Monday, December 31, 2007

On... New Year's Resolutions and writing a post that isn't a book review

I have this vague feeling that one of my New Year's resolutions from last year had something to do with more blog posts but I can't be sure. Regardless, at different points throughout the year I have tried to increase my posting in order to work on my writing and making myself more disciplined... etc. (my New Year's resolution for 2007 is gradually coming back to me but I won't say anything definitive on it ;) )

When I joined the reading challenge(s) I used the posts I wrote for the reviews of the books I read as my way to increase posts. As a result for the past few months I have written posts about as informative about my life as not posting at all.

The funny thing is... I keep thinking in posts. I'll think of an idea that I could craft a brief few paragraphs about but I'll never get around to making it a post. That seems to happen to me a lot.

No. Writing more in my blog is not my New Year's Resolution... the three above paragraphs were just something I wanted to get off my chest... and the topic is somewhat related to my 2007 New Year's resolution.

Now, onto 2008. I'm actually pretty excited about this year. I don't know why but I think great things are going to happen in 2008. Perhaps it's the fact that 8 is an even number and a multiple of 4 (just an idiosyncrasy of mine).

About resolutions. I've made them before. I've avoided the common ones. Well, I should say that I've avoided declaring the common resolutions like getting fit and staying healthy. I kind of make those resolutions throughout the year. Usually, I forget the resolution part-way through the year and make other goals.

This year is different. I plan on keeping my New Year's Resolution in plain sight. This is my Resolution. I want to memorize more Scripture. I'm not setting a certain amount or time limits on the goal but that is my goal. I consider memorizing Scripture something important and a way that I want to grow in Christ.

Starting tomorrow I will be working on memorizing Psalm 119. It may take me the entire year to memorize it but I plan on working on it until I have the entire chapter memorized. (oh... I'm also trying to be healthy... start eating healthier and working out but that's not my resolution)

On... Speak through the Wind by Allison Pittman

Once again I came across a book that I cannot remember putting on my list or why I did so but I was not disappointed.

A review that I read... or a snippet about the book... somewhere compared the book to Redeeming Love (one of my absolute favorite books of all time) to Janette Oke... a beloved author from my childhood but not one now. (Her writing style is very cliche).

With that sort of information in my mind before I opened the book I had no idea what to expect. I didn't even really know what the basic idea of the story was because of the library stickers on the back covering half of the summary.

Mrs. Pittman did not disappoint. I never thought that I would discover a story so like Redeeming Love but this book rivals that story. Of course, I would not have liked the book if the plots had been similar or dealt with similar things. This book certainly was not a copy but dealt with many of the same issues.

Mrs. Pittman creates such a well of sympathy and empathy for Kassandra. Her life is so full of trials and things that happen beyond her control that seem to knock her down just when she gets her feet under her again. This series of events draws on the well of sympathy in the reader. In addition, Kassandra makes her own horrible mistakes... things that we finite humans are so prone to do. ("prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love") The trouble that Kassandra's poor decisions plunge her into draws on the well of empathy in the reader. I wonder what I would do if I were faced with the same choices as Kassandra.

Allison Pittman is a new favorite author of mine. I definitely am going to sample more of her work.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

On... The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I don't know of another author that can toy so with my emotions. Khaled Hosseini must be a jinn (to use a reference from Arabian Nights) in the way that can raise a readers hope in one instance and then without even saying exactly what happened make the reader's stomach clench hoping against hopes that the most terrible thing has not occurred when in actuality it has.

I remember at one point thinking that the story moved along much slower than A Thousand Splendid Suns and wondered where Hosseini would take the story in order to fill up the remaining hundred fifty pages remaining.

That memory is vague now. I came to the last page and read Amir's words. Tears came to my eyes. I could not believe how absolutely beautifully Hosseini tied the story together... the story of a man searching for redemption from an act he fled from as a young man, an act that tortured him for years.

Hosseini's books are so terribly beautiful. They are full of terrible regrets and heinous events yet so far Hosseini has ended his stories with hope that seems so absolutely impossible to believe but yet so right.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

On... The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

I start this post with a disclaimer. I did not read it with as much attention as I read Angela Hunt's for two reasons. I enjoy Angela Hunt's books more and they are also half the size of this one.

