I’ve done a good bit of reading this summer toward my goal of 40 books this year. To add to the list:
18. “What is the What” — which I already reviewed and loved. Five out of five bananas, absoloodle. The perspective and writing are excellent. This has serious potential to be my Christmas book of 2008.
19. “What the Dead Know” by Laura Lipmann: Two bananas, good plot and I liked the Dennis Leary-esq character Kevin Infante, but too heavy on the needless profanity to be truly enjoyable.
20. “Kabul Beauty School” by Deborah Rodriguez: Three bananas, fascinating memoir and I appreciated this foreigner’s take on living in a Muslim country as a divorced Christian woman. However, some of her choices leave her as a less-than-desirable lad character.
21. “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith: Four bananas. Love the characters, the way of telling the stoyr, the creativity of the author. It was an entertaining summer read that I recommend for teens.
22. “Hank & Chloe” by Jo-Ann Mapson: Two bananas. Didn’t hate the story but didn’t think it was much more than mind candy. Lots of sexual detail that made me blush when reading this in public.
23. “It’s Not About the Tapas” by Polly Evans: 1 banana. I couldn’t get hooked on this one, but it would be a good read for European history buffs. It is a nonfiction travel memoir of a girl who decides to ride her bike across much of Spain.
24. “Millions Saved.” Four Bananas, and a mandatory read for anyone interested in international public health programming.
25. “Good Faith” by Jane Smiley. Two bananas. This was slow and again I wasn’t sure I liked the characters by the end.
26. “Fieldwork” by Mischa Berlinski. Four bananas. Such a vividly written tale that when I was done, I felt like I’d been the one traveling through Thailand. I loved this story. Several of you recommended it, so thank you!
{Sidenote, Berlinski recommends “The Dogs May Bark but the Caravan Rolls On.” I am going to add this to my library list.}
27. “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Four bananas. This true story of a man building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan has been handed to me several times by friends. When I finally sat down to read it, I couldn’t put it down and did the very socially ugly act of even reading at the dinner table. It was that good. If you want to be motivated into how one person truly can make huge change, pick this up. Mortenson is one of my new heroes.
28. “The Law of Similars” by Chris Bonjalian. Three bananas. I like the way this author teaches the reader so much about topics — such as food allergies and homeopathy in this case — without it coming off as stuffy. Good fiction.
29. “More Than You Know” by Beth Gutcheon. Three bananas. The author does a good job of bouncing between two main stories and eventually tying them together.
30. “Soul Cravings” by Edwin McManus. Five bananas. My minister gave this to me before I left and it was perfect timing. This book is written in entry-style, so you can read it a bit each day or all at once. Great spiritual insight and motivation to ask more questions about faith.
31. “We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with our Families” by Philip Gourevitch. Five bananas. This is an excellent read for anyone interested in the Rwandan genocide and Africa politics. It is a good study of what pushes the average everyday mind into being comfortable with killing others and how to prevent this sort of nonsense from happening again.
32. “Vinegar Hill” by A. Manette Ansay. Two bananas. Surprise, surprise. This Oprah book pick left me sad and miserable. The female lead lives a hopeless life.
33. “Hard Laughter” by Annie Lamott. 1 banana. I know, I know. Usually I love Lamott. Come to find out I really love her nonfiction. Her fiction is a bit too odd for me.
34. “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel. Five stars. Again, another spiritual book that will rock your socks if you give it a chance. I have found myself repeatedly reminding myself of these agreements when faced with obstacles and they’ve helped me to find grace in the journey.
35. “At the Mercy of the River” by Peter Stark. Four bananas. A nonfiction adventure tale about a team who decide to kayak the Lugenda River in Mozambique. Absolutely wonderful writing and I am bias because I kinda love the country.
36. “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe. Three bananas. Good story with interesting African tribal insights. Reminded me of “The Alchemist” in the writing style.
Currently reading and loving, “Cold Mountain” with “Lucky” on deck. What have you been enjoying?
~K