Mission 101: Read 101 books in a 1001 days

The Bright Forever

2011-11-06T20:29:00.002-06:00

Okay.. so I am way behind here... a lot has been going on in the last few months... including getting married! Now that it's all over... time to get back to reading. Oh... and I got a Kindle.... which.... oh, man. I must say I love!

Anyhow, The Bright Forever.

You know, I don't even really have a lot to say here. I didn't really like this book. I kind of figured out what was going to happen... and in the end I was right. I was kind of hoping I wasn't right, but I was. That was disappointing. The writing was okay, but I couldn't sympathize with any of the characters. I didn't like any of them... but yet I finished the book even though I didn't want to. Maybe I wasn't supposed to like the characters? I am not really sure.

This book slightly reminded me of The Lovely Bones... which I didn't like.....

The Kid

2011-08-13T19:44:00.000-06:00

I was so excited for this book. I hate to say I was disappointed, but I was, slightly. I was so excited because I absolutely LOVED Push. (I still do!) It is one of my favorite books. I was even more excited when I heard Sapphire was coming to Minneapolis. I made the mistake of not finishing the book before I went to hear her speak. She was AMAZING, but it kind of ruined the rest of the book for me. I had read about 3/4 of the book and after I heard her speak I didn't really have any desire to finish reading it. She gave away the ending and that was that for me. J.J. was a strange character to me. I don't think I really liked him. I wasn't really rooting for him. He wasn't a nice guy -- he was messed up and proceeded to mess up other people. I was also so sad that Precious was killed off in the first page! I loved her so much from Push and I wanted her to succeed. Yes, this book had it's redeeming qualities, but I did not nearly enjoy it as much as Push.

The Darkest Child

2011-08-13T19:39:00.002-06:00

This book was similar in the vein of The Help, but much more raw and gritty. This book has scenes in that I will never forget. They were shocking and harsh. The characters all had a lot of depth to them. They grew and they changed. I enjoy books about this period in American history. This was a great addition to it. It was really well written and I would love to read anything else that Delores Phillips has to offer

The Girls of Riyadh

2011-07-11T11:42:00.001-06:00

This book was pretty much fluff, even though I admit it kept me entertained. It was pretty much chick-lit about Saudi women. On the back it says, "Imagine Sex and the City if the city in question were Riyadh," and that is exactly what this book was. I admit, I am a fan of Sex and the City, so I could even picture of which of the four women in the book compared to the characters in Sex in the City. Again, not much too this book -- but it kept me entertained until the end.

Half and Life -- Darin Strauss

2011-07-11T11:39:00.001-06:00

The book packed a powerful punch being so short. A lot of people spend time thinking about the actual victim in a tragedy like this, along with the family. This book turned it around and focused on the survivor turned victim of the tragedy. It's quite powerful really to think and see the other side of the coin. The one incident utterly and completely changed the life of Darin Strauss. From that day on a day didn't pass when Celine, a person her hardly knew before that day. He hid this fact from the world very well, but it was eating at him every single day. It's funny to think how many people are walking around out there with something similar eating at them that they think no one else would be able to understand. The sad thing is, that just isn't true. People are living with tragedies just like this, or illness that changed their lives, even though now it seems that there is nothing wrong with them. I am sure this book will help many people cope and hopefully encourage them to find someone else out there to talk to about it.

The Zigzag Way

2011-07-11T11:31:00.001-06:00

This book was interesting. I absolutely love the style of writing. It was vivid and really beautiful. It had a magical realism touch to it, which I loved. The story on the other hand seemed to mirror it's title. It zig-zagged all over the place. I understand what the author was getting at, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if the story just focused on one set of characters instead of the three. Or, if the book was longer had more time to focus on the characters. There was a lot of depth for the characters in such a short bit of text! But I could have kept on reading about each of them long after the story stopped. I was particularly intrigued by the character of Dona Vera. I loved her! I wish there was a whole book just based on her.

Night -- Elie Wiesel

2011-06-29T12:05:00.003-06:00

It's taken me a few days to digest this book. I have been meaning to read this for sometime and I finally sat down and read it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Stunning and upsetting all in one. I know other people have probably said this before, but one of the most powerful books about the Holocaust that I have read. This one is going to sit with me for a long time. I am now interested in reading this follow up called All Rivers Run to the Sea to see what his life was like after the war.

Nomad -- Ayaan Hirsi Ali

2011-06-24T20:13:00.000-06:00

I have mixed feeling about Hirsi Ali and this book. I really enjoyed Infidel and it was eye opening. This book on the other hand, I feel like was her recaping Infidel and then adding in all her opinions on Muslims and how they should change or other countries should change. I agree with a few things she states in this book, but on the other hand I don't agree in many aspects. I work with Muslims on daily basis and I see many of the things she refers too, but I have also met many men and women who were able to assimilate just fine. Though she brings up many very interesting points, sometime I cannot relate to her way of thinking.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

2011-06-24T20:07:00.000-06:00

What a stunning book. I absolutely loved this one. I work with refugees and immigrants on a daily basis and this one really hit home. I always knew that the medical systems was very difficult for them to navigate, but this book pointed out many things that had never crossed my mind. One thing I particularly liked was how the doctors vulnerability really showed through. I think so many people think that doctors just know everything and can work magic, but this book shows that this isn't the case. I was also interested in the history of the Hmong. Fadiman really did an amazing job with this book.

The Middle of Everywhere

2011-05-15T19:45:00.002-06:00

I really thought I was going to like this book. We read it for my book club at work and honestly this book did nothing for me. I didn't quite understand who exactly she was.... she kept saying that she was a "cultural broker" but never really explained what that meant. I thought the stories were good -- but the book it's self was all over the place... I didn't like the way it was laid out and how it jumped around. I guess this book also might be more insightful for someone who doesn't work with refugees on a daily basis. I pretty much knew everything she was writing about. I might share this book with someone who has never had the experience of knowing a refugee personally.

A Fine Balance

2011-04-02T20:50:00.003-06:00

I read this for my first book club. I have been meaning to read it forever...so the time came. What a dynamic book! Despite it being depressing -- I love this book. The characters were pitch perfect. I love how everything came around full circle. I was emotionally invested in this book and really felt the ups and downs! Wow! A fine balance between hope and despair. Of life and death... just beautiful.

The Help

2011-01-31T16:40:00.001-06:00

I loved everything about this book! I had been putting it off and now I am so happy I read it. It's one of those books I was having dreams about... couldn't stop thinking about. The story was fantastic and so were the characters. I even loved what Stockett had to say at the end of the book about her own childhood.

I still find it hard to imagine that this was going on not that long ago.... wow! How much has changed... yet... how much hasn't changed! This book made me happy and sad all at the same time. But mostly hopeful.

Don't Get Too Comfortable

2011-01-17T21:33:00.001-06:00

I didn't really understand this book. The stories were amusing enough -- but didn't get how they all really connected. Maybe they weren't supposed too... and in that case, I didn't really like the book. I might be missing something, but who is this David Rakoff person and why did he get to try/do all these crazy things? I don't know... I was pretty bored by this, actually....

As I Lay Dying

2011-01-05T18:59:00.002-06:00

So -- it's a new year. I only read 22 books last year. I must do better this year. I have also decided to read all of Oprah's book club books. To top it off, I have also vowed to read more classes. So -- I chose a book that goes into both categories.

I have only read one other book by Faulkner, "A Light in August" and I remember I kind of liked it. So I thought why not read more Faulkner?

This book started off alright. I liked trying to figure out who all the characters were and how they were related. I like Faulkner's style -- but then.... it just started to drag. These characters were awful! I couldn't believe how self-centered they were! This was their mother! Urgh.. I just started to hate them all more and more. I finished it, but barely. I like the style -- but not the characters.

Our America

2010-12-14T23:01:00.002-06:00

What I really liked about this book is that it was told from a child's point of view. We hear a lot from people who have survived "the ghetto" or from people who have worked with people in "the ghetto", but I thought it fascinating to hear what a teenager who was actually experiencing it (not reflecting on it later. It was a good portrait of the neighborhood in the mid-'90s... I wonder how the story would be currently? Worse? Better?

Beatrice and Virgil

2010-12-11T16:56:00.000-06:00

Wow! This is one of the most engaging books I have read in a long time. I absolutely loved Life of Pi and this did not disappoint! Martel's writing style catches me and doesn't let go. I am a person who loves animals and has a high interest in the Holocaust, so book sits high on my list. I also tend to love books about strange topics or characters. The ending wasn't what I was anticipating, but actually I think it was better than I had expected.

I cried, you didn't listen

2010-12-06T20:07:00.000-06:00

This book started off as a train wreck and only got worse. Okay, sure I sympathize a bit for what Abbott went through, but I felt like he was so completely biased (and I don't really blame him) that this book was basically his way of blaming someone for how he turned out. This book wasn't exactly written well. ( I suppose considering he hadn't been in school since he was 10, it wasn't bad.....) Anyhow.... I find some of his story hard to buy. Was there really that much rape and abuse going on? I am not sure I am totally convinced.....

Wishin' and Hopin'

2010-11-24T14:13:00.001-06:00

This was a charming, cute little book. I was saving it to read around the holidays and read it in almost one sitting. It made me laugh and I always love Wally Lamb.. what else can I say?

Stiff

2010-11-21T13:06:00.003-06:00

This book was quite fascinating, but also a bit long. I found some parts very interesting and other parts I would skip over. Some of the history lessons were just a bit much for me. But I did find out that there are people out there who actually re-in act the crucification! Wow. Never really thought much about it... but just, wow. Also -- that there are places out behind university buildings that are full of cadavers just sitting there, rotting. People study them. I don't think I will be having that job any time soon......

