Finished January 2013
Rowling did a good job using different narrators to present the view of the village. But, this book was a downer. Everybody seems to be involved with terrible things (sex, self-mutilation, drugs, profanity, prostitution, child abuse, larceny, corruption, bullying)...and it's just not uplifting at all. I have to say, I don't recommend this book.
2. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (fiction)
Finished January 2013
Another author skillfully using various narrators to tell a story--this must be a modern trend. The book was okay. I liked how one of the characters used erudite words in every sentence; it was amusing.
3. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (fiction)
Finished January 2013
Americans living in Paris and enjoying the nightlife. A fishing trip. Bullfighting in Pamplona. The book is more interesting when you know about the context in which it was written. Hemingway was a journalist, and I felt the novel had that sort of feel to it. He purposefully wrote sparsely and apparently before he published it, he hacked off the first 30 pages. He just started the story from there. And yet he gives the reader of good feeling of what it was like to be in the Lost Generation after WWI. It reminded me of Fitzgerald, whom I read gave Hemingway writing advice.
4. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (fiction)
Finished February 2013
Silver Linings Playbook ruined the end for me, but I felt like Hemingway was able to once again make me feel like I was there in the book dealing with love and war.
Finished February 2013
Silver Linings Playbook ruined the end for me, but I felt like Hemingway was able to once again make me feel like I was there in the book dealing with love and war.
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (fiction)
Finished February 2013
In many ways spot on to the movie...but with a different ending.
6. The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (fiction)
Finished February 2013
Kind of an odd story told by a seaman about a crazy Belgian in the heart of the Congo. It was interesting how the seaman had the reader think about how Europe was before it was settled into cities. Also interesting was his telling of the strange massive gap between the business side of things in Europe and the ivory obtaining in Africa.
7. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux (nonfiction)
Finished March 2013
Paul Theroux reminds me of a grumpy, old man. Most of his book seems pessimistic and he even admits that he is a poo poo head. His description of Nairobi was especially brimming with negativity. And, while I agree there are really bad parts to almost every city, I've been to Nairobi six or seven trips and many areas are lovely. My friend that has lived in Kenya over ten years said he started the chapter on Nairobi and was so disgusted he had to stop reading. But, I will say that I did learn things and was inspired to learn more about eastern Africa because of the book. It also challenged me spiritually because the author is so anti-Christian/missionary/NGO and it made me ponder once again how one should properly go about giving charity without ruining a culture, economy, etc.
8. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (nonfiction)
Finished April 2013
I couldn't believe this book was nonfiction. Really interesting about the wide variety of characters in the city of Savannah. Plus, there is the intriguing observation of a real life murder trial.
9. Death Grip: A Climber's Escape from Benzo Madness by Matt Samet (nonfiction)
Finished April 2013
Samet makes his scientific explanations of what drugs can do to the body accessible. And through his story he convincingly causes one to think twice before starting a medication...or at least to consider the side affects and how difficult it may be getting off of certain drugs. On a side note, it was fun reading about climbing areas in Colorado that I know very well.
10. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (nonfiction)
Finished April 2013
Obviously a brutal subject, but I thought the book was very well written. Capote must have done a crazy amount of research if most of what he wrote was true. I'm curious to watch the movie they made about Capote during this time, even if it is a Hollywood version of what took place. I think it is kinda cool that this month I happened to finish two nonfiction "novels." I've read that In Cold Blood is said to be the father of this genre.
Finished February 2013
In many ways spot on to the movie...but with a different ending.
6. The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (fiction)
Finished February 2013
Kind of an odd story told by a seaman about a crazy Belgian in the heart of the Congo. It was interesting how the seaman had the reader think about how Europe was before it was settled into cities. Also interesting was his telling of the strange massive gap between the business side of things in Europe and the ivory obtaining in Africa.
7. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux (nonfiction)
Finished March 2013
Paul Theroux reminds me of a grumpy, old man. Most of his book seems pessimistic and he even admits that he is a poo poo head. His description of Nairobi was especially brimming with negativity. And, while I agree there are really bad parts to almost every city, I've been to Nairobi six or seven trips and many areas are lovely. My friend that has lived in Kenya over ten years said he started the chapter on Nairobi and was so disgusted he had to stop reading. But, I will say that I did learn things and was inspired to learn more about eastern Africa because of the book. It also challenged me spiritually because the author is so anti-Christian/missionary/NGO and it made me ponder once again how one should properly go about giving charity without ruining a culture, economy, etc.
8. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (nonfiction)
Finished April 2013
I couldn't believe this book was nonfiction. Really interesting about the wide variety of characters in the city of Savannah. Plus, there is the intriguing observation of a real life murder trial.
9. Death Grip: A Climber's Escape from Benzo Madness by Matt Samet (nonfiction)
Finished April 2013
Samet makes his scientific explanations of what drugs can do to the body accessible. And through his story he convincingly causes one to think twice before starting a medication...or at least to consider the side affects and how difficult it may be getting off of certain drugs. On a side note, it was fun reading about climbing areas in Colorado that I know very well.
10. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (nonfiction)
Finished April 2013
Obviously a brutal subject, but I thought the book was very well written. Capote must have done a crazy amount of research if most of what he wrote was true. I'm curious to watch the movie they made about Capote during this time, even if it is a Hollywood version of what took place. I think it is kinda cool that this month I happened to finish two nonfiction "novels." I've read that In Cold Blood is said to be the father of this genre.
11. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (fiction)
Finished May 2013
Really cute book that spans the life and history of a saucy elderly gentleman and the world around him...plus murder, thievery, and such.
12. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (fiction)
Finished June 2013
Did I get tricked into reading a Harlequin romance novel? I think I did. I know a lot of people love these books, but honestly I found this one quite boring. Except I did learn some Scottish vocabulary...so that was cool.
13. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (fiction)
Finished June 2013
Really clever. Eugenides is awesome. I also may have been a little bias because of the extensive treatment of English lit.
14. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (fiction)
Finished June 2013
Cute kid's book with no real deep meaning that I could find...just entertaining and imaginative. But I could have missed something.
15. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (fiction)
I didn't like the Twilight series, but I have heard that this book has higher quality writing. We'll see.
Finished June 2013
It's true. This book definitely had an elevated standard of writing. And I do believe Meyer is very imaginative, so that all combined to make a compelling book.
16. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (fiction)
Finished July 2013
Very cute and contemporary. My mom suggested I read this book, and I really liked it. However, I think it is best if one reads it now because most likely a lot of the references will be outdated in a few years. It's that contemporary.
17. Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal (fiction)
Finished July 2013
We all need a little art in our lives to make life liveable...no matter how mundane our life and job may seem to be. This book's main character is a garbage compactor, and it's awesome. Without art, Hrabal argues (in my interpretation), we die. This is what communism did to so many countries with its big cement buildings and lifeless factories.
18. I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal (fiction)
Finished July 2013
At first this book just seemed to be about sex and trying to gain wealth. But I kept reading and realized the point of what Hrabal was doing. There is a ton of character development, and I ended up really liking it. I was also given another point of view of Czech during WWII and communism.
At first this book just seemed to be about sex and trying to gain wealth. But I kept reading and realized the point of what Hrabal was doing. There is a ton of character development, and I ended up really liking it. I was also given another point of view of Czech during WWII and communism.
19. Prague Winter by Madeline Albright (nonfiction)
Finished August 2013
First interactive electronic book I've read with pictures and video. Really cool way to learn about Czech history during the 1930s and 40s. Albright's interweaving of her family's own story made it all the more interesting.
Finished August 2013
First interactive electronic book I've read with pictures and video. Really cool way to learn about Czech history during the 1930s and 40s. Albright's interweaving of her family's own story made it all the more interesting.
20. Native Son by Richard Wright (fiction)
Finished September 2013
Interesting perspective of why people act the way they do particularly when they are constantly oppressed. This was a warning to readers of the need for change.
