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.

52 books in a year - Week four - The kite runner

This book was a recommendation from my friend, Janine in a wonderful box of books she sent to me. I am hoping to get through all of them very soon, but made this my first selection. While this was a book that I had often thought of reading, it was nice to have it placed in front of me to actually get me to read it.

The Kite Runner, first of all, was not at all what I had expected. While I knew the story would cover many tragedies of the Afghan people, I was not quite prepared for the detail and pure devastation that was discussed. I had to put this book down and pick it back up so many times just to allow myself to think through what was happening. The basic idea is the story of two boys growing up before the war, one privileged and one not. The story touches on tradition, family, and the struggles of being in a war torn country. The only disappointment was that the story ended, while beautifully, I needed to know more - the reader was left to believe the story just finished on a bright note, which, after what had just been experienced, wasn't all that bad.

52 books in a year - Week three- The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

For our March Book Club, we read a delightful book - The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Here are my thoughts.

Great book - written as letters back and forth to all of the characters involved, this story was delightful, the best work I can think of to explain. The story reflected the nature of humans and a bit about the curiosity we all have. Written from letters from many different people and perspectives, this story would make for a great summer beach read. Catching the humor is key, most is subtle and very witty.

52 books in a year - Week two - Bel Canto

This week the book is Bel Canto, by Ann Pachett. This was our April book club choice, and an excellent boot to have ready. My thoughts?

I really, really, loved this book - while you assume from the beginning there will be tragedy - the simple premise is that there is a dinner party for a birthday celebration which is interrupted by a militia group seeking to find the president -this book presents a sense of hope that not all evil is truly evil and that everybody has some good in them. While the book has a very slow pace to it, I would highly recommend all it has to offer. I found myself becoming very attached to the characters and really become excited to see how they would all end up.

52 books in a year - Week one - Little Bee

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

* This book was chosen by my book club as our May 2010 read. My book club is really impressive and chooses book I would never have chosen but overwhelmingly always seem to love. Here is my review

My favorite part of this story was the back of the book, which said it wasn't going to give anything away except that it was about two woman and a choice. This may be the biggest understatement I have ever heard. This story brings up many choices and reflects that these choices are not only ours but they effect everybody who is involved. The story had just enough twists and turns to where every time I become comfortable with the story, it changed my course of thinking. Without giving too much away and respecting the author's wishes, the story had a great way of incorporating culture and privilege into the story as well. I would recommend this story to anyone who appreciates a story about the nature of humans and the internal struggles we face. It makes us think about what we would be willing to give of ourselves in order to help others.

Happy Memorial Day

While I am totally fine with the fact that this blog is mostly boring and useless, I thought I would try to find away to make it exciting and useful again. An update with a much different purpose than before. While I will still use it to make health updates (which won't come again for another three months) I thought I would use it to make good on the one New Year's Resolution I made.

When I was a kid, I loved to read. I devoured every book I could get my hands on, reading two or three at a time, reading books over and over, etc. I was a fast reader and loved (though sometimes terrible) literature. I find this to be one of the saddest things that has changed about me. Maybe it was becoming and academic and finding reading to be work rather than pleasure (i am much more or a teacher than a researcher, though that is starting to change).

So, what was my one resolution? To read a book a week. 52 books by the end of the year. While most of my friends have already completed this task, I thought i should probably get in gear. I have been keeping track on facebook, but thought this would be a better outlet in case the facebook application ever gets cancelled. So, I will start today reposting what I have accomplished this far. If somebody does decide to read this, they can take my advice or advise about other books i should read.