Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

This was for my world literature challenge.  This was a book I had on the shelf for many years and am glad that I have finally gotten around to reading it.  Not really what I was expecting, but interesting nonetheless.  It starts and ends with a reading group that Nafisi started with some girls from the college where she taught.  They read all forms of literature and talked about the parallels in fiction to their lives in Iran.  In the middle we learned more about what was going on in Iran, how the regime was constantly changing, the morality police and so much more; I found it amazing on how they lived.  For many there was a pride of country and religion, but for many others it was oppressive and they were constantly trying to buck the system.  It was very eye opening for me, learning more about Iran and it's history.  I truly do not know how people can live that way.

To Be With You by Opal Mellon

I read this book because it fit a February challenge on Goodreads.com.  Something about the book had to be romantic.  The cover has a couple kissing on the beach with the sun setting behind them.  I think this qualifies.  It is about two people, Sean and Nicole, who had been close as kids and kept in touch writing letters after Nicole moved away.  Nicole always seems to attract the wrong guy and Sean is always trying to help her through it all.  There is a lot of back story that is not totally talked about, but you get the idea that Nicole had been in many abusive relationships and could not trust anyone, even her best friend.  It is interesting how they get together in the end.  There was nothing very compelling about this book, an easy read despite the difficult subject matter, just not very interesting.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy

Anther adventure with the White House chef, Ollie She seems to get it the thick of things without even trying.  She comes upon a double murder with her nemesis, Sargeant.  She is still having some problems with new staff and is not sure where her relationship is going with Gav and now she has to work with Sargeant,which is always a challenge.  There is hardly a dull moment.  Hyzy is great and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

Summer People by Ellen Hilderbrand

Two families have had major shifts in their lives.  They were brought together by a tragedy and managed to stay together through it also.  Marcus' mother was a client of Beth's husband.  Marcus' mother ends up in jail and Beth's husband is killed in a plane crash.  Beth and her kids, Garrett and Winnie, and Marcus go to Nantucket for the summer, the annual retreat for Beth's family.  Dealing with loss, fitting in and trying to find your way after such loss was challenging for all of them.  Some mistakes were made, people were hurt, but new bonds were formed and they all came out stronger in spite of it all.  Hillderbrand does a wonderful job with character development and weaving a story.  She makes it all fit and puts situations out there that you may one day be in and tries to show the true colors of the whole thing, not just putting a pretty face on difficult situation.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marques

I am doing a World Literature Challenge this year, a new country each month.  This month was South America.  I had heard about this book, but really did not know what it was about.  The short of it is that it is about a man who spends is whole life waiting for a womans husband to die so he could be with her, his first and only love.  That is a very simple synopsis, as there was deep character development, emotions, conflicts and acceptance.  It is a very descriptive novel without much dialogue spanning many years, changes and challenges.  My attention was peaked from the beginning and I only struggled through 100 pages or so.  I did not want to give up because I wanted to know how things resolved themselves.

Dyer Consequences by Maggie Sefton

I am always amazed at authors who are able to keep things fresh in a series.  Again, Kelly gets herself into trouble.  Not only is she having problems with her new canyon property and her little cottage, but someone gets murdered and she has to get to the bottom of the whole thing.  She put herself in some sticky situations and almost does not make it out okay.  Very fun book and I am really loving the series.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Poppy loses her cell phone.  She is at a total loss.  Amazingly she finds a phone in a trash bin and starts using it.  This leads to a crazy interaction between her and the company that owns the phone.  There is much forwarding and many misunderstandings.  As Poppy does things you can tell it is going to get her in trouble and you are practically begging her to stop.  Kinsella tells a great story, keeps you going and wanting more.  Great book!!