Vacation

Jon and I had a great summer vacation to Milwaukee and Chicago this past week. The weather was a little cooler in the Midwest and it was fun to get away and see new things. We were in Milwaukee specifically for Jon's cousin's wedding. It was very good to see Jon's family, especially since we haven't been to Milwaukee for over a year and a half. While there we went to a dog show with them (a first for both Jon and me), ate at Kopp's restaurant, Jon's favorite, and went to Germanfest for lunch. It was packed. Don't even ask me what I had because I couldn't pronounce it, but it was like a beef tips over noodles. Not too bad. Now I know if I ever go to Germany that I won't be stuck with just kraut, brats, and beer.

We also went to Chicago-my first time there! I thought it was a very pretty "big city," and very clean. The architecture is much more varied than NYC, which I think adds to the ambiance. Plus, because the Chicago River runs through so much of downtown it is different than many other big cities I have visited in America. We were very blessed and were able to stay in a penthouse right off of Michigan Avenue. It was gorgeous-with views of Navy Pier, Lake Michigan, the Hancock Building, and downtown, including the Sears Tower. There were floor to ceiling windows, and it really took your breath away. We also met up with Troy and Kelly and two of their friends while in Chicago.

We got to go on a sunset boat ride for our 2nd anniversary which was very beautiful. We lucked out because there was a beautiful, huge, full harvest moon that night. We tried to capture pictures, but it didn't do it justice. It was a very memorable anniversary to be sure!

We also visited Second City comedy club. I've wanted to do this for years and heard great things, and it didn't disappoint. The show was very good and pretty reasonable priced considering how famous it is and that we were in an expensive city. I'd definitely recommend it.

Last summer book post

This will be my final book review of the summer and wraps up the past several weeks of reading. I made my goal: 20 books! I would like to continue reading once the school year starts, but it looks like it’s going to be a busy year between work and grad school. If anyone reads a book they think is interesting, I’d love to hear about it.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy ***.5/*****

I read this book because it was on Oprah’s book club list as well as a best seller. The plot is very simple: a boy and his dad after some post-apocalyptic event struggling to survive. The book doesn’t have much excitement, and is a very depressing read, but it kept my interest. McCarthy’s writing style is very original as the book is told entirely in 3rd person. We don’t ever find out the character’s names, and it is mostly a descriptive narrative and could have been told in a short story format very effectively as well.


The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan ***.5/*****
This was such a popular book several years back, but I never read it before. The story centers around eight main characters-four elderly Chinese women and their daughters. Their different life stories and perspectives are interwoven together. I have seen this done a lot in books, but perhaps this type of storytelling was more original in the early 90’s when the book was written. It was an interesting book, but it didn’t convince me to read any other Tan novels.

Having a Mary Spirit by Joanna Weaver **/*****
I was really looking forward to reading this book as I thoroughly enjoyed “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.” This book I found to be a huge let down. For one, the title seems to be chosen to remind readers of the first novel as the book had very little to do with Mary (mother of Jesus, Magdalene, or sister of Martha) as a biblical reference point as to how we should model our behavior. The book was filled with spiritual truths, but they were ones I have heard for years and I didn’t find them very challenging. I would recommend this book more for new Christians, whereas I would recommend Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World to any Christian woman who feels she fits the “Type A” persona.

The next set of books I read right before leaving for vacation and they seemed to have melted together now (very similar time periods can do that). Instead, I am only giving a brief review. (Plus, I'm really tired right now from being two hours ahead in time zones.) :)

The Spanish Bride by Laurien Gardner ***.5/*****
I have read all 3 books this summer and I enjoyed this one as well. The writing is very different from the other two because the time periods keep switching back and forth, but it is a very well done novel.

Emilie’s Voice by Susanne Dunlap **/*****
Easy read, but the character development was weak and the writing style wasn’t my favorite.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig ***.5/*****
This had the potential to be a great series and a book I’d really enjoy: historical romance is my favorite genre. But the romance in this novel quickly took a turn into what I’d call nearly soft porn or a cheesy Fabio romance novel. Too bad.

The First Princess of Wales by Karen Harper ***/*****
This book is a long one but was very engrossing. However, some of the romance scenes in this book were also very graphic and what should have been romantic but they felt more like lustful moments. The characters, however, were very interesting and the writing was good. I’d give this author one more chance to see what another novel would be like.

Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado ***/*****
This book is about how to find a job that you are truly passionate about. I thought some of the stories were very good (think sermon illustrations). However, I felt the quiz to help you get to know yourself better wasn’t clear enough and one would need more guidance to get anything concrete from this book.