Books of 2014

1.  Ulyssess by James Joyce (fiction)
Finished March 2014
It only took me three months to read this crazy book.  I do think it is the longest book I've read, especially if one counts the cliff notes I had to read ten times to understand what I was reading.

2.  The Stranger by Albert Camus (fiction)
Finished March 2014
Camus apparently believed that the world is completely indifferent and trying to find meaning in life is futile and therefore absurd.  It is not the most uplifting philosophy.  It wasn't very enjoyable reading especially because I was very stressed and kind of depressed while reading it anyways.

3.  Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence (fiction)
Finished April 2014
This entire book had the feeling of tension and stress.

4.  The Brothers K by David James Duncan (fiction)
Finished April 2014
I almost stopped reading this book because I was bored by the baseball focus and not altogether accurate portrayal of Adventists.  In fact, I had started this book before Sons and Lovers and then decided to give it another chance afterwards.  I'm glad I did because there was a lot of thought provoking writing, and by the end I was staying up really late to finish it.  I wish I had read The Brothers Karamazov more recently (see Books of 2010) so I could catch more of the allusions, but the trend of belief vs. doubt and the focus on family and its relationships was apparent.

5.  Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (fiction)
Finished May 2014
A much needed shorter, fluffier book that I found on my Kindle.  It made me ponder technology and our acceptance/rejection of it.  And it made me consider what we humans want to leave as our legacy.

6.  Ender's Game by George Orson Scott (fiction)
Finished May 2014
Too much military focus for my taste, but imaginative.

7.  The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (fiction)
Finished June 2014
Clever, but confusing at first

8.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (fiction)
Finished July 2014
I am sick of pretentious teen books, but it was good.

9.  Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (fiction)
Finished July 2014
Interesting love story set in Seattle mixed with the sadness of Japanese Americans having to live in internment camps during WWII.

10.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (fiction)
Finished July 2014
Interesting perspective of WWII and how it could have affected those in it.  Unusually narrated by the personification of Death.

11.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (nonfiction)
Finished August 2014
Interesting story of a family affected by the cells taken from their relative and the story of some of the ways those cells were used for research.  Apparently it took Skloot about a decade to write the book.  That is dedication.

12.  How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway (fiction)
Finished August 2014
The story of a Japanese lady marrying an American soldier during WWII and her daughter

13.  The Awakening by Kate Chopin (fiction)
Finished September 2014
I could see how this was revolutionary for women, especially when you compare the narrator's thoughts and actions compared with those from other books before her era.


14.  Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (fiction)
Finished September 2014
Fun read on our train from Chamonix to Paris

15.  The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (fiction)
Finished September 2014
Interestingly I had just read Rick Steve's history of the former Yugoslavia which I think made this book more rich in meaning.  However, it was still a little too vague for my liking, but clever with its mixture of myth and material.

16.  Where the Peacocks Sing: A Palace, a Prince, and the Search for Home by Allison Singh (nonfiction)
Finished September 2014
True story of an Asian American gal meeting and marrying into an Indian family and the struggles and happiness it creates.

17.  The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson (fiction)
Finished October 2014
This was the first book I've ever read about North Korea, and although it was fiction, the author did a lot of research and embedded real stories into his book.  I didn't like the book at first, but there is a lot of development and creativity that slowly, but most definitely won me over.  After reading the whole book, I understood and found the title clever.

18.  A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers (fiction)
Finished October 2014
Depressing fiction about the nonfictional way business is today set in Saudia Arabia from a 54 year-old male perspective.  It was clever but sad...like watching an environmental documentary about the poor condition of our planet and just feeling powerless.

19.  If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things (fiction)
Finished November 2014
This book was recommended by a friend and was an interesting take of an event from the different view points of an entire neighborhood.  It also reminded me of the goodness of noticing the world around us.

20.  Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (nonfiction)
Finished December 2014
I was preparing to force myself to read some nonfiction, but didn't have to at all.  This book is incredibly fascinating.  The story is amazing and the writing is impeccable.  I almost want to read Laura's other book Seabiscuit because of how great of a writer she is, and I'm not really a horse book type of gal.

