Widely popular author of best-selling books, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and The Five Jerks You Meet on Earth , this is Mitch Albom’s lastest, For One More Day.
This the PERFECT gift to give anyone. I bought a few copies to have as an “emergency” gifts and I have also given as hostess gift.
It is sad but very moving and bittersweet. I read it fairly quickly and wish I could have slowed down to savour.
The premise of the book is :
For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?
As a child, Charley “Chick” Benetto was told by his father, “You can be a mama’s boy or a daddy’s boy, but you can’t be both.” So he chooses his father, only to see the man disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence.
Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding. And he decides to take his own life.
He makes a midnight ride to his small hometown, with plans to do himself in. But upon failing even to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother—who died eight years earlier—is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing ever happened.
What follows is the one “ordinary” day so many of us yearn for, a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain the family secrets, and to seek forgiveness. Somewhere between this life and the next, Charley learns the astonishing things he never knew about his mother and her sacrifices. And he tries, with her tender guidance, to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together.
Through Albom’s inspiring characters and masterful storytelling, readers will newly appreciate those whom they love—and may have thought they’d lost—in their own lives. For One More Day is a book for anyone in a family, and will be cherished by Albom’s millions of fans worldwide.
The books was recently filmed as a made for TV movie, produced by Oprah Winfrey ( I also watched the movie and wasn’t nearly as good as the book- sorry!)
Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Book of the Month Books at 8:40 AM EST
Share Your Comments »
The 10 Commandments of Common Sense: Wisdom from the Scriptures for People of All Beliefs
This months book is, The 10 Commandments of Common Sense: Wisdom from the Scriptures for People of All Beliefs
. This will appeal to both the secular and non-secular alike. Don’t be scared off by religious over tones. The book is funny, touchy and offers real insight into human behavior.
Readers love Hal Urban’s books for their common sense their wisdom and their inspirational affirmation of timeless values. With The 10 Commandments of Common Sense he continues to build on his central theme — that there’s a direct relationship between good character and the quality of life. Five of his principles are do’s as in ”Keep a positive outlook on life” and ”Bring out the best in other people.” The other five are don’t’s as in ”Don’t be seduced by popular culture” and ”Don’t judge other people.” These ten commandments of timeless wisdom will inspire people of all faiths who are searching for more meaning and direction in their lives no matter where it comes from.
Other Books by Hal Urban:
Life\’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things That Matter
Choices That Change Lives: 15 Ways to Find More Purpose, Meaning, and Joy
20 Things I Want My Kids to Know
Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Book of the Month Books at 12:04 PM EST
Share Your Comments »
From the book Eat, Pray, Love by By Elizabeth Gilbert
Behind her: a seven-year marriage, a wrenching divorce, a disastrous affair. What Elizabeth Gilbert needed was a little distance. Make that a lot of distance. So she took a deep breath, dropped everything, and got out of town. In this excerpt from her book, she discovers the pleasures of Rome; the joy of learning 10 Italian idioms a day; the amazing eyes of her language buddy, Giovanni; and the healing power of pizza.
I was Introduced to this book last Spring when a good friend of mine had a breast cancer scare ( that turned out benign but was a harrowing 3 weeks). She happened to be reading the book just before it started and she credits this book with giving her the strength to survive. We spent some lazy days at the beach where she read aloud passages of the book to me. The memory is bittersweet for me- the day was beautiful and sunny and we could hear laughter of our kids playing and she read from this book that was just so inspiring and beautifully written- and she was going through absolute hell.
The book is indeed inspriraing so muc so that I began to delve into the world of meditation- but that’;s anothr post.
My girlfriend told me today that the authour was goin to be on Opraj this coming Monday.. ( and I am one of the few people I now that does NOT like Oprah) but I MAY have to watch the show.
I would be curious to hear if others have read the book and how ( if?) it affected them.
For more info on Eat, Pray, Love on Oprah : http://www2.oprah.com/presents/2007/eatpraylove/eatpraylove_excerpt.jhtml
Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Book Recommendations, Book of the Month Books at 2:03 PM EDT
Share Your Comments »
“My memory is like a film….And when people ask me to remember something I can simply press Rewind and Fast Forward and Pause like on a video recorder….If someone says to me, ‘Christopher, tell me what your mother was like,’ I can rewind to lots of different scenes and say what she was like in those scenes.”
I was simply enchanted by this book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. One of my dear friends gave to to last year to take on a trip to Florida. She had mentioned it was kind of a mystery and the main character was a teenage boy living with Asperger’s Syndrome. But this book was just so much more! I finally picked it up yesterday morning… and then read it start to finsh.
My girlfriend has 2 sons who are living with Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s is a high functioning form of autism. Within the homeschooling community I have met many families who have a child with Asperger’s. These children have almost always faced severe bullying n school and tend not to thrive in a school setting. I know there are many sides to the issue- however from my experience I can only see it as cruel to try and force a child or adolescent into a school or institutionalized setting, its very nature sets up the child for failure and misery, buts that;s another post.
The book open with Christopher, 15 , discovery he neighbor’s dog, Wellington, dead- killed with a pitchfork. The story is written entirely from Christopher’s point of view as he tries to solve the puzzle of who and why it happened. Christopher is somewhat of a math wizard and loves logic and puzzles. The book is liberally sprinkled with interesting math problems and puzzles that I found delightful- some that have really given me cause to think. ( especially the “Monty Hall Problem”
The book was refreshing and touching. It gave us a glimpse of how another type of person’s mind works- and his own sense of logic. I found it beautiful.
There is some strong language and mature content if that is a concern. The book would be a good read from about ages 12+ depending on the child. You may also want to read aloud and discuss.
This book would be a great springboard for talking about all kind of the things- difference in people. acceptance, tolerance and expression.
This has been one of my favourite books of the year- I HIGHLY recommend.
Related The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Links:
”Whitbread Book Awards” Book of the Year Winner 2003
Mathematical Association of America book review
Suggested Discussion Questions for the Book: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/curious_incident_dog1.asp
Author Mark Haddon;s Offical Website (EXCELLENT!) http://www.markhaddon.com/
Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Book Recommendations, Book Recommendations for Boys, Book Recommendations: Books for Girls, Book of the Month Books, General Homeschool and Unschooling at 4:52 PM EDT
Share Your Comments »
Finally! To be released released on July 21, 2007
Countdown has begun for me! Of course this months book has to be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 
Our family has been eagerly looking forward to it since finishing The half Blood Prince.
I am having mixed feelings- the thought that the series will be ending gives me a lump in my throat. For the last 9 years I have read the Harry Potter books each Summer by the campfire. It has become my own tradition to take the latest book with me camping and read by the fire. I often go to Algonquin Park in August and it can be chilly in the morning and nothing is more cosy than to sit by the warm fire with its delicious smell and read the latest installment of Harry and friends adventures. The though that this will be my last year saddens me. I know that they can;;t go on forever and knowing there IS an ending is what makes them so special- that JK Rowling won;t be spewing endless versions cheapening the brand, er story.
Harry Potter Links:
THE Harry Potter Site- a must visit for fans: http://mugglenet.com/
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audio Book/CD’s 
Official Site: http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/
Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Book of the Month Books, General Homeschool and Unschooling at 9:01 AM EDT
Share Your Comments »
