Most Spectacular Show On Earth

"I don't talk much about those days. Never did. I don't know why--I worked on circuses for nearly seven years, and if that isn't fodder for conversation, I don't know what is.

Actually I do know why: I never trusted myself. I was afraid I'd let it slip. I knew how important it was to keep her secret, and keep it I did--for the rest of her life, and then beyond.

In seventy years, I've never told a blessed soul." (Prologue, pg 4, Water For Elephants)

Water For Elephants was a wonderful story. It had me from page one and I was hoping the ending would be as great as the story. I was not disappointed. The story is told by Jacob Jankowski and alternates between present day (at age 90 or 93, he's not sure) and the summer of 1931, at age 23, when by circumstances of fate, Jacob joins a traveling train circus. While the backdrop is very interesting and colorful, this story is so much more than a story about a circus. It's about Jacob's friendships, experiences, and passion. It's a must-read. (5.0/5.0)

Unfinished Business

So far in this reading challenge, I have started a few books that for one reason or another, I didn't finish. Some I still intend to read and others I will not. I realized today, however, that I should also keep track of these. Especially so that I can go back and maybe read them at a later date. This is the post where I will keep track of them and add to it, if necessary, as I go. Then I will link this to the sidebar so that I can find it easily. My list consists of the following:

1) Disobedience--Jane Hamilton
2) While I Was Gone--Sue Miller
3) Pride and Prejudice--Jane Austen
4) The Friday Night Knitting Club--Kate Jacobs
5) The Shack--Wm. Paul Young
6) The Devil and the White City--Erik Larson
7) Mayflower--Nathaniel Philbrick
8) The Reader----Bernhard Schlink
9) Warren Beatty: A Private Man--Suzanne Finstad

Library Loot

Going to the library when you are starved for a good book is like going grocery shopping when you haven't eaten for several days. It results in checking out more books than I can possibly read in two weeks. I even went to two libraries in the same day. Crazy. So, my loot this week is a little optimistic at best. Last night when trying to decide where to start, I became a bit overwhelmed at my choices. I read a few pages of Water for Elephants, recommended by Brooke, and was instantly hooked. The rest of my loot consists of:

1) Keeping the Moon--Sarah Dessen

2) Prom--Laurie Halse Anderson

3) The Friday Night Knitting Club--

Kate Jacobs

4) Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics--

Paula Deen

5) The Total Money Makeover--

Dave Ramsey

6) The Giving Tree--Shel Silverstein

7) Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008

I may be in luck since Spring Break is next week and I'll be on vacation so I'll have a little more time to read.