BOOK 12: The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin

I'll dispense with the rating and synopsis on this one. I read this book last year in May, and really enjoyed it (rated it 4 stars). And I re-read it this month for my book group and really enjoyed it again.

This is a great book for discussion, and for getting to know the members of my book group better. It was interesting to see what areas each of us feel we are doing OK in, and other areas in which we feel we could improve.

This re-read came on the tail of two extremely trying months in my job as a mother, and it served as a good reminder of what I want out of my life -- and the lives of my family -- and some practical strategies for making it happen.

BOOK 11: The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book -- a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her 21st birthday, they tell her the truth and she begins a quest to find her real identity.

This was a fascinating geneological mystery, spanning four generations. It was beautifully written, and I loved the fairy tales that were woven in.

The pace of this story is slower with a lot of emphasis on character development. But that's not to say it was boring, or that it wasn't a page turner! In nearly every chapter, some layer to the mystery would be peeled back, keeping me intrigued, curious and moving forward.

I don't usually gravitate to mystery books because oftentimes I feel manipulated -- strung along, or teased with the promise of enlightenment, only to have it yanked from me time and again. But I didn't get that impression at all from this book. I didn't always agree with the actions and motivations of the characters, but I could understand why they did what they did, for better or worse.

BOOK 10: The Art Book, by Phaidon Press

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: With a full-color plate representing each artist, this book is an alphabetical reference to 500 of the world's greatest painters and sculptors, from antiquity to the present.

I've always wanted to learn more about art and art history, and this was a good sampling. It takes 500 different artists and shows one work from each of them. It was a nice introduction to some artists I hadn't heard of before, and it gave a brief synopsis of the work and the artist.

An in-depth exploration this isn't. It often left me wanting more. But it gave me a good taste of art from the 1200s to 1990s. And I flagged dozens of pages that I'm interested in researching further -- for instance, Riopelle, Turner, Marc, Grimshaw and Copely, to name a few. I should note that, being an art book, there is a bit of nudity in here. Some of it is artful and appropriate, but there were some that I felt the artist used only for shock value, and that I wouldn't want my children to stumble across. But that's an entirely different debate...

Overall, though, this was a nice coffee-table book. (Note: there are two versions of this book: A large coffee-table sized one published in 1994, and a smaller pocket-sized one published in 2005.)

BOOK 9: NurtureShock, by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: NutureShock provides a revolutionary perspective on childhood that upends a library's worth of conventional wisdom. It gets to the core of how we grow, learn, and live.

This was a fascinating book. It looks at the conventional wisdom about children and how they act, learn and grow, and stacked it against science. As it turns out, the way we think is best to raise our children may actually be backfiring.

For instance, you shouldn't tell your children that they are "smart," you should praise their effort. You shouldn't expect baby videos to enhance your child's language -- in fact they can hinder it because they use a disembodied voice and your baby never sees the face of the person talking. If your teenager is arguing with you, that's a good sign! And letting your kids stay up even an extra 15 minutes has large ramifications.

I appreciated the scientific approach. Some of the chapters are purely geared toward social programs or policy makers. On the ones that are most applicable to parents, however, I would have appreciated more detail about how I can make the most of this research in raising my own kids. I felt like I had to read between the lines to get the takeaway points. All in all, though, an interesting read!

BOOK 8: The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events #7), by Lemony Snicket

Rating: 3 stars

Cover synopsis: I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats.

This book is incredibly clever, witty, and formulaic. I've really enjoyed reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, but I'm starting to get rather bored with the formula.

And the fact that each book teases you with the possibility of finally divulging some clue as to the deeper plot issues, but stopping short EVERY TIME. It's getting old. Snicket needs to shake things up! I really hope the ending is worth my sticking with this...

BOOK 7: The $64 Tomato, by William Alexander

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: How one man nearly lost his sanity, spent a fortune, and endured an existential crisis in the quest for the perfect garden.

This is a humorous account of one man's obsession with his garden. Anyone who loves to garden will relate to it and laugh right along. As will the women (or men) who married such madness, in my case. As I was reading, I kept saying, "this sounds like my husband wrote this!"

It drives me crazy when I read news articles about saving money that advise gardening. Because anyone who has actually gardened knows that you don't save ANY money with a garden. In fact, you'll spend at least ten times as much money as you would have at the grocery store, and a hundred times the vegetables' worth in hard labor. And Alexander drives home this point well. But where he really excells is in his psychological self-evaluation. Why he gardens, what drives him to garden, and why, no matter what challenges get in his way, he simply cannot stop. A fun read.

BOOK 6: Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: In 1943, Army Air Force bomber Louis Zamperini crashed into the Pacific Ocean and survived. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharkes, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity and suffering with hope, resolve and humor.

This was a stunning story of one man's ordeal in World War II. It was quite the page turner and I found myself crying, cringing and laughing throughout. Hillenbrand did such an extraordinary job of researching and writing this tale, that the characters came to life for me.

But I had to keep reminding myself that the "characters" were real people. I have no doubt that this is a true story, but I still felt like the author was manipulating my emotions. She played up certain scenes and exaggerated people's characteristics to fit them into a mold, that it felt like I was reading a fictional movie script.

Still, I don't think you could read this story, recognize that it really happened, and not be moved in some way. An incredible read.