Book Report - January through June 2006
I suck at writing reviews. Well, mostly because I have no confidence in my opinions! ha! I mean, I know what I like but I come off sounding sort of stupid and uninformed but I decided to give the books I'm reading this year a bit of a blurb or two.
My "goal" this year was to read one book a month - or 12 books this year. That is lame. I know. I used to read closer to 20...which isn't an amazing amount but good for me. I'm not a FAST reader nor am I a SLOW reader...I love to read and have to find time to do so every day...but I also like hiking, cooking, knitting, editing, blogging, gardening, skiing, you get the idea. If my only reading time ends up being right before bed, forget about it. I am only good for a paragraph or two.
That being said I am ahead of schedule this year....
Here's what I've read:
I Am Charlotte Simmons – Tom Wolfe
While I found his earlier work Man in Full to be completely engaging, Charlotte seemed to be a bit lacking. She did grow on me over the course of the reading and I ended up enjoying the ride, but I doubt any of the characters will stick with me like those in MiF. Touted as being quite “raunchy” and “scandalous” I was disappointed to find that this wasn’t really the case. Maybe I’m just desensitized. Sure, there’s crappy college frat-guy language & behavior, women are treated as objects (“c&m dumpster” being the most favorite) but it wasn’t nearly as juicy as I had hoped.
Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedaris
I had been goaded into reading this by a friend of mine. I have nothing against Mr. Sedaris, I just wasn’t “in the mood” for a memoir book filled with witty little essays about someone else’s life. Well, she lent me the book and I eventually picked it up and loved it. Perhaps I have something for low-expectations…? I don’t know. Charming stories about everything from childhood to living the world in a crazy drug-addled artist community. Such humanity in each tale and I will be reading more. A quick read too.
The Devil Wears Prada – Lauren Weisberger
Although disappointed with The Nanny Diaries I decided to give this similar tale of ‘the other half’ in Manhattan a go. I didn’t love it – I mostly wanted to take a nap after reading it!! It was stressful and made me angry that people treat other people in such an abominable way. It’s amazing to me to see how much people will sacrifice to be in certain industries…it was clear when I lived in LA and it seems to be alive and well in the fashion and publishing world in New York too. This book was okay. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. How’s that for a review?
The Fiery Cross – Diana Galbadon
The 5th book in the Outlander series. Part fantasy, part historical fiction, part, yes, romance. I love these books. Time travelers and adventure and romance – bring it on! This book started very slow for me and took a while to get into but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. If you like EPIC stories I suggest this series. The “romance” portion of the series (ie: sex) drops considerably after the first couple books.
Epic – The Story God is Telling & the Role that is Yours to Play – John Eldredge
Yes, I read some “spiritual” literature this year. This book is small, very easy to read and I enjoyed it. I read it while biking at the gym and found that it gave me proper time to really contemplate what was being said to me. I liked that. I also enjoyed the movie metaphors (particularly a fan of the LOTR series) that the author uses throughout.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
As I often find myself on this never-ending quest to find my heart’s treasure…this was a good one. An easy to follow story with poignant moments that really do get you thinking about your life, finding happiness and being brave enough to really go for what you want. It also gives you pause to consider what you have and perhaps that IS what you want after all. I shall read this again probably in a year or so to refresh myself.
The Lady & the Unicorn – by Tracy Chevalier
I received this book from my book club because I didn’t send my response back in time. That happens semi-frequently…if the books look interesting or are already on my reading list, I will most likely keep them. Thus playing into their hand! Argh. Anyway – this is a unique story about a nobleman who orders a tapestry made for his great hall and all the people that that affects. I enjoyed this book, found it easy to read and interesting. Each chapter is first-person from a different character (I think each character repeats a few times – I can’t quite remember). Quick read, got me thinking that I would like to weave tapestries! Strange, I know….
That Old Ace in the Hole – by Annie Proulx
Another book club selection which appealed to me and I didn’t send it back. This book is set in the Texas panhandle and takes it time telling the story of the land and the people who have inhabited it (the white people, that is). It’s meandering and slow and some might find it boring but I found it just right. I enjoyed going along for the ride and soaking up the culture, tradition and history of the panhandle and the hard-luck people who often settled there. I also enjoyed seeing the main character’s transformation and falling in love with something he didn’t think possible. This book also made me want to live in a small town. I get that a lot when I see/read about them romanticized in books & movies.
