Housekeeping

Housekeeping by: Marilynne Robinson This is not a fast read, but it is a very good human interest story. It is sad and depressing at times, but it really makes you think about your life and how you interact with other people. It is the story of a family. Two girls are left on their grandmother's doorstep, by their mother. The story continues showing how the two girls react to the different women in the family taking care of them. Each girl reacts differently, and it is very interesting to see. I liked this story a lot and would definitely recommend it.

Rated: PG

Recommendation: High School and Up. I don't think younger children would be interested.

The DaVinci Code

The DaVinci Code

by: Dan Brown

This is a definite thriller that keeps you reading. The curator of the Louvre Museum in Paris is killed and left in a strange way. American professor Robert Langdon is awakened by the French police at his hotel room. They ask for his help. He goes to the Louvre and finds the curator. There starts his adventure. The police accuse him of the murder and Sophie Neveu, a cryptographer, helps him escape. They go together to put the pieces of the mystery together. They run into many twists and turns along the way, and eventually find out why they were both picked for this adventure. I really liked this book. I had watched the movie first, so some of the surprises weren't surprises, but it was really good. I also read it after the mass frenzy, so my expectations weren't as high.

Rated: PG

Recommendation: 16 and Up

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn by: Stephenie Meyer This is book number four in the Twilight Series. This book is definitely not appropriate for young adults!!!! In this book Bella and Edward get married, and then do what married people do. Fine for me, maybe, but I do not want my girls reading it as young adults. There are jokes about them being "intimate" and very detailed descriptions about the aftermath (which is nothing like reality....but a young girl would not know that). Bella becomes pregnant, and everyone except her and Rose want to abort the "thing." Once again, not really something I want a young girl reading. The story is strange but good, and it keeps you reading. Bella's continuing relationship with Jacob still drives me crazy. I was worried when I started reading, but the ending made it all come together for me. I really liked the ending. Sorry for my strong opinions on this one. The other day I heard a 12-yr-old say she was reading it and I just cringed...

 Rated: PG-13 to R (For language and very adult themes, physical intimacy)

Recommendation: Married and Up. I do not want my young girls to think that "physical intimacy" or being pregnant are in any way like they are in this book. This is NOT for young adults!

Eclipse

Eclipse
by: Stephenie Meyer
This is book number three in the Twilight Series. This book goes through Bella and Edward's love story. Vampires fight vampires. Werewolves get involved. This book is still very good. I worry about series sometimes, but this one is still really good. I get tired of Bella sometimes, and her relationship with Jacob drives me crazy. But, once again, you just have to read it! This book gets more into adult themes. Bella and Edward are trying to decide how to proceed in their relationship, and I do not think it is appropriate for young adults. At this point I think married women are a more appropriate audience, but that is just my humble opinion.

Rated: PG-13 to R

Recommendation: Married and Up.

New Moon

New Moon

by: Stephenie Meyer

This is book number two in the Twilight Series. Bella continues dating Edward until he breaks up with her, for her own good, pretty much. She falls apart and is "lifeless," according to her dad. She spends a lot of time with her friend Jacob, who helps her through this time. She still loves Edward, and when Alice, his sister, comes to ask for Bella's help, she goes with her to help Edward. They end up working things out and getting back together. Edward and Jacob are enemies. As with book number one, this book is a fast read and is well written. I didn't like it as much as I liked the first one, but it was still really good, and....you just have to read it!

Rated: PG-13 (Some language and adult themes)

Recommendation: Married and Up. This book itself may not warrant the married recommendation, but the last book in the series definitely does, so you don't want to start a young girl reading it because she'll want to finish. This series is NOT young adult appropriate.

Twilight

Twilight

by: Stephenie Meyer

A high school student named Bella moves from Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father. She meets a beautiful guy named Edward, who turns out to be a vampire. She falls desperately in love with him. Luckily, he lives with his "family" and they are good vampires. They feed from animals, not humans. This book goes through many of the trials that their love affair causes. I loved this book! It is kind of hard to summarize, as it sounds kind of silly when you put it that way, but I thought it was really good. I'm one for sappy love stories, though. And I just found Edward very intriguing. Stephenie Meyer has a very good imagination and, I think, wrote it very well. It is technically a young adult book and is therefore a very fast read, even with its 500 pages. As I said, it is a young adult book....I do not think I will allow my girls to read it until they are older (college age, maybe). It does have some adult themes in it. And if this one doesn't as much, the following ones do more. The problem is, once you start the series, you're hooked, and the following books are not young adult appropriate (in my humble opinion).

Rated: PG-13

Recommendation: Married and Up. The series is NOT for young adults or young girls. Parents, please read it first. Don't give in to your daughters. The last book in this series is not appropriate at all for young adults.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

by: Stephen Covey

This book is a very well written book by Stephen Covey that illustrates how to improve your family relationships and overall family life. There are many examples written by people who have implemented the strategies in their own lives, and they help show how the strategies work. This book is more about common sense and self -improvement than some strange program. I would definitely recommend this book. I have a really good family and family life, but I wanted to make it better, and I think the information in this book helped to do that. I would recommend this book to any individual or family that wants to take a good thing and make it great.

Rated: G

Recommendation: Great as a family read-aloud. I'd say 12 and up to read alone. This is especially good for parents to read.