I've had mixed experiences with Alexandre Dumas. For instance, one of the sequels to The Three Musketeers... The Man in the Iron Mask... absolutely bored me to tears but I persevered to the end. I will not own a book without having read it at least once. On the other hand I also own The Count of Monte Cristo and absolutely adore that book. I almost could not put the book down as soon as I picked it up. The story is so compelling and the plot moves along at a much more reasonable pace than The Man in the Iron Mask.

Thus you can probably understand my dilemma when I started to read The Three Musketeers. Which of the two experiences would this book most identify with. For the sake of my sanity I hoped that the book would be most like the Count of Monte Cristo.

Thankfully it was.

I still prefer The Count of Monte Cristo but the plot of The Three Musketeers moves along at such a rapid pace that I had to back track at least two or three times (only pages of course) to get my head around what just happened. In fact, this rapid pace actually was a benefit and a distraction. Due to the serial nature of the original publication the events of the book seem to cycle in and out of anticipation, climax and denouement many more times than would be recommended for a healthy novel.

In the end I learned a whole lot more about Porthos, Aramis, Athos and d'Artangan than I ever knew before (even having read the sequel where all of these characters appear as well) and developed a sense of appreciation for Dumas' ability to weave information about the characters throughout the seemingly endless cycles in such a way that one could not have the ending without all of the cycles.

Friday, December 28, 2007

On ... Doesn't she look natural? by Angela Hunt

Finally reading this book after having read about almost every part of the process on Mrs. Hunt's blog was quite enjoyable. I saw how different points she mentioned fit into the overall story.

Like usual Mrs. Hunt does not fail to please. She changes between first person scenes narrated by the main character Jennifer and several other third person scenes most of which are seen through the point of Joella, Jennifer's mother.

This book deals with many issues.. at least one of which touches close to my life... and deals with them in such a way that I can actually understand how being a mortician is not as morbid as it may seem. I honestly couldn't believe it when at the end I understood how taking care of a dead body can be such a ministry to the living.

I would tell more about the plot but I really can't without giving away spoilers that would ruin a first time read. :D

I loved this book and am amazed that I have yet to read an Angela Hunt book that I do not thoroughly enjoy.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

On... the Elevator by Angela Hunt

Yet again Angela Hunt does not fail to captivate. She can take a seemingly fragile premise and turn it into a captivating book. At certain points I could not pull myself away from the book because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next and how things would be resolved. She even surprised me with a twist at the end. I won't say anything about it because that wouldn't be fair for those who have yet to read the book. :D

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

On... Uncharted by Angela Hunt

Once again Angela Hunt does not fail to please. For Christmas I received three of her most recent book (with one more on the way) and just finished Uncharted. Boy do I love that book!

I knew, having read Mrs. Hunt's blog and from reading other reviews of the book, that this book is definitely "out there" even in comparison to other books of hers. I absolutely loved it. In fact, her "expect the unexpected" is one of the reason why I absolutely love the book.

I can't really review the book adequately because that would give away a good part of the book that should not be learned until Mrs. Hunt reveals it in the book. This plot twist definitely stretches the imagination for believers and many (including some of my own relatives) would not like this twist at all.

Me on the other hand... I love that kind of stuff. I'm not one to limit God. Who says that there can't be any time traveling? (No. There's no time traveling in the book. That's just the example that I normally use. :D)

I love Mrs. Hunt's style. For the prologue and epilogue she uses present tense verbs, not a technique that is commonly used, and shifts to past tense... the most common... for the majority of the book which takes place a year earlier than the prologue and epilogue. That eliminates a lot of the awkward had + verb constructions.

I cannot possibly say enough about this book. I strongly recommend it to anyone willing to take a ride!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

On... Mixed Signals by Liz Curtis Higgs

I absolutely adore Ms. Higgs Scottish series. In all honesty I cannot get enough of those characters and love her writing style. I've never read anything else of hers before and I was not disappointed in this book.

Ms. Higgs drew me in to the lives of her characters: the main character and the other secondary characters. Even though I had accidentally read a few sentences from the last couple pages and knew how things ended up I wanted to know how Belle would get there.

So many times Ms. Higgs threw another wrench in the path of Belle and David. I kept wondering how they were going to overcome those obstacles in the remaining pages of the book. Although I think that Ms. Higgs resolved them reasonably there were a few times that I wondered how Belle could get over her anger/impatience with David within the space of just a few seconds.