21.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (fiction)
Finished December 2014
Although Unbroken was a pleasure to read, I still rewarded myself of my nonfiction reading by delving into this short, but deep work of fiction.

22.  Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (fiction audio book)
Finished December 2014 
Some friends introduced me to Libravox that has free audiobooks, and I've decided to add these books to my list.

23.  The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (nonfiction)
Finished December 2014
How some women found a way to survive and earn a living even while under a very restrictive regime.
Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff (nonfiction)

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (fiction)

Maybe I'll give the Outlander series another chance.  And, I have a hard time not finishing something once I've started it.

Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal (fiction)

 The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell (nonfiction)

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (fiction)

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (fiction)

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee (nonfiction)

Sufferings in Africa:  The Incredible True Story of a Shipwreck, Enslavement, and Survival by Captain James Riley (nonfiction)

Lost in Shangri-La:  A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue by Mitchell Zuckoff (nonfiction)

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (fiction)

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (fiction)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (fiction)

A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor (fiction)

La Comedie humaine by Honore de Balzac

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster

Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Tomorrow will be Better by Zdena Kapral (nonfiction) 

Books of 2013

1.  The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling (fiction)
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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Books of 2012

1.  The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (fiction)
Finished January 2012
Oh, how I love Rick's children's books.  And he mentions Pikes Peak.

2.  The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (fiction)
Finished January 2012
Rick once again helps solidify my Greek/Roman mythology in a fun, interesting way.

3.  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (fiction)
Finished February 2012
Sometimes I inadvertently learn some history through fiction.  This time I learned about Ethiopia and medicine.  It was kind of cool.

4.  The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (fiction)
Finished March 2012
Now I understand why it is called the Jungle Book and not Jungle Boy or Mowgli.  The book is really numerous short stories about animals mostly in the jungle.  Slightly interesting.


5.  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (fiction)
Finished April 2012
Embarrassingly true that I read this...AND it made me cry.

6.  The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (fiction)
Finished April 2012
Couldn't...stop...reading...about...the pants!  It made me cry again.

7.  Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (fiction)
Finished April 2012
Still going...

8.  Forever in Blue:  The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (fiction)
Finished May 2012
Yep

9.  Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (fiction)
I guess this is this year's version of a fluffy series.  Except this one is way less depressing and icky than the Hunger Games trilogy....way less popular and probably respected, but less icky.
Finished May 2012
Ann made me cry again!  I really liked how she ended this series.  It had some surprises, and I feel like I could identify with each of the 29 year old characters in different ways.

10.  The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
Finished May 2012
I really liked this book.  And I felt like I learned a lot about Mexican history, Frida and Diego Rivera, communism, Asheville, and America during and after WWII.  Really good.

11.  The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (fiction)
Finished May 2012
Fun, nursery crime mystery.

12.  Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching, and Eating with China's Other Billion by Michael Levy (nonfiction)
Finished June 2012
Well written and insightful about interior Chinese life, their view of America, and one man's Peace Corps experience.

13.  Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
Finished July 2012
I'm really digging her books right now

14.  Animal Dreams  by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction
Finished July 2012
The importance of family, dealing with the past, and finding our place in this world.

15.  Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
Finished July 2012
I learned a lot about some of the Cherokee nation issues and culture.

16.  Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (fiction)

Finished July 2012

I read this book in an evening, but will be thinking about it for a long time.  What is the importance of literature, discussion, non-distracted time to think?  This book is probably more important now than it was in the 1950s when it was written.

17.  The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
Finished August 2012
What should the role of a missionary be and what can he or she do to be culturally sensitive?  Should they do more teaching or learning?  Should those be in equal parts?  How does living in a different culture and country change the rest of our lives?  These were some of the questions invoked by this book.  Again, Barbara Kingsolver books are fascinating, and I really like her character development and the things she teaches through her books about different peoples, history, and, of course, the big questions she makes me think about.

