Sunday, July 18, 2010
Book Genres
I recently made a friend who is a writer. We both have a love for learning and reading. She asked me what my favorite genre was and I couldn't come up with a good answer, so I told her that I am "all over the place" when it comes to picking books. She then tried to figure it out for me by asking what the last 4 books were that I read. Try as I might, I couldn't think of a single one I had read recently (though a day or two later I remembered two that I read on vacation back in April). So I just rattled off the books I remembered reading in the past couple of years, which is embarrassingly small. Basically, I think my preferred genre is still a mystery to us, but that's what makes reading so much fun. There's a world to be seen and experienced through reading, and no matter the genre, I always look forward to my next adventure.
The Shack by William P. Young
Read this book while on vacation in Hilton Head in April with Julia and Lexie.
http://www.amazon.com/Shack-William-P-Young/dp/0964729237/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1279488254&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Shack-William-P-Young/dp/0964729237/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1279488254&sr=1-1
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande
Read this book while on vacation in Hilton Head in April with Julia and Lexie.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Peony in Love: A Novel
by Lisa See
http://www.amazon.com/Peony-Love-Novel-Lisa-See/dp/0812975227/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216214040&sr=1-2
This is the second book I bought at the airport bookstore. Because I had read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by the same author in 2006 while on vacation in St. Lucia, I knew this would be a safe choice. This was also a very good book, though it took me awhile to get into it. The book began with a Chinese opera and I got lost real quick. After reading the last book, it simply required too many brain cells to process at the start. However, after getting through it and the book's main characters becoming more developed, I found myself enjoying it immensely.
This was a sad book though, about lost love and death. Call me overemotional, but I had to close the book for a few minutes in the airport on the way home because I started crying (in PUBLIC!). However, it was very interesting to see (throughout most of the book) the Chinese view of the after-life. As in her previous book, there was also some discussion about Chinese matchmaking practices which I also find interesting.
Overall, this was an excellent book and I hope the author continues along this path because I thoroughly enjoy her topic matter.
http://www.amazon.com/Peony-Love-Novel-Lisa-See/dp/0812975227/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216214040&sr=1-2
This is the second book I bought at the airport bookstore. Because I had read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by the same author in 2006 while on vacation in St. Lucia, I knew this would be a safe choice. This was also a very good book, though it took me awhile to get into it. The book began with a Chinese opera and I got lost real quick. After reading the last book, it simply required too many brain cells to process at the start. However, after getting through it and the book's main characters becoming more developed, I found myself enjoying it immensely.
This was a sad book though, about lost love and death. Call me overemotional, but I had to close the book for a few minutes in the airport on the way home because I started crying (in PUBLIC!). However, it was very interesting to see (throughout most of the book) the Chinese view of the after-life. As in her previous book, there was also some discussion about Chinese matchmaking practices which I also find interesting.
Overall, this was an excellent book and I hope the author continues along this path because I thoroughly enjoy her topic matter.
The Next Thing on My List: A Novel
by Jill Smolinski
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307351297/ref=s9sims_c4_img1-rfc_p?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0CMX8GNZMN8F2TCASWWY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448801&pf_rd_i=507846
For the first time ever, I missed my flight while going to Florida on vacation over the 4th of July. Though an inconvenience, it gave me 4 extra hours in the airport to finish Water for Elephants. As per my usual, I didn't pack extra books along even though I knew that I would finish that book before the week was out. So, I took some time and went to the bookstore in the airport to find me some more books to read for the week. I looked for about a half hour and this book happened to catch my eye. Probably more because of the color of the cover more so than the title. And I'm so glad it did. Books like this one are bitter sweet for me. Even though I know that there are billions of books out there to be discovered and read, when I find a book such as this one that spoke to me so well and came into my hands at just the right time in my life I find myself being very concerned that I'll never find another book like it. I haven't created an entry for this yet, but when I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert two summers ago, I felt the same way.
