Books Finished vs. Books Reviewed

So I am completely finished reading 8 books. I am working on two books right now. I gave up on the audio I was trying to listen to. I have not completely given up on the book yet so I am not going to mention the title. I think some books make great audios and I think this is not one of them. Also I feel a little overwhelmed with the heaviness of the books I have been reading lately. But as I have finished eight books already, some easy reads, some more difficult I feel like I am doing ok on the reading end.

The reviewing end is not going so well. It took me almost two weeks to write the Three cups of Tea review, and I still don't feel it does the book justice. This is not good because I actually want you guys to read some of these books. Not every book I read is going to be for everyone, but I would like to write reviews good enough for you to figure out if you would actually like the book. So I am going to try a new system. It is going to be a no edit version of the review. I will spell check but I won't delete a word unless it is a typo. My reviews might sound more like insane rambling, but the more polished I make them the more they sound like something the publisher already put on the back of the book. No offense to the publishers but who needs the same information they gave you again. There is a link in each picture of the book that will tell you all that stuff with one click. So now I am just going to tell you what I think of the book.

Books Finished: 8
Currently Reading: American Wife, House of Leaves

Three Cups of Tea

I always believed that a single person really does have the ability to change the world and Greg Mortenson has proved it. This is a very inspirational story. You really get to follow Greg through all of his adventures, including the triumphs, the failures, and the failures that were triumphs in disguise. He takes you inside a culture that many of us know far too little about. He doesn't make it sound like everything is perfect but instead shows how little the differences between us and them actually matter. He proves how huge a difference something as simple as a school can make in a community, and how those ripples can move through a region and then the world.


I rarely read non-fiction but I really liked this story. Not only was Greg interviewed extensively to capture his story, but so were many of the people he worked with both in America and Pakistan. The best part of this story is that because of the children educated in these schools, Mortenson's work will continue to change the world long after all of us are gone.

The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol was excellent. If you have already read Dan Brown this story will not disappoint. Our friend Robert Langdon is once again forced to use his expertise in symbols to unlock secrets. This time these secrets center around Washington D.C. and all the treasures America's forefathers have left for us. If you have not read any of Robert Langdon's adventures this is not a bad place to start. Robert does mention his adventures in the Da Vinci Code but it is only in passing and does not in any way hinder your understanding of this plot.

The Lost Symbol is very fast-paced story which combines ancient Masonic lore with cutting edge Noetic science and leaves you desperately reading (or listening) into the late hours as you cheer for, pray for, or love to hate the amazing characters. In this story, our friends might not be our friends, our enemies might not be enemies, and nothing is as it seems. Not even the buildings at the very heart of our country. As Robert tries to solve this mystery, you will follow him around, under and above Washington D.C. into spaces I now want to visit.

I want to tell you more, but I refuse to ruin anything. I will say that while I listened to most of this on audio, I also had the pleasure of skimming through the illustrated edition which has fantastic pictures of many of the locations and symbols mentioned in the story. Even the regular paperback version has many of the symbols Robert uses to figure out where he is headed next. When you are finished we can talk without spoiling anything.

Dewey

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was wonderful. I knew that I would love Dewey's story. People that never talked about cats with me were raving about it. Those that knew how much I loved cats sought me out when they finished it. I held out for over a year because I knew how Dewey's story must end. Anyone that has ever had an animal, excepting some long-living birds, knows that we outlive the animals that we love so much. It was not until Vicki was kind enough to write Dewey's Nine Lives that I finally decided it was time to read about Dewey. I have never made a better choice. Dewey shares all the wonderful things that make cats amazing. But he is also rather extraordinary. The very fact that he survived long enough to be found by the Librarian was a miracle. He worked many miracles through his time as a Library cat. Everything from cheering up Library patrons to bringing together the staff of a library despite all their differences and changing the lives of the children and even their parents as they visited him. Dewey's story is something that everyone in Spencer, Iowa should be proud of. However, I doubt many of us would have ever heard of him if his equally amazing Vicki had not written so openly and beautifully about him. We get glimpses of his life, and into hers that must have taken a lot of courage to write. I am very glad I had the courage to read it.

On and On I go

This post might not make that much sense. I finished Dewey around 4:30 am this morning. Please don't ask me why I was awake, I would have much rather been sleeping. I will review that book later. At home where I can laugh and cry and hug my cat while I am writing.

I have been reading quite fast so far, which is good because it will put me a little bit ahead of schedule when I start House of Leaves soon. House of Leaves is going to take a while. Longer then Wicked even.

I started Dewey late Sunday night, after I finished reading Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, which I probably won't review because it does not count towards my total. I realized halfway through that it was under 200 pages. It was interesting, but not as funny as I thought it was going to be. In fact I didn't find it very funny at all. I feel like he took a bunch of human "types" and turned them into animals to make it interesting in a psychological sort of way. The illustrations were cool but I took little from this book. Some people might love it, I just don't belong in that group. It was ok. I will have to read some of his other stuff. Any recommendations that will make me laugh?

I am also listening to The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Thanks to the Johnstown Library and their extensive audio supply. It will make my life a lot easier now that I have a card because I was wondering how I was going to fund this adventure. Especially considering the cost of audios. I was lucky enough to own most of the books I have already read, but especially considering that I might very well hate some of the books I am going to read on this journey I think the library is going to become a very good friend. Actually probably the whole library system, but Johnstown in particular because I can literally walk there from work. I could walk to Gloversville from my house but I wouldn't in this weather.

