Kelsi's 80 Books for 2013

[Alison]

kelsi for ur page counts that didnt have any numbers, go to amazon.com and look up the book. it should tell u there. thats what i have had to do once and a while.

[Kelsi]

35. Down London Road



3 Stars

11,276/25,000

[Adriana]

Hey! You are almost halfway there (:

[Kelsi]

36. Shanghai Girls



3 Stars

I think Chinese culture is fascinating and this book encapsulates this culture as it faces modernizing change amidst the rise of Communism and Westernization. Pearl and May are sisters that are inseperable, but at the same time are competitive and jealous of each others success. It follows the sisters from a time of wealth and prosperity, to the invasion of Shanghai and poverty and despair. (SERIOUSLY DISTURBING IMAGES ABOUND). The journey ends in America, but leaves you with a somewhat cliff hangy ending. The last third of the book was not as captivating as the beginning, and thus I do not think I will read the sequel Dreams of Joy. The ending happened way too fast in my opinion and I was in disbelief it ended because I felt as if there were loose ends. All in all a 3 star book.

11,585/25,000

[Kelsi]

37. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto



5 Stars
Pollan is one of my favorite authors. He clarifies the complexity of food by synthesizing a gajillion confusing studies into three ideas. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants." Simple enough, but the Western Diet is literally destroying us and working against us to complicate this simple phrase. Everyone remotely interested in a healthy diet should at least read the last third of this book, or his other book Food Rules, because Pollan's "rules" are so simple and are guidelines I try to base my eating around. Some examples of his rules are: if your grandmother has no idea what you're eating, don't eat it, and the 5 ingredient rule, no more, or avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup. These rules combined with excellent research on the history of our food are brought together for an excellent treatise on food.

11,790/25,000

[Kelsi]

38. The Decameron



5 Stars

Hilarious read, plenty of sex, intrigue, adventure. 10 days, 10 stories, one medieval good time.

12,488/25,000

[mim]

I read The Decameron for my high school lit class a couple of years back, and totally wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It's so unexpectedly fun.

[Kelsi]

39. Entwined with You



2 Stars

Much better than the 50 Shades Trilogy, but the ending of this book was such a let down. Total guilty pleasure read for a vacation, and highly recommend it for that because it fits the bill perfectly.

[Kelsi]

40. The Pelican Brief



3 Stars

A nice legal thriller, and my first Grisham. I will probably read more, but I would like a more court room centered one!

[Kelsi]

41. The Brothers Karamazov


3 Stars

Torture. Too much philosophy.

[Kelsi]

42. A Feast for Crows


5 Stars

A Feast For Crows is set around King's Landing and follows events after the Red Wedding. I really enjoyed the plot development in this novel and finally began to see some storylines really move along. In previous books, Arya's plot was boring and seemed to drag, but in this book I began to really enjoy her journeys as Cat. Sansa too is always the victim and I almost wish more happened with her. Other characters in this book are Cersei, Jaime, Brienne, Samwell, Men from the Iron Isles and other minor characters that will begin to have a hand in events to come I believe.

As always, Martin is a master at weaving things together and leaving the reader completely devastated or in awe.

Note: There are no Dany or Jon in this book. That's why I have the highest hopes that A Dance With Dragons will blow my mind!

[Kelsi]

43. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy



5 Stars

[Kelsi]

44. The Shadowy Horses



2 Stars

I enjoy Susanna Kearsley, but did not feel this book held up as well as The Winter Sea did. I like books to build up and a t least maintain a credible plot. Kearsley's books often just feel so convenient and when issues are resolved I'm often let down because the resolution seems way too easy.

Kearsley does nail the historical aspects, including her knowledge of Latin and Roman legions.

This being my second book by her, I see way too many similarities to The Winter Sea. Her books seem to follow a diagram: Girl moves to town, unveils some mystery/challenge, meets a man, conflict, resolution that just perfectly works out with the help of the ghost, end.

I think it is safe to say I am done with Kearsley.