Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

As someone who reads a lot, I hate not finishing a book. I usually make myself read it no matter how much I dislike it, but this time I can't. Its taken me I don't know how many days to read only 100 pages, its like homework - I had to force myself to read. I got to 100 pages, and decided I could not force myself to read another 230 pages, it would have taken me forever. The writing style is dreadful, and boring, the story is not near as interesting as one would think for it being a book of travelling, and I hate the main character and the story that got her where she was. I have only not finished one book, EVER. This book has just made my second, and I feel guilty doing it. I can't believe people actually recommend this book.

Secret Daughter

Read June 2010 * * * * *

"On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter’s life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.

Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.

Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, “Secret Daughter” poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families – one Indian, one American – and the child that indelibly connects them. "

Brianna's Review: This book was amazing in soo many ways. I haven't read very many books involving culture, and Shilpi Somaya Gowda made this novel, based in India, and California a good and easy read. With her descriptions, I was able to imagine India, and she did it without making the story boring. This book is really about family, and how the two families live within the 20 years with the choices they have made. This book made me want to erase the rest of the world, and just sit and read. The ending cleared everything up beautifully. This being her first novel, I can't wait for her next, truly a moving book and I would recommend it to anyone.

'Eat, Pray, Love' Trailer HD

I have been meaning to read this book for quite some time, as I have heard it is good and is on many 'must read' lists. Now that it is becoming a motion picture, I think it's time to take it off my book shelf. As soon as I am done my current book I will be starting it! Hopefully I enjoy the book and eventually get to see the movie!

Summer People

Read June 2010 * * * * *

``Every summer the Newton family retreats to their beloved home on Nantucket for three months of sunshine, cookouts, and bonfires on the beach. But this summer will not be like any other. When Arch Newton, a prominent New York attorney, dies in a plane crash on his way home from a business trip, his beautiful widow, Beth, can barely keep things together. Above all, though, she decides that she must continue the family tradition of going to Nantucket, and at the same time fulfill a promise that Arch made before he died. Beth invites Marcus, the son of Arch`s final and most challenging client, to spend the summer with her and her teenage twins, Winnie and Garrett, who have mixed reactions to sharing their special summer place with this stranger. Always a place of peace before, Nantucket becomes the scene of roiling emotions and turbulent passions as Marcus, Winnie, and Garrett learn about loss, first love, and betrayal. And when they stumble upon a shocking secret from Beth`s past, they must keep it from destroying the family they`ve been trying so hard to heal.``

Brianna's Review: I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed the last one. Another quick good read for the summer, and another one making me longing for the days without school and work, where I could just relax at my cottage. At the beginning of this novel, I found myself angry with Beth, the widow, but by the end I got over my anger and just loved the whole book. The nice thing about her endings, is that though they end with everything summarized, and in a good way, but the ending is not always what you may have expected. I loved the characters in this novel, and how close they grow together, it was hard to set down once I really got into it.