Chesapeake – by James Michener
I’m currently reading this book so no review yet. I will say that I feel I am LEARNING a great deal about the Chesapeake region & it's history by reading this tale.
My "goal" this year was to read one book a month - or 12 books this year. That is lame. I know. I used to read closer to 20...which isn't an amazing amount but good for me. I'm not a FAST reader nor am I a SLOW reader...I love to read and have to find time to do so every day...but I also like hiking, cooking, knitting, editing, blogging, gardening, skiing, you get the idea. If my only reading time ends up being right before bed, forget about it. I am only good for a paragraph or two.
That being said I am ahead of schedule this year....
Here's what I've read:
I Am Charlotte Simmons – Tom Wolfe
While I found his earlier work Man in Full to be completely engaging, Charlotte seemed to be a bit lacking. She did grow on me over the course of the reading and I ended up enjoying the ride, but I doubt any of the characters will stick with me like those in MiF. Touted as being quite “raunchy” and “scandalous” I was disappointed to find that this wasn’t really the case. Maybe I’m just desensitized. Sure, there’s crappy college frat-guy language & behavior, women are treated as objects (“c&m dumpster” being the most favorite) but it wasn’t nearly as juicy as I had hoped.
Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedaris
I had been goaded into reading this by a friend of mine. I have nothing against Mr. Sedaris, I just wasn’t “in the mood” for a memoir book filled with witty little essays about someone else’s life. Well, she lent me the book and I eventually picked it up and loved it. Perhaps I have something for low-expectations…? I don’t know. Charming stories about everything from childhood to living the world in a crazy drug-addled artist community. Such humanity in each tale and I will be reading more. A quick read too.
The Devil Wears Prada – Lauren Weisberger
Although disappointed with The Nanny Diaries I decided to give this similar tale of ‘the other half’ in Manhattan a go. I didn’t love it – I mostly wanted to take a nap after reading it!! It was stressful and made me angry that people treat other people in such an abominable way. It’s amazing to me to see how much people will sacrifice to be in certain industries…it was clear when I lived in LA and it seems to be alive and well in the fashion and publishing world in New York too. This book was okay. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. How’s that for a review?
The Fiery Cross – Diana Galbadon
The 5th book in the Outlander series. Part fantasy, part historical fiction, part, yes, romance. I love these books. Time travelers and adventure and romance – bring it on! This book started very slow for me and took a while to get into but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. If you like EPIC stories I suggest this series. The “romance” portion of the series (ie: sex) drops considerably after the first couple books.
Epic – The Story God is Telling & the Role that is Yours to Play – John Eldredge
Yes, I read some “spiritual” literature this year. This book is small, very easy to read and I enjoyed it. I read it while biking at the gym and found that it gave me proper time to really contemplate what was being said to me. I liked that. I also enjoyed the movie metaphors (particularly a fan of the LOTR series) that the author uses throughout.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
As I often find myself on this never-ending quest to find my heart’s treasure…this was a good one. An easy to follow story with poignant moments that really do get you thinking about your life, finding happiness and being brave enough to really go for what you want. It also gives you pause to consider what you have and perhaps that IS what you want after all. I shall read this again probably in a year or so to refresh myself.
The Lady & the Unicorn – by Tracy Chevalier
I received this book from my book club because I didn’t send my response back in time. That happens semi-frequently…if the books look interesting or are already on my reading list, I will most likely keep them. Thus playing into their hand! Argh. Anyway – this is a unique story about a nobleman who orders a tapestry made for his great hall and all the people that that affects. I enjoyed this book, found it easy to read and interesting. Each chapter is first-person from a different character (I think each character repeats a few times – I can’t quite remember). Quick read, got me thinking that I would like to weave tapestries! Strange, I know….
That Old Ace in the Hole – by Annie Proulx
Another book club selection which appealed to me and I didn’t send it back. This book is set in the Texas panhandle and takes it time telling the story of the land and the people who have inhabited it (the white people, that is). It’s meandering and slow and some might find it boring but I found it just right. I enjoyed going along for the ride and soaking up the culture, tradition and history of the panhandle and the hard-luck people who often settled there. I also enjoyed seeing the main character’s transformation and falling in love with something he didn’t think possible. This book also made me want to live in a small town. I get that a lot when I see/read about them romanticized in books & movies.
Chesapeake – by James Michener
I’m currently reading this book so no review yet. I will say that I feel I am LEARNING a great deal about the Chesapeake region & it's history by reading this tale.
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