Monday, November 21, 2011

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt

I read this book for the December VSBA Book Club meeting. I was worried after my experience with A Curse Dark as Gold that I had lost the joy of reading. I have not! I LOVED this book in the way I loved Black Box last year. I can't wait for the next meeting so I can lead a discussion about this title!
Harper Evans, a 17-year-old California gal, is trying to flee her family problems by going on a service trip to rebuild a home destroyed by a tornado in TENNESSEE! (I LOVE TN books!). The rebuilding of the house is a metaphor for the rebuilding of herself after her own family has been destroyed.
What is your favorite book related to Tennessee (author, setting, etc.)?

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce

This is a retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin story set in the Industrial Revolution in England. Honestly, I did not finish this book. There was a lot going on in my life (big-boy beds, Fall Break, surgery, Mom's relapse), so I didn't get the book finished in time for the November VSBA Book Club meeting. I tried to finish the book after the meeting, but I just couldn't. This title didn't hold my interest.