Again another year has passed us by. I'm amazed I found time to read so many books as busy as we all have been. I must have snuck them in here and there. I found myself reading while standing at the stove cooking dinner, during breakfast and lunch, sometimes dinner, while the kids watch a movie they've seen for the umpteenth time. I've done ratings on Facebook with a few reviews until I realized my reviews could be read by ANYONE, not just my friends. I stopped after that. I'm not sure why, it just felt weird, people I don't know reading my lame feelings for a book. Probably the same thing here, but I doubt there are very many people I don't know who take the time to read this blog.
5 Star rating system
***** Loved it!!!
**** Really liked it.
*** Good, Okay
** Didn't like it.
* Hated it.
***Sarah's Key by Tatianna De Rosnay
This was a well written book with a heart wrenching story. I really have nothing bad to say about it. My 3 stars was all personal preference. I'm not really fond of sad, heart wrenching, atrocities. I would recommend it to anyone who can handle that kind of stuff. As much as I love historical fiction, this was just too sad for me. I love becoming more educated on the atrocities humanity can inflict on each other. I just wish I wasn't so sensitive.
*****The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
I think I will be forced/drawn.... whatever you want to call it....back to this series every year.... I can't help it.
***The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I found the letter style this book was written in very interesting. Again another historical fiction, but not so sad. I would recommend it to other, it just didn't "grab" me.
****Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Honestly, I was running out of stuff to read at the beginning of the year and decided, "why not re-read Harry Potter?" I love the series, one of these days I'll get through it a second time.
****Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
****Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
This book is for anyone that loves to eat. I only wish I had tasted half the food she talks about. I think one of my favorite things in this book are the recipes she includes after several of the chapters. Her cheesecake is to die for and it introduced me to Spaghetti Carbanara, which I love now....just not her recipe for it. Tyler Florence's Ultimate is much much better. This book was funny and kept me reading whenever I could fit it it. I also had the great pleasure of attending a lecture by the author.
****Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
A wonderful historical fiction about the Plague in Europe. Well written, I couldn't put it down.
****The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Now, though I've given this one 4 stars, proceed with caution on this series. I loved being transported back to caveman times. I found the details of their life fascinating. What I didn't enjoy was how
detailed the author was. She would go into minute detail about the plant life, what looked like what and what was used for what. I believe I even got a detailed description (over 2 pages) on how to make a flint knife. This was a little much and I skimmed ALOT. The story itself was really good. There is some violence but it's written well and though graphic, it is a necessary part of the story.
**The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel
I read this several months after Clan of the Cave Bear. Valley of Horses is the second book in the series. Again I did like this book, but I would not recommend it. Again there is the same minute detail of some of the mundane tasks of life. Others might find this interesting, to me, it detracted from the story. Really I don't care what tools are necessary or how to construct weapons out of flint. The story is great, but for some reason the author decided to make this more of a Harlequin romance that a work of historical fiction. Instead of skimming, I had to out right SKIP several paragraphs or pages because of the graphic, yes graphic sex scenes between the main characters. Yuck! Totally not needed. I checked online to see if the rest of the series was the same. I really like the main characters and would like to read where their journey takes them....but this book read more like porn than fiction.
***Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner
I think this might lean more towards being a romance novel than a historical fiction. I enjoyed the setting of New Mexico in the mid-1800's.
***When Will There Be Good News?
This is one where I actually read the summary on the back cover. Usually I don't because it gives too much away. I like to be surprised where a book leads me. I am able to figure most of them out if I know to much. This one had so much promise but didn't quite reach it. It was good, just not great.
***Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
I don't usually like memoirs, then tend to be about horrible things that happened to the author as a child. I don't like reading about horrible things happening to children. I liked this book because I learned a great deal about China, Hong Kong and US relations. And the bad things that happened were bad and unbelievable but readable. Unlike some where I through the book across the room because I was so grossed out.
*****The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
I loved this book. I knew how it would end because I have read Eclipse, but reading it made me so wish it had a different ending. What is it with Stephenie Meyer and her inexplicable ability to suck me into a story and not let go?
****Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
This is the second book in the series. I really like the simplicity of the story. One of these days I'll finish the whole series.
****The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler
This book is heart wrenching and horrifying. I could not believe our culture could act this way towards another human being. It's a collection of true stories about young girls between the years of 1940-1970 and the babies they were forced to give away for adoption. The only thing I didn't like is after half way through the book it felt like the author was re-telling the same story again and again. I ended up skimming to the end. Really a must read.