The ending of the book even though I knew it was coming is a little on the too perfect side (or the side that I would love to be on some day).

On... doing it again... Winter Reading Challenge

I know. I know. I'm a glutton for punishment. lol Actually I'm pretty excited about this. I know what I'm getting into this time.

This reading challenge is hosted by inksplasher.blogspot.com and without further ado I introduce my new list!

Mixed Signals by Liz Curtis Higgs (12/23/07)
Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism (02/17/08)
Arabian Nights (12/ /07)
Cards on the table by Agatha Christie (12/25/07)
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (01/04/07)
The Golden Compass (01/12/08)
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (01/01/08)
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (01/02/08)
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (12/29/07)
Speak Through the Wind by Allison Pittman (12/31/07)
My War by Andy Rooney (01/05/07)
Young Merlin Trilogy (02/24/08)
Bhagavad Gita (01/30/08)
The Parting by Beverly Lewis (01/03/07)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (01/12/08)
Doesn't she look natural? by Angela Hunt (12/28/07)
Dawn of the Golden Promise by B. J. Hoff (01/11/08)
Sons of an Ancient Glory by B. J. Hoff (01/11/08)
Song of the Silent Harp by B. J. Hoff (01/08/08)
Heart of the Lonely Exile by B. J. Hoff (01/09/08)
Land of a Thousand Dreams by B. J. Hoff (01/09/08)
Magdalene by Angela Hunt (01/02/07)
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (01/07/08)
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by Barry Denenberg (01/09/08)
One Eye Laughing by Barry Denenberg (01/14/08)
Stones of Jerusalem by Bodie Thoene (01/21/08)
Of Men and of Angels by Bodie and Brock Thoene (01/23/08)
The Return to Zion by Bodie Thoene (01/14/08)
Jerusalem's Heart by Bodie Thoene (01/19/08)
The Key to Zion by Bodie Thoene (01/17/08)
Stones of Jerusalem by Bodie Thoene (01/21/08)
Jerusalem Vigil by Bodie Thoene (01/17/08)
A Light in Zion by Bodie Thoene (01/16/08)
The Gates of Zion by Bodie Thoene (01/13/08)
A Daughter of Zion by Bodie Thoene (01/14/08)
The Jerusalem Scrolls by Bodie Thoene (01/20/08)
Thunder from Jerusalem by Bodie Thoene (01/18/08)
The Twilight of Courage by Bodie and Brock Thoene (01/22/08)
Uncharted by Angela Hunt (12/26/07)
Triss by Brian Jacques (01/26/08)
Lord Brocktree by Brian Jacques (01/25/08)
High Rhulain by Brian Jacques (01/26/08)
The Divine Comedy Vol I: Inferno by Dante (02/02/08)
Jerusalem's Hope by Brock Thoene (01/22/08)
Ashes of Remembrance by Brock Thoene (01/24/08)
The Elevator by Angela Hunt (12/27/07)
The Marriage Wish by Dee Henderson (01/27/08)
Hear My Sorry by Deborah Hopkinson (01/28/08)
Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington (01/28/08)
God in the dock (01/29/08)
Eldest by Christopher Paolini (02/04/08)
Ten Thousand Charms (03/05/08)

Friday, December 21, 2007

Fall into Reading Wrap-up

Well, there's finally a new post at the top of my page. :D The reading challenge has ended and I feel quite successful.

I had to change the list from the initial list that I posted. I did not check to see if I could get all of the books from the library so some of the titles had to be changed because I was unable to get them. (I'm poor so buying them was not really an option... especially since I knew nothing about some of these books.) A few of the books I had to take off the list just a couple days ago because I'm still on the waiting list at the library with no chance to get it before yesterday.

I discovered a lot by reading the books on this list.

First, I discovered how much I do not like a few authors on my list. I remembered as soon as I read the first Gilbert Morris book on my list I remembered how absolutely pathetic his writing is. I won't belabor the point. The most disappointing find was my experience with all of the Lauraine Snelling books on the list. I once absolutely loved her books but I guess the years away from her writing have matured my tastes. Her style approached that of Morris'.

