The page is set up a little backwards. My most recent book is at the top. My oldest books (back to June 2011) are at the bottom. The links are to Amazon in case you're interested in finding out more about the book.
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter by Seth Graham-Greene. I am not typically a vampire person. I have not read the Twilight series or any of the newly popular vampire/werewolf books. However, this sounded like fun to me. And it is. It reads like a true account. There are pictures of Lincoln and quotes from documents, as well as quotes from his recently uncovered private vampire hunting diary. I love authors who don't take everything so seriously.
Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier. For those of you who remember, she also wrote The Girl With the Pearl Earring which I had enjoyed. This book was of a similar enjoyment. Light, interesting, cute. I was hoping to gain more insight into William Blake, since he is a poet that I feel I should understand more than I do.... but I didn't. Anyway, fun summer reading for the historical fiction genre.
The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. I picked this one up at the library on the "Lucky Day" shelf. I remembered hearing an interview with her on the radio. It's been interesting reading her book where she contrasts her efforts to be a "Chinese Mother" in the USA. She is so deliberate in her choices and fiercely proud; it has inspired some contemplation on my part of what kind of mother I will be as Audry grows up. I am enjoying reading about the things that Western mothers are horrified by that "Chinese" mothers do.
The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien. This was a favorite of mine years and years ago; my brother borrowed it in like 1997 and I haven't seen that copy since. It is a particularly silly book. One of my favorite passages is one in which the narrator discusses the idea that a road naturally runs in one direction or another, so if you are traveling in the direction the road "goes" you will have easy travels and the wind at your back. If you are going the wrong way, the road will be hard and you will have trouble at every turn. (This is not one of the sillier ideas) Good writing but utterly absurd ideas, so it isn't for everyone. But it was nice to get it on Paperback Book Swap after not having it for so long. Like being reunited with an old friend.
The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. I've read some other books by Carey that I enjoyed very much, and this one was available on Paperback Book Swap. So far I have been surprised by the writing style. The book is written in the form of an autobiography of a poor Irish farmer settled in Australia- many grammar and punctuation rules are ignored which makes for an interesting adjustment. However, I have to admit that by the time I got to the end I was tired of the writing style and I didn't care much about the characters, so I just had to slog through the last 100 pages or so. Not my favorite Peter Carey book.
I started The Tipping Point: how little things can make a big difference by Malcom Gladwell in June, but I'll put it in July since I won't finish it until July. The first non-fiction on my list. I found it pretty interesting non-fiction, especially the analysis of Sesame Street & Blues Clues (a discussion of why kids TV shows like these ones became pop culture). I wondered why Dora the Explorer wasn't mentioned and then realized it was published in 2000- oh. Kind of old. But it was a thoughtful book that was a fun read.
JULY 2011
And finally, I read The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by Maarten Troost. It really had nothing to do with sex or cannibals, but the title is silly and fun, much like the rest of the book. I like reading about places far away from me. I enjoyed learning that living on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific may not be as perfect as it sounds. Willy was mad because truthfully, the author sounds like a very lazy but well-educated guy who would rather be surfing than making a real living (probably true) and wonders why he can't be that guy. Oh yeah, because OUR parents aren't rich. But it was entertaining and exotic.
Next up: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. An interesting read that I have to admit was good writing and got hard to put down. It was bout the life of a hermaphrodite, so it isn't for everyone. I liked it, but I don't know that I would recommend it to everyone just because of the subject matter. I am curious to know how he got the idea for writing this book, and is it a coincidence that the main character's last name is so similar to his? What kind of research goes into a book like this? Interesting.
I moved on to The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I am enjoying it. This is a book for people who love to read... if that makes any sense at all. It is a book about a book lover (with a dark secret) who writes a biography for a storyteller (who also has a dark secret). It is a kind of collection of stories that all ultimately link together in a Bronte sister kind of Gothic suspense kind of way. Very entertaining. The book jacket says, "in the end [it} will deposit you breathless yet satisfied on the shore of your everyday life." True for me. One of the better books I've read in a while.
I'm reading UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld. It is a fun young adult dystopian novel. As it turns out, part of a trilogy (wouldn't you know), so now I have to read the next one. It isn't FABULOUS, but it isn't bad, either. It is a light read, even though it is a few hundred pages. I think I finished in like 3 days (I finish books pretty fast).
JUNE 2011
