52 Books in a year - Week Eleven - Eclipse

In the spirit of trying to read books from all genres and time periods, classics, and books I have always wanted to read, my friend Janine and I decided to embark on Tolstoy’s masterpiece as a group effort had there not been a group effort, this book would never have been finished. Ever. I was willing to give it up every step of the way including the last fifty pages. While seen as one of the best stories of all time, I have yet to understand why. The best part took place in the last few pages of part seven – you will need to dedicate at least 100 of your life to find out what that is. All in all, the book dealt with cheating, unhappy marriages, farming, and lots of rich people complaining about how terrible the lives they have created for themselves are. In all honesty, I don’t get how this is a love story – at all. However, you better believe I will tell everybody I read this entire book and if I don’t like you, I may tell you to read it – especially if I don’t want to hear from you for the next three weeks.

52 Books in a year - Week Ten - Anna Karenina

In the spirit of trying to read books from all genres and time periods, classics, and books I have always wanted to read, my friend Janine and I decided to embark on Tolstoy’s masterpiece as a group effort had there not been a group effort, this book would never have been finished. Ever. I was willing to give it up every step of the way including the last fifty pages. While seen as one of the best stories of all time, I have yet to understand why. The best part took place in the last few pages of part seven – you will need to dedicate at least 100 of your life to find out what that is. All in all, the book dealt with cheating, unhappy marriages, farming, and lots of rich people complaining about how terrible the lives they have created for themselves are. In all honesty, I don’t get how this is a love story – at all. However, you better believe I will tell everybody I read this entire book and if I don’t like you, I may tell you to read it – especially if I don’t want to hear from you for the next three weeks.

52 Books in a year - Week Nine - The Weight of Silence

This book was our book club pick for the month of July – a simple read with quick chapters and story told from everybody’s point of view. The story surrounds the disappearance of two girls from their bedrooms early one morning. While the story was a decent read, not the page turner I was looking for. The story was very simplistic and lacked the depth needed for a thought-provoking read. The story become very predictable very early on, while the attempts at providing twists and turns did not give enough depth to be believable. I felt like the author didn’t go far enough into the research, leaving much of the story very unbelievable. A little research into the topics at hand would have went a long way for the author. Clearly a debut novel on her part.

52 Books in a year - Week Eight - In the Neighborhood

52 Books in a Year – Week eight – In the Neighborhood

I have been waiting to read this book for almost a full year now – I read an excerpt in the magazine “The Week” and finally have had the time to sit down and enjoy it. The book centers around the author discussing the need to find community in the neighborhoods we live in – the fact that it does not exist. The author, Peter Lovenheim goes from house to house asking if he can have a sleepover with this neighbors. Through many closed doors, Lovenheim discovers that while most neighbors desire privacy in their own homes, they truly long for this sense of community. In times of emergency and distress, many community members learn they have nobody they can lean on, making for a very undesirable way to live.

52 Books in a year - Week Seven - When Elephants Dance

52 Books in a Year – Week seven – When the Elephants Dance

Our book club pick for June, by far one of the most tragic and brilliantly written books I have read in a long time. After reading the first 15 pages, I honestly didn’t know how I was going to finish the book, the outlook seemed to grim and so bleak. However, the combination of the families story living in a cellar combined with the story each character shared about their past was beautifully done. Not only do you get a full novel, you get short glimpses into the lives of each of the characters, causing great attachment. This book also made me once again realize how little I know about history and the wars the United States was involved in. This book has encouraged me to read more books about this conflict.

52 Books in a year - Week Six - Esperanza Rising

This book was another recomendation from my wonderful friend Janine - she sent me a few books to read and I have rather enjoyed what she has sent so far, only one more to go! Anyway, Janine often reads young adult fiction which i have some to enjoy very much, it is a way to enjoy a story without the time commitment and i often find i think more about these books than much adult fiction. My other favorite part is to see how the story parallels adult stories that are similar - see my next post about my book club book from June for a complete explanation.

This young adult fiction tale was about a young girl named Esperanza who is very wealthy and lives in Mexico. Very early on her father dies and they lose everything and are forced to come to America to work as peasants. While this is clearly a fictional tale of what this life must have been like, it was a great book for discussing with young adults what this life was like and how common it was and still is today. It brings up issues or race, class, and a side of poverty we often don't think of. Overall, I would recommend this book for all to read, especially young girls who need something that is a bit more challenging than much of what is out there.

52 Books in a year - Week five - Nineteen Minutes

So, I have this bad habit of reading a lot of, well, not challenging stories. I always seem to pick up just an easy to read novel, especially during the school year when I have so much other (ahem) wonderful reading to accomplish. After reading a dozen research papers, the last thing I can do is sit and read a complicated story. This year I seem to be a bit stuck on Judy Piccoult novels, which have proven to be very enjoyable. Here are my thoughts on Nineteen Minutes, which centers around a school shooting.

While I am clearly a Piccoult fan, this book was by far my favorite. While her books are written in the same fashion and become a bit on the predictable side (multiple stories in one, a huge twist at the end, etc) I am often intrigued by stories that surround school shootings. This work of fiction did a great job of dealing with the pain and healing process a community must go through in order to deal with a tragedy of this magnitude. If looking for an easy read but a topic that is worth reading through, I highly recommend.