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Leslie G.'s 50 for 2009
Seems like I've read more than this...trying to remember 6 months' worth is tough. But it is a start!1.
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Hi Leslie,I just finished In the Woods. Liked it, but wasn't too crazy about the ending. How was The Likeness?
I agree with you about the end of In the Woods. There was resolution to only half the story and that left me a little unfulfilled. I enjoyed The Likeness more than In the Woods when it was all said and done. I thought it had much more character development than the first. It was a little slow for me to get into at first, but I couldn't put it down once it got rolling.
36. The Beach House by Jane Green 
Even for a silly chick-lit book, this one had way too much drama, and everything worked out way too well in the end. I found myself rolling my eyes wondering why I was even bothering to get to the end because I already knew how it was going to turn out.
Did you liek Water for Elephants? I wasn't sure I would but read it on the recommendation of a friend. I really liked it and was nicely surprise and amused with the ending.
Kelley wrote: "Did you liek Water for Elephants? I wasn't sure I would but read it on the recommendation of a friend. I really liked it and was nicely surprise and amused with the ending."I liked it also. I also read it because a friend really liked it. I found all of the behind the circus stuff fascinating, as I can imagine most of it happening.
37. Black Girl/White Girl 
I absolutely hated this book. I found the characters to be so childishly ridiculous I just got angry while I was reading. I read it as fast as I could so that I didn't have to listen to the main character anymore.
38. The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing
Cute and funny, I love the main character's sense of humor! There is one chapter in the middle that I don't know why it is in there (the one from the neighbors downstairs? If anyone can explain it, I'd like to know!)
39. The Nanny Diaries
Liked it. Really reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada, though.
40. Alice by Sara Flanigan This is a YA book I first read in Jr. High and fell in love with. It is out of print and finally found a copy to re-read it. I still think it is great!
Water for ELephants reminded me a lot, but not exactly, of the HBO series Carnivale.
I did not read Black Girl/White Girl but I did read one Joyce Carol Oates book previously. Ihated it and off the top of my head I can't remember the title. But I now purposely avoid her books. They may not all be that bad but there are so many other things to read that I skip them.
Kelley wrote: "Water for ELephants reminded me a lot, but not exactly, of the HBO series Carnivale. I did not read Black Girl/White Girl but I did read one Joyce Carol Oates book previously. Ihated it and off..."
That was my first & last Joyce Carrol Oates book. I have read reviews where she is basically either loved or hated. I'm going to assume I am the latter after reading Black Girl/White Girl. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't want to gve her another shot!
42. Lies My Teacher Told Me...
43. Moose...
I got some interesting factoids from "Lies", but I don't recall ever being so "fooled" by American History textbooks as the author claims to think all high school students are (i.e. I very clearly knew that the Civil War was all about slavery, and not "state's rights"). This book was published in 1995, and I was in high school at this time. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but really I don't think he's giving students enough credit. Despite that, his points are very valid in regards to the way history books are written, and the way history is typically taught. I just wanted more juicy details and less lecture on what is wrong with the writing and teaching of history.
Leslie wrote: "42. Lies My Teacher Told Me...
Leslie, I totally agree about Lies My Teacher Told Me. Give me more things my teacher got wrong, not repeated lectures about history being taught incorrectly.
Leslie, re 'Lies', I assumed he may have been discussing teaching history earlier than 1995. My history lessons were much more patrioticly white-washed when I was in school. I think texts are more 'balanced' now. For instance, my Dad who is 63 said he never learned about the Holocaust in school. He wasn't really aware of it until we visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. And he's certainly not dumb--just unaware. Strange, hmmm?
how did you like The Guernsey Literary...? It's on my to read list, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet..
Pam wrote: "how did you like The Guernsey Literary...? It's on my to read list, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.."I liked the way it was put together (a series of letters), so I felt a little more connected to all the characters in the story. I also like historic fiction and it gave me a little more insight into the effects of WWII on a more isolated area of Europe.
46. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 
This was a very interesting story. So real, I kept checking the jacket to see if it was non-fiction. It also made me want to read more about the history of the Caribbean. I do wish it came with a glossary for all of the spanish words that I did not know. I started to look them up, but found that most of them are slang that were not in standard Spanish/English dictionaries, and also there were so many of them that it became too tedious. Still a great book, though.
