Books read 2010-2011

After a week or so hiatus, I'm finally back at the computer. Perhaps it's the 94 degree weather. Perhaps its Cavan's two-hour-and-counting nap. Perhaps its the fact that I can no longer bend over or walk comfortably, therefore sedentary activities are much more appealing. But regardless, I'm back, and it feels good to write.

Many timely topics have come and gone over my brief break from blogging. I could revisit my two weeks living as an extreme hoarder. (Actually, we just cleaned the carpets and painted the bedrooms, so everything, I mean every piece of crap we had stored in our rooms and closets, was living in the hallway, the bathroom, the living room and even our cars. Yes, we turned our cars into storage units. That is a sure sign of hoarding, right!?)

I could go into detail (complain) about the uncomfortable reality of month nine of pregnancy. (Yesterday, I could not even fit into my maternity swimsuit from Cavan's pregnancy and had to resort to wearing Hubby's swim trunks and a T-shirt. Apparently my ass is now as bigger than my husband's considering I didn't even need to tie the drawstring.)

But, since it is the summer, how about discussing my summer reading list.

Last year, I read 29 new books (not counting books that I re-read for teaching purposes like Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, etc.) Here is the list. One day I intend to write a little blurb about each with recommendations and/or critiques, but for now, a starring system is all I can muster.

* I wish I hadn't wasted my time (no entertainment or literary merit)

** Not great, wouldn't recommend, but I'm not wishing for those hours back

*** Good and/or beach-read. Not exactly a literary masterpiece, but entertaining and/or interesting for the time it took to read.

**** Highly recommend! Please read so we can talk about it.

***** One of the best I have read in a long time.

Adult Contemporary

• City of Thieves by David Benioff ****
• Black Swan Green by David Mitchell *
• Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff **
• Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller ****
• Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay ***
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave ****
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson ****
• Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn ****
• Bel Canto by Anne Pachett *****
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni ****
• Mudbound by Hillary Jordan ****
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ****
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls*****
• Lucky by Alice Sebold ****
• The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti ***
• The Life of Pi by Yann Martel **** 
• Chelsea Chelsea, Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler****
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison*** (very literary, but a chore to read)
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller****

Young Adult (most of these I read for high school student recommendations. BUT, I absolutely recommend the 4-stars to adult readers).

• Paper Towns by John Green***
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman***
• How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt***
• Split by Swati Avasthi*** (good for boys)
• Rules by Cynthia Lord***
• The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd ***
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie***
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins****
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins****
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins****

Read so far in 2011. 

• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein****
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman***
• Room by Emma Donahue****
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom****
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy****
• Funny in Farsi by Faroozeh Dumas***
• Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy***

As you can see, I am a bit behind on my reading quota this year. Here's what I have lined up for the summer. We'll see if I can get through the list, considering we are already a week into July.

• Truth and Beauty by Ann Pachett
• Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (yes, I'm an English teacher, and no I have not yet read this book. It's about time!)
• Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
• The Help by Katherine Sockett 

I'll try to post mini-reviews as I go through the list. That's a lofty aspiration considering I'll have a newborn in a few weeks, but it's good to have a goal, right?!