Barefoot - Elin Hilderbrand

As chick lit goes, this was pretty good. I loved the total devastation that the younger sister caused in her life. It was a total wreck and entirely of her own doing. I tend to be a cautious person, so this really gave me a shiver. The almost dying of the older sister made me feel manipulated and I resisted the urge to cry (but of course, I finally gave in). There was another friend, but she was a pretty whimp and I couldn't connect to her at all. The relationship between Josh and his high school girlfriend felt familiar. It was strange how her death was sudden and shocking, but the lingering illness of one of the main characters was supposed to make you reflect on life and death in a kind of 'big picture' way. I guess it goes to show you that you never know how and when it will all end.

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

I really liked the eat part, but pray and love were tedious. This book could have been an enjoyable blog - Elizabeth Gilbert is an entertaining writer, but it really got blah, blah, blah. I will keep the image of her on her bathroom floor at 3:00am crying in desperation about her failing marriage. I will probably forget the rest.

The Last Summer (of You & Me) - Ann Brashares

This was the author of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and I was expecting light chick lit. It was a little better than I thought it would be. The fated paths of the two sisters kept reminding me of "The Gift of the Magi". It was a little riduculous it was how the actions of one sister would have such unintended rippling consequences for the other. Love causes accidental death (murder?). The pace was a bit slow but the images of water were compelling. I enjoyed this but I can't say I will remember it.

For The Time Being - Annie Dillard

This one was hard for me to get through. I really felt like I should though, so I kept at it. The topic interests me - God in every day life and how it relates to an individual. There was so much other stuff though, stuff that I didn't understand. I got bored and impatient and kept checking how much of the book was left. One part that I liked and that I hope to remember is "I don't know beans about God." This was stated more than 3/4th of the book in and it made me laugh outloud. To be fair, Annie Dillard never claimed to know anything about God, but still - that is what the book was supposed to be about.

The Rope Walk - Carrie Brown

I loved this book. It was a coming of age story with several different themes. All phases of life were represented, but not in a sappy way. The rope walk turned out to be a journey - an end of life journey. I can't hardly keep it all straight. The main characters were Alice and Theo - both 10 years old. Some things that were supposed to sentimental, but weren't:

• the death of Alice's mother - she died right after Alice was born. Alice doesn't have any memory of her mother so no time is spent mourning her. I want to feel sad about this though, but I don't really get the chance.
• Elizabeth's journey to the US from Vietnam - Elizabeth is the housekeeper, the person who cooks and cleans for the family. She escaped from Vietnam in a boat with her son and daughter in law leaving everything behind and risking her life. When Alice asks her what that was like she says something like "boring, thirsty, what do you think?"

Really, my favorite part of this book was the relationship between Alice and Theo. Theo was such a great character, always prepared for anything but fearful of ordinary things like doctor visits. Alice begins to lose her innocence when she realizes that nobody misses Theo and that there is a possibility of a child not being loved.

I kept thinking that the times were older than they were. Alice was just a year older than my daughter Maggie, but she could have been Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. I had a hard time visualizing this in modern times.

You Won't Remember This - Kate Blackwell

This is a collection of short stories. They were all pretty good. Opportunity missed and concealment (not with malice) were common themes. I remember feeling sad after reading some of these. There was a woman who weaves and has a secret love - a friend who was married to another friend. There was a woman who learned that her husband was gay after he died. I won't forget the images of that woman having dinner with a gay couple on her block - they were unpleasant and that, combined with the dawning knowledge that her best friend and love had another side - another life - got stuck in my brain.

Darkness Visible - William Styron

This was a memoir, focused mainly on William Styron's battle with depression. If you had read Sophie's Choice, you can pretty much be assured that the creator was going to be depressed for a while. I can't imagine going unscathed after that experience. The tone of this very small (84 pages) book was pretty self congratulating and didn't improve my opinion of William Styron at all. I found the descriptions of depression to be vivid and helpful when trying to understand what someone with depression is going through.

Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer

I have read this series twice, along with my 12 year old daughter. I know this is children's literature, but I really got caught up in the themes of dangerous desire and love. This provided an echo (for me) of first love, first desire and the lure of deviance.