21. La casa de de los espiritus by Isabel Allende (fiction)
Finished October 2013
First big Spanish book I've read in a very long time. I really need to do this more often. This book was a good reminder of what a lot of Latin American literature is all about: magical realism with a dose of history revealing some of the crappy things the US has helped do in the world that we never talk about. This one was specifically about Chile. Now I need to go watch the movie on Netflix (Hello, Antonio Banderas).
22. Lost by Cheryl Strayed (nonfiction)
Finished October 2013
Kinda made me want to hike the PCT.
23. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (fiction)
Finished November 2013
When I first started reading this book, I kept wondering why it is such a huge classic. But, as I waded through the depravity, I started to appreciate the musicality of the language, the odd humor, the allusions (that college degree is useful (?) for something!), and the way the author is able to build the sense of impending doom and obsession through the eyes of a selfish, untrustworthy narrator. The book deals with an obviously disgusting subject matter, but it is so well written that it has been placed on best book lists, and now I understand why. But I still wouldn't want my children to read it.
24. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby (nonfiction)
Finished November 2013
This book was about two fellas trying to climb a mountain in Afghanistan in the 1940s or 50s long before that area's current problems. I had a little trouble following the expedition, but it was mildly entertaining...especially because they had very knowledge of what they were supposed to be doing.
25. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (nonfiction)
Finished December 2013
A peek into the life of a lady spending a year in prison. I found it educational and it was refreshingly less racy then the show that is based on this book.
26. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (fiction)
Finished December 2013
This was a crazy book. And I felt a little crazy after reading it. There is a lot of psychology involved.
27. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (fiction)
Finished September 2013
Interesting perspective of why people act the way they do particularly when they are constantly oppressed. This was a warning to readers of the need for change.
21. La casa de de los espiritus by Isabel Allende (fiction)
Finished October 2013
First big Spanish book I've read in a very long time. I really need to do this more often. This book was a good reminder of what a lot of Latin American literature is all about: magical realism with a dose of history revealing some of the crappy things the US has helped do in the world that we never talk about. This one was specifically about Chile. Now I need to go watch the movie on Netflix (Hello, Antonio Banderas).
22. Lost by Cheryl Strayed (nonfiction)
Finished October 2013
Kinda made me want to hike the PCT.
23. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (fiction)
Finished November 2013
When I first started reading this book, I kept wondering why it is such a huge classic. But, as I waded through the depravity, I started to appreciate the musicality of the language, the odd humor, the allusions (that college degree is useful (?) for something!), and the way the author is able to build the sense of impending doom and obsession through the eyes of a selfish, untrustworthy narrator. The book deals with an obviously disgusting subject matter, but it is so well written that it has been placed on best book lists, and now I understand why. But I still wouldn't want my children to read it.
24. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby (nonfiction)
Finished November 2013
This book was about two fellas trying to climb a mountain in Afghanistan in the 1940s or 50s long before that area's current problems. I had a little trouble following the expedition, but it was mildly entertaining...especially because they had very knowledge of what they were supposed to be doing.
25. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (nonfiction)
Finished December 2013
A peek into the life of a lady spending a year in prison. I found it educational and it was refreshingly less racy then the show that is based on this book.
26. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (fiction)
Finished December 2013
This was a crazy book. And I felt a little crazy after reading it. There is a lot of psychology involved.
27. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (fiction)
Finished December 2013
Showed how the elite in New York back in the day had some odd unspoken social laws. Makes one ponder one's own social norms and wonder if they too are somewhat silly. It made me think of the hierarchy we think is so important in middle school, and then we look back and realize we wasted a lot of time and energy on frivolity.
Showed how the elite in New York back in the day had some odd unspoken social laws. Makes one ponder one's own social norms and wonder if they too are somewhat silly. It made me think of the hierarchy we think is so important in middle school, and then we look back and realize we wasted a lot of time and energy on frivolity.
