is a memoir written by four siblings Dan, Diana, Amanda and Liz Welch.

I'm not normally a fan of memoirs – I find it questionable how authors can remember so many events with such detail. It strikes me as a little suspect, and I tend to read memoirs as though they were fiction (a recent example is The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls – an incredible book that moved me tremendously but I couldn't come to grips with how she could remember with such astounding detail). The Kids are All Right was different in that it isn't uncommon to have the four narrators contradict each other, or even say, "I don't remember what happened next."

I really enjoyed the different elements brought to the book by each of the different narrators. As they differed in age, each of the siblings were able to tell more or less depending on their age at the time – particularly interesting is how drastically different the youngest sibling and oldest sibling experienced the death of their father.

While the subject matter was definitely a tough one, I found this to be an enjoyable read.

What's next on your "to read" list?

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I purchased both "The Cat In the Hat" and "Dr. Seuss's ABC" for my four-year-old to play with on my phone while I'm driving. Both stories have the option to either have the story read TO your child, or for you child to read along with the words on the screen.

Pages are easily turned with a simple right-to-left swipe on the screen. My daughter was enthralled to see her favorites on the phone and I loved how she could learn her alphabet while I was driving the car!

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But… here I go. I joined a book club.

Our first book is Still Alice by Lisa Genova. This New York Times bestseller focuses on Alice Howland, a Harvard professor who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease after a series of confusions – becoming disoriented, having trouble finding words, and misplacing things.

I'm about halfway through and surprisingly, I am really enjoying this story. The writing has drawn me in, as has Alice's story and I find myself both eager to turn the page to see what happens next and fearing the advancement of her disease.

At the end of our book club meeting, each of us will write down a book suggestion on a slip of paper and we'll draw one randomly to select our next book – and I have no idea what to pick!

Are you in a book club? Do you enjoy the discussion or do you attend for the girl time and appetizers (let's face it, that's a huge draw!)? What book should I suggest for the next session?

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Editor's Choice:

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann :

Colum McCann has worked some exquisite magic with Let the Great World Spin, conjuring a novel of electromagnetic force that defies gravity. (Amazon.com)

Customer's Choice

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Let's start with the question every Dan Brown fan wants answered: Is The Lost Symbol as good as The DaVinci Code? Simply put, yes. Brown has mastered the art of blending nail-biting suspense with random arcana (from pop science to religion), and The Lost Symbol is an enthralling mix. And what a dazzling accomplishment that is, considering that rabid fans and skeptics alike are scrutinizing every word. (Amazon.com)

You can download the e-version on your Kindle and even your computer!  I did not know that!  This is my newest obsession..

Anyone read these two books yet?  Thoughts?

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I recently listened in on a webinar with Marcus Buckingham author of Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently. He actually told us the 3 things happy and successful women DON'T do.

• They don't multi-task
• They don't juggle
• They don't strive for balance

Surprising isn't it? I bet you're trying to do all three as you read this article. (I'm trying to do all three as I write this article!)

Instead, happy and successful women focus on what energizes them. He told us, "No one discovers their passion, they build it out of an inkling."

So what energizes you? One way to find out is through Marcus's online test, StrongLifeTest.com,which is a companion to the book. It's a 32 question quiz that presents various scenarios and your reaction to them. At the end of the quiz, your results show you two roles, a leading role and supporting role that you naturally play in your life. This is where you can find your inkling.

When I thought of the question, "what energizes you?", I kept coming back to "interacting with people". I expected the test to tell me that I was a Caretaker, so I was surprised when it came back with:

Motivator (lead role) – You are acutely aware of the energy in the room, and you feel compelled to do what you can to elevate it. You do this with your outlook—you are an instinctively optimistic person.

and

Creator (supporting role) – You aren’t immune to the feelings and perspectives of others, but your starting point is your own insight, your own understanding.

During the webinar, Marcus said that when we discover what energizes us, we may reject it at first because it's not what we thought it would be. But when we accept and embrace it, that's when we can start to find our strongest moments. I've never really thought of myself as a motivator but if there is some inkling of that in me, I'd like to find out to make it work in my life!

That's where Marcus's book comes in. It helps you sort through what each Role means and how it plays out in your life. And guess what? Thomas Nelson is giving away 250 books to Blissfully Domestic readers!  Just click here to fill out the form. (Only one entry per mailing address. Offer valid only in Continental U.S.)

I'm curious though, would you go take the test and then tell us what your roles are and your thoughts about them? I'd love to get your feedback about what you learn!

The giveaway is conducted through Thomas Nelson Publishers, and a copy of the book was provided to me.
Photo courtesy of The Marcus Buckingham Company

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Barnes and Noble introduces the Nook as it's portable e-reading device.  Comparable in price to the Kindle at $259, the Nook offers more features such as the ability to e-lend books to friends for up to two weeks, and "thumb" through e-books on your reader for free in Barnes and Noble stores.

• The Nook offers a bottom bar with e-books to browse
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• It is the first to offer a color touch screen for navigation
• It offers the best-in-class E Ink display for an immersive, enjoyable e-reading experience.
• It provides (for free) both 3G wireless access on AT&T's mobile broadband network and access to Wi-Fi for Barnes & Noble

You can also check out the assortment of designer accessories for the Nook at B&N online.  Forget your Nook? Your books are still available via the downloadable e-reader for your computer or smartphone.  Never be without your book again!

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Today the field is flush with interesting and complex stories. Novels that are as compelling to the expected younger audience as they are to a more mature reader. One of these is the evolving trilogy that began with the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I was immediately sucked into the dystopian world Collins created. Now, with Catching Fire, the second in the trilogy, we are drawn back into the desperation and horror of the Games, an event held each year that requires two "tributes" from each of the twelve districts to compete to the death. It is meant to remind the districts of the war that shaped their nation, Panem, years ago, but it is pure entertainment for the ostentatious ruling class of the Capitol. However, all does not go as planned by the Gamemakers and our heroine Katniss becomes the center of a growing rebellion among the districts.

There is action and romance, intrigue and compassion. It is a thoroughly engaging read that will have you on the edge of your seat.

My only complaint? That I have to wait a year for the third and final installment to be published.

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Between Me and the River: Living Beyond Cancer: A Memoir is a beautifully written and heartfelt book about the trials and triumphs of a patient with Carcinoid Cancer. Author Carrie Host offers a more then honest view into her daily life and the emotional struggles she faced while being diagnosed with such a deadly disease. She demonstrates through her writing that hope is a powerful thing:

Cancer takes you to places that you'll never really completely come back from/ Sometimes, while all is still but the rustle of the leaves, I'll hear that angel's wings brushing the ice….."

This is one of my favorite samples of her amazing writing ability. Throughout the book, Host shares her fears, her discussions with God, her love for her husband, family and friends. With the love of her family and the doctors at the Mayo Clinic, Host overcame some of the most unbeatable odds. Host learned to put aside her pride and rely on others, even with the hardest of all tasks, raising her ten month old son. It was also through this struggle that she rediscovered a long lost love – writing.

This book really made me think about how I (and my family) would react to this situation. I guess one never ever fully knows how they would react but I do wonder if I would be strong enough, would my faith carry me through? This book is definitely getting passed on to fellow friends and survivors. It also makes a great book to give to those in the trenches of cancer. What better way to soothe the body then feed the mind?

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After picking up "The Diary" by Eileen Goudge and putting it down again within thirty pages two months ago, I was unsure of what to expect with "Once in a Blue Moon", sent to me by One2One Network. What I found was a story line that captured my attention, characters that were well-developed and a curiosity to want to know how the story would unfold.

The book is centered upon sisters Lindsay and Kerrie Ann, separated at a young age when they are taken from their neglectful mother and placed into foster care. One sister was adopted by a nurturing family and raised in a loving home – the other bounced from one rotten foster placement after another.

I curled up with this book and was finished with it within a few days – I wanted to find out more about Lindsay and Kerrie Ann, and was curious if they would be able to overcome their differences and come together in the end. The book will be released by Vanguard Press on October 6. You'll want to check it out.

One lucky reader will win a copy of Eileen Goudge's book Once in a Blue Moon and a copy of her best seller Woman in Red. Simply leave a comment on this post to enter.

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Ted Dekker's latest book Green (The Circle, Book 0: The Beginning and the End) is at the top of my Reading List.

If you have read the other books in this series, you will understand my excitement. If you haven't? Go. Read. You will  experience something fabulous.

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