Book Reviews

I’ve really been enjoying my Kindle reader and I’ve read a lot of books over the last year or so. I thought it would be nice to share my reading list for people who might be looking for some recommendations. I try to avoid depressing books and the very predictable murder-mysteries. I have recently gotten some free books from Amazon that tempted me to read outside my normal genre, though. If you know of any books that I may like, please let me know. I’m always looking for recommendations, too!

The Host by Stephanie Meyer (of Twilight fame) – If you liked the Twilight series, you will like this one too. It’s pretty much the same story with the same themes but with a different setting. This time instead of vampires, its aliens that take over the human bodies.

The Brass Bed by Jennifer Stevenson – This was a futuristic novel about how the city of Chicago deals with the new influx of magic and magical beings. It was a free book and got terrible reviews. The reviews were right – it was a waste of time.

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson – This was another free book from Amazon and it was given out as a teaser to get you hooked on the series. It was about a group of kids who were genetically modified to have wings. They escaped from the lab where they were kept in dog cages and hid out in the forest away from civilization (except for their internet access, of course). Like the Twilight series, this book seemed more geared to the teenaged set. It was fun, but like most first-in-a-series books, it left more questions than answers. I have not yet purchased the rest of the series – I’m still debating whether it’s worth it or not.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - A book based on the story of Jacob from the Bible, but written from the women’s point of view. It’s an interesting perspective and gives a glimpse of what life might have been like during the Biblical times. It was pretty entertaining, too.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks – Also a religious theme; this is the story of a Jewish prayer book that was rescued from destruction by a Muslim during the war in Sarajevo. In flashbacks, it tells how the book was written and how it was kept from destruction by the Spanish Inquisition and the Nazis over the years. I thought it was interesting to learn more about the history of Jews in Europe beyond the Holocaust.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See – Lisa See has written some really good books over the years. This was not one of my favorites. This one was about two wealthy girls growing up in Shanghai. They immigrated to the US during the war and faced poverty and discrimination. It was OK, but not a very up-lifting book.

Sari Shop Window by Shobhan Bantwal - This was a stupid romance novel that took place in an Indian neighborhood in New Jersey. Skip this book – it was a waste of time and had nothing new to offer.

The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga – This book was about a taxi driver in India who murders his employer. He describes his life from childhood in rural India with little education to adulthood in the city where he works for the Indian upper classes. If you’re tired of reading about the problems in America, maybe you’re ready to read about the problems of another country. This was an interesting read.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - The Help was my favorite book of the year. It tells the story of black housekeepers in Mississippi during the 60’s. It described the rules the black women had to follow to keep their jobs including using a separate toilet. Some of the stories were sad, some funny, and some happy.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston – I didn’t like this book as much as The Help, although it is considered a classic black novel. It uses the black dialect which makes it a bit more difficult to read. The story is not what you expect either. It’s more about feminism than race relations. It takes place in the 1930’s in Florida and is the story of one woman’s life.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett – Another really good book! This one is about a builder in the 16th century who dreams of building magnificent cathedrals. After seeing so many of these cathedrals in Europe, I was interested to learn more about why the Catholic Church spent so much money on the cathedrals. It explained the economic relationships between the church and the land-owners. It also explained how they were able to build such enormous structures. There was also a plot-line that kept the whole thing interesting for people who don’t like reading dry history books!

When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe – This was a rather dark book about the war in the Philippines. It’s told from the point of view of a family hiding from the Japanese and American soldiers. It mixes reality with the mythology of the Filipinos which makes the book more unique and interesting.

Three Cups of Tea… Greg Mortinson – This is one of the very few non-fiction books that I have read, but well worth reading. Greg Mortinson was attempting to climb K2 when he got lost and was rescued by a group of Pakistanis. After seeing how they lived, he promised to come back and build them a school. He has made it his life’s mission to build more schools in Pakistan and actually advises the US military on relations with the Pakistanis. If you want to learn more about what’s going on in the Middle East, this is a great book. It gives some hope that not everyone is a suicide bomber and things can get better.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maquire - This book is just plain fun! Of course it’s the Cinderella story, but the characters are given much more personality and complexity than the original fairy tale. I was fascinated that the story takes place in the Netherlands and talks about the tulip trade and painting.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein – Written from the dog’s point of view, this book was rather disappointing. It was not nearly as entertaining or touching as Marley and Me and it was not really about car-racing either. Not worth reading…

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon – Written from the unique point of view of an autistic boy, this book was rather funny and touching. Don’t expect it to be too deep.

My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult – I actually avoided reading this book for a while fearing it to be too much of an Oprah Winfrey book choice. I was wrong. While the book is about the morality of raising a child to be an organ donor for her sister, it was also about how family dynamics are affected by having a sick child.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair – This book is about more than how disgusting the meat processing industry was (and maybe still is). It also talks about the people who immigrated to the US to work in the meat packing plants: their hopes, desires, and disappointments. I was surprised how much of their experience was directly related to the recent home mortgage crisis. If you haven’t read this book – do so now!