Queens

Queens

Monday, February 25, 2013

books (2013 part 1)

I've totally been slacking and haven't blogged in almost 2 months. Whoops.
 
I'm kicking off 2013 with a similar reading goal as last year. This year my goal is to read 45 books. Last year I had read a total of 42, with a few very long books thrown in there. My goal is only 3 more than last year, but I do need be realistic. Especially since there are a few lengthy ones I want to read. You may have noticed I haven't provided a book update until now. I'm not going to the monthly update like I did last year. It was kind of fun to do, but also got a bit stressful. Intermittently throughout the year, I'll provide an update on notable books I've read. I won't write about every single book, but only the ones that I feel the need to write about. You can always follow me on goodreads.com to see all the books I'm reading and how I rate them. 
 
Although I did write about all the books so far. I had something to say about them all I guess.
 
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
This was the first book I finished this year. I have a few H. G. Wells books on my kindle and figured I should read one of them. The author is into sci-fi and many of his books were turned into blockbuster movies, some of which I've seen. Of course the main character is trying to make his friends believe that he has time traveled. The whole concept of time travel has always been interesting and it was nice to read the book that inspired the idea of the time machine. Although I'm glad the book was as short as it was. I was expecting it to be more exciting. On a related note, I was watching Back to the Future recently and do wish I could selectively go back in time (or even the future) to see certain things (without interfering of course), like the 70s or 20s. Or even when NYC was not a city at all.
 
One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf
An unknown man walks into a school with a gun and the town waits anxiously for the outcome. Unfortunately there is also a snowstorm preventing assistance to and from the school.. It doesn't help the small town is far away from most things. The reader gets various view points from parents, cops, teachers and students to tell the story. There are a few suspects as to who the gunman is, but I was slightly shocked when I found out. I did think it was a bit of a stretch, but people get unhinged for a lot of different things. This was a quick read and I did enjoy reading it.
 
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell's 2nd book was as interesting as his first. He discusses the theory on how people or things become outliers. There are many successful people out there and there are certain things that are happening around the time they lived or the circumstances that had, that helped them become successful. For example, professional Canadian ice hockey players were lucky to be born during a certain time of year. They end up being the older and bigger kids, and therefore are groomed to be the best players. The whole idea is very interesting and Gladwell creates a strong argument as to how this works. Unfortunately, I need to get going on my 10,000 hours in order to be an expert at something. Whatever that may be.
 
Just Kids by Patti Smith
This was a memoir by Patti Smith, about her life in New York City and relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. I'm not too familiar with Patti Smith and her music (although it's highly likely that I've heard her music without realizing it), but it was a really interesting read. I'm always a fan of reading about people living in NYC in different time periods. She knew so many people that either were famous or became famous at some point. It was. I would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of either Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe.
 
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
I read another Heather Gudenkauf book, shortly after the last one. Allison is the perfect girl in high school--great athlete, perfect grades, pretty and popular. And then she commits a crime so terrible, that she is shunned by all who knew her. Years later, when she is out on parole, she tried to reconnect with her sister and you learn more about the circumstances of her crime. Like her last book, this also rotates from various character's point of view, so you learn a little bit more each time you switch characters. This was a good read. Quick and easy, but a page-turner.
 
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
In the sequel to The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the story picks up after the seraphim have destroyed the chimaera. However Karou, one of the few remaining chimaera, is on a mission to avenge her people and fight against her true love. This actually took me about a day to read, even though it was somewhat lengthy. I do recommend reading the trilogy so far. Even though the last book in the series doesn't come out until next year sometime.
 
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Another disturbing book by Gillian Flynn, although it was hard to put down. Camille is asked to return to her small town to cover the story of a girl that has gone missing, the 2nd time this has happened. She has some issues of her own, which is apparent in the self-mutilation of her body. You learn that her family isn't very functional, especially her sister and mother. Of course, Camille is still dealing with the death of another sister from years previous. On top of this, she's trying to write an article about the missing girls. I don't want to ruin it, but it's definitely messed up and worth a read.
  
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
I had heard mixed reviews for this book. I thought the Harry Potter series was amazing. Way better than many series. I had slight withdrawal after re-reading them for the the 3rd when the movies came out. I know. It was hard. So of course I wanted to give this one a chance. I went into it, knowing that I can't reference Harry Potter at all. And it worked to some degree. In a small town in England, a councilman dies, and competing views over the "Fields", a local council estate, on whether it should stay within the town limits or be taken over by the nearby city of Yarvil. Barry's death impacts many townspeople and a range of themes, from drugs to rape and prostitution, adultery and class, and of course politics. It took me a little while to get into the book, but after a while, I did enjoy reading it as the characters developed and all the townspeople secrets came out.

Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal
I read practically every Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley University and even Sweet Valley Kids when I was a pre-teen, so I had to read this as an adult. And yes, it was terribly written. I got sucked into the drama of the lives of Elizabeth and Jessica as 27-year olds. Like I said, the writing isn't great, but it had some good nostalgia. The characters I grew up with, have changed since high school.It was kind of amazing (not sure if this is a good or bad amazing) how close they are all still. And the drama. My goodness, I don't think as much drama occurs anywhere else, except in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 and Gossip Girl. It was a quick read and I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't be reading any more of these.
 
Onto the next set of books!

9/45 books in 2013.