Second, I discovered several authors that I definitely want to read more of... namely Kahled Hossani. His book "A Thousand Splendid Suns" absolutely captivated me and was the best book I have read in a really long time... definitely well worth the wait at the library. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Lemony Snicket books but since I've read all of them so far I don't have anything to look forward to. :D

I'm already looking forward to the Spring Reading challenge. :D

Thursday, December 20, 2007

On... Fall into Reading 2007

This post is dated ahead in order to keep it at the head of the list. :D For reviews of the books I read during the challenge scroll down below this entry.

I just randomly stumbled across this site a moment ago and have decided to join. For some reason I can never resist a good challenge and when it involves reading...sign me up. For more info or to sign up visit http://callapidderdays.blogspot.com/


Here's my tentative list (I have to see if I can get a hold of all of these books though)

The Yellow Rose Gilbert Morris (10/02/07)
Shirley Charlotte Bronte (11/16/07)
Flags of our Fathers James Bradley (11/08/07)
The Miserable Mill Lemony Snicket (11/21/07)
A Long Way From Home Tom Brokaw (9/24/07)
The Arkadians Lloyd Alexander (11/17/07)
As Good as Dead Patricia H. Rushford (9/26/07)
Brave Companions David McCullough(11/08/07)
Mornings on Horseback David McCullough (12/01/07)
Johnstown Flood David McCullough (11/29/07)
Path Between the Seas David McCullough (10/07/07)
John Adams David McCullough (9/29/07)
The Carnivorous Carnival Lemony Snicket (12/18/07)
Mere Chrisitanity C. S. Lewis (11/30/07)
Truman David McCullough (12/01/07)
Our Town Thornton Wilder (10/13/07)
Funeral in Blue Anne Perry (10/14/07)
Mary Poppins P. L. Travers (11/09/07)
The Still of Night Kirsten Heitzmann (10/22/07)
Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls (11/25/07)
Rinkitink in Oz Frank L. Baum (11/27/07)
The Virtuous Woman Gilbert Morris (10/11/07)
The Royal Handmaid Gilbert Morris (10/01/07)
The Pilgrim Song Gilbert Morris (11/22/07)
The Beloved Enemy Gilbert Morris (10/01/07)
The Heavenly Fugitive Gilbert Morris (10/08/07)
The Rough Rider Gilbert Morris (11/18/07)
The Silent Harp Gilbert Morris (10/10/07)
The Gypsy Moon Gilbert Morris (10/13/07)
The Hesitant Hero Gilbert Morris (10/12/07)
The Widows's Choice Gilbert Morris (10/08/07)
Land of the Buffalo Bones Marion Dane Baur (11/21/07)
All Good Gifts Kathleen Morgan (9/23/07)
1984 George Orwell (10/18/07)
Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury (10/18/07)
Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck (10/15/07)
Deadly Aim Patricia Rushford (9/24/07)
The Lord of the Flies Golding (10/21/07)
The Vicar of Nibbleswicke Roald Dahl (11/19/07)
Danny the Champion of the World Roald Dahl (10/21/07)
The Hostile Hospital Lemony Snicket (12/17/07)
A Wind in the Door Madeline L'Engle (11/26/07)
Matilda Roald Dahl (11/19/07)
The Witches Roald Dahl (12/03/07)
Boy: Tales of Childhood Roald Dahl (10/19/08)
The Vile Village Lemony Snicket (12/17/07)
The Enormous Crocodile Roald Dahl (10/15/07)
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar... Roald Dahl (12/04/07)
The BFG Roald Dahl (10/21/07)
James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl (11/18/07)
George's Marvelous Medicine Roald Dahl (11/17/07)
Fantastic Mr. Fox Roald Dahl (11/17/07)
The Slippery Slope Lemony Snicket (12/19/07)
Wicked Gregory Maguire (12/03/07)
The Shining Badge Gilbert Morris (9/30/07)
A Swiftly Tilting Planet Madeline L'Engle (11/25/07)
A Thousand Splendid Suns Khalid Husseni (12/05/07)
Peony in Love Lisa See (11/24/07)
Into the Long Dark Night Michael Phillips (11/18/07)
The Preacher's Daughter Beverly Lewis (10/20/07)
The Covenant Beverly Lewis (11/23/07)
The Betrayal Beverly Lewis (10/04/07)
The Prodigal Beverly Lewis (10/20/07)
The Sacrifice Beverly Lewis (11/23/07)
The Revelation Beverly Lewis (11/24/07)
The Healing Quilt Lauraine Snelling (12/02/07)
Amethyst Lauraine Snelling (12/13/07)
The Brethryn Beverly Lewis (10/03/07)
The Englisher Beverly Lewis (11/24/07)
Saturday Morning Lauraine Snelling (11/26/07)
The Penultimate Peril Lemony Snicket (12/20/07)
The Grim Grotto Lemony Snicket (12/20/07)
Ruby Lauraine Snelling (12/06/07)
Opal Lauraine Snelling (12/11/07)
Believing the Dream Lauraine Snelling (12/08/07)
More Than a Dream Lauraine Snelling (12/08/07)
Pearl Lauraine Snelling (12/10/07)
A New Day Rising Lauraine Snelling (12/16/07)
A Land to Call Home Lauraine Snelling (10/18/07)
The Reaper's Song Lauraine Snelling (12/15/07)
Tender Mercies Lauraine Snelling (10/19/07)
A Blessing in Disguise Lauraine Snelling(10/15/07)
The Burning Tigris Peter Balakian (9/21/07)
A Promise for Ellie Lauraine Snelling (12/08/07)
Sophie's Dilemma Lauraine Snelling (12/14/07)
The Austere Academy Lemony Snicket (12/09/07)
The End Lemony Snicket (12/20/07)
The Bad Beginning Lemony Snicket(10/25/07)
The Journal of Finn Reardon Susan Cambell Bartoletti (11/22/07)
A Coal Miner's Bride Susan Cambell Bartoletti (11/22/07)
The Wide Window (11/20/07)
The Measure of a Lady Deeanne Gist (12/16/07)
The Reptile Room Lemony Snicket (11/20/07)
Lemony Snicket: the unauthorized autobiography Lemony Snicket (12/09/07)

