Books I read in January 2013

Reached by Ally Condie **

This was the third book in the series.  I couldn't remember the second book, Crossed, very well.  It occurred to me to re-read Crossed but then I didn't care that much.  It also occurred to me to just ask Emma who ended up together but when I was already 300 pages into it, I felt like I was committed.  So I persevered.  I wasn't that surprised by the ending.  And I wasn't that interested.  Dystopia isn't really my thing.

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider ****

I re-read this book.  I first read it a couple of years ago.  I love it.  It's a good shot in the arm reminder to get rid of stuff.  Get a grip on what you really want in life.  Set some priorities. 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio ****

I loved this book.  It was terrific.  It is about a boy with a chromosomal condition that causes him to have an unusual face.  At least that's what I thought the book was about.  It was about a lot more too.  It was written from the perspective of August, the boy, but also from his sister and some of their friends.  It really shows that even though some people's stuff is more obvious than others', we all have stuff.

You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobahn Fallon ***

This was a fascinating read.  It's set in and around an army base at Fort Hood, TX.  It is essentially short stories but there is a common enough thread among them that it didn't leave me dissatisfied like some short stories do.  I was mostly filled with gratitude for the military men and women that serve our country and for their spouses that sacrifice a lot as well.
 

Little Britches by Ralph Moody **

Mark and I read this book for his school.  It's set in rural Colorado in the early 1900s.  The author and his family moved there and tried their hand at ranching.  (They actually farmed rather than ranched because they didn't run cattle, but harvested crops, but who am I to judge?)  The book was heavy on detailed descriptions that made no sense to Mark.  About halfway through the book, I was ready to just abandon it because we were both pretty bored by it.  Mark decided he wanted to finish though so I continued to read it aloud to him.  It did get more interesting.  I had to stop and explain things to Mark often.  If I hadn't grown up where I did, I may have not been as familiar with the horse jargon (a lot of the book was describing his horseback escapades), but as it was I could explain to Mark about saddles and bridles and other trappings.

If you are a 10 year old, having lived in the suburbs all your life, you don't really have the prior knowledge to relate too well to this book.  (He especially didn't understand why there was so much conflict over irrigation.  That's hard to grasp if you live somewhere where moss grows on you if you hold still.)