Which are you?
This past month I had a difficult time even wanting a book to read! June should have been my biggest reading month. Instead it was a blah month. [I’d better get cracking this next month!]
I did manage to read a few books. My favorites were A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (a middle grade novel; it will probably be one of my favorites of the whole year) and The Conversation by Leigh Bortins (a great finale for her trilogy on classical education).
The 2015 Book List Challenge
[*Added to original list]
Novels
Lila: A Novel [I had a more difficult time getting into this novel than Robinson’s previous two novels in the series, but the story was greatly rewarding in the end. What a beautiful picture of grace the author masterfully paints. Marilynne Robinson is at the top of my list. 4 1/2 stars]
Hood [Hood is the first Stephen Lawhead book I’ve read. It is a retelling of the Robin Hood myth. It was well-told and entertaining, but not excellent. I’d like to try another series by Lawhead. 3 1/2 stars]
The Sunday Philosophy Club [This is from the author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which I very much enjoyed. Interesting in places, charming in places, and boring in quiet a few places. 3 stars.]
A Girl of The Limberlost (ChocLit Guild) [Sweet, safe, turn of the century romance novel by Gene Stratton-Porter, full of natural history. 3 1/2 stars]
Dune [I tried to start it and just couldn’t get going. Maybe I’ll try again later this year.]
The Chosen [A fascinating look at Jewish culture in 1940s Brooklyn, New York, written by Chaim Potok. I was captivated. 4 1/2 stars]
Beloved [Toni Morrison has given us a tragic and graphic but exquisitely-written narrative that seeps the reader in the culture of slavery. Haunting. 4 1/2 stars]
*Whose Body? [Lord Peter Wimsey debuts in this detective novel by Dorothy Sayers. Slightly reminiscent of P.G. Wodehouse, but not nearly so silly, Whose Body? is the first of the series. I mostly read this one so that I could work my way up to Clouds of Witness. 4 stars]
Catch-22 [This was a tough read for me, and I wished it had been about half as long. I cannot read 400+ pages of satirical nonsense before my head explodes. It gave me more to think about, however, as I was reading Unbroken since both books are about bombardiers during WWII. It is an important modern classic, but not at all enjoyable to read. 3 stars]
Lord of the Flies [Lord of the Flies was not cheerful, by any means, but not quite as grim or at least not as explicit as I was expecting. Important modern classic, not particularly enjoyable. 3 1/2 stars.]
The Great Gatsby [Quintessential Jazz Age and a cultural imperative. 4 1/2 stars.]
The Signature of All Things [This is a brilliantly-told narrative, even if it took quite some time for the story to get going. (The beginning is interesting, but the first 13 chapters all seem to have the same pacing.) I have very strong feelings about this one, but it is a bit of a pendulum swing when I consider it. It disturbed me. I think I hated it. But maybe, if I read it again, I’d love it. Oddly, it reminded me in some ways of Till We Have Faces, which I didn’t hate. I don’t even know how to rate this one. 4 1/2 stars for the excellent writing. 2 stars for enjoyment.]
*Godric: A Novel [My feelings about Godric were similar to my feelings about The Signature of All Things, though I was more frustrated than disturbed and Godric wasn’t as long. I think I hated it, but maybe I’d love it if I re-read it so that I could understand it better, see more deeply. I suppose good writing is writing that makes you feel and think, in which case both books are excellent. I don’t know. But I hate hating books. It makes me feel shallow and imperceptive. Am I not intellectual enough to love books that aren’t enjoyable? I think I have to be prepared ahead of time for a tragic or graphic or dark story like I was for Beloved or Till We Have Faces. I also find it fascinating that stories can speak so differently to people. Again, it is true: no two people read the same book. 4 stars for the writing, 2 1/2 for the enjoyment.]
Merry Hall [I loved Down the Garden path by Beverly Nichols, and Merry Hall did not disappoint. It’s like P.G. Wodehouse in the garden. Quite hilarious. The little vignettes are somewhat unconnected, though, and there is no driving narrative, so I didn’t find myself needing to continue reading. 3 1/2 stars]
*Gone with the Wind (ChocLit Guild)
*The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel [This is a charming and delightful modern novel. I needed something light after a run of several difficult novels. I liked this one in a way similar to The Rosie Project. Quirky. Modern. Not depressing. Not cheesy. Not squeaky clean, but not gritty. 3 1/2 stars]
*The Little Village School [Charming story. Sort of like Mitford, but centered around a school in England. 3 1/2 stars]
Classics
Pride and Prejudice (ChocLit Guild) [For years I have adored both the BBC movie version with Colin Firth as well as the newer movie version with Matthew Macfadyen, but I had never read the book! Now I can say that I’ve read it. But, honestly? It was delightful in the same way that the movies are delightful. (grin) Both movies retain so much of the story (particularly the longer BBC movie version) and the original dialogue, that I simply replayed the movies in my mind throughout my reading of the whole book. And then I wanted to watch the movies again. I’m not sure how to separate my love for them, so I’ll rate them together: 5 stars.]
Gulliver's Travels (An abridged re-telling) [I love this retelling and the illustrations are fantastic. A must for cultural literacy. 4 stars]
Moby Dick [I knew I wouldn’t end up reading this one this year (or ever), so I grabbed an excellent graphic novel version. This month a friend shared with me an interesting essay titled Why You Should Read Moby Dick by R.C. Sproul. I still don’t know if I’ll read the unabridged version, but I appreciated having some deep ideas to think about as I read the graphic novel.]