Monday, December 17, 2007

On The Measure of a Woman by Deeanne Gist

I don't know why I added this book to my list because before seeing her name on my list I had never heard of her. I am wary of reading books by authors I have heard nothing about or read nothing by them... simply because of past experience.

Unfortunately I am even more wary when I dive into a book by a new Christian author because many times the writing is so pedestrian and trite... especially when the book is historical/western fiction.

I say all of that to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Ms. Gist. As I read the book and became more familiar with the characters. I started to become frustrated with Rachel's behavior because she was so stubbornly holier than thou. Yet at the same time I couldn't help but be drawn to her and her struggle to mesh her beliefs with a land that runs contrary to almost all of them. Every time it looked like Rachel could resolve her difficulties something else would crop up and make things all that more complicated.

When the book ended I found myself wanting more. I wanted a resolution to Lissa's story and perhaps Ms. Gist will write about that in the future. I don't know. I appreciate though Ms. Gist's lack of deus ex machina. Stories simply flow a whole lot better and are much more enjoyable without that particular hackneyed technique.

I can't wait to read more of her works.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

On... A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I did not know what to expect when I opened this book. I closed it fifteen minutes ago with one word on my mind.

Wow.

(Some spoilers ahead)

Hosseini's writing style drew me in and just didn't let go. I couldn't help wondering how on earth Mariam and Laila were going to get out from under the oppressive thumb of Rasheed but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The first part of the book focuses on Mariam as a young girl, the illegitimate daughter of a prominent local merchant. I perceived Jalil--Mariam's father--through her young eyes as a man who came against her mother's negative words and showered her with gifts and attention. I saw her father as a positive character until Mariam's own eyes are opened when she journeys into town and finds only rejection at her father's house. Her entire life changes that day. Her mother, who suffered from some unnamed mental illness (clear from Mariam's recollection), committed suicide when Mariam left.

I came away from that first part feeling such utter sadness at Mariam's plight and in awe at Hosseini's writing which showed me exactly what he wanted me to see. I viewed Jalil as the man Hoseeini crafted with his words and felt such a connection to Mariam especially who took the fall for Rasheed's death so that Laila and her children could have a chance at a new life... a much more stable life than one on the run.

I havent read a book this good in a very long time. The only thing that I regret is that these characters (they seem so real to me) have no real hope... no hope in Christ.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

On... The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More by Roald Dahl

I've gradually grown more disappointed by Dahl... not with his writing style mind you but with the tone of his writing. I wondered what I was getting into when reading these books.

