Books! Books! Books! Allena's Recent Reads

I've been a reading machine lately. I realized I had several books that I wanted to share that I've read, so I thought it could be fun to go over all the books I've read every month or two, and I'd love it if you'd give me an suggestions for my ever growing book list.

So without further adieu...

My recent reads over about the last 2 months...

A Clash of Kings - Book 2 in the Song of Fire and Ice series {a.k.a. The Game of Thrones books} - I think this series is so awesome - it's got a little bit of fantasy, murder mysteries, crazy families, suspense, adventure...just about everything you could want.

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America - I honestly don't even know how to put into words my feelings on this book. The might be the book that has had the most emotional impact on me in a LONG time. {Synopsis from Amazon.com: On a warm spring evening in South Los Angeles, a young man is shot and killed on a sidewalk minutes away from his home, one of the thousands of black Americans murdered that year. His assailant runs down the street, jumps into an SUV, and vanishes, hoping to join the scores of killers in American cities who are never arrested for their crimes. But as soon as the case is assigned to Detective John Skaggs, the odds shift. Here is the kaleidoscopic story of the quintessential, but mostly ignored, American murder—a “ghettoside” killing, one young black man slaying another—and a brilliant and driven cadre of detectives whose creed is to pursue justice for forgotten victims at all costs.} Many of the detectives discussed in this book had the attitude of letting these 'bad guys' kill each other. There are so many problems with that thought process. First, even' bad guys' are somebody's children. Second, many of these so-called bad guys were born into a system set-up to fail them - the cycle of poverty creates so many countless problems I never thought of until recent years. Third, many of these victims were truly innocent and to quote the author 'what killed Bryant was the one fact about himself he couldn't change: he was black'. I think everybody should read this book. Period.

What Alice Forgot - I am woefully late to the Liane Moriarty party and could kick myself. This was light and fun with a touch of thought-provoking-ness added in to make it a little more meaningful than the typical chick-lit book. Quick and light read, perfect for anyone who enjoys a fun story. Can't wait to read more by Liane!

Heroes are My Weakness - A very typical romance novel, and I loved it! It took me a couple of chapters to get into the main character but I couldn't put this one down. 

Sitting Still Like a Frog - Parents of hyperactive kids need this book. Really anyone could benefit from this, but I think it's going to really help us with Trent. This book is all about 'mindfulness exercises' to help you center yourself, focus, be calm, increase concentration...who couldn't benefit from this?!

So that's what I've been reading lately! I've got some stuff on reserve at the library, and we have book club coming up in May - lots of continued great reading! I'm also going to unofficially do a book challenge with my friend Amy, so I'll share that with y'all next week. {Sidebar - This weekend I am going to take Trent to the library so we can get library cards for our new library. To say I am excited is an understatement!}

What about you? What have you been reading?