I wanted a fun, girly book to read over vacation and this was definitely it. The premise of the book is a 30-something (34 year old I believe) female who was driving a 24 year old girl home from a Weight Watchers meeting when they got into a crash and the younger girl died. She found a piece of paper in the girl's wallet that had a list of things she wanted to do before she turned 25. The only two crossed off the list were losing 100 pounds and wearing sexy shoes (which is what the girl died wearing). Feeling guilty about ending this girl's life so prematurely, she set out to complete the list for her. There was a good deal of humor, love interests, friendship building and tough decisions (whether or not to adopt a baby) in the book that kept it interesting the whole way through.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307351297/ref=s9sims_c4_img1-rfc_p?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0CMX8GNZMN8F2TCASWWY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=320448801&pf_rd_i=507846
For the first time ever, I missed my flight while going to Florida on vacation over the 4th of July. Though an inconvenience, it gave me 4 extra hours in the airport to finish Water for Elephants. As per my usual, I didn't pack extra books along even though I knew that I would finish that book before the week was out. So, I took some time and went to the bookstore in the airport to find me some more books to read for the week. I looked for about a half hour and this book happened to catch my eye. Probably more because of the color of the cover more so than the title. And I'm so glad it did. Books like this one are bitter sweet for me. Even though I know that there are billions of books out there to be discovered and read, when I find a book such as this one that spoke to me so well and came into my hands at just the right time in my life I find myself being very concerned that I'll never find another book like it. I haven't created an entry for this yet, but when I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert two summers ago, I felt the same way.
I wanted a fun, girly book to read over vacation and this was definitely it. The premise of the book is a 30-something (34 year old I believe) female who was driving a 24 year old girl home from a Weight Watchers meeting when they got into a crash and the younger girl died. She found a piece of paper in the girl's wallet that had a list of things she wanted to do before she turned 25. The only two crossed off the list were losing 100 pounds and wearing sexy shoes (which is what the girl died wearing). Feeling guilty about ending this girl's life so prematurely, she set out to complete the list for her. There was a good deal of humor, love interests, friendship building and tough decisions (whether or not to adopt a baby) in the book that kept it interesting the whole way through.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Water for Elephants: A Novel
by Sara Gruen
http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565125606/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212681505&sr=1-1
I began reading this book while on vacation at the Wilmington, NC beach over Memorial Day weekend. Got most of the way through it and stopped until I picked it up again right after 4th of July. This is a really good book and though it doesn't have a lot of action in it (most of the story takes place on a circus train and in an retirement home), it was a fun read with a good story line.
At the time I began reading this book I had my car into the shop for service. The woman who was checking me out noticed I had a book in my hand and we got to talking about it. She asked if it was any good and I said it was if you liked the circus. She then said that she didn't like circuses because she was scared of clowns and I told her this story had clowns. Then she said, 'Oh, and midgets scare me too.' I laughed and told her that this book would definitely not be for her then because, in fact, one of the supporting characters in the book is a midget clown. I believe she also said she didn't like elephants either, so this one is a three-strikes loser for her.
The book begins with an old man reminiscing about his time traveling with the circus in the depression-era after dropping out of veterinary school following the death of his parents. In the author notes, she explains that though the book is fiction, a lot of research went into traveling circuses of the time and some of the events in the book were based on historical information she gathered. Overall, it is a very interesting look behind the "big top".
http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565125606/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212681505&sr=1-1
I began reading this book while on vacation at the Wilmington, NC beach over Memorial Day weekend. Got most of the way through it and stopped until I picked it up again right after 4th of July. This is a really good book and though it doesn't have a lot of action in it (most of the story takes place on a circus train and in an retirement home), it was a fun read with a good story line.
At the time I began reading this book I had my car into the shop for service. The woman who was checking me out noticed I had a book in my hand and we got to talking about it. She asked if it was any good and I said it was if you liked the circus. She then said that she didn't like circuses because she was scared of clowns and I told her this story had clowns. Then she said, 'Oh, and midgets scare me too.' I laughed and told her that this book would definitely not be for her then because, in fact, one of the supporting characters in the book is a midget clown. I believe she also said she didn't like elephants either, so this one is a three-strikes loser for her.
The book begins with an old man reminiscing about his time traveling with the circus in the depression-era after dropping out of veterinary school following the death of his parents. In the author notes, she explains that though the book is fiction, a lot of research went into traveling circuses of the time and some of the events in the book were based on historical information she gathered. Overall, it is a very interesting look behind the "big top".
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language
by John Mcwhorter
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Babel-Natural-History-Language/dp/006052085X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212681360&sr=8-1
This book is in my current reading list and I pick it up from time to time.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Babel-Natural-History-Language/dp/006052085X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212681360&sr=8-1
This book is in my current reading list and I pick it up from time to time.
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