May Reading Round-Up

I only got through one more book this month than I did last month but at least it's not one less!  

"Pledged" by Alexandra Robbins
I went to a small liberal arts school and although we had sororities and fraternities they did not play a huge role on campus.  However, I must confess that as a GDI I was curious to get a peek inside Greek life which is why I bought this book.  While the author apparently got a lot of grief for writing it I thought it gave a pretty balanced view of the pros and cons of Greek life and it satisfied my independent curiosity!

"The Alienist" by Caleb Carr
This was a best seller in the mid-90s and I bought it in 1999 at the Lincoln Square Barnes & Noble in NYC (yes, I can probably tell you where and when I bought most of my books.  I am a freak like that.)  And yes, it's taken me 12 years to get around to reading it!  That also means it's travelled from NYC to Chicago to Bermuda.  Not bad for a little paperback!  Anyway it's a historical, detective novel.  Set in NYC in 1896 it follows a team investigating a series of gruesome murders of child prostitutes and coming to grips with new ideas (the existence of serial killers and psychopaths) and methods (fingerprinting).  Lots of historical detail (although it occasionally feels a bit excessive) and interesting psychological ideas as well as a good old fashioned murder mystery.
   

"Last Night at Chateau Marmont" by Lauren Weisberger
I needed some fluff.  I enjoyed Weisberger's first book ("The Devil Wears Prada").  Her second book not so much and I skipped her third all together.  However, this one ended up in my hands and I needed something light after "The Alienist".  Not as good as "Devil" but better than the other one.  A story about finding fame and hanging on to your relationship in the process.  

"One Day" by David Nicholls - Recommended
Definitely liked this a lot better than his first novel, "Starter for Ten".  It's a fantastic, quirky, When Harry Met Sally-esque love story.  The end of chapter eighteen actually made me exclaim out loud in shock and brought Luis running into the room thinking I needed rescuing from some giant insect.  :)

April Reading Round-Up

This has been a dismal month in terms of getting through books.  However, I continue to blame my progress on the abundance of fantastic blogs that eat into my reading time!  I also read the following weekly magazines and newspapers: People, US Weekly (yes, I do read some trash!), the New York Times Sunday edition; and the following monthly magazines: Company, Real Simple, Bark.  There is always something being read - even if it's not the books that I'm supposed to be plowing through!     

"Maybe a Miracle" by Brian Strause
        Despite 16-year-old Monroe Anderson's efforts to save his sister, Annika, from drowning, she slips into a coma.  Strange, "miraculous" events begin to occur.  Narrated by Monroe, "Miracle" tells the story of the following few years and how very differently each of his family members react to Annika's coma and the mysterious events occurring around her.

"Scent of the Missing" by Susannah Charleson - Recommended
        A memoir of the the author's experiences training Puzzle, her first search and rescue dog.  Not only is it interesting in terms of learning something about SAR dogs but it is a beautiful story of the love, trust and friendship that develops between Susannah and Puzzle.

"Abide With Me" by Elizabeth Strout
        This was a bit of a struggle.  I loved Strout's first book ("Amy and Isabelle") but this one took me a lot longer to get into.  Once I had a decent chunk of time to devote to it I enjoyed it but it's not the kind of book that should be read in little snatches here and there.  Strout's writing is beautiful and her books always have a strong sense of place - the town's they're set in often seem like characters in their own right.

March Reading Round-up

I don't remember a time when I did not love books.  As a kid, my mom would wake me up early for school so I'd have time to read before I got out of bed and then I'd read in the car on the way to school.  I never go anywhere without a book or a magazine as you never know when you'll get stuck waiting somewhere.  I love the feel and smell of books - I will never be a Kindle girl.  I'm not a fan of any particular genre - I read a bit of everything.  I've mentioned before that I pretty much have my own library at home (1300+ books) and, sadly, have only read about 20% of them.  I hoard my books as badly as I hoard my craft supplies!  This year I'm making a concerted effort to combat all the hoarding.  Besides curbing the buying, I'm trying to read more and only allow myself to keep the books that I really love.  


I had decided in January that I'd do a little round-up at the end of each month to tally up what I'd read and make some recommendations.  So much for that.  I'm going to start now though and since I've had a very slow start in the reading department I'm going to do a little catch up this month and then go from there.  (I used to read a lot more books than this but I blame my discovery of so many great crafty blogs for eating into my reading time!)


January
"A Certain Chemistry" by Mil Millington
      This is chick lit from a guy's perspective and it was disappointing.  I loved Millington's first book ("Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About") and couldn't read it in public because it was so laugh out loud funny.  This one left me cold - mostly, I think, because I couldn't find a single redeeming feature about the lead character.  He was just a complete jerk and I didn't care what happened to him.


"Custer and Crazy Horse" by Stephen E. Ambrose - Recommended
    This had the potential to be a really dry read but Ambrose is a fantastic historical writer and really brings the past alive.  It gave me a whole new perspective on American Indians and the wars the settlers fought with them.


February
"Honeymoon" & "Lifeguard" by James Patterson
   I took these on our vacation for some light reading but they were too light for me in the end.  Passed some time by the pool but they were not at all satisfying.


"Child 44" by Tom Rob Smith - Recommended  
   I would never have picked this up but my friend at my local bookshop recommended it.  He was dissing on James Patterson and said you could have a light read that was also a decent read.  He was right.  This is a suspense novel set in Russia and was a good story with great twists.


"Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier
    I almost didn't buy this since I was so unimpressed with her last book ("Burning Bright") but this is a good read.  When Chevalier gets it right (as she did with "Falling Angels" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring") she creates fabulous historical fiction stories.


"Dogtown" by Stefan Bachtel
    I'd love to visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah one day.  It looks like a pretty amazing place.  I'm a sucker for a dog book and this one compiles a number of stories shown on the National Geographic Channel's Dogtown TV program.  Mostly heartwarming with a bit of heartbreak thrown in.  


March
"Babylon's Ark" by Lawrence Anthony - Recommended
    This is the true story of a South African man who took it upon himself to go to Iraq after the post-9/11 invasion and try to help save the Baghdad Zoo and the few animals that survived the war.  An amazing story of just how much people can accomplish in the worst of circumstances.


"Lizzie's War" by Tim Farrington - Recommended
   A story that explores the effects of war on an entire family and the perspectives from each side - the husband who is in Vietnam and his wife and children back at home.  


"The Spinster Sisters" by Stacey Ballis
     I have rarely quit on a book in my life.  Even if I thought it was awful I always felt like I had to see it through to the end.  I've decided though that I have too many books to get through to force myself to finish something I'm not enjoying.  So I quit on this one.  I found the characters annoying and the dialogue unrealistic and forced.  When bad writing pulls me out of the story it's time to end it.


"Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin
     I occasionally read young adult novels as there are quite a few very good ones out there.  This one was thought provoking as it dealt with what happens to you after you die.  I think it might bother a lot of people but whether or not I agree with it it's always interesting to explore other people's ideas and at the end of the day - it's only a novel.  :)   


Hope a few of you out there are readers too and I've perhaps sparked your interest in a book or two!  I'm always interested in recommendations so let me know what you're reading these days.  See you at the end of April for the next round up!