Poisonwood Bible

2010-10-27T23:02:00.002-06:00

Finally. I feel like this book took me forever! Well.. yes, it's long. But it's also very intense. I absolutely loved it. Part of the reason it took me so long was that I was savoring every bit. Wow! What a powerful book. This is one of those books I know I will think about long down the road. I love Kingsolver -- not much more to say about it!!

Little Bee

2010-08-10T13:18:00.001-06:00

This book was strange, but I did like it. The story was interesting intriguing. Little Bee was a fascinating character, but Sarah was not. She was boring and annoying to me. Some parts of the story what were in her voice I just breezed through, because I didn't really care. I wanted to hear Little Bee's story. I wish it would have just focused more on her that going back and forth between the two voices.

Ana's Story

2010-07-18T22:46:00.002-06:00

This book was obviously geared toward a middle school/high school age group. (I didn't know that going into it.) It turned out not to be half bad. Didn't like the ending much, but I understood why it stopped like it did. I feel like there could have been some kind of better way to tie things up. I was also slightly perturbed that Bush never mentioned exactly what country this was taking place in -- but maybe it was meant to leave some anonymity to it? Not sureIf I were a high school health teacher this would be a great book to read and have a discussion about.

The Camel Bookmobile

2010-07-11T20:40:00.001-06:00

I am not really sure where to start. I really enjoyed the writing style -- very gentle and able to grab my attention. I love the story it's self -- as a novel. (Which, thank goodness it is!) But I am unsure of the whole message of the book. I was actually a bit glad in the end -- it went to show that everything doesn't always turn out the way you expect it to. Nothing is perfect. I would hardly think that something like this would ever really be a true story -- because how could an American really understand the minds of this culture? It was a bit too romanticized for me. I liked the quote at the end of the book: " Do they want to be part of a 'larger world'? And who should be teaching whom?"

Moloka'i

2010-07-03T17:56:00.000-06:00

I absolutely loved this book! The character building was fantastic and the story just kept taking lots of unexpected twists and turns. At some points, I thought... okay what's next? And every time it was great. I am already on a mission to visit ever NPS site in the country and now I want to go to Kalaupapa even more after reading this. What a fascinating history. Rachel was a great character. I loved it!

The Strange Case of the Walking Corpse

2010-06-18T21:26:00.001-06:00

This book was quite entertaining. I loved reading about all of the crazy diseases and illnesses. I wished the book would have focused more on that than some of the more ancient remedies. ( but those were interesting too). Who knew there were so many different types of sexual maladies?!

Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids

2010-06-09T13:29:00.001-06:00

Honestly, I didn't really care for this book. It was obscene in places and I found it a bit disturbing. The ending was awful. This book was translated from Japanese and I could tell that in some places some of the translation lost. I kept hoping that something more was going to happen and it didn't. That hope pushed me to finish, but I was disappointed in the end.

The Road

2010-05-25T10:10:00.005-06:00

This book was fantastic. I loved it. So vivid and intense. It was actually quite frightening. This book makes me interested in reading more post-apocalyptic literature. What I liked most about this was how realistic it was! No zombies, mutated people or anything. Just raw emotion. I also like the ending. It will probably keep me wondering for a long time.

Sarah's Key

2010-05-16T17:35:00.001-06:00

This book was hard to put down! I had to know what was going to happen next. I liked that there was lots of twists and turns. I never quite knew what was going to happen. I loved both story lines. Sarah's story was just heartbreaking. I have always liked fiction books about the Holocaust and this didn't disappoint.

The Pact

2010-04-30T21:20:00.001-06:00

This book just went on too long for me. It couldn't decide if it was going to be a romance, a law and order episode or an adult drama. I wanted to just start skipping over some sections. I mean, it was a good story, but it could have sped itself up a little bit. It was also slightly predictable. It kept me interested just enough to finish it.

Update Mission 101 List

2010-04-10T16:41:00.000-06:00

1. ~~Goat -- Brad Land~~ Finished 6/14/2009!
2. ~~Sold -- Patricia McCormick~~ Finished 11/27/2009
3. ~~The Abstinence Teacher -- Tom Perrotta~~ Finished 11/19/2009
4. ~~The Girls -- Lori Lansens~~ Finished 1/10/2010
5. ~~Skinny Bitch -- Rory Freedman~~ Finished July 6, 2009
6. ~~The Joy Luck Club -- Amy Tan~~ Finished 6/3/2009
7. ~~Lessons in Taxidermy -- Bee Lavendar~~ 3/9/2010!
8. ~~The Book Thief -- Markus Zusak~~ Finished 2/28/2010!
9. ~~Unsweetned -- Jodie Sweetin~~ Finished 2/14/2010!
10. ~~Random Family -- Adrian Nicole LeBlanc~~ Finished 1/18/2010!
11. ~~Infidel -- Ayaan Hirsi Ali~~ Finished 1/7/2010!
12. ~~Zeitoun -- Dave Eggers~~ Finished 9/15/2009!
13. ~~Life of Pi -- Yann Martel~~ Finished 7/25/2009!
14. The Pact – Jodi Picoult
15. Thursday’s Child – Victoria Poole
16. The Working Poor – David Shipler
17. The Camel Bookmobile – Masha Hamilton
18. The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz
19. Partly Cloudy Patriot -- Sarah Vowell
20. Saving Monticello -- Marc Leepson
21. Rats -- Robert Sullivan
22. The Bear Went Over the Mountain – Carll Tucker
23. The Lost Boys of Sudan – Mark Bixler
24. Stiff -- Mary Roach
25. Love’s Shadow – Ada Leverson
26. The Majic Bus -- Douglas Brinkley
27. Living at the Edge of the World -- Tina S.
28. Swallows of Kabul -- Yasmina Khadra
29. The Help – Kathry Stockett
30. Life on the Outside -- Jennifer Gonnerman
31. Girls of Riyadh – Rajaa Alsanea
32. A Dog Year -- Jon Katz
33. White Noise-- Don DeLillo
34. The Writing on the Wall – Lynne Sharon Schwartz
35. White Rabbit – Martha Morrison
36. Amerika -- Franz Kafka
37. With Their Backs to the World – Asne Seierstad
38. The Lottery – Shirley Jackson
39. The Warden Wore Pink – Tekla Dennison Miller
40. Stones into Schools – Greg Mortenson
41. White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
42. Homer’s Odyssey – Gwen Cooper
43. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down – Anne Fadiman
44. Nomad Diaries – Yasmeen Maxamuud
45. A Mile in Her Boots – Jennifer Bove
46. Committed – Elizabeth Gilbert
47. This Way to the Gas Ladies and Gentleman -- Tadeusz Borowski
48. The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Murial Barbery
49. Wishin’ and Hopin’—Wally Lamb
50.Sarah’s Key – Tatian De Rosnay
51. Bones Would Ran From the Sky – Suzanne Clothier
52. Home – Julie Andrews
53. The Case of the Missing Books -- Ian Sansom
54. Black Girl/White Girl -- Joyce Carol Oates
55. White Girl -- Kate Manning
56. A Hundred and One Days – Asne Seierstad
57. Surviving Justice -- Dave Eggers
58. Charity Girl – Michael Lowenthal
59. Acceptance – Susan Coll
60. Stolen Innocence – Elissa Wall
61. William’s Princess – Robert Jobson
62. The Latehomecomer – Kao Kalia Yang
63. Born in the Big Rains – Fadumo Korn
64. The Children's Hospital -- Chris Adrian
65. Alex Kotlowitz – The Other Side of the River
66. The Hour I First Believed – Wally Lamb
67. Our America – LeAlan Jones
68. The Lacuna – Barbara Kingsolover
69. Monique and the Mango Rains – Kris Holloway
70. An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England -- Brock Clark
71. Things I’ve Been Silent About – Azar Nafisi
72. The Middle of Everywhere – Mary Pipher
73. Amazing Grace – Jonathan Kozol
74. Unaccustomed Earth – Jhumpa Lahiri
75. Wasted – Patrick Murphy
76. Preserving Memory – Edawrd Linenthal
77. Fish – T.J. Parsell
78. There Are No Children Here – Alex Kotlowitz
79. I Walked The Line – Vivian Cash
80. Ghost Town – Patrick McGrath
81. A Good Dog – Jon Katz
82. Snoop – Sam Gosling
83. Dewey -- Vicki Myron
84. Without a Map -- Meredith Hall
85. Prisoner of Tehran – Mrina Nemat
86. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures – Vincent Lam
87. Saints Behaving Badly – Thomas Craugwell
88. The Lost Daughters of China – Karin Evans
89. Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids – Kenzaburo Oe
90. When You are Engulfed in Flames – David Sedaris
91. Written in Stone – Sanford Levinson
92. The Lost Children of Wilder – Nina Bernstein
93. The Strange Case of the Walking Corpse – Nancy Butcher
94. Grand Central Winter – Lee Stringer
95. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
96. The Echo Maker – Richard Powers
97. Academy X -- Anonymous
98. Moloka’I – Alan Brennert
99. The Painted Bird – Jerzy Kosinski
100. Walking – Matthew Sanford
101. A Walk in the Woods

Lessons in Taxidermy

2010-03-09T21:28:00.002-06:00

Wow. This book was a whirlwind. I couldn't put it down and I can't believe this woman is still alive. Being curious by nature I scoured the internet looking for pictures of Bee Lavender. I really wanted to know what she looked like. It is hard to find any pictures of her. (She does state in the book she doesn't like her photography taken.) It's horrible what she has been through at such a young age, yet the book ends on a hopeful note. She is going to live her life to the fullest while she can. That is amazing. I think she is a true hero in her own sense. She is also an amazing writer. She has a very strong voice and lays things out just as they happened. She doesn't try to get the reader to feel sorry or have sympathy for her.

