I finished this weeks ago – took me about 6 hours to read. Though completely implausible in parts, this story was impossible to put down. Ironically, the most believable part of this story is the affair itself – I could totally see how these two people could fall for each other, even though it was a huge no-no. The characterization of a very smart young woman was also dead-on – the lonliness, the frustration at her peer’s cluelessness, the deire to be 10 years older than she is – right on the money. If you could dial back the most outrageous parts of the aftermath, this would mke a great movie.

This is not a happy book. That will put some people off. This novel, which definitely reads like a memoir, will make you wonder why some people, or factions of people, live their lives the way they do. I knew very little about Mennonites before reading this, and while I now know “more” about this sect, I couldn’t even begin to “understand” why anyone would want to live this life. Less strident and strict than the Amish, the Mennonites nevertheless lead an existance outsidee of “regular” society. While there is nothing wrong with their views, the religion’s wishy-washyness with their yound people, the teens in particular, seem to leave them wondering how to conduct themselves. The result appears to be a community of sad, confused, disconnected kids as well as adults – which, no matter how strict the Amish are, you rarely hear those adjectives applied to their communities. A sad, perplexing, and extremely well-written and moving story.

Read this one quickly. Entertaining if not quite realistic in some places.

Very similar in structure and tone to her first novel, The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing. I liked this book as well, but perhaps not quite as much as the first. Makes you wonder how autobiographical these stories are, as they are really quite similar – though this one is more somber in places. But there are plenty of funny, “Oh my God, I’ve been there, done that” moments as well. A fairly quick read and worth it if you like chick-lit with a memoir vibe to it.

This book is classic Hoffman – but not – at the same time. The magic and the ethreal imagery sre familiar, but this book has a spareness to it that I have not seen in a Hoffamn novel yet, and I have read all but three of them. This spareness seems to be throwing some of the Hoffman fans off, but I like its austerity. Adding to this is the story’s repetitiveness – sometimes it almost seems like Hoffman forgot that she already mentioned the color of the room or the time of day – but I think it lead to the bleak feel of the story – and it is, for much of the book, just that – bleak.

And, as a librarian, I couldn’t help but want to read this. If you are a Hoffman fan, you may love it, but be prepared for something just a bit different.

As a librarian, I ocassionally read YA stuff to stay “in touch” with what’s out there (this is really kinda funny, as I never read YA stuff as a YA…).

Anyway, this was a really good story.

Abby is 13 when the story opens, and all is not right with her world – especially her mother. As the story unfolds, Abby first suspects, and then has to confront the reality of her mother’s mental illness – because life isn’t tough enough at 13. Her mother attempts suicide and is hospitalized – for far longer than her family expected. During all of this, life goes on for Abby and her family – her boyfriend woes, her school antics, her relationships with her loving but befuddled father and her annoying younger sister. It all leads up to the climactic, but not unexpected ending.

The voice of Abby is right on, and the feelings of lonliness, desperation, anger, and detachment make perfect sense. A great raed for teens and adults – especially those in similar situations.

OK, I hate to say something isn’t worth reading, because I think nearly everything is worth reading…. And, this is a well-written book, in my humble opinion. But, I’m sorry, I could not get past the utterly anti-feminist premise. And the fact that there is no happy medium here – the “heroine” goes from being a completely out-of-touch nearly psycho hard ass to Donna Reed – um, how about being NORMAL? I found the male characters shallow and Jane simply waded into that end of the pool to “win” one of them. Oh, puke.

Oh my god, this is a great book. What could be better than a book full of pie? After spending an evening with it, I made my very first from scratch crusts – and they rocked! I am a pretty good baker, but I had never wanted to bother with hoemade crust – it always looked like such a pain when I watched my grandmother do it. But, this book inspired so much confidence that I had to try it. Now I own two more pie pans and a better rolling pin. I have asked for this book for Christmas – I love it!

This book chronicles the educational life of a poor, Black male on his path to the Ivy League Brown University. Incredible. This book addresses more aspects of race, education, and socio-economics than most academic works – most likely because it focuses on real life, and not “theories.” Excellent, and a must read for anyone interested in the education of poor minorities.

An intersting read for those in the blogosphere.