Blog Challenge Day 4: Book Club

As much as I'm sure you all lovvvveee my introspective ramblings, I thought I'd change things up a bit. So here's a few book reviews and recommendations for you. Don't worry there won't be any spoilers!

1) My favorite book of all time Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Oh I love this book so much, I think I've read it three times! I was given a copy by one of my favorite teachers for my high school graduation. I started reading it a few days later and read it within 48 hours. The first night I stayed up until 5am (what!?) reading because it is that good. Its the only book I've ever read that I literally could not put down. Whenever I recommend it to others, I always give them a warning. "Make sure you have about two days you can spend reading this book because it will take over your life until you finish it."

Here is a brief description taken from Wikipedia:

"Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers is a historical romance novel set in the 1850s Gold Rush in California. The story is inspired by the book of Hosea from the Bible. Its central theme is to portray the redeeming love of God towards sinners."

What I love so much about this book, is not only is it a wonderfully written but that it brings a biblical story into a different time period. It makes for a unique setting and shows that the themes in this story transcend time and culture. It is definitely a must read!

2) My recent/current favoriteJulie & Julia by Julie Powell

I have to admit that I did see this movie before reading the book but honestly it didn't ruin either experience for me. I absolutely loved the movie. Not only are the performances of the story spectacular but its one of the only movies that makes me cry and laugh, sometimes at the same time. Its such a wonderfully emotional story that bridges the gap between these two amazing women. To those who have seen the movie, you should definitely read the book because it is just as good, if not better.

Here is a brief description taken from Wikipedia:

"While working for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in August 2002, Powell began the Julie/Julia Project, a blog chronicling her attempt to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.The blog quickly gained a large following, and Powell signed a book deal with Little, Brown and Company. The resulting book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, was published in 2005.The paperback edition was retitled Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously."

One of the things I love about this book is that Julie is a character (person) that is easy to relate to. She is someone that I understand, a real person. Granted she is a "real" person and not only a character in the book/movie, I mean real in the sense that she shows her true self in her story. Honestly, I feel the way about her that she seems to feel about Julia in the book/blog. Julie Powell's candid retelling of her year with Julia is very fun to read as well as an inspiring story. Check out the blog that started the whole thing The Julie/Julia Project. (It starts at the end of the project so you'll have navigate back to start at the beginning).

3) Currently reading

One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

This book was lent to me by my mother-in-law who borrowed it from her sister. I plan on passing it along to my mom and then maybe my sister as well because it is a great book. I'm glad that it was given to me because I probably wouldn't have happened upon it on my own. It is another historical fiction based on an actual event. (I'm seeing a trend here)

Here is a brief description taken from the author's website:
"One Thousand White Women begins with May Dodd's journey west into the unknown. A government program, in which women are brought west as brides for the Cheyenne, is her vehicle. What follows is the story of May's adventures: her marriage to Little Wolf, chief of the Cheyenne nation, and her conflict of being caught between two worlds, loving two men, living two lives. Jim Fergus has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a capsule in time."

What I enjoy most about the book is the personalization of history. By writing the book in the form of letters and journals, it gives you a character to attach to and see the story through her eyes. If you do pick it up, (which I recommend that you do) the "authors note" and "introduction" are must reads. It gives a better understanding as to how this story was created. I'm only about half way through the book but I've only been reading it for a few days. If you'd like my full review after I've finish, feel free to ask!

I hope you've enjoyed my recommendations and don't find this post too boring. I'd love to hear some of your book recommendations too!

Thanks for reading.

BC4-8/2