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Currently I am reading The Winner. My student, Priscila, gave it to me as a gift. I started reading it when Hallie was working on The Important Things With Demetri Martin. I read 236 pages in one day. It is a very interesting book.

Just finished this book yesterday as I was on my way to Santa Monica on the Metro…standing up! Bus was packed. It was a really good book. You can always count on Nicholas Sparks books. He is an awesome writer.

This powerful story of a mother trying to cope with her daughter’s bipolar disorder reads at times like a heightened procedural. Keri, the owner of an upscale L.A. resale clothing shop, is hopeful as daughter Trina celebrates her 18th birthday and begins a successful-seeming new treatment. But as Trina relapses into mania, both their worlds spiral out of control. An ex-husband who refuses to believe their daughter is really sick, the stigmas of mental illness in the black community, a byzantine medico-insurance system—all make Keri increasingly desperate as Trina deteriorates (requiring, repeatedly, a “72 hour hold” in the hospital against her will). The ins and outs of working the mental health system take up a lot of space, but Moore Campbell is terrific at describing the different emotional gradations produced by each new circle of hell. There’s a lesbian subplot, and a radical (and expensive) group that offers treatment off the grid may hold promise. The author of a well-reviewed children’s book on how to cope with a parent’s mental illness, Moore Campbell (What You Owe Me) is on familiar ground; she gives Keri’s actions and decisions compelling depth and detail, and makes Trina’s illness palpable. While this feels at times like a mission-driven book, it draws on all of Moore Campbell’s nuance and style.

I’m reading this book now. It has been difficult for me to concentrate. I have had this book for months. Usually I finish a book in a few days. I need to get some reading glasses, I am starting to push the newspaper away from my face in order to see the words. Also, I can’t see the writing on medication bottles. Hate it.

I joined a Book Club with 5 other women. We are reading The Zoo Keeper’s Wife. Well, they are I have yet to buy the book, even though we are meeting on Sunday to discuss the first 2 chapters. The group is diverse and very interesting. I look forward to getting to know all of them in the weeks to come.

A true story—as powerful as Schindler’s List—in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.

When Germany invaded Poland, bombers devastated Warsaw—and the city’s zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into the empty cages. Another dozen “guests” hid inside the Zabinskis’ villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants and refusing to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, even as Europe crumbled around her.

After a near-death experience, Nancy Greenbaum, a young wife, is possessed by the vengeful spirit of a horrifying serial killer, executed at the same time that Nancy had nearly died, who brings a nightmarish evil into Nancy’s life. Original.

Found this book in my mom’s trunk. I decided to read at night since my sister will not turn the TV up loud enough for me to actually hear it when in Kentucky! It was okay…I expected the cop to be the next one possessed…he wasn’t. Oh well.

This book is so funny. Jarod Kintz has compiled a collection of emails to individuals and companies that are hilarious. When I read his work, I remember it throughout the day from time to time and have a little laugh or smile. It’s good stuff.

Google the name, get the idea, and you will want the book.

Found this book by the dumpster in the basement of my apartment building. :) When people are finished reading books in our tower they leave them in the basement for other readers to dig through. I usually read the book, then donate it to the Park La Brea Library or Goodwill. Sins and Secrets is a good book.

Candice, Amber, and Toi are three young black women who have risen above life on the streets. Successful entrepreneurs, they’re all at the top of their game—but money and success don’t always equal happiness. Candice enters the world of professional sports, where numerous affairs will force her to question herself and what she wants out of life. When an old lover bullies Candice with past indiscretions, she will do anything to keep her previous life a secret. Now, her friends are in trouble, too, as an abusive boyfriend threatens Amber’s well-being and Toi discovers her fiancee’s dark secret. The three soul sisters must evaluate how much of their life has left the streets, and how much remains….

Another “stayed up all night reading” book!

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob—knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

As soon as I got back from the cruise, I started reading the other Stephanie Myers’ books! Hooked on Edward!

For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning…