Best fiction: And the Mountains Echoed (Hosseni); The Orphan Master's Son (Johnson)
Best non-fiction: A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bryson)
Best YA Book: Wonder (Palacio)
Least favorite book: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Best re-read: Harry Potter 1-7, back-to-back (Rowling)
Least memorable: The Yellow Birds
New favorite author: Paul Auster
Most disappointing book: Flowers for Algernon
*If I think of more categories later, I'll add on!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Book 54 - Insurgent
Insurgent
by Veronica Roth
So I finished book 2 in about a day. No surprise there, really, because the first book was so good. I enjoyed Insurgent almost as much as Divergent. I think it's hard to be the second part of a trilogy. The first part sets it up, the second part has to somehow keep your interest, and the third part builds and closes out the story.
Insurgent had a lot of plot twists, and I'm happy that it wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be. There were quite a few surprises in the story line, but also some foreshadowing that I both picked up on and didn't pick up on. The love story plot really gets to me, because it seems so real. Both Tris and Tobias are going through such a stressful and difficult time, and their love story reflects the stress, dishonestly, and exhaustion that comes with the "war" (or whatever we call it).
I started book 3, Allegiant, but I'm only about 60 pages in. I'll leave it to finish tomorrow or the next day, so I can start my 2014 52-book goal off well.
by Veronica Roth
So I finished book 2 in about a day. No surprise there, really, because the first book was so good. I enjoyed Insurgent almost as much as Divergent. I think it's hard to be the second part of a trilogy. The first part sets it up, the second part has to somehow keep your interest, and the third part builds and closes out the story.
Insurgent had a lot of plot twists, and I'm happy that it wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be. There were quite a few surprises in the story line, but also some foreshadowing that I both picked up on and didn't pick up on. The love story plot really gets to me, because it seems so real. Both Tris and Tobias are going through such a stressful and difficult time, and their love story reflects the stress, dishonestly, and exhaustion that comes with the "war" (or whatever we call it).
I started book 3, Allegiant, but I'm only about 60 pages in. I'll leave it to finish tomorrow or the next day, so I can start my 2014 52-book goal off well.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Book 53 - Divergent
Divergent
by Veronica Roth
Book 53 better be good. And it was. I'm just digesting the amazingness of Divergent. It is in the same idea of the Hunger Games (sorry Ms. Roth, but eventually I'll need to made a Venn diagram of the two series).
I love the strong female character, who shows lots of emotion and bares her weakness. The love story was a lot more believable than the Hunger Games, and seemed more natural (and I never liked Peeta anyway). Ok, sorry, I'll stop comparing the two right off the bat. The story line was interesting, and brought to light a lot of flaws with the world and future world.
As many thumbs up as I can possibly give. I'm off to Barnes and Noble to pay full price for the two hardcovers of Allegiant and Insurgent. That must mean they're really good if I'm buying hardcovers and not ordering from Amazon.
by Veronica Roth
Book 53 better be good. And it was. I'm just digesting the amazingness of Divergent. It is in the same idea of the Hunger Games (sorry Ms. Roth, but eventually I'll need to made a Venn diagram of the two series).
I love the strong female character, who shows lots of emotion and bares her weakness. The love story was a lot more believable than the Hunger Games, and seemed more natural (and I never liked Peeta anyway). Ok, sorry, I'll stop comparing the two right off the bat. The story line was interesting, and brought to light a lot of flaws with the world and future world.
As many thumbs up as I can possibly give. I'm off to Barnes and Noble to pay full price for the two hardcovers of Allegiant and Insurgent. That must mean they're really good if I'm buying hardcovers and not ordering from Amazon.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Book 52 - The Orphan Master's Son
The Orphan Master's Son
By Adam Johnson
What a great book 52, and a powerful way to reach my goal.
When I was about 100 pages in, I thought this book would be quite a dud. Little did I know, the action was non-stop and intriguing. I'm not into mysteries, but this was a different type of mystery (and definitely does not fit the mystery category). There was all kinds of evidence, but it was hard to piece things together until the end. This is the kind of literature I love--every little detail has a meaning, and is somehow relevant later on.
The storyline took me about 300 pages to fully piece together. The first second of the book was very straightforward and fast-paced. The narrative of Jun Do's life included enough detail to get the main idea, but was not weighed down with unnecessary descriptions. The second half, at the beginning, completely confused me. There are three different perspectives that recount the second part of the story, and it took a while to put them all together. Once I did, it became much more than a single-stranded tale, but a complicated web of corruption, totalitarianism, fear, and consequences.
I'm so thankful I read Nothing to Envy: Tales of Ordinary Lives in North Korea a few months ago. This gave me necessary background about the struggles of the people of North Korea, and the harsh propaganda that keeps this regime going. Otherwise, I don't know much about North Korea.
This book received a Pulitzer Prize in 2012, and I believe it was well deserved. This book I highly recommend!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Book 51 - Queen Bees and Wannabes
Queen Bees and Wannabes
by Rosalind Wiseman
I read this book through the lens of a teacher of adolescents, rather than a mother of a pre-teen (someday, but no day soon!). I wish I had read this when I was a teenager, because I would have truly understood what I thought about the girls I interacted with.
I found that this book was relatable, and easy to read. There was a lot of practical advice that I can use with my student, and later as a parent. Obviously, there is a lot of truth--the movie Mean Girls was based on this book. While it is a nonfiction book, it did not read like a self-help book to me. It was engaging and easy to read, without sounding condescending and lecture-y.
