Wednesday, July 27, 2011

in which i actually use some capital letters (reading lists)

summer reading facts:
  • i read in the car when chris or hank is driving
  • i read while sitting in my special corner of the couch 
  • i've read fifteen books since the end of may
  • i started three other books but didn't finish them
  • my favorites this summer were memoirs
top nine (in order of how awesome they were to me):
  1. A Thousand Trails – Hugh Steven (memoir of wycliffe bible translator's founder)
  2. The Good Daughter – Jasmin Darznik (memoir of an iranian woman's mother)
  3. Brother, I’m Dying – Edwidge Danticat (memoir of a haitian woman's father and uncle)
  4. Doorway to the World – Hugh Steven (third memoir of wycliffe's founder)
  5. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana – Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (memoir of an afghan woman)
  6. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot (biography)
  7. The Double Comfort Safari Club – Alexander McCall Smith (for FUN - takes place in botswana)
  8. The Story of Lucy Gault – William Trevor (takes place in ireland - crazy story)
  9. The Tiger’s Wife – Tea Obreht (takes place in an unnamed eastern european country)
the books i didn't complete:
  • The Travels of Marco Polo - Marco Polo and a translator whose name i don't remember (i read about three-fourths. i got bored)
  • Where Men Glory - Jon Krakauer (read about half. i got bogged down in descriptions of technical military activities)
  • Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (read most, but found the story tedious. read the end to find out if the boy got the girl)
questions for you:
  1. what good books have you read lately?
  2. where/when do you usually read?
  3. do you give up on books or force yourself to finish every one?

3 comments:

  1. I love to read, but find myself reading "pieces" of books lately with two little ones. For fiction, I jumped on the bandwagon and read The Help and The Hunger Games this summer. Right now I have Andy Stanley's book on grace checked out. I want to reread One Thousand Gifts this next month.
    I read mostly in bed (even if its daytime) or on the couch. Reading and comfort go hand in hand to me. I obviously don't force myself to finish every one. :) I once tried to finish Wuthering Heights - I was about 80% through and everyone loves that classic, but I disliked the characters I didn't care what happened. :)

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  2. i used to force myself to finish, but in about the last year, i've allowed myself to stop if i don't like the book. i realized i have limited time -- why waste it on a book i don't like?

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  3. GASP! I've never seen you use capitals! :)

    1. Two favorites from this summer: The Kitchen House (if you liked The Help, you'll like this one) and The Wonder Years (loved this! Didn't you recommend it to me?)Planning to read The Story of Lucy Gault based on your recommendation. I'm not much of a memoir reader...if you had to recommend just one???

    2. I read everywhere! (most especially in the car waiting to pick up my kids and often at the kitchen table if I'm eating breakfast or lunch when no one else is home).

    3. I'm a frequent quitter.

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