Books, Books, and more Books...reviews by me and my spawn

I am a reader.   I love to read and get totally engrossed in a book.   My son, not so much.   His school requires kids to read a certain number of Advanced Reader (AR) points per grading period and take tests.   And since he is brilliant like his mother (**cough**) his goal is high.

While at the airport (my second home it seems), I came across the book Chomp by Carl Hiaasen.   It seemed interesting and counted as an "I miss you gift" and a contribution to his education.   Score 1 for mom.  

He really got into the book which is rare.   Only since The Maze Runner series have I witnessed my child be excited about reading a book.  So, I asked him to do a book review.   This consisted of a written Q&A which was as follows:  (his answers...and edits...lol...are in blue)

Name of book:  Chomp

Author:  Carl Hiaasen

Did you enjoy this book and why?  Yes because it was very funny and had a good story.

Describe the book in 4 sentences  2 sentences.  It was funny.  This book was very adventurous.

What was your favorite part of the book?  When Derek Badger gets lost and thinks he is a vampire.

Should other kids read this book?  Yes.   They will like it.  

My son is in the fifth grade and is 10.   So, if you have a child in that age group, try it out.   He has since read other books by Carl Hiaasen and enjoyed them all.  

And now a book review from the mommy.....

I read Love Anthony by Lisa Genova this month.   I fell in love with Still Alice last month and this was a book by the same author so I thought, why not.  

This story follows two women.  Beth is married with two daughters and discovers that her husband is having an affair.  As she struggles to put together the pieces of the aftermath, she begins to find herself again through writing.   Olivia is newly divorced and living in a new place and trying to find her way.  She is also dealing with the death of her autistic son and trying to make sense of his life and hers.  

These two women cross paths in an unusual way and both find peace with their "new" selves.   (I don't want to spoil the story!)  

This book was in the medium range for me.   I have read some phenomenal books lately and that may be one reason this kind of pales in comparison.   There were parts of the book as told from an autistic child's perspective and I found that pretty captivating.  However, the events which connect the two women and some "coincidences" were a stretch for me, almost in a supernatural nature.  

I would definitely recommend the book, but just don't set your sights too high, especially if you have read Still Alice, which was unfairly difficult to follow.  

If you are looking for something more phenomenal, please see my previous post which reviewed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Still Alice.

I am planning to go home tonight and read the last book in the After series which was supposedly delivered today.  It's a snow day here which is highly unusual and I am stuck at work overseeing an important run for a customer.  The email came out 2 hours ago telling all non-essential workers to go home due to road conditions.   Unfortunately for once in my life I'm important.   So....hopefully I'll make it home at some point.   Once I'm done, I will review the entire 4 book series.   So far I'm totally engrossed.  

Hope you are all staying warm if you're in the snow covered parts of the world today!  

xoxo