June and July reads

So I've fallen behind on my reading list, here is what I've been up to since May. A good few weeks of reading!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith - FAVORITE book of the year. Amazing. Loved every single page. A+
The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell- I'm a little post peak on this one, but an interesting read. B
Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin  - Inspiring and wonderful story telling! A
Twilight Saga book 4 Breaking Dawn Stephanie Meyer - hard to put down, but not great writing. B

Beach Books

In April/early May I cranked through a number of books. Most of the reading was on the beach in Florida - great reading time!

Empress - Shan Sa
I didn't like this writing style at all,  I think the book was translated into English. I felt the story was really over-sexed, and the narration was so passive. I was just happy when I finished reading it. C-

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
This was a great read! I found myself really questioning if I should sign up to be an organ donor when I transitioned my license to Ohio this week. I thought the intertwined stories made it a really engaging/memorable story. I wish I read this book with a book club, I think it would have led to great discussion! A

MWF Seeks BFF - Rachel Bertsche
I loved the narrator, she sounded like the voice in my head! I have been consistently looking to build new close friendships since my first year out of college. I have several wonderful friends who are there for me, but sometimes it can be tough to connect with friends who are not in town, have children(big responsibilities), or are just tough to get time with. I felt like I was making the friendship journey with the narrator, and enjoyed every step of the process. Great memoir. A

Animal Dreams - Barbara Kingsolver
The last Kingsolver book I read was pretty disappointing, so I was incredibly excited by this story. The description was amazing. I could see the dappled orchards filled with peacocks like I was there. I picked up three more of her books at Half Price Books last week, this was that good! I felt like I connected well with the narrator and I enjoyed all of the different story lines. A

I'm working on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It's great so far.

Kafka on the Shore

My former book club read Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami in January. In an effort to keep up, I also wanted to read this book. It was a very weird story. I don't know enough about traditional Japanese literature to really understand the nuance, let alone follow the story line and connections between all of the characters. This book was translated into English, and I thought the grammar translation was excellent. However, the spirit characters transcending time and space was just too deep for me. I found this blog with comments that that summed things up nicely for me.

http://blojj.blogalia.com/historias/45884

I can agree with the premise that there were two halves for all people/spirits. What I don't understand is HOW it works. How do they go back and forth in time? How do they circumvent space? How do they use another as an empty vessel? What is the magic of talking to cats? How does it all fit in with the kids in the war who passed out near the soldier's camp? This book left me with so many questions and not enough answers. I just feel kind of lost.

I guess based on my general confusion I'm rating this as a B-. Because despite everything being totally over my head, it was interesting, even though it was uncomfortable reading throughout.

I'm reading Empress by Shan Sa now, and I'm not enjoying it either. I need a great book to curl up with, get lost in, and fall in love with. Any suggestions? I want to be inspired. Suggestions welcome.

Bel Canto

I recently read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Since I have moved from Minnesota, I'm trying to stay on top of the books my old book club was reading, and this was one of their picks. I have to say, this one took quite a long time to get into and almost a full month to finish, which for me is a very long time. I found the characters to be an interesting group of people, and the storyline of rebels taking an entire party of aristocrats hostage was unique. When you consider that much of the book was dedicated to exploring opera themes, there was a heavy juxtaposition with a hostage environment. I'd rate this as a C+ since it took so long to dive into. For the most part, the story ends as you would expect - the hostages ultimately get set free. The bad guys don't win. However, there is a twist with the love stories that feels reminiscent of a Greek tragedy which was intriguing.

I'm currently reading Kafka on the Shore and this one is quite a change with all the symbolism and Alice in Wonderland oddities like talking cats. I am looking forward to understanding how the author ties all the story lines together.

Also, I found an interesting book club reading list from Daily Candy that I thought I'd share. I'm doing well on reading these... Not so much on the Time Top 100 Novels list...

Prodigal Summer

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
I was not a huge fan of this book, but I can absolutely see what my sister-in-law loves about it, as she was a long time vegetarian and pursues the ambitious cause to help others as a social worker. To me, the theme was kind of overdone with nature one-ness and I didn't connect with the characters. I was disappointed, because I loved Kingsolver's other stories. I hope the next one strikes a better note for me.

Case in point, from this review:
Reviews of the novel have both praised and criticized Kingsolver for her political ambitions. The novel is never didactic: if anything, the tidiness of the resolutions that may frustrate some readers comes not from a singular political message but from the traditional aspect of storytelling style. As Jennifer Schuessler points out, "As in any ecosystem (and any soap opera), everybody turns out to be related to everybody else."

RATING: C

The final books of 2011

To wrap things up, I wanted to list the final books I read in 2011. I read nearly 30 books last year, and feel great about that accomplishment. Although I didn't make much progress on the Time list, I am glad to continue making slow (but steady) progress there.

My reading time is substantially reduced now that I am driving to work in a new city, so in 2012, I have only read one book so far! Plus, I'm getting adjusted to a new job, new Junior League, spending time with family and friends in Ohio, and spending tons of time house hunting. The Time list is on my backburner, but reading in general is just a slower pace. I have business books and a couple of intriguing novels ahead of me before I launch back into Time. Maybe I'll even get back into blogging on my books...

Now, onto my final reads of 2011...

• Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs - I saw this at Half Price Books many times, and I finally had to give in to the brilliant yarn on the cover. It was a simple story that I sometimes lost interest in, but it was an easy read, and I can see why it is a series. B
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - A book club read, loved this haunting story! A-
• A Million Little Pieces by James Frey - Disturbing, but excellent as a story (even if it was embellished.) B
• The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver - Also a book club book (my last pick before leaving Minnesota). I loved the Freida/Diego tie in as I have been to many of the sites in the early part of the book. And I felt like the book followed the timeline of my trip to Europe when I read it - I learned so much in the museums that was fictionalized in the book - B+
• The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway - Amazing, inspiring, moving A-
• A Secret Gift by Ted Gup - The book felt too long, it would have been an amazing magazine article. Loved the Ohio connection and the heartwarming gift that made such a difference. B-

And here are my favorite books of 2011 (and links to my posts if you want to relive my enthusiasm for these stories):
Moloka'i
The 19th Wife
The Posionwood Bible


Here is my full 2011 reading list:
1 Books

A Million Little Pieces (1) A Secret Gift (1) Am American Tragedy (1) Birds of North America (1) Bossypants (1) Catch-22 (1) Catching Fire (1) Friday Night Knitting Club (1) Mockingjay (1) Moloka'i (1) Mudame Tussaud: A Life in Wax (1) Perfect Peace (1) Pretty in Plaid (1) Reading Lolita in Tehran (1) Room (1) Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs (1) The 19th Wife (1) The Disapparation of James (1) The Girl Who Fell from the Sky (1) The Happiness Project (1) The Hunger Games (2) The Lacuna (1) The Monster of Florence (1) The Poisonwood Bible (1) The Thirteenth Tale (1) Their Eyes Were Watching God (1) Unaccustomed Earth (1) Wench (1)

 Thanks for reading!