The Book Thief

2010-03-01T11:20:00.001-06:00

This book was quite unusual. I am still on the fence on how I feel about it. A very well told story, but very sad. I think this book could have been shorter. There were some story lines which I thought could have been eliminated and others that I thought could have been elaborated upon. I did however enjoy the point-of-view of Death. I thought that was a really interesting plot point.

Unsweetened

2010-02-15T21:23:00.003-06:00

I was really looking forward to this book. I LOVED the show Full House and I also love memoirs. But this book just didn't do it for me. I found it pretty poorly written (no big surprise I guess), very repetitive and just too "hip" (I guess that's the word...) She was just trying too hard to relate or maybe impress the readers I think. I mean how many times can we read about her relapsing? She tells a sad, sad story, but in the end she wants us to think that she is recovered and I just don't believe it. I would not at all be surprised if she is still using or starts again. I was also disappointed she didn't write more about her Full House days. I guess she was pretty young at the time and maybe she doesn't remember all that much, but I thought that would have been more interesting than hearing about her endless partying and then lying on national TV.

Random Family

2010-01-17T13:58:00.001-06:00

This book fascinated me. It took me a very long time to read, because it was so intense. I like the author's style of writing by the fact that she referred to everyone by name and not pronouns. Because there are so many players in the book I know I would be utterly confused if she didn't state people's names. This book is a true family saga, even though it reads like fiction. I am glad LeBlanc chose to write it this way, instead of first person. I think it makes it more credible in a way. LeBlanc dedicated something like 12 years of her life working on this book and immersing herself with these people. It's amazing to think about. It shines a lot of light on the social service system in New York. I would like to say this book made book made me sad or angry -- but it didn't. I am very interested in social work as a profession and this book made me feel even more passionate about it.

The Girls

2010-01-11T00:47:00.001-06:00

This book fascinated me. What a truly unique story. I kept having to remind myself that this wasn't a memoir but fiction. I have never really put much thought on conjoined twins before. Never pondered what life must be like for them. After reading this book I don't think I will ever take for granted being able to truly do something alone. I am very impressed with the authors ability to really understand the feelings of what it must be like to live this way. I was totally engrossed in this book.

Infidel

2010-01-08T15:20:00.001-06:00

This book gave me mixed feelings. Although I do believe in what Ali stands for, I am not so sure how much I actually liked her. I found her very self righteous. She is obviously very controversial. I mean there are not many people who basically condemn one of the largest religions in the world. It's so wonder that she had to go into exile. Sometimes I wonder how it is she is still alive.

That being said, Ali had led an extraordinary life! I wish at the end of the book she would have tied up a few loose ends -- one being the current state of the relationship with her parents. I was also amazed at how well she remembered all of the details.

In the end I would recommend this book, especially those who might be questioning their own faith.

Sold

2009-11-28T12:57:00.001-06:00

This was a very powerful book for me! I read it in one sitting. Granted, I know, it is written for a teenage audience, but that didn't change how much force was behind it. I loved the way it was written in short vignettes, it packs a powerful message. It's hard to believe that this kind of thing is happening, right now, every day in India. It makes me so sad, but also very angry. One thing I wonder about though, is that there must be other countries doing the same type of work as these American's are. Raiding these brothels. It's not JUST America who is helping to change these problems, though the book makes out Americans as the ones who are going to save everyone. Otherwise this was a spectacular book.

The Absintence Teacher

2009-11-20T16:52:00.000-06:00

Urgh -- I had high hopes for this book. I started to get a little bored halfway though but presisted because I felt like I needed to know what was going to happen. And the answer was nothing!! Urgh.. what a terrible ending. It made me mad that I even bothered finishing it. What a waste of time in my opinion

Zeitoun -- Dave Eggers

2009-09-15T22:24:00.001-06:00

I love, love, love Dave Eggers and again he did not disappoint. Granted I have a certain fascination with American disasters, so the topic was already of interest to me. I adore how Eggers takes a true noteworthy back story and can make it into such an engrossing almost fiction-like novel. (Take What is the What as the other example).
It's hard to believe that something like what the Zeitoun's experienced happened right in here in our own country. We all heard stories coming out of New Orleans and all the shady things that was reported, but this really brought it all home. It's hard to believe that it's not fiction. It made me very sad and even more so, angry. How is this thing possible? It's not something we think of happening here, in this country. Maybe in some other third-world country, but not here. But are we really all that shocked? I tend to think not. Anyhow, Eggers does a fantastic job of bringing this to the surface. I am intrigued enough to some research further.....

Life of Pi

2009-07-26T00:08:00.001-06:00

I have mixed feelings about this book. I admit it was a great story, but I have to admit there were stretches of the book were I was bored. I loved the whole first section before the sinking of the ship. I thought everything about the zoos and animals was fascinating. I also liked the story of his family. After he was on the lifeboat, the story seemed to drag for long periods of time. Some of it was interesting and some just went on too long I thought. I felt like it took me forever to finish the book. The ending was just okay for me – I thought it was going to be something different. Not sure what, but not what it was. Somehow though, I have a feeling this book is going to stick with me for a while – I may write more about this book as it sinks in a little more………

Skinny Bitch

2009-07-07T01:28:00.000-06:00

This book was a bunch of crap bias. it started off all cute and good and then all of a sudden tells you that you must become a vegan and eat only organic. It also throws in some chapters about how the government is horrible and awful and we can't trust the USDA or EPA. (the chapter is literally called, "Trust No One") Oh and a whole chapter on how they slaughter cows, pigs and chickens in very graphic detail. Common. This is so not realistic for most people. I get the whole vegetarianism thing. I really do. That is one thing... vegan is whole other thing. This book was not at all what I expected. I felt like the authors were just out to push their own personal agenda against the government.

Goat -- Brad Land

2009-06-14T22:30:00.001-06:00

This book was interesting, but in all reality I wasn't actually all that surprised by the violence of the fraternity hazing. I had read about it before and heard about it before so I wasn't completely shocked. It's amazing how cruel some people can be to each other. There were some cringes inducing moments -- mostly for me during the first part of the book, not the fraternity part. I think what was the saddest part of this book was the internal struggle Land went through and also the relationship with his brother. That part was harder to take than the actual descriptions of the beatings and hazing. Overall a pretty good memoir. Quick read and kept my attention.

The Joy Luck Club

2009-06-04T11:30:00.001-06:00

I had been meaning to read this book (along with other Amy Tan) for a long time. We are going to be reading parts of this book in our Advanced ESL class this summer, so I thought it would be a perfect time to ready it. I loved this book. It was so beautifully written. All of the stories tied together wonderfully. I liked how each story could also be read seperately also and no other context was needed. Usually I am not a huge short story fan, but this was just fantastic. In my copy of the book it has a chart listing the mothers and the daughters and that helped tie everything together for me. I also loved how the first story and the last story just tied the whole book together in such a wonderful way.

Mission 101: Read 101 books in 1001 days.

2009-05-11T12:14:00.050-06:00

Here's the deal. I have already started my Mission 101 through livejournal. I decided to make a new blog dediciated just to this project.

I plan to use this medium for keeping track of my progress and sharing my feelings on books in general.

(NOTE: I have dated this post for the end date of my mission, because I always want it to appear as the top entry, just scroll one down to see the newest post..)

Start Date: August 8, 2006

End Date: May 11, 2009

Here is my progress so far:

