Not All Worms Are Slimy

It's been a while since I've done a book worm post.  I've finally emerged from my recent pages and I'm anxious to share all of them with you.  Here's what I thought of my recent reads...

Mockingjay

 Wonderful.  Some people were disappointed by this last installment of the Hunger Games series. To me the ending was sad, yes, but it was a true portrayal of what people face when they return home from such a violent experience.  Some wounds can't be mended in this life and all we can do is place hope in future generations and healing beyond this world.  I loved this book and I was sad when the series was over.  Now I can only sit and hope Kristin Stewart doesn't get picked to play the lead role in the movie.  If she does I'll lose all faith in the universe.









The Help

 I adored every character in this book.  I was fascinated by the author's ability to create such vivid and interesting character development.  I fell in love with the characters and appreciated the unique view of the complicated and surprisingly tender relationship between black maids and white women and children in the south.  I cried more than once.












The Sweetness At The Bottom Of Pie

 Great title.  Mildly interesting characters whose appeal somehow wore off in the excruciatingly slow plot development.  Not the worst book I've ever read, but not my favorite. 









Born To Run

Hands down one of the best books I've read.  A warning for those sensitive to profanity in books - this book is a little heavy in this department.  If you have my uncanny ability to insert "flatulent" where another favorite "f" word is placed, you'll be good to go :)  This book is a superb combination of fun storytelling, research, inspiration, and hilarity all rolled into one.  I'm absolutely enamored with the Tarahumara people and their respect, command, and appreciation of life and the human body.  I loved learning about our bodies and how they are literally built to run.  I was sickened by our sedentary lives of leisure, often devoid of hard work, physical exertion, and the elation of pushing our bodies to the limit.  It inspired me not only to get back into running, but eat less meat, more vegetables, and to live a fuller, happier life.  A few of my favorite parts:

"You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running."

"You can't hate the beast and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something is to love it."

"The most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner's arsenal: instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it."

"Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up.  It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.  Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.  It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.  It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."