Recent Reads

Nicaragua is a great place to get some reading done, it turns out. They don't tell you that in brochures. Since temperatures in the afternoon often reach the mid-90s, and there's very little refuge to seek in cool places, most days I would seek whatever shade I could find and read until the sun went down. Here are some of the more notable books I've read so far this year: 

A Time to Kill, John Grisham

We've all seen the movie, or parts of the movie, with Matthew McConaughey and Samuel L. Jackson, about the lawyer who defends an African American man in Mississippi who murders the two white men who raped and beat his daughter. It's a compelling story, but I liked the movie better. The book was good and moved along quickly, but there was a lot of buildup and not very much pay off in the book. At least in the movie, we get that great closing statement from Matthew in the courtroom.

A Painted House, John Grisham

My second Grisham novel of the year, this one is absent any lawyers or courtrooms. The Painted House is set on a farm in rural Arkansas and follows a seven year old kid throughout the summer and into the fall as he picks cotton with his parents and grandparents. They hire a couple other families to help, and there is inevitably some drama. As the little boy narrates, characteristics of small-town life begin to unfold before the reader's eyes, and I was drawn into Luke's life and the terrible and wonderful things he witnesses.

Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

I was taken aback by the sheer amount of research that had to have gone into this book. Larson writes with so much authority, it almost reads like a novel. In the 1890s, Chicago hosted the World Fair, and the architects and builders struggled to top the Parisian World Fair after it revealed the Eiffel Tower a few years earlier. Meanwhile, a charming, slippery, and absolutely crazy murderer lived and worked just a few miles away. This guy, H.H. Holmes, ran a hotel that allowed him to employ young women and then kill them in disturbing ways. It's not a book for the easily-nauseated, but it is pretty fascinating how he managed to do everything he did without getting caught. I also loved getting to picture in my mind the World's Fair, and what the head architect, Daniel Burnham, accomplished. Larson recently wrote another book about the Lusitania that I may have to read.

Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline

This is a novel about a girl from Ireland who came to America with her family, then suddenly finds herself orphaned and shipped out West by train to find a new family. Set at the beginning of the Depression in the 1930s, the book describes takes us through her harrowing experiences with lots of families before she finally settles. I won't spoil it by saying how. Her story is intertwined with another girl's, but this one is 70 years later in Michigan. It's a really good book and I recommend it for a cross-country flight or a quiet weekend at home.

Born Standing Up, Steve Martin

I love Steve Martin. You love Steve Martin. We all love Father of the Bride. That's why I thought this book would be as great as he is. He is a good writer and kept me engaged, but it wasn't as laugh-out-loud hilarious as I thought it was going to be. Martin writes about his stand up career before going into movies, and it was somewhat difficult for me to connect because I know literally nothing about stand-up. However, it's always fun to see behind the curtain (literally) of a celebrity's life and certainly worth a gander if you're into memoirs of famous people.

Go Ask Alice, Anonymous

I read this well-known book, that's had some controversy over the years, in an afternoon. It was promoted as a real-life diary in the 1970s, but has since come out as complete fiction. It is sad to watch this girl's downfall, but what's most interesting to me is that teenage girls are going through the exact same thing as they were in the 70s. Besides all the drugs, Alice pretty accurately describes a lot of the thoughts and feelings girls have in those good ol' teen years.

The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins

This is a great new novel. As Rachel commutes into London by train every day, she becomes obsessed with a couple living in one of the track houses that she can see from the train. Then one day she sees the wife doing something she shouldn't be doing, and Rachel gets caught up in the whole thing. Come to find out her ex-husband lives just down the street and comes back into the fold in the worst possible way. I had to pry myself away from it, and I think you'll love it.

Utopia, Thomas More

I bought this at my favorite book store on Capitol Hill and am getting through it slowly. It's surprisingly readable considering it was written in the early 1500s and translated from Latin. It does have a lot of comments about social constructs and politics and is surprisingly relevant to today. I'll have more to report once I finish it. 

Happy reading!! 

Recent Reads

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

I can't talk about this book with people. It's too emotional and moving, and I cannot accurately convey how the story will affect every person that has a heart. In one of the most compelling books I've read this year, Hillenbrand documents Louie Zamperini's 1936 Olympic journey, then his time in Japanese POW camps after being shot down in the Pacific in 1942. There isn't a word to describe the horrendous episodes he and the other men went through. Angelina Jolie directed the movie, coming out Christmas Day, and I'm curious to see her interpretation. Everyone is going to be talking about this, so you should read it. Now. Right now.

