Reading, writing, 'rithmatic

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
~ Joseph Addison ~

Even though I'm back in school and it's KILLING me (I am out of school shape, apparently), I am enjoying reading A LOT again. I've found that when I read for school, it makes me want to read everything! I make time for extra curricular reading, too. So, here's some of the great books I've been enjoying already this summer.

-A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl
-Extras by Scott Westerfield
-Disgrace by JM Coetzee (this one was for school)
-Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda George


I have loved using Goodreads, as well. It's an online tool to keep track of the books you have read, are currently reading, and want to read. You can add me as a friend and we can share books and reviews with each other!

What are you reading this summer?

A Mighty Heart

I've been reading Mariane Pearl's memoir, A Mighty Heart, about her husband Daniel Pearl's abduction and murder by terrorists. I finished it last night around midnight. I found myself crying through the last chapters as I thought of her incredible strength. She was pregnant with their first child when her husband was kidnapped in early 2002 in Pakistan. She became the center of the investigation to find him, organizing CIA, FBI, local intelligence, law enforcement, and cyber-crime experts. John is out of town this weekend and as I read about her despair of losing her beloved spouse I wished he had been next to me in bed. I felt a tiny fraction of her loss for a moment, as I considered how it feels to have half of your heart missing.


(photo credit: Glamour.com)

In 2007, the movie version of A Mighty Heart was released starring Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman. I haven't seen the film, but I highly recommend the book- it is well-written and still very timely, considering how much of a target our country still is for terrorist groups.