12.08.2003

Books You Must Read

Here's my reading list from Costa Rica

The Five People You Meet In Heaven
It's by Mitch Albom, who wrote Tuesdays with Morrie, which is one of my favorite books. This isn't a religious book at all, but instead about a man who dies and the five people he meets in heaven. Turns out in this version of the afterlife, everyone has five people they meet in heaven that share how their lives and the life of the person that died intersected. It's a great study on how we touch lives and brings home the realization that we never really realize who we are going to touch and how we are going to affect the life of another person. It will make you think about your friends...and about the people you've never met who, through random circumstances, are different because of your life.

The Tale of Despereaux
It's a children's book, but a great one. It's about a little mouse with huge ears who makes a huge mistake--he actually talks to and falls in love with the princess who lives in his castle! For this he is banished to the dungeon, where the rats live, to be put to death. The story of a mouse, a rat, a princess, a spool of thread, and a homely girl with dreams of being something more all combined together. It's a quick read, but hilarious. It often reminded me of The Neverending Story since the writer often addresses the reader directly and encourages them to keep thinking.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
I cannot begin to tell you how much I adored this book. I literally devoured it. I had heard about it for quite awhile, but hadn't gotten around to reading it. It was at the beach house, though, so I picked it up. It's the Cinderella story...kind of. It's the story of a 'perfect' little girl named Clara who is kept in the house all the time and of two sisters and their mother who had to escape England for Holland after their father is killed. The two girls would be the 'ugly stepsisters' in a traditional telling of the Cinderella story. I was, quite frankly, amazed at this book. The central theme is beauty--what is beauty, what is love, what is compassion? What is real and what is just an illusion? It is AMAZING. Stop reading this now. Go to the bookstore or Library and pick it up. Devour it. Then let me know what you think. I can't wait to read more from the author, Gregory Maguire!

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