This is a book I would recommend to any parent with a child of any age. Lots of common sense, but things we seem to forget after we are no longer in the teenage years.
by Rosalind Wiseman
I read this book through the lens of a teacher of adolescents, rather than a mother of a pre-teen (someday, but no day soon!). I wish I had read this when I was a teenager, because I would have truly understood what I thought about the girls I interacted with.
I found that this book was relatable, and easy to read. There was a lot of practical advice that I can use with my student, and later as a parent. Obviously, there is a lot of truth--the movie Mean Girls was based on this book. While it is a nonfiction book, it did not read like a self-help book to me. It was engaging and easy to read, without sounding condescending and lecture-y.
This is a book I would recommend to any parent with a child of any age. Lots of common sense, but things we seem to forget after we are no longer in the teenage years.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Book 50 - The Happiness Project
The Happiness Project
by Gretchen Rubin
I try not to read the Goodreads reviews before I write my book post, because I don't want to be influenced. But, this time I decided to take a quick peek. Melanie says "This is not great literature. This is not earth-shattering or mind blowing in any way. Yet somehow, underneath the veneer of light-hearted entertainment, this sneaky little book is filled with profound truths." which pretty much sums up how I realize I feel about this book.
There were a lot of little gems and quotes that I took out of this book, and it's a great concept...just a lot of work. My favorite ideas revolved around mindfulness and changing myself so other people are happier. The nuggets I took from the book I will try out in my own life (but no full-blown Happiness Project experiment happening here).
I find it really interesting when people decide to do something for a certain amount of time, and then write a book about it. I'm not sure which order this all happens in, but it seems like it has made quite a few people successful.
Overall, this book definitely fits in with my different life perspectives theme for this year. It's a different way to do life.
by Gretchen Rubin
I try not to read the Goodreads reviews before I write my book post, because I don't want to be influenced. But, this time I decided to take a quick peek. Melanie says "This is not great literature. This is not earth-shattering or mind blowing in any way. Yet somehow, underneath the veneer of light-hearted entertainment, this sneaky little book is filled with profound truths." which pretty much sums up how I realize I feel about this book.
There were a lot of little gems and quotes that I took out of this book, and it's a great concept...just a lot of work. My favorite ideas revolved around mindfulness and changing myself so other people are happier. The nuggets I took from the book I will try out in my own life (but no full-blown Happiness Project experiment happening here).
I find it really interesting when people decide to do something for a certain amount of time, and then write a book about it. I'm not sure which order this all happens in, but it seems like it has made quite a few people successful.
Overall, this book definitely fits in with my different life perspectives theme for this year. It's a different way to do life.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Book 49 - The End of your Life Book Club
The End of your Life Book Club
by Will Schwalbe
So I saw this on the table at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago while browsing with a friend. I have a habit of checking the library before buying a book, just to save my poor bank account from the potential deluge of purchased books. Turns out, the library had it as an ebook. That makes me happy, for reasons that are not necessary to get into here.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was predictable, but that's not the point. The bond between mother and son was undeniably stronger through the course of the mom's chemo and as her cancer progressed. The words from the page wove themselves with the stories of their lives to create meaningful and memorable conversations. I'm thankful to both Will and Mary Ann Schwalbe for teaching meaningful lessons throughout the book: read often, share undivided conversations with people regularly, open yourself up to the wide world and help to make the world a better place.
This year, as I do my book club of one, I appreciate the effort of reading, discovering new books, and making connections to life. I even added a few of the books mentioned in the book to my Goodreads "to read" list.
by Will Schwalbe
So I saw this on the table at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago while browsing with a friend. I have a habit of checking the library before buying a book, just to save my poor bank account from the potential deluge of purchased books. Turns out, the library had it as an ebook. That makes me happy, for reasons that are not necessary to get into here.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was predictable, but that's not the point. The bond between mother and son was undeniably stronger through the course of the mom's chemo and as her cancer progressed. The words from the page wove themselves with the stories of their lives to create meaningful and memorable conversations. I'm thankful to both Will and Mary Ann Schwalbe for teaching meaningful lessons throughout the book: read often, share undivided conversations with people regularly, open yourself up to the wide world and help to make the world a better place.
This year, as I do my book club of one, I appreciate the effort of reading, discovering new books, and making connections to life. I even added a few of the books mentioned in the book to my Goodreads "to read" list.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Book 48 - Five Days at Memorial
By Sheri Fink
This book was a wild ride. It’s hard to believe that it is a true story. I was only 16 when Katrina happened, and I was quite naive to anything that wasn’t current high schooler drama. Honestly, I think I would have been more mentally aware if I had a smartphone, seeing as social media and news websites are vast sources of what is happening in the world.
Being so far removed from the disaster, I didn’t pay much attention to it, except the stories I saw on the news of people waiting for the disaster. I heard all about people stuck at the Superdome, and the horrible conditions there. I didn’t even know that the hospitals were so impacted until I heard the story on NPR regarding this book. It was then that I requested it from the library.
The book itself is divided into two parts: the first part is the story of the five days spent at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans during Katrina, while the second part examines the legal battle that ensued in the Katrina aftermath. I found the first part very interesting, and I could hardly put it down; however, the second part I found a bit boring because it was entirely about the legal process. The ethics of patient euthanasia is very interesting, and I am very conflicted after hearing so many views. Really though, law does not interest me, and I had a very hard time trudging through all the details and small legal and media battles.
Overall, the first part of the book makes a good book. I think the second part of the book would make a better documentary.
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