Paradise Lost (ChocLit Guild)
Frankenstein [in progress]
No Name (Or something else by Wilkie Collins. ChocLit Guild)
Hamlet (CC Moms Book Club) [deep reading in progress]
Ancients
Children’s and YA Novels
The Door in the Wall (CC Challenge A) [A wonderful coming of age story set in Medieval times. 4 stars]
A Gathering of Days (CC Challenge A) [This was my least favorite of all the Challenge A literature selections. Somewhat boring and forced. I didn’t care for the journal-style writing. 2 1/2 stars]
Crispin: The Cross of Lead (CC Challenge A) [This was my favorite of the Challenge A literature selections. I ended up purchasing the other two books in the trilogy as well as several others by the author. Another great coming of age story set in Medieval times. 4 stars]
Where the Red Fern Grows (CC Challenge B)
*A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park [This was an excellent read about a boy from war-torn Sudan. Highly recommended for adults as well as children (though it may be a little much for very young or sensitive children). This will be one of my favorite books this year. 4 1/2 stars.]
*In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord [This is a darling book about a little girl who moves from China to New York in the year 1947. It is a well-written simple chapter book. I would have given it four stars if it hadn’t been for two short events in the book that I did not care for. First (and this is a nit-picky complaint), a bully at school gives her two black eyes while swearing at her, and the words are bleeped out in asterisks. Shirley refuses to tell her parents what happened because she knows the bully would take it out on her. Her resolve not to tattle is rewarded by the bully becoming her friend the next day. Second, Shirley’s next friend tells her that she wants to show her something and swears Shirley to secrecy. The girls sneak into the friend’s dad’s office (he’s a psychiatrist) and the friend shows her a book (presumably a medical book) with pictures of naked people. Shirley pretends enthusiasm, but has no desire to look at the book. The story takes only a couple pages, but it begins with “Only one aspect of her friendship with Emily would have displeased her mother, but she was not likely to find it out, and so Shirley did not trouble herself too much over it.” It was this second event that just didn’t sit well with me, partly because the rest of the book is wonderful for 8-11 year olds. 3 stars.]
Junk Food
*Highland Fling [So fun. So easy to read. So not edifying in any way. (grin) 3 stars]
*Paradise Fields [I enjoy this author, but this was probably my least favorite book of hers. 2 stars]
*Undetected [Tom Clancy meets Grace Livingston Hill. Well-researched and interesting details about sonar. Squeaky-clean and positive Christian romance. Not painfully written. Probably just a tad (ha!) unrealistic and idealistic. If I were willing to be totally honest, I would tell you that this genre is smack-dab in the middle of my comfort zone and the easiest, most enjoyable thing for me to read. But I don’t want to admit that. (wry grin) 3 stars]
*Attachments [Chick lit set in 1999. 3 stars]
Non-Fiction
Biography/History
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (ChocLit Guild)
*The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (ChocLit Guild) [in progress]
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris (ChocLit Guild)
The Hiding Place (CC Challenge B)
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Faith, Culture, and Education
The Pursuit of God (ChocLit Guild) [in progress]
Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Human in an Ideological Age (CiRCE Conference)
Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education (CiRCE Conference) [in progress]
The Soul of Science (CC Parent Practicum)
Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art (CC Parent Practicum)
Honey for a Teen's Heart [Detailed review here. 4 1/2 stars]
Invitation to the Classics: A Guide to Books You've Always Wanted to Read
*Just Walk Across the Room (ChocLit Guild)
*The Conversation: Challenging Your Student with a Classical Education by Leigh A. Bortins (third in trilogy) [Excellent. 4 stars for the trilogy.]
Re-Reads
*The Bronze Bow (CC Challenge A)
*The Question (CC Moms Book Club) [deep reading in progress]
*A Tale of Two Cities (reading aloud) [in progress]
*The Catcher in the Rye [in progress]
*Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll [audio book/read aloud in progress]
*Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (read aloud)
I LOVED a Long Walk to Water; made Big Dude read it, too :-D. I picked up a used copy of A Single Shard; looking forward to reading it. I'm currently eyeballs deep into Katherine Paterson books (they're good; I'll probably read them all eventually). And book club is doing TKAM this month and Go Set a Watchman next month :-).
ReplyDeleteI know I someday need to read Moby Dick, but goshdarnit, I just don't want to. I keep kicking that can down the road.
I've toyed with reading Beloved for a long time. Putting it on the to-do list.
As always, love your reading lists and thoughts/impressions of what you read.
Thanks so much for the time you put into this list. It is very helpful to me! I read your comments carefully and they influence my book choices.
ReplyDeleteI read Moby Dick earlier this year and hated it. But at least I can say I read it.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to try any more Lawhead, I'd recommend his Song of Albion trilogy. I read a lot of his books as an older teen, and it's the only series of his that I would still want to go back and re-read as an adult.
ReplyDeleteI second the recommendation on the Song of Albion trilogy by Lawhead - they were the first of his that I read and I are my favorites of his. I wrote to him after reading it and he very kindly responded to my letter which just MADE MY LIFE at the time. :)
ReplyDelete