This book is a compilation of seven short stories. I won't delve into the details of the plots of all but I will say that the tone of most of these stories are more for an adult than a child. With that in mind the slightly negative or serious tone to the stories I think is more appropriate.

Still, one of the stories disturbed me. Two bully boys constantly pestered (for lack of a better word) a much smaller and very passive boy. The story ended with the bullies cutting the wings off of a dead swan, (that they killed) and tying them on the bullied boy, making him climb a tree and then ending up shooting him in the thigh. Yes. That definitely disturbed me.

Otherwise I enjoyed the other stories in the book which included two nonfiction stories. Dahl's writing style remains captivating.

Monday, December 03, 2007

On Wicked by Gregory Maguire and The Witches by Roald Dahl

Two books on witches and I wasn't impressed by either one.

I anticipated a much better read when I picked up Wicked. I've heard so much about the Broadway show and my own sister raves about the music. I thought that this story would actually be pretty decent.

Instead I kept waiting to learn about what the main plot of the story was. Honestly, there didn't seem to see any one thing that the plot revolved around. Time and places jumped sometimes so quickly that I couldn't grab ahold and fully understand or ever empathize Elphaba. Along the way Maguire disappointed with his use of unnecessary swear words--not a lot but still... they were there-- and overtures to sexual things that simply made me uncomfortable.

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

I followed Wicked with The Witches, a book by Dahl and I figured that this one would be a little strange... along the same lines as other of his books. Although I do like the fact that the young boy who finds himself transformed into a rat by "the witches" is content to stay in his current shape and looks for ways to utilize his new abilities... the rest of the book simply did not satisfy. As usual Dahl's writing style is captivating. I just wish that he had a more positive tone to his books.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

On... The Healing Quilt by Lauraine Snelling

I loved this book even though I entered the book and picked out some things that I didn't like... such as the set up: several women acting as the main character(s) and some aspects of Mrs. Snelling's writing but by the end of the book I had grown to love it.

I'm still not all that adept at writing reviews of books and I think that I'm going to leave this one at this. I strongly recoomend the book. :D

Saturday, December 01, 2007

On... Truman by David McCullough

I cannot believe that I finished this book today. Pretty much the whole day has been devoted to reading all 992 pages.

Once again I learn much more about a President that previously I knew very little. This book as opposed to Mornings on Horseback spends the bulk of the time covering Truman's time as vice president(brief) and as president. I wish though that McCullough had spent more time talking about Truman's background.

Perhaps he did not spend that much time because there just isn't as much information as there is with Theodore Roosevelt. THe two men come from completely different social backgrounds and there's just more information for the upper class than there is for the lower class.

Overall this book was a tremendous read and a very good exhibition of David McCullough's talent, very long but very good.

On... Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

Just like John Adams, I never knew all that much about Theodore Roosevelt. Unlike John Adams, I also did not know much about the time period in which Theodore or "Teedie" as he is called. This time period though is notoriously overlooked by many in the study of US history... the time between the civil war and the turn of the century and WWI.

This book spends nearly four hundred pages telling briefly about the histories of Theodore Roosevelt's parents and then Theodore's own history up until the end of his days as a cowboy in the badlands of the Dakotas. McCullough does not delve into Roosevelt's time as a Rough Rider in Cuba, his presidency or anything that happened afterwards. I assume that if he had this book would be more along the length of the book I am about to read next... Truman.

The fact that McCullough did not tell of Roosevelt's entire history did not disappoint me as I thought it would. I do know much more about Roosevelt's history after he entered national politics... his time as a Rough Rider, his service in national politics, his vow to not seek reelection and the ill-fated Bull Moose party. I learned so much more by studying about the events that shaped Roosevelt into the man he became.

One more comment about McCullough's writing style and I will end the entry. Instead of using the legal or given names of many of the actors in the story... such as Anna--Roosevelt's older sister--McCullough uses the nicknames that other members of the family used. At the end of the book McCullough summarizes the remaining events in the lives of the four Roosevelt siblings. He begins with Anna but I thought he was talking about the wife of Roosevelt's brother Elliot because up until this point in the book McCullough referred to Anna by the nickname her father gave her... Bamie.

I enjoyed this book and hope that I will enjoy Truman just as much.