Monday, December 1, 2014

November in Books

I still have one final catch-up post, but in the interest of getting back on some sort of track, I thought I would share my November books before we get too far into December and the holidays. My hope is to make this a monthly thing instead of doing full book reviews since those aren't really working for me lately. I never have kept track by the month before though, so I think it will be interesting to see how much I read and what kinds of things I read on a monthly basis. I'll be going by the date I finish a book, so books that cross more than one month won't be mentioned until I'm done with them.

* * * * *


The Hunt
by Andrew Fukuda
Borrowed from Library / Hardcover / For Book Club
2 stars
Goodreads

Not impressed by this one at all. I did want to know what happens in the end and it was a fast read, so I managed to finish it before the book club meeting, but I'm not sure that's really saying much. There were so many weird things about this world and things that didn't make logical sense to me. Normally, I'm really good at suspending my disbelief, but I was questionings things left and right throughout this book because the oddities seemed so glaring to me. I'm kind of curious to know how the trilogy continues, but have no desire to keep reading -- riddle me that one! There is a cliff-hanger ending, so even though I didn't like the book much, the story feels unfinished. I may just look up spoiler-y reviews at some point just to see where things end up.

* * * * *

The Secret of the Old Clock
by Carolyn Keene
3 stars
Borrowed from Library / Hardcover / Re-Read?

I read a lot of Nancy Drew as a kid -- probably more of the later Nancy Drew Files than the earlier "yellow flashlight" books -- but I'm still fairly certain I've at least read the early ones in the original series before. It's all a bit fuzzy though, I must admit. As Carolyn of Riedel Fascination pointed out in her review, this really is not the best example of the Nancy Drew series. It sets the stage and introduces a classic character, but the writing quality is not up to par with later books. I also encountered a pet peeve of mine I didn't even know I had -- the tendency to put Nancy's thoughts into quotation marks as if they were dialogue -- is this a stylistic thing or is she really meant to be talking to herself out loud all the time? It just rubbed me the wrong way every time I came across it, though thankfully it seems to happen much less often as I moved onto the second book.

* * * * *

The Hidden Staircase
by Carolyn Keene
Borrowed from Library / Hardcover / Re-Read?
4 stars

A marked improvement in quality over the first book and a much better representation of the classic girl detective. I think I will continue reading through the series a bit at a time for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, though I must admit they really aren't quite the same when read as an adult.

* * * * *

The Rosie Project
by Graham Simsion
Purchased / Paperback / For Book Club
4 stars
Goodreads

A fast read with some really memorable characters -- it actually felt a lot like The Big Bang Theory (which I love) in book form. I had been hesitant due to all the hype, but bought it a few months ago when I saw it on the discounted bestseller shelf at my local bookstore and remembered it was on the upcoming book club schedule at my library. I usually only attend the Young Adult book discussion and I'm so glad this was the book that finally got me to join an "adult" book discussion. I'm looking forward to the sequel that will be published later this month though I have already heard very mixed reviews that unfortunately seem to be skewing toward disappointment.

* * * * *

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
by Bill Dedman & Paul Clark Newell, Jr.
Borrowed from Library / Audiobook
4 stars

A very interesting non-fiction book I've been meaning to read ever since it came out last year. This story of an eccentric, little-known heiress was really great as an audiobook, though I did also borrow the print edition so I could look at all the photographs. The audio included actual voice clips of Hugette which I thought were excellent additions, though a little hard to understand if I was listening in the car. I think the authors (including a relative of Ms. Clark's) did a great job with the research and presenting the story of her life. There is still a question in my mind about whether or not Ms. Clark's generosity was taken advantage of by certain parties, but I'm not sure that can be definitively answered after the fact.

* * * * *

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
Borrowed from Library / Audiobook / Re-Read
5 stars

Love, love, LOVE this book. I first read it in 6th grade and then re-read it last year as an audiobook which I did again this year while baking my first batch of Christmas cookies. It's such a wonderful book to read around the holidays and I think it could easily become an annual tradition.

* * * * *

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
Purchased / Paperback / For Book Club
4 stars

It seems I enjoyed this one the most out of our book club group. I am completely fascinated by books that have been challenged or banned (obviously, given the challenge I host!) and it tends to make me enjoy them even more. I loved the character and voice of Junior and felt like he was sitting next to me telling me his story. This book explored a lot of important topics including bullying, racism, and alcoholism in a very approachable way. I can see why this has become a modern classic and is frequently assigned in schools. The cartoons were great additions to the text and I think this has the potential to really resonate with the intended age group.

* * * * *

TOTALS:
7 Books Read (5 print + 2 audio)
1205 Pages
15 Audiobook Hours

_____________
Reading Challenges:
Banned Books
New to Me
Audiobook
Prequel & Sequel
My Kind of Mystery
Nonfiction
Re-Reading
Rewind
Diversity on the Shelf

9 comments:

  1. I like this kind of post! I think it is fun to look back at all the books you read for the month.

    I read The Absolutely True Diary (I am not surprised you liked this book and that you were intrigued since it is a banned book) in a college course that focused on books that should be taught in the classroom. :) It was a really good book. I think it's great for the age group.

    I'm going to be skipping The Hunt now. It was never high up on my list anyway, and after your review I think it isn't really worth my time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After True Diary, I now am really itching to get into more banned books that I didn't read when I was in the actual age group (like Judy Blume, etc.) -- they may be just the thing to either end off the year or start the new one!

      And yea, there are so many better vampire books out there (not that they even call them vampires, but well, they are.) Read something better from your list for sure!

      Delete
  2. I am loving this book review post idea you have. That is such a great idea!!! Then it let's your readers pick the reviews they want to read too.
    I have been wanting to read The Absolutely True diary and The Rosie Project.
    Are you planning on hosting The Banned Book Reading Challenge again?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good point! If I post only one review at a time either people are interested in the particular book or they are not, but doing a round-up gives choices.

      Those two were definitely favorites for the month -- I hope you get a chance to check them out -- they are both very fast reads if that helps :)

      And I do think I will host again! I do a low maintenance challenge, so I think I can manage to get it set up before the end of the year. I want to join again so I think I have to :)

      Delete
    2. Cool! I will sign up again. I just need to get my post together.

      Delete
  3. Looks like you had a good month with some pretty good reads!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been preferring mini-reviews for some time now. I've been reading so much that writing long ones isn't really an option at this point. This is a very diverse list you have here - I admit having certain amount of healthy interest towards The Rosie Project. Empty Masions seems good as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know how we could ever keep up the reading pace we have been if we were also doing full reviews! I hope each month will be a nice mix -- it's nice to have a wide range I think -- both for myself and in terms of having interesting things to write about.

      Rosie Project is definitely a fast and light read if you are in the mood for that kind of thing. I'm not sure how well empty mansions would have held my attention as a print book, but it was a really interesting listen.

      Delete

I'd love to hear what you think :)