Good Reads - March

Room by Emma Donoghue

My Mom's book club read this a year or so ago and it got totally mixed reviews.  A lot like Gone Girl, it seemed like people either loved it or hated it.  And hearing a split verdict like that always makes me want to see where I fall.  It's the story of a mother and son who are being held captive in a small shed in a man's backyard.  The mom was kidnapped and held there from when she was a teen and the boy was born there.  The boy is 5 and the book is told from his perspective.  The first few chapters had me thinking I was going to hate it.  It's just, how much story can there be when they live in a tiny room?  There was a lot of detail about their days and not much action.  But about half way in, I started to really like it and ended up enjoying the story.  It wasn't on my favorites list, but it was interesting.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Defending Jacob is this month's book club pick for my book club.  I have never read a law book which blows my mind considering how obsessed I am with Law & Order.  I've seriously seen every single episode.  This is a story about a DA whose son is accused of murdering a classmate.  It brought up questions of how well you can know your own child, morality, and good old fashion court room drama.  I totally loved this story.

How Children Succeed by Paul Tough

I picked this one up at Target one day and have been working my way through it all month.  It was really interesting, but like any non-fiction book, I have to take it in doses.  This book is about how important certain character traits are in determining the success a child will achieve.  It talks a lot about different research programs that have been done in poverty stricken areas and how different legislation has tried to improve the schools.  That sounds kind of boring said like that, but it was actually a good read.  Both of my kids were almost raised in extreme poverty and we see what that lifestyle looks like on a daily basis with Andrew's job so this was eye opening and inspiring for me.  It also reminded me that my children's character is just as important as memorizing math facts.

Mercy Watson Books 2 & 3

Can't leave out Josie's read alouds!  She is mildly obsessed with the Mercy Watson series and I'm mildly obsessed with the smooth pages in the books.  We finished up book 2 and 3 this month and are just about done with 4.  We followed Mercy on an adventurous car ride and watched her fight a cowboy criminal.  These books have short chapters, great pictures, and funny characters.  Perfect for young kids bedtime stories!