1. ~~The Burn Journals -- Brent Runyon~~ Finished 1/12/08!
2. ~~A Piece of Cake -- Cupcake Brown~~ Finished 8/20/07!
3. ~~Gifted -- Nikita Lalwani~~ Finished 03/05/09!
4. ~~Eat, Pray, Love -- Elizabeth Gilbert~~ Finished 1/22/08!
5. ~~Eyes, Breath, Memory -- Edwidge Danticat~~ Finished 3/10/09!
6. ~~So Many Books, So Little Time -- Sara Nelson~~ Finished 3/8/08!
7. ~~House of Paper -- Carlos Maria Dominguez~~ Finished 3/9/08!
8. ~~Summers with the Bears -- Jack Becklund~~ Finished 1/26/08!
9. ~~Julie and Julia -- Julie Powell~~ Finished 8/31/07!
10. ~~Marley and Me -- John Grogan~~ Finished 12/29/2008!
11. ~~Bunny Tales -- Izabella St. James~~ Finished 11/25/07!
12. ~~The Talking Horse and The Sad Girl and The Village Under the Sea -- Mark Haddon~~ Finised 3/20/2009!
13. ~~Burned Alive -- Souad~~ Finished 7/15/07!
14. ~~Wonderful Tonight -- Pattie Boyed~~ Finished 5/14/08!
15. ~~The Keeper of the Lime Rock -- Lenore Skomal~~ Finished 5/10/07
16. ~~Forever Lily -- Beth Nonte Russell~~ Finished 2/1/08!
17. ~~Girlbomb -- Janice Erlbaum~~ Finished 4/20/09!
18. ~~Hey Ranger! -- Jim Burnett~~ Finished 1/28/09!
19. ~~The Dogs Who Found Me -- Ken Foster~~ Finished 9/9/07!
20. ~~Have You Found Her -- Janice Erlbaum~~ Finished 12/1/08!
21. ~~The Bookseller of Kabul -- Asne Seierstad~~ Finished 6/2/07!
22. ~~The End of the Alphabet -- CS Richardson~~ Finished 1/11/2009!
23. ~~Marked for Life -- Joie Davidow~~ Finished 4/1/2009! (sort of)
24. ~~Why New Orleans Matters -- Tom Piazza~~ Finished 4/30/07!
25. ~~Take the Cannoli -- Sarah Vowell~~ Finished 5/22/08!
26. ~~How I Learned English -- Tom Miller~~ Finished 11/11/08!
27. ~~The First Verse -- Berry McCrea~~ Finished 7/27/07!
28. ~~Superfoods RX -- Steven Pratt~~ Finished 1/26/09!
29. ~~Free Food for Millionaires -- Min Jin Lee~~ Finished 9/22/08!
30. ~~Special Topics in Calamity Physics -- Marisha Pessl~~ Finished 4/13/08!
31. ~~Falling Man -- Don DeLillo~~ Finished (sort of) 10/15/07!
32. ~~The Uncommon Reader -- Alan Bennett~~ Finished 3/20/2009!
33. ~~Here's the Story -- Maureen McCormick~~ Finished 3/22/2009!
34. ~~What is the What -- Dave Eggers~~ Finished 7/1/07!
35. ~~Restless Virgins -- Abigail Jones~~ Finished 2/21/08!
36. ~~The Headmaster Ritual -- Taylor Antrim~~Finished (sort of)9/29/08!
37. ~~Upstate -- Kalisha Buckhanon~~ Finished 8/15/08!
38. ~~My Sisters Keeper -- Jodi Picoult~~ Finished 10/27/2008!
39. ~~The Mole People -- Jennifer Toth~~ Finished 2/4/2009!
40. ~~Hope and Other Damgerous Pursuits~~ Finished 2/18/2009!
41. ~~A Breath of Fresh Air -- Amulya Malladi~~ Finished 9/4/07!
42. ~~The Polysyllabic Spree -- Nick Hornby~~ Finished 12/6/07!
43. ~~Gossip of the Starlings -- Nina de Gramont~~ Finished 5/2/2009!
44. ~~The Year of Magical Thinking -- Joan Didion~~ Finished 11/8/2008!
45. ~~Autobiogrpahy of a Face -- Lucy Grealy~~ Finished 7/9/08!
46. ~~Sickened -- Julie Gregory~~ Finished 7/29/07!
47. ~~The House on Mango Street -- Sandra Cisneros~~ Finished 4/22/2009!
48. ~~Kabul Beauty School -- Deborah Rodriguez~~ Finished 8/9/08!
49. ~~A Confederacy of Dunces -- John Kennedy Toole~~ Finished 1/23/2009
50. ~~The Worst Noel --- Various~~ Finished 12/16/07!
51. ~~Assassination Vacation -- Sarah Vowell~~ Done (sort of) 7/11/07
52. ~~Truth and Beauty -- Ann Patchett~~ Finished 7/21/08!
53. ~~Half in Love -- Malie Meloy~~ Finished 2/6/08!
54. ~~The Noodle Maker -- Ma Jian~~ Finished 8/3/07!
55. ~~The Kiss -- Kathryn Harrison~~ Finished 4/5/2009!
56. ~~Snow Flower and The Secret Fan -- Lisa See~~ Finished 9/14/07!
57. ~~A Thousand Splendid Suns -- Khaled Hosseini~~ Finished 11/10/07!
58. ~~Playgound -- Jennifer Saginor~~ Finished 11/16/07!
59. ~~The Reader -- Bernard Schlink~~ Finished 5/18/07!
60. ~~American Dreams -- Sapphire~~ Finished 12/16/07!
61. ~~The Myth of You and Me -- Leah Stewart~~ Finished 1/25/08!
62. ~~Ex Libris -- Anne Fadiman~~ May 10, 2009!!
63. ~~The Zookeeper's Wife -- Diane Ackerman~~Finished!(sort of) 10/12/2008
64. ~~The Almond -- Nedjma~~ Finished 1/7/08!
65. ~~A Long Way Gone - Ishmael Beah~~ Finished! 3/28/2009
66. ~~Sweetness in the Belly -- Camilla Gibb~~ Finished 6/4/08!
67. ~~Darfur Diaries -- Jen Marlowe~~ Finished (sort of) 4/20/08@
68. ~~Delicate -- Mary Sojourner~~ Finished (sort of) 9/26/08!
69. ~~Desert Dawn -- Waris Dirie~~ Finished 10/6/07!
70. ~~Love, Stargirl -- Jerry Spinelli~~ Finished 3/5/08!
71. ~~Anthropology -- Dan Rhodes~~ Finished 12/10/07!
72. ~~The Love Hexagon -- William Suttcliffe~~ Finished 12/22/07!
73. ~~Windows on the World -- Frederic Beigbeder~~ Finished 5/5/07!
74. ~~Dying to Cross -- Jorge Ramos~~ Finished 1/10/2009!
75. ~~Grayson -- Lynne Cox~~ Finished 10/21/07!
76. ~~The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu~~ Finished 12/2/07!
77. ~~Dark -- Kenji Jasper~~ Finished 4/7/07!
78. ~~Digging to America -- Anne Tyler~~ Finished 12/15/06!
79. ~~The Namesake -- Jhumpa Lahiri~~ Finished! 8/12/06
80. ~~The Man of My Dreams -- Curtis Sittenfield~~ Finished 12/26/06!
81. ~~How Are We Hungry -- Dave Eggers~~ Fished 2/25/07!
82. ~~Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather -- Gao Xing Jian~~ Finished ??
83. ~~Caramba! -- Nina Marie Martinez~~ Finished! 9/27/06
84. ~~Peel My Love Like An Onion -- Ana Castillo~~ Finished 1/10/07!
85. ~~The Bridegroom -- Ha Jin~~ Finished! 9/16/06
86. ~~Are You Experienced? -- William Sutcliffe~~ Finished 3/4/07!
87. ~~Ties that Bind, Ties that Break -- Lensey Namioka~~ Finished 10/1/06!
88. ~~Lucky -- Alice Seabold~~Finished 1/3/07
89. ~~John -- Cynthia Lennon~~ Finished 3/25/07!
90. ~~The Monkey Wrench Gang -- Edward Abbey~~ Finished! 8/24/06
91. ~~For One More Day -- Mitch Albom~~ Finished 11/6/06!
92. ~~My Moral Enemy -- Willa Cather~~ Finished! 2/14/07
93. ~~A Spot of Bother -- Mark Haddon~~ Finished 3/21/07!
94. ~~The Kite Runner -- Khalde Hossein~~ Finished 1/9/07!
95. ~~Funny in Farsi -- Firoozeh Dumas~~ Finished! 10/21/06
96. ~~Dear Exile -- Hillary Liftin~~ Finished 10/22/06!
97. ~~Mr. Muo's Traveling Couch -- Dai Sijie~~ Finished 1/28/07
98. ~~The Facts Behind Helinski Roccamotios -- Yann Martel~~ Finished 9/5/06!
99. ~~The Secret History -- Donna Tartt Finshed~~ 12/6/06!
100. ~~Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- Johnathan Safron Foer~~ Finished 10/10/06!
101. ~~Hotel of the Saints -- Ursula Hegi~~ Finished! 2/9/07

Mission 101 (Part I) Complete!

2009-05-10T22:01:00.004-06:00

Woot! So I did it. I finished my (first) Mission 101! With less than a few hours to spare. I feel great! So great, that I am doing it again! I am starting over with another 101 books to read in a 1001 days. This time I hope to read more than that many books in 1001 days.

If I had to choose my top 12 books of the Mission they would be as follows:

1. What is the What
2. The Secret History
3. A Piece of Cake
4. Have You Found Her
5. The Kite Runner
6. A Thousand Spendid Suns
7. Eat, Pray, Love
8. Special Topics in Calamity Physics
9. Sweetness in the Belly
10. The Bookseller of Kabul
11. The Namesake
12. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

So, above this post you can see the list of books I actually read. Now below, in case anyone is interested, is the list of books I had orginally listed for this mission. (in case you are too lazy to compare, I crossed out the ones I read!) So out of the oringal 101 books, I only read 14 of them. I can't believe it! (I blame my discovery of bookmooch and paperback swap.) The list was always changing. But I am still making a brand new list for Mission 101 Part II. It helps me to be organized. I know the list will still change.... maybe just not as much at Part I? We can only wait and see...... and on we go.