18.  Kim by Rudyard Kipling (fiction)
Finished November 2012
A lot of old English words that are no longer used mixed with India specific terms helps explain why I couldn't get through this book when I was in high school.  I made it this time and learned a lot about India during Queen Victoria and the relationship between the British and native people and their respective lives.  Besides, it was a great tale of crossing cultures, religion, and friendship.

19.  Wild Swans by Jung Chang (nonfiction)
Finished November 2012
Although this book took me several months to read, and was interrupted by Kim, it really was very good.  The stories of these three generations of women during 20th century China was CRAZY (life during KMT vs. communism, the Cultural Revolution, etc.).  I feel so badly for the people that endured such a fearful and restricted time period.  I'm glad Jung finally had the freedom to tell her story, although apparently her book is still outlawed in China.

20.  The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
Finished December 2012
This was another good book, I just wish I had read it before the second book in this series.

21.  Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
Finished December 2012
Barbara's newest book, and very much so.  It was timely dealing with global warming, our mobile world, the views different regions of our nation have about each other.

22.  A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Finished December 2012
A play about a family of African Americans in the '50s.  I read that Martin Luther King Jr. highly respected Hansberry.

23.  The Crucible by Arthur Miller (fiction)
Finished December 2012
Glad I read this after the books about China.  False accusations from children...horrible.

24.  A Long Way Gone by Ismael Beah (nonfiction)
Finished December 2012
A Sierra Leone child soldier's story.

25.  Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (fiction)
Finished December 2012
Wow, that was a long slew of depressing books.  This was my least favorite of them.  But Foer is quite creative with his modern structure and his imaginings of how a non-native English speaker would talk and write without the ability to practice with a native speaker.

26.  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (fiction)
Finished December 2012
Much better than the prior book.

En Tus Pupilas

Letra de En Tus Pupilas :
Quand tu me prends dans tes bas
Quand je regarde dans tes yeux
Je vois que Dieu existe
C' est pas dur croire

Antes de conocerte el mundo era plano
Aunque lo discuta usted Señor Galilei
Y me canse de besar ranas en vano
Pero el príncipe azul
Jamás no encontré

Y así llegaste tu
Devolviéndome la fe
Sin poemas y sin flores
Con defectos con errores
Pero en pie

Y siento
Algo en ti algo entre los dos
Que me hace insistir
Cuando miro en tus pupilas se que Dios no dejo de existir
Tu lo haces vivir
Tu lo haces vivir

La vida es una colección de recuerdos
Pero a nada como tu recuerdo tan bien
Desde la redondez de tus labios
Al olor de tu pelo
Al color de tu piel

No pienses que te iras y me voy a resignar
Eres lo mejor que me ha pasado
Entre lo mundano y lo sagrado
Y aun mas

Y siento
Algo en ti algo entre los dos
Que me hace insistir
Cuando miro en tus pupilas se que Dios no dejo de existir
Tu lo haces vivir
Tu lo haces vivir

Books of 2011

1.   Lord of the Flies by William Golding (fiction)

Finished January 2011

Required in public schools, forbidden in Sevy institutions.  I think it's time to read this teenage classic.  Darren and I are continuing our unintentional perusal of books featuring islands (We read Swiss Family Robinson and Treasure Island last year).

--Talk about some id overcoming the ego!  Watch out pigs...you shall be slaughtered.  Yikes.  No wonder this book is a classic.  I was fascinated how the boy was saved from destruction by a man going off to destroy others.  Ironic, no?

2.  The Know-It-All by A. J. Jacobs (nonfiction)

Finished March 2011

Nonfiction about the author's quest to read through the entire encyclopedia.  Just like the author, I wish I could remember all the information I read, but unfortunately I fear I have forgotten most of it.

3.  Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (fiction)

He won a Pulitzer, so it has got to be good, right?

