Jessie's 2011 End of Year Challenge

[Jessie]

I'm late to joining the group for this year but I would looooove to read a book a week. My to-be-read list is certainly long enough to accomplish that! 8 books in 8 weeks.

1. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror. Not exactly terrifying tales but very interesting read. I chose it because it was Halloween weekend. Blended well with the 3 days of 1930s horror films we watched.

[Jessie]

2. [book:Heidegger's Glasses|8399148. Good read. Short. The writing and dialogue are a little choppy for me but, in general, I really enjoyed it.

[Jessie]

3. The Lacuna Love Barbara Kingsolver. The book jacket summary didn't appeal to me at all but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was sorry when it was done.

[Jessie]

4. The Rich Switch - The Simple 3-Step System to Turn on Instant Wealth Using the Law of Attraction. Good book if you are follower of Napoleon Hill and Masterminding. Is a very condensed version of Think and Grow Rich.

[Jessie]

5. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. Not the best book I've ever read but it was good. BTW -- Germans don't really say "ach" several times in a single sentence. The book on CD waaaaaay overdid the "ach" thing.

[Susan]

Jessie wrote: "5. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. Not the best book I've ever read but it was good. BTW -- Germans don't really say "ach" severa..."

If they didn't say "ach" a lot how would you know they were Germans?

[Jessie]

Susan wrote: "Jessie wrote: "5. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. Not the best book I've ever read but it was good. BTW -- Germans don't really s..."

: ). As a German speaker, the language was awkward. He translated some words into English that really would have been better understood (even by Americans) if they had been left in German.

[Jessie]

Susan wrote: "Jessie wrote: "5. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. Not the best book I've ever read but it was good. BTW -- Germans don't really s..."

: ). As a German speaker, the language was awkward. He translated some words into English that really would have been better understood (even by Americans) if they had been left in German.

[Jessie]

6. The Unquiet Bones. Okay. Not great.

[Jessie]

7. When the Emperor Was Divine. I found this book very interesting. Japanese internment camps are something I don't have any experience with. Sad, but onterstong read.

[Ann A]

Jessie wrote: "7. When the Emperor Was Divine. I found this book very interesting. Japanese internment camps are something I don't have any experience with. Sad, but onterstong read."

This is my book group read for next month. It sounds like it will be a good one to discuss.

[Jessie]

8. The Buddha in the Attic. Really liked this book. Another pleasant surprise from a book I didn't think I would enjoy.

This officially ends my challenge for the year but there is so much more to read. How can I stop now?

[Jessie]

9. The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It's not a great work of literary fiction but it was enjoyable.

[Jessie]

10. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective. It seems like many of the books I've read since last summer have revolved around, Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes, police detectives in the Victorian Era, Edwin Drood and Wilkie Collins. This book details the grisly murder of a 5 year old boy that links all of the above together. The common thread involves the violation of the classic Victorian family image, the role of privacy and sanctity within the home and corruptions of the soul, in contrast to Darwin's shocking ideas about evolution, medical advances in forensics and a growing social awareness of class division. Interesting reading!