Ocean is Blue Book Review

Twilight - The Complete Series

           - Stephanie Meyer

I started this as a gulity pleasure read and instantly became obsessed.  You will crave the passion between Edward and Bella during the first book, and then find yourself growing tired of it near the end of the series.  This will not stop you from finding yourself wishing you could be a part of their world, even if only for a moment.

Matilda

   - Roald Dahl

This is the story that made me fall in love with books.  A must-read for teaching (young and old alike) the importance of standing up for yourself, even if you may face the dangers of ‘The Chokey’.

Anna Karenina

       - Leo Tolstoy

Beginning with the infamous line of ‘All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,’ you immediatly fall into a novel that is filled with tones of passion, despair and regret.  You  relate with all of the characters through Tolstoy’s use of third-person -omniscient perspective, making it impossible not to love all of them for their own unique attributes in attempting to survive in aristocratic Russian society. 

White Teeth

     - Zadie Smith

A novel that seemlesly combines a Jehova’s Witness Grandmother, a Bengali sexual deviant, a Jamaican gapped-tooth beauty, a family of Oxford-educated intellectuals and an English war hero to produce a story that showcases the struggles and humor behind family life and the blend of cultural differences.  

Island of the Blue Dolphins

             - Scott O’Dell

A childhood classic that I never seem to outgrow.  The story of the true adventures of a Native American girl and how she survivies wild dogs, white trappers and lonliness.

I just got back from a walk around my office on this beautiful spring day and was reminded of how much I love this poem.

Where the Sidewalk Ends         

          - Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

The World According to Garp

              John Irving

Another one of my favorites, a novel that begins with Nurse Jenny taking advantage of  hospital patient Sergeant Garp, resulting in the arrival of T.S. Garp.  Garp is obsessed with death, sex and wrestling - themes that Irving masterfully composes onto pages you will not want to put down.

A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers An incredible memoir of Dave Eggers and how he and his siblings endure the sudden loss of both parents thirty-two days apart. I could feel the authors intense resistance to feel any emotion as he describes his life of taking care of his younger brother Toph, writing for his magazine and attempting to get laid. Eggers hilarious metaphors, controversial statements and honest portrayal of his and Toph’s untamed life left me hoping for more and the immediate urge to look them both up to see how they are doing.

Cannery Row

     - John Steinbeck

A seemingly simple plot that covers the themes of camaraderie, happiness and boredom.  The nostalgic novel made me yearn to live in Monterey, CA, lead a simpler life and own an adorable puppy named Darling.

2666

   - Roberto Bolano

A long, messy, brilliant novel filled with metaphors and imagery that will force you to pause to make sense of it all. It took me forever to get through 2666, but the first and last sections tie the entire novel together, making the lugging of the 5lb book all over town completely worth it.

The Prince of Tides

          - Pat Conroy

No…not the movie.  Tom Wingo confesses his families deep, dark sometimes fascinating secrets to safe the life of his twin sister all while following in love with the only person he can reveal his stories to.

The Kite Runner

      - Khaled Hosseini

A page turner that is so enthralling, so painfully raw you will not be able to put it down.  A story of two boys, Amir and Ali, and their unique bond that takes a dreadful turn after the perils of modern day Afghanistan bears its ugly head. 

A Prayer for Owen Meany

          - John Irving

This was the novel that started my love affair with John Irving. His descriptions and imagery provide a window into a world so relatable, so full of meaning and so simple you will find yourself blending Irving’s experiences with your own.

To Kill a Mockingbird

         - Harper Lee

I have read this classic four times and each time I fall more in love it.  Atticus stands by as the unsung hero while Scout continues to innocently reveal the racial inequalities of the deep south during the 1960’s.

The House of Spirits

        - Isabel Allende

A novel that chronicles three generations of the women of the Trueba Family.  You will become addicted to the shocking tales of each character and how the family survives revolutions, elements of magic realism and a green haired beauty named Rosa.