"Crazy For The Storm: A Memoir Of Survival" by Norman Ollestad

A Remarkable Tale (20 stars):

Crazy For The Storm is the true story of Norman Ollestad who had a great relationship with his dad.  His dad pushed him to do things he did not think he could do.  Also gave him a desire to be the best.  Then one terrible day, the son was involved in a plane crash where he was the only survivor and had to put what his dad instilled in him to use.  I really marveled at what this young boy did!

(Gerard 6/17/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Minding Frankie" by Maeve Binchy

“Minding Frankie” by Maeve Binchy

I was very disappointed in “Minding Frankie” by Maeve Binchy. First off, I expected Frankie to be a boy and instead it was a baby girl. I was happy when I finally finished this book. It just dragged along for me. It is about a community in Ireland. The main story line is how a bunch of people help Noel, a single alcoholic dad take care of his baby girl that came as a surprise to him. The whole novel only covers the first year of Frankie’s life.

This book is like a soap opera in that there were so many different story lines, none of which I was really interested in. Other characters are Emily, the do-gooder cousin from America, Moira the social worker, Lisa who moves in with Noel because her life is a mess, Charles and Josie who are Noel’s parents that seek to build a statute to a dead saint. There are lots more characters too, all with their own story lines as well. I’d say this book is generally about how people live and how they need one another. It does show how a baby can change everything.

I found this book very boring for the most part. The only excitement was when Frankie was missing for a bit. The ending was good but it took forever to get there.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Finding Chandra" by Scott Highman and Sari Horwitz

Finding Chandra--A True Washington Murder Mystery by Scott Highman and Sari Horwitz is interesting. When this story broke it was major news. Then 9/11 happened and it was sort of forgotten. This reads like a novel but it is a true story. As always, I enjoyed learning more about this than I knew before which is the major reason I liked this book. I wouldn't call it compelling reading, but if you want to know the whole story about the missing girl, this book gives it to you.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teaser: "Finding Chandra" & "Where She Went" & "Minding Frankie"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading,. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Gerard's:

She saw the blade of a knife. He grabbed her around the throat and they crashed to the ground.

From page 180 of Finding Chandra--A True Washington Murder Mystery by Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz

That I was angry. That I was angry the accident happened. That I was angry I was the only survivor. That I was angry at you.

From page 206 of Where She Went by Gayle Forman (the sequel to If I Stay) You can read my reviews on both of these by clicking the links.

Karen's:

He left the delivery ward of St. Brigid's and headed for oncology. He knew what time Stella was going down for surgery and he wanted to be there as moral support.

From page 97 of Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Where She Went" by Gayle Foreman

Where She Went by Gayle Foreman is the sequel to If I Stay, which I Loved!  Where She Went tells the story from Adam's view.  It seems Mia dumped him and he does not know why.  This book picks up when Adam and Mia meet up in New York City.  I can't say I liked it as much as the first one, but it is not bad either.  I think it would make a good movie and liked the ending.  I'd like to see another book about these two--it's possible.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.