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Methland - Nick Reding
Okay, that was depressing as all Hell! Methamphetamine use in small-town America and the devasting effects on all concerned. I learned more about meth production, distribution and addiction than I really wanted to know. It was fascinating in a truly disturbing and scary way. JUST SAY NO, kids!
I Thought You Were Dead - Pete Nelson
I really enjoyed this one. The perfect antidote to Anna Karenina.
I laughed, I cried, I cried some more...but in spite of the tears, it was just a nice feel-good book. How can you not love a book with a talking dog?!
Home Safe - Elizabeth Berg
Another classic novel by one of my go-to writers. A mid-life widow is left to solve the puzzle of why her husband withdrew a huge sum of money before his sudden death. Not a mystery at all, of course you could see it coming a mile away, but that's not the point. The point is - well there is no point really, she just tells a good story that doesn't ask a lot of the reader. Stll trying to get through AK.
True to Form - Elizabeth Berg
When in doubt, look for a book by Elizabeth Berg. Always a satisfying read. This one was from the point of view of a 13 year old army brat learning about loss and friendship.
The Bright Side of Disaster - Katherine Center
As expected. A nice, light, easy read. I little heavy on the mommy-isms, but I knew that going in. I just needed some fluff to read while I'm slogging through Anna Karenina.
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
What did that take? 3 weeks? A month? I finally finished this behemoth. The greatest love story of all time? Um, not in my opinion. Parts of it were entertaining and enjoyable, but most of it I found boring. It was a difficult read not only because of the loooong Russian names, but also because I just don't have much interest in 19th century Russian politics. I hated the title character, (bit of a fruitcake, I thought) and didn't I particularly like the rest of them, so there wasn't much left for me to enjoy. The insight into the "society" of the times was somewhat interesting, but over all, it was a bit of a slog, and not worth the effort.
Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
I read this one last year and didn't really enjoy it, but because everybody is talking about it, I'm trying it again.
...and nope, sorry, I still don't get why everybody else loves this. I guess maybe I'm just not spiritually inclined, or maybe other people's journeys of self discovery just aren't that interesting to me. (At least not this person's)
I did enjoy the eating part though...
One For The Money - Janet Evanovich
Okay, that was fun for a change. I wish I could remember the name of the author that wrote the series about the Latina private investigator living in Miami. I enjoyed them. This was very similar except that she's a bounty hunter living in New Jersey. A light-hearted, funny who-done-it.
One Day - David Nicholls
Interesting concept. Viewing a couple's relationship over the course of 20 years by visiting them every year on the same day. Can't say I particularly liked the characters, but they were certainly well drawn. I felt like I knew them and got caught up in thier story. I'll be looking for other work from Mr. Nicholls.
Someone Will Be With You Shortly - Lisa Kogan
A Few Drops Short of a Pint - Chris Dowding
Aussie from Brisbane moves to Dublin. I always enjoy a book about people moving to and living in different places and seeing the new places through thier eyes. Interesting storyline, but not particularly skilfully delivered. Part of that was the electronic format's fault. Too many pages kinda jumbled and difficult to read. Kindle will never replace books.
The Solitary Summer - Elizabeth von Arnim
I've given up on this one. I love gardens and gardening as much as anyone, but page after page of her describing every minute detail of her garden was more than I could take. Sure, it sounds like a lovely place, but hello? I was kinda hoping for a story! Maybe it comes along later, but I just don't care anymore.
October Vagabonds - Richard Le Gallienne
A painter and a poet walking across New York state in the early 1900's. More poetry than prose really - prosery, if you will. Certainly not your standard adventure travel tale, but I kind of enjoyed the lyrical journey.
A Scattered Life - Karen McQuestion
I wasn't expecting much from this because it was on the Kindle cheap list, but I quite enjoyed it. Not high drama, not action packed, just a nice warm read about ordinary people. It had a motherless girl growing up all over the US, a kooky friend/neighbor, a meddling MIL and a husband that worried me just a little. (Wasn't sure which way he was going to play out), but all in all a nice little life lesson about letting people into your life.
Tuscan Holiday - Holly Chamberlin
I enjoyed tagging along with this mother and daughter on thier holiday in Florence. The scenery, the food, the galleries and the museums all sounded wonderful. The daughter was a pain in the ass in the first ½ of the book, but of course the experience of travel miraculously transformed her. (In just 2 weeks!)
