Just a few days late! I like to keep my posts to one per day so today is the book post day! I finished Philomena a few days ago and enjoyed it.  Well, one can enjoy a book even if the story is tragic and the ending is not what we hope for.  A story of a mother forced to give up her three-year-old boy in 1950’s Ireland as told by Martin Sixsmith after research and interviews with people in the boy’s life. I must admit that when I went to my Good Reads page to mark it as read, and I saw that Susan Kavanagh (a friend of Michael’s and a main “character” in the book) had written a review that was not too kind, I was a tad deflated.  I felt like Oprah when she found out that James Frey’s “A Thousand Little Pieces” was mostly fiction.  This book is supposed to be based on the true story and as far as Kavanagh is concerned, should be categorized as fiction.

That said, I still enjoyed reading it and will now watch the movie – which should be interesting as the book is about Michael (Anthony’s) life and the movie is about Philomena’s search for him.

This month, for my “The Year in Books” choice,  I’ve decided to tackle a book that apparently everyone and their mother/father/brother/etc. has read but until now, still remained a mystery to me… J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye”.  Now, in my defense, I did go to French secondary school so it was not a book that was talked about!  I did go to English (and French) college and still had met anyone who had read it so…  About 20 years ago I decided to start catching up on what was once “required reading” in English.  So, I have been slowly reading one here and there.  This time, Salinger is the winner.  I’ve had it in my bookshelves for quite a few years but just never seemed to be in the mood to start it.  Can’t explain it but there you have it.  Now, it is time!

As it is not an overly large book, I also decided to read Dandelion by Sheelagh Mawe (mother of Mike Dooley of the TUT – Note from the Universe family).  I do that.  I saw there was some package deal on 3-4 of her books so I just bought them.  I love getting my daily email from the Universe letting me know how fabulous I am so I figured, the mother had to have some part in that!

I am enjoying the first few chapters so far…

How do you choose books you read?