Let's Talk Books

I've read 25+ books this year. I say 25+, because that's how many I can account for, but I know I've read and deleted many from my Kindle that I didn't put in my "read" list (ahem, DanielleSteelNoraRobertsFluff, I'm looking at you). And this is not talking about school text books because, let's be honest here, I only read for the first two weeks of class then skim for two weeks, and after that I just wildly guess what the instructor wants to hear and look up some scholarly articles that seem relevant to what I *think* we're talking about in class and read/skim/quote those instead.

Some of these books I've read in the actual old-fashioned book way, and some I've read on my Kindle. I love holding books, feeling the paper and turning pages, and even the smell of them. I also like to flip back a lot, to re-read certain phrases or jog my memory of who said what/when/where. That said, I am an ebook convert for sure, and will probably always have some such device near my person. My Kindle is so small and light that it fits in all my purses, even the non-ginormous ones, and I don't even notice it taking up space. So when I get stuck waiting for a bus, or plane, or in line at the grocery store, I can whip it out and be absorbed in a story. I don't have to wait until I get home and wind up binge-reading until 4am. Except I have a tendency to binge-read until at least midnight anyway, when I usually give up not because I'm so tired or because the book gets boring, but because I feel guilty about my poor husband sleeping next to me and I've still got a light on, and he rolled over and blearily looked at me and even though I'm 99% sure he's not actually awake and 100% sure that even if he WAS awake he wouldn't mind the light, so off goes the light.

ANYWAY. I've had book conversations with a few different people lately. I even put East of Eden back onto my reading list because it comes highly recommended, though generally speaking I'm not a fan of Steinbeck. But I did love Of Mice and Men so maybe I'll like that one, too. I'm pretty eclectic about what I read: high brow, low-brow, popular fiction, autobiographies, history, children's books, YA, fantasy, whatever. Does it sound interesting? Did it blow up in the news for some reason? Is there a well-touted movie based on the book coming out soon? Did someone recommend it to me? If yes, I'll read it. Is it free? Yes, I'll read it. I've read several fluffy romance novels this year because they're free and sometimes my brain just needs a break and a happy ending. Heh, happy ending. Seven of the aforementioned books this year were Harry Potter, five were Game of Thrones, and one was Pride and Prejudice. It was the second time reading the GOT books and the others I read at least once a year. P&P I often read 3-4 times a year, because I love it so much, and usually after I read it I jump straight into the Linda Berdoll fanfic "sequels" because I enjoy them too. Here are a few other books I can remember reading this year, with some brief reflections.

Serena: A Novel (Ron Rash) - Enjoyed it. Started off stronger than it finished. Read it because I heard about the movie, which features Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and may be released in the U.S. later this year. I like those two actors, so I figured I'd give the book a whirl before the movie comes out. I'd recommend it, but probably wouldn't read it again.

Horns (Joe Hill) - Probably falls into the category of fantasy, but I didn't really think about it that way when I read it. It's pretty dark and deep, and it's another one I read because I heard there's a movie coming out soon, starring Daniel Radcliffe. It was great in a terrible, mind-f*** kind of way, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story while fervently hoping nothing like it ever happens in real life.

The Fault in our Stars (John Green) - I'm not sure how I heard about this one first, but it's been on my list for a little while. One of my favorite bloggers (misszoot) wrote about it, it was in the news because of the movie, and so it was on my radar. Read it, loved it, reminded me a little of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I think mostly because they're both stories featuring young people with cancer more than anything. I knew it was a sad book going into it, and I sobbed while reading it, and I'll probably sob during the movie, too. If you like sad and beautiful stories about love and life, read it.

An Abundance of Katherines; Paper Towns (John Green) - I enjoyed TFIOS so much I started reading everything by John Green that I could get my hands on. I liked Katherines more than Paper Towns, but they were both quite entertaining and absorbing. I would probably re-read any of his books, and Looking for Alaska is on my to-read list as well. I'm #19 on the Army Digital Media Library hold list and I'm hoping the jerks in front of me hurry up, already.

Delirium (Lauren Oliver) - another YA book. I should say, another distopian YA book. I started reading it this week, and a few pages in started thinking I've read it before. I got a few chapters in before I was certain I'd read it before, but decided to keep reading because I remembered liking it and was enjoying the story again. It's the first in a trilogy, I've read all of them, didn't plan to read them again, but don't mind doing so now that I'm almost 1/3 through. The premise is that love is a contagious disease that the American government decides to eradicate.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (Mary Roach) - I never in a million years thought I'd read a book about the science of dead bodies, but I did and I do not regret it for one second. It was hilariously entertaining and informative, though there were more than a couple spots that literally made me gag. The author was a travel writer and after visiting Antarctica for the umpteenth time decided she wanted to write about something else. I haven't read any of them yet, but she's also got scientific books out about sex and the human gastrointestinal tract, among others, and I definitely plan to get around to some of them one day! If you are even remotely interested in this topic, I cannot recommend it more highly.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - A beloved classic, another I read again every couple of years. If you haven't read it, read it. If you haven't seen the movie, watch it. {I haven't read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn again this year, but it's another classic American favorite that I pick up every so often. My great-aunt Velma gave me a copy of it before I was old enough to appreciate it, maybe 8 or 9 years old, and the copy is tattered and missing the cover but still bears the inscription in her glorious old-fashioned handwriting and I will love it forever.}

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) - I heard about the movie before I heard about the book, but of course the title piqued my interest. This one is amazing, and the movie did it justice.

The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel (Adriana Trigiani) - I read this one shortly before the movers came to pack us up for Italy, and the timing was perfect. It spans two continents and half a lifetime and made me think really deep and grateful thoughts about my life and relationship.

I think that's about it for the non-fluff books. As you can see, I read a lot and though this list is mostly novels, I'm open to any kind of suggestions so leave me a recommendation if you have a favorite you think I might enjoy!