#2 A Prayer for Owen Meany

By John Irving

I've read this book before, but it is one of my favorites. It contains some objectionable material, so I don't know if I would recommend it to anyone. You'll have to decide for yourself if you want to read it. Other than the few parts that are objectionable, it is one of the best books I've ever read.

The back cover has a description that puts it perfectly, "This is John Irving's most comic novel; yet Owen Meany is Mr. Irving's most heartbreaking character". Owen Meany is endearing and easy to fall in love with. He's eccentric and always serious, but that gives the story it's humor. The book has a lot of depth and meaning. It covers the subject of faith through Owen Meany's unshakeable faith, and through his best friend, Johnny's, lack of faith. The story is told by Johnny, and he starts out by saying that Owen Meany is the reason he believes in God. Owen believes he is God's instrument. There is so much in this book that seems unimportant at the time, but by the end of the book everything comes together. Like Owen Meany, John Irving has a reason for everything.

This book has been made into a movie. The movies is titled "Simon Birch". Simon is Owen Meany; I'm not exactly sure why they changed the name. The movie is also excellent, but not nearly as deep. It is shorten incredibly in order to make the movie not so long. I would recommend the movie to everyone; it is a family movie. If you decide not to read the book, at least watch the movie.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes (Owen speaks in all caps as a way to try to explain his extraordinary voice):

"When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time - the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers."

Johnny's feelings about his mother's death.

"LAST NIGHT I HAD A DREAM. NOW I KNOW FOUR THINGS. I KNOW THAT MY VOICE DOESN'T CHANGE - BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY. I KNOW THAT I AM GOD'S INSTRUMENT. I KNOW WHEN I'M GOING TO DIE - AND NOW A DREAM HAS SHOWN ME HOW I'M GOING TO DIE. I'M GOING TO BE A HERO! I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD."

From Owen Meany's journal.

#1 The King of Torts

by John Grisham

Okay, so I kind of cheated with this one. I listened to it on my drive to and from Salt Lake this past weekend. I didn't want to waste 6 hours of good reading time, so I checked out a book on CD from the library. It's not my favorite way to "read" a book because it's harder to keep track of some of the supporting characters.

I've read many John Grisham books and really enjoyed them. This one was not my favorite, but it was still pretty good. I found it a little predictable. When the main character, Clay, was on top of the world (making big money, winning all his cases, living the high life) at the middle of the book, I knew that by the end he would probably lose everything and be right back where he started, or close to it. I was right. There were also a few things that bothered me. There were a couple of characters that I wondered about at the end of the book. There was a man who gave Clay tips about great tort cases to persue. He disappered never to be heard from again. Also, there was foreshadowing about a girl Clay was dating; there was something mysterious about her, she had secrets. Nothing more ever came of that and I thought that was odd. The story was still enjoyable, but all-in-all it was not a book I would highly recommend.

The List (so far)

Well, here's the list at this point. Keep an eye on this post, because I'll update it as I get more suggestions. I still need fifteen more books, so anyone who hasn't recommend a book, PLEASE recommend one or two. This list is no particular order, because I'll probably read what sounds good at the time. When I post my review of a book I'll let you know what I've chosen to read next. Oh, and in case you didn't figure out, the green name in parenthesis is the person who recommended that book, and the ones that are crossed out are the books I've read.

1. A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving (Myself)
2. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Mom)
3. The Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans (Leslie)
4. The Giver by Lois Lowry (Katie Michelle)
5. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry(Katie Michelle)
6. Messenger by Lois Lowry(Katie Michelle)
7. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Booklogged)
8. I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven (Grandma)
9. Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (Booklogged)
10. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (Booklogged)
11. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (Booklogged)
12. Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen (Candleman)
13. My Grandfather's Blessing by Rachel Naomi Remen (Candleman)
14. The Island at the Center of the World by Russel Shorto (Shaneen)
15. Holes by Louis Sacher (A Reader's Journal)
16. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (A Reader's Journal)
17. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (Ben)
18. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Cassie)
19. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Julie)
20. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (Myself)
21. Bridget Jones's Diary: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding (Angie B.)
22. The Chosen by Chaim Potok (Cardine's sister)
23. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner (Rachel)
24. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Janelle)
25. The King of Torts by John Grisham (Myself)
26. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (Myself)
27. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Myself)
28. The Little Country by Charles de Lint (Shaneen)
29. Memoirs of a Geisha byArthur Golden (Cassie)
30. The Painted House by John Grisham (Angie B.)
31. Peppertide by Jack Weyland (Myself)
32. Forever Odd by Dean Koontz (Myself)
33. The Peacegiver by James Ferrell (Dad)
34. The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (Mom)

50 Book Challenge

My mom told me about a blog she read where the girl had challenged herself to read fifty books. I don't know the exact details (if she had a list, time limit, etc...) but I thought this sounded like a good idea. I thought I would set a time for myself to have all fifty books read and have friends and family make up my list of books to read. Anyway, I want to read all fifty within a year and each person who wants can give me one book to put on my list. I'm limiting it to one for now because I don't know how many inputs I'll have and because I have a few to add to the list myself. Plus, since my mom gave me this idea and she's such an avid reader, I thought I'd let her put five books on my list. Please choose wisely and pick one of your favorite books to add. I'll post my thoughts on each of the books on this blog. I'm going to start with A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving. I've actually already read it, but it's one of my favorites and I've been wanting to reread it.

I also thought I'd post a list of books I have read so that you don't suggest one of them. Here they are (in no particular order and not all inclusive):

1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. The Lord of the Ring series by J.R. Tolkien
3. The Work and the Glory series by Gerald N. Lund
4. The Children of the Promise series by Dean Hughes
5. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
6. The Rainmaker by John Grisham
7. MacArthur's Undercover War by Wiliam Brewer
8. The Partner by John Grisham
9. Cider House Rules by John Irving
10. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
11. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
12. The Testament by John Grisham
13. The Street Lawyer by John Grisham
14. Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
15. The Firm by John Grisham
16. Bag of Bones by Steven King
17. A Widow for One Year by John Irving
18. Before I Say Goodbye by Mary Higgins Clark
19. The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille
20. Reckless Homicide by Ira Genberg
21. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
22. The Talisman by Stephen King
23. Runaway Jury by John Grisham
24. The Brethren by John Grisham
25. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
26. Embryo by Charles Wilson
27. The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
28. The Winner by David Baldacci
29. Timeline by Michael Crichton
30. Absolute Power by David Baldacci
31. 1984 by George Orwell
32. The World According to Garp by John Irving
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
34. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
35. Cat and Mouse by James Patterson
36. Violets Are Blue by James Patterson
37. Hide and Seek by James Patterson
38. Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson
39. Roses are Red by James Patterson
40. Cradle and All by James Patterson
41. 1st To Die by James Patterson
42. 2nd Chance by James Patterson
43. The Peacegiver by James L. Ferrell
44. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
45. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
46. A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemmingway
47. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
48. Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
49. Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
50. Charlie by Jack Weyland


Wow! That's a pretty long list already. It's a good thing I had started a list of books I've read, or that list would be a whole lot shorter. There's a couple of books on there that don't even sound familiar. That's pretty bad. It's actually 65 books since the first four are series (6,3,8,4 respectively). I'm sure there's more, but if you suggest something I've already read, I'll let you know and let you suggest something else (I also retain the right to veto suggestions if I feel/need to) Have at it! Let me know what your favorite books are. I'll post the list here so you can all know what I'm reading. Plus, if anyone would like to join me for this challenge (it's not a contest) then you're free to use my list, or make one of your own.