A Coal Miner's Bride (and book-to-movie adaptations you might want to check out)

{Like most of my posts about books, this one contains Amazon affiliate links.}

I've mentioned that my to-read  list is out of control.  I'm making a conscious effort to only add must-reads, but my list still holds enough books to last me through early next year, without adding another one.  Despite this, Kati and I decided to tackle our Sisters Book Challenge for the third year.

I read my third selection from the list in April.  It was perfect timing.  I was in my last super-intense week of half-marathon training.  I ran more miles that week than I have ever run in a 7-day period.  My body was tired.  My mind was tired. 

But if you know me, you know I'm never without a book.  Even in my weary state, I needed something to read in my down time so I picked up A Coal Miner's Bride: the Diary of Anetka Kaminska.  Considered juvenile literature, it was just easy enough to not tax my tired brain but still well-written with a touch of suspense.   (Plus, a good book is not bound by age-restraints.)  I also liked that since it was written in diary form, I could read for as little or as long as I wanted...or until I needed a nap.

A Coal Miner's Bride: the Diary of Anetka Kaminska follows the story of a young teen who immigrates to Pennsylvania to marry at man she has never met.  She needs passage to the United States and he needs someone to care for his house while he works. Due to some mild subject matter, I would not recommend the book to young elementary-age children, but older children should find this glimpse of American history fascinating.

the list Kati gave me this year

*****

the list I gave Kati

It's worth noting that  Kati and I each recommended a book that is, or will be, adapted for the screen this year.

Kati recommended Unbroken which I read a few months ago. Brian and I plan to watch the DVD for "movie night/date night" tomorrow evening.

I recommended  The Light Between Oceans, a story set post-World War I in Australia.  The movie comes to theaters later this year.

For more book-to-movie discussion, check out my  Based on the Book blog series.

Unbroken

Do you ever think about reading a particular book and then put it off so many times that you doubt you'll ever truly get around to reading it?

That book for me was Unbrokenby Laura Hillenbrand.  I first heard about it several years ago and considered reading it.  Then I found out it had close to 400 pages of small type and I changed my mind. But the book gained in popularity and I was intrigued again.  It was being made into a movie (a bonus!) and  the main character was a runner (though he was faster and more dedicated than I ever dream to be!).  Still, I hesitated.  History books are not my thing and this book certainly did not look like light bedtime reading.

When Kati put it on the Sisters Book Challenge, that gave me the incentive and motivation to go for it. Reading is sort of like running for me.  Sometime I have push out of my comfort zone and put forth a little more effort than is comfortable...but I'm always glad that I did it!

Unbroken is the true story of Louie Zamperini,  a member of the Army Air Force during World War II  who survived a plane crash and years in a brutal Japanese POW camp. The author shares amazing detail of Zamperini's childhood, early adulthood, and the horrific years of his capture. Knowing almost nothing about the man before I started the book, I found the handful of chapters describing Zamperini's life after the war fascinating.  What a story of forgiveness and redemption! 

The book is peppered with photos which was also a highlight for me.  I love to study photographs, illustrating and cementing what I'm reading.

Now I'm more excited than ever to see the movie.  I think we're number 22 on the library hold list so I have a few weeks to wait!

Have you read Unbroken? Have you seen the movie?  What did you think?

The Night Shift

One thing that makes our Sisters Book Challenge so difficult is reading books that are outside of my comfort zone.  Reading a book that I would not have chosen for myself takes a bit of mental gymnastics. I consider myself a lazy reader.  Though I read a lot, I read for pleasure so sometimes I avoid books that I feel might stretch me.  I rarely dislike a book once I dive in, but  I have to get past the idea that I'm not going to like something or that it will be too difficult or not in a genre I typically enjoy.

When Kati gave me this year's list, one book stood out to me because it was precisely something I would have chosen for myself!  It made this year's first pick a no-brainer.  The Night Shiftis Dr. Brian Goldman's recounting of one shift of his stint as a Canadian emergency room physician.  I'm a medical memoir junkie so I loved this book.  I loved reading how Dr. Goldman diagnosed patients, deciphered strange symptoms, and dealt with the cases that were emotionally trying.  (In the interest of disclosure, occasionally I detected a touch of arrogance in Dr. Goldman's tone which was off-putting and there was a moderate amount of bad language in patient quotes, though the copy I read had it blacked out.) 

I love this type of book so much that sometimes I think I missed my calling in the medical profession! 

Do you read medical books or watch medical TV shows?  I love the Call the Midwife television series, especially the first two seasons, and I've been known to rearrange my schedule in the summer so I don't miss Boston Med.

Sisters Book Challenge

2015 is off to a rollicking start. Our furnace stopped working (on a bitterly cold evening) and mysteriously started up again the next day. The kids had an impromptu sleepover with their grandmother.  I started training for a 10-miler and my 2nd half-marathon. We cycled our way through a shared family cold. I had a stubborn molar pulled. Maddie and Gavin spent special days with friends.  We hosted company for dinner. We moved a large piece of furniture out of our dining room and replaced it with another.  Brian celebrated his birthday...

Despite all the busyness, I also got a rollicking start to checking off my to-read list.  And yet, the list keeps getting longer.  It's hopeless.

My sister, Kati, and I decided to continue our Sisters Book Challenge for the third year  Here's how it works: 

• Kati makes a list of 10 books. 
• I make a list of 10 books.
• Trade lists. 
• Each choose 5 books from the list.
• Read and review.
  

Kati and I exchanged lists on New Year's Day.  The most difficult part of the challenge for me each year is picking up books I might not gravitate towards on my own.  (I'm a little set in my ways and that includes my reading preferences.)

This year, though, one book was already on my need-to-read list and another was exactly a book I would choose (though I had never heard of it before). I'll be posting my first review soon. 

This is the list I gave to Kati.  For a fun twist, I included 5 fiction and 5 non-fiction book, all of which I read myself in 2014.

Have you read any of the books on either list?  What did you think?

Any you want to add to your own to-read list?