Diary of a Nobody - George & Weedon Grossmith
One review said it was hilarious and another said it was a waste of time. It's another Kindle freebie, so expectations are low.
...and it was complete crap!
The Blue Bistro - Elin Hilderbrand
Nantucket. Just the word evokes pictures of beach cottages, open air restaurants and warm summer evenings.
This was a nice, easy summer read. A running away, a fresh start, a summer romance all against a Nantucket backdrop. Thoroughly predictable, but still enjoyable.
This was a nice, easy summer read. A running away, a fresh start, a summer romance all against a Nantucket backdrop. Thoroughly predictable, but still enjoyable.
The Facebook Effect - David Kirkpatrick
Just Like Us - Helen Thorpe
An excellent read! Four young girls of Mexican parents coming of age in Colorado. Two are legal and two are without documents. Ms. Thorpe is the socially liberal wife of the mayor of Denver and friend to the young women, but she still manages to give glimpses of the other side of the immigration debate. I found the story fascinating. She put names and faces to the dozen or so million illegal aliens trying to eke out a living in the land of the free, while politicians battle over their future.
The Enchanted April - Elizabeth von Arnim
An interesting writing style- very old-fashioned, but I quite enjoyed it once I got used to it. A pleasant enough story about 4 women (strangers) sharing a villa in Italy, even though the characters got on my nerves a bit at the beginning. But the typos just about drove me crazy! I don't think there was a single page that didn't have a spelling error, or the wrong word used, or even a character's name wrong. I really shouldn't complain because it was a freebie, but still - did nobody bother to proof-read the finished product? The errors were distracting; I found myself skimming parts because I was looking for mistakes instead of reading the story.
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
My first Kindle read.
I loved this book! From a 2010 perspective, it's hard to believe the shocking racist attitudes that existed in the 1960's in Mississippi. How did they get from there to a black president in just 50 years? I had to pick my jaw off my lap a few times as the stories of the black maids unfolded.
When I first started reading, I thought the dialect was going to bother me, but this book couldn't have been written without it.
Marrying George Clooney - Amy Ferris
This was a book club pick and I should have loved it; it's practically my autobiography. I guess it just didn't live up to the hype. It was billed as laugh-out-loud funny, (like menopause is a laugh riot) but I didn't find it more than occasionally mildly amusing. And the font changes really got on my nerves and put me off.
A Town Like Paris - Bryce Corbett
An expat's story. My favourite kind of reading. And anything that takes place in Paris is okay with me.
Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos
A contemporary romance. Nothing riveting, just a girly beach novel with well developed characters.
Belong To Me - Marisa de los Santos
A sequel to "Love Walked In". More of the same.
Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout
I didn't realize until I got it home that it's a collection of short stories. As I'm not a fan of shorts, I expected to hate it. Surprise! There's just enough of Olive, the title character, in each story for it to read like a novel, so I quite enjoyed it.
After The Falls - Catherine Gildiner
I picked this one up because it was about a rebel growing up in the 60's and it sounded pretty good. It started out okay, but I got tired of her before the end of the book. I know, it's a memoir, so by definition it's going to be all about the author, but I just didn't care enough about her to enjoy her story.
Get Lucky - Katherine Center
Mommy-lit. Given my lack of interest in babies and children, I really have no business reading this stuff. But even though I can't identify with it, I quite enjoy Ms. Center's style of writing and her sense of humor.
Town House - Tish Cohen
Slightly amusing story about an agoraphobic son of a dead rock star. Mostly I just wanted to kick his ass! It was on sale at Costco. Enough said.
Secret Daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Not a great literary classic, but a pretty good read. "Mother India does not love all her children equally, it seems." This is the story of a baby girl born in India and given up because she was female. She was adopted by a mixed race couple in the US and the story bounces back and forward between Bombay/Mumbai and California.
The Journal Keeper - Phyllis Theroux
Another book club pick. Yadda yadda yadda. I probably shouldn't read memoirs.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barberry
This one was a challenge, even a bit of a slog at times. It took me ages to really get into it and then once I did, it was over too soon.
Imperfect Endings - Zoe Fitzgerald Carter
Another memoir, but this one had a central theme that intrigued me. Assisted suicide. At least now I know how NOT to end my life.
