The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd's ravishing debut novel has stolen the hearts of reviewers and readers alike with its strong, assured voice. Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love--a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come
- Goodreads

I had a terrible time reading this book. It was very slow and unrealistic throughout. The ending was actually a little exciting in some parts but that was the gist of it. I am usually excited to watch the movie after I read the book but I think I will skip that.
3 out of 5 Stars

Vampire, Interrupted by Lynsay Sands

After seven hundred years of life, Marguerite Argeneau finally has a career. Well, the start of one, anyway. She's training to be a private investigator, and her first assignment is to find an immortal's mother. It seemed simple enough, until Marguerite wakes up one evening to find herself at the wrong end of a sword. Now she realizes she's in way over her head.

Julius Notte wants to protect Marguerite, and not because someone just tried to take her head off. She doesn't know it yet, but she's his lifemate and he's determined to woo her. It's been over five hundred years since he last courted a woman, but surely the techniques haven't changed. Now if only he can keep her alive—so to speak—so they can have that happily-ever-after.
-Goodreads
I really enjoyed this one. It was really nice having Marguerites story told and it answered a lot of questions. Even some that I didn't know that I had!
4 out of 5 Stars

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

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Remember the woman you used to be ...

Alice is twenty-nine. She is whimsical, optimistic and adores sleep, chocolate, her ramshackle new house and her wonderful husband Nick. What's more, she's looking forward to the birth of the 'Sultana' - her first baby.

But now Alice has slipped and hit her head in her step-aerobics class and everyone's telling her she's misplaced the last ten years of her life.

In fact, it would seem that Alice is actually thirty-nine and now she loves schedules, expensive lingerie, caffeine and manicures. She has three children and the honeymoon is well and truly over for her and Nick. In fact, he looks at her like she's his worst enemy. What's more, her beloved sister Elisabeth isn't speaking to her either. And who is this 'Gina'everyone is so carefully trying not to mention?

Alice isn't sure that she likes life ten years on. Every photo is another memory she doesn't have and nothing makes sense. Just how much can happen in a decade? Has she really lost her lovely husband for ever?
-Goodreads

3 out of 5 Stars
Not my favorite book. It ended up getting better towards the end but over all I didn't like it

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

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Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't
-Goodreads.

5 out of 5 Stars.
I had no intention of picking this book up. It isnt my normal book. The only reason I read it was because of all the comments on Facebook from friends talking about how wonderful this book is. I couldn't put it down. I couldnt wait to pick it back up. I loved every second of it and will pick it up again.

The Mystery of Harry Potter by Nancy Brown

Author Nancy Brown has done all the research and analysis of the Harry Potter series to answer parents' questions without spoiling the endings. Are the stories compatible with our Faith? What kind of role model is Harry? Could children learn spells from the books? How will you know when your child is ready? It's a must-read for every Catholic family!
-Goodreads

4 out 5 Stars. I loved this book. It gave me a hole new insight to all of the Harry Potter books. I loved them before, I love them even more now.

Heaven is for Real by Todd, Sonja, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.

Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.

Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.
-Goodreads

What an inspirational book. Very emotional at times and everything you want to believe in is confirmed to you. Very innocently written.
4 out of 5 Stars

Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far by Bristol Palin

The oldest daughter of Sarah Palin and single mother goes beyond the headlines, offering readers an inside look at her life, her world, and the things that matter most, including her family and the faith that keeps her centered. When her mother became the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate in 2008, Bristol Palin was instantly propelled into the national spotlight, becoming the focus of intense public and national media scrutiny at the age of seventeen.

In Not Afraid of Life, Bristol gives readers an intimate behind-the-scenes look at her life for the first time, from growing up in Alaska to coming of age amid the media and political frenzy surrounding her mother’s political rise; from becoming a single mother while still a teenager to coping as her relationship with her baby’s father crumbled publicly—not once, but twice. Bristol talks about the highs and lows of her appearance on ABC-TV’s Dancing with the Stars, including the aching hours of practice, the biting criticisms, and the thrill of getting to the show’s finals. She speaks candidly of her aspirations for the future and the deep religious faith that gives her strength and inspiration. Plainspoken and disarmingly down to earth, Bristol offers new insight and understanding of who she is and what she values most.
-Goodreads

I loved this book. Bristol has lead a pretty fortunate life that has been seemed to be pretty hard at some times. Dealing with some hard issues and mean people. I have no idea if the Palin Haters would like this book because the Palins can't do anything right in their eyes but according me I loved it.
4 out of 5 Stars