Finished April 2011

I learned about Turkey/Greece, Detroit, and hermaphrodites.  The book was very well written, hence I was able to read it in just a few days.  There was some gross sexual stuff, but overall I liked the book a lot.  It did what I believe art should do--make us aware and observe important aspects of life that we tend to overlook.

4.  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (fiction)
Important Classic literature, or so I've heard.
April 2011
Interesting take on how the world will be taken over and our minds controlled.  I feel like many of the things he talked about have already come to pass in a more downplayed way.

5. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (nonfiction)
I heard him speak and he signed my book with a rabbit and told me a dirty joke.  I told him a joke about poo.  It was fun.
Finished May 2011
Hilariously entertaining


6.  Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris (fictional satire)
Finished May 2011
I didn't like this book as well as his family story books, but I do feel like there was a deeper message in each anecdote that I could have got if I hadn't been so lazy and had actually tried to figure it out

7. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry (fiction)
Popular new book that was on the New York Times Bestseller List for over a year, so I hope it is good.
Finished June 2011
I should have contemplated the thoughts of this book with more depth, but I admit that I did not.  It  seemed at the conclusion that these things are important: friendship, helping people that will let you help them, and finding rare moments of beauty amongst the "never"--things that will not return and through the woes of life.


8.  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (fiction)

Get ready for some cow slaughtering.  Yikes.  At least I hear that it made some huge changes in safety and cleanliness in the workplace and maybe with animal humaneness?  I'm not sure, but I am curious.
Finished June 2011
From what I read in the afterword, Sinclair was trying to turn people towards socialism, but instead made more of an impact on getting pure food laws past during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt.  I could, however, sense the desperation and feeling of utter helplessness that Sinclair portrays of his characters living in their unfortunate situations...driven to such depths that they do anything to survive.

9.  Watership Down by Richard Adams (fiction)
Finished June 2011
Very intriguing and imaginative book about fictional rabbits.  I always remembered seeing this book on Stella's bookshelf growing up and was curious.  Stella has good taste, and I was not disappointed.

10.  Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (fiction)
Finished July 2011
I read this in basically one night while we had a four hour delay in Denver due to a 30 minute thunderstorm.  How that makes sense, I do not know.  Anyhoo, this was a book I'd been wanting to read for a long time and I finally did it!  The story was so creative and emotional.  What a great idea to write a story about a mentally challenged guy who undergoes an experimental procedure to make him a genius.

11.  Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer (nonfiction)
Finished July 2011
I feel like I understand Mormonism and fundamental Mormonism much more fully now.  It's amazing what people will do in the name of god, no matter who that god may be.

12.  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (fiction)
He also won a Pulitzer.  And I need a little Latin American literature now and then.
Finished July 2011
Lots of cursing and topics not appropriate for children, but I did think his writing unique.  And, I felt like I learned more about the Trujillo era in the Dominican Republic.  What a crazy, horrible time for that country.  I've been to the DR three or four times, interacted with the people there, visited their beaches, roamed the streets, and would have never guessed all the terribleness and fear they had to live (or not live) through.  And it seems that if you had a pretty daughter, you had to be quadruply scared.  Yick.

13.  The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (fiction)

Finished August 2011

I got through half of Fast Food Nation and needed a children's pick-me-up book

14.  The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (fiction)

Finished August 2011

Still distracted by kids books

15.  The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (fiction)

Finished August 2011

Two complete strangers randomly recommended these three young adult books to me. While it was an interesting view of post-apopolyptic manner, it was too negative in my opinion.  Even though there was a semi-happy ending to the story, it left me feeling icky.  I know stories are not all supposed to be rosy, but the books ultimately also became tiring and I couldn't wait for the last to end.

16.  The Giver by Lois Lowry (fiction)

Finished September 2011

I was really glad I read this book immediately after the aforementioned trilogy.  This slim book made, in my opinion, a greater point in probably 600 less pages.  Both of these pieces of literature did remind me of Brave New World and 1984 in many ways, showing worlds trying to form very controlled societies with different methods, and the eventual results and reactions of those societies.