*****Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I loved this book, I love the movie. I saw the movie way before I ever considered reading the book. Vivian Lee will forever be Scarlet and that's who I pictured as I read the book this summer. As long as the movie is I'm amazed at how much detail it leaves out.
*****The Host by Stephenie Meyer
A re-read for me, but just as good the second time!
****Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
So many people have raved about Orson Scott Card and I had never read anything until this one. I didn't want to put it down even though I figured it out about half way through. It was a great read. I'll have to find another one by him. Any recommendations???
****Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella-
I loved this book, maybe because I'd been so immersed in Sci-Fi lately. It was a fun, light read, albeit a little science fictiony. It inspired my look for Halloween. I love Sophie Kinsella anyway.
***Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
This book was fine, but I was disappointed. I was hoping it would read a little more young adult than kid. Usually this kind of book could go either way, like Harry Potter, but it didn't. I liked the movie better.
*****Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Could....Not...Put...It...Down. Fantastic. I am in love with the genre of the supernatural anyway, but this was outstanding!
*****Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Ditto
****Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I love historical fiction and I love fantasy/Sci-fi and this book combined them both. I would only be hesitant in recommending it because it was a little bit explicit at times....could have done without that. I still don't understand why author's don't leave more to the imagination. Otherwise I'd be recommending this book all over town.
***The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I enjoyed this book, but it was a little slow and then when it picked up. It ended too fast. I think it's going to have a sequel at some point, but still. A big build up to a fast ending. Not the best, but still a decent read.
****City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
I really enjoyed this trilogy and was sad to see it come to an end. It left me wanting more.
*The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
I don't think I even finished this book. I came close but it was too painful. It was written fine, it had a nice, uplifting story, but so
booooring. I mean I really didn't care about any of the characters, even though they were real people and it was based on their real life. It billed the book as being all unique, but none of the stories seemed that special or unique. They could happen to any of us. Many people loved this book but I'm discovering, happy, feel-good books really aren't my cup of tea.
****The Physik Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
I have always loved stories of the Salem Witch Trials and this book is the same, with a twist. The twist makes it interesting. Though it made me wonder how much it of it was auto-biographical...
****The Night World Vol.1 by L.J. Smith
This series was recommended to me by my sister-in-law. I loved it. Though I was surprised it was a set of 3 stories. I thought it was all one long novel and when I got into the second book couldn't figure out why my main characters vanished. I wanted to hear more about them...not these new guys. My only complaint was it was the same plot with different characters for the 3 stories. I'm sure Vol. 3 will explain more of why. I haven't gotten there yet.
****The Night World Vol. 2 by L.J. Smith
I didn't realize until recently that she is one of the authors of a favorite series I read in High School. Of all the crazy books I read back then, these 2 series I kept because I loved them so much. Maybe next year you'll see a review of those. Anyway, like before, it was basically the same plot for the first 2 stories. The last story brought them all together a little more and I think Vol. 3 will shed more light onto it all. It was a fun, easy read.
**1/2 The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larson
I was so excited to finally start reading this book. I heard so many people say such fantastic things about it. I liked it and hated it all at the same time. I loved the 2 main characters. I wanted to know more of their story. Unfortunately the telling of their story involved a gory, sexually explicit, dark and icky plot. Half of the time I didn't know if I could continue. I really don't know why people love it so much. I'm not sure I can pick up the second one. I want to, but I'm afraid it will be more of the same ick. I don't like ick. No good book should make me feel like I need to take a shower after reading it.
****Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
**Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman
This looked like an interesting supernatural book. It ended up being way too dark for my tastes. Evil seems like too strong of a word, but it's close. Dark and evil. I don't even like reminding myself of it. It took the reader nowhere good and didn't even finish on a good note.
*****The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I re-read it in preparation to read Mockingjay and also for my book club. I love this book and it's concepts.
*****Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Same as above
***Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I still liked it, but I was very disappointed in this book. It did not take me where I wanted to go and left me frustrated at the ending. I want happy endings after so much suffering and bloodshed. Real life can suck enough without making my fictional getaway suck too.
****War by Sebastian Junger
To be honest, I didn't read this, I listened to it. The stories where gripping and sad. I love the psychology behind war. Ignore all the cussing, because that's just the way it is in the Army.
Well that it. 39 books this past year. I think that's pretty good. I wish I had a page count. Maybe I'll add that next year.