So now I must decide what to read now. Should I jump into House of Leaves, which will very probably be the most difficult book I read during this whole challenge? Should I pick one out of the Young Adult genre like Hush, Hush? Do I feel like Fiction or Nonfiction? Dewey was a true story, It's Kind of a Funny Story was probably the truest novel I have ever read. Robert Langdon is already caught up in figuring out Masonic symbols beneath our nation's capital every time I start my car. So whose story do I get caught up in next?

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

It was awesome. Now I want to watch Wizard of Oz again. I had actually started Wicked a few years ago. I made it over halfway through the book, but I wasn't in the mood to read a book like it. I know that might sound crazy, but sometimes I just need to read something fluffy and easy and Wicked is neither. So I put it on my shelf and promised I would go back to it. When I started this project it was one of the first five books on the list. In fact it was the second book I started, but somehow I finished listening to Water for Elephants before I made it all the way through Wicked.

If you somehow have not heard of this book (all you under rock dwellers), It is the story of the "Wicked" Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. There are two sides to every story and I like Elphaba's side better. Maguire takes us into an Oz that Dorothy never saw. Into a world where it is not easy to see who is good and who is evil, or for individuals to figure where they fit into the picture themselves. There is much to be discovered in this novel. About a world we thought we knew, and its parallels to our own world. It is not only worth a read, but several.

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen was wonderful. I loved this book. I think everyone should read it. I was lucky enough to get this on audio :) If you choose to listen be careful listening to it while driving. There are parts that will make you cry, as well as parts that will make you laugh, and maybe a few times where you might want to punch a pillow or scream. The story follows a train circus through the eyes and memories of Jacob, a boy a few exams away from being a vet with a degree from Cornell. He jumps a train that just happens to be holding the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The show going on behind the scenes is even more spectacular then what is going on in the big top.

I was never really into the circus but even I can appreciate the amount of research Sara must have done for this. She takes you right into Jacob's world as both a young and old man (23 and 90 or 93) and she doesn't let you out until well after you finish the book. In fact I still think I might run away with the circus. There is always time. My luck I would get "redlighted" but you never know.

Incendiary by Chris Cleave

So one of the most amazing books I have ever read is going to be re-released tomorrow 1/11/11.If you have not read Incendiary by Chris Cleave then this is your perfect opportunity to discover it.

Incendiary did not really get a chance to become a bestseller as the author explains:
"Its propulsive event is an imaged terrorist attack on my home city of London, and it was first published on July 7, 2005--the day of the real terrorist bombings in London. As a result it was withdrawn from sale and made little subsequent impact, despite its plaudits and prizes." Chris Cleave in a handwritten letter announcing the re-release of his debut novel because of the incredible success of Little Bee.

Incendiary is not about terror and death as it might sound. It is much more about the rebuilding of both the heroine and the city. The coming back stronger after a tragedy. The moving on without forgetting. The book is actually written as a letter from the grieving wife and mother to Osama Bin Laden. In the hopes that no other mother would ever have to write such a letter. This heroine is no superwoman, she is like you or I(or at least I hope I could be that strong). You will cry, but don't be surprised if you laugh too. 

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is kind of a funny story. It is written from inside the mind of a depressed teenage boy who isn't quite sure how he ended up in a mental hospital. I don't mean that he doesn't remember how he got there, because he takes us with him from the last moment he felt happy right until the moment he was released. He doesn't really understand why he is so sad especially since he seems to have a lot more going for him then some of his fellow patients. He has the caring, supportive family. He got into one of the best high schools in NYC with a perfect score on the entrance exam. Yet he becomes utterly miserable unable to eat or sleep until it all becomes too much.

I really liked it because Craig has such a strong voice. It reads pretty fast because you can't really stop. Be sure that you can read at least the whole chapter before you have to pay attention to anything because they are the only good breaking points. It will make you laugh. The subject matter is taken seriously but some of the situations he finds himself in are utterly ridiculous. There are some really sad moments, especially when you consider the stories of some of the other characters. Craig doesn't really give you time to feel bad for him. You are too busy on his quest to better himself.

At the very end of this book it gives the week the author himself spent in a psychiatric hospital and then the month or so he spent writing this story after. I always say that Fiction is more true then nonfiction. I think this might be so with this book. And whichever parts Ned did or did not experience I hope he is happy with all that he has accomplished.

Book Reviews

I am almost finished with It's Kind of a Funny Story which will be my first official book finished for this year-long task. I guess I want to know some of the things you guys would like to see in a book review. I just wrote one for House of Seven Gables and it felt short. Of course I am trying not to ruin anything for anyone, but what would you want to know about a book before you started reading it. I can say it is good. What will make you believe me? I was hoping this would be easier since I tell people about books for a living. But everything is easier when you are actually having a conversation with someone rather then just throwing your words out there into the great wide internet hoping that someone reads them and finds something worthwhile there.

The House of the Seven Gables

Some houses have character, others are characters. This house is a character. Like with much of Hawthorne's writing I am going to have to read it again. There is simply too much to notice with only one reading. Even though I tried hard to take my time, I read it pretty fast. I never thought I would get so attached to such miserable people. His symbols are fairly easy to recognize: Phoebe is well-named as the bright ray of sunshine that lights up such a dark house. I would surely recommend this one. But I always think Hawthorne is awesome. Especially when I am reading him just for fun.