Building Castles in the Air

I don't read a lot of non-fiction or memoir type books, but I enjoy them thouroughly. There is something so rich in reading a real life account, biased or swayed as it may be. Jeannette Walls does an incredible job weaving the tapestry of her life within the pages of The Glass Castle. I felt like I knew this family. I've encountered them in my acquaintances as well as even perhaps moments of my own life.
What I love best is how optimistic and non-blaming the book reads. Things most of us would view as complete tragedy and scarring for life read just as the expected roll of things. She and her siblings seem to bounce back and survive.
There is a coldness that I feel comes with true poverty. I've never felt more at loss or financially drained as when I've been too cold and unable to warm myself. In no way am I claiming to have been on the streets or in those dire situations, but I do know that cold has a claim on us far greater than heat. Perhaps I speak for myself, but I would have rather baked in those deserts with that family than to have stayed still in the frigid coldness of West Virginia winters.
I highly recommend this book as an eye opener and food for thought.

Room by Emma Donoghue

As I began reading this book I thought I wasn't going to like it. As I continued to read it, however, my viewpoint started to change. I felt that the voice was a little overmatured for a 5 year old, but as I discovered the true background to this child and his mother, I began to appreciate and see how true to nature it would have been.
I would recommend this novel to others because I think it exposes a lot of things for discussion. The role of the mother. The relationship between mother and child. The protectress mother in a difficult and unbelievable situation. The adjustment to "normal" life versus the solitude and confinement or "safety" of Room. Nursing. Criminal justice. Psychology. So much to discuss from just about every angle.
Although I don't think it will make it as an eventual classic, I do think it was a good a thoughtful read. I'd put it in a class with My Sister's Keeper but I do like the ending better in Room.

Mr. Grisham

I apologize to any of you who may be "popcorn" fanatics. I just don't really enjoy "entertainment only" literature. I don't really get entertained somehow.
I think John Grisham had a point to make in writing Skipping Christmas and it could have been more enjoyable, perhaps, had I not spoiled this one by watching the movie first. Of course, I wasn't really thinking I'd ever read the book when I watched "Christmas with the Kranks" a couple years ago. And, now having read the book, they definitely chose the wrong cast. I like Tim Allen movies and expect his humor and persona, but I just don't think he was who John Grisham would have chosen. I would have chosen Keifer Sutherland or Michael Keaton. Someone who looks a little more ruff and gruff and serious but who could take the humorous things that happen.
We just had our annual Christmas Devotional from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and they talked about enjoying the season and not letting the material things get in the way. I think that was also Mr. Grisham's point. The material things don't make up Christmas, but rather who we spend time with for those moments and memories and that we should always be seeking the true meaning of the season: love. We see this as Grisham has Mr. Krank extend the tickets that are unusable now for his wife and him to a couple who could be celebrating their last Christmas.
Still, I can't say I'd recommend the book to anyone else. I just don't generally enjoy the popcorn of literature when I could feast on greater works of literature. And, since there are so many of those in the world, I don't want to "waste" time on the junk food.