Still Life by Louise Penny

I was feeling weird after I finished Unbroken. It's like dating after a bad breakup; I wasn't emotionally stable to jump right into another relationship. So after a few weeks when I was ready, I picked up this. A murder in a small town in Canada brings Chief Inspector Gamache up from Quebec to investigate. I don't know if it was translated from French, or what, but I was underwhelmed, and found myself wanting to finish this whodunit as quickly as I could.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I finished this book the other week, and I loved it. It's about a blind French girl in World War 2 who has to flee Paris with her father when the Nazis occupy the city. Her story is intertwined with a German youth who is brilliant at fixing radios, and works for the German army finding illegal radio frequencies. Their stories collide and it is war-riddled and poignant. Doerr is a beautiful writer, with gems like this: "If only life were like a Jules Verne novel, thinks Marie-Laure, and you could page ahead when you most needed to, and learn what would happen." This is a great read for Christmas break.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Such a delightful read by my favorite, Leslie Knope. Though she claims to be a mediocre writer, I think she's being humble because her voice is clear, funny and lovable. Her chapter about Parks and Rec made me laugh out loud at a coffee shop in DC and people were staring because I couldn't stop. So maybe save that chapter for the privacy of your own home. Unless you're reading it aloud to friends, then I think it's okay. Anyway, she gives some great advice about finding your currency and being a strong woman. I'd say she's a pretty down-to-earth, cool mom who loves what she does. It's refreshing to read someone who is like that in the throws of Hollywood. The parts about SNL are pretty great too.

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I finally downloaded the entire Sherlock Holmes collection, and am slowly working my way through A Study in Scarlet. As you may remember, I am obsessed with the BBC version, so it's fun to read the real thing. I wondered if it would be difficult to read, but Doyle's writing is as crisp as a fall day. I recommend picking up even just the first story or two for a fun read. Sherlock has permeated so much of current culture that you may be surprised to find out how much you already known about him. Especially if you've seen the Robert Downey Jr. movie.


P.S.

Recent Reads

Despite my relatively slow pace through most novels and stories, I've managed to read a number of amazing books this summer. Call it a reading rampage if you wish, but I adore the ability to enter other worlds while sitting on my bed or in the big blue chair in the kitchen. I've decided a more rounded reading experience would involve switching back and forth between fiction and non-fiction. Here are some of the most recent books I've read.

At Night We Walk In Circles by Daniel Alarcon

I read this book while I was in Paris, and though it wasn't a page-turner for about the first third of the book, I stuck with it and am glad I did. It's the story of a theatre group in South America that gets back together after a couple decades and decides to put on an old play. The theatre group disbanded decades earlier after the lead actor and playwright was imprisoned for writing a politically scandalous play that criticizes the government. Now a young actor joins the rejuvenated theatre group (which is made up of only three people) on tour throughout the countryside, and he discovers another side of his homeland that he never knew existed. I love Alarcon's writing style, and the narrator, who has more to do with the story than initially thought, is detached and aloof, but you still get the sense that he is trying to persuade you to believe something about the main character. I recommend this book if you have a minute and a half to read a 500 pages.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Oh, how I loved this book. Not only does Krakauer write with beautiful details and crisp narrative, but the story is so compelling I couldn't put it down. I know I'm a bit behind the times with this (it came out almost 20 years ago) but there's a reason people are still talking about this incident, and why they're making a movie about it, again, that is scheduled to come out next year. In the book, Krakauer tells his version of the 1996 Everest disaster that killed almost a dozen people. It's truly amazing what they went through and I couldn't even begin to describe it, but I'd tell anyone looking for a good read to pick up this book.

Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by Dave Eggers

Source

This was a really interesting book that I read on the flight from San Francisco to Dallas. The main character kidnaps six people that have had some impact on his life, and he has conversations with them in abandoned warehouses in Monterey Peninsula in California. It's all dialogue, which is actually refreshing. I was blown away with how successfully Eggers illustrates a rich and full story with only the characters' words. Very impressive.

The Longest Way Home by Andrew McCarthy

Not only was McCarthy at the travel writers' conference that I attended in San Fran, but he wrote a chapter on climbing Kilimanjaro, so obvi I wanted to read it. (He was also in Pretty in Pink, so there's that.) He is a good writer, but I had a little trouble getting into the story. The destinations were interesting and the descriptions very nice, but I had a hard time relating to a man who is struggling with the idea of settling down with his girlfriend of 7 years. Not that it isn't interesting and relatable to many people, but since I am nowhere near that point in my life, it was harder for me to stick with that common thread woven throughout the book. But it is a great travel book and a good educational read for someone who loves travel reading and writing.

The English Girl by Daniel Silva

This novel is part of a series about an Israeli spy who is tapped to help save an English girl who is kidnapped by a group of French mafia. Her kidnapping also makes waves for the Prime Minister of England. The main character goes all over Europe, and Silva's descriptions of London and Paris and Jerusalem brought me back to those cities. It's fun to relive them without paying for a plane ticket. This is a quick read with big text, and I enjoyed having a thrilling story to read in bed at the end of the day.

Next on the list: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

I've read 8 pages and I'm hooked. If you haven't heard of this book, get your head out from under that rock. I know the general outline, but am excited to get into it and learn more about this man's incredible story.


Aren't books the best things ever?
I'd love to know, what are you reading right now that I should be reading?