1. Bridge of San Luis Ray -- Thornton Wilder
2. The Facts Behind Helinski Roccamotios -- Yann Martel Finished 9/5/06!
3. ~~Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- Johnathan Safron Foer~~
4. Juneteenth -- Ralph Ellison
5. The Story of B -- Daniel Quinn in progress
6. ~~Dear Exile -- Hillary Liftin in progress~~
7. No Longer at Ease -- Chinua Achebe
8. The Obituary Writer -- Porter Shreve
9. An Unfinished Life -- Mark Spragg
10. I Am A Pencil -- Sam Swope
11. The Love Germ -- Jill Neville
12. A Superior Death -- Nevada Barr
13. Life of Pie -- Yann Martell
14. The Unbearable Lightness of Being -- Milan Kundera
15. Babyji -- Abha Dawesar
16. The Known World -- Edward P. Jones
17. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter -- Carlson McCullers
18. Lamb -- Christopher Moore
19. The Mambo Kinds Play Songs of Love -- Oscar Hijuelos
20. ~~A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf -- John Muir~~
21. Sapagonia -- Ana Castillo
22. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down -- Anne Fadiman in progress
23. The Orchard Keeper -- Cormac McCarthy
24. The Sleeping Father -- Matthew Sharpe
25. The Confessions of Max Tivoli -- Andrew Sean Greer
26. The Little Friend -- Donna Taritt
27. Middlesex -- Jeffrey Eugenides
28. Reading Lolita in Tehran -- Azar Nafisi
29. Dawn -- Elie Weisel
30. Living to Tell the Tale -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
31. The Poisonwood Bible -- Barbara Kingslover
32. ~~Malinche -- Laura Esquivel~~
33. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -- Betsy Smith
34. ~~Hey Ranger! -- Jim Burnett~~
35. Donald Duk -- Frank Chin
36. ~~Caramelo -- Sandra Cisneros~~
37. Drop City -- T.C. Boyle in progress
38. The World According to Garp -- John Iriving in progress
39. ~~The Namesake -- Jhumpa Lahiri~~
40. The Tao of Pooh -- Benjamin Hoff
41. The Te of Piglet -- Benjamin Hoff
42. ~~The Monkey Wrench Gang -- Edward Abbey~~
43. Idyll Banter -- Chris Bohjalian
44. About Grace -- Anthony Doerr
45. Magical Thinking -- Augusten Burroughs
46. Innocent Erendria -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
47. ~~In Evil Hour -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez~~
48. Jasmine -- Bharati Mukherjee
49. One Life at Time, Please! -- Edward Abbey
50. Prodigal Summer -- Barbara Kingslover
51. Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules -- David Sedairs
52. The Sound and the Fury -- William Faulkner
53. Driving Over Lemons -- Chris Stewart
54. Iron Lake -- William Kent Kruger
55. Into Thin Air -- John Krakauer
56. Hayduke Lives! -- Edward Abbey
57. Little White Car -- Danuta De Rhodes
58. Nectar in A Sieve -- Kamala Markandaya
59. ~~The Bridegroom -- Ha Jin~~
60. War Trash -- Ha Jin
61. Son of a Witch -- Gregory Maguire
62. Crows in the Wheatfield -- Adam Braer
63. The Blue Flower -- Penelope Fitzgerald
64. The Prophet of Zongo Street -- Mohamned Nasshu Ali
65. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly -- Jean-Dominque Bauby
66. The Mistress of Spices -- Chitra Divakaruni
67. The Language of Threads -- Gail Tsukiyma
68. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains -- Isabella Bird
69. The Secret Lives of Cowboys -- Tom Groneberg
70. The Third Life of Grange Copeland -- Alice Walker
71. Native Son -- Richard Wright
72. Villa Incognito -- Tom Robbins
73. A Walk in the Woods -- Bill Bryson
74. Wilderness Tips -- Margaret Atwood
75. Everything is Illuminated -- Johnathan Safron Foer
76. The Infinite Plan -- Isabel Allende
77. The Devil, Deflina Verlea and the Used Chevy -- Louis Garcia Robinson
78. The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee -- Paisley Rekdal
79. Crackpots -- Sara Pritchard
80. Baggage -- Emily Barr
81. Journal of the Dead -- Jason Kersten
82. ~~Caramba! -- Nina Marie Martinez~~
83. Cuba -- Emily Barr
84. The Bookshop -- Penelope Fitzgerald
85. Handmaid's Tale -- Margaret Atwood
86. Things You Should Know -- A. M. Homes
87. ~~Lucky -- Alice Seabold~~
88. ~~Delicate -- Mary Sojourner~~
89. Death Be Not Proud -- John Gunther
90. Aunt Carmen's Book of Practical Saints -- Pat Mora
91. Goat -- Brad Land
92. The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams -- Nasdijj
93. I, Lucifer -- Glen Duncan
94. A Loyal Character Dancer -- Xiaolong Qiu
95. Fluke, Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings -- Christopher Moore
96. Under the Banner of Heaven -- Jon Krakauer
97. ~~The Bookseller of Kabul -- Asne Seierstad~~
98. Solace -- Mary Sojourner
99. Dead Men Tapping -- Kate Yeomans
100. Agua Santa = Holy Water: Pat Mora
101. ~~Peel My Love Like an Onion -- Ana Castillo~~

Ex Libris

2009-05-10T21:45:00.002-06:00

So, as with most short stories/essays, I always tend to have trouble. I did actually enjoy most of these essays. A few I had a hard time relating to, but even so I was able to take away something from them. I think my favorite is still the very first essay called "Marrying Libraries". It came at a perfect time as actually this is happening to me at this moment. I am not getting married but my boyfriend and I are combining books/libraries. So I could relate! I also really liked "Ancestral Castles".

Anyhow, I chose this book to read right now because I thought it would be a great ending to my challenge! This was book 101! I did it! With, actually, less than a day to spare... more on this in the next post!

Gossip of the Starlings

2009-05-03T13:44:00.001-06:00

I was hoping for a little more depth in this book, but I still really enjoyed it. I was hoping for a little more of something like The Secret History and this didn't quite compare. However, the language was beautiful. This was wonderfully written. I had a hard time with the whole Latin American undertone and could have done without it. It just didn't quite seem to fit in with the rest of the story to me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

The House on Mango Street

2009-04-23T12:20:00.000-06:00

I have been meaning to read this for a long time. Usually short stories don't do much for me, especially when they don't seem to connect of have any kind of fluency. This was so not the case in this book. I loved the way these short tid-bits of stories flowed together and made it almost dream like. Everything was deliberate in this book, and I liked it. I found this book almost had some touches of Magical Realism (of which I am a huge fan) but yet somehow was able to stay grounded to reality, which I also find important. This was just beautiful.

Girlbomb

2009-04-21T09:07:00.001-06:00

I really enjoyed this book. I kind of wish I would have read this book first, before I read Have You Found Her. (I LOVED have you found her.) I think If would have read this first, it would have made Have You Found Her even better for me. Anyhow, besides that this book was fascinating. I love memoirs and I love reading about choices other people make in their lives. It's hard to believe that her mother would just let her live at a homeless shelter and group home for over a year. When I was in high school I don't think I was any where close to being able to make the decisions she was able to make, be them good or bad decisions. I am glad she was able to pull her self out of everything she went through and become a productive member of society.

The Kiss -- Kathryn Harrison

2009-04-05T22:45:00.001-06:00

This memoir was fascinating. It was very artfully written and I couldn't put it down. I have to say I found it very sad and painful at times. What a life Harrison lead in her twenties. It's hard to imagine. She tells is quite beautifully. It's amazing that she was able to pull herself through it all and come out okay on the other end. For anyone who didn’t know their father growing up and seeking that connection later, I can only imagine how it would feel.

Marked for Life

2009-04-01T23:32:00.001-06:00

Honestly, I couldn't even finish this book. I was so bored. I didn't care about her family or where she grew up. I wanted to hear more about how her birthmark effected her and I felt like she just spent too much time talking about her grandparents and the small town she grew up in. I just didn't care. It was boring. I just put it away. Moving on.....

A Long Way Gone

2009-03-29T13:18:00.001-06:00

So, I really did like this book. It started out slow for me. I wonder how much of the beginning was sort of "made up" versus being the actual truth. He was so young, how could he possibly remember all of that. I mean, I am sure it is all based on what he does remember, but I doubt that it's exact. Once he was actually recruited into the army, that is when the book got really interesting to me. I was pretty blown away by his story. This book reminded me a lot of What is the What in a way and I think I do prefer that book this one. I really found the story of his rehabilitation to be the most interesting part of his story. It’s truly amazing that they are able to rehabilitate any of these young men after the horrors they had been though. I had never really thought much about it until I read this story. I do have to say though, I HATED the ending. What? I was upset that he didn't go on to tell his story of how he made it to the US after everything he had been though. I get what he was trying to do with the ending, but it was too abrupt for me. I really want to hear how he was able to make it out of Guinea and into the US. Besides the ending, this book was really quite fascinating and really set my brain in motion.

Here's the Story

2009-03-22T00:06:00.001-06:00

I found this book to be quite engrossing. Who knew Marcia Brady was a cocaine addict. Yes, the book was also very sad. I think Maureen McCormick is probably still pretty messed up, even though she tried to tie the book up in a happy ending. I am not so sure I buy it. I did however like that she really barred all this memoir. I really found it fascinating. The only complaint I had was that chronologically she jumped around a lot. I had a hard time keeping track of what year it was. She would tell a story about something that happened in the 1984 and then a few paragraphs later would talk about something that happened either earlier or later and then come back to 1984. Other than that, I was actually impressed with her writing. Every easy to read, yet again, very engrossing. For anyone who likes the Brady Bunch or is even interested in the 1970’s or who just likes a good memoir, I would recommend this.

The Uncommon Reader

2009-03-20T14:40:00.000-06:00

I think some of the British humor was lost on me, I still enjoyed this short read about the Queen of England discovering the joy of literature late in her life. It was funny, though again I think some of it went over my head. I thought the characters were well developed for it being only a 120 pages. Nicely written, not a word was spared.

The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea

2009-03-20T07:41:00.001-06:00

I much prefer Mark Haddon's novels to his poetry. There was maybe one poem I actually enjoyed; mostly they just didn't make any sense to me. I have never been much of a poetry fan to begin with (exepct for Longfellow and Bukowski) but for some reason I keep trying. I think I should just give it up and realize poetry just isn't for me. This book of poems did not help.

Eyes, Breath, Memory

2009-03-11T08:53:00.001-06:00

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very fullfilling. I loved the Magical Realism touch to it. It was beautifully written, but bordered just a bit on chick lit. That's okay though, it was still a great, quick read. I am looking forward to reading Danticat's other book, Krick, Krack.

Gifted

2009-03-06T00:56:00.001-06:00

I was excited about this book. I thought the premise was interesting, But in the end I was disappointed. There wasn't much follow through on some of the initial parts of the story line that I liked (her first trip to India for instance). It started of varying between the mother, father and Rumi's point of view, but stopped once she went to Oxford and I thought that was disappointing. I also had a hard time connecting to the characters. Rumi was just to weird for me, and the mother really got on my last nerve. I also didn't like the father character at all. Plus the ending did nothing for me. So it goes.

Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits

2009-02-18T22:10:00.001-06:00

I liked this book well enough. It wasn't what I had expected after the first chapter. The stories were interesting. I liked how the book was divided into two parts; the story of before they decided to immigrate and then the story of what happened to them after they arrived. It was very well written, but nothing to jump for joy about. I liked the different take on immigration. I am used to reading books about people immigrating to the US, so this was a nice change.

