Book Folding

This is just an easy way to repurpose an old book for a decoration. One day I will learn how to fold more elaborate designs.

Simply fold the page so it becomes a triangle and continue that throughout the book or fold the page in half lengthwise.

I decided to do triangles and rectangles.

Books I Read in March

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

My Thoughts:
This book has become one of my all time favorites.  Lily and Snow Flower despite different upbringings, family troubles, and misunderstandings had a bond so few of us are lucky to experience.  I cringed while reading through the horrid foot binding process that so many young girls in China endured. 

From the time I started reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan I was unable to put it down.  The historical aspects take you back to a time I am thankful I did not have to live through.  The story is touching giving you a small glimpse into what these girls felt.

This is a fantastic piece of historical fiction and am so happy it was the chosen book for our book club. 


The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.

My Thoughts:
The Tiger's Wife read more like a collection of short stories than a complete novel.  Though written well, it jumped all over, and I felt slightly confused.  The book description found on the back of the book makes it sound interesting, which it was, it just did not feel complete.  Somthing was missing from it.


The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The secret passage to the house next door leads to a fascinating adventure

NARNIA...where the woods are thick and cold, where Talking Beasts are called to life...a new world where the adventure begins.

Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to...somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion's song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis before they finally return home.

My Thoughts:
For some reason or another I never got around to reading any of The Chronicles of Narnia collection.  Well now I have started and plan to read the rest this year.

The Magician's Nephew begins the very first adventure into Narnia and now I know how the Wardrobe came into being. 

After reading other reviews I was surprised to see such low reviews.  Some seem to be nit picky and reminds me of my English teachers from high school.  I guess I read it like I was a child and enjoyed the story, rather than focusing on the technical aspect of the writing.  When I read I want to be swept up into the book and The Magician's Nephew did that for me. 


Heat Wave by Richard Castle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Naked Heat by Richard Castle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 Heat Rises by Richard Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 Frozen Heat by Richard Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars









My Thoughts:
Since I enjoy watching the show Castle, I figured I would read the books that one of the main characters rights about the NYPD detective he shadows in the show.  (The books are written by a ghost writer for the show and Richard Castle is used for the pen name).  I have read all four of the series and will also read the upcoming books as well.

Heat Wave starts of the series and was not too bad.  It was a bit diffcult reading just because of watching the show.  I find myself thinking about the episodes I watched and comparing it to the plots of the books.  

All in all each book gets better but I really like watching Castle better.  Two of the characters in the show that play a big part are not really found in the books.  Ok one is once in a blue moon, I just wish those two where also in the books.


  Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

Now in paperback-the format in which it's destined to become a reading group favorite-the most heralded and hilarious memoir of recent years:

Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell reclaims her life by cooking every single recipe in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the span of one year. It's a hysterical, inconceivable redemptive journey - life rediscovered through aspics, calves' brains and crème brûlée.

The bestselling memoir that's "irresistible....A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef" (Philadelphia Inquirer) is now a major motion picture directed by Nora Ephron, starring Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia, the film Julie & Julia will be released by Sony Pictures on August 7, 2009.

My Thoughts:
I found this book to be rather boring and could not even get halfway through it. The concept was great and the movie was excellent. The book was horrid and if her blog read as badly as this book I can see why Julia Child didn't like it.

Usually after seeing a movie based off of a book that I have not read it makes me want to read the book. This was the case with the movie Julie and Julia. The movie was 1000 times better and I am happy the movie captured the concept of the memoir. Now I have to watch it again to get the nasty taste out of my mouth from the book and STAT!