Even though I’ve definitely been doing less blogging in
2014, I’ve absolutely been doing more reading. This is thanks in part to the
resurrection of Book Club, which took its annual holiday break and picked back
up a few months ago. I’ve also been obsessed with my Goodreads app…I love
seeing what other people are reading and add a lot of their selections to be
“To Read” list. Here’s a quick recap of what I’ve read thus far this year:
“American Wife” by Curits Sittenfeld: I never read “Prep”
because I thought it was too youthful, but I was very pleasantly surprised by
the writing in “American Wife.” I really enjoyed the characters and the story
(even though it’s a bit unrealistic), but now I’m thinking about adding “Prep”
back on my reading list…
“We Are Water” by Wally Lamb: Wally is my favorite, hands
down, but I do have to say this was my least favorite of his books. The
character development is fabulous, as usual, but I couldn’t let myself connect
to the characters as much as I could in his previous works. Still won’t stop me
from being first in line for the next one.
“When I Found You” by Catherine Ryan Hyde: This was a book
club selection and was one of those books I probably wouldn’t have picked out
on my own, but was really glad I read. As I’ve said before, I love books that
take place over a lifetime, and this was one of those stories. It was sad and
lonely, and I loved it.
“Looking for Alaska” and “Paper Towns” by John Green: Even
though I really liked “The Fault in Our Stars,” I think I actually liked these
two John Green books better. Very similar characters (and kind of a similar
plot), but I’m currently loving YA novels, and these two fit the bill. I
listened to both on audiobook, which I think made me love them even more.
“The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion: This one was just
okay to me. Definitely an interesting and unusual story, but I think I would
have liked it better if it were told by two narrators…though I suppose the
unreliable narrator angle was really the point of the whole thing. I don’t
know…it just didn’t interest me the way I thought it would.
“Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn: Not the same as “Gone Girl”
but weird and dark and scary all at the same time. Loved it.
“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” by Maria Semple: I know a lot
of people love this book, but it just didn’t do it for me. I was bored the
whole time, and mostly wanted to slap Bernadette across the face.
“Infidel” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali: I love non-fiction, but
somehow 90% of what I read ends up being fiction. I’m reminded of how much I
love memoirs every time I read one, and this is no exception. I learned so much
about Middle Eastern culture and saw a completely different response to the
US’s reaction to 9/11. Interesting, thought-provoking and very well written.
“Code Name Verity” by Elizabeth Wein: Another book club
selection, and one I definitely would not have selected on my own. It’s a WW2
story, and while it’s a very interesting plot, I was kind of bored with the
unemotional characters after a few chapters. I love war stories, but this one
didn’t have the same sadness or relatability that so many of the others do.
“Labor Day” by Joyce Maynard: I saw this on a “books being
made into movies” list and thought I would check it out. I surprisingly loved
it. It’s a strange story (and now I’m not sure if I want to see the movie), but
I really liked it, and it was a very quick read.
So I finished “Labor Day” last night, so I’m glad to have
book club tonight to find something else to add to my list.
To summer reading,
Lia
