Books of 2011 continued

19. Book of Tomorrow Kleenex grabber 4 stars
Did you know the author, Cecelia Ahern, is the daughter of the Prime Minister of Ireland? Kind of a neat fact. All of her books have some form of lose in them and this is no different. With the suicide of her father Tamara has to move out to the country with her aunt and uncle. Coming from a life of privelage to be isolated on a farm with only a mobile library to keep her occupied she begins to see the importance of memories and moments versus money in your bank account.

20.Girls Guide to Homelessness True Story 4 stars
This follows the true story of Brianna as she loses her job, has no money and only a camper to her name and a Walmart parking lot to call home. I thought the book was just a true statement of today's times but I felt like the ending was just her being bitter about a relationship versus her overcoming everything. I guess that's why it's a true story and not fiction.

21. If I Stay and Where She Went Kleenex 4 stars
The books go together as the first one, If I stay, Mia is in a terrible car accident with her parents and the story unfolds as Mia watches all of her family and friends come to see her while in a coma. You hear stories and memories of her life. In the follow up, Where She Went, again focuses on Mia and her relationship with her ex Adam as the two of them reconnect 3 years after the accident and both realize all they had and all they lost.

22. Left Neglected Kleenex 5 stars
Sarah has everything in life but she's moving at warped speed trying to be the uber mom, executive and wife. A car accident takes all of that away and leaves her only with the sense of her right side of her body. A really great read.

23. Sing You Home Kleenex 5 stars
Jodi Picoult's book always bring tears and always end up in a court room making you think of what family really is. This one is no different but it does tackle the issue of gay marriage and the church's involvements in deciding on what makes a family. While I disagree with some of the ideals in this book it's still good none the less.

24. Girl Who Fell From the Sky suspense/kleenex 5 stars
How do you define yourself? By your skin colour, nationality or religion? The main character doesn't know where she fits in the world being her mother was white and her father black. A family tragedy forces her to move in with her grandmother in an all black area. Learing about the events that put her there leads to an ending I wasn't expecting.

25. End of Boys True story/mental illness 5 stars
As copied from amazon "The End of Boys follows Hoffmeister to the very brink of sanity and back, in a harrowing and heartbreaking account of the trauma of adolescence and the redemption available to us all, if only we choose to find it"

26. Weight of Silence Suspense/Mystery 4 stars
2 little girls go missing in the middle of the night. One is a mute and the other is her best friend who speaks for her. I liked that each chapter is told from the view point of someone else involved in the mystery. I read this in one reading it was that good.

27. Henry's Sisters kleenex/humor 5 stars MUST READ AUTHOR
I really love everything that Cathy Lamb writes and this is no exception. She finds humor in sadness and she really writes the best when showing conflict within the family setting. It will break your heart, make you laugh out loud and root for the family.

28. One Thousand White Women fiction/history 5 stars ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF ALL TIME
I love stepping into history and seeing it from different view points. Can you imagine if today's governement offered to trade 1,000 white women for horses to the Natives? That's the premise of the book but the women are the heart of the story. You follow them out on to the reservations and try to find their footing and place in a world that they've never heard anything good about. I just loved this book.

29. Bean Trees fiction/family kleenx humor 5 stars
Following a young woman across the US where she picks up an abandoned baby, ends up living above a garage and finding friendship, love and family. Pigs In Heaven is the sequel to this well written book and is just as good. Hated them ending.