The Mole People

2009-02-04T23:48:00.001-06:00

I found this book fascinating! It was an easy read and well written. Who knew that many people were living "down there". I enjoyed reading about the different types of homeless in the city and how they group themselves. This book was more about homelessness in general in NYC than anything. It kind of jumped around a lot and some of the stories told I still have a hard time believeing. Though, I do believe Toth wrote what she was told. I am sure many of those stories were made up by the people she encountered rather than Toth herself. The most fascinating part of the book I think for me was the anatomy of the city and the underground. Learning about the different levels of the tunnels and subway is a bit mind boggleing.

Hey Ranger

2009-01-28T10:51:00.001-06:00

This was entertaining in it's own right. But I wouldn't say it was stellar. It kept my attention, but just bearly. (I actually put the book down twice and came back to it...) The stories were funny, but often a little short. The writing was pretty plain. I don't know.. maybe I am biased. These stories didn't seem all that extraordinary. They were pretty predictable to say the least. People do dumb things in parks and wilderness areas when they don't know what they are doing. Good thing we have rangers like him to help them become educated on how to act and behave in the wilderness.

Superfoods RX

2009-01-26T20:14:00.001-06:00

This was kind of an extra book. I have been trying to incorporate some more non-fiction into my reading diet. I thought this book was pretty fantastic. I loved how it gave you all different aspects on the foods recommend. The history of the food, WHY the food is good for you, WHAT the food can do for you and WHO the food might benefit most. There was a lot of scientific information that sometimes I tended to glance through, but it was all very useful information. Then the book broke it down very easily for anyone on how it could be incorporated into our diet. It also gives lots of easy recipes which is great. The book was also honest about the fat content and how it should be eaten. It really inspired me to go out and throw everything in my fridge and cupboards away and start fresh. Good stuff.

A Confederacy of Dunces

2009-01-24T01:05:00.001-06:00

This book was just plain crazy, but I loved it. The characters were fantastic. I think my favorite was the mother. I just thought she was great and well developed. I had a love/hate relationship with Ignatius though out the book. Sometimes I took pity on him and other times I just wanted to hit him. I see this book as more of stage play than anything else. I think it would just be utterly hysterical. I can’t say this will go down as one of my all time favorites, but it defiantly one of those books that will be in my brain for a while.

The End of the Alphabet

2009-01-12T10:30:00.000-06:00

This was a tragic little book. It was kind of a downer. I loved however, the way the book was constructed and I loved the idea of in his last days of life traveling around the world visiting a city for every letter of the alphabet. I was sad that the mission was left uncompleted in the end. The writing lacks very little, which is fantastic. It was a quick little read, which I intend to read again to get the full force of it. There is much to be found in this book.

Dying to Cross

2009-01-10T23:22:00.003-06:00

I was hopeful about this book as the topic is very interesting. BUT sadly, I was just bored. Yes, it is VERY tragic what happened to the people in the back of the truck. But the way it was written, I couldn't follow. There were way too many people and names and everything jumped all around. I couldn't keep straight who was who. Plus, I don't really see why this was made into a book. There wasn't that much to say about the incident honestly. It's a news story, not a book. Yes, it brings to light a lot of immigration policy issues, which is good. But I just don't think it was worth making into a book.

Marley and Me

2008-12-29T23:44:00.002-06:00

I finally read this book. It was a great way to wrap up 2008. I really enjoyed it, though for some reason it took me longer than I thought. (I guess I kept getting distracted.) Grogan is a great author and just had a way with describing crazy old Marley that made me laugh. He was able to use just the right words. I loved it... as it seems most people did. I am curious to see the movie.

That wraps up my 2008 reading! I only read 29 books this year, which is slightly disappointing, but so it goes. I have six month to finish this goal!

Have You Found Her

2008-12-01T23:51:00.001-06:00

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. I couldn't put it down. It's hard to believe it's all a very true story. Though it's ending is pretty bland, I can't say I didn't see it coming. You could see the enabling through out the book. BUT, that being said, there were so many twists and turns I didn't see coming. I kept wondering through out, though, why is she doing this? Why does she keep Sam in her life? I guess the title says it all, "Have you found her", maybe meaning, has she found herself? I don't know if I could have been as strong as Erlbaum. But the story was completely captivating none the less.

How I Learned English

2008-11-11T23:40:00.002-06:00

This book was an interesting look into how one learns a language. (A second language). Working with ESL students on a daily basis, I was able to take a lot away from these stories and relate them back to my students. There were the common similarities; subtitles on TV or movies, reading everything in sight etc. I found it amusing that more than one author talked about National Geographic magazine. What's really funny is at my center, we have a whole shelf of these magazines and my students LOVE them. I just thought it was a funny thing, but now, after reading this book it seems this isn't such a strange thing after all.

Anyhow, this was an interesting read for anyone interested in language learning.

The Year of Magical Thinking

2008-11-08T23:10:00.000-06:00

I am not sure I liked this book. I had a hard time relating to it. (Yes, I am young and have yet to experience any of the grief that the author obviously felt). The story was very sad, I admit, but that wasn't the part of the book that bothered me. I found the book quite pretentious. One thing that annoyed me was that she makes it quite clear that she and her husband are literary people who take literature seriously. If you haven't spent years in college didn’t study literature, you probably have no knowledge of these references. It was a bit tiresome. And these references would take her off onto stories of places she worked or lived for periods of time and sometimes I forgot what she began talking about in the first place.

Also, all of the medical references. She would go on for pages about all kinds of medical terminology that I just had to skip because I didn't understand a word of it. What was the point? I think maybe she was trying to justify how and why her husband died and what happened to Quintana. It was really actually boring to me.

Another thing was the incessant name-dropping. It was as if every single famous person they knew was mentioned in this book. But there was never a meaningful story to go along with it.. Its obvious she wanted to make sure everyone knew that she ran in a famous circle. It was really annoying.

My Sister's Keeper

2008-10-27T22:38:00.000-06:00

This book was entertaining enough. (I at least finished this one!) I liked how the book rotated through different points of view for each character, though I don't think I really liked all the characters. The subject matter, though was fascinating. But somehow I don't see any hospital ever forcing anyone, even a minor to donate an organ, even if the parents were insisting on it.

I got annoyed with the whole romance between Campbell and Julia. It had really nothing to do with the major story line and it felt like wasted time reading through it. But with that said, it was a satisfying read. The ending wasn't actually a huge surprise. In a way, I thought it was kind of predictable.

The Zookeeper's Wife

2008-10-12T21:17:00.001-06:00

So I am still having trouble with my choices lately. I tried really hard to get into this book. I couldn't finish it. There were too many unimportant details that I just couldn't get past. I had to skip the 4 pages about beetles! The whole premise of this book was interesting, but I also felt that it was a bit repetitive. It was also a bit dry for my taste. There wasn't much dialogue and there were too many characters coming and going and I couldn't keep track of them all. I had a hard time keeping track of the use of time in this book as well.

This book was set up interesting enough though. A fictional story based on a real life family who hid Jews in their zoo. The author obviously took a lot of time doing research about the family, the zoo and the time period.

I didn't finish this book. It was taking too much time and it wasn't keeping me interested enough to try and forge on.

The Headmaster Ritual

2008-09-29T21:33:00.001-06:00

I have been having bad luck with books lately I guess. I just couldn't get into this one. I had a really hard time relating to anything in the book. There was too much history about North Korea and things that I didn't quite understand. It was too masculine for me. I usually really like books about prep school and the like, but this just didn't do it for me.

Delicate

2008-09-27T00:46:00.001-06:00

I thought I was really going to like this book. But about 75 pages in, I was so bored I couldn't take it. The stories didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I couldn't find anything to relate to. I have never really been a huge short story fan and it's books like this that remind me why.

Free Food For Millionaries

2008-09-22T23:07:00.001-06:00

My goodness, this book took me over a month to read! It was too long in my opinion. There could have been a lot cut out and the book would have been just as good. Don't get me wrong, it obviously kept me intereseted for 552 pages. I enjoyed the changing view points. The Korean immigrant (or immigrant expriences in general) are always interesting to me. All of the characters had clever, interesting storylines. The ending left some to be desired though. I thought more loose ends could have be tied up.

Upstate

2008-08-16T09:13:00.002-06:00

This was interesting enough. Not something that was really great I would say, but interesting. I like books about prison, or people in prison. I also like books written in letter style. I think this book would have done more if it were not fiction. Though, I think it was powerful. I was glad in the end it wasn't exactly a happy ending. It made it more believe able. It think it showed the true power of how prison can effect relationships and families. (Not that that needed proving I guess....) I thought the characters felt very real and that the story was well written. It kept my attention, but I can't say it's at the top of any of my lists.

Happy Two Year Anniversary!

2008-08-09T21:37:00.001-06:00

Happy two year anniversary to me! It has been two years since I started this goal/blog. Still going strong! 29 books to go and 72 down!

The Kabul Beauty School

2008-08-09T21:26:00.002-06:00

This book didn't do a whole lot for me. It wasn't what I expected. I mean, what Rodriguez did was very interesting and even brave, but I felt like she kind of tooted her own horn a lot. (look at me, look how great I am). Maybe it is because I have a hard time relating to the whole "beauty school thing". If it were me, I would have tried to get these women involved in education in a different way. I understand where she is coming from, but I think there are many other ways to help the women in Afghanistan other than a beauty school.

I also found it strange that she was able to just up and leave her children back in the states while she ran off to do this. Her sons are mentioned once or twice. One even comes to visit her, but then she never mentions it again. I was also a bit put off by her marriage to an Afghani man. It just seemed all so strange to me, considering she had already had a bad marriage back in the states, why would she marry a man she knew for 2 seconds and couldn't communicate with? I do understand how he was able to help her and protect her a little bit, but still.....