17.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett (fiction)

Finished September 2011

I really enjoyed the book and later the movie.  It was inspiring even though it was fiction, and, again, gave me a new perspective on how things were during that time.

18.  Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (nonfiction)

This book, from what I've heard, talks a lot about Colorado and the meat industry.  I've also read that it has similarities to The Jungle.  So for all these reasons, it should be interesting...and I'm sure depressing.

Finished September 2011
Interesting coverage of many aspects of the industry--where the food comes from, how they make it taste certain ways, employees, etc.  I'm swearing off fast food as much as possible, so I guess the book was successful.

19.   And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (fiction)
Finished September 2011

I have read that Agatha Christie is the highest selling author after the Bible and Shakespeare.  I haven't really read many mysteries, but this one was interesting.

20.  Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (fiction)
Finished September 2011

Interesting fictional story dealing with modern day racism, agism, culture, and love.

21.  A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (fiction)
Finished September 2011

Creative method of sharing a story from a different character's intertwining perspective in every chapter.


22.  Little Bee by Chris Cleave (fiction)
Finished October 2011
A reminder of the horrendous things that still occur in the world and what could happen when the sometimes denying comfortable world outside is forced to see and interact with it.  

23.  You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny by Suzanne Hansen (nonfiction)

Finished October 2011
Kind of a silly look into what Hollywood nannies go through.  Not really sure I cared too much, but I guess it was a world I had never really thought about.  It was on my Kindle, and I wanted something to read.  I guess it was kind of interesting to compare this book with The Help book I read last month.

24.  The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle (fiction)
Finished October 2011
Not nearly as good as the Agatha Christie mystery, but I did learn about wine, insurance companies, and France.  Again, it was already on my Kindle so I checked it out.

25.  A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard (nonfiction)
Finished October 2011
Such a sad, sad story.  It is hard to imagine how she was able to endure eighteen years locked away in a backyard to fulfill a man's "sexual problem."  I hope that she truly has a wonderful rest of her life and is still able to accomplish all the dreams she desires.

26.  Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (nonfiction)
Another book about the food industry, I believe.  That is three for the year, but they've all been about MORE than the food industry.  This is what I think they were going for:  The Jungle was supposed to inspire us to be communist or something (but ended up, from what I understand, just changing food regulations). Fast Food Nation is supposed to inspire us not to eat fast food unless workers are treated better, food is more natural and healthy, and something is changed about the monopolies of big ranches and producers that supply the restaurants.  Of what I have read so far, Eating Animals is going to take a deeper look into why we eat what we eat, and why we think that is okay.  I guess I will find out for sure
Finished November 2011
And...the book was successful in making me want to become a vegan.  They way animals are treated and genetically mutated, plus the terrible damage factory farms cause to the environment is HORRENDOUS.  I heard a commercial yesterday by the "beef, it's what's for dinner" folks saying they didn't do any of these things (I guess this guy's book must have caused a stir) and how the beef industry is good for the environment (really???  I just don't see how they can argue this.), local farmers, and animals (really???).  I haven't looked up their argument yet, but I don't see how they could ever convince me of that unless they've changed everything since the book was written and they have just as many references as Foer has.


27.  Room by Emma Donoghue (fiction)
Finished November 2011
The perspective of a 5 year-old boy who is raised in a room by his kidnapped mom and then later his transition into the outside world.  The perspective allowed the author to present modern life in a very unique and critical way.


28.  Outliers by Malcom Gladwell (essay-ish)
Finished December 2011
Malcom argues that people have to have the right circumstances (when they were born, where they were born) and practice a lot to be super successful.

29.  Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres (nonfiction)
Finished December 2011
What a huge waste of time.  I think Ellen is funny, but this book just seemed sloppy--like she just wrote down whatever dumb little thing came into her brain.  It felt like she was just trying to make money off of her fame.  Disappointing.

30.  Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (fiction)
Finished December 2011
Very well done, but very sad book about the Jewish round up in Paris, France during the WWII era.