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Armand is a hobo who lives in Paris, under a bridge. He begs and does odd jobs for money to take care of himself and buy food. One day he finds a mother and her three children in his “home”, under the bridge. At first he is gruff and unhappy about sharing the bridge, but in time he begins to like and help care for this poor homeless family. As Christmas nears, the children ask for nothing except a home of their own and Armand comes up with a plan to make their wish come true. Natalie Savage Carlson has written a beautiful, sensitive story full of humor, insight and wisdom. With fast paced, interesting scenes, young readers will be able to identify with the characters of the children in the story and begin to understand the meaning of family and the rewards of giving and accepting help from others. Perfect for children aged 9-12, this is also a great read-aloud book the entire family can enjoy and discuss. The Family Under the Bridge is a thoughtful, heartwarming story and Ms Carlson deserved all the awards this book won.

Just borrowed this book from Rebecca. Looking forward to getting into it a little deeper.

The Lovely Bones is a 2002 novel by Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends go on with their lives, while she herself comes to terms with her own death. The novel received a great deal of critical praise and became an instant bestseller.

I found this book difficult to commit to, granted I was sick when I started reading it. There is going to be a movie, so I am glad I read it…it is not one that I would do backflips over though.

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.

She is twenty, beautiful, dirt-poor, and hoping for a better life for her infant daughter when LuAnn Tyler is offered the gift of a lifetime, a $100 million lottery jackpot. All she has to do is change her identity and leave the U.S. forever.

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.

Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks’s new novel believes he’s found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he’s never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.

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!