The writing style was mishmash for me too. She tends to jump all over the place and I got confused a few times on where were. She mentions something briefly, but then never follows through on it. Plus, I found the ending very abrupt. She is definitely not a writer by trade.

This book was just so-so for me.

And now after some curious investigation, I found this story: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10634299

Which just makes me more aggrivated! She left these women, and promised them money from the royalties of the book and they haven't seen anything! My feelings dislike for this woman are now solidified after reading this story.

Truth and Beauty

2008-07-22T01:16:00.000-06:00

This book was brilliant. After reading Autobiography of a Face, I thought it only appropriate that I read this as a follow up. I am glad I did. It really brought everything home. I think I actually enjoyed this book even more. I think it shows the power of friendship. Maybe I am a bit biased, because I have had a lot of emotional relationships with friends that many people never understood. I admire Ann for being Lucy's friend through everything. Lucy really put her through a lot, yet she stood by her no matter what. I admire that and I strive for that in my own life. She was not judgemental (for the most part) and really understood what it meant to be a friend. I think that is one of life's most important and hardest things. This book was beautiful. I plan to send it to two of my friends who I think it was also hit home with. Some people may wonder why Ann stood by Lucy the way she did, but I never questioned it while reading this book. Lucy's life was an amazing one, but I think this story of their friendship is even more amazing.

Autobiography of a Face

2008-07-09T23:59:00.001-06:00

I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely well written and I found it quite beautiful, even though the content was heartbreaking. I know it's easy for me to say, but why not just stop having all the operations and just move on? I know she was young and I don't know what happened after she wrote this book. (I intend to read Truth and Beauty next.. and that might give more insight). It seems that she was finally able to accept herself for everything she was, which made me feel good. I can't even imagine going through everything she did at such a young age. But above all, this book kept me interested and was very well written.

Sweetness in the Belly

2008-06-05T09:55:00.001-06:00

This is the best book I have read in a long time. I really enjoyed it and it flowed wonderfully. It was such a great story line. I loved how unique it was. I didn't know much about Ethiopia's history, so this was a great introduction. I liked how the history didn't overbear the story. The characters were fantastic! I loved Lilly. She was just beautiful. I loved her relationships with the other characters. This book was so well written that I wanted it to so badly to be a true story! I can still hope. I also really liked the ending. Nothing is perfect and I was happy that it wasn't a perfect ending. It made the story more real. Just wonderful.....

Take the Cannoli

2008-05-22T21:21:00.001-06:00

I desperately want to like Sarah Vowell. This is the second book I have attempted to read by her and it's just not working. I have never been a big short story fan and this book didn't help. She tries too hard to be funny and in the end it's just annoying. I keep hoping that I am going to find something amusing, but I don't. I don't care about her family or her weird quirks. Somehow her writing just doesn’t help me to care. I don't know why. Usually I dig stuff like this. I made it about 3/4 of the way through this book and was done. I didn't even finish. I was bored and I felt like I was just wasting time.....

Wonderful Tonight

2008-05-14T22:32:00.001-06:00

This book was just alright. The way she jumped around so much really made it hard to follow. It seemed like one minute we were in 1965 talking about George and then 3 paragraphs later we were in 1970 talking about Eric... it was kind of annoying. I was hoping for some new information about the Beatles that I hadn't already read somewhere else, but was disappointed. The relationship with Eric I found more interesting, I guess maybe because I didn't really know much about it to begin with. Sometimes I felt like she was overly wining wa-wa... poor me. I glad the book didn't end like that, but come on, you know? Don't get me wrong, there were a few interesting tid-bits here and there, but I found myself bored through a lot of it. I didn't care for all the name dropping that this book was full of. I got bored with all the talk of modeling in the beginning (I had no idea, and don't really care who all those people were). It was just so-so for me. She has, indeed lived an interesting life, though.

Darfur Diaries

2008-04-20T21:02:00.001-06:00

The concept of this book was interesting enough; three people go on a mission to Darfur to make a documentary about the lives of the people who live there. I have to say, I didn't even finish this book. I had such high hopes! But I found the book very biased and honestly a bit boring. I think I would find the actual documentary much more interesting. These three had a lot of guts to sneak into the area, but I found they were a bit arrogant about the whole thing. Like, what they were doing was so great and wonderful. They could have died. There is a reason that people don't go there, and people are being forced to leave. Don't get me wrong, the stories of the people they met were indeed fascinating. I think actually seeing these people on camera might be a lot more powerful than their stories told through than these authors. But, I just didn't like the writing style of the book. That being said, I did enjoy the history aspect of the book. I admit, I hardly knew where Darfur was when I started reading this, so I found all of the historical, political and geographical information very useful.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

2008-04-13T11:23:00.000-06:00

This book took me ages to read! I couldn't believe it.. but I dug it. Yes, I found it overly wordy. (As I would assume almost everyone who reads this would). I found myself skipping whole pages trying to get to the actual storyline or plot. I did like all the references to the many different books, but at times it did get a bit old.

Throughout the book I found Blue's relationship with her father very strange. I I couldn't really figure out where it was going, of course until the end. Even then, I could have done without some of it. I realized in the end that it was all basically a long drawn out mystery, that honestly, I didn't see coming. All the references throughout the book I thought were strange, but assumed it was all part of her writing style. I realized it was more than that. Almost a set up. I don't read mysterys much and I am not even sure if I would consider this a mystery, but I really liked it.

The House of Paper

2008-03-09T22:44:00.000-06:00

What an odd, strange, yet wonderful little book. I finished this book in less than a day (it's only 103 pages). I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was actually quite fascinating. It's almost like a book-lovers min mystery. I didn't quite get all the Latin American literature references, but that's okay. I can't stop thinking about how someone would turn all of their books in to bricks with cement and then build a house out of them. I think it's going to be one of those images that it is going to stick with me. That is what I love about magical realism, I think. Anyhow, a perfect little book for any book lover.

So Many Books, So Little Time

2008-03-09T11:14:00.001-06:00

This book was mildly entertaining. There were some good antidotes on some interesting books. I felt for one that this book was a bit dated. She referred to some books as bestsellers at the time and how people were going crazy over them, when obviously it was 5 years ago. She picked some interesting choices, but honestly I wish she had talked more about the books than she did about her family. I do understand that this is supposed to actually be a memoir type book, but she yapped a lot about her husband and kid, which I could have done without most of the time. She also did a lot of name dropping --certain authors who she knew and such, which at times I thought tacky. That being said, it was an interesting concept and I did find myself laughing or relating to things through out the book could feel her pain about reading books that someone had recommended to her for sure! I know I have gone through that… So no, it wasn't at all boring, but nothing to jump for joy about, in my opinion.

Love, Stargirl

2008-03-05T12:19:00.002-06:00

This book took me longer than I expected, considering this book is technically for teenagers. I loved Stargirl and this book was no disappointment as a follow up. The language in these books for one, is spectacular. You never quite know where the book is going to go. I loved, loved, loved the characters in this book. Dootsie is my favorite, but they are all so vivid. The relationships between the characters is both touching and real. Nothing is fake, which I appreciated. I loved the books now as an adult and if I were a teenager, I am sure these would have been my absolute favorites. This was beautifully written.

Restless Virgins

2008-02-24T14:46:00.001-06:00

I had a hard time getting into this book. The descriptions were tedious. I thought this book was going to be more about the actual "sex scandal", when in reality they only talked about it for 20 pages or so and I felt it wasn't even a "scandal". The focus, I thought, was a bit off. There was no pattern to it and it seemed to jump from student to student without any really structure. One student they write about in the book, Josh, who I thought was interesting, they only talked about for maybe 15 pages in the whole book, where the focused on other students for large sections. I usually love coming of age books and books about prep school, but I found myself bored and annoyed through most of this book......

Half In Love

2008-02-07T16:02:00.001-06:00

I admit, I have always had a hard time with short stories. I feel like there is never enough character development and that the endings are always mashed or hanging and it drives me crazy. With that being said, I thought this was a really really great book of short stories. Now, not all of the stories were stars to me, and some of them had the same problems I already stated. A few I couldn't even finish because I was either bored or too much information was packed in that I didn't understand the plot. I did however, enjoy most of these stories because they were set in the Southwest. (That's just me). I really liked Garrison Junction and Paint (even if they were both disturbing in their own.. I tend to kind of like stuff like that anyhow) and I also really liked Kite Whistler Aquamarine, Ranch Girl and Thirteen and Half. The other stories were just so-so. I didn't like Last of the White Slaves. I couldn't figure out what was happening and there were too many characters for a short story I thought.

Anyhow, these stories for the most part were beautifully written and it was a quick read. The nice thing about short stories (and poetry) is that when one of them really strikes a chord in you it really sticks with you. I like that. I hope to find other works of short fiction like this in the future.

Forever Lily

2008-02-04T13:03:00.001-06:00

I thought I was really going to like this book, but I had a hard time relating to it. I guess maybe because I have no kids of my own, or step-children. I have always thought the idea of adopting from another country very intriguing and I still do. Her story was very touching and it was interesting to hear about her trip to China. I really hated her friend Alex, however. I was really happy to hear in the end that they no longer speak. She was a very selfish person and couldn’t believe she kept changing her mind about this poor child. I think what she did was pretty horrible and she was not a good friend. I understand why the author felt and did what she did.

I had a real hard time with all the dream sequences, so much so that I just started skipping over them. I mean, I got that she thought and felt she had this really strong connection with China and Chinese culture, but it was a bit hard to swallow with all these dreams. In the end however, I felt good that was able to adopt Lily in the end.. but wish that she might have written a little more about how the process went after she arrived back in the states... but so it goes.