48. Dead Until Dark 
I really like HBOs True Blood and this book was exactly what happened in season one with a few missing characters & side story-lines from the show, that I don't think I want to read the rest of them for fear of ruining the show. Has anyone read the whole series that watches True Blood? Will it ruin it for me?
49. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan 
Interesting story. Reminded me a little of an M. Night Shyamalan movie called "The Village".
51. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien 
I will finish the trilogy because I started it. I was bored by the first part of the movie and turned it off (which I never do) and thought, "The book is always better, I will read them instead." I found the book to be nearly as boring as the movie I started.
I will admit it was a good story after it got going, but after reading the introduction, which thoroughly confused me, I was already disappointed. I think Tolkien had this detailed imaginary world in his head, and decided that every last detail he held in his mind was significant to the story. In my opinion, it was so full of extraneous information that didn't contribute to the plot that it was frustrating to read. Every time the storyline got interesting, it was bogged down by imaginary geography and history that seemed irrelevant.
52. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey 
I read this book for "recommended reading" for a trip I have planned in Death Valley. Let me say, I HATE this author. If he could have left out his personality and opinions, and stuck with his wonderful descriptions of the desert and its beauty, the book could've been great. Unfortunately, I read it as fast as I could because every time I thought he was redeeming himself, he made some asinine comment that made me angry (and also a little happy he is now deceased because he scares me a little--in a Charlie Manson kind of anti-social way).
53. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 
I had a sense of deja vu while reading this book. I don't know if the story was so typical (unhappy motherless girl finds people to love) or if I've read it before.
55. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 
Wow! I guess I'm into f***ed up characters (there is no better phrase for the "heroine"). I could not put this book down, although I can see how the people that hated it, really hated it. It is dark, and turns out to be much less about a murder mystery than dirty family secrets and the effect they have on those immersed in them.
58. The Host 
I feel so bad that I had just started this book and someone at work asked me about it and I told them it was really good so far. I hope she takes the "so far" part to heart. About 1/3 of the way in I realized I hated the main character just like I ended up hating Bella from the Twilight series because the character is so unbelievably naive and "altruistic" (to use the author's word). The beginning of the book sucked me in and I thought the story had so much potential and then it turned into the same tired love story/triangle with the same cheesy dialogue from the Twilight books. It's like the beginning was written by a completely different person, and the end was written by a 12-year-old. I will never read anything else written by Ms. Meyer.
59. Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science 
A little simple for me since I work in the operating room, but for a surgeon, he tells a good story and hopefully people not in the healthcare field will get a little take-home message by reading this book. (Doctors and other healthcare providers are imperfect people, and medicine isn't a perfect science!)
60. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 
A beautiful and enlightening story. I live by "the book is always better," but part of me wants to see the movie, as I don't think my imagination can comprehend the beauty of not only the kimono, but the geisha and their lives as well.
61. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
I especially enjoyed the way this book was written. Such a unique point of view.
62. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson 
This started a little slow, like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but ended up being just as compelling. Unfortunately, the end was very abrupt and now I have to wait for the third book to come to the States...
63. The Land of Little Rain 
Another read for an upcoming trip. Took me over a month to read 107 pages. I found it mostly boring and wordy and confusing. I think a lot of this is because she was describing many plants and regions that I do not know much about (hence the trip). It was also written about a hundred years ago, so the writing style may have been part of the problem for me. If you are really into nature writing, I would recommend this read.
64. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
I really, really liked this book. Such a tragic story about a young girl in WWII Germany, but heartwarming as well. It was very interesting to be told from Death's point of view....
65. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah 
Reminiscent of Beaches (two close girlfriends who needed each other and stayed close through the years; one rich, one a family woman; friendship ups and downs...), but well written. Found myself really caring about the characters, despite the fact that I figured out pretty much how it was going to end. Maybe because I relate.....
66. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt 
I really liked the writing of this book. It paints a vivid picture of Savannah and Savannahians themselves. I liked getting to know the very colorful characters surrounding the story, and found myself laughing even though the book is ultimately about an infamous Savannah murder trial.
