17. Glen Beck's Common Sense

Glen Beck's Common Sense

July 2009

I felt it was time to go back to some non-fiction reading. I am a fan of Glen Beck, which is why I picked up his book. It is a modern approach to Thomas Paine's Common Sense pamphlet. I wish that, like Paine did, Beck would have released it anonymously. Although Beck is on FoxNews and regarded as a conservative reporter, this essay is written from the stance that today's political parties are both equally at fault. In fact, he often takes the stance that the way our government currently operates is not in our best interest.

Its very short, and quite to the point. If you aren't tired of reading and hearing about everything that's wrong today in America, or perhaps especially if you are, I would grab this and give it a quick read. I wouldn't be surprised if it is nothing that you haven't all ready heard or thought before, but its nice to know that those who have a much louder voice than we do are feeling some of the same things that we are. It's definitely worth the three/four hours it would take to read it.

16. Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe

July 2009

Wow! What a great novel! I remember learning about the influence that Uncle Tom's Cabin had in the minds of people at the start of the Civil War. However, I definitely underestimated how good of a book it actually is. It really is a shame that it is not studied more in American literature classes. From what I gathered in the background information, it has lost a significant part of its appeal due to "Tom plays" that were common in the 1920s. These plays depicted the characters in a largely negative and often degrading fashion. Which is in no way similar to those characters in the book.

All in all, I am really glad that I decided to read this and have suggested to all my friends that they read it too. The book is written so that you meet a core group of characters at the beginning and follow each one of their stories as they separate and eventually come back together. Each story captivates you and holds your attention throughout the entirety of the novel.

15. My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper Jodi Picoult

July 2009

So all my girlfriends have been saying that I must read this since I am close to my sister. So I bought the book. She read it while I was finishing up a previous one and now I finally got my hands on it. We also wanted to both read it before the movie came out. Even though everyone always says "the movie is never as good as the book." I still think its fun to see how someone else interprets a book.

I think I may have had unreal expectations for it because of all the hype surrounding the movie. I definitely enjoyed it, but because I kept hearing about how "saddd" it was, nothing that was sad really came as a surprise to me. Honestly, the most interesting story line, which in my opinion could have been a great book of its own, was the story about their brother. I found him, by far, the most interesting character in the book.

Regardless of the hype and the movie, the book is so easy to read and so talked about, that all women, especially those with sisters, should just give it a go. You'll finish it in a snap... and you'll be able to join in on all the conversations about it.