Summers with the Bears

2008-01-27T23:50:00.001-06:00

I finished this book in a day! I loved it! Being from Minnesota and loving the North Shore, there is no way I couldn't love it. I also LOVE bears. This reminded me of something I would do. I know the morals are a bit screwed up and people shouldn't be leaving food out for bears and such, but how could they resist? Granted, this book was very honest. He knew that what he was doing was questionable and let the read know that and decide for themselves. I also like how he didn't claim to be an expert or a scientist, but this was just about his and his wife's experiences. All of these bears had unique personalities and it was great that the Becklund’s thought to write down these thoughts and experiences. The ending was sad, but as we know, these are wild animals and they can be unpredictable. This book is a true testament to the power of human-animal interaction and relationships.

The Myth of Me and You

2008-01-27T23:49:00.000-06:00

I am not sure what to think of this book to be honest. I know I didn't like the ending. I guess I should have thought it would be something like it was, tying in the whole "myth" theme. I did however like the whole idea that relationships with people who have ended are almost like myths. How do we know they really existed sometimes? I have often had that same feeling of people in my past, thinking, maybe I just made them up?
I did however, also like the characters. Sonia's mother in particular I thought was a really fascinating character and so was the relationship between Sonia and her mother. I thought that was a fantastic part of this book.
I hated however, that this book didn't focus more on the relationship more between the two main characters. Why do men always have to be involved? Does it always have to be about them? It made it feel too "chick-lit-y" for me. The plot was pretty good and the mystery of it all kept me reading. I really wanted to know what was in the package. I was sadly disappointed by what was in it, though. The ending was more of a let down than anything, I guess. But it wasn't half-bad. But it wasn't anything to write home about either.

Eat, Pray, Love Part 2

2008-01-23T14:24:00.001-06:00

I loved this book! I wasn't sure what I was going to think, maybe that it was going to be this cutesy, look at me-I traveled around the world-during a mid-life crisis thing, but it was SO far from that.

The writing style of Gilbert, in my mind, is almost flawless. She tells it like it is, but is funny when appropriate, sappy when appropriate. She is just very REAL. I loved that.

The book's layout was wonderful. Gilbert really let the reader understand the new environments she was in. She shared all the details of the people, the culture, the history, the food. Everything you would want to know. She did her research and brought forth this beautiful, beautiful memoir.

All of the things that happened to her in the book can be hard to imagine, as in, how could she be so luckily? But at the same time, isn't that the point? That these things did happen to her? That maybe karma was on her side? (or whatever you want to believe in?)

I thought this book was perfect in almost every way. While I was reading it I found myself with this calmness over me. I wanted to absorb the whole book and not rush through it. I actually didn't want it to end. I hope that maybe someday she was write more about what happened to her after this journey was over. Or maybe, it's better left unsaid.

Eat, Pray, Love

2008-01-22T14:37:00.000-06:00

I am reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am adoring this book. So much so, that I don't want it to end. I don't usually find myself dog-earing pages or underlining much when I read, but I have in this book. A lot. I read something in the book this morning that I had to make note of.

"Hindus see the universe in terms of karma, a process of constant circulation, which is to say that you don't really "end up" anywhere at the end of you life -- not in heave or hell -- but just get recycled back to the earth again in another from, in order to resolve whatever relationships or mistakes you left uncomplted last time. When you finally achieve perfection, you graduate out of the cycle entirely and melt into The Void. The notion of karma implied that heaven and hell are only to be found here on earth, where we have the capacity to create them, manufacturing either goodness or evil depending on our destinies and our characters."

And a bit later --

"This is the supreme lesson of karma -- take care of the problems now, or else you'll just have to suffer again later when you screw everything up the next time. And the repetition of suffering -- that's hell. Moving out of that endless repetition to a new level of understanding -- there's where you'll find heaven"

This struck such a huge chord in me, I am can't even explain it. It just makes so much sense I can bearly comprehend. I have never been much of a religious person and I doubt I ever will be, but this, I understand.

The Burn Journals

2008-01-14T13:48:00.001-06:00

I just finished The Burn Journals by Brenty Runyon. This book wasn't half bad. I am not sure I really liked the pace of the book. I mean, I read it quite freely, and I didn't have to think very hard, but felt like there could have been more.... It was written from the view point of a 14 year old, which was enlightening and annoying all at the same time. I was kind of hoping this book would be a little more, ah, intense? I am not really sure how to explain it. Runyon how ever is a very brave strong person. He never makes excuses for what he did to himself. He just keeps living. I liked that this book wasn't about "poor me" but it just told it like it was. That was inspiring. But, I also wonder how he was able to remember the details he did writing this book 10 years later. It makes some of it a bit hard to believe. Not that I don't believe he had those particular feelings, but some of the details I am sure were added or made up. I mean he was writing like a 14 year old when he was 24, you know? It made me a little leary. It is interesting to hear about how much time he spent in various hosptials and how long his recovery was, however. Being an adult, I wonder how much his treatment cost, being in the hospital for 10 months an all.. and nothing like that was mentioned at all. Anyhow, it kept my interest and it mildly interesting.

Next Up: Eat, Pray, Love.

The Almond

2008-01-08T15:33:00.000-06:00

My first book of 2008 finished!

I just read The Almomd by Nedjma.

Honestly, I am not sure what to make of this book. First, it took me a while to figure out where this story took place; (Turkey? I believe..). It was not what I expected. It was erotic and crude all at the same time. It was a nice change of pace from what I am used to. Nedjma is a fantastic story tell and I was happy to see a novel written about this subject from a Middle Eastern woman. Very liberating. I have to admit I stopped reading at about page 185 or so. It was getting a bit old. It didn't seem like it was really going anywhere... though I may have missed something. I did however like how the story was told; alternating between basically Bhadra's former life and her new life. I also enjoyed the story line with the aunt. I however got a little bored with Driss and the lesbians. It was just a bit much for me. Over all, it was a nice change of pace, but not the greatest thing I have ever read.

Next Up: The Burn Journals

The Love Hexagon

2007-12-23T17:22:00.000-06:00

I just finished The Love Hexagon. I actually quite enjoyed this book. Once I got into it, it just breezed past. Which, in my opinion, makes for a good book. I liked it better than Sutcliffe's other book, Are you Experienced. I thought the characters were more realistic and funny. (Even if some of them did annoy me a bit… that’s to be expected.) The dialogue was also witty and sharp. All and all, a quick fun read.

The Worst Noel

2007-12-17T12:42:00.000-06:00

I finished two more books: The Worst Noel and American Dreams.

The Worst Noel

Honestly this book bored me. I thought this was going to be a funny book that I could read around the holidays. All it turned out to be was annoying. A few of the stories were midly funny, but the rest I just felt like the authors were trying way to hard to make you laugh. I was hoping for something similar to Holidays on Ice, by David Sedairs (which I LOVED), but this was a far cry from that.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

American Dreams -- Sappahire

I really liked this book. I reminded me a lot of "A Piece of Cake" (which I think I still like better). I was very raw, emotional, sexually charged, and honest. I realize that many people might be uncomfortable about some of the topics in this book (incest, rape, lesbianism, sexism) but I find the stuff not only fascinating, but real.

Sapphire is truly gifted. She knows how to get deep within the reader and rattle perceptions of African Americans as well as women. This work was a eye-opening glimpse into the lives of people many of us would like sooner to forget or put out of our minds

Polysyllabic Spree and Anthropology

2007-12-10T14:37:00.000-06:00

I finished two more books. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby and Anthropology by Dan Rhodes.

Honestly, I just couldn't handle this book . I thought Hornsby was cocky and completely obnoxious. He just rambled and rambled about most books I had never heard of. (Now granted, he is British, so a lot of the books he yapped about may have just been published over there.. but still). He acts like he knows everything there is to know about the book word. He named dropped like crazy. I just couldn't deal with this book at all.... sorry.

Anthropology was a mildly entertaining little book. The idea itself was quite amusing -- little tiny stories all 101 words about girlfriends. Some stories I found hilarious (Pumpkin) while others were annoying. But, so it goes. The names of most of the women in the book I thought quite odd, but it really added to the charm of the book. It was a nice little 3 hour read.

The Beautiful Things Heaven Bears

2007-12-03T13:41:00.000-06:00

I really thought I was going to enjoy this book. I am usually very interested in immigrant experience type stuff and anything to do with Washington, DC.
I made it about 3/4 of the way through the book before I gave up. I got to that point where you are just reading the pages, but not really reading the pages, you know? It started off really well, but got really choppy as things went along. The character development I thought was pretty poor, which is disappointing because the characters had real potential I thought. I got bored. I didn't care about the characters. The main character I thought was a bit of a wimp. His friends had potential, but I felt like they never went anywhere. I thought this book was a bit disappointing. I did however enjoy his depiction of Washington, DC. I thought it was true and accurate for the most part. So it goes.....

Bunny Tales

2007-11-26T19:46:00.000-06:00

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had recently finished Playground by Jennifer Saginor and wasn't very impressed, as it didn't really give me very much info I was seeking. I find the Playboy Mansion and the whole stigma around it fascinating.

I thought this book was well written and very honest. St. James really got to the nitty gritty of things and it was appreciated. I think she touched on almost every subject someone who was interested in this lifestyle and the Playboy Mansion could have wanted to know about. The sex (real details), the cat fights, the celebrities, the money, the plastic surgery and a great insight into Hugh Hefner himself.

At times I thought St. James was a little contradictory, but for the most part I really enjoyed her tell all. I think many people may be surprised about what life really is like as on of the "Girlfriends" vs. what it appears to be on TV. St. James herself is very well educated and I thought I had good view of the world, and for her to write this book I thought it very bold. Good for her for telling it how it was, even if it put a negative light on Hefner and the whole facade. I somehow doubt that someone a less